Diverse Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinol Congeners with Anti-Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Activity from .

The new polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, hyperforcinols A-J (-), were isolated from the fruits of , together with 30 biogenetic congeners of known structures. The structures of hyperforcinols A-J were determined by HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, and their absolute configurations were determined by a combination of the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) exciton chirality method, ECD calculations, and X-ray diffraction analysis. A selection of 25 isolates, possessing seven types of carbon skeletons, were assessed for their in vitro effects against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) using a free fatty acid-induced L02 cell model.

Maternal Fucosyltransferase 2 Status Associates with the Profiles of Human Milk Oligosaccharides and the Fecal Microbiota Composition of Breastfed Infants.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) play key roles in shaping infant fecal microbiota, and HMOs profiles have been reported to vary according to the mother's glycosyltransferase phenotype. In this study, the profiles of HMOs in human milk from secretor or non-secretor mothers collected at 2 months postpartum were analyzed by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. 16S rRNA sequencing was used to characterize the fecal microbiota of breastfed infants.

Analysis of Long Non-Coding RNA in Reveals Significant Stage-Specific Antisense Transcription.

is a protist parasite that has been identified as the second leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhea in children younger than two and a significant cause of mortality worldwide. has a complex, obligate, intracellular but extra cytoplasmic lifecycle in a single host. How genes are regulated in this parasite remains largely unknown.

Strain-specific genome evolution in Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease.

The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi almost invariably establishes life-long infections in humans and other mammals, despite the development of potent host immune responses that constrain parasite numbers. The consistent, decades-long persistence of T. cruzi in human hosts arises at least in part from the remarkable level of genetic diversity in multiple families of genes encoding the primary target antigens of anti-parasite immune responses.

Pharmacokinetic study of three different formulations of l-tetrahydropalmatine in brain tissues of rats.

l-Tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP), an active alkaloid compound isolated from Rhizoma Corydalis-yanhusuo, has been reported to possess biological activity for treating cocaine use. To enhance both oral bioavailability and brain penetration, three formulations of l-THP suspension, mixture of l-THP-puerarin and self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) were prepared. A sensitive and reliable ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of l-THP and its active metabolite l-isocorypalmine (l-ICP) in rat brain.

Artificial Light-Harvesting Metallacycle System with Sequential Energy Transfer for Photochemical Catalysis.

Highly efficient light-harvesting systems with the sequential energy transfer process are significant for utilizing solar energy in photosynthesis. Herein, we report a quadrilateral platinum(II) metallacycle containing tetraphenylethylene () as a light-harvesting platform. The assembly serves as an ideal donor because of the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect, realizing two-step sequential energy transfer from the assembly to eosin Y (ESY) and then to sulforhodamine (SR101) with high efficiency.

Pathogenic role of microRNAs in atherosclerotic ischemic stroke: Implications for diagnosis and therapy.

Ischemic stroke resulting from atherosclerosis (particularly in the carotid artery) is one of the major subtypes of stroke and has a high incidence of death. Disordered lipid homeostasis, lipid deposition, local macrophage infiltration, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and plaque rupture are the main pathological processes of atherosclerotic ischemic stroke. Hepatocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells are the main cell types participating in these processes.

Phenotyping of immune and endometrial epithelial cells in endometrial carcinomas revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

Tumors are complex ecosystems harboring multiple cell types which might play a critical role in tumor progression and treatment response. The endometrial epithelial cell identities and immune microenvironment of endometrial carcinoma (ECC) are poorly characterized. In this study, a cellular map of endometrial carcinoma was generated by profiling 30,780 cells isolated from tumor and paratumor tissues from five patients using single-cell RNA sequencing.

Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Anti-Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Acylphloroglucinol Meroterpenoids from Flowers.

In this work, 26 methylated acylphloroglucinol meroterpenoids with diverse skeletons, including 18 new ones (bellumones A-R, -), were identified from the flowers of . Their structures including absolute configurations were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic data, calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Through methylation at C-5, prenylation with different chain lengths of the acylphloroglucinol-derived core, along with different types of secondary cyclization, type A bicyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (BPAPs) (- and -) and dearomatized isoprenylated acylphloroglucinols (DIAPs) (- and -) were obtained.

Advances in the role of miRNAs in the occurrence and development of osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the skeletal system in the clinic. It mainly occurs in adolescent patients and the pathogenesis of the disease is very complicated. The distant metastasis may occur in the early stage, and the prognosis is poor.

Identification of Interleukin-9 Producing Immune Cells in Endometrial Carcinoma and Establishment of a Prognostic Nomogram.

Background: Interleukin-9 (IL9) plays a critical role in immunity and the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer (EC), especially endometrioid EC (EEC). This study aimed to identify the IL9+ immune cell subsets and their pleiotropic functions and establish an optimized prognostic nomogram towards the promotion of personalized treatment of EEC.

Methods: 1,417 EC patients were involved in the present study.

Smart Adhesive Peptide Nanofibers for Cell Capture and Release.

Efficient cell capture and release methods are important for single-cell analysis of pathological samples. It requires not only strong cell binding but also mild cell release to maximize the number of collected cells while maintaining their viability. Here, we report a smart cell capture and release system based on self-assembling adhesive peptide nanofibers.

06CC2 reduces hepatic cholesterol levels and modulates bile acid deconjugation in Balb/c mice fed a high-cholesterol diet.

Previous study suggested that dietary intake of 06CC2 (LP06CC2) isolated from Mongolian dairy products showed various health beneficial effects. Here, the effect of LP06CC2 on the cholesterol metabolism in mice fed a cholesterol-loaded diet was evaluated. Cholesterol and LP06CC2 were incorporated into the AIN93G-based diet to evaluate the effect on cholesterol metabolism in Balb/c mice.

Thermally Triggered, Cell-Specific Enzymatic Glyco-Editing: Regulation of Lectin Recognition and Immune Response on Target Cells.

glyco-editing on the cell surface can endow cellular glycoforms with new structures and properties; however, the lack of cell specificity and dependence on cells' endogenous functions plague the revelation of cellular glycan recognition properties and hamper the application of glyco-editing in complicated authentic biosystems. Herein, we develop a thermally triggered, cell-specific glyco-editing method for regulation of lectin recognition on target live cells in both single- and cocultured settings. The method relies on the aptamer-mediated anchoring of microgel-encapsulated neuraminidase on target cells and subsequent thermally triggered enzyme release for localized sialic acid (Sia) trimming.

Umbra: A Visual Analysis Approach for Defense Construction Against Inference Attacks on Sensitive Information.

Collecting and analyzing anonymous personal information is required as a part of data analysis processes, such as medical diagnosis and restaurant recommendation. Such data should ostensibly be stored so that specific individual information cannot be disclosed. Unfortunately, inference attacks-integrating background knowledge and intelligent models-hinder classic sanitization techniques like syntactic anonymity and differential privacy from exhaustively protecting sensitive information.

Relationship Between Patient Engagement and Depressive Symptoms Among People Living With HIV in a Mobile Health Intervention: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Associations between higher levels of patient engagement and better health outcomes have been found in face-to-face interventions; studies on such associations with mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been limited and the results are inconclusive.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between patient engagement in an mHealth intervention and depressive symptoms using repeated measures of both patient engagement and patient outcomes at 4 time points.

Methods: Data were drawn from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an mHealth intervention aimed at reducing depressive symptoms among people living with HIV and elevated depressive symptoms.

Supramolecular Cross-Links in Mussel-Inspired Tissue Adhesives.

Here we introduce a tissue-adhesive patch with orthogonal cohesive and adhesive chemistries; supramolecular ureido-4-pyrimidinone (UPy) cross-links provide cohesive strength, and catechols provide mussel-inspired tissue adhesion. In the development of tissue-adhesive biomaterials, prior research has focused on forming strong adhesive interfaces in wet conditions, leaving the use of supramolecular cross-links for cohesive strength underexplored. In developing this adhesive patch, the influence of the comonomers' composition and amphiphilicity on adhesion was investigated by lap shear adhesion to wet tissue.

Metastatic status of sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer determined with photoacoustic microscopy via dual-targeting nanoparticles.

Detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) is critical to guide the treatment of breast cancer. However, distinguishing metastatic SLNs from normal and inflamed lymph nodes (LNs) during surgical resection remains a challenge. Here, we report a CD44 and scavenger receptor class B1 dual-targeting hyaluronic acid nanoparticle (5K-HA-HPPS) loaded with the near-infra-red fluorescent dye DiR-BOA for SLN imaging in breast cancer.

Association of MMP2 and MMP9 gene polymorphisms with the recurrent spontaneous abortion: A meta-analysis.

Background: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) accounts for the most common complication of early pregnancy in humans. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important regulatory roles in implantation and placentation to ensure a successful pregnancy. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in the promoters of MMP2 and MMP9 genes.

Melatonin stimulates aromatase expression and estradiol production in human granulosa-lutein cells: relevance for high serum estradiol levels in patients with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is one of the most life-threatening and potentially fatal complications associated with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Although the pathogenesis of OHSS remains unclear, elevated serum estradiol (E2) levels before human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration are associated with the risk of OHSS. The pineal hormone melatonin and its receptors are expressed in human granulosa cells and have been shown to stimulate E2 production.

Noncoding RNAs in Apicomplexan Parasites: An Update.

Recent breakthroughs in high-throughput technologies, transcriptomics, and advances in our understanding of gene regulatory networks have enhanced our perspective on the complex interplay between parasite and host. Noncoding RNA molecules have been implicated in critical roles covering a broad range of biological processes in the Apicomplexa. Processes that are affected range from parasite development to host-parasite interactions and include interactions with epigenetic machinery and other regulatory factors.

Development and Feasibility of a Mobile Health-Supported Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIMmH) for Improving the Quality of Life of Patients With Esophageal Cancer After Esophagectomy: Prospective, Single-Arm, Nonrandomized Pilot Study.

Background: Patients with esophageal cancer often experience clinically relevant deterioration of quality of life (QOL) after esophagectomy owing to malnutrition, lack of physical exercise, and psychological symptoms.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of a comprehensive intervention model using a mobile health system (CIMmH) in patients with esophageal cancer after esophagectomy.

Methods: Twenty patients with esophageal cancer undergoing the modified McKeown surgical procedure were invited to join the CIMmH program with both online and offline components for 12 weeks.

Mutation Characteristics in a Chinese Cohort with Endometrial Carcinoma.

Objective: To study the characteristics of () exonuclease domain mutations in Chinese patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC).

Methods: This study analyzed data from 529 patients with EC in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and 467 EC patients evaluated at the Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital (SFMIH). mutation heterogeneity was analyzed in paired curettage and hysterectomy samples from 120 SFMIH patients.

Melatonin stimulates VEGF expression in human granulosa-lutein cells: A potential mechanism for the pathogenesis of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Melatonin can be synthesized and secreted not only by the pineal gland but also by many extra-pineal tissues. It has been shown that many ovarian functions are regulated by melatonin locally. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a serious complication during ovulation induction of the in vitro fertilization treatment.

Molecular design principles of Lysine-DOPA wet adhesion.

The mussel byssus has long been a source of inspiration for the adhesion community. Recently, adhesive synergy between flanking lysine (Lys, K) and 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA, Y) residues in the mussel foot proteins (Mfps) has been highlighted. However, the complex topological relationship of DOPA and Lys as well as the interfacial adhesive roles of other amino acids have been understudied.