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Abstract Background Osteoporosis is currently considered the most common bone disease in the world and is characterized by low bone mass, deterioration of the bone tissue microstructure, and decreased bone strength. With the increasing popularity of smartphones and short videos, many patients search for various types of health information through social media, such as short videos. As one of China’s short video giants, TikTok has played a significant role in spreading health information. We found that there are many videos about osteoporosis on TikTok; however, the quality of these short videos has not yet been evaluated. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the information quality of osteoporosis videos on the domestic TikTok platform. Methods We retrieved and screened 100 videos about osteoporosis from TikTok, extracted the basic information, encoded the video content, and recorded the source of each video. Two independent raters evaluated the information quality of each video via the DISCERN rating scale. Result The videos were divided into three groups according to their source: medical personnel, science communicators, and news media, with medical personnel posting the most videos. The content of the video is divided into 7 groups, namely, disease prevention, disease diagnosis, disease symptoms, disease overview, life-style, drug knowledge, and drug treatment, with the most videos related to disease overview. The average DISCERN score of the videos is 37.69 (SD = 6.78), mainly within the ‘poor’ (54/100, 54%) and ‘appropriate’ (43/100, 43%) rating ranges, with overall quality being low. Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between the number of shares, comments, likes, and favorites, and a positive correlation between the DISCERN score and the number of shares and favorites. Conclusion The overall quality of videos concerning osteoporosis on TikTok is lower, but the quality of videos varies significantly across different sources. We should be selective and cautious when watching videos about osteoporosis on TikTok.

Abstract Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Although paeonol has been used for treating UC due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of paeonol’s action on UC by conducting in-vitro and in-vivo studies using NCM460 cells and RAW264.7 cells, and the DSS-induced mice colitis model. The in vitro studies demonstrate that paeonol exerts inhibitory effects on the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway through upregulating PPARγ expression, thereby attenuating pro-inflammatory cytokine production, reducing reactive oxygen species levels, and promoting M2 macrophage polarization. These effects are significantly abrogated upon addition of the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662. Moreover, UC mice treated with paeonol showed increased PPARγ expression, which reduced inflammation and apoptosis to maintain intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. In conclusion, our findings suggest that paeonol inhibits the NF-κB signaling pathway by activating PPARγ, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress and improving Dss-induced colitis. This study provides a new insight into the mechanism of treating UC by paeonol.

Summary: Objectives: The exostosins (EXT), which are responsible for heparan sulfate backbone synthesis and play a vital role in tissue homeostasis, have been reported to be correlated with prognosis of various cancers. However, the expression, prognostic value, and immune infiltration of EXT1 and EXT2 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remain uncertain. Methods: GEPIA, UALCAN, and Xiantao bioinformatics tools were used to explore the EXT1 and EXT2 expression level in HNSC. GEPIA and Sangerbox were utilised to obtain the prognostic value of EXT1 and EXT2 in HNSC. Genetic alterations, immune cell infiltration, and single-cell analysis were conducted in cBioPortal, TIMER, and TISCH2. In addition, the expressions of EXT1 and EXT2 were validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in HNSC samples. Results: EXT1 and EXT2 were highly expressed in HNSC, especially in malignant cells. Only EXT2 was significantly negatively correlated to the prognosis of patients with HNSC. EXT1 and EXT2 were found to be associated with focal adhesin and cell adhesin molecule binding. EXT1 expression levels were considerably connected with CD8+ T cell infiltrating levels, whilst EXT2 expression levels were considerably negatively connected with infiltrating levels of CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in HNSC. The gene mutation rates of EXT1 and EXT2 in HNSC were 7% and 2.8%, respectively. Moreover, EXT2 was validated to be highly expressed in HNSC samples by real-time PCR. Conclusion: EXT2 was highly expressed and presented negative correlation with the prognosis and immune infiltration of HNSC, which might be a potential biomarker for HNSC.

The integration of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is now known to be closely associated with the occurrence of liver cancer and can impact the functionality of liver cells through multiple dimensions. However, despite the detailed understanding of the characteristics of HBV integration and the mechanisms involved, the subsequent effects on cellular function are still poorly understood in current research. This study first systematically discusses the relationship between HBV integration and the occurrence of liver cancer, and then analyzes the status of the viral genome produced by HBV replication, highlighting the close relationship and structure between double-stranded linear (DSL)-HBV DNA and the occurrence of viral integration. The integration of DSL-HBV DNA leads to a certain preference for HBV integration itself. Additionally, exploration of HBV integration hotspots reveals obvious hotspot areas of HBV integration on the human genome. Virus integration in these hotspot areas is often associated with the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and it has been determined that HBV integration can promote the occurrence of cancer by inducing genome instability and other aspects. Furthermore, a comprehensive study of viral integration explored the mechanisms of viral integration and the internal integration mode, discovering that HBV integration may form extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), which exists outside the chromosome and can integrate into the chromosome under certain conditions. The prospect of HBV integration as a biomarker was also probed, with the expectation that combining HBV integration research with CRISPR technology will vigorously promote the progress of HBV integration research in the future. In summary, exploring the characteristics and mechanisms in HBV integration holds significant importance for an in-depth comprehension of viral integration.

M23C6 carbide can precipitate simultaneously on both sides of austenite grain boundary in Fe–15Mn–3Al-0.7C steel tempered at 600 °C. In this paper, the morphology and growth behavior of M23C6 are studied by means of OM, SEM and TEM. The results show that the morphology of M23C6 located on both sides of grain boundary is different. On one side of the grain boundary, the carbides appear to be dispersed and disconnected, each with an irregular particle-like morphology, while on the opposite side, they are dispersed along the grain boundary in a short-rod morphology, and the adjacent ones tend to join together to form a network structure. In fact, regardless of which side of the grain boundary the carbides are on, they exhibit a definite growth behavior, growing along the close-packed plane and grain boundary. Also, the morphology of M23C6 depends on the angle between the close-packed plane and the grain boundary. In addition, twin structures with the same orientation can be found in both austenite and M23C6. A notable distinction between them is that there is a flat twin plane in the austenite twin structure but not in the carbide twin structure. Therefore, this paper highlights that the formation of these two twin structures is different. The austenite twin structure is caused by quenching treatment, while the carbide twin structure is formed by a new method called “growing-contacting”.

Harvesting energy from ambient water, a renewable technology of generating electrical energy, promises to relieve the worldwide energy shortage. However, most of the electricity from ambient water is flowing potential, which has a short duration and is greatly affected by external conditions. Herein, a graphene oxide-polypyrrole-nonwoven fabric (GO-PPy-NWF) with asymmetric structure based water-induced energy generator is developed to harvest electricity via synergistic flowing potential and ionovoltaic effect. Electric power of ∼0.86 V and ∼40 μA can be harvested for ∼40 min with 0.1 mL brine or seawater infiltrating into the generator. Moreover, under one sun, the GO-PPy-NWF achieves electric power up to ∼0.93 V due to rapid evaporation. The GO-PPy-NWF harvests electricity by water to light up light emitting diodes (LEDs) and small electronic devices, showing good practicability prospects with flexibility, low cost and sustainability.

Antimony (Sb) toxicity is a serious concern across the globe due to its hazardous impacts on plants and living organisms. The co-application of Chinese milk vetch (CMV) and biochar (BC) is a common agricultural practice, however, the effects of combined CMV and BC in mitigating Sb toxicity and bio-availability remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the impacts of CMV, rape straw biochar (RBC), and iron-modified biochar (FMB) and their combinations on rice productivity, physiological, and biochemical functioning of rice and Sb availability. Antimony toxicity caused a marked reduction in rice growth and productivity by decreasing chlorophyll, and anthocyanin synthesis, leaf water contents, osmolyte synthesis and antioxidant activities while, increasing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), electrolyte leakage (EL), and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and Sb accumulation. Co-application of CMV and FMB increased biomass (29.50%) and grain yield (51.07%) of rice by increasing chlorophyll, and anthocyanin synthesis, leaf water contents, osmolyte synthesis, antioxidant activities, and decreasing production of H2O2, EL, and MDA and Sb accumulation in roots (90.41%) and shoots (96.38%). Furthermore, the combined addition of CMV and FMB also reduced the soil available Sb by 75.57% which resulted in less accumulation of Sb in plant parts and improved growth and yield. Given these facts, these findings indicate that co-application of CMV and FMB is a promising approach to remediate Sb-polluted soils and improve sustainable and safer rice productivity.

To synthesize an effective and versatile nano-platform serving as a promising carrier for controlled drug delivery, visible-light-induced diselenide-crosslinked polyurethane micelles were designed and prepared for ROS-triggered on-demand doxorubicin (DOX) release. A rationally designed amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(diselenolane diol-co-isophorone diisocyanate)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-b-PUSe-b-PEG), which incorporates dangling diselenolane groups within the hydrophobic PU segments, was initially synthesized through the polycondensation reaction. In aqueous media, this type of amphiphilic block copolymer can self-assemble into micellar aggregates and encapsulate DOX within the micellar core, forming DOX-loaded micelles that are subsequently in situ core-crosslinked by diselenides via a visible-light-triggered metathesis reaction of Se-Se bonds. Compared with the non-crosslinked micelles (NCLMs), the as-prepared diselenide-crosslinked micelles (CLMs) exhibited a smaller particle size and improved colloidal stability. In vitro release studies have demonstrated suppressed drug release behavior for CLMs in physiological conditions, as compared to the NCLMs, whereas a burst release of DOX occurred upon exposure to an oxidation environment. Moreover, MTT assay results have revealed that the crosslinked polyurethane micelles displayed no significant cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells. Cellular uptake analyses have suggested the effective internalization of DOX-loaded crosslinked micelles and DOX release within cancer cells. These findings suggest that this kind of ROS-triggered reversibly crosslinked polyurethane micelles hold significant potential as a ROS-responsive drug delivery system.

Abstract In vehicular edge computing, the low-delay services are invoked by the vehicles from the edge clouds while the vehicles moving on the roads. Because of the insufficiency of computing capacity and storage resource for edge clouds, a single edge cloud cannot handle all the services, and thus the efficient service deployment strategy in multi edge clouds should be designed according to the service demands. Noticed that the service demands are dynamic in temporal, and the inter-relationship between services is a non-negligible factor for service deployment. In order to address the new challenges produced by these factors, a collaborative service on-demand dynamic deployment approach with deep reinforcement learning is proposed, which is named CODD-DQN. In our approach, the number of service request of each edge clouds are forecasted by a time-aware service demands prediction algorithm, and then the interacting services are discovered through the analysis of service invoking logs. On this basis, the service response time models are constructed to formulated the problem, aiming to minimize service response time with data transmission delay between services. Furthermore, a collaborative service dynamic deployment algorithm with DQN model is proposed to deploy the interacting services. Finally, the real-world dataset based experiments are conducted. The results show our approach can achieve lowest service response time than other algorithms for service deployment.

Abstract Background The rising cancer incidence in patients with oral leukoplakia (OL) highlights the importance of identifying potential biomarkers for high‐risk individuals and lesions because these biomarkers are useful in developing personalized management strategies for OL patients. This study systematically searched and analyzed the literature on potential saliva and serum biomarkers for OL malignant transformation. Methods PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies published up to April 2022. The primary outcome of this study was the difference in biomarker concentrations in saliva or serum samples from healthy control (HC), OL and oral cancer (OC) populations. Cohen's d with 95% credible interval was calculated and pooled using the inverse variance heterogeneity method. Results A total of seven saliva biomarkers were analyzed in this paper, including interleukin‐1alpha, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐6‐8, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), copper, zinc, and lactate dehydrogenase. IL‐6 and TNF‐α exhibited statistically significant deviations in comparisons between HC versus OL and OL versus OC. A total of 13 serum biomarkers were analyzed, including IL‐6, TNF‐α, C‐reactive protein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high‐density lipoproteins, low‐density lipoproteins, albumin, protein, β2‐microglobulin, fucose, lipid‐bound sialic acid (LSA), and total sialic acid (TSA). LSA and TSA exhibited statistically significant deviations in comparisons between HC versus OL and OL versus OC. Conclusion IL‐6 and TNF‐α in saliva have strong predictive values for OL deterioration, and LSA and TSA concentration levels in serum also have the potential to serve as biomarkers for OL deterioration.

Abstract Water evaporation is a ubiquitous and spontaneous phase transition process. The utilization of solar‐driven interface water evaporation that simultaneously obtains clean water and power generation can effectively alleviate people's concerns about fresh water and energy shortages. However, it remains a great challenge to efficiently integrate the required functions into the same device to reduce the complexity of the system and alleviate its dependence on solar energy to achieve full‐time operation. In this work, a multifunctional device based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/Mn3O4/Al2O3 composite nanomaterials is realized by an asymmetric strategy for effective solar‐thermal‐electro integration that can induce power generation by water evaporation in the presence/absence of light. Under one sun irradiation, the solar‐driven evaporation rate and output voltage are 1.74 kg m−2 h−1 and 0.778 V, respectively. More strikingly, the nine‐grid evaporation/power generation array integrated with multiple devices in series has the advantages of small volume, large evaporation area, and high power generation, and can light up light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), providing the possibility for large‐scale production and application. Based on the high photothermal conversion efficiency and power production capacity of the RGO/Mn3O4/Al2O3 composite evaporation/generator, it will be a promising energy conversion device for future sustainable energy development and applications.

Abstract Background A hydatidiform mole is a condition caused by abnormal proliferation of trophoblastic cells. MicroRNA miR-30a acts as a tumor suppressor gene in most tumors and participates in the development of various cancers. However, its role in hydatidiform moles is not clear. Methods Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR was used to verify the expression level of miR-30a and STOX2 (encoding storkhead box 2). Flow cytometry assays were performed to detect the cell cycle in cell with different expression levels of miR-30a and STOX2. Cell Cycle Kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine, and colony formation assays were used to detect cell proliferation and viability. Transwell assays was used to test cell invasion and migration. Dual-luciferase reporter assays and western blotting were used to investigate the potential mechanisms involved. Result Low miR-30a expression promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblastic cells (JAR and HTR-8). Dual luciferase assays confirmed that STOX2 is a target of miR-30a and resisted the effect of upregulated miR-30a in trophoblastic cells. In addition, downregulation of STOX2 by miR-30a could activate ERK, AKT, and P38 signaling pathways. These results revealed a new mechanism by which ERK, AKT, and P38 activation by miR-30a/STOX2 results in excessive proliferation of trophoblast cells in the hydatidiform mole. Conclusions In this study, we found that miR-30a plays an important role in the development of the hydatidiform mole. Our findings indicate that miR-30a might promote the malignant transformation of human trophoblastic cells by regulating STOX2, which strengthens our understanding of the role of miR-30a in regulating trophoblastic cell transformation.

Background Therapeutic hypothermia has a beneficial effect on cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. Recent research has suggested that microRNAs participate in acute myocardial infarction to regulate cardiomyocyte survival. This study aimed to explore the ability of hypothermia‐regulated microRNA‐483‐3p (miR‐483‐3p) to inhibit hypoxia‐induced myocardial infarction. Methods and Results Primary cardiomyocytes were cultured under hypoxia at 32 °C to mimic therapeutic hypothermia, and the differentially expressed microRNAs were determined by RNA sequencing. Therapeutic hypothermia recovered hypoxia‐induced increases in apoptosis, decreases in ATP levels, and decreases in miR‐483‐3p expression. Overexpression of miR‐483‐3p exhibited effects similar to those of therapeutic hypothermia on hypoxia in the treatment of cardiomyocytes to associate with maintaining the mitochondrial membrane potential, and cyclin‐dependent kinase 9 (Cdk9) was identified as a target gene with downregulated expression by miR‐483‐3p. Knockdown of Cdk9 also promoted cardiac survival, ATP production, and mitochondrial membrane potential stability under hypoxia. In vivo, the expression of miR‐483‐3p and Cdk9 was tested in the cardiac tissue of the mice with acute myocardial infarction, and the expression of miR‐483‐3p decreased and Cdk9 increased in the region of myocardial infarction. However, miR‐483‐3p was overexpressed with lentivirus, which suppressed apoptosis, infarct size (miR‐483‐3p, 22.00±4.04% versus negative control, 28.57±5.44%, P

Summary: Phosphoinositides (PIPs) are low-abundant membrane lipids with critically important functions in cellular physiology. To investigate their subcellular distribution in neurons, we optimized protocols for immunofluorescence staining of intracellular or plasma membrane PIPs with commercially available antibodies. Here, we describe the preparation and transfection of primary mouse hippocampal neurons in dissociated culture, followed by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative analysis of PIP signals. In addition, we expand the application of the protocol to proteins located at the cytoplasmic leaflet of cellular membranes.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Guo et al. (2022). : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important risk factor for developing lung cancer. Aged citrus peel (chenpi) has been used as a dietary supplement for respiratory diseases in China. Objective: To explore the mechanism and candidate compounds of chenpi preventing COPD and its progression to lung cancer. Methods: The active components and potential targets of chenpi were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Disease-associated targets of COPD and lung cancer were collected in the Gene Cards and TTD database. The component-target network and PPI network were constructed using the Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. David database was used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The main active components were verified by using the autodock Vina 1.1.2 software. Mouse lung cancer with COPD was induced by cigarette smoking (CS) combined with urethane injection to confirm preventing the effect of hesperetin (the candidate compound of chenpi) on COPD progression to lung cancer and its underlying mechanisms. Results: The network analysis revealed that the key active components of chenpi (nobiletin, naringenin, hesperetin) regulate five core targets (AKT1, TP53, IL6, VEGFA, MMP9). In addition, 103 potential pathways of chenpi were identified. Chenpi can prevent COPD and its progression to lung cancer by getting involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. Molecular docking indicated that hesperetin had better binding activity for core targets. In mouse lung cancer with COPD, treatment with hesperetin dose-dependently improved not only lung tissue injury in COPD but also carcinoma lesions in lung cancer. Meanwhile, hesperetin could suppress the protein expression of AKT1, IL6, VEGFA, MMP9 and up-regulate the protein expression of TP53, and thus reduced the risk of COPD progression to lung cancer. Conclusion: Hesperetin is a candidate compound of chenpi that helps in preventing COPD and its progression to lung cancer by regulating AKT1, IL6, VEGFA, MMP9 and TP53.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is progressing rapidly, and poses significant threats to public health. A number of clinical practice results showed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a significant role for COVID-19 treatment. Objective: To explore the active components and molecular mechanism of semen armeniacae amarum treating COVID-19 by network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: The active components and potential targets of semen armeniacae amarum were retrieved from traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Coronavirus disease 2019-associated targets were collected in the GeneCards, TTD, OMIM and PubChem database. Compound target, compound-target pathway and medicine-ingredient-target disease networks were constructed by Cytoscape 3.8.0. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were drawn using the STRING database and Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. David database was used for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The main active components were verified by AutoDock Vina 1.1.2 software. A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation model in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice was constructed and treated with amygdalin to confirm effects of amygdalin on lung inflammation and its underlying mechanisms by western blot analyses and immunofluorescence. Results: The network analysis revealed that nine key, active components regulated eight targets (Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase SRC (SRC), interleukin 6 (IL6), mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HRAS proto-oncogene (HRAS), caspase-3 (CASP3)). Gene ontology and KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that semen armeniacae amarum plays a role in COVID-19 by modulating 94 biological processes, 13 molecular functions, 15 cellular components and 80 potential pathways. Molecular docking indicated that amygdalin had better binding activity to key targets such as IL6, SRC, MAPK3, SARS coronavirus-2 3C-like protease (SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro) and SARS-CoV-2 angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2). Experimental validation revealed that the lung pathological injury and inflammatory injury were significantly increased in the model group and were improved in the amygdalin group. Conclusion: Amygdalin is a candidate compound for COVID-19 treatment by regulating IL6, SRC, MAPK1 EGFR and VEGFA to involve in PI3K-Akt signalling pathway, VEGF signalling pathway and MAPK signalling pathway. Meanwhile, amygdalin has a strong affinity for SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro and SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 and therefore prevents the virus transcription and dissemination.

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is a coronavirus causing diarrhea with high incidence in swine herds. Its persistent infection might lead to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of swine intestinal epithelial cells, followed by subsequent infections of other pathogens. Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a member of the enteric microorganisms and an opportunistic pathogen. There is no report of secondary E. faecalis infection to TGEV, even though they both target to the intestinal tracts. To investigate the interactions between TGEV and E. faecalis, we set up an in vitro infection model by the swine IPEC-J2 cells. Dynamic changes of cell traits, including EMT and cell motility, were evaluated through qPCR, Western blot, electronic microscopy, scratch test, Transwell migration test and invasion test, respectively. The adhesion and invasion tests of E. faecalis were taken to verify the impact of the preceding TGEV infection. The cell morphology and molecular marker evaluation results showed that the TGEV persistent infection induced EMT on IPEC-J2 cells; increased cellular motility and invasion potential were also observed. Spontaneously, the expression levels of fibronectin (FN) and the membrane protein integrin-α5, which are dominant bacterial receptors on IPEC-J2 cells, were upgraded. It indicated that the bacteria E. faecalis adhered to IPEC-J2 cells through the FN receptor, and then invaded the cells by binding with the integrin-α5, suggesting that both molecules were critical for the adhesion and invasion of E. faecalis to IPEC-J2 cells. Additionally, it appeared that E. faecalis alone might trigger certain EMT phenomena, implying a vicious circle might occur. Generally, bacterial and viral co-infections are frustrating yet common in both human and veterinary medicines, and our observations on enteric TGEV and E. faecalis interactions, especially the diversity of bacterial invasion strategies, might provide new insights into the mechanisms of E. faecalis pathogenicity.

This study aims to observe the differentiating effect of shikonin on Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1)-positive HL-60 cells and investigate the fate of the differentiated leukemia cells. WT1 overexpression unaffected cell viability but promoted resistance to H2O2-induced DNA injury and cell apoptosis. The binding of shikonin to the WT1 protein was confirmed by molecular docking and drug affinity reaction target stability (DARTS). Shikonin at the non-cytotoxic concentration could decrease the WT1 protein and simultaneously reduced the CD34 protein and increased the CD11b protein in a dose-dependent manner in normal HL-60 cells but not in WT1-overexpressed HL-60 cells. Shikonin unaffected HL-60 cell viability in 48 h. However, it lasted for 10 days; could attenuate cell proliferation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and self-renewal; prevent the cell cycle; promote cell apoptosis. In a mouse leukemia model, shikonin could decrease the WT1 protein to prevent leukemia development in a dose-dependent manner. In this study, we also confirmed preliminarily the protein–protein interactions between WT1 and CD34 in molecular docking and CO-IP assay. Our results suggest that: 1. shikonin can down-regulate the WT1 protein level for leukemia differentiation therapy, and 2. the interaction between WT1 and CD34 proteins may be responsible for granulocyte/monocyte immaturity in HL-60 cells.

Abstract Background Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer-related deaths, with a high incidence and mortality in both sexes worldwide. Chemoprevention has been the most effective strategy for lung cancer prevention. Thus, exploring novel and effective candidate agents with low toxicity for chemoprevention is essential and urgent. Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) (H. cordata), which is a widely used herbal medicine and is also popularly consumed as a healthy vegetable, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor activity. However, the chemopreventive effect of H. cordata against benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P)-initiated lung tumorigenesis and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Methods A B[a]P-stimulated lung adenocarcinoma animal model in A/J mice in vivo and a normal lung cell model (BEAS.2B) in vitro were established to investigate the chemopreventive effects of H. cordata and its bioactive compound 2-undecanone against lung tumorigenesis and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Results H. cordata and 2-undecanone significantly suppressed B[a]P-induced lung tumorigenesis without causing obvious systemic toxicity in mice in vivo. Moreover, H. cordata and 2-undecanone effectively decreased B[a]P-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and further notably protected BEAS.2B cells from B[a]P-induced DNA damage and inflammation by significantly inhibiting phosphorylated H2A.X overexpression and interleukin-1β secretion. In addition, H. cordata and 2-undecanone markedly activated the Nrf2 pathway to induce the expression of the antioxidative enzymes heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1). Nrf2 silencing by transfection with Nrf2 siRNA markedly decreased the expression of HO-1 and NQO-1 to diminish the reductions in B[a]P-induced ROS overproduction, DNA damage and inflammation mediated by H. cordata and 2-undecanone. Conclusions H. cordata and 2-undecanone could effectively activate the Nrf2-HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway to counteract intracellular ROS generation, thereby attenuating DNA damage and inflammation induced by B[a]P stimulation and playing a role in the chemoprevention of B[a]P-induced lung tumorigenesis. These findings provide new insight into the pharmacological action of H. cordata and indicate that H. cordata is a novel candidate agent for the chemoprevention of lung cancer.

Abstract Interfacial water evaporation technology by using solar energy provides one of the promising pathways for freshwater shortage management. However, current research mainly focuses on the improvement of evaporation efficiency by macro or microregulations, ignoring the steam temperature, which is a manifestation of the quality of water. Herein not only is a high‐rate solar evaporation achieved but also steam temperature is enhanced by a simple three‐tier (wet absorber–air gap–dry absorber) device. In a routine interfacial evaporation test, the evaporator achieves a stable evaporation rate up to 2.15 kg m−2 h−1 under one sun, demonstrating a competitive evaporation rate compared with other reports. With the three‐tier device, the steam temperature can increase 33.7%, 41.13%, and 47% without dry absorber under one sun, two sun, and three sun illumination, respectively. At the same time, the steam temperature can be as high as 95.5 °C under three sun intensities. This work provides the possibility of using a simple three‐tier device for high‐temperature steam generation without extra energy input, which contributes to an idea for future research on the production high‐quality water.

DNA is a type of promising material for the construction of sensors owing to its sequence programmability to control the formation of certain structures. MicroRNA (miRNA) can be applied as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of a range of diseases. Herein, a novel fluorescent sensing strategy for miRNA is proposed combining duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-mediated amplification and dumbbell DNA structural switch. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are employed, which provide a 3D reaction interface. They also act as effective fluorescence quenchers. The proposed sensor exhibits high sensitivity (sub-femtomolar level) with a wide dynamic range. In addition, excellent selectivity to distinguish homology sequences is achieved. It also performs satisfactorily in biological samples. Overall, this fluorescent sensor provides a powerful tool for the analysis of miRNA levels and can be applied for related biological studies and clinical diagnosis.

Background/Aims: Periapical periodontitis is caused by bacterial infection and results in both one destruction and tooth loss. Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted phosphorylated glycoprotein that participates in bone metabolism. Methods: Thirty-three patients with chronic periapical periodontitis and 10 patients who had undergone the orthodontic removal of healthy tooth tissue (control) at the periodontal ligament were investigated, and an animal model of mouse periapical periodontitis was established for an in vivo analysis. The relationship between OPN and bone destruction during periapical periodontitis was analyzed. Osteoblasts and osteoclasts were cultured in vitro and treated with lipopolysaccharide. An inhibitor of NF-κB was used to pretreat the transfected cells. Results: OPN increased osteoclast proliferation and differentiation, but reduced osteoblasts proliferation and differentiation. OPN activated the NF-κB pathway during periapical periodontitis and accelerated the transfer and phosphorylation of P65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that OPN played important roles in the progression of periapical periodontitis, and a dual role in bone metabolism during periapical periodontitis, linking osteoclasts and osteoblasts. The underlying mechanism may be related to the NF-κB pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that are closely associated with carcinogenesis. Accumulating data indicate that miR-196b participates in the development of various types of cancers. However, the role of miR-196b in the formation of hydatidiform mole (HM) is still unclear. Our previous studies have demonstrated that miR-196b levels were decreased in JAR and BeWo cells and in HM tissue samples, as demonstrated by RT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, we discovered that overexpression of miR-196b in JAR and BeWo cells inhibited cellular proliferation, migration and invasion, as shown by Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays, respectively. Subsequently, we explored the interaction of miR-196b with its target gene in human choriocarcinoma cell lines. MAP3K1 is a target gene predicted by bioinformatic analysis that was previously shown to exhibit reduced expression levels following treatment with miR-196b in JAR and BeWo cells. We demonstrated that MAP3K1 was a direct target of miR-196b using the dual-luciferase reporter assay in Hela cells. In summary, the present study demonstrated that miR-196b suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion of human choriocarcinoma cells by inhibiting its transcriptional target MAP3K1. miR-196b and MAP3K1 may be considered potential targets for the clinical treatment of HM.

Endophilin A1 is a member of the N-BAR domain-containing endophilin A protein family that is involved in membrane dynamics and trafficking. At the presynaptic terminal, endophilin As participate in synaptic vesicle recycling and autophagosome formation. By gene knockout studies, here we report that postsynaptic endophilin A1 functions in synaptic plasticity. Ablation of endophilin A1 in the hippocampal CA1 region of mature mouse brain impairs long-term spatial and contextual fear memory. Its loss in CA1 neurons postsynaptic of the Schaffer collateral pathway causes impairment in their AMPA-type glutamate receptor-mediated synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation. In KO neurons, defects in the structural and functional plasticity of dendritic spines can be rescued by overexpression of endophilin A1 but not A2 or A3. Further, endophilin A1 promotes actin polymerization in dendritic spines during synaptic potentiation. These findings reveal a physiological role of endophilin A1 distinct from that of other endophilin As at the postsynaptic site.