Targeting of tumoral NAC1 mitigates myeloid-derived suppressor cell-mediated immunosuppression and potentiates anti-PD-1 therapy in ovarian cancer.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer with a low rate of response to immunotherapy such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Here, we report that nucleus accumbens-associated protein 1 (NAC1), a putative driver of EOC, has a critical role in immune evasion. We showed in murine ovarian cancer models that depleting or inhibiting tumoral NAC1 reduced the recruitment and immunosuppressive function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), led to significant increases of cytotoxic tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, and promoted antitumor immunity and suppressed tumor progression.

Marein, a novel natural product for restoring chemo-sensitivity to cancer cells through competitive inhibition of ABCG2 function.

The pivotal roles of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in drug resistance have been widely appreciated. Here we report that marein, a natural product from Coreopsis tinctoria Nutt, is a potent chemo-sensitizer in drug resistant cancer cells overexpressing ABCG2 transporter. We demonstrate that marein can competitively inhibit efflux activity of ABCG2 protein and increase the intracellular accumulation of the chemotherapeutic drugs that belong to substrate of this transporter.

circRNA_SLC8A1 promotes the survival of mycobacterium tuberculosis in macrophages by upregulating expression of autophagy-related protein SQSTM1/p62 to activate the NF-κB pathway.

Macrophages act as the first immune defense line of the host against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). A previous study showed that circRNA_SLC8A1 was significantly upregulated in Mtb-infected macrophages, but its regulatory mechanism in anti-tuberculosis infection is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of circRNA_SLC8A1 in the anti-tuberculosis activity of macrophages.

Mechanistic insights of NAC1 nuclear export and its role in ovarian cancer resistance to docetaxel.

In this study, we uncovered the nuclear export of nucleus accumbens-associated protein-1 (NAC1) as a novel mechanism involved in ovarian cancer resistance to taxanes, the chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used in treatment of this malignancy. We showed that NAC1, a nuclear factor of the BTB/POZ gene family, has a nuclear export signal (NES) at the N terminus (aa 17-28), and this NES critically contributes to the NAC1 nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling when tumor cells were treated with docetaxel. Mechanistically, the nuclear-exported NAC1 bound to cullin3 (Cul3) and Cyclin B1 via its BTB and BOZ domains respectively, and the cyto-NAC1-Cul3 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex promotes the ubiquitination and degradation of Cyclin B1, thereby facilitating mitotic exit and leading to cellular resistance to docetaxel.

MicroRNA-20a-3p regulates the host immune response to facilitate the mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by targeting IKKβ/NF-κB pathway.

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) has evolved to utilize different mechanisms to evade the host immune response. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to regulate innate immune response in M.

Design and implementation of an Omaha System-based integrated nursing management model for patients with newly-diagnosed diabetes.

Aims: The aim of the present paper was to establish and implement an integrated nursing management model for patients with newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on the Omaha System and to explore its impact on blood glucose levels, quality of life, and diabetes knowledge in these patients.

Methods: A non-randomized concurrent controlled trial was designed and the study was conducted in a hospital on the east coast of China between September 2013 and November 2015. We screened for patients with newly-diagnosed T2DM in 12 clinics of 3 comprehensive hospitals.

Confrontation as a Mediator between Sense of Coherence and Self-management Behaviors among Elderly Patients with Coronary Heart Disease in North China.

Purpose: Self-management is critical to improve health outcomes of elderly patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Sense of coherence (SOC) is found to be linked with self-management behaviors. However, their deeper relationship is not clear.

The relationship among resilience, rumination and posttraumatic growth in hemodialysis patients in North China.

Research has indicated that clinical serious disease may lead to posttraumatic growth (PTG). However, little is known about PTG among hemodialysis (HD) patients. The study examined the relationship among resilience, rumination and PTG among Chinese HD patients.

Clinical value of a whole blood interferon-γ release assay for the diagnosis of infection during antitubercular treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a whole blood interferon-γ release assay, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test, in the diagnosis of (MTB) infection, and to assess its monitoring role during antitubercular treatment. In total, 20 patients received the QFT test, along with other commonly-used tests, prior to, and following, 2- and 6-month courses of antitubercular treatment; the results were compared and statistically analyzed. The rate of positive results for tuberculosis (TB) was 95% for the QFT test, which was significantly higher compared with those for the purified protein derivative (PPD; 55%) and the antitubercular antibody tests (15%), as well as the acid-fast bacilli smear (20%) and cultures for TB (20%; P<0.

A simple, rapid and economic method for detecting multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Objective: To evaluate multiplex allele specific polymerase chain reaction as a rapid molecular tool for detecting multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Methods: Based on drug susceptibility testing, 103 isolates were multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and 45 isolates were sensitive to isonicotinylhydrazine and rifampin. Primers were designed to target five mutations hotspots that confer resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampin, and multiplex allele specific polymerase chain reaction was performed.

Upregulation of HO-1 is accompanied by activation of p38MAPK and mTOR in human oesophageal squamous carcinoma cells.

Induction of HO-1 protein can have both beneficial and detrimental effects for cells, including regulating proliferation and apoptosis of several tumours. We have investigated the regulation of HO-1, p38MAPK and mTOR in the context of proliferation, cell cycle events and apoptosis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Real-time PCR and Western blots were used to determine the expression levels of HO-1, p38MAPK, p-p38MAPK and p-mTOR.

Invasion inhibition by a MEK inhibitor correlates with the actin-based cytoskeleton in lung cancer A549 cells.

Metastasis remains the primary cause of lung cancer. The molecules involved in metastasis may be candidates for new targets in the therapy of lung cancer. The MEK/ERK signaling pathway has been highlighted in a number of studies on invasiveness and metastasis.