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Background Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss, in which dihyrotestosterone (DHT) plays a crucial role via modulating androgen receptors in hair follicles. Aims The current objective is to search for new therapy of AGA. Methods In the present study, we investigated the effects of sulforaphane, its precursor glucosinlates and glucosinlates-enriched Brassica oleracea L.var.italic Planch extract (BOE) on the growth of hair follicle and the related matrix cell viability, as well as the possible underlying mechanisms in vitro and ex vivo. Results We observed that BOE, glucosinlates, and sulforaphane can prevent the testosterone-induced inhibition of dermal papilla (DP) cells viability. BOE and sulforaphane can even hinder the testosterone-induced inhibition of HaCaT cells viability. Moreover, BOE, glucosinlates, and sulforaphane can up-regulate the cytokeratin gene expression in HaCaT cells, prevent the increase in Bax gene levels induced by testosterone in DP, and promote the growth of hair follicle of mice. These effects can be linked to the enhancement of DP and HaCaT cells activities and the prevention of the testosterone-induced cell apoptosis of DP cells. Conclusions Taken together, BOE, glucosinlates, and sulforaphane can promote the growth of hair follicle of mice and can be used as potential treatment agents for androgenic alopecia.

AIM The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors and prognosis of patients with cancer-associated myositis (CAM). METHOD Four hundred and eighty-seven patients with dermatomyositis (DM), clinical amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) and polymyositis (PM) from 3 clinical centers were enrolled retrospectively in this study. Clinical and laboratory data of CAM and non-CAM patients were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors of CAM. RESULTS Out of the 487 patients with DM/CADM/PM, 7.0% (34/487) of patients were classified as CAM. Older age (53.91 ± 13.32 vs. 48.76 ± 14.34 years), heliotrope rash (61.8% vs. 41.9%), shawl sign (41.2% vs. 22.1%), V sign (58.8% vs. 38.6%) were observed significantly more commonly in patients with CAM than those without CAM (all P

Background Aberrant TAK1 (transforming growth factor β‐activated kinase 1) activity is known to be involved in a variety of malignancies, but the regulatory mechanisms of TAK1 remain poorly understood. GRAMD4 (glucosyltransferase Rab‐like GTPase activator and myotubularin domain containing 4) is a newly discovered p53‐independent proapoptotic protein with an unclear role in HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma). Results In this research, we found that GRAMD4 expression was lower in HCC samples, and its downregulation predicted worse prognosis for patients after surgical resection. Functionally, GRAMD4 inhibited HCC migration, invasion and metastasis. Mechanistically, GRAMD4 interacted with TAK1 to promote its protein degradation, thus, resulting in the inactivation of MAPK (Mitogen‐activated protein kinase) and NF‐κB pathways. Furthermore, GRAMD4 was proved to recruit ITCH (itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase) to promote the ubiquitination of TAK1. Moreover, high expression of TAK1 was correlated with low expression of GRAMD4 in HCC patients. Conclusions GRAMD4 inhibits the migration and metastasis of HCC, mainly by recruiting ITCH to promote the degradation of TAK1, which leads to the inactivation of MAPK and NF‐κB signalling pathways., We revealed a novel mechanism that GRAMD4 promotes the TAK1 ubiquitination and degradation by recruitment of ITCH, a E3 ubiquitin ligase of TAK1, which lead to the inhibition of MAPK and NF‐κB pathways and the downstream MMPs expression.

Aim This study investigated the common initial clinical presentations of primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and explored differences between sicca and non-sicca onset pSS-ILD patients. Method A total of 1341 SS patients hospitalized between 2003 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Of them, 102 were analyzed and recruited to examine the differences between non-sicca and sicca onset. Results Fifty-one percent of pSS-ILD patients presented with non-sicca onset. Although the mean diagnosis time was equal, only 4% of non-sicca onset patients were diagnosed with pSS at onset versus 34% with sicca onset (P = 0.000). Hyperglobulinemia, elevated rheumatoid factor (RF) titer, and anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB presence were less predominant in patients with non-sicca onset (immunoglobulin G, 16 [12-21] vs. 21 [15-28] g/L, P = 0.032; RF, 22 [20-171] vs. 104 [20-237] IU/mL, P = 0.048; anti-SSA and/or anti-SSB presence, 33% vs. 72%, P = 0.000). The usual interstitial pneumonia pattern was more commonly seen in non-sicca onset patients (20.0% vs. 14.3%). The high-resolution computed tomography score was higher (12 [88-15] vs. 8 [5-13], P = 0.070) and predicted total lung capacity and forced vital capacity were lower (87 ± 23% vs. 97 ± 20%, P = 0.050; 88 ± 28% vs. 100 ± 27%, P = 0.089) in non-sicca patients. Conclusion Non-sicca is a common initial manifestation in pSS-ILD. Anti-SSA presence, elevated RF titer and hyperglobulinemia were less predominant, and pulmonary complications were more progressive and severe in non-sicca onset patients than sicca onset patients.

In this study, the whole proteins from a Chinese three-striped box turtle (Cuora trifasciata) were extracted and hydrolyzed using three proteases (alcalase, papain, and protamex). By orthogonal experiments, the optimal hydrolysis conditions for producing peptides with the highest cancer cells growth inhibition activity were determined. Such as, the maximum inhibition on MCF-7 cancer cells (92.37% at 1 mg/mL) was achieved by papain hydrolysis (pH 8, 37 °C, enzyme-to-substrate ratio (E/S) 1.5%), and the maximum inhibition on HepG2 cancer cells (94.16% at 1 mg/mL) was reached by protamex hydrolysis (pH 8, 40 °C, E/S 2%). Using ultrafiltration and Sephadex G-15 column chromatography, two polypeptides M2 and F4 were isolated. At 500 μg/mL, M2 exhibited 74.7% and 62.9% of antiproliferation activities on MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cells, respectively; and F4 displayed good inhibitory effects on MCF-7 (70.59%) and HepG2 (78.6%) cancer cells. M2 and F4 had lower inhibition ( 60%) on normal liver cells L-O2. Moreover, three peptides, EMLQPPL, PGKPLFL, and SCCSCDED, were identified; their inhibitory effects on cancer cells were confirmed after synthesis. These data, for the first time, demonstrated that Cuora trifasciata-derived proteins could be used for preparing antiproliferation peptides.

Summary In this study, tilapia collagen peptide (TCP) was prepared by alcalase hydrolysis of tilapia skin, and the antioxidant and hypoglycaemic effects of TCP were investigated. The results showed that TCP possessed DPPH and ABTS+ free radicals-scavenging activities. In diabetic mice in which diabetes was induced by injection of alloxan (50 mg kg−1 bw), high-dose TCP (1.7 g kg−1 bw) and the drug metformin (1.0 g kg−1 bw) were found to reduce 31.8% and 30.3% of blood glucose levels in 25 days, respectively. Moreover, in diabetic mice receiving high-dose TCP, antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT were increased by 23% and 59.2%, respectively, and MDA was decreased by 39.1%. Comparing the treated high-dose TCP group with the metformin group, there were similar SOD (61.5 U mg−1 vs. 60.2 U mg−1) and MDA (1.4 nmol mg−1 vs. 1.3 nmol mg−1), but more (~7%) CAT (359.8 U g−1 vs. 336.1 U g−1). Together, the present data, for the first time, demonstrated that TCP possessed hypoglycaemic effects in mice.

Spirulina platensis is an excellent source of proteins (>60%) that can be hydrolyzed into bioactive peptides.; Results: In this study, whole proteins of Spirulina platensis were extracted and hydrolyzed using three gastrointestinal endopeptidases (pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin). Subsequently, gel filtration chromatography was employed to separate hydrolysates, and four fractions (Tr1-Tr4) were obtained. Among them, Tr2 showed the strongest anti-proliferation activities on three cancer cells (MCF-7, HepG-2 and SGC-7901), with IC50 values of

Chlorella pyrenoidosa is a unicellular green algae and has been a popular foodstuff worldwide. However, no reports on the antitumor peptides from such a microalgae are available in the literature. In this study, using low-temperature high-pressure extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography, we separated a polypeptide that exhibited inhibitory activity on human liver cancer HepG2 cells, and named the polypeptide CPAP (C. pyrenoidosa antitumor polypeptide). Furthermore, the micro- and nanoencapsulation of CPAP were investigated by using two methods: complex coacervation and ionotropic gelation. The in vitro release tests revealed that CPAP was well preserved against gastric enzymatic degradation after micro/nanoencapsulation and the slowly controlled release in the intestine could be potentially achieved. These results suggest that CPAP may be a useful ingredient in food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications.

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea Italica × Alboglabra) is a hybrid between broccoli and Gai Lan, also known as Chinese broccoli and Chinese kale. The aim of this study was to assess the antitumor activity of Broccolini leaf flavonoids (BLF). Cell growth inhibition was evaluated using a standard colorimetric MTT assay, cellular morphology was observed using phase contrast microscopy and flow cytometry was introduced to further investigate cells apoptosis effect. The results showed that BLF possess a dose-dependent antiproliferative effects on four human cancer cell lines (SW480, HepG2, Hela, and A549) and apoptosis induction activity on SW480 cell line. Thus, the hybrid species Broccolini could be considered as a functional vegetable with potential in assisting for the treatment of four human cancers examined here.

Summary Secure mechanisms have been adapted to satisfy the needs of mobile subscribers; however, the mobile environment is quite different from a desktop PC or laptop-based environment. The existing attack patterns in mobile environments are also quite different, and the countermeasures applied should be enhanced. In regards to usability, the mobile environment is based on mobility, and thus, mobile devices are designed and developed to enhance the owner's efficiency. To avoid forgetting passwords, people are willing to adopt simple alphanumeric-character combinations, which are easy to remember and convenient to enter. As a result, the passwords have a high probability of being cracked or exposed. In this paper, we study the potential security problems caused by simple and weak passwords, discuss drawbacks of some conventional works, and propose 3 creative schemes to increase the complexity and strength of passwords by applying the envisioned features. Note that our proposals are based on the assumption that the textual passwords are not difficult for users to remember or enter and do not cause inconvenience to users. In other words, the proposed methods can increase the complexity of simple passwords without the awareness of users.

Broccolini (Brassica oleracea Italica × Alboglabra) is a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan, Chinese broccoli. To date, no report on antitumor activity of Broccolini (NOT Broccoli) is available. In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative effects of broccolini seeds extract (BSE) on human lung and ovarian cancer cells. It was found that BSE induces A549 and OVCAR-3 cells apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by using MTT assay. The IC(50) values of BSE in A549 and OVCAR-3 cells were estimated to be 81.94 and 78.6 µg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, the phase contrast microscope showed that in high-dose group (90∼120 µg/ml), the morphology structure of OVCAR-3 cells become irregular and exhibited characteristics of apoptosis such as cell membrane shrinkage, condensation and fragmentation of nuclear chromatin as well as formation of apoptotic bodies.

Mitochondrial anti-viral signaling (MAVS) protein is a critical adaptor required for innate immune responses against RNA viruses. In virus-infected cells MAVS forms prion-like aggregates to activate antiviral signaling cascades, but the underlying structural mechanism is unknown. Here we report cryo-electron microscopic structures of the helical filaments formed by both the N-terminal caspase activation and recruitment domain of MAVS and a truncated MAVS lacking its C-terminal transmembrane domain. Both structures display a left-handed three-stranded helical filament, revealing specific interfaces between individual subunits that are dictated by electrostatic interactions between neighboring strands and conserved hydrophobic interactions within each strand. Point mutations at multiple locations of these two interfaces impaired filament formation and antiviral signaling. Super-resolution imaging of virus-infected cells revealed the spatial features of rod-shaped MAVS clusters on mitochondria. These results...