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Ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1 (ENTPD1), also known as cluster of differentiation (CD)39, is the rate-limiting enzyme in the generation of immunosuppressive adenosine and is important in tumor progression. The present study evaluated the expression of CD39+ and CD39+ forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in gastric cancer (GC), and determined their prognostic roles in patients with GC following radical resection. It was observed that CD39 was expressed at significantly higher rates in tumor tissues as compared with paired peritumoral tissues. Overexpression of tumor CD39 was correlated with overall survival (OS). Furthermore, CD39 expression in GC tissues exhibited a prognostic role in OS. The CD39+ FoxP3+/FoxP3+ ratio in tumor tissues was higher than that in paired peritumoral tissues, and CD39+ FoxP3+ Treg cells were a better prognostic indicator than FoxP3+ Treg cells for OS. Collectively, our study indicates that overexpression of CD39 in GC is a predictor of poor outcome for GC patients following radical resection. CD39+ FoxP3+ Treg cells are a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoremediation was applied to repair heavy metal-polluted sewage river dredged sediments in a coastal city of China. Six types of plants were used: Zea mays L. , Lolium multiflorum Lam. , Medicago sativa L. , Brassica junce, Elsholtzia splenden and Festuca arundinacea Scherb . A relationship between the concentration of heavy metal Ni and the bacteria diversity in the rhizosphere sediment was analyzed based on the PCR–DGGE (polymerase chain reaction-denatured gradient gel electrophoresis). The results indicated that the quantities and types of microorganism in the rhizosphere sediments differed depending on the type of plant. In three types of plants, the phytoremediation efficiency was highest midway through planting, while the repair effect was highest at harvest time for the other three types of plants. The repair effect order of the former three types of plants was Zea mays L. > Lolium multiflorum Lam. > Festuca arundinacea Scherb, and the repair effect order of the other three types of plants was Brassica junce> Medicago sativa L. > Elsholtzia splenden. The bacteria community structure of Zea mays L. changes faster than that of the other plants and stabilizes faster when adapted to the rhizosphere environment. Based on the repair effect and the repair time, Zea mays L. is the best plant for Ni phytoremediation. During the growth of plants, the change in the DGGE fingerprint of the bacteria diversity in different periods is similar to the change in the concentration of Ni in the rhizosphere soil. The dominant types of rhizosphere bacteria are plant- and growth period-specific. The Shannon index of the same plant for different growth periods was calculated, and the results indicated that the diversity index changes with the repair process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, mushrooms have been found to be a rich source of bioactive compounds for treatment of various diseases. Ganoderma spp. has long been used in traditional Chinese medicines or functional foods in Japan and other Asian countries. Crude extracts and isolated substances such as polysaccharides, polysaccharo-peptides, polysaccharide-proteins and proteins display both in vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory activities. Therefore, mushrooms have attracted attention in research and pharmaceutical fields. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize the information on the fungal immunomodulatory proteins including the protein coding genes and protein structures, with an emphasis put on their immunomodulation functions and future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have performed systematic spectroscopic titrations to characterize the binding reaction of cationic meso-tetrakis(4-(N-methylpyridiumyl))porphyrin (TMPyP4) with the G-quadruplex (G4) of human telomeric single-strand oligonucleotide d[TAGGG(TTAGGG)3T] (S24), for which special effort was made to examine the TMPyP4-G4 binding stoichiometry, the binding modes, and the conformational conversion of the G4 structure under different potassium ion (K+) concentration. It is found that, in the presence of 0, 10 mM, and 100 mM K+, TMPyP4 forms a complex with the anti-parallel G4 in a TMPyP4-to-G4 molar ratio of 5, 5 and 3, respectively, and the increase of K+ concentration would reduce the binding affinity of TMPyP4 to G4. For the TMPyP4–G4 complex, the end-stacking mode and groove binding mode were presumed mainly by the results of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in the three cases. Most importantly, it is found that TMPyP4 can directly induce the formation of the anti-parallel G4 structure from the single-strand oligonucleotide S24 in the absence of K+, and that it can preferentially induce the conformational conversion of the G4 structure from the hybrid-type to the anti-parallel one in the presence of K+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two visible light-harvesting perylenebisimide (PDI)-[60]fullerene (C60) systems, dyad P1 with one C60 unit and triad P2 with two C60 units, have been synthesized. Both systems are axially symmetrical with a rigid biphenyl linker, ensuring a relatively fixed spatial distance between the donor and acceptor, preventing through-space interaction, and enhancing energy transfer. Steady-state and transient spectroscopy, electrochemistry, as well as theoretical calculations have been used to investigate the electrochemical and photophysical properties of the two systems. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy demonstrate that the excited state is featured by an efficient intramolecular energy transfer from PDI to C60. Then, the high efficient intrinsic intersystem crossing of C60 eventually leads to the production of the triplet C60. The extensive visible light absorption of PDI in the range of 400-650 nm and the final localization of the excited energy at the triplet C60 make these compounds ideal singlet oxygen inducers. Further investigation shows that the photooxidation capability for both compounds is significantly enhanced with respect to either PDI or C60 and even better than that of the commonly used triplet photosensitizer methylene blue (MB). The double C60 moieties in P2 display a better result, and the photooxidation efficiency of P2 increases 1.3- and 1.4-fold compared to that of P1 and MB, respectively. The combination of a light-harvesting unit with an intersystem crossing unit results in a highly efficient photooxidation system, which opens up a new way to triplet photosensitizer design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an important risk factor for advanced fibrosis in NALFD and causes higher mortality. NAFLD patients have nonspecific symptoms and previously reported poorer quality of life (QOL). We aim to study the prevalence of NAFLD in T2DM patients and evaluate their QOL. Methods Subjects with T2DM were recruited from a public primary care clinic in Singapore and the Endocrinology Clinic of the Singapore General Hospital from November 30, 2015 to October 19, 2017. Patients with significant alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis or known chronic liver disease were excluded. All subjects underwent transient elastography and completed Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ). Patients were divided into three groups (on-fatty liver group, fatty liver without advanced fibrosis group, and fatty liver with advanced fibrosis group) based on transient elastography results. Demographics, blood test results and CLDQ scores from three groups were compared. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 22.0. Results A total of 440 T2DM patients were included: 79.3% (349/440) had NAFLD of which 13.5% (47/349) had advanced fibrosis. There were significantly more males, smokers and hypertensive patients in advanced fibrosis group, with higher body mass index, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase levels and lower platelet counts. The average CLDQ score was 5.9 of 7 in all patients. No significant differences were found among three groups in all CLDQ domains. Conclusions Our study demonstrates a high prevalence of NAFLD in T2DM patients. The QOL of NAFLD patients was not significantly different from patients with T2DM alone. Clinicians must be vigilant of the high prevalence of NAFLD in T2DM patients and actively screen for advanced fibrosis, as they are largely asymptomatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]