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Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Mainly due to the infiltration of lymphoplasmic cells into the exocrine glands, especially the salivary glands and lacrimal glands, resulting in reduced tear and saliva secretion. Reduced tear flow can trigger Sjogren’s syndrome dry eye (SSDE). Although the pathophysiology of SSDE xerosis remains incompletely understood, recent advances have identified aquaporin-5 (AQP5) as a critical factor in dysregulation of the exocrine gland and epithelium, influencing the clinical presentation of SSDE through modulation of inflammatory microenvironment and tear secretion processes. This review aims to explore AQP5 regulatory mechanisms in SSDE and analyze its potential as a therapeutic target, providing new directions for SSDE treatment.

Abstract Background Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have become firmly established in treatment algorithms and national guidelines for improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).To report the findings from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial, which was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel DPP-4 inhibitor fotagliptin in treatment-naive patients with T2DM. Methods Patients with T2DM were randomized to receive fotagliptin (n = 230), alogliptin (n = 113) or placebo (n = 115) at a 2:1:1 ratio for 24 weeks of double-blind treatment period, followed by an open-label treatment period, making up a total of 52 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was to determine the superiority of fotagliptin over placebo in the change of HbA1c from baseline to Week 24. All serious or significant adverse events were recorded. Results After 24 weeks, mean decreases in HbA1c from baseline were -0.70% for fotagliptin, -0.72% for alogliptin and -0.26% for placebo. Estimated mean treatment differences in HbA1c were -0.44% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.62% to -0.27%) for fotagliptin versus placebo, and -0.46% (95% CI: -0.67% to -0.26%) for alogliptin versus placebo, and 0.02% (95%CI: -0.16% to 0.19%; upper limit of 95%CI

IntroductionAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has a significant impact on the health of patients, and early diagnosis and treatment are essential to improve their quality of life. Machine learning methods, including multi-classifier fusion, have been widely used for disease diagnosis and prediction with remarkable results. However, current multi-classifier fusion methods lack the ability to measure the belief level of different samples and effectively fuse them jointly.MethodsTo address these issues, a multi-classifier fusion classification framework based on belief-value for ASD diagnosis is proposed in this paper. The belief-value measures the belief level of different samples based on distance information (the output distance of the classifier) and local density information (the weight of the nearest neighbor samples on the test samples), which is more representative than using a single type of information. Then, the complementary relationships between belief-values are captured via a multilayer perceptron (MLP) network for effective fusion of belief-values.ResultsThe experimental results demonstrate that the proposed classification framework achieves better performance than a single classifier and confirm that the fusion method used can effectively fuse complementary relationships to achieve accurate diagnosis.DiscussionFurthermore, the effectiveness of our method has only been validated in the diagnosis of ASD. For future work, we plan to extend this method to the diagnosis of other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Abstract Copper is a vital mineral, and an optimal amount of copper is required to support normal physiologic processes in various systems, including the cardiovascular system. Over the past few decades, copper-induced cell death, named cuproptosis, has become increasingly recognized as an important process mediating the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atherosclerosis, stroke, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and heart failure. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of cuproptosis in CVD may be useful for improving CVD management. Here, we review the relationship between copper homeostasis and cuproptosis-related pathways in CVD, as well as therapeutic strategies addressing copper-induced cell death in CVD.

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is a special type of RNA transcript that makes up more than 90 % of the human genome. Although ncRNA typically does not encode proteins, it indirectly controls a wide range of biological processes, including cellular metabolism, development, proliferation, transcription, and post-transcriptional modification. NcRNAs include small interfering RNA (siRNA), PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA), etc. The most researched of these are miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA, which are crucial regulators in the onset of diabetes and the development of associated consequences. The ncRNAs indicated above are linked to numerous diabetes problems by binding proteins, including diabetic foot (DF), diabetic nephropathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. According to recent studies, Mir-146a can control the AKAP12 axis to promote the proliferation and migration of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) cells, while lncRNA GAS5 can activate HIF1A/VEGF pathway by binding to TAF15 to promote DFU wound healing. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the mechanism of action of ncRNAs. In this study, we explored the mechanism and new progress of ncRNA-protein binding in DF, which can provide help and guidance for the application of ncRNA in the early diagnosis and potential targeted intervention of DFU.

BackgroundRenal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a highly metastatic urological cancer. RCC with liver metastasis (LM) carries a dismal prognosis. The objective of this study is to develop a machine learning (ML) model that predicts the risk of RCC with LM, which is used to assist clinical treatment.MethodsThe retrospective study data of 42,547 patients with RCC were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. ML includes algorithmic methods and is a fast-rising field that has been widely used in the biomedical field. Logistic regression (LR), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and naive Bayesian model [Naive Bayes Classifier (NBC)] were applied to develop prediction models to predict the risk of RCC with LM. The six models were 10-fold cross-validated, and the best-performing model was selected based on the area under the curve (AUC) value. A web online calculator was constructed based on the best ML model.ResultsBone metastasis, lung metastasis, grade, T stage, N stage, and tumor size were independent risk factors for the development of RCC with LM by multivariate regression analysis. In addition, the correlation of the relative proportions of the six clinical variables was shown by a heat map. In the prediction models of RCC with LM, the mean AUC of the XGB model among the six ML algorithms was 0.947. Based on the XGB model, the web calculator (https://share.streamlit.io/liuwencai4/renal_liver/main/renal_liver.py) was developed to evaluate the risk of RCC with LM.ConclusionsThis XGB model has the best predictive effect on RCC with LM. The web calculator constructed based on the XGB model has great potential for clinicians to make clinical decisions and improve the prognosis of RCC patients with LM.

The characterisation of the papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumour microenvironment remains crucial. Here, the authors perform single-cell RNA sequencing in 11 patients and identify potential opportunities for the use of immunotherapy and its combination with anti-angiogenic therapy in PTC.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. DR is caused by chronic hyperglycemia and is characterized by progressive loss of vision because of damage to the retinal microvasculature. In this study, we investigated the regulatory role and clinical significance of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/protein kinase C (PKC)/endothelin (ET)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) signaling pathway in DR using a rat model. Intraperitoneal injections of the VEGF agonist, streptozotocin (STZ) were used to generate the DR model rats. DR rats treated with the VEGF inhibitor (DR+VEGF inhibitor) were used to study the specific effects of VEGF on DR pathology and the underlying mechanisms. DR and DR+VEGF agonist rats were injected with the PKCβ2 inhibitor, GF109203X to determine the therapeutic potential of blocking the VEGF/PKC/ET/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway. The body weights and blood glucose levels of the rats in all groups were evaluated at 16 weeks. DR-related retinal histopathology was analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. ELISA assay was used to estimate the PKC activity in the retinal tissues. Western blotting and RT-qPCR assays were used to analyze the expression levels of PKC-β2, VEGF, ETs, NF-κB, and ICAM-1 in the retinal tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze VEGF and ICAM-1 expression in the rat retinal tissues. Our results showed that VEGF, ICAM-1, PKCβ2, ET, and NF-κB expression levels as well as PKC activity were significantly increased in the retinal tissues of the DR and DR+VEGF agonist rat groups compared to the control and DR+VEGF inhibitor rat groups. DR and DR+VEGF agonist rats showed significantly lower body weight and significantly higher retinal histopathology scores and blood glucose levels compared to the control and DR+VEGF inhibitor group rats. However, treatment of DR and DR+VEGF agonist rats with GF109203X partially alleviated DR pathology by inhibiting the VEGF/ PKC/ET/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway. In summary, our data demonstrated that inhibition of the VEGF/ PKC/ET/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway significantly alleviated DR-related pathology in the rat model. Therefore, VEGF/PKC/ET/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling axis is a promising therapeutic target for DR.

Microbial evolution-mediated CO2 from litter has aroused widespread concern, and knowing the factors controlling litter-derived CO2 is important when considering the effects of accumulative CO2 release from litter on the global greenhouse. We conducted a short-term N addition (6, 16, and 24 g N m‒2 yr‒1) experiment in Cyperus malaccensis var. brevifolius (shichito matgrass) litter decomosition. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) method and enzyme method were used to analysis litter microbial community composition and enzymatic activity. During a 220-day decomposition period, there was little effect of the N amendments on litter CO2 evolution rates (9.97‒307.54 μg C g−1 h−1) with a notable exception regarding the increase of the high-N treatment at day 20. The accumulative CO2 release significantly increased after N addition in the medium and late phases. The facilitation effect on accumulative CO2 release by N amendments was more and more obvious over the decomposition time, especially for the low- and intermediate-N treatments. At the end of our experiment, compared with the control treatment, accumulative CO2 release increased 69.75%, 76.62%, and 39.93% for low-, intermediate-, and high-N treatments, respectively. These observations highlight that N deposition could cause high losses of litter C as CO2.

Abstract Background The rice (Oryza sativa) gene Xa7 has been hypothesized to be a typical executor resistance gene against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), and has conferred durable resistance in the field for decades. Its identity and the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance remain elusive. Results Here, we filled in gaps of genome in Xa7 mapping locus via BAC library construction, revealing the presence of a 100-kb non-collinear sequence in the line IRBB7 compared with Nipponbare reference genomes. Complementary transformation with sequentially overlapping subclones of the BACs demonstrated that Xa7 is an orphan gene, encoding a small novel protein distinct from any other resistance proteins reported. A 27-bp effector binding element (EBE) in the Xa7 promoter is essential for AvrXa7-inducing expression model. XA7 is anchored in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and triggers programmed cell death in rice and tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). The Xa7 gene is absent in most cultivars, landraces, and wild rice accessions, but highly homologs of XA7 were identified in Leersia perrieri, the nearest outgroup of the genus Oryza. Conclusions Xa7 acts as a trap to perceive AvrXa7 via EBEAvrXa7 in its promoter, leading to the initiation of resistant reaction. Since EBEAvrXa7 is ubiquitous in promoter of rice susceptible gene SWEET14, the elevated expression of which is conducive to the proliferation of Xoo, that lends a great benefit for the Xoo strains retaining AvrXa7. As a result, varieties harboring Xa7 would show more durable resistance in the field. Xa7 alleles analysis suggests that the discovery of new resistance genes could be extended beyond wild rice, to include wild grasses such as Leersia species.

Abstract Diverse immune cells in the tumor microenvironment form a complex ecosystem, but our knowledge of their heterogeneity and dynamics within hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains limited. To assess the plasticity and phenotypes of immune cells within HBV/HCV-related HCC microenvironment at single-cell level, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 41,698 immune cells from seven pairs of HBV/HCV-related HCC tumors and non-tumor liver tissues. We combined bio-informatic analyses, flow cytometry, and multiplex immunohistochemistry to assess the heterogeneity of different immune cell subsets in functional characteristics, transcriptional regulation, phenotypic switching, and interactions. We identified 29 immune cell subsets of myeloid cells, NK cells, and lymphocytes with unique transcriptomic profiles in HCC. A highly complex immunological network was shaped by diverse immune cell subsets that can transit among different states and mutually interact. Notably, we identified a subset of M2 macrophage with high expression of CCL18 and transcription factor CREM that was enriched in advanced HCC patients, and potentially participated in tumor progression. We also detected a new subset of activated CD8+ T cells highly expressing XCL1 that correlated with better patient survival rates. Meanwhile, distinct transcriptomic signatures, cytotoxic phenotypes, and evolution trajectory of effector CD8+ T cells from early-stage to advanced HCC were also identified. Our study provides insight into the immune microenvironment in HBV/HCV-related HCC and highlights novel macrophage and T-cell subsets that could be further exploited in future immunotherapy.

BackgroundRelatively little is known about the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsIn this nationwide, multicenter, prospective, cohort study, eligible patients aged 18-75 years with radical resection, and histologically confirmed stage II-IIIA NSCLC were enrolled. All patients received 4 cycles of standard adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients who received Chinese herbal decoction and (or) oral Chinese patent medicine for a cumulative period of not less than 6 months were defined as TCM group, otherwise they were considered as control group. The primary endpoint was DFS calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. A time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was used to correct immortal time bias. The secondary endpoints included DFS in patients of different characteristics, and safety analyses. This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1800015776).ResultsA total of 507 patients were included (230 patients in the TCM group; 277 patients in the control group). The median follow-up was 32.1 months. 101 (44%) in the TCM group and 186 (67%) in the control group had disease relapse. The median DFS was not reached in the TCM group and was 19.4 months (95% CI, 14.2 to 24.6) in the control group. The adjusted time-dependent HR was 0.61 (95% CI, 0.47 to 0.78), equalling to a 39% reduction in the risk of disease recurrence with TCM. the number needed to treat to prevent one patient from relapsing was 4.29 (95% CI, 3.15 to 6.73) at 5 years. Similar results were observed in most of subgroups. Patients had a significant improvement in white blood cell decrease, nausea, decreased appetite, diarrhea, pain, and fatigue in the TCM group.ConclusionTCM may improves DFS and has a better tolerability profile in patients with stage II-IIIA NSCLC receiving standard chemotherapy after complete resection compared with those receiving standard chemotherapy alone. Further studies are warranted.

Rapid, accurate, portable and quantitative profiling of metabolic biomarkers is of great importance for disease diagnosis and prognosis. The recent development in the optical and electric biosensors based on the smartphone is promising for profiling of metabolites with advantages of rapid, reliability, accuracy, low-cost and multi-analytes analysis capability. In this review, we introduced the optical biosensing platforms including colorimetric, fluorescent and chemiluminescent sensing, and electrochemical biosensing platforms including wired and wireless communication. Challenges and future perspectives desired for reliable, accurate, cost-effective, and multi-functions smartphone-based biosensing systems were also discussed. We envision that such smartphone-based biosensing platforms will allow daily and comprehensive metabolites monitoring in the future, thus unlocking the potential to transform clinical diagnostics into non-clinical self-testing. We also believed that this progress report will encourage future research to develop advanced, integrated and multi-functional smartphone-based Point-of-Care testing (POCT) biosensors for the monitoring and diagnosis as well as personalized treatments of a spectrum of metabolic-disorder related diseases.

BackgroundThyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, and the incidence is increasing very fast. Surgical resection and radioactive iodine ablation are major therapeutic methods, however, around 10% of differentiated thyroid cancer and all anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are failed. Comprehensive understanding the molecular mechanisms may provide new therapeutic strategies for thyroid cancer. Even though genetic heterogeneity is rigorously studied in various cancers, epigenetic heterogeneity in human cancer remains unclear.MethodsA total of 405 surgical resected thyroid cancer samples were employed (three spatially isolated specimens were obtained from different regions of the same tumor). Twenty-four genes were selected for methylation screening, and frequently methylated genes in thyroid cancer were used for further validation. Methylation specific PCR (MSP) approach was employed to detect the gene promoter region methylation.ResultsFive genes (AP2, CDH1, DACT2, HIN1, and RASSF1A) are found frequently methylated (>30%) in thyroid cancer. The five genes panel is used for further epigenetic heterogeneity analysis. AP2 methylation is associated with gender (P < 0.05), DACT2 methylation is associated with age, gender and tumor size (all P < 0.05), HIN1 methylation is associated to tumor size (P < 0.05) and extra-thyroidal extension (P < 0.01). RASSF1A methylation is associated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01). For heterogeneity analysis, AP2 methylation heterogeneity is associated with tumor size (P < 0.01), CDH1 methylation heterogeneity is associated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05), DACT2 methylation heterogeneity is associated with tumor size (P < 0.01), HIN1 methylation heterogeneity is associated with tumor size and extra-thyroidal extension (all P < 0.01). The multivariable analysis suggested that the risk of lymph node metastasis is 2.5 times in CDH1 heterogeneous methylation group (OR = 2.512, 95% CI 1.135, 5.557, P = 0.023). The risk of extra-thyroidal extension is almost 3 times in HIN1 heterogeneous methylation group (OR = 2.607, 95% CI 1.138, 5.971, P = 0.023).ConclusionFive of twenty-four genes were found frequently methylated in human thyroid cancer. Based on 5 genes panel analysis, epigenetic heterogeneity is an universal event. Epigenetic heterogeneity is associated with cancer development and progression.

With the increasing incidence of metabolic diseases year by year and their impact on the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases have attracted great attention as a major health care problem, but there is still no effective treatment. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the main mechanisms leading to metabolic diseases. T cells are involved in the inflammatory response, which can also regulate the development of metabolic diseases, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells are mainly responsible for the role. Th1 and Th17 differentiated from CD4+ T promote inflammation, while Th2 and Treg inhibit inflammation. CD8+ T cells also contribute to inflammation. The severity and duration of inflammatory reactions can also lead to different degrees of progression of metabolic diseases. Moreover, mTOR, PI3K-Akt, and AMPK signaling pathways play unique roles in the regulation of T cells, which provide a new direction for the treatment of metabolic diseases in the future. In this review, we will elaborate on the role of T cells in regulating inflammation in various metabolic diseases, the signaling pathways that regulate T cells in metabolic diseases, and the latest research progress.

Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumour of the endocrine system and ranks ninth in cancer incidence worldwide. An extensive body of evidence has demonstrated that lncRNAs play a critical role in the progression of thyroid cancer. The lncRNA MAPKAPK5-AS1 has been reported to be abnormally expressed and to play a role in the development of various human cancers. However, MAPKAPK5-AS1’s potential role in thyroid cancer progression remains unknown. The objective of our study was to explore the role and mechanism of MAPKAPK5-AS1 in thyroid cancer cells and provide a potential target for its biological diagnosis and treatment. We transfected sh-MAPKAPK5-AS1 and sh-NC into BCPAP and TPC-1 cells for loss-of-function assays. Results of RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that MAPKAPK5-AS1 was more highly expressed in thyroid cancer cells compared to normal cells. Functional assays demonstrated that interfering with the expression of MAPKAPK5-AS1 notably repressed proliferation and invasion and accelerated apoptosis of BCPAP and TPC-1 cells. Mechanistically, we found that miR-519e-5p was negatively regulated by MAPKAPK5-AS1 and that tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein eta (YWHAH) was a target of miR-519e-5p. Additionally, rescue assays demonstrated that downregulation of MAPKAPK5-AS1 expression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis by sponging miR-519e-5p, thereby increasing YWHAH expression. Ultimately, our study revealed that MAPKAPK5-AS1 promotes proliferation and migration of thyroid cancer cells by targeting the miR-519e-5p/YWHAH axis, which provides novel insight into the development and progression of thyroid cancer.

Cymbaria daurica L. is widely used in traditional Mongolian medicine for the treatment of impetigo, psoriasis, pruritus, fetotoxicity, and diabetes. Therefore, the anti-inflammatory and α-glucosidase-inhibitory activities of four polar C. daurica extracts (water, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether extract) were preliminarily evaluated to identify the active extracts. We also investigated the chemical composition of the active extracts by phytochemical analysis. The n-butanol and ethyl acetate extracts exhibited significant (p < 0.05) anti-inflammatory activities by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells. None of the tested extracts exhibited cytotoxic effects at the effective concentrations. The ethyl acetate extract significantly inhibited α-glucosidase activity, and the inhibition potency was equivalent to that of acarbose (p > 0.05). The n-Butanol extract presented the second highest inhibitory activity. As the n-butanol and ethyl acetate extracts were found to have potent anti-inflammatory and α-glucosidase-inhibitory activities, we separated and identified 10 compounds from the extracts. Among them, vanillic acid, cistanoside F, echinacoside, arenarioside, verbascoside, isoacteoside, and tricin were isolated from C. daurica for the first time. Further, 30 compounds from the n-butanol and ethyl acetate extracts of C. daurica were identified using UHPLC-Q-Exactive. The present study demonstrates for the first time that C. daurica contains phenylethanoid glycosides. In addition, this novel HPLC method was subsequently used for simultaneous identification of five compounds in the n-butanol and ethyl acetate extracts of C. daurica. This study provides a chemical basis for further characterization and utilization of C. daurica, which could be a potential source of novel anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory agents.

Background/Aims: A combination of alpha-lipoic acid preconditioning (ALAP) and ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) has not been tested in an in vivo rat cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury (I/RI) model, and the potential protective mechanisms have not been well elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the TLR4/ MyD88/ NF-κB signaling pathway in the synergistically neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of ALAP and IPC. Methods: One hundred and fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 180-230 g, were randomly divided into the following 5 groups: 1) sham-operated control; 2) I/R; 3) I/R+ALAP; 4) I/R+IPC; 5) I/R+IPC+ALAP. After 2 h of reperfusion, the infarct size, neurological deficit scores, brain oedema, oxidative stress, and inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers were assessed. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell apoptosis were detected by DHE staining and TUNEL staining, respectively. Results: Both ALAP and IPC treatment attenuated the I/RI-induced neuronal injury, reflected by reductions in the infarct size, neurological deficit scores, brain oedema, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and the inflammatory response, as well as decreased HMGB1, TLR4, MyD88, p65, C-Caspase 3 and Bax expression and increased IKB-α, HO-1, SOD-2 and Bcl-2 expression compared to that in the I/R group. Furthermore, the combination of the two strategies had synergistic anti-inflammatory effects and antioxidant benefits, ultimately limiting neuronal apoptosis. Conclusion: The ‘cocktail’ strategy exhibited a significant neuroprotection against I/RI by attenuating neuroinflammation via inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Abstract Background The role of TMEM176A in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. This study explored the epigenetic regulation and function of TMEM176A in human HCC. Materials and methods Twelve HCC cell lines and 126 cases of primary cancer were analyzed. Methylation-specific PCR, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and xenograft mouse models were employed. Results TMEM176A was highly expressed in SNU387, SNU182, Huh1, and SNU475 cells; reduced expression was observed in HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells; and no expression was found in SNU449, HBXF344, SMMC7721, Huh7, and LM3 cells. Unmethylation of the TMEM176A promoter was detected in SNU387, SNU182, Huh1, and SNU475 cells; partial methylation was observed in HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells; and complete methylation was found in SNU449, HBXF344, SMMC7721, Huh7, and LM3 cells. Upon treatment with 5-Aza-2-deoxycytidine, re-expression of TMEM176A was detected in SNU449, HBXF344, SMMC7721, Huh7, and LM3 cells; increased expression of TMEM176A was observed in HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells; and no expression changes were found in SNU387, SNU182, Huh1, and SNU475 cells. The TMEM176A promoter region was methylated in 75.4% (95/126) of primary human HCC. Reduced expression of TMEM176A was associated with promoter region methylation (P 0.05). These results demonstrated that the expression of TMEM176A is regulated by promoter region methylation. Methylation of the TMEM176A promoter was significantly associated with tumor cell differentiation (P

MCL1, a pro-survival BCL-2 related protein with rapid turnover rate, is often dysregulated in cancers. Here, the authors show that MCL1’s stability is regulated by deubiquitinase USP13, and its inhibition sensitises tumor cells to BH3 mimetic inhibitors.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Dysregulation of HomeoboxD10 (HOXD10) was found to suppress or promote cancer progression in different cancer types. The function and regulation of HOXD10 remain unclear in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Primary HCC samples (117), normal liver tissue samples (15), and 13 HCC cell lines (SNU182, SNU449, HBXF344, SMMC7721, Huh7, HepG2, LM3, PLC/PRF/5, BEL7402, SNU387, SNU475, QGY7703, and Huh1) were included in this study. Methylation-specific PCR, flow cytometry, western blot, transwell, siRNA, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed. Results HOXD10 was methylated in 76.9% (90/117) of human primary HCC samples. HOXD10 methylation was significantly associated with vessel cancerous embolus, tumor cell differentiation, and the 3-year overall survival rate (all P

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide. To explore the role of DACT2 in breast cancer, 5 cell lines and 153 cases of primary cancer were studied. The expression of DACT2 was detected in BT474, MDA-MB-231 and BT549 cells, while no expression was found in MDA-MB-468 and HBL100 cells. Complete methylation of DACT2 was found in MDA-MB-468 and HBL100 cells, partial methylation was observed in BT474 and BT549 cells, and no methylation was detected in MDA-MB-231 cells. Restoration of DACT2 expression was induced by 5-Aza in MDA-MB-468 and HBL100 cells. DACT2 was methylated in 49.7% (76/153) of primary breast cancer samples. Methylation of DACT2 was significantly associated with tumor size (P

Abstract Background DIRAS1 is a new member of the Ras gene family. It was described as a potential tumor suppressor in human glioblastomas and esophageal cancer. The role of DIRAS1 in colorectal cancer remains unclear. Methods To explore the epigenetic changes and function of DIRAS1 in human colorectal cancer, we studied ten colorectal cancer cell lines and 146 primary colorectal cancer samples and 50 matched adjacent samples using semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR, immunohistochemistry, methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing, western blot, flow cytometry, and transwell assays. Results DIRAS1 expression was found in DKO and HCT116 cells, while reduced expression was detected in LoVo, SW48, LS180, and SW620 cells, and there was no expression detected in DLD1, HT29, RKO, and SW480 cells. Complete methylation was found in the promoter region of DLD1, HT29, RKO, and SW480 cells. Partial methylation was detected in LoVo, LS180, SW48, and SW620 cells, and unmethylation was found in DKO and HCT116 cells. These results indicate that promoter region methylation correlated with loss of/reduced expression of DIRAS1. Re-expression of DIRAS1 was induced by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, suggesting that the expression of DIRAS1 is regulated by promoter region methylation. DIRAS1 was methylated in 47.3% (69/146) of primary colorectal cancer samples, no methylation was found in non-cancerous colonic tissue samples. Methylation of DIRAS1 was significantly associated with TNM stage (P

Abstract Many anti-cancer drugs have a common problem of poor solubility. Increasing the solubility of the drugs is very important for its clinical applications. In the present study, we revealed that the solubility of insoluble drugs was significantly enhanced by adding rubusoside (RUB). Further, it was demonstrated that RUB could form micelles, which was well characterized by Langmuir monolayer investigation, transmission electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The RUB micelles were ellipsoid with the horizontal distance of ~25 nm and vertical distance of ~1.2 nm. Insoluble synergistic anti-cancer drugs including curcumin and resveratrol were loaded in RUB to form anti-cancer micelles RUB/CUR + RES. MTT assay showed that RUB/CUR + RES micelles had more significant toxicity on MCF-7 cells compared to RUB/CUR micelles + RUB/RES micelles. More importantly, it was confirmed that RUB could load other two insoluble drugs together for remarkably enhanced anti-cancer effect compared to that of RUB/one drug + RUB/another drug. Overall, we concluded that RUB-based micelles could efficiently load insoluble drugs for enhanced anti-cancer effect.

PAX8 is a prototype lineage-survival oncogene in epithelial ovarian cancer. However, neither its underlying pro-tumorigenic mechanisms nor potential therapeutic implications have been adequately elucidated. Here, we identified an ovarian lineage-specific PAX8 regulon using modified cancer outlier profile analysis, in which PAX8-FGF18 axis was responsible for promoting cell migration in an autocrine fashion. An image-based drug screen pinpointed that PAX8 expression was potently inhibited by small-molecules against histone deacetylases (HDACs). Mechanistically, HDAC blockade altered histone H3K27 acetylation occupancies and perturbed the super-enhancer topology associated with PAX8 gene locus, resulting in epigenetic downregulation of PAX8 transcripts and related targets. HDAC antagonists efficaciously suppressed ovarian tumor growth and spreading as single agents, and exerted synergistic effects in combination with standard chemotherapy. These findings provide mechanistic and therapeutic insights for PAX8-addicted ovarian cancer. More generally, our analytic and experimental approach represents an expandible paradigm for identifying and targeting lineage-survival oncogenes in diverse human malignancies.

Aiming at the current isolated, static protection method of traditional villages, a comprehensive evaluation system for the living protection of traditional villages has been constructed based on the land use function integration concept in “Production–Living–Ecology” (PLE). By combining the “horizontal” PLE coupling coordination analysis with the “vertical” correlation analysis of the elements at each layer, the comprehensive evaluation and quantitative analysis of six traditional villages of different types and grades in the Taihu Lake area are carried out to quantitatively reflect the interactive relationship and integration mechanism of PLE in traditional villages. The results show that: (1) The PLE development of traditional villages is a dynamic process. Even if the villages are close in the PLE score, they may be in different stages of PLE development and coupling coordination type. (2) The “living” function has the highest correlation with the coupling coordination degree of PLE, and it acts as the engine and bridge of benign interaction between the PLE. (3) Even if the national traditional villages have a favorable ecology background, they may not get high scores, or even fail in the PLE score. (4) Among the sub-indicators, the natural environmental characteristics, the ecological vitality of political organizations, and the level of human settlement facilities show a significant linear correlation with the PLE score. Additionally, the ecological vitality of political organizations is the strongest. It can be therefore concluded that a positive policy organization is an important guarantee for realizing the PLE integration of traditional villages.

Antioxidant packaging is an effective method to protect oxygen-sensitive food from oxidation. In order to concurrently obtain a storage stability and excellent oxygen scavenging of antioxidant film for the high moisture food, a moisture activating oxygen scavenging film was prepared by using tea polyphenols as the oxygen scavenger. The moisture activating function was achieved by introducing the β-cyclodextrin embedding technology, and the tea polyphenols–β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex was co-extruded with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) to improve the storage stability. The results indicate that the tea polyphenols is well embedded by β-cyclodextrin according to the Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), and a relatively homogeneous dispersion of oxygen scavenger is observed while the oxygen scavenger content is less than 5%. The oxygen scavenging increases with the increase of oxygen scavenger from 1% to 5%, and a maximal oxygen absorption of 0.0150 mol/m2 is exhibited at oxygen scavenger content value of 5%. Then, the oxygen scavenging significantly decrease under the oxygen scavenger content of 7% and 10%. Moreover, the oxygen scavenging amount sharply increase after steeping in water or storage in extremely high humidity of RH 84% while the oxygen scavenging is restrained under RH 32–75%, indicating that the moisture activating oxygen scavenging is functioning. The oxygen scavenging is obvious restrained under low temperature of 4 °C while the oxygen scavenging is activated at 23 °C and 50 °C with similar oxygen scavenging amount. Besides, both of the tensile and heat-sealing strength deteriorative with the increase of oxygen scavenger content, while they are acceptable at oxygen scavenger content of 5%. Finally, the prepared oxygen scavenging film was used for packaging orange juice and received a good antioxidant effect. Thus, the acquired moisture activating oxygen scavenging film has a good stability under regular storage condition, and shows a potentially application for oxygen-sensitive food with high moisture content.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most malignant tumor. Zinc finger and SCAN domaincontaining protein 23 (ZSCAN23) is a new member of the SCAN domain family. The expression regulation and biological function remain to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the epigenetic regulation and the function of ZSCAN23 in PDAC. ZSCAN23 was methylated in 60.21% (171/284) of PDAC and its expression was regulated by promoter region methylation. The expression of ZSCAN23 inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and induced apoptosis and G1/S phase arrest. ZSCAN23 suppressed Panc10.05 cell xenograft growth in mice. Mechanistically, ZSCAN23 inhibited Wnt signaling by interacting with myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) in pancreatic cancer cells. ZSCAN23 is frequently methylated in PDAC and may serve as a detective marker. ZSCAN23 suppresses PDAC cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]