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Abstract Background Lipid metabolism changes occur in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Yet little is known about metabolic gene changes in early AD cortex. Methods The lipid metabolic genes selected from two datasets (GSE39420 and GSE118553) were analyzed with enrichment analysis. Protein–protein interaction network construction and correlation analyses were used to screen core genes. Literature analysis and molecular docking were applied to explore potential therapeutic drugs. Results 60 lipid metabolic genes differentially expressed in early AD patients’ cortex were screened. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that up-regulated genes were mainly focused on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and mediating the activation of long-chain fatty acids, phosphoproteins, and cholesterol metabolism. Down-regulated genes were mainly focused on lipid transport, carboxylic acid metabolic process, and neuron apoptotic process. Literature reviews and molecular docking results indicated that ACSL1, ACSBG2, ACAA2, FABP3, ALDH5A1, and FFAR4 were core targets for lipid metabolism disorder and had a high binding affinity with compounds including adenosine phosphate, oxidized Photinus luciferin, BMS-488043, and candidate therapeutic drugs especially bisphenol A, benzo(a)pyrene, ethinyl estradiol. Conclusions AD cortical lipid metabolism disorder was associated with the dysregulation of the PPAR signaling pathway, glycerophospholipid metabolism, adipocytokine signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid degradation, ferroptosis, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and fatty acid elongation. Candidate drugs including bisphenol A, benzo(a)pyrene, ethinyl estradiol, and active compounds including adenosine phosphate, oxidized Photinus luciferin, and BMS-488043 have potential therapeutic effects on cortical lipid metabolism disorder of early AD.

Effective compounds isolated from Chinese herbs play an important role in the development of new candidate drugs, which can be widely used in the treatment of various diseases. Previous literature has revealed that Stellera chamaejasme L. possesses the activity of inhibiting liver cancer cells. Nevertheless, the interactions between active compounds isolated from this herb and targets related to liver cancer are still not very clear. In this study, we applied network pharmacology-based analysis to figure out these relationships. And eight compounds were predicted to have the most significant activity against liver cancer. At the same time, the binding modes between the top eight candidate compounds and the protein target Glutamine synthetase which is likely to be the most important target associated with liver cancer were identified. It is believed that the study can provide a reference for the discovery of new drug molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet cherry ( Prunus avium L.) is highly perishable and is greatly affected by orchard management and environmental conditions, such as excess rainfall before harvest. Rain-induced cracking is the major cause of crop loss in sweet cherry in most production areas of the world. Advances in understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in cracking physiology in combination with orchard management strategies to limit cherry cracking are discussed. The current opinions to explain fruit cracking is that the process initiates with water uptake by the fruit surface that results in localised bursting of cells that release malic acid into the apoplast. This results in swelling of the epidermis and weakening of the epidermal and hypodermal cells until macroscopic fruit cracking. This review focusses on management strategies such as rain cover protection, mineral sprays, anti-transpirants and growth regulators. Tree responses to growth regulators and biostimulants vary with cultivar, application frequency, concentration and type, making it hard to generalize their effects. New approaches to limit cracking are presented, including the development of tolerant cultivars, candidate mineral sprays, biostimulants and technologies for rainwater removal such as orchard air-blast sprayers or creating downwash by helicopters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug repurposing is a method of drug discovery that consists of finding a new therapeutic context for an old drug. Compound identification arises from screening of large libraries of active compounds, through interrogating databases of cell line gene expression response upon treatment or by merging several types of information concerning disease–drug relationships. Although, there is a general consensus on the potential and advantages of this drug discovery modality, at the practical level to-date no non-anti-cancer repurposed compounds have been introduced into standard acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) management, albeit that preclinical validation yielded several candidates. The review presents the state-of-the-art drug repurposing approach in AML and poses the question of what has to be done in order to take a full advantage of it, both at the stage of screening design and later when progressing from the preclinical to the clinical phases of drug development. We argue that improvements are needed to model and read-out systems as well as to screening technologies, but also to more funding and trust in drug repurposing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]