Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Cycloaddition of N-Containing Allylic Carbonates with Isocyanates.

An efficient method for the enantioselective synthesis of cyclic ureas has been developed through Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic cycloaddition of readily accessible nitrogen-containing allylic carbonates with isocyanates. By using a palladium complex in situ generated from Pd(dba)·CHCl and phosphoramidite or as a ligand under mild reaction conditions, the process afforded imidazolidinones and tetrahydropyrimidinones with high yields and high levels of enantioselectivities.

Bio-functional G-molecular hydrogels for accelerated wound healing.

Development of biomedical materials for proper collagen deposition is of great importance to accelerate wound healing and thus achieving skin regeneration. Here, we report guanosine quartet hydrogels loaded with recombinant human-source collagen (G4-RHC) that can be used as medical patches for wound repair. The G4-RHC hydrogels are flexible, and when wrapped onto the skin surface, supplies proper RHC deposition for the wound.

Genetic susceptibility, lifestyle intervention and glycemic changes among women with prior gestational diabetes.

Aims: Women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or high genetic susceptibility are prone to development of type 2 diabetes. We examined whether a lifestyle intervention modified the genetic effect on changes in glycemic markers among women with prior GDM.

Research Design And Methods: This study included 560 women with prior GDM from a randomized controlled trial, the Tianjin Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevention Program, who were assigned into an intervention arm (improved physical activity and healthy dietary intakes) or a control arm.

Tandem arylation and regioselective allylic etherification of 2,3-allenol via Pd/B cooperative catalysis.

An efficient method for the construction of arylated allylic ethers was developed via three-component tandem arylation and allylic etherification of 2,3-allenol with aryl iodides and alcohols. In the cooperative catalytic system of a palladium complex and triethylborane, the process allows rapid access to functionalized 1-arylvinylated 1,2-diol derivatives in good to high yields with complete branch-selectivities. The synthetic utility of the present process was demonstrated by the late-stage functionalization of a drug molecule, the gram-scale synthesis and the elaboration of the products.

Structure determination of the CAMP factor of Streptococcus agalactiae with the aid of an MBP tag and insights into membrane-surface attachment.

CAMP factor is a unique α-helical bacterial toxin that is known for its co-hemolytic activity in combination with staphylococcal sphingomyelinase. It was first discovered in the human pathogen Streptococcus agalactiae (also known as group B streptococcus), but homologous genes have been found in many other Gram-positive pathogens. In this study, the efforts that led to the determination of the first structure of a CAMP-family toxin are reported.

Aldehyde Dehydrogenases Genetic Polymorphism and Obesity: From Genomics to Behavior and Health.

Obesity is multifactorial and complex. Remarkable progress has been made recently in search for polygenic obesity through genome-wide association study (GWAS), but biology of polygenic effects on obesity is largely poor. This review summarizes the available evidence and provides an overview of the links between ALDH2 variants and adiposity, which were firstly and mainly derived from studies of polygenic obesity and also indirectly investigated by using cell lines and mice.

DNA-Based Hybrid Hydrogels Sustain Water-Insoluble Ophthalmic Therapeutic Delivery against Allergic Conjunctivitis.

Clinical need for treating allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is rapidly increasing. However, AC-relevant anti-inflammatory compounds are generally difficult to solubilize in water, thus limiting their therapeutic potential. Solubility-improved eye drop formulations of these compounds have poor bioavailability and a short retention time in ophthalmic tissues.

Histone demethylase KDM7A is required for stem cell maintenance and apoptosis inhibition in breast cancer.

Histone demethylase KDM7A regulates neuronal differentiation and development in mammals. In this study, we found that KDM7A was also required for breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) maintenance. Silencing KDM7A significantly reduced the BCSCs population and mamosphere formation in vitro, and inhibited breast tumor growth in vivo.

Structural and positional impact on DNAzyme-based electrochemical sensors for metal ions.

The rapid, accurate and convenient detection of heavy metal is very important to public health. Here, we developed a DNAzyme-based electrochemical sensor for Pb. A DNAzyme-including and Pb active probe was anchored to the biosensing interface, based on the well-defined self-assembled, three-dimensional DNA nanostructure.

Cmah deficiency may lead to age-related hearing loss by influencing miRNA-PPAR mediated signaling pathway.

Background: Previous evidence has indicated CMP-Neu5Ac hydroxylase (Cmah) disruption inducesaging-related hearing loss (AHL). However, its function mechanisms remain unclear. This study was to explore the mechanisms of AHL by using microarray analysis in the Cmah deficiency animal model.

miR‑10b‑3p, miR‑8112 and let‑7j as potential biomarkers for autoimmune inner ear diseases.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested as non‑invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of several autoimmune diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have yet examined the miRNA expression profiles in autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED). The present study aimed to use an miRNA sequencing assay to detect the miRNA expression profiles of serum samples from 3 control mice and 3 antigen‑induced AIED model mice.

Rapid Detection of Exosomal MicroRNAs Using Virus-Mimicking Fusogenic Vesicles.

Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) are important biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and disease treatment monitoring. However, most approaches for exosomal miRNA detection are time-consuming, laborious, and expensive. Herein, we report a virus-mimicking fusogenic vesicle (Vir-FV) that enables rapid, efficient, and high-throughput detection of exosomal miRNAs within 2 h.

Gold nanoflower-based surface-enhanced Raman probes for pH mapping of tumor cell microenviroment.

Objectives: Early diagnosis of tumour cells is critically important for cancer treatment. Given that the tumour environment is slightly acidic, the pH value of the cell environment can be used as a criterion for tumour diagnosis. However, mapping pH in the cell environment with high resolution, high sensitivity and accuracy remains challenging.

Asymmetric N-Hydroxyalkylation of Indoles with Ethyl Glyoxalates Catalyzed by a Chiral Phosphoric Acid: Highly Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral N,O-Aminal Indole Derivatives.

A method of SPINOL-derived chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed asymmetric intermolecular N-hydroxyalkylation of multisubstituted indoles with ethyl glyoxalates is described in this report. This protocol provides an alternative, convenient, and direct strategy for efficient access to structurally unique α-chiral indole N,O-acyclic aminals with a broad substrate scope and good to excellent enantioselectivities. The synthetic utility of this methodology is illustrated by a gram-scale experiment and the subsequent efficient synthesis of more complex chiral N,O-aminal indole derivatives.

Dual Directing-Groups-Assisted Redox-Neutral Annulation and Ring Opening of N-Aryloxyacetamides with 1-Alkynylcyclobutanols via Rhodium(III)-Catalyzed C-H/C-C Activations.

A cascade [3 + 2] annulation and ring opening of N-aryloxyacetamides with 1-alkynylcyclobutanols via Rh(III)-catalyzed redox-neutral C-H/C-C activations using internal oxidative O-NHAc and -OH as the dual directing groups has been achieved. This reaction provided an efficient and regioselective approach to benzofuran derivatives with good functional group compatibility and high yields.

Lasting effects of general anesthetics on the brain in the young and elderly: "mixed picture" of neurotoxicity, neuroprotection and cognitive impairment.

General anesthetics are commonly used in major surgery. To achieve the depth of anesthesia for surgery, patients are being subjected to a variety of general anesthetics, alone or in combination. It has been long held an illusory concept that the general anesthesia is entirely reversible and that the central nervous system is returned to its pristine state once the anesthetic agent is eliminated from the active site.

Programming chain-growth copolymerization of DNA hairpin tiles for in-vitro hierarchical supramolecular organization.

Formation of biological filaments via intracellular supramolecular polymerization of proteins or protein/nucleic acid complexes is under programmable and spatiotemporal control to maintain cellular and genomic integrity. Here we devise a bioinspired, catassembly-like isothermal chain-growth approach to copolymerize DNA hairpin tiles (DHTs) into nanofilaments with desirable composition, chain length and function. By designing metastable DNA hairpins with shape-defining intramolecular hydrogen bonds, we generate two types of DHT monomers for copolymerization with high cooperativity and low dispersity indexes.

Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1T with a novel truncated homozygous mutation in PGM1 gene and literature review.

The congenital disorders of glycosylation are a group of clinically and biochemically heterogeneous diseases characterized by multisystem involvement due to glycosylation defect of protein and lipid. Here we report a 49-year-old man with exercise-induced fatigue and pain of muscle, tachypnea, cleft palate and bifid uvula. Exercise induced elevation of serum creatine kinase (CK), ammonia and lactic acid was recorded.

Combination of Sonographic Morphology Score and Tumor Markers for Detecting Postoperative Recurrent Pelvic Ovarian Carcinoma: Compared With MRI Assessment.

To assess the efficacy of the combination of sonographic morphology score (SMS) with CA125 and HE4 for detecting recurrent pelvic ovarian carcinoma (OC). Data of 58 OC patients treated in our hospital between 2014 and 2016 were analyzed. After cytoreductive surgery and routine chemotherapy, all patients were followed up by transvaginal ultrasound examination (SMS for pelvic masses based on volume and structure scores) and tumor marker (serum CA125 and HE4) detection.

Maternal Gestational Diabetes Is Associated With Offspring's Hypertension.

Objective: Several studies assessed maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with the risk of childhood high blood pressure, and the results were inconsistent. We investigated the association between maternal GDM and hypertension risk in offspring during early childhood.

Methods: We performed a large study in 1,156 mother-child pairs (578 GDM and 578 non-GDM matched by their offspring's age and sex).

MicroRNA-150 suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis in prostate cancer through the TRPM4-mediated β-catenin signaling pathway.

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among males. The aim of the current study was to investigate the ability of microRNA-150 (miR-150) targeting transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) to mediate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and metastasis through the β-catenin signaling pathway in PCa. Microarray analysis was performed to identify PCa-related differentially expressed genes, after which both the mirDIP and TargetScan databases were employed in the prediction of the miRNAs regulating TRPM4.

Therapeutic medications against diabetes: What we have and what we expect.

Diabetes has become one of the largest global health and economic burdens, with its increased prevalence and high complication ratio. Stable and satisfactory blood glucose control are vital to reduce diabetes-related complications. Therefore, continuous attempts have been made in antidiabetic drugs, treatment routes, and traditional Chinese medicine to achieve better disease control.

Macrophage-derived CCL18 promotes osteosarcoma proliferation and migration by upregulating the expression of UCA1.

Osteosarcoma (OS), which is the most common primary malignant bone tumor, has a high incidence of pulmonary metastasis. CCL18 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 18), which is secreted by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), has been found to be increased in various tumors and is associated with tumor metastasis. However, the role of CCL18 in OS remains unclear.