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Background: To date, few studies have evaluated the impact of lobectomy versus sublobar resection for early small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We investigated the survival rates of patients with pathological stage T1‐2N0M0 SCLC who underwent lobectomy or sublobar resection. Methods: We identified 548 SCLC patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database who underwent lobectomy or sublobar resection. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cox regression analysis were used to adjust for baseline characteristics. Results: The three‐year overall survival (OS) of patients treated with lobectomy (n = 376, 60%) was significantly higher than those treated with sublobar resection (n = 172, 38%). PSM and Cox multivariable analysis further confirmed this result (hazard ratio [HR] 0.543, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.421–0.680; P < 0.001). The three‐year OS of patients treated with segmentectomy (n = 24, 54%) and wedge resection (n = 148, 36%) was not significantly different (HR 0.639, 95% CI 0.393–1.039; P = 0.071). Based on PSM analysis, segmentectomy conferred a superior survival advantage to patients relative to wedge resection (HR 0.466, 95% CI 0.221–0.979; P = 0.040). Conclusion: Lobectomy correlated with superior survival. For patients in which lobectomy is unsuitable, prognosis following segmentectomy appears to be better than after wedge resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bupleuri radix and liquorice are commonly used as a hepatoprotectants. Their main effective ingredients are triterpenoid saponins. It is known that the saponins in liquorice and Bupleuri radix not only promote the metabolism of sugar and lipids but also have anti‐inflammatory functions and hepatoprotective effect. However, the complexity of these compounds results in difficulty in studying their pharmacodynamics and mechanism. In this study, glycosides were the main components that were identified and selected as the main research object. First, the mass spectrometry information of the main chemical components in liquorice and Bupleuri radix were collected from the literature. The characteristic fragments and neutral losses were summarized according to typical cleavage methods. Second, the samples were analysed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, and characteristic fragment filters and neutral loss filters were successfully applied to screen 18 saponins from Bupleuri radix and 23 saponins and nine flavonoid glycosides from liquorice. Rapid classification and identification of the main components in Bupleuri radix and liquorice were finally achieved. This method promoted the development of chemical components in Bupleuri radix and liquorice, and provided a new way for screening, classifying, and identifying target components in complex samples of metabolomics and pharmacokinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is essential for angiogenesis and embryonic development. DEP domain-containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) is an mTOR binding protein that functions to inhibit the mTOR pathway In vitro experiments suggest that DEPTOR is crucial for vascular endothelial cell (EC) activation and angiogenic responses. However, knowledge of the effects of DEPTOR on angiogenesis in vivo is limited. This study aimed to determine the role of DEPTOR in tissue angiogenesis and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms. Methods:Cre/loxP conditional gene knockout strategy was used to delete the Deptor gene in mouse vascular ECs. The expression or distribution of cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) were detected by immunohistochemical staining or western blot. Tube formation assay was used to measure angiogenesis in vitro. Results:Deptor knockdown led to increased expression of CD31, VEGF and HIF-1α in heart, liver, kidney and aorta. After treatment with rapamycin, their expression was significantly down regulated. In vitro, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with DEPTOR-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA), which resulted in a significant increase in endothelial tube formation and migration rates. In contrast, DEPTOR overexpression markedly reduced the expression of CD31, VEGF and HIF-1α. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that deletion of the Deptor gene in vascular ECs resulted in upregulated expression of CD31 and HIF-1α, and further stimulated the expression of VEGF which promoted angiogenesis, indicating that disruption of normal angiogenic pathways may occur through hyperactivation of the mTORC1/HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is the dried rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. (Anemarrhena Bunge of Liliaceae). The medicine presents anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, sedative, and diuretic effects. The chemical constituents of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae are complex and diverse, mainly including steroidal saponins, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, benzophenones, and alkaloids. In this study, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS was used in combination with data postprocessing techniques, including characteristic fragments filter and neutral loss filter, to rapidly classify and identify the five types of substances in Rhizoma Anemarrhenae. On the basis of numerous literature reviews and according to the corresponding characteristic fragments produced by different types of compounds in combination with neutral loss filtering, we summarized the fragmentation patterns of the main five types of compounds and successfully screened and identified 32 chemical constituents in Rhizoma Anemarrhenae. The components included 18 steroidal saponins, 6 flavonoids, 4 phenylpropanoids, 2 alkaloids, and 2 benzophenones. The method established in this study provided necessary data for the study on the pharmacological effects of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae and also provided the basis for the chemical analysis and quality control of TCMs to promote the development of a method for chemical research on TCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering the C4 photosynthetic pathway into C3 crops has the potential to dramatically increase the yields of major C3 crops. The genetic control of features involved in C4 photosynthesis are still far from being understood; which partially explains why we have gained little success in C4 engineering thus far. Next generation sequencing techniques and other high throughput technologies are offering an unprecedented opportunity to elucidate the developmental and evolutionary processes of C4 photosynthesis. Two contrasting hypotheses about the evolution of C4 photosynthesis exist, i.e. the master switch hypothesis and the incremental gain hypothesis. These two hypotheses demand two different research strategies to proceed in parallel to maximize the success of C4 engineering. In either case, systems biology research will play pivotal roles in identifying key regulatory elements controlling development of C4 features, identifying essential biochemical and anatomical features required to achieve high photosynthetic efficiency, elucidating genetic mechanisms underlining C4 differentiation and ultimately identifying viable routes to engineer C4 rice. As a highly interdisciplinary project, the C4 rice project will have far-reaching impacts on both basic and applied research related to agriculture in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic stellate cells are of mesenchymal cell type located in the space of Disse. Upon liver injury, HSCs transactivate into myofibroblasts with increase in expression of fibrillar collagen, especially collagen I and III, leading to liver fibrosis. Previous studies have shown mTOR signaling is activated during liver fibrosis. However, there is no direct evidence in vivo. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of conditional deletion of TSC1 in mesenchymal on pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Crossing mice bearing the floxed TSC1 gene with mice harboring Col1α2-Cre-ER(T) successfully generated progeny with a conditional knockout of TSC1 (TSC1 CKO) in collagen I expressing mesenchymal cells. TSC1 CKO and WT mice were subjected to CCl4, oil or CCl4+ rapamycin treatment for 8 weeks. TSC1 CKO mice developed pronounced liver fibrosis relative to WT mice, as examined by ALT, hydroxyproline, histopathology, and profibrogenic gene. Absence of TSC1 in mesenchymal cells induced proliferation and prevented apoptosis in activated HSCs. However, there were no significant differences in oil-treated TSC1 CKO and WT mice. Rapamycin, restored these phenotypic changes by preventing myofibroblasts proliferation and enhancing their apoptosis. These findings revealed mTOR overactivation in mesenchymal cells aggravates CCl4− induced liver fibrosis and the rapamycin prevent its occurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chilling injury occurs in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. cv. Luoyangqing) fruit when they are stored at temperatures lower than 5°C. In attempts to reduce this chilling injury, the effect of low temperature conditioning (LTC) was examined. Loquat fruit were conditioned at 5°C for 6 days before 0°C storage for up to 54 days. Control fruit stored at 0°C exhibited severe symptoms of lignification and tissue browning, and a decrease in percentage juice. LTC treatment significantly reduced these chilling injury symptoms, and doubled storage life. In terms of acceptability (tissue browning, internal browning (IB) index <0.4; fruit decay, <10%; flesh firmness, <6.0N; percentage juice, >60%), fruit could only be stored for 40 days at 0°C with a 3 days shelf life at 20°C, while LTC fruit could be stored for 60 days at 0°C with a similar shelf life. Similarly, LTC fruit could be stored for 40 days with a 5 days shelf life at 20°C, while fruit could be only stored for 20 days at 0°C with a 5 days shelf life. Our results confirm that LTC can effectively alleviate postharvest chilling injury of loquat fruit and may provide longer storage life with acceptable external and internal quality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There have been paradoxical findings regarding the expression of DEP domain-containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) and its role in predicting prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here we show that DEPTOR expression was significantly increased in tumor tissues and predicted good survival in early stage ESCC patients but not in advanced stage patients. In vitro，our studies showed that ESCC cell lines could be classified into relatively high and low DEPTOR-expressing subgroups according to esophageal squamous epithelial cell line Het-1A.In our study, different levels of DEPTOR expression absolutely determined the response to chemotherapy. In relatively low-expressing cell lines, DEPTOR increased chemotherapy sensitivity via deactivation of the AKT pathway. In relatively high-expressing cell lines, DEPTOR increased cell survival and chemoresistance by strong feedback activation of the IRS1-PI3K-AKT-survivin pathway that occurred after downregulation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K). Collectively, our findings highlight the dichotomous nature of DEPTOR functions in modulating chemotherapy sensitivity in different ESCC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Four expansin cDNA fragments, EjEXPA1, EjEXPA2, EjEXPA3 and EjEXPA4, were isolated and characterized from loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruit. EjEXPA1 mRNA accumulated consistently with the increase in fruit firmness in 0°C storage of ‘Luoyangqing’ (LYQ) fruit, where chilling injury with increased fruit firmness due to lignification was observed. EjEXPA1 mRNA levels were lower in fruit that underwent low temperature conditioning (LTC, 6d at 5°C then 4d at 0°C), and in 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treated fruit, in both cases where chilling injury was alleviated. Fruit of the ‘Baisha’ (BS) cultivar soften after harvest rather than increase in firmness, and high expression levels of EjEXPA1 and EjEXPA4 accompanied the softening of BS fruit stored at 20°C; such mRNA accumulation was much lower when fruit were stored at 0°C, where softening was significantly inhibited by the low temperature. Very low expression of EjEXPA2 and EjEXPA3 was observed during storage of both LYQ and BS fruit under the different storage conditions. Our results showed that of the four genes characterized, EjEXPA1 might be associated with chilling-induced lignification while both EjEXPA1 and EjEXPA4 were closely related to softening of loquat fruit during the postharvest period. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]