Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunogenicity profiles of Exendin-4-IgG4-Fc in healthy subjects: A phase 1, single-centre, randomized, double-blind, dose escalation study.

Aim: Novel long-acting drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus may optimize patient compliance and glycaemic control. Exendin-4-IgG4-Fc (E4F4) is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. This first-in-human study investigated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunogenicity profiles of a single subcutaneous injection of E4F4 in healthy subjects.

Gut microbiome biomarkers in adolescent obesity: a regional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to characterize the gut microbiota in obese adolescents from Shenzhen (China), and evaluate influence of gender on BMI-related differences in the gut microbiome.

Methods: Evaluation of physical examination, blood pressure measurement, serological assay and body composition were conducted in 205 adolescent subjects at Shenzhen. Fecal microbiome composition was profiled via high-throughput sequencing of the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene.

Study on hypoglycemic effects of irradiated ginseng adventitious roots.

We aimed to explore the effects of the Co-γ irradiated ginseng adventitious root (GAR) with different radiation doses on the hypoglycemic effects of its extract (GARSE) through in vivo and in vitro experiments. The total saponin of GARSE was increased by 4.50% after 5 kGy irradiation, and the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability was enhanced by 5.

[Effects of protein kinase C and motigen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinases signaling pathway on mRNA level of inducible nitric oxide synthase in Tca8113 cells].

Objective: To explore the regulatory mechanism of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) expression related to proliferation of Tca8113 cells.

Methods: RNAi mediated by short hairpin RNAs was utilized to knock down NOS-2, protein kinase C (PKC)-α, PKC-β and PKC-δ. Griess Reagent played a significant role on the detection of NO product after NOS-2 silence.

Four new species of the subgenus Homoneura from Jiangxi Province, China (Diptera: Lauxaniidae: Homoneura).

The following four species from Jiangxi Province are new to science: Homoneura (Homoneura) jiangxiensis sp. nov., H.

Carboxylated chitosan/silver-hydroxyapatite hybrid microspheres with improved antibacterial activity and cytocompatibility.

The implant-associated infection remains a serious problem in clinic. A better compromise between the anti-infection property and biocompatibility of bone filling materials is still required. In this work, carboxylated chitosan/silver-hydroxyapatite (CMCS/Ag-HA) hybrid microspheres were fabricated via a facile gas diffusion method.

Statin as a Combined Therapy for Advanced-Stage Ovarian Cancer: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

. Despite the great achievements in the treatment of advanced-stage ovarian cancer, it is still a severe condition with an unfavorable 5-year survival rate. Statins have been suggested to reduce the risk of several cancers beyond their cholesterol-lowing effects.

Deregulation of RUNX2 by miR-320a deficiency impairs steroidogenesis in cumulus granulosa cells from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients.

Deregulation of epigenetic modification by microRNAs (miRNAs) contributes to the development of estrogen deficiency, a hallmark of the multigenic endocrine disorder polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but its etiology remains unclear. Previous study has pointed to a tight association between miR-320a expression and oocyte development in human follicular fluid. Given that the bi-directional communication existing between cumulus cells (CCs) and follicular fluid is essential for ovarian steroidogenesis and CCs are the main site where estrogen is finally synthesized, it is intriguing to know whether miR-320a have any regulatory roles in this unique cell.

Case report: successful resection of a leiomyoma causing pseudoachalasia at the esophagogastric junction by tunnel endoscopy.

Background: Pseudoachalasia is a rare disorder whose presentation strongly resembles idiopathic achalasia.

Case Presentation: Here, we present a case of a 42-year-old female patient with esophageal leiomyoma who was initially diagnosed with achalasia. On endoscopical investigation, however, it became apparent that she had pseudoachalasia as consequence of a leiomyoma at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ).

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase in the presence of glycerol.

The inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR) is considered able to decrease serum cholesterol levels and dramatically reduce the risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The statins, competitive inhibitors of HMGCR, have been employed to control hypercholesterolemia. But their side effects, especially their safety of long-term administration have attracted great attention.

[Effect of selective phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors on nuclear factor kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in rheumatoid arthritis with interstitial lung disease].

Objective: To investigate the effect of selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitors on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) secreted by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis with interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

Methods: PBMCs isolated from 15 healthy volunteers (group A) and 20 patients with untreated active RA-ILD (group B) were cultured in vitro. PBMCs from healthy subjects were considered as normal control.

Molecular dynamics simulations investigation of neocarzinostatin chromophore-releasing pathways from the holo-NCS protein.

The enediyne ring chromophore with strong DNA cleavage activity of neocarzinostatin is labile and therefore stabilization by forming the complex (carrying protein+chromophore: holo-NCS). Holo-NCS has gained much attention in clinical use as well as for drug delivery systems, but the chromophore-releasing mechanism to trigger binding to the target DNA with high affinity and producing DNA damage remain unclear. Three possible pathways were initially determined by conventional MD, essential dynamics and essential dynamics sampling.

Role of each residue in catalysis in the active site of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase from Bacillus subtilis: a hybrid QM/MM study.

Pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PYNP) catalyzes the reversible phosphorolysis of pyrimidines in the nucleotide synthesis salvage pathway. We have built a model of a closed active conformation of the three-dimensional structure of PYNP from Bacillus subtilis. Using docking, molecular dynamics, and hybrid quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical methods to study the reaction mechanics between PYNP and a substrate, we identified the role of each residue in the active site during the entire catalytic process.