Progresses on genetic susceptibility of COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes a broad clinical spectrum of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Genetic factors might influence susceptibility to the SARS-CoV-2 infection or disease severity. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified multiple susceptible genes related to COVID-19 phenotypes, providing the scientific basis for the COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Targeting Delivery Nanocarriers for (+)-Terrein to Enhance Its Anticancer Effects.

As a compound from marine fungi, (+)-terrein showed significant anticancer activity. In this study, (+)-terrein was extracted from the marine-derived fungus and showed significant cytotoxicity against cancer cells, especially in A549 cells. To enhance its anticancer effects, redox-responsive nanocarriers based on folic acid-chitosan decorating the mesoporous silica nanoparticles were designed to control (+)-terrein target delivery into cancer cells.

UPLC-MS metabolomics method provides valuable insights into the effect and underlying mechanisms of Rhizoma Drynariae protecting osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a metabolic bone disease in which that volume of bone tissue per unit volume decrease, which is a common disease disturbing the elderly or postmenopausal women. Rhizoma Drynariae (RD) is a kind of herb widely used in thousands of years of clinical practice in China to tonify kidney and prevent osteoporosis, with reliable curative effect. However, the mechanism of its anti-osteoporosis action is still unclear.

Comparative metabolomics unveils molecular changes and metabolic networks of syringin against hepatitis B mice by untargeted mass spectrometry.

Untargeted metabolomics technology was used to discover the metabolic pathways and biomarkers for revealing the potential biological mechanism of syringin on hepatitis B virus. Serum samples were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS)-based comparative metabolomics coupled with pattern recognition methods and network pathway. In addition, the histopathology, HBV DNA detection of liver tissue, and biochemical indicators of liver function change were also explored for investigating the antiviral effect of syringin.

[Total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma combined with exercise inhibits tumor growth of orthotopically transplanted 4T1 breast cancer mice by blocking cell cycle G_1/S transformation].

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes for cancer-related death among women worldwide. Coptidis Rhizoma has antibacterial,anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor and other pharmacological activities,but whether exercise could synergistically promote the role of RC in the treatment of breast cancer has not been reported. In this experiment,the effects and mechanism of total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma combined with exercise on the tumor growth of orthotopically transplanted 4 T1 breast cancer were systemically studied in mice.

Coptisine from Rhizoma coptidis exerts an anti-cancer effect on hepatocellular carcinoma by up-regulating miR-122.

With increasing incidence and mortality, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In this study, microRNA-122 (miR-122) mimics and relevant control oligonucleotides were transfected into HepG2 cells in vitro, followed by coptisine (COP) and sorafenib treatments. Cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and colony formation assay, wound-healing assay, Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry, respectively.

Metabolomic estimation of the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Metabolomics has been shown to be an effective tool for biomarker screening and pathway characterization and disease diagnosis. Metabolic characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may enable the discovery of novel biomarkers for its diagnosis. In this work, metabolomics was used to investigate metabolic alterations of HCC patients.

Protective effect of Coptisine from Rhizoma Coptidis on LPS/D-GalN-induced acute liver failure in mice through up-regulating expression of miR-122.

Coptisine (COP), one of the main active ingredients of Rhizoma Coptidis, reportedly has anti-inflammatory, anti-colon cancer properties, but it remains elusive whether COP owns hepatoprotective activity. Mice were pretreated with COP for 7d prior to lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN) administration to detect the hepatic protective effects of COP. The mechanism was explored in using HepG2 cells with low level of miR-122 and LO2 cells with high level of miR-122, combining with miR-122 agomir transfection by means of detecting the expression of miR-122 and proteins, clinical index and apoptosis.

Synthesis of novel 4'-acylamino modified 21E-benzylidene steroidal derivatives and their cytotoxic activities.

A series of 4'-acylamino modified Δ-pregnadien-21E-benzylidene-3,20-dione derivatives (6a-v) was synthesized from the commercially available progesterone (1). These title compounds were evaluated for their toxicity against brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and cytotoxic activities against two human cancer cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7). The results revealed that compound 6f exhibited promising in vitro cytotoxic activity to the two cancer cell lines and the nature of acylamino functional group in the benzylidene moiety had a significant influence on cytotoxicity.

[Research advances on medical genetics in China in 2015].

Steady progress has been achieved in the medical genetics in China in 2015, as numerous original researches were published in the world's leading journals. Chinese scientists have made significant contributions to various fields of medical genetics, such as pathogenicity of rare diseases, predisposition of common diseases, somatic mutations of cancer, new technologies and methods, disease-related microRNAs (miRNAs), disease-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), disease-related competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), disease-related RNA splicing and molecular evolution. In these fields, Chinese scientists have gradually formed the tendency, from common variants to rare variants, from single omic analyses to multipleomics integration analyses, from genetic discovery to functional confirmation, from basic research to clinical application.

Prognostic Significance of Dickkopf-1 in Gastric Cancer Survival: A Meta-Analysis.

Aims: The prognostic role of dickkopf-1 (DKK1) in gastric cancer (GC) remains poorly characterized. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate correlations between DKK1 overexpression and the prognosis of patients with GC.

Materials And Methods: We included five published studies to assess the relationship between DKK1 and the clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival of GC patients.

Reduction of preanalytical errors in laboratory by establishment and application of training system.

Objectives: Errors in preanalytical phase occupied for almost half of total errors in clinical laboratory, and the causes are related to medical staff's quality awareness and behaviors. In order to reduce the preanalytical errors in our hospital, we established and applied a training system to improve the situation.

Methods: The disqualified sample types and major causes of errors in the preanalytical phase were investigated in clinical laboratory department from September 2008 to August 2009.

[Effects of butyl benzyl phthalate on neurobehavioral development of rats].

Objective: To study the effects of butyl benzyl phthalate on neurobehavioral development of rats.

Methods: Levels of 0 (control), 0.05%, 0.

[Protective effect of melatonin on oxidative damage by deltamethrin in rat brain].

Objective: To study the potential protective effect of melatonin on the oxidative damage induced by deltamethrin in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rats.

Methods: 35 male wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups(seven rats per group): olive oil control, deltamethrin-treated (12.5 mg/kg), melatonin(25.

[Toxicity and oxidative stress on rats by hexachlorobenzene].

Objective: To study the toxicity on rats by hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and to explore the role of oxidative stress in the mechanism of HCB intoxication.

Methods: SD female rats were fed on a powdered diet containing 0.25 per thousand or 2.