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Objective: Qu Du Qiang Fei 1 Hao Fang (QDQF1) is a novel Chinese herbal medicine formula used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the pharmacological mechanisms of action of QDQF1 remain unclear. The objective of this study was to identify the effective ingredients and biological targets of QDQF1 for COVID-19 treatment. Materials and Methods: The effective ingredients and mechanisms of action of QDQF1 were analyzed by using network pharmacology methods, which included an analysis of the effective ingredients and corresponding targets, COVID-19-related target acquisition, compound-target network analyses, protein-protein interaction network analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses, and molecular docking studies. Results: In total, 288 effective QDQF1 ingredients were identified. We identified 51 core targets from the 148 targets through an overlap between putative QDQF1 targets and COVID-19-related targets. Six key components, including formononetin, kaempferol, luteolin, naringenin, quercetin, and wogonin were identified through component-target network analyses. GO functional enrichment analysis of the core targets revealed 1296 items, while KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified 148 signaling pathways. Nine central targets (CCL2, CXCL8, IL1B, IL6, MAPK1, MAPK3, MAPK8, STAT3, and TNF) related to the COVID-19 pathway were identified in the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis suggested that the docking scores of the six key components to the nine central targets were better than those to remdesivir. Conclusions: QDQF1 may regulate multiple immune-and inflammation-related targets to inhibit the progression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and thus, may be suitable for the treatment of COVID-19.

Age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)is the primary cause of severe visual impairment and blindness in people over 60 years old. With the aging of the global population, the incidence of the disease is also rising year by year. However, the pathogenesis and treatment strategy of ARMD need to be further explored. As a cutting-edge science and technology, microfluidic chips can build a comprehensive microsystem that simulates the condition and function of human tissues and organs, which has the advantages of less sample consumption and short analysis time. In recent years, many studies have confirmed that microfluidic chips can bring brand new technology solutions to the basic and clinical research of ARMD. This article will discuss and review the application progress of microfluidic chips in the areas of ARMD mechanism research, drug evaluation and clinical translation, providing a theoretical reference for further research on the diagnosis and treatment of ARMD.

Honeycomb is a splendid kind of structure for aerospace engineering with the advantages of light weight, good shock absorption, and good structural stability. This article aims to provide methods to isolate Pyroshocks based on a honeycomb structure and guarantee the safety of such equipment against a high-frequency shock response. According to stress wave theory, an equation for stress wave transmittance of the honeycomb structure is derived considering the effect of cell wall length and thickness, where desirable honeycomb parameters are obtained. The complexity of the transfer path of the honeycomb structure is exploited to build the spacecraft–rocket interface, which could increase the impedance of the stress wave dramatically. Both finite element analysis and experiments are carried out to validate the shock isolation strategies. The influence of parameters, such as cell wall length and the thickness of the stainless-steel honeycomb, on the isolation performance is analyzed. It is revealed that the honeycomb structure has a significant effect on Pyroshock isolation performance when the wall length of the honeycomb cell is 8 mm and the thickness of the cell is 0.1 mm.

Human genetic evidence suggests a protective role of loss-of-function variants in 17-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) for liver fibrotic diseases. Although there is limited preclinical experimental data on Hsd17b13 antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) or siRNA in a fibrosis model, several ASO and siRNA approaches are being tested clinically as potential therapies for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of Hsd17b13 ASO in a preclinical advanced NASH-like hepatic fibrosis in vivo model. In vitro testing on primary hepatocytes demonstrated that Hsd17b13 ASO exhibited strong efficacy and specificity for knockdown of the Hsd17b13 gene. In choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, HFD (CDAHFD)-induced steatotic and fibrotic mice, therapeutic administration of Hsd17b13 ASO resulted in a significant and dose-dependent reduction of hepatic Hsd17b13 gene expression. The CDAHFD group exhibited considerably elevated liver enzyme levels, hepatic steatosis score, hepatic fibrosis, and increased fibrotic and inflammatory gene expression, indicating an advanced NASH-like hepatic fibrosis phenotype. Although Hsd17b13 ASO therapy significantly affected hepatic steatosis, it had no effect on hepatic fibrosis. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that Hsd17b13 ASO effectively suppressed Hsd17b13 gene expression both in vitro and in vivo, and had a modulatory effect on hepatic steatosis in mice, but did not affect fibrosis in the CDAHFD mouse model of NASH.

Abstract Background MCL-1 is a prosurvival B-cell lymphoma 2 family protein that plays a critical role in tumor maintenance and survival and can act as a resistance factor to multiple anticancer therapies. Herein, we describe the generation and characterization of the highly potent and selective MCL-1 inhibitor ABBV-467 and present findings from a first-in-human trial that included patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (NCT04178902). Methods Binding of ABBV-467 to human MCL-1 was assessed in multiple cell lines. The ability of ABBV-467 to induce tumor growth inhibition was investigated in xenograft models of human multiple myeloma and acute myelogenous leukemia. The first-in-human study was a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study assessing safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of ABBV-467 monotherapy. Results Here we show that administration of ABBV-467 to MCL-1-dependent tumor cell lines triggers rapid and mechanism-based apoptosis. In vivo, intermittent dosing of ABBV-467 as monotherapy or in combination with venetoclax inhibits the growth of xenografts from human hematologic cancers. Results from a clinical trial evaluating ABBV-467 in patients with multiple myeloma based on these preclinical data indicate that treatment with ABBV-467 can result in disease control (seen in 1 patient), but may also cause increases in cardiac troponin levels in the plasma in some patients (seen in 4 of 8 patients), without other corresponding cardiac findings. Conclusions The selectivity of ABBV-467 suggests that treatment-induced troponin release is a consequence of MCL-1 inhibition and therefore may represent a class effect of MCL-1 inhibitors in human patients.

Abstract Nanoparticles-based glues have recently been shown with substantial potential for hydrogel adhesion. Nevertheless, the transformative advance in hydrogel-based application places great challenges on the rapidity, robustness, and universality of achieving hydrogel adhesion, which are rarely accommodated by existing nanoparticles-based glues. Herein, we design a type of nanohesives based on the modulation of hydrogel mechanics and the surface chemical activation of nanoparticles. The nanohesives can form robust hydrogel adhesion in seconds, to the surface of arbitrary engineering solids and biological tissues without any surface pre-treatments. A representative application of hydrogel machine demonstrates the tough and compliant adhesion between dynamic tissues and sensors via nanohesives, guaranteeing accurate and stable blood flow monitoring in vivo. Combined with their biocompatibility and inherent antimicrobial properties, the nanohesives provide a promising strategy in the field of hydrogel based engineering.