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Two new triucallane triterpenoids, polystanin F (1) and polystanin G (2), along with eight known compounds (3-10) were isolated from the fruits of Aphanamixis polystachya. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Moreover, eight compounds were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines (liver cancer RT112, colon cancer HCT-116 and breast cancer M231) using the MTT method. Compound 7 showed significant cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 with IC50 1.27 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miR)-138 serves an important role in the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs), indicating the involvement of miR-138 in the development and progression of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Potassium channel subfamily K member 3 (TASK-1), a two-pore domain K+ channel, is expressed in HPASMCs and is associated with hypoxic PAH. However, whether miR-138 mediates PAH through targeting TASK-1 is not known. In the present study, HPASMCs were transfected with miR-138 mimic to establish a PAH model in vitro, and the effects of a miR-138 inhibitor and a TASK-1 inhibitor (A293) were examined. Cell proliferation and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were measured by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed to examine the expression of miR-138, TASK-1, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). A dual-luciferase reporter assay was also used to analyse the expression level of TASK-1 in HPASMCs. The results of the present study demonstrated that the miR-138 mimic promoted proliferation and MMP level, which was similar to the effect of A293 treatment on HPASMCs. However, the miR-138 inhibitor inhibited the effects induced by miR-138 mimic or A293 treatment, as demonstrated by a decrease in proliferation and MMP level in HPASMCs, accompanied by a decrease of Bcl-2 and an increase of caspase-3 expression levels, as well as ERK1/2 activation. The dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that TASK-1 expression was negatively regulated by miR-138. The results of the present study suggested that miR-138 promoted proliferation and suppressed mitochondrial depolarization of HPASMCs by targeting TASK-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe battle against COVID-19 remains ongoing, and social media has played an important role during the crisis for both communication and health promotion, particularly for health care organizations. Taiwan’s success during the COVID-19 outbreak is well known and the use of social media is one of the key contributing factors to that success. ObjectiveThis nationwide observational study in Taiwan aimed to explore the use of Facebook by academic medical centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsWe conducted a nationwide observational study of all Facebook fan page posts culled from the official accounts of all medical centers in Taiwan from December 2019 to April 2020. All Facebook posts were categorized into either COVID-19–related posts or non–COVID-19–related posts. COVID-19–related posts were split into 4 categories: policy of Taiwan’s Center for Disease Control (TCDC), gratitude notes, news and regulations from hospitals, and education. Data from each post was also recorded as follows: date of post, headline, number of “likes,” number of messages left, number of shares, video or non-video post, and date of search. ResultsThe Facebook fan pages of 13 academic medical centers, with a total of 1816 posts, were analyzed. From January 2020, the percentage of COVID-19 posts increased rapidly, from 21% (January 2020) to 56.3% (April 2020). The trends of cumulative COVID-19 posts and reported confirmed cases were significantly related (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.93, P

Introduction: Currently, the development of new antiviral drugs against COVID-19 remains of significant importance. In traditional Chinese medicine, the herb Euphorbia fischeriana Steud is often used for antiviral treatment, yet its therapeutic effect against the COVID-19 has been scarcely studied. Therefore, this study focuses on the roots of E. fischeriana Steud, exploring its chemical composition, antiviral activity against COVID-19, and the underlying basis of its antiviral activity., Methods: Isolation and purification of phytochemicals from E. fischeriana Steud. The elucidation of their configurations was achieved through a comprehensive suite of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses as well as X-ray diffraction. Performed cytopathic effect assays of SARS-CoV-2 using Vero E6 cells. Used molecular docking to screen for small molecule ligands with binding to SARS-CoV-2 RdRp. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) was used to determine the dissociation constant Kd., Results: Ultimately, nine new ent-atisane-type diterpenoid compounds were isolated from E. fischeriana Steud, named Eupfisenoids A-I (compounds 1-9). The compound of 1 was established as a C-19-degraded ent-atisane-type diterpenoid. During the evaluation of these compounds for their antiviral activity against COVID-19, compound 1 exhibited significant antiviral activity. Furthermore, with the aid of computer virtual screening and microscale thermophoresis (MST) technology, it was found that this compound could directly bind to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp, NSP12) of the COVID-19, a key enzyme in virus replication. This suggests that the compound inhibits virus replication by targeting RdRp., Discussion: Through this research, not only has our understanding of the antiviral components and material basis of E. fischeriana Steud been enriched, but also the potential of atisane-type diterpenoid compounds as antiviral agents against COVID-19 has been discovered. The findings mentioned above will provide valuable insights for the development of drugs against COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ruan, Xiang, Zhang, Fan, Ren, Zhao, Sun, Wu, Xu, Qiao, Jing, Hao and Chen.)