Search

IDH1 is a key metabolic enzyme for cellular respiration in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle that can convert isocitrate into α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and generate NADPH. The reduction of IDH1 may affect dioxygenase activity and damage the body's detoxification mechanism. Many studies have shown that IDH1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors, and the changes in IDH1 expression levels or gene mutations have appeared in many tumor tissues and produced a series of metabolic and immunity changes at the same time. To better understand the relationship between IDH1 and tumor development, this article reviews the latest advances in IDH1 and tumor metabolism, tumor immunity, IDH1 regulatory mechanisms and IDH1 target inhibitors.IDH1 is a key metabolic enzyme for cellular respiration. The changes in IDH1 expression or gene mutations may affect enzyme activity and damage the body's detoxification mechanism. Studies have shown that IDH1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors, and the changes in IDH1 also produced a series of metabolic and immunity changes. To better understand the relationship between IDH1 and tumor development, this article reviews the latest advances in IDH1 and tumor metabolism, tumor immunity, IDH1 regulatory mechanisms and IDH1 target inhibitors.

China’s FY-4B satellite, launched on 3 June 2021, is a new-generation geostationary meteorological satellite. The Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager (AGRI) onboard FY-4B has 15 spectral channels, including 2 visible (470 and 650 nm), 1 near infrared (825 nm), and 3 shortwave infrared (1379, 1610, and 2225 nm) bands, which can be used to observe the Earth system with the highest spatial resolution of 500 m and 15 min temporal resolution. In this study, FY-4B/AGRI observations were applied for the first time to monitor cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Taihu, China. The AGRI reflectance at visible and near-infrared bands was first corrected to surface reflectance using the 6S radiative transfer model. Due to the similar spectral reflectance characteristics to those of land-based vegetation, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and some other remote sensing vegetation indices are usually used for the retrieval of cyanobacterial blooms. The fractional vegetation cover (FVC) of algae, defined as the fraction of green vegetation in the nadir view, was adopted to depict the status and trend of cyanobacterial blooms. NDVI and FVC, the two remote sensing indices developed for the retrieval of land vegetation, were used for the detection of cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Taihu. Finally, the FVC derived from AGRI measurements was compared with that obtained from the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Himawari-8 satellite to validate the effectiveness of our method. It was found that atmospheric correction can substantially improve the determination of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values of cyanobacterial blooms in the lake. As a proof of the robustness of the algorithm, the NDVIs are both derived from both AGRI and AHI and their magnitudes are similar. In addition, the distribution of cyanobacterial blooms derived from AGRI FVC is highly consistent with that derived from FY-3D/MERSI and EOS/MODIS. While a lower spatial resolution of FY-4B/AGRI might restrict its capability in capturing some spatial details of cyanobacterial blooms, the high-frequency measurements can provide information for the timely and effective management of aquatic ecosystems and help researchers better quantify and understand the dynamics of cyanobacterial blooms. In particular, AGRI can provide greater details on the diurnal variation in the distribution of cyanobacterial blooms owing to the high temporal resolution.

Supplementary Figures 1-3 from Cryptotanshinone Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation by Suppressing Mammalian Target of Rapamycin–Mediated Cyclin D1 Expression and Rb Phosphorylation

Methods of rainstorm disaster risk monitoring based on retrieved satellite rainfall data are studied. Due to significant regional differences in global rainstorm disasters, they are not only affected by geographical location, topography, and rivers, but also by climate events. It is necessary to study disaster-causing factors, hazard-formative environments, and hazard-affected incidents of rainstorm disasters based on the climate distribution characteristics of precipitation and rainstorm disasters worldwide. According to a global flood disaster data-set from the last 20 years, the top four flood disaster causes (accounting for 96.8% in total) related to precipitation, from most to least influential, are heavy rain (accounting for 61.6%), brief torrential rain (16.7%), monsoonal rain (9.4%), and tropical cyclone/storm rain (9.1%). The dynamic global rainstorm disaster threshold is established using global climate data on 3319 rainstorm-induced floods and rainfall retrieved by satellites in the last 20 years. Taking the 7-day accumulated rainfall, 3-hour and 12-hour maximum rainfall, 24-hour rainfall, rainstorm threshold, and others as the main parameters, a rainstorm intensity index is established. The calculation method and global map of hazard-formative environmental factor and hazard-affected body factor of rainstorm disasters are formed based on the terrain, river datasets, the population, and economic datasets. Finally, a satellite remote sensing rainstorm disaster risk monitoring model is established including these three factors (rainstorm intensity index, hazard-formative environment factor, and hazard-affected body factor). The results show that the model can well describe the rainstorm disasters that happened in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China and in South Asia in 2020.

The production of true color images requires observational data in the red, green, and blue (RGB) bands. The Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) onboard China’s Fengyun-4 (FY-4) series of geostationary satellites only has blue and red bands, and we therefore have to synthesize a green band to produce RGB true color images. We used random forest regression and conditional generative adversarial networks to train the green band model using Himawari-8 Advanced Himawari Imager data. The model was then used to simulate the green channel reflectance of the FY-4 AGRI. A single-scattering radiative transfer model was used to eliminate the contribution of Rayleigh scattering from the atmosphere and a logarithmic enhancement was applied to process the true color image. The conditional generative adversarial network model was better than random forest regression for the green band model in terms of statistical significance (e.g., a higher determination coefficient, peak signal-to-noise ratio, and structural similarity index). The sharpness of the images was significantly improved after applying a correction for Rayleigh scattering, and the images were able to show natural phenomena more vividly. The AGRI true color images could be used to monitor dust storms, forest fires, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and other natural events.

Lactate, as the product of glycolytic metabolism and the substrate of energy metabolism, is an intermediate link between cancer cell and tumor microenvironment metabolism. The exchange of lactate between the two cells via mono-carboxylate transporters (MCTs) is known as the lactate shuttle in cancer. Lactate shuttle is the core of cancer cell metabolic reprogramming between two cells such as aerobic cancer cells and hypoxic cancer cells, tumor cells and stromal cells, cancer cells and vascular endothelial cells. Cancer cells absorb lactate by mono-carboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) and convert lactate to pyruvate via intracellular lactate dehydrogenase B (LDH-B) to maintain their growth and metabolism. Since lactate shuttle may play a critical role in energy metabolism of cancer cells, components related to lactate shuttle may be a crucial target for tumor antimetabolic therapy. In this review, we describe the lactate shuttle in terms of both substance exchange and regulatory mechanisms in cancer. Meanwhile, we summarize the difference of key proteins of lactate shuttle in common types of cancer.

In recent years, the remote sensing based on meteorological satellite observations has become an important tool for assessing global ecological conditions. Since the early 2000, Fengyun (FY) satellite data have been widely used to derive the key parameters of ecological environment in China. An integrated earth-observation system has been developed in China through using FY satellite data, including retrievals the key ecological parameters as well as to constructions of long-term data records of vegetation index, land surface temperature, net primary production, vegetation health index, and so on. Considerable progress has thus been made in the application and service for prevention of air pollution, management and control of ecological redline, ecological monitoring for the Belt and Road Initiative, and assessment of ecological environment for human settlement. In order to monitor the ecological parameters in real time and with a full dynamic coverage, it is necessary to improve the technology in application of ecological remote sensing from meteorological satellites, and further enhance the ecological meteorological service.

Based on the meteorological data (2009–2018) acquired by high-density automatic meteorological stations in the central urban area (CUA) of Beijing, this study adopted an urban-rural ratio method to construct a qr to quantify the impact of urbanization on the spatial and temporal distribution of specific humidity (q). And the urban morphological parameters such as building height (BH), building density (BD), floor area ratio (FAR), sky view factor (SVF), and land surface parameters including vegetation coverage (VC) and impervious coverage (IC) with 500-m spatial resolution in CUA were calculated, and furthermore, the relationships between the six spatial layout parameters and another indicator, urban heat island (UHI) intensity, and qr were studied. The results show that q of CUA is 81~114% of that of the suburbs, and the urban dry island (UDI) effect and urban wet island (UWI) effect coexist throughout the year. The maximum UDI occurs during autumn daytime and the maximum UWI appears at night in winter. The UDI effect is prone to occur in areas with VC 85%, BH > 15 m, and BD > 24%, while the UWI effect is more likely to appear in areas with VC > 35% and FAR < 0.3. The contributions of the six urbanization parameters to the spatial change of qr in different time periods are 6.2 to 33.5%, and VC is the largest (33.5%), followed by BD (31.9%) and SVF (29.9%), and the main factor affecting the annual average qr is BD with the contribution of 18.9%. Compared with the urbanization parameters, the UHI is more important and the contribution to the change of q can be up to 35.7%. The results show that these spatial layout parameters are not sufficient to explain the main change in q, and more other parameters need to be considered.

It is crucial to maintain the balance of economic development and ecosystem protection. The value of ecosystem services is an indicator to help people understand the importance of ecosystem protection. Traditional models estimate ecosystem service values only according to land use/cover data while ignoring vegetation status differences in the same land use/cover. This study uses the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the leaf area index (LAI), and net primary productivity (NPP) as vegetation status data to describe the differences in the same land use/cover type. The principal component analysis (PCA) approach is used to reduce the correlations among the three types of vegetation status data. Then, the calculated vegetation status index after PCA is input into the estimation model. The case study in China shows that the improved model has two major advantages. First, it can clearly distinguish the differences in ecosystem service values even for the same land use/cover type. Second, it can clearly describe the transitional zones between different land use/cover types through continuous changes in ecosystem service values. This improved model can provide a more detailed description of the distribution characteristics of ecosystem service values in China and help policymakers balance economic development and ecosystem protection.

The scientific evaluation of the wetland biodiversity conservation function is the basis of balanced wetland protection and development. Our research sought to provide references for the protection of wetland ecological environments as well as the related planning and management policies. The study established a fitting model for evaluating the biodiversity conservation function in the Liaohe Delta, northeastern China. The new model, the Wetland Biodiversity Conservation Indicator (WBCI), was with four input factors, including the vegetation coverage (VC), habitat suitability index (HI), land use and land cover (LULC) index (LI), and threat factor index (TI) of the LULC type. The values assigned to HI and TI were based on Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) habitat quality models. The weights of all the factors in WBCI were valued with the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We evaluated the wetland biodiversity conservation function of Panjin, Liaohe Delta, China, by using the WBCI model based on Gaofen-1 (GF-1) satellite data in 2018, and the result was verified with InVEST and other models. It showed that the output map was similar to that of InVEST, with the higher-quality habitat including the wetland, tidal flat, water body, and forest, as well as the lower-quality land use types including the paddy field, crop field, construction land, and land used by traffic. The wetland biodiversity conservation function was better in areas less affected by human disturbance, with very abundant species and good-quality habitat. It was poor in areas impacted by more frequent human activities such as the land cultivation, housing, and traffic, which led to the landscape fragmentation. The WBCI model provided a more accurate reflection of the bird distribution than the InVEST model. The WBCI model was able to reflect the difference in quality of each habitat grade, in contrast to the net primary productivity (NPP) method and species distribution models (SDMs). The new model was, therefore, simpler and suitable in reflecting the quality of wetland biodiversity function in the Liaohe Delta.

The surface vegetation condition has been operationally monitored from space for many years by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments. As these instruments are close to the end of their design life, the surface vegetation products are required by many users from the new satellite missions. The MEdium Resolution Spectral Imager-II (MERSI-II) onboard the Fengyun (FY) satellite (FY-3 series; FY-3D) is used to retrieve surface vegetation parameters. First, MERSI-II solar channel measurements at the red and near-infrared (NIR) bands at the top of atmosphere (TOA) are corrected to the surface reflectances at the top of canopy (TOC) by removing the contributions of scattering and absorption of molecules and aerosols. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at both the TOA and TOC is then produced by using the same algorithms as the MODIS and AVHRR. The MERSI-II enhanced VI (EVI) at the TOC is also developed. The MODIS technique of compositing the NDVI at various timescales is applied to MERSI-II to generate the gridded products at different resolutions. The MERSI-II VI products are consistent with the MODIS data without systematic biases. Compared to the current MERSI-II EVI generated from the ground operational system, the MERSI-II EVI from this study has a much better agreement with MODIS after atmospheric correction.

Assessing the ecological status of different districts within a city undergoing urbanization is challenging given their complex surface types and fast pace of development. In this study, we utilized satellite data obtained from Landsat 5/TM (Thematic Mapper) and Landsat 8/OLI (Operational Land Imager) images in conjunction with meteorological and socioeconomic data to construct a remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) for monitoring the ecological quality of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. A higher RSEI value corresponded to better ecological quality. Five ratings were associated with RSEI values of city districts: very poor, poor, average, good, and excellent. In Nanjing, the percentage of areas evidencing good RSEI ratings decreased from 55.9% in 2000 to 48.0% in 2018, whereas there was a slight increase in areas with very poor RSEI ratings during this period. Of the 11 city districts, 16.8%, 21.8%, and 61.4% respectively evidenced the increasing, decreasing, and stable ecological quality relative to their quality in 2000. Of the 11 administrative districts in Nanjing, the main urban districts evidenced increased RSEI values in 2018 compared with those in 2000, with the improved areas exceeding the ones that had deteriorated in these districts. However, the ecological quality of new urban and ed because of the urban expansion, with areas that had deteriorated exceeding the improved ones. Of the three protected ecological zones, the quality of Zijin Mountain National Forest Park was considerably better than that of Laoshan and Jiangxinzhou. Overall, the urbanization rate and RSEI evidenced a high negative correlation coefficient value (−0.76). The urbanization process of Nanjing induced a declining trend for the ecological quality, indicating the need of strong protection measures for the maintenance or improvement of its ecological environment.

Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) is an essential enzyme that catalyzes adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) production in aerobic glycolysis. In addition to regulating cell metabolism, PGK1 is involved in multiple biological activities, including angiogenesis, mediated autophagy starting, binding of plasminogen, the DNA replication and repair, the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells, cell invasion (a part of the flagellar axoneme and viral replication and it occurs mainly in protists), and is also associated with resistance to chemotherapy and prognosis of cancer patients. In this review, we focus on the basic functions of PGK1 and the relationship between PGK1 and different diseases, indicating that PGK1 has a broad application prospect to find a potential biomarker for tumor prognosis and an effective inhibitor.

Jian Pi Qing Gan Yin (JPQGY) has been used clinically to relieve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in China for decades; however, the underlying mechanisms of JPQGY remain unclear.We evaluated the effects and mechanisms of JPQGY and hepatic steatosis caused by the middle stage of 13-week-high-fat-diet-induced NAFLD in mice.Different dosages of JPQGY (5.5, 11, and 22 g/kg/day) were administered to NAFLD mice simultaneously. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and liver lipid- and inflammation-related serum indicators were measured enzymatically. Liver samples were stained with Oil Red O and hematoxylin and eosin (HE). Next, we performed a network pharmacology analysis and verified eight target genes mapping to NAFLD-related lipid metabolism pathways. The mRNA/protein expression was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting.JPQGY significantly relieved histological damage (steatosis-inflammation-fibrosis), prevented the downregulation of AMPK and Pparα, and upregulated LXRα, Srebp-1c, F4/80, Nf-κb, and Cyp2e1 in the HFD-induced NAFLD mouse model.The present results suggest that chronic treatment with JPQGY ameliorated HFD-induced NAFLD in mice by targeting the first and second phases of hepatic steatosis by stimulating the AMPK/PPARα pathway and inhibiting the LXRα/Srebp1/Nf-κb pathway. Our findings provide evidence that supports the clinical use of this formula for high-fat diet-induced fatty liver disease.

Many techniques were developed for creating true color images from satellite solar reflective bands, and the so-derived images have been widely used for environmental monitoring. For the newly launched Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) satellite, the same capability is required for its Medium Resolution Spectrum Imager-II (MERSI-II). In processing the MERSI-II true color image, a more comprehensive processing technique is developed, including the atmospheric correction, nonlinear enhancement, and image splicing. The effect of atmospheric molecular scattering on the total reflectance is corrected by using a parameterized radiative transfer model. A nonlinear stretching of the solar band reflectance is applied for increasing the image contrast. The discontinuity in composing images from multiple orbits and different granules is eliminated through the distance weighted pixel blending (DWPB) method. Through these processing steps, the MERSI-II true color imagery can vividly detect many natural events such as sand and dust storms, snow, algal bloom, fire, and typhoon. Through a comprehensive analysis of the true color imagery, the specific natural disaster events and their magnitudes can be quantified much easily, compared to using the individual channel data.

Tumor hypoxia is a well-known microenvironmental factor that causes cancer progression and resistance to cancer treatment. Proline hydroxylases (PHDs), a small protein family, belong to an evolutionarily conserved superfamily of dioxygenases, considered the central regulator of the molecular hypoxia response. Prolyl-4-hydroxylase 2 (PHD2), one member of PHDs family, regulates the stability of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) in response to oxygen availability. During hypoxia, the inhibition of PHD2 permits the accumulation of HIF-1α, allowing the cellular adaptation to oxygen limitation, causing activation of numerous genes, which enhances the angiogenesis, metastasis and invasiveness. Accurate regulation of oxygen homeostasis is essential, and which implies PHD2 may have a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of cancer. Although ample evidence exists for a positive correlation between HIFs and tumor formation, metastasis and poor prognosis, the function of the PHD2 in carcinogenesis is less well understood. Despite their original role as the oxygen sensors of the cell and many of the its functions are clearly conveyed through the HIF system, PHD2 is currently known to display HIF-independent and hydroxylase-independent functions in cancer cells and stroma in the control of different cellular pathways. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the structure, regulation and functions of PHD2 in cancer microenvironment.

The small chemical compound 8-ethoxy-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-nitro-2H-chromene (S14161) was recently identified as an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and reported to inhibit tumor growth. However, its chiral structure and poor solubility prevent its further use. Compound 6-bromo-8-ethoxy-3-nitro-2H-chromene (BENC-511) is an analogue of S14161 produced by structural optimization. A previous study indicated that BENC-511 acted on multiple myeloma and that it had a toxicity by inhibiting the PI3K/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. However, the effects of BENC-511 on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells have not been reported. The current study investigated the effects of BENC-511 on the proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells in vitro. Results indicated that the compound BENC-511 inhibited the viability of A549 cells in a concentration- and time- dependent manner. BENC-511 suppressed proliferation and colony formation via S phase arrest. BENC-511 decreased the expression of cyclin A, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), and phospho-Akt (p-Akt) and it increased the expression of p21WAF1CIP1(p21), Caspase-3 and Caspase-9. In conclusion, BENC-511 inhibited the proliferation of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells via S phase arrest as a result of up-regulation of p21 and reduction of Cyclin A/cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2)/PCNA complex and it induced apoptosis by reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential via the Akt/Bcl-2/Caspase-9 mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis.

Black carbon (BC) has importance regarding aerosol composition, radiative balance, and human exposure. This study adopted a backward-trajectory approach to quantify the origins of BC from anthropogenic emissions (BC

Copper azide, a potential primary explosives that may replace traditional primers such as lead azide, mercury fulminate and silver azide, has received widespread attention, but its decomposition mechanism remains unclear. Here, based on first-principles calculations, (010)N3, (100)N3 and (001) facets with a copper/nitrogen atom ratio of 1/6 are found to be the most stable surfaces of copper azide crystal. Through transition state (TS) calculations, we find that during the decomposition process on the surface, there is a synergy effect between two Cu–N1–N2–N3 chains, where the terminal N2–N3 bonds on two chains break simultaneously, and the dissociated N3 atom bonds with another N3′ atom of adjacent chain to form a N2 molecule. Next, the Cu–N bond will rupture, and two more N2 molecules (N1–N2, N1′–N2′) desorb from the surface. The overall reaction releases above 4 eV energy at a barrier of 1.23 eV on (001) surface. Electronic structure calculations reveal that the TS of N2–N3 rupture is more stabilized than that of N1–N2. According to the above results, we propose a new decomposition mechanism based on simulations of N–N bond breaking on different surfaces of copper azide. The results underscore the surface effect in decomposition of energetic materials.

Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been widely used to estimate surface fine particulate matter (PM 2 . 5 ) concentrations. To understand the temporal and spatial variation of PM 2 . 5 distribution at various scales, we developed techniques for estimating hourly PM 2. 5 concentration from visible and infrared imagers onboard Himawari-8, GK-2A and FY-4A satellites. During daytime, satellite observed reflectance at the top of atmosphere (TOA) is directly converted to PM 2 . 5 through a machine-learning algorithm. At night, the thermal channel data from satellites are tested for PM estimation through using the aerosol absorbing properties. It is found that the PM concentration is higher in the morning and lower in the afternoon in east central China. PM concentrations also exhibit a north-to-south decreasing gradient with the highest one in winter and the lowest in summer. From AHI PM data collected in the past five years, we found a decreasing trend of PM 2 . 5 concentration in most of areas of China.

The MEdium Resolution Spectral Imager-II (MERSI-II) onboard FY-3D satellite is used to retrieve surface vegetation parameters. MERSI TOA reflectances are corrected to surface reflectance and then used to compute normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) at the canopy levels. MERSI-II VI products are also compared with MODIS data and show a good consistency.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is known as highly metastatic disease because it is difficult to diagnose at early stage. More than 60% of NSCLC patients' overexpress receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) such as EGFR that has been proved to display resistance to receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) through PI3K signaling, while single PI3K inhibitors increase RTK expression as feedback. So, to select the proper targeted agent or target an assortment of molecular subsets, such as EGFR mutations for different subgroups of patients with NSCLC is urgent. Compound BENC-511, a potent PI3K inhibitor, had effects on inhibiting cancer cell survival and delaying tumor growth, but the effects and mechanisms on cancer metastasis are not clear. Methods of Scratch assay, Transwell system, experimental metastasis mice models, plasmid transfection, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used. Results showed that BENC-511 could significantly inhibit lung cancer cells invasion and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. And it not only inhibited PI3K/Akt signal pathway, but also directly suppressed phosphorylation of EGFR and nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Moreover, our study firstly reported BENC-511 seemed more sensitive to NSCLC cells that highly expressed Zinc-finger E-box binding protein 1 (ZEB1), one of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducer, and knockdown of ZEB1 could improve the effects of this compound. These findings suggested that BENC-511 should be a promising lead molecule for anti-metastasis therapy by targeting β-catenin/ZEB1 regulatory loop and serve as a therapeutic agent to inhibit metastasis of NSCLC.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the hallmark of late-staged wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key component in the development and progression of wet AMD. DMBT, 6,6'-bis(2,3-dimethoxybenzoyl)-α,α-D-trehalose, had been proved that it could suppress tumor angiogenesis and metastasis by inhibiting production of VEGF. But the effects of DMBT on CNV were not known. This study was to investigate effects and mechanisms of DMBT on CNV in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that DMBT could inhibit migration and tube formation of RF/6A cells under ARPE-19 hypoxia conditioned medium. DMBT could reduce lesion area in laser-induced CNV model mice. ELISA and Western blotting assay showed that DMBT markedly inhibited secretion of VEGF in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, DMBT restrained ROS level under hypoxia via suppressing Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. DMBT effectively suppressed hypoxia-induced the up-regulation of p-Akt, p-NF-κB, and HIF-1α. These results suggest that DMBT can inhibit CNV by down-regulation of VEGF in retina through Akt/NF-κB/HIF-1α and ERK/Nrf2/HO-1/HIF-1α pathway. DMBT might be a promising lead molecule for anti-CNV and serve as a therapeutic agent to inhibit CNV.

The cloud-free monthly composite of global nighttime light (NTL) data of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) day/night band (DNB) provides indispensable indications of human activities and settlements. However, the coarse spatial resolution (15 arc sec) of NTL imagery greatly restricts its application potential. This study proposes a feasible framework to downscale NPP-VIIRS NTL using muti-source spatial variables and geographically weighted regression (GWR) method. High-resolution auxiliary variables were acquired from the Landsat 8 OLI/ TIRS and social media platforms. GWR-based downscaling procedures were consequently implemented to obtain NTL at a 100-m resolution. The downscaled NTL data were validated against Loujia1-01 imagery based on the coefficient of determination (R2) and root-mean-square error (RMSE). The results suggest that the data quality was suitably improved after downscaling, yielding higher R2 (0.604 vs. 0.568) and lower RMSE (8.828 vs. 9.870 nW/cm2/sr) values than those of the original NTL data. Finally, the NTL was extendedly applied to detect impervious surfaces, and the downscaled NTL had higher accuracy than the original NTL. Therefore, this study facilitates data quality improvement of NPP-VIIRS NTL imagery by downscaling, thus enabling more accurate applications.

Breast cancer is one of the most serious malignant tumors that harm to women's health. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is an alternative type of blood supplement independent of endothelial vessels, which refers to the formation of tumor cell-lined vessels and is associated with tumor invasion, metastasis and poor cancer patient prognosis. Prior antiangiogenic therapy just focused on vascular endothelial cells and did not significantly affect VM. DMBT, 6, 6'-bis (2, 3-dimethoxybenzoyl)-a, a-D-trehalose, has shown to have multiple anti-tumor invasion and metastasis activities; however the exact mechanism is not thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we examined key molecular mechanisms underlying VM by using breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. We found that following the hypoxia treatment, the cells were easily to form VM networks and DMBT could inhibit VM formation of both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells in hypoxic condition. When tumor cells exposed to hypoxia environment, the expression of VM related proteins such as HIF-1α, VE-cadherin, MMP-9, Cdc42, and EGFR, p-Akt, p-mTOR were increased but decreased when exposed to hypoxia medium with DMBT. In MDA-MB-231 cells, DMBT inhibit hypoxia-induced VM by suppress HIF-1α/VE-cadherin/MMPs signaling pathway and in MCF-7 cells, DMBT had little effect on HIF-1α or VE-cadherin but could inhibit cell autophagy to suppress VM formation. These results suggested that DMBT could serve as a therapeutic agent to inhibit VM formation in human breast cancer.

Cardiomyocyte nutrient deprivation is a common clinical event that mediates various cardiac ischemic processes and is associated with autophagy activation and cell survival or death. Luteolin-7-O-glucoside (LUTG) was one of the flavonoid glycosides isolated from Dracocephalum tanguticum. Previous research had showed that LUTG pretreatment had significant protective effects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. However, whether LUTG could protect cardiomyocytes from starvation-induced injury was not clear. In this study, cardioprotection and mechanisms of LUTG against starvation-induced injury were investigated in vitro. 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed starvation-induced autophagy is a homeostatic and protective response for H9c2 cell survival. LUTG could protect against injury induced by starvation in H9c2 cells. Acridine orange (AO) staining showed that pretreatment with LUTG enhanced lysosomal autophagy. Western blotting indicated that LUTG enhanced autophagy by down-regulating the expression of phospho-extracellular signal regulated kinase1/2 (p-ERK), phospho-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and phospho-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR). These results suggest that LUTG might act as a promising therapeutic agent for preventing starvation-induced cardiotoxicity by upregulation of autophagy through the Akt/mTOR and ERK signal pathway.