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Experiment was conducted to study the effects of Mulberry Leaf (ML) powder on reproductive performance, serum and milk amino acid composition in sows. Fifty sows (D 85 at gestation) with parity 3 or 4 were randomly divided into 5 groups: C, M100, M200, M300 and M400, receiving 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g ML powder per sow per day. Blood and milk of sows at Days 1 and 21 of lactation were collected. Results showed that average daily feed intake (ADFI) during lactation was higher in groups supplemented ML compared with control group (p 0.01). Litter weight gain during lactation was higher in M400 than in groups M200 and C (p 0.05), with no significant difference compared with M100 and M300. Serum glucose concentration in groups M400 and M300 was higher than those in the other groups (p 0.01). Serum HDL-C concentration in group M400 was significantly greater than those in groups M100 and M200 (p 0.05), with no significant difference between group M400 and groups M300, control. Milk amino acid concentrations such as isoleucine, leucine, lysine and valine were all lower in group M400 than in control (p 0.01). Serum methionine (Met) concentration was higher in M300 than in other groups (p0.01). Milk Met concentration in group C was higher than those of the sows in the group M400, with no significant difference compared with groups M100, M200 and M300 (p 0.05). Serum Lys and Met concentrations were lower in M400 than in control group (p 0.05). In summary, our results have revealed the ML supplementation at a high dose such as 300 g/day during later gestation and lactation showed benefit in regulating lipid and amino acid metabolism in sows and then improved growth performance of their offspring.

A self-strengthening coating with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) doped chitosan (CHI) and sodium alginate (SA) polyelectrolytes was constructed on the surface of polydopamine (PDA) coated Ti substrate by a layer-by-layer assembly method. The PDA coating exhibited an excellent bond with Ti substrate, and also can uniformly deposit Ag NPs via a mild method without introducing any exogenous reductant. The CHI coating was assembled through a spin-coating method for controlling Ag+ release. The SA was introduced to enhance the anticorrosion performance by forming calcium alginate (CA) in a corrosive medium. The corrosion protection was investigated with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and polarization curves tests in fluorine-containing artificial saliva. During immersion, the charge-transfer resistance and the protection efficiency (ŋ) presented a continuous increase with the immersion time, demonstrating that this coating possessed a remarkable self-strengthening capability, and the compositions of the outermost film changed from SA to CA with the Ca2+ cations of the corrosive medium as a crosslinker by SEM and EDS analysis. Furthermore, the ŋ remained up to 96.8% after immersion of 30 days, and then the coating also displayed a distinct inhibition zone on S. mutans. These results prove this coating possesses an excellent anticorrosion performance and antibacterial property.

Mouse cortical radial glial cells (RGCs) are primary neural stem cells that give rise to cortical oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and olfactory bulb (OB) GABAergic interneurons in late embryogenesis. There are fundamental gaps in understanding how these diverse cell subtypes are generated. Here, by combining single-cell RNA-Seq with intersectional lineage analyses, we show that beginning at around E16.5, neocortical RGCs start to generate ASCL1+EGFR+ apical multipotent intermediate progenitors (MIPCs), which then differentiate into basal MIPCs that express ASCL1, EGFR, OLIG2, and MKI67. These basal MIPCs undergo several rounds of divisions to generate most of the cortical oligodendrocytes and astrocytes and a subpopulation of OB interneurons. Finally, single-cell ATAC-Seq supported our model for the genetic logic underlying the specification and differentiation of cortical glial cells and OB interneurons. Taken together, this work reveals the process of cortical radial glial cell lineage progression and the developmental origins of cortical astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Supplementary Information The online version of this article (10.1007/s12264-021-00640-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The pathology of familial Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by dominant mutations in the gene that encodes amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) and in those that encode presenilin 1 and presenilin 2, is characterized by extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles in multiple brain regions. Here we show that the brain-wide selective disruption of a mutated APP allele in transgenic mouse models carrying the human APP Swedish mutation alleviates amyloid-beta-associated pathologies for at least six months after a single intrahippocampal administration of an adeno-associated virus that encodes both Cas9 and a single-guide RNA that targets the mutation. We also show that the deposition of amyloid-beta, as well as microgliosis, neurite dystrophy and the impairment of cognitive performance, can all be ameliorated when the CRISPR-Cas9 construct is delivered intravenously via a modified adeno-associated virus that can cross the blood-brain barrier. Brain-wide disease-modifying genome editing could represent a viable strategy for the treatment of familial Alzheimer's disease and other monogenic diseases that affect multiple brain regions.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the middle-aged and elderly populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical value of lncRNA TUG1 in PD and its effect on the microglial inflammatory response. A total of 181 subjects were recruited for the study, including 97 patients with PD (male/female 50/47) and 84 healthy individuals (male/female 41/43). There was no significant difference for gender and age distribution between the groups. The expression of serum TUG1 was determined by qRT-PCR. The receiver operating curve (ROC) was applied for diagnostic value analysis. CCK-8 was used to detect the effect of TUG1 on the proliferation of BV2 cells. The motor coordination ability of mice was tested by the rotarod and pole tests. ELISA was used to detect serum pro-inflammatory factors. TUG1 was highly expressed in the serum of PD patients. Serum TUG1 can distinguish PD patients to form healthy controls with the AUC of 0.902. Serum TUG1 was positively correlated with the levels of UPDRS, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in PD patients. Cell experiment results showed that the downregulation of TUG1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and the release of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Besides, animal experiments suggested that the downregulation of TUG1 significantly improved the motor coordination ability of the PD mice and inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors. lncRNA TUG1 is a latent biomarker of PD patients. TUG1 downregulation may inhibit the inflammatory response in the progression of PD. These findings provide a possible target for the early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of PD.

Assess the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of infliximab, cyclosporine and tacrolimus for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).A literature search identified studies that investigated infliximab, cyclosporine or tacrolimus compared with placebo in UC patients. Short-term, long-term remission rates and response rates were employed to assess efficacy. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were analyzed. A Markov model was constructed to simulate the progression in a cohort of patients with UC, with an over 10 years of time horizon, with a discount rate of 3%, and established threshold of €30,000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) or ¥82442/QALY.Results of network meta-analysis showed that the order was cyclosporine, tacrolimus, infliximab and placebo from high rate to low with regard to short-term clinical response. The comparison between infliximab versus cyclosporine achieved an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €184435/QALY and ¥531607/QALY, with a 0.34893 QALYs difference of efficacy, and an incremental cost of €64355 and ¥185494. Tacrolimus versus cyclosporine reached an ICER of €44236/QALY and ¥57494/QALY, with a difference of 0.40963 QALYs in efficacy, and a raising cost to €18120 and ¥23551. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis shows that cyclosporine would be cost-effective in the 75.8% of the simulations, tacrolimus in the 24.2%, and infliximab for the 0%.Infliximab, cyclosporine and tacrolimus as salvage therapies are efficacious. For long-term of clinical remission, the order of pharmacological agents was tacrolimus, infliximab and cyclosporine from high efficacy to low while no significant difference is seen. In cost-effectiveness analysis, the cyclosporine versus infliximab or tacrolimus is expected to be at best.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by intracellular α-synuclein (α-Syn) deposition. Alternation of the α-Syn expression level in plasma or erythrocytes may be used as a potential PD biomarker. However, no studies have compared their prognostic value directly with the same cohort. Methods: The levels of α-Syn in plasma and erythrocytes, obtained from 45 PD patients and 45 control subjects, were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Then, correlation and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were performed to characterize the predictive power of erythrocytic and plasma α-Syn. Results: Our results showed that α-Syn expression levels in both plasma and erythrocytes were significantly higher in PD patients than in control subjects (823.14 ± 257.79 vs. 297.10 ± 192.82 pg/mL, p < 0.0001 in plasma; 3,104.14 ± 143.03 vs. 2,944.82 ± 200.41 pg/mL, p < 0.001 in erythrocytes, respectively). The results of the ROC analysis suggested that plasma α-Syn exhibited better predictive power than erythrocytic α-Syn with a sensitivity of 80.0%, specificity of 97.7%, and a positive predictive value of 77.8%. The expression level of plasma α-Syn correlated well with the age of patients, H-Y stage, MoCA scale, and UPDRS motor scale. On the contrary, there was no correlation between erythrocytic α-Syn level and clinical parameters in this study. Conclusion: Our results suggest that plasma α-Syn could be a specific and sensitive potential diagnostic biomarker for PD.

1035 Background: For human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer, the standard therapeutic strategy is HER2-targeted agents combined with a taxane. This multicenter, single-arm phase 2 trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of pyrotinib (a brand-new generation, irreversible anti-HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor) plus nab-paclitaxel in patients with HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Methods: This was a multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase 2 trial conducted at seven centers in China (ChiCTR1900023653). Women aged 18-75 years, with histologically or cytologically confirmed HER-2 positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+ or positive confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization) advanced or metastatic breast cancer and with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG PS) of 0-1 were enrolled. Patients with primary resistance to trastuzumab and bone-only metastases were excluded. Eligible patients received pyrotinib (400 mg, po, qd) plus nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m2, iv, day 1/8/15) for each 28-day cycle until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, consent withdrawal or death. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), defined as the proportion of patients with complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, safety and quality of life. Results: Between December 2019 and December 2021, 51 patients were enrolled. The median age was 55 years (range 35–72). Twenty-three patients (45.1%) had ECOG PS of 0. Ten patients (19.6%) with metastatic disease had previously received first-line treatment and 28 (54.9%) had received prior treatment with trastuzumab. More than half (29 of 51, 56.9%) had hormone receptor-positive disease. Visceral metastases occurred in 56.9% of the patients (29 of 51) and 26 patients (51.0%) were menopausal. The data cutoff for the present analysis was January 21, 2022. Among 38 evaluable patients, four patients (10.5%) had CR, 27 (71.1%) had PR, six (15.8%) had stable disease, and one (2.6%) had progressive disease. The confirmed ORR was 81.6% (95% CI 65.1-91.7%). The PFS data were still immature. The most common grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events included neutropenia (14 of 51, 27.5%), diarrhea (10 of 51, 19.6%), fatigue (5 of 51, 9.8%) and peripheral neuropathy (4 of 51, 7.8%). Conclusions: Pyrotinib combined with nab-paclitaxel showed a promising antitumor activity with good tolerance in patients with HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR1900023653.

The dysregulation of gene dosage due to duplication or haploinsufficiency is a major cause of autosomal dominant diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is currently no rapid and efficient method for manipulating gene dosage in a human model system such as human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here, we demonstrate a simple and precise method to simultaneously generate iPSC lines with different gene dosages using paired Cas9 nickases. We first generate a Cas9 nickase variant with broader protospacer-adjacent motif specificity to expand the targetability of double-nicking–mediated genome editing. As a proof-of-concept study, we examine the gene dosage effects on an Alzheimer’s disease patient-derived iPSC line that carries three copies of APP (amyloid precursor protein). This method enables the rapid and simultaneous generation of iPSC lines with monoallelic, biallelic, or triallelic knockout of APP. The cortical neurons generated from isogenically corrected iPSCs exhibit gene dosage-dependent correction of disease-associated phenotypes of amyloid-beta secretion and Tau hyperphosphorylation. Thus, the rapid generation of iPSCs with different gene dosages using our method described herein can be a useful model system for investigating disease mechanisms and therapeutic development., Ye et al demonstrate a simple and precise method to simultaneously generate iPSC lines with different gene dosages using paired Cas9 nickases. As proof-of-concept they apply this method to examining amyloid precursor protein gene dosage effects in an Alzheimer’s disease patient-derived iPSC line. Their method could potentially advance what we know about disease mechanisms and assist with gene therapy development.

Specification of the progenitors’ regional identity is a pivotal step during development of the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. The molecular mechanisms underlying progenitor regionalization, however, are poorly understood. Here we showed that the transcription factors Vax1 was highly expressed in the developing subpallium. In its absence, the RNA-Seq analysis, in situ RNA hybridization, and immunofluorescence staining results showed that the cell proliferation was increased in the subpallium, but the neuronal differentiation was blocked. Moreover, the dLGE region severely expanded ventrally at the expense of the vLGE, MGE, and septum. Finally, overexpressed VAX1 in the LGE progenitors strongly inhibits Gsx2 expression. Taken together, our findings show that Vax1 is crucial for subpallium regionalization by repressing Gsx2.

The aim of this work is to develop an eco-friendly pH-responsive intelligent coating with long-term corrosion protection by a convenient method. Herein, an eco-friendly and long-term pH-responsive intelligent anti-corrosion coating (BTA-CaCO3@TA coating) is fabricated through the addition of a hydrophilic pH-responsive release material (BTA-CaCO3@TA microspheres) into a waterborne epoxy resin coating. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results indicated that BTA-CaCO3@TA microspheres could endow the coating with long-term corrosion protection. The |Z|f=0.01Hz values of the BTA-CaCO3@TA coating after 130 days of immersion were still higher than those of the pure waterborne epoxy resin coating at the beginning of immersion. The excellent long-term protection performance was related to the good dispersibility of BTA-CaCO3@TA microspheres in the waterborne coatings, the TA conversion film and the BTA inhibitor protection film, which formed on the steel surface in situ. This synergistic strategy demonstrated its future application for protecting metals from corrosion.

Genetic intervention is increasingly being explored as a therapeutic option for debilitating disorders of the central nervous system. The safety and efficacy of gene therapies rely upon expressing a transgene in affected cells while minimizing off-target expression. Here we show organ-specific targeting of adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsids after intravenous delivery, which we achieved by employing a Cre-transgenic-based screening platform and sequential engineering of AAV-PHP.eB between the surface-exposed AA452 and AA460 of VP3. From this selection, we identified capsid variants that were enriched in the brain and targeted away from the liver in C57BL/6J mice. This tropism extends to marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), enabling robust, non-invasive gene delivery to the marmoset brain after intravenous administration. Notably, the capsids identified result in distinct transgene expression profiles within the brain, with one exhibiting high specificity to neurons. The ability to cross the blood–brain barrier with neuronal specificity in rodents and non-human primates enables new avenues for basic research and therapeutic possibilities unattainable with naturally occurring serotypes.

Eight novel acetophenone mono- and bis-C-glucosides were obtained by whole cells harboring an engineered C-glycosyltransferase. Optimization of the fed-bath process improved the yield of 4a to 0.97 mg/mL with 95% conversion rate, which is 2.9-fold higher than that of the single-bath. Four mono-C-glucosides (1a–4a) exhibited potent SGLT2 inhibitory activities with IC50 values at 10−6 M. These findings provide a cost-effective and practical synthetic strategy to produce structurally diverse and novel bioactive C-glucosides for drug discovery.

Because traditional chromating and phosphating processes are harmful to the environment and human health, an eco-friendly tannic acid (TA)-based conversion film technology is established by adopting a new self-assembly strategy of TA/metal complexes on iron surfaces in aqueous solutions. In this study, TA and TA/Zn films were conveniently fabricated by anchoring a certain amount of TA molecules on the iron surface through the coordination interaction between phenolic hydroxyls and metal ions. In contrast, the introduction of Zn ions in the film-forming process cannot only complex with more TA molecules to form a thicker conversion film but also accelerate the film-forming process and transform into ZnO, which can further inhibit iron corrosion. This combination leads to the excellent corrosion protection of TA/Zn film-modified iron (the corrosion protection efficiency is up to 92.39%). Moreover, impact tests show that the TA/Zn film can enhance the adhesion between the iron substrate and outer coating.

A polyelectrolytes coating with self-healing and self-strengthening dual-function was fabricated on the titanium sheet for anticorrosion studies in fluorine-containing artificial saliva. The coating contains a polydopamine bottom film and 2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan and sodium alginate multilayers. The incorporated polydopamine bottom film was modified to assure the adhesion of the polyelectrolytes coating on the titanium sheet. Based on the scratch assay, there are two stages for the scratched coating immersed in fluorine-containing artificial saliva: healing and strengthening. Results exhibited that the coating possesses a remarkable self-healing property in the early-stage immersion due to the swollen polyelectrolytes migrating to the scratched region and the calcium cations of the corrosive medium as an ionic crosslinker intercalated in the swollen polyelectrolytes forming calcium alginate and filling the micro-scale scratch. During the later-stage immersion, the self-healing coating showed excellent self-strengthening performance originating from the formation of the more and more compact film with calcium cations intercalated. This research provides an effective strategy to prolong the service life and improve corrosion performance for the implants in the human body environments.

An electrochemical aptasensor for the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) detection was constructed by using copper-based metal-organic framework (Cu-MOF) as a label and the LPS aptamer of specific single-stranded DNA as a probe. The carboxyl-functionalized polypyrrole nanowires (PPy NWs) were synthesized by electrochemical polymerization method, and the amino-terminated aptamer covalently coupling with the carboxyl group of the PPy NWs was immobilized onto the modified electrode. The aptamer can specifically combine with the target LPS molecules, and Cu-MOF was labeled by adsorption based on specific interactions of LPS carbohydrate portions with anionic groups. The fabrication processes of the aptasensor were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used to measure electrochemical performance of the aptasensor, and the electrochemical signal can be directly measured by the electrochemical redox reaction of Cu(II)/Cu(I) existed in the Cu-MOF. The electrochemical aptasensor exhibited a high sensitivity toward LPS ranging from 1.0 pg/mL to 1.0 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.29 pg/mL. Moreover, the developed sensor was found to have good selectivity, stability and regeneration properties, and the sensor also successfully detected LPS in real tap water samples.

Six new Diels-Alder type adducts, morusalisins A-F (1–6), were isolated from Morus alba cell cultures. The structures of 1–6 were determined by extensive spectroscopic data analysis, including HRESIMS, NMR, and ECD experiments. Furthermore, compounds 1–6 exhibited potent protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity with IC50 values ranging from 1.14 to 2.24 μM, making them promising as bioactive compounds for anti-diabetic drug discovery.

Mesoporous silica with tunable morphology, pore architecture and crystallinity was successfully coated on gold nanorods by a template method based on the self-assembly of anionic surfactants with inorganic precursors. Varying the molar ratio of acid to surfactant or the volume ratio of ethanol to water resulted in products with different shapes, ranging from rods to spherical particles. A phase transformation of the mesoporous silica shell from 2D hexagonal to 3D cubic occurred due to an increased acid/surfactant ratio. Increasing the proportion of ethanol also gradually caused the disappear of 2D hexagonal symmetry of silica. The charge density matching relationship and solution polarity induced by varied reaction composition are believed to be the driving forces for the change of morphology and mesostructure.

Objective This study aims to identify effective gene networks and biomarkers to predict response and prognosis for HER2-negative breast cancer patients who received sequential taxane-anthracycline neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods Transcriptome data of training dataset including 310 HER2-negative breast cancer who received taxane-anthracycline treatment and an independent validation set with 198 samples were analyzed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) approach in R language. Gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways analysis were performed for the selected genes. Module-clinical trait relationships were analyzed to explore the genes and pathways that associated with clinicopathological parameters. Log-rank tests and COX regression were used to identify the prognosis-related genes. Results We found a significant correlation of an expression module with distant relapse–free survival (HR = 0.213, 95% CI [0.131–0.347], P = 4.80E−9). This blue module contained genes enriched in biological process of hormone levels regulation, reproductive system, response to estradiol, cell growth and mammary gland development as well as pathways including estrogen, apelin, cAMP, the PPAR signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism. From this module, we further screened and validated six hub genes (CA12, FOXA1, MLPH, XBP1, GATA3 and MAGED2), the expression of which were significantly associated with both better chemotherapeutic response and favorable survival for BC patients. Conclusion We used WGCNA approach to reveal a gene network that regulate HER2-negative breast cancer treatment with taxane-anthracycline neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which enriched in pathways of estrogen signaling, apelin signaling, cAMP signaling, the PPAR signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism. In addition, genes of CA12, FOXA1, MLPH, XBP1, GATA3 and MAGED2 might serve as novel biomarkers predicting chemotherapeutic response and prognosis for HER2-negative breast cancer.

// Weiwei Tao 1, 2, 3, # , Xi Luo 1, 2, # , Bai Cui 1, 2, # , Dapeng Liang 1, 2 , Chunli Wang 1, 2 , Yangyang Duan 4 , Xiaofen Li 5 , Shiyu Zhou 6 , Mingjie Zhao 7 , Yi Li 8 , Yumin He 9 , Shaowu Wang 4 , Keith W. Kelley 10, 11 , Ping Jiang 12 , Quentin Liu 1, 2 1 Institute of Cancer Stem Cell, Cancer Center, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 2 Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangdong, China 3 College of Nursing, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 4 Department of Radiology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 5 School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 6 Department of Psychology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 7 Dalian Medical University Magazine, Dalian, China 8 School of Art, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China 9 Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China 10 Integrative Immunology and Behavior Program, Department of Animal Sciences, College of ACES, Urbana, IL, USA 11 Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA 12 Graduate School, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China # These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Quentin Liu, e-mail: liuqiang@dlmedu.edu.cn Ping Jiang, e-mail: dywx.2009@163.com Keith W. Kelley, e-mail: kwkelley@illinois.edu Shaowu Wang, e-mail: wsw_2003@163.com Keywords: traditional Chinese medicine, psycho-behavioral interventions, quality of life, cancer, meta-analysis Received: July 15, 2015 Accepted: October 02, 2015 Published: October 15, 2015 ABSTRACT Background: Cancer patients suffer from diverse symptoms, including depression, anxiety, pain, and fatigue and lower quality of life (QoL) during disease progression. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine psycho-behavioral interventions (TCM PBIs) on improving QoL by meta-analysis. Methods: Electronic literature databases (PubMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang) were searched for randomized, controlled trials conducted in China. The primary intervention was TCM PBIs. The main outcome was health-related QoL (HR QoL) post-treatment. We applied standard meta analytic techniques to analyze data from papers that reached acceptable criteria. Results: The six TCM PBIs analyzed were acupuncture, Chinese massage, Traditional Chinese Medicine five elements musical intervention (TCM FEMI), Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary supplement (TCM DS), Qigong and Tai Chi. Although both TCM PBIs and non-TCM PBIs reduced functional impairments in cancer patients and led to pain relief, depression remission, reduced time to flatulence following surgery and sleep improvement, TCM PBIs showed more beneficial effects as assessed by reducing both fatigue and gastrointestinal distress. In particular, acupuncture relieved fatigue, reduced diarrhea and decreased time to flatulence after surgery in cancer patients, while therapeutic Chinese massage reduced time to flatulence and time to peristaltic sound. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the efficacy of TCM PBIs in improving QoL in cancer patients and establish that TCM PBIs represent beneficial adjunctive therapies for cancer patients.

Emerging evidence suggests functional regulation of the Hippo pathway by the actin cytoskeleton, although the detailed molecular mechanism remains incomplete. In a genetic screen, we identified a requirement for β-Spectrin in the posterior follicle cells for the oocyte repolarization process during Drosophila mid-oogenesis. β-spectrin mutations lead to loss of Hippo signaling activity in the follicle cells. A similar reduction of Hippo signaling activity was observed after β-Spectrin knockdown in mammalian cells. We further demonstrated that β-spectrin mutations disrupt the basal actin network in follicle cells. The abnormal stress fiber-like actin structure on the basal side of follicle cells provides a likely link between the β-spectrin mutations and the loss of the Hippo signaling activity phenotype.

A facile approach to prepare water-dispersible super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) is reported. The homogeneous MNPs prepared in organic phase are functionalized with an aqueous solution of dopamine at room temperature. The obtained dopamine modified MNPs (MNP-DA) exhibiting excellent super-paramagnetic property can bind various molecules, including NTA and proteins under mild conditions. To demonstrate the feasibility for biological application, the MNP-DA was used for rapid and efficient magnetic separation of bovine albumin (BSA) carrying fluorescent Au nanoclusters from fluorescein. Furthermore, the MNP-DA was functionalized with Nα,Nα-bis (carboxy methyl)-L-lysine hydrate (NTA) to reversibly immobilize and release histidine-tagged proteins. The present study demonstrates a general and facile route to the efficient modification of magnetic nanoparticles with various functional materials and paves the way for a wide range of biomedical applications of MNPs.