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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a group of drugs employed in the treatment of various types of malignant tumors and improve the therapeutic effect. ICIs blocks negative co-stimulatory molecules, such as programmed cell death gene-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), reactivating the recognition and killing effect of the immune system on tumors. However, the reactivation of the immune system can also lead to the death of normal organs, tissues, and cells, eventually leading to immune-related adverse events (IRAEs). IRAEs involve various organs and tissues and also cause thyroid dysfunction. This article reviews the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, possible pathogenesis, and management of ICIs-related thyroid dysfunction.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is a common pathophysiological mechanism that underlies cognitive decline and degenerative processes in dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Low cerebral blood flow (CBF) during CCH leads to disturbances in the homeostasis of hemodynamics and energy metabolism, which in turn results in oxidative stress, astroglia overactivation, and synaptic protein downregulation. These events contribute to synaptic plasticity and cognitive dysfunction after CCH. Tripchlorolide (TRC) is an herbal compound with potent neuroprotective effects. The potential of TRC to improve CCH-induced cognitive impairment has not yet been determined. In the current study, we employed behavioral techniques, electrophysiology, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and Golgi staining to investigate the effect of TRC on spatial learning and memory impairment and on synaptic plasticity changes in rats after CCH. Our findings showed that TRC could rescue CCH-induced spatial learning and memory dysfunction and improve long-term potentiation (LTP) disorders. We also found that TRC could prevent CCH-induced reductions in N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor 2B, synapsin I, and postsynaptic density protein 95 levels. Moreover, TRC upregulated cAMP-response element binding protein, which is an important transcription factor for synaptic proteins. TRC also prevented the reduction in dendritic spine density that is caused by CCH. However, sham rats treated with TRC did not show any improvement in cognition. Because CCH causes disturbances in brain energy homeostasis, TRC therapy may resolve this instability by correcting a variety of cognitive-related signaling pathways. However, for the normal brain, TRC treatment led to neither disturbance nor improvement in neural plasticity. Additionally, this treatment neither impaired nor further improved cognition. In conclusion, we found that TRC can improve spatial learning and memory, enhance synaptic plasticity, upregulate the expression of some synaptic proteins, and increase the density of dendritic spines. Our findings suggest that TRC may be beneficial in the treatment of cognitive impairment induced by CCH.

High-throughput behavior-based screen in zebrafish is a powerful approach for the discovery of novel neuroactive small molecules for treatment of nervous system diseases such as epilepsy. To identify neuroactive small molecules, we first screened 36 compounds (1–36) derived from marine natural products xyloketals and marine isoprenyl phenyl ether obtained from the mangrove fungus. Compound 1 demonstrated the most potent inhibition on the locomotor activity in larval zebrafish. Compounds 37–42 were further synthesized and their potential anti-epilepsy action was then examined in a PTZ-induced epilepsy model in zebrafish. Compound 1 and compounds 39, 40 and 41 could significantly attenuate PTZ-induced locomotor hyperactivity and elevation of c-fos mRNA in larval zebrafish. Compound 40 showed the most potent inhibitory action against PTZ-induced hyperactivity. The structure-activity analysis showed that the OH group at 12-position played a critical role and the substituents at the 13-position were well tolerated in the inhibitory activity of xyloketal derivatives. Thus, these derivatives may provide some novel drug candidates for the treatment of epilepsy.

Angiogenesis is the formation of blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature. Excessive or uncontrolled angiogenesis is a major contributor to many pathological conditions whereas inhibition of aberrant angiogenesis is beneficial to patients with pathological angiogenesis. Catunaregin is a core of novel marine compound isolated from mangrove associate. The potential anti-angiogenesis of catunaregin was investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and zebrafish. HUVECs were treated with different concentrations of catunaregin in the presence or absence of VEGF. The angiogenic phenotypes including cell invasion cell migration and tube formation were evaluated following catunaregin treatment in HUVECs. The possible involvement of AKT, eNOS and ERK1/2 in catunaregin-induced anti-angiogenesis was explored using Western blotting. The anti-angiogenesis of catunaregin was further tested in the zebrafish embryo neovascularization and caudal fin regeneration assays. We found that catunaregin dose-dependently inhibited angiogenesis in both HUVECs and zebrafish embryo neovascularization and zebrafish caudal fin regeneration assays. In addition, catunaregin significantly decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS, but not the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. The present work demonstrates that catunaregin exerts the anti-angiogenic activity at least in part through the regulation of the Akt and eNOS signaling pathways.

Cyclotripeptide X-13 is a core of novel marine compound xyloallenoide A isolated from mangrove fungus Xylaria sp. (no. 2508). We found that X-13 dose-dependently induced angiogenesis in zebrafish embryos and in human endothelial cells, which was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of eNOS and Akt and NO release. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt/eNOS by LY294002 or l-NAME suppressed X-13-induced angiogenesis. The present work demonstrates that X-13 promotes angiogenesis via PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathways.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder mainly affecting motor neurons. Mutations in superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) account for about 20% of familial ALS patients. A robust supply of motoneurons carrying the mutated gene would help understand the causes of motoneuron death and develop new therapeutics for the disease. Here, we established induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from SOD1G93A mice and compared their potency in motoneuron generation with normal iPS cells and mouse embryonic stem cells (E14). Our results showed that iPS cells derived from SOD1G93A mice possessed the similar potency in neuronal differentiation to normal iPS cells and E14 cells and can be efficiently driven to motoneuron-like phenotype. These cells exhibited typical neuronal morphology, expressed key motoneuron markers, including ChAT and HB9, and generated repetitive trains of action potentials. Furthermore, these neurons highly expressed human SOD-1 and exhibited shorter neurites compared to controls. The present study provides evidence that ALS-iPS cells can be used as disease models in high-throughput screening and mechanistic studies due to their ability to efficiently differentiate into specific neuronal subtypes.

Mutations in the TARDBP gene, which encodes the Tar DNA binding protein, have been shown to causes of both familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) and sporadic ALS (SALS). Recently, several novel TARDBP exon 6 mutants have been reported in patients with ALS in Europe and America but not in Asia. To further examine the spectrum and frequency of TARDBP exon 6 mutations, we investigated their frequency in ethnic Chinese patients with sporadic ALS. TARDBP exon 6 was screened by direct sequencing in 207 non-SOD1 SALS patients and 230 unrelated healthy controls but no mutations were identified. Our data indicate that exon 6 mutations in TARDBP are not a common cause of SALS in Han Chinese population from Southern Mainland China.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer‑associated deaths worldwide. It has previously been demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are actively involved in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Therefore, miRNAs have been proposed as promising therapeutic targets in gastric cancer patients. MiR‑744 is aberrantly expressed in different types of human cancer. However, the expression pattern and biological roles of miR‑744 in gastric cancer remain unknown. The present study demonstrated that miR‑744 expression was low in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. Low expression levels of miR‑744 was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, invasive depth and TNM staging in gastric cancer patients. The restoration of miR‑744 expression inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. Bioinformatic prediction, luciferase reporter assay, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis verified that brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a direct target of miR‑744 in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, BDNF was upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and inversely correlated with miR‑744 expression. Furthermore, enforced BDNF expression reversed the tumor‑suppressing effects of miR‑744 on the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells, indicating that BDNF is a functional mediator of miR‑744 in gastric cancer. The present study suggests that miR‑744 is a potential prognostic biomarker and treatment target in gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting 2% of the population aged over 65 years old. Mitochondrial defects and oxidative stress actively participate in degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in PD. Paeonolum, a main component isolated from Moutan cortex, has potent antioxidant ability. Here, we have examined the effects of paeonolum against MPP+-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish and PC12 cells. Methods: The overall viability and neurodegeneration of DA neurons was assessed in ETvmat2:green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic zebrafish, in which most monoaminergic neurons are labeled by GFP. Damage to PC12 cells was measured using a cell viability assay and assessment of nuclear morphology. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the level of total GSH were assessed. The mitochondrial cell death pathway including mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome C release and caspase-3 activity were also examined in PC12 cells. Results: Paeonolum protected against MPP+-induced DA neurodegeneration and locomotor dysfunction in zebrafish in a concentration-dependent manner. Similar neuroprotection was replicated in the PC12 cellular model of MPP+ toxicity. Paeonolum attenuated MPP+-induced intracellular ROS accumulation and restored the level of total GSH in PC12 cells. Furthermore, paeonolum significantly inhibited the mitochondrial cell death pathway induced by MPP+. Conclusions: Collectively, the present study demonstrates that paeonolum protects zebrafish and PC12 cells against MPP+-induced neurotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells have attracted considerable attention in the field of regenerative medicine. Approach of genetic modification probably enhances their regenerative potential. In this work, we wanted to determine whether baculovirus as a new gene vector could efficiently and safely transduce mouse amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (mAFSs). Cells were isolated from mouse amniotic fluid and cultured in vitro. These cells were analyzed by examining phenotypes and differentiation potential. They were further transduced with baculovirus. Baculovirus-transduced mAFSs were induced to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic, myogenic, and neurogenic lineages. Mouse amniotic fluid-derived stem cells were successfully isolated and cultured in vitro. They were positive for CD29 and Sca-1, but negative for CD34, CD45, or CD11b. Furthermore, they could differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes, myocytes, and neurocytes in vitro. Baculovirus could efficiently transduced mAFSs. More importantly, baculovirus-transduced mAFSs retained differentiation potential. Thus, baculovirus vector effective and safe transduction is an attractive promise for genetic modification of mAFSs. Baculovirus genetically modified mAFSs will probably be more suitable as vehicles for regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]