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Background The treatment of coronary microvascular disease (CMVD) has always been the focus of non-coronary obstructive ischemic heart disease. Adenosine injection and adenosine disodium triphosphate (ATP) injection, which are common clinical loading drugs to determine coronary flow reserve (CFR) and evaluate CMVD, are related but significantly different. ATP is the precursor of adenosine, with low price and similar vasodilatory mechanism to adenosine, and is often substituted for adenosine in clinical practice, but its potential adverse effects are ignored. Objective To compare the incidence of adverse reactions in the assessment of coronary microvascular disease by adenosine load and adenosine disodium triphosphate load. Methods A total of 170 patients who visited the Department of Cardiology of Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital for typical angina pectoris and underwent coronarography/Coronary CT angiography (CTA) to determine the residual stenosis diameter of each branch coronary artery 0.05) . Conclusion Compared with ATP loading, adenosine loading has a lower incidence of adverse reactions determine CFR.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used antimicrobial agents. However, due to the potential problems of environmental pollution and high energy consumption, a green and efficient synthesis strategy of AgNPs is urgently required. Ovalbumin (OVA) is the most abundant protein in egg whites, and its extraction process is simple and productive. This paper reported a new green synthesis method of AgNPs by using OVA as an assistant accompanying with a visible light irradiation. Together with the reduction of silver ions, the uniformly dispersed OVA‐AgNPs nanocomposite could be formed within 30 min under xenon light irradiation by simple mixing AgNO3 and OVA in aqueous solution. The detailed mechanism study showed that tyrosine residue and peptide bonds in OVA played a major role in the reduction and stability of silver ions. In addition, in vitro antibacterial experiments indicated that 10 mg/L of OVA‐AgNPs, the minimum inhibitory concentration, has a good antimicrobial effect on both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, fungi, and some drug‐resistant bacteria species within 4 h of treatment, mainly due to the disruption of the structure of bacterial cell and the balance of reactive oxygen species. This work provides a new way for the green and efficient synthesis of AgNPs and shows good prospects for the applications in the field of biomedical materials and functional nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of natural proteins is a green and effective method for synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Aromatic amino acids of proteins play a reducing role in synthesis, and proteins are coated on the surface of AgNPs to play the role of stabilizers. In this study, we developed an efficient one-step method for synthesizing AgNPs using lysozyme (LYZ) under visible-light irradiation from a xenon lamp in situ. The light conditions and LYZ structure could substantially affect the synthesis. Antibacterial and scald-wound healing results showed that LYZ/AgNPs had broad-spectrum and efficient antibacterial activity and promoted scald-wound healing. Therefore, the proposed synthesis method and LYZ/AgNPs have good practical application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanmaoa macrocarpa is a boletoid mushroom from the family Boletaceae and was named after its relatively larger basidiocarp and bluish color change when bruised. At present, its mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic relationships with other boletes remain unexplored. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of L. macrocarpa using next-generation sequencing technology and found that its mitochondrial genome, a circular DNA molecule of 38,139 bp, comprised 15 core protein-coding genes, 26 transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes. The mitochondrial genome had a base composition of A (37.05%), C (12.08%), G (11.42%) and T (39.45%) with a GC content of 23.50%. A phylogenetic tree based on 20 mitochondrial genomes was constructed, which revealed the phylogenetic relationships of this species with related boletes for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely believed that high-purity protein is critical to crystallization. Impurities can induce lattice strain, internal stress, and rotation disorder, thus decreasing protein crystallization success rate and crystal quality. However, some studies showed that protein could be crystallized from impure solutions; thus, the effect of impurities on protein crystallization remains unclear. Here, we systemically studied the effect of impurity type and concentration on protein crystallization. Results showed that protein crystallization was different when using different impurities. Protein crystallization could be promoted with a low concentration of impurities and inhibited with a high concentration of impurities, and this inhibition can be weakened by an audible sound. The effect of impurities on protein crystallization can be explained by the phase separation theory. In summary, we suggest that proper impurities might be beneficial to enhance protein crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPR) have been well used in the rehabilitation field. However, the cables can provide the tension in a single direction, there is a pseudo-drag phenomenon of the cables in the CDPR, which will have a great impact on the safety of patients. Therefore, the novelty of this work is that a bionic muscle cable is used to replace the ordinary cable in the CDPR, which can solve the pseudo-drag phenomenon of the cables in the CDPR and improve the safety performance of the rehabilitation robot. The cable-driven lower limb rehabilitation robot with bionic muscle cables is called as the bionic muscle cable-driven lower limb rehabilitation robot (BMCDLR). The motion planning of the rigid branch chain of the BMCDLR is studied, and the dynamics and system stiffness of the BMCDLR are analyzed based on the man–machine model in this paper. The influence of the parameters of the elastic elements in the bionic muscle cables on the mechanical characteristics of the BMCDLR system was analyzed by using simulation experiments. The research results can provide a reference basis for research on the safety evaluation and control methods of the BMCDLR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample delivery system is one of the key parts of serial crystallography. It is the main limiting factor affecting the application of serial crystallography. At present, although a variety of useful sample delivery systems have been developed for serial crystallography, it still remains the focus of the field to further improve the performance and efficiency of sample delivery. In existing sample delivery technologies, samples are usually delivered in linear motion. Here we show that the samples can also be delivered using circular motion, which is a novel motion mode never tested before. In this paper, we report a microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device, which is characterized by the circular motion of the samples, and verify the performance of the device at a synchrotron radiation facility. The microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device consists of two parts: a microfluidic sample plate and a motion control system. Sample delivery is realized by rotating the microfluidic sample plate containing in situ grown crystals. This device offers significant advantages, including a very wide adjustable range of delivery speed, low background noise, and low sample consumption. Using the microfluidic rotating-target device, we carried out in situ serial crystallography experiments with lysozyme and proteinase K as model samples at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and performed structural determination based on the serial crystallographic data. The results showed that the designed device is fully compatible with the synchrotron radiation facility, and the structure determination of proteins is successful using the serial crystallographic data obtained with the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new phenolic derivative (1) and a new dihydrophenanthrene (2) were isolated from the aerial part of Dendrobium hainanense rofe, along with 12 known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis，and the relative configuration of compound 1 was determined by J-based configuration analysis (JBCA) method. Bioassay result indicated that compound 1 exhibited weak antibacterial activity against Canidia albicans and Ralstonia solanaceanum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic field has been proved useful in protein crystallization in that it can help to improve the crystal quality, which is essential for high-resolution diffraction using crystallography. However, it is not widely utilized as a high-field magnet usually provides limited space which is usually too small for commercially available crystallization plates, so that the crystallization screening and optimization in such a magnet become a challenging task. Here we show that a specially designed flexible capillary array containing 96 conditions can be easily crimped into a small curl so that it can be accommodated into the bore of a large gradient superconducting magnet. Using the capillary array, we conducted a systematic investigation on the crystallization screening and crystal quality of lysozyme under different simulated gravities (μg, 1g, and 2g) in a large-gradient magnetic field and normal gravity outside the magnet. This is the first statistical study of the crystallization screening of protein in such a high-field magnet. The results showed that both the simulated gravity and the magnetic field affect the crystallization of lysozyme. The simulated microgravity can significantly improve the crystal quality, and the simulated hypergravity is helpful to increase the chance for obtaining crystallization conditions. Moreover, the method exhibits more potential features, such as the capability of in situ diffraction and the applicability for space experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is concerned with the unified analytical solution of rotor strength for the segmented permanent magnet (PM) rotor retained by the carbon‐fibre sleeve and non‐magnetic alloy sleeve in high‐speed surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine. Considering the influence of different densities and coefficients of thermal expansion of PMs and pole fillers on rotor stress, the analytical solution for rotor strength was proposed based on displacement method and stress potential method in polar coordinate. The proposed analytical solution was validated by the finite‐element method (FEM) and experiment, respectively, and the influences of rotational speed, retaining sleeve thickness and interference fit between the retaining sleeve and PMs on rotor strength were further investigated based on the analytical solution proposed. It is shown that the results calculated by the proposed analytical solution and the FEM are in good agreement with each other, and the analytical solution can accurately predict the stress distributions of the segmented PM rotor retained by the carbon‐fibre sleeve and non‐magnetic alloy sleeve. The difference in density and coefficient of thermal expansion between PM and pole filler, rotational speed and operating temperature have great effects on rotor strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancer in women globally. This subtype often has early and high recurrence rates, resulting in poor survival, partially due to lack of targeted therapies. To date, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying TNBC progression are unclear. Given the crucial role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer metastasis, we aimed to analyse the expression and function of a metastasis-associated miRNA named miR-211-5p in TNBC.Methods: MiRNA array analysis was performed to search for metastasis-associated miRNAs in TNBC. The miR-211-5p expression in tumour tissues, adjacent non-tumourous breast tissues of TNBC patients and cell lines were evaluated by real-time PCR. The protein expression levels were analysed by western blot, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation. Luciferase reporter assays were employed to validate the target of miR-211-5p. The effect of miR-211-5p on TNBC progression was investigated in vitro and in vivo.Results: MiR-211-5p was significantly downregulated in TNBC, and its expression level was associated with overall survival in TNBC. The expression of miR-211-5p suppressed TNBC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, SETBP1 was identified as a target of miR-211-5p. Through gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies, SETBP1 was shown to significantly affect colony and cell number in vitro. Enforced expression of miR-211-5p inhibited the expression of SETBP1 significantly and the restoration of SETBP1 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-211-5p on TNBC cell proliferation and metastasis.Conclusions: These findings collectively demonstrate a tumour suppressor role of miR-211-5p in TNBC progression by targeting SETBP1, suggesting that miR-211-5p could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Preparation of high-purity and high-activity lysozyme from fresh egg whites; • The lysozyme showed excellent antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus. • The lysozyme-loaded cream effectively promoted healing of scalded wounds. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection, especially its drug-resistant bacterial infection, is a great challenge often faced by clinicians and patients, and it is also one of the most important threats to public health. Finding a safe and effective antibacterial agent is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of S. aureus infection. Lysozyme is known to have antibacterial effects against Gram-positive bacteria including S. aureus. Here, high-quality lysozyme with a purity of more than 99% and an activity of more than 60, 000 U/mg was prepared from egg white, which showed excellent antibacterial activity against three strains of S. aureus , especially against MRSA. Furthermore, an antibacterial cream loaded with lysozyme was prepared and tested in scald wound healing. The lysozyme-loaded cream exhibited the effect of preventing wound infection and promoting wound healing on scalds, and no toxicity was found in animal organs. Overall, lysozyme showed great application potential in the prevention and treatment of infections caused by S. aureus and scalded wound healing. The most remarkable discovery in this work is the unexpectedly powerful inhibitory effect of lysozyme on the drug-resistant bacterial, especially MRSA , which is usually very difficult to deal with using normal antibacterial drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The folate receptor (FR) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linked protein, including FRα, FRβ, FRγ. Its expression is low in normal tissue except for higher in human tumor cell membrane surface in the development of tumor. In recent years, studies have shown that FRα has more expression in adenocarcinoma, such as ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical adenocarcinoma, non -small -cell lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Researches have shown that FRα affects the occurrence and development of tumor by participating in folic acid metabolism and estrogen receptor regulation and ERK signaling pathway. FRα expression in the gynecologic tumor is still controversial, and the specific mechanism is unknown. The study of various mechanisms of FR will be helpful in the early diagnosis and treatment of gynecological tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To demonstrate the support characteristics of active magnetic bearing! AMB), the equivalent stiffness and the equivalent damping are the commonly used parameters, which are inherited from the stiffness and damping parameters in traditional mechanical bearings. The support characteristics of AMB are determined by its transfer function of control system. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to confirm the equivalent stiffness and equivalent damping of AMB. In addition, the experiment methods for measuring the equivalent stiffness and damping of AMB proposed by most recent papers are almost all based on the single degree of freedom (DOF) model, which cannot be applied practically to the multi-DOF AMB-rotor systems. In this study, the applicable conditions for applying the equivalent stiffness and damping in AMB are firstly illuminated by analyzing the difference and relation between the traditional mechanical bearings and AMBs. Then, a method for measuring the equivalent stiffness and damping for the multi-DOF AMB-rotor systems is proposed. The experiments indicate the proposed method can identify the equivalent stiffness and damping of AMB-rotor system correctly and factually, showing its significance in the analysis and design of the AMB characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A traditional culture-dependent method and ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) were employed to investigate the fungal communities in two representative samples of wheat Qu (S1, S2). A total of seven species were isolated on media of potato dextrose agar, Czapek and wheat Qu extraction. Owing to the difference in the culture media, a high variability of predominant species was observed. RISA profiles of total DNA exhibited distinguishable bands corresponding to nine fungal species. Similar RISA profiles of two starter cultures were obtained. Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer fragments from fungal isolates and RISA fingerprint profiles revealed the presence of nine species of fungi in wheat Qu S1: Lichtheimia ramosa, Absidia corymbifera, Aspergillus sydowii, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizomucor pusillus, Eurotium amstelodami, Issatchenkia orientalis, Emericella nidulans and Cladosporium cladosporioides. In comparison with S1, S2 had a richer fungal diversity. The fungal species derived from S1 were all present in S2 coupled with another two species, namely, Aspergillus niger and Clavispora lusitaniae. Among all species isolated, Aspergillus sydowii was the dominant species in Qingshuang-type Chinese rice wine wheat Qu. Copyright © 2012 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaoxing rice wine, manufactured in Shaoxing region of Zhejiang Province, is the best-known Chinese rice wine. In the current study, the bacterial communities associated with two types of 'wheat Qu', the Shaoxing rice wine starter cultures, were identified and compared using nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. DNA sequencing of the highly variable V3 or V9 regions of the 16S rRNA genes obtained from PCR-DGGE fingerprints identified common species related to Saccharopolyspora hordei, S. rectivirgula, Bacillus subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens and so on. Some sequences associated with a particular type were also identified. For example, Clavibacter michiganensis and Saccharopolyspora sp. were found in the machine- but not in the human-made type, while Curtobacterium plantarum, Thermoactinomyces intermedius, T. vulqaris, B. licheniformis and Bacillus sp. were found in human- but not in machine-made type of wheat Qu. The information gathered from the present research enriches the present knowledge of Shaoxing rice wine-related bacteria, and will also facilitate the long-term objective of selecting bacterial combinations to be used as starter cultures that will more tightly regulate the fermentation process, as well as improve the quality and safety of wheat Qu. Copyright © 2012 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pivotal proinflammatory cytokine that plays important roles in regulating immune responses and in inducing a series of inflammatory reactions in response to infection. Recently, increasing attention has focused on the regulatory mechanisms of IL-1β activity in teleosts. In this regard, IL-1 receptor type 1 plays a crucial role in immune responses, whereas IL-1 receptor type 2 is a decoy receptor that functions as an IL-1β signaling inhibitor. However, the interactions of these three proteins with respect to fish immunity have rarely been studied. In the present study, cDNAs of the il1b , il1r1 , and il1r2 genes of the barbel steed (Hemibarbus labeo) were cloned and sequenced. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the IL-1β protein and its two receptors identified in barbel steed are conserved in most teleosts, whereas phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that these three proteins are closely related to those of cyprinids. In response to lipopolysaccharide treatment, expression of the genes encoding IL-1β and its two receptors was significantly upregulated in the immune-related tissues of barbel steed. Furthermore, expression of the il1r1 and il1r2 genes was induced in monocytes/macrophages in response to stimulation with recombinant IL-1β. Unlabelled Image • We cloned the cDNA sequence of il1b , il1r1 , and il1r2 genes from barbel steed. • il1b and its two receptors gene expression rapidly responded to LPS stimulation. • il1r1 and il1r2 genes were induced after recombinant IL-1β stimulation in monocytes/macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PVAm/HA-DN coating could improve the hydrophilicity of substrate surface. • This transparent coating can be applied on various kinds of substrates. • Six bilayers of coating could inhibit over 99% of S. aureus and E. coli adhesion. • Coating showed no toxicity on lymphocytes while it inhibited MCF7 and THP-1 cells. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique has been proven to be a convenient and eco-friendly method to obtain multifunctional coatings. In this research we presented a hydrophilic and transparent coating on various types of substrates by layer-by-layer deposition of polyvinylamine (PVAm) and dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid (HA-DN). The successfully constructed multilayers on gold surface were monitored by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The coating significantly improved the hydrophilicity of glass, stainless steel, gold, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surface as compared with the unmodified ones, which can reduce the water contact angle of the substrates by 30% to 45%. The growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was significantly inhibited on LbL-coated PVC, and 6 bilayers of coating can achieve nearly 100% suppression of bacterial growth. The coating was with no toxicity to mouse lymphocytes in polystyrene (PS) cell culture plate, while it significantly attenuated the viability of Michigan cancer foundation – 7 cells (MCF7) and human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) in vitro. Therefore, this hydrophilic, transparent, antibacterial, biocompatible, and tumor-cell-suppressive coating would have broad potential in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The skin secretion of Andrias davidianus (SSAD) is a novel biological adhesive raw material under development. This material exhibits robust adhesion while maintaining the flexibility of the wound. It also has the potential for large-scale production, making it promising for practical application explore. Hence, in-depth research on methods to fine-tune SSAD properties is of great importance to promote its practical applications. Herein, we aim to enhance the adhesive and healing properties of SSAD by incorporating functional components. To achieve this goal, we selected 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine and vaccarin as the functional components and mixed them with SSAD, resulting in a new bioadhesive, namely, a formulation termed "enhanced SSAD" (ESSAD). We found that the ESSAD exhibited superior adhesive properties, and its adhesive strength was improved compared with the SSAD. Moreover, ESSAD demonstrated a remarkable ability to promote wound healing. This study presents an SSAD-based bioadhesive formulation with enhanced properties, affirming the feasibility of developing SSAD-based adhesive materials with excellent performance and providing new evidence for the application of SSAD. This study also aims to show that SSAD can be mixed with other substances, and addition of effective components to SSAD can be studied to further adjust or improve its performance.

Lanmaoa macrocarpa is a boletoid mushroom from the family Boletaceae and was named after its relatively larger basidiocarp and bluish color change when bruised. At present, its mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic relationships with other boletes remain unexplored. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of L. macrocarpa using next-generation sequencing technology and found that its mitochondrial genome, a circular DNA molecule of 38,139 bp, comprised 15 core protein-coding genes, 26 transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes. The mitochondrial genome had a base composition of A (37.05%), C (12.08%), G (11.42%) and T (39.45%) with a GC content of 23.50%. A phylogenetic tree based on 20 mitochondrial genomes was constructed, which revealed the phylogenetic relationships of this species with related boletes for the first time., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

The biological effects of magnetic fields (MFs) have been a controversial issue. Fortunately, in recent years, there has been increasing evidence that MFs do affect biological systems. However, the physical mechanism remains unclear. Here, we show that MFs (16 T) reduce apoptosis in cell lines by inhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of Tau-441, suggesting that the MF effect on LLPS may be one of the mechanisms for understanding the "mysterious" magnetobiological effects. The LLPS of Tau-441 occurred in the cytoplasm after induction with arsenite. The phase-separated droplets of Tau-441 recruited hexokinase (HK), resulting in a decrease in the amount of free HK in the cytoplasm. In cells, HK and Bax compete to bind to the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC I) on the mitochondrial membrane. A decrease in the number of free HK molecules increased the chance of Bax binding to VDAC I, leading to increased Bax-mediated apoptosis. In the presence of a static MF, LLPS was marked inhibited and HK recruitment was reduced, resulting in an increased probability of HK binding to VDAC I and a decreased probability of Bax binding to VDAC I, thus reducing Bax-mediated apoptosis. Our findings revealed a new physical mechanism for understanding magnetobiological effects from the perspective of LLPS. In addition, these results show the potential applications of physical environments, such as MFs in this study, in the treatment of LLPS-related diseases., (Copyright © 2023 Wen-Juan Lin et al.)

There is an increasing demand for simple and efficient sample delivery technology to match the rapid development of serial crystallography and its wide application in analyzing the structural dynamics of biological macromolecules. Here, a microfluidic rotating-target device is presented, capable of three-degrees-of-freedom motion, including two rotational degrees of freedom and one translational degree of freedom, for sample delivery. Lysozyme crystals were used as a test model with this device to collect serial synchrotron crystallography data and the device was found to be convenient and useful. This device enables in situ diffraction from crystals in a microfluidic channel without the need for crystal harvesting. The circular motion ensures that the delivery speed can be adjusted over a wide range, showing its good compatibility with different light sources. Moreover, the three-degrees-of-freedom motion guarantees the full utilization of crystals. Hence, sample consumption is greatly reduced, and only 0.1 mg of protein is consumed in collecting a complete dataset., (open access.)

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently shown promise for the treatment of various types of chronic kidney disease models. However, the mechanism of this effect is still not well understood. Our study is aimed to investigate the effect of MSCs on transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) and the underlying mechanism related to the reciprocal balance between hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and TGF-β1., Methods: Our study was performed at Ningbo University, Ningbo , Zhejiang, China between Mar 2017 and Jun 2018. HK-2 cells were initially treated with TGF-β1, then co-cultured with MSCs. The induced EMT was assessed by cellular morphology and the expressions of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and EMT-related proteins. MTS assay and flow cytometry were employed to detect the effect of TGF-β1 and MSCs on HK-2 cell proliferation and apoptosis. SiRNA against hepatocyte growth factor (siHGF) was transfected to decrease the expression of HGF to identify the role of HGF in MSCs inhibiting HK-2 cells EMT., Results: Overexpressing TGF-β1 decreased HGF expression, induced EMT, suppressed proliferation and promoted apoptosis in HK-2 cells; but when co-cultured with MSCs all the outcomes were reversed. However, after treated with siHGF, all the benefits taken from MSCs vanished., Conclusion: TGF-β1 was a motivating factor of kidney cell EMT and it suppressed the HGF expression. However, MSCs provided protection against EMT by increasing HGF level and decreasing TGF-β1 level. Our results also demonstrated HGF is one of the critical factor in MSCs anti- fibrosis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wei et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Professor CHU Hao - ran successively followed famous doctors of acupuncture and spleen-stomach disease, such as ZHOU Mei - sheng , inherited their academic thoughts and clinical experience, and studied the classics to summarize and propose the clinical academic proposition regulating spleen-stomach , differentiating meridians-collaterals. In clinical practice, professor CHU focuses on individual differences of patients, carefully examines syndrome and refines acupoint selection; he pays attention to regulating spleen-stomach, and actively uses Zusanli (ST 36); he simultaneously uses acupuncture-moxibustion and acupoints with efficacy; he inherits traditional reinforcing and reducing methods, and extends the scope of acupoint diagnosis and treatment, while he emphasizes keeping spirit and treating spirit, and the combination of mind and qi , in order to improve clinical diagnosis and treatment effect.

As the most common type of endocrine malignancy, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) accounts for 85-90% of all thyroid cancers. In this study, we presented the hypothesis that SDC4 gene silencing could effectively attenuate epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), and promote cell apoptosis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human PTC cells. Bioinformatics methods were employed to screen the determined differential expression levels of SDC4 in PTC and adjacent normal samples. PTC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were prepared and their respective levels of SDC4 protein positive expression, in addition to the mRNA and protein levels of SDC4, Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, EMT and apoptosis related genes were all detected accordingly. Flow cytometry was applied in order to detect cell cycle entry and apoptosis. Finally, analyses of PTC migration and invasion abilities were assessed by using a Transwell assay and scratch test. In PTC tissues, activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, increased EMT and repressed cell apoptosis were determined. Moreover, the PTC K1 and TPC-1 cell lines exhibiting the highest SDC4 expression were selected for further experiments. In vitro experiments revealed that SDC4 gene silencing could suppress cell migration, invasion and EMT, while acting to promote the apoptosis of PTC cells by inhibiting the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Besides, si-β-catenin was observed to inhibit the promotion of PTC cell migration and invasion caused by SDC4 overexpression. Our study revealed that SDC4 gene silencing represses EMT, and enhances cell apoptosis by suppressing the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human PTC.

Six new furan derivatives, named 5-(3-methoxy-3-oxopropyl)-furan-2-carboxylic acid ( 1 ), 1-(5-(2-hydroxypropanoyl)-furan-2-yl)-pentan-3-one ( 2 ), 2-hydroxy-1-(5-(1-hydroxypentyl)-furan-2-yl)-propan-1-one ( 3 ), 1-(5-(1,2-dihydroxypropyl)-furan-2-yl)-pentan-1-one ( 4 ), 5-(1-hydroxypent-4-en-1-yl)-furan-2-carboxylic acid ( 5 ) and 5-(3-hydroxypentyl)-furan-2-carboxylic acid ( 6 ), together with two new natural products, named 5-(1-hydroxypentyl)-furan-2-carboxylic acid ( 7 ) and ( E )-5-(2-carboxyvinyl)-furan-2-carboxylic acid ( 8 ), were isolated from the solid rice fermentation of endophytic fungus Coriolopsis sp. J5, which was derived from mangrove plant Ceriops tagal . Their structures were unambiguously elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and by HRESIMS measurements, as well as by comparison with the literature.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cantharidin on cell cycle distribution, the induction of apoptosis, and Notch1 and Jagged1 expression in ACHN and Caki‑1 renal cancer cells. Cell viability assay, flow cytometry, cell cycle and western blot analyses were performed for ACHN and Caki‑1 cells. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in RCC tissues The results demonstrated that treatment with cantharidin exerted a dose‑ and time‑dependent effect on cell viability, apoptosis induction and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. Exposure of ACHN and Caki‑1 cells to 20 µM cantharidin reduced cell viability to 26 and 32% respectively, after 48 h. In addition, treatment with cantharidin enhanced the number of ACHN and Caki‑1 cells in G2/M phase to 54.62 and 51.88% respectively, as compared with 17.16 and 16.53% in the control groups. In the ACHN and Caki‑1 cells, treatment with cantharidin induced a marked increase in the proportion of apoptotic cells after 48 h. Furthermore, cantharidin enhanced the percentage ACHN and Caki‑1 apoptotic cells to 57.23 and 62.34% respectively, as compared with 2.27 and 3.06% in the control groups. Detection of Notch1 and Jagged1 expression demonstrated that levels were significantly increased in carcinoma tissues. Conversely, cantharidin exhibited an inhibitory effect on Notch1 and Jagged1 expression after 48 h. Therefore, treatment with cantharidin may exert a promising effect on the inhibition of renal cancer, and may be of therapeutic importance for the treatment of renal cancer.