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To identify natural products as new prototypes for 5‐lipoxygenase (5‐LOX), 12 traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) were selected for screening their 5‐LOX inhibition activities. The results showed that the methanol extracts of all selected TCMs (n = 12) possessed inhibitory activities against 5‐LOX at 200 μg/mL, of which six extracts of the TCMs showed significant inhibitory effects with IC50 values in the range from 33.2 ± 1.4 μg/mL to 153.5 ± 1.7 μg/mL, and the extract of Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma (RPC) was the most active sample. An on‐line ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array–MSn–5‐LOX–fluorescence detector (UPLC–PDA–MSn–5‐LOX–FLD) method was applied to further identify the potential 5‐LOX inhibitory constituents in RPC extracts, which resulted in the identification of seven components with 5‐LOX‐binding activities. Finally, four compounds (polydatin, resveratrol, emodin‐8‐O‐glucoside, and emodin) were successfully purified from RPC extracts. The 5‐LOX inhibition action was assayed in vitro, and the results showed that these compounds possessed potent inhibitory effects against 5‐LOX with IC50 values of 15.3 ± 2.1, 4.5 ± 1.2, 23.8 ± 0.4, and 11.8 ± 1.5 μg/mL, respectively. This was the first study to reveal the 5‐LOX inhibitory constituents of RPC, and the present investigation might provide a valuable approach for the rapid discovery of natural inhibitors from TCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Because of the exclusion for the patients more than 75 years (very elderly patients) in many clinical trials of esophageal cancer (EC), there is no consensus on prognosis and treatment for this population. We aim to evaluate the outcomes and aging‐related prognostic factors of definitive radiotherapy (RT) for very elderly EC patients. We retrospectively analyzed 149 very elderly EC patients consecutively treated between January 2015 and June 2016 by definitive intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy. The clinical outcome and toxicities were assessed, and the potential prognostic factors, such as nutritional risk index (NRI) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), were analyzed statistically. The median follow‐up time for survivors was 22.5 months. The 2‐year overall survival (OS), local–regional failure‐free survival (LRFFS), and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) were 51.6%, 54.7%, and 85.2%, respectively. Independent predictors for poorer OS were higher American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, lower NRI, and higher NLR value before RT. Meanwhile, the total dose (cutoff value 60 Gy) of planning gross tumor volume (PGTV) and chemotherapy was also identified as independent prognostic indicator for LRFFS and DMFS, respectively. 72 patients had treatment failure and 58 (80.6%), 6 (8.3%), and 18 (25.0%) patients had experienced local, regional, and distant failure, respectively. Few severe toxicities were observed. The conservative definitive RT with modern technique was effective for very elderly EC patients in short term with low rate and tolerable toxicities. Local residue or recurrence was the most common failure pattern. The aging‐related prognostic factors concerned nutrition and immune, such as NRI and NLR before RT, should be considered for use in future clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)-functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid silica was prepared by a hydrothermal-assisted surface grafting technique. Static adsorption experiment results showed that PEI-functionalized hybrid silica had high static adsorption capacity of 68.1 mg g−1, which was 1.3 times as much as that of the sorbents by conventional heating method. PEI-functionalized hybrid silica displayed stable adsorption ability for Pb(II) ions in the range of pH 4-8. An equilibrium state was reached within 30 min. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models were used to fit the equilibrium data, and it was found that the Langmuir adsorption model provided good fit. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as Δ Go, Δ Ho and Δ So, were evaluated with results indicating that this system was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The results indicated that PEI-functionalized hybrid silica could be employed as an effective material for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. © 2014 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paired-like homodomain transcription factor 3 has been found to be important for the differentiation and survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Methods: To determine whether genetic variation in the coding region of the paired-like homodomain transcription factor 3 gene plays a role in Parkinson's disease, genetic analysis was performed in 112 patients with Parkinson's disease. Results: We did not identify any mutations except rs2281983, but when we extended the analysis of rs2281983 and 2 intron variants (rs4919621 and rs3758549) in 336 patients with Parkinson's disease and 244 controls, we found that rs2281983 and rs4919621 appeared to confer susceptibility to Parkinson's disease, especially in early-onset Parkinson's disease and familial Parkinson's disease. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]