The third-order nonlinear optical responses of zinc porphyrin oligomers: Cycles vs linear chains.

Porphyrins are widely used as potential nonlinear optical (NLO) materials because of their highly delocalized π electrons and feasible synthesis and functionalization with broad biological applications. A variety of linear and cyclic porphyrin derivatives have been synthesized, and the correlation between their structures and NLO properties awaits being disclosed. In this work, the electronic structures and third-order NLO properties of linear and cyclic butadiyne-linked zinc porphyrin oligomers have been studied by quantum chemical methods and sum-over-states model.

Spin engineering of triangulenes and application for nano nonlinear optical materials design.

The recently synthesized triangulenes with non-bonding edge states could have broad potential applications in magnetics, spintronics and electro-optics if they have appropriate electronic structure modulation. In the present work, strategies based on molecular orbital theory through heteroatom doping are proposed to redistribute, reduce or eliminate the spin of triangulenes for novel functional materials design, and the role of B, N, NBN, and BNB in such intended electronic structure manipulation is scrutinized. π-Extended triangulenes with tunable electronic properties could be potential nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with appropriate inhibition of their polyradical nature.

Functions of Redox Signaling in Pollen Development and Stress Response.

Cellular redox homeostasis is crucial for normal plant growth and development. Each developmental stage of plants has a specific redox mode and is maintained by various environmental cues, oxidants, and antioxidants. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species are the chief oxidants in plant cells and participate in cell signal transduction and redox balance.

Tuning the edge states in X-type carbon based molecules for applications in nonlinear optics.

Novel carbon based "X-type" graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with azulenes were designed for applications in nonlinear optics in the present work, and the second order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of those X-type GNRs were predicted using the sum-over-states (SOS) model. The GNRs with edge states are feasibly polarized. The effects of zigzag edges on the NLO properties of GNRs are scrutinized by passivation, and the electronic structures of GNRs are modulated with heteroatoms at the zigzag edges for improved stability and NLO properties.

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals key genes potentially related to organic acid and sugar accumulation in loquat.

Organic acids and sugars are the primary components that determine the quality and flavor of loquat fruits. In the present study, major organic acids, sugar content, enzyme activities, and the expression of related genes were analyzed during fruit development in two loquat cultivars, 'JieFangZhong' (JFZ) and 'BaiLi' (BL). Our results showed that the sugar content increased during fruit development in the two cultivars; however, the organic acid content dramatically decreased in the later stages of fruit development.

Cap-Assisted Endoscopic Sclerotherapy vs Ligation in the Long-Term Management of Medium Esophageal Varices: A Randomized Trial.

Introduction: Compared with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL), cap-assisted endoscopic sclerotherapy (CAES) improves efficacy in the treatment of small esophageal varices (EVs) but has not been evaluated in the management of medium EVs. The aim of this study was to compare CAES with EVL in the long-term management of patients exhibiting cirrhosis with medium EVs and a history of esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB), with respect to variceal eradication and recurrence, adverse events, rebleeding, and survival.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients with medium EVs and a history of EVB were divided randomly into EVL and CAES groups.

Phylogenetic relationships and characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of in southeast of China.

is an evergreen fruit tree originating in southeastern China. Its fruit is juicy with a pleasant taste and considerable medical value. However, there is no complete mitochondrial (cmt) genome resource for this species.

RIP1 promotes proliferation through G2/M checkpoint progression and mediates cisplatin-induced apoptosis and necroptosis in human ovarian cancer cells.

Receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1, also known as RIPK1) is not only a tumor-promoting factor in several cancers but also mediates either apoptosis or necroptosis in certain circumstances. In this study we investigated what role RIP1 plays in human ovarian cancer cells. We showed that knockout (KO) of RIP1 substantially suppressed cell proliferation, accompanied by the G2/M checkpoint arrest in two human ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and A2780.

Second-look endoscopy-guided therapy under sedation prevents early rebleeding after variceal ligation for acute variceal bleeding.

Objectives: To investigate whether second-look endoscopy (SLE)-guided therapy could be used to prevent post-endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) early bleeding.

Methods: Consecutive cirrhotic patients with large esophageal varices (EV) receiving successful EVL for acute variceal bleeding (AVB) or secondary prophylaxis were enrolled. The patients were randomized into a SLE group and a non-SLE group (NSLE) 10 days after EVL.

IL-25 protects against high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice by inducing IL-25 and M2a macrophage production.

Interleukin (IL)-25 is a cytokine that has previously been shown to have a protective role against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with the induction of M2 macrophage differentiation. However, the direct relationships between IL-25 expression regulation, M2 induction and NAFLD remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-25 promotes hepatic macrophage differentiation into M2a macrophages both in vivo and in vitro via the IL-13/STAT6 pathway.

Luteolin and sorafenib combination kills human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through apoptosis potentiation and JNK activation.

Sorafenib is a small-molecule multi-kinase inhibitor approved by FDA as an oral agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and renal cell carcinoma. However, unresponsiveness and acquired resistance are commonly observed, which hinder the clinical use of sorafenib. As combination therapy is a promising approach to improve its efficacy, we investigated if sorafenib and luteolin combination is effective in killing human HCC cells.

Natural history of covert hepatic encephalopathy: An observational study of 366 cirrhotic patients.

Aim: To explore the natural history of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) in absence of medication intervention.

Methods: Consecutive outpatient cirrhotic patients in a Chinese tertiary care hospital were enrolled and evaluated for CHE diagnosis. They were followed up for a mean of 11.

Combination of wogonin and sorafenib effectively kills human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through apoptosis potentiation and autophagy inhibition.

The small molecule multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib has become the standard systemic treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and renal cell carcinoma. Similar to other kinase inhibitors, drug resistance hinders its clinical use; thus, combination therapy to improve sorafenib sensitivity is a promising approach. The present study shows for the first time that the combination of sorafenib and wogonin exerts a significant potentiation of cytotoxicity in a number of human HCC cell lines in a dose-dependent manner.

Utility of endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of esophagogastric varices.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has significantly improved our understanding of the complex vascular structural changes in patients with portal hypertension. At present, EUS is a useful diagnostic tool for the evaluation of esophagogastric varices (EGVs) and guidance of endoscopic therapy. Several studies have employed this new technique for the diagnosis and management of esophageal and gastric varices, respectively.

Correction: Yan Chen, et al. Dual Agent Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles Enhanced Antitumor Activity in a Multidrug-Resistant Breast Tumor Eenograft Model. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15, 2761-2772.

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[OATP1B1 in drug-drug interactions between traditional Chinese medicine Danshensu and rosuvastatin].

The study was designed to explore the drug-drug interactions mechanisms mediated by OATP1B1 between traditional Chinese medicine Danshensu and rosuvastatin. First, the changes of rosuvastatin pharmacokinetics were investigated in presence of Danshensu in rats. Then, the primary rat hepatocytes model was established to explore the effects of Danshensu on the uptake of rosuvastatin by hepatocytes.

Production of herbicide-resistant medicinal plant Salvia miltiorrhiza transformed with the bar gene.

In this study, we successfully performed Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Salvia miltiorrhiza and produced herbicide-resistant transformants. Leaf discs of S. miltiorrhiza were infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 harboring pCAMBIA 3301.

[Reversal effect and its mechanism of (- )-5-N-acetylardeemin on adriamycin resistance in multidrug-resistant cancer cells A549/Adr and MCF-7/Adr].

Objective: To explore the reversal effect of (- )-5-N-acetylardeemin on adriamycin resistance in multidrug-resistant cancer cells including human breast cancer cells MCF-7/Adr and human non-small cell lung cancer cells A549/Adr in vitro.

Methods: The multidrug-resistant cancer cells MCF-7/Adr, A549/Adr and their respective parental cells were treated with different concentrations of (- )-5-N-acetylardeemin and adriamycin individually or in combination. Cell death was detected based on the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) using a cytotoxicity detection kit.

Dual agent loaded PLGA nanoparticles enhanced antitumor activity in a multidrug-resistant breast tumor eenograft model.

Multidrug-resistant breast cancers have limited and ineffective clinical treatment options. This study aimed to develop PLGA nanoparticles containing a synergistic combination of vincristine and verapamil to achieve less toxicity and enhanced efficacy on multidrug-resistant breast cancers. The 1:250 molar ratio of VCR/VRP showed strong synergism with the reversal index of approximately 130 in the multidrug-resistant MCF-7/ADR cells compared to drug-sensitive MCF-7 cells.

[Recombinant soluble CD40 ligand enhances Wogonin-induced antitumor activity].

Objective: To investigate the effect of recombinant soluble CD40 ligand (rsCD40L) on Wogonin mediated antitumor activity in cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Methods: Cell death was detected based on the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) using a cytotoxicity detection kit. For morphological study of cell death, cells were stained with 50 microg/mL of acridine orange and 50 microg/mL of ethidium bromide and observed and photographed under a fluorescence microscope.

Wogonin potentiates cisplatin-induced cancer cell apoptosis through accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species.

Chemoresistance to cisplatin is a major limitation of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the clinic. The combination of cisplatin with other agents has been recognized as a promising strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance. Previous studies have shown that wogonin (5,7-dihydroxy-8-methoxyflavone), a flavonoid isolated from the root of the medicinal herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, sensitizes cancer cells to chemotheraputics such as etoposide, adriamycin, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and TNF.