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Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by lipid accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and aseptic inflammatory activation. Mitochondria-derived cytosolic DNA has been reported to induce inflammation by activating cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in the adipose, liver, and kidney tissues. However, the role of cytosolic mtDNA in the progression of DCM is unclear. In this study, with an obesity-related DCM mouse model established by feeding db/db mice with a high-fat diet (HFD), we observed increased mtDNA in the cytosol and activated cGAS-STING signaling pathway during DCM, as well as the downstream targets, IRF3, NF-κB, IL-18, and IL-1β. In a further study with a palmitic acid (PA)-induced lipotoxic cell model established in H9C2 cells, we revealed that the cytosolic mtDNA was the result of PA-induced overproduction of mitochondrial ROS, which also led to the activation of the cGAS/STING system and its downstream targets. Notably, treatment of extracted mtDNA alone was sufficient to activate the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in cultured H9C2 cells. Besides, both knockdown of STING in PA-induced H9C2 cells and inhibition of STING by C-176 injection in the DCM mouse model could remarkably block the inflammation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, our study elucidated the critical role of cytosolic mtDNA-induced cGAS-STING activation in the pathogenesis of obesity-related DCM and provided preclinical validation for using a STING inhibitor as a new potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DCM. Graphical abstract

Evidence for the anti-diabetic actions of camellia and herbal tea in diabetic patients has not been summarized. Several data sources were searched for randomized trials assessing the effect of different teas on cardiometabolic risk factors in T2D subjects. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant data and assessed the risk of bias. Results were summarized using mean differences (MDs) based on a random model. Sixteen studies (19 trials, N = 832) fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Mean differences were measured for body weight, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, a homeostatic model for insulin resistance, high and low-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. No effects on total cholesterol and waist circumference were observed when either camellia or herbal tea was consumed. Tea produced moderate regulatory effects on adipose, glycemic control, lipid profiles, and blood pressure. In terms of efficacy, camellia and herbal teas yield different benefits in regulating metabolism. This discovery has some implications for clinical research and drug development. However, more high-quality trials are needed to improve the certainty of our estimates.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by lipid accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and aseptic inflammatory activation. Mitochondria-derived cytosolic DNA has been reported to induce inflammation by activating cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)/the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in the adipose, liver, and kidney tissue. However, the role of cytosolic mtDNA in the progression of DCM is unclear. In this study, with an obesity-related DCM mouse model established by feeding db/db mice with a high-fat diet (HFD), we observed increased mtDNA in the cytosol and activated cGAS-STING signaling pathway during DCM, as well as the downstream targets, IRF3, NF-κB, IL-18, and IL-1β. In further study with a palmitic acid (PA)-induced lipotoxic cell model established in H9C2 cells, we revealed that the cytosolic mtDNA was resulted from PA-induced overproduction of mitochondrial ROS, which also led to the activation of the cGAS/STING system and its downstream targets. Notably, treatment of extracted mtDNA alone was sufficient to activate the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in cultured H9C2 cells. Besides, both knockdown of STING in PA-induced H9C2 cells and inhibition of STING by C-176 injection in the DCM mouse model could remarkably block the inflammation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, our study elucidated the critical role of cytosolic mtDNA-induced cGAS-STING activation in the pathogenesis of obesity-related DCM and provided preclinical validation for using a STING inhibitor as a new potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DCM.

Background Apatinib, a novel vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of metastatic gastric cancer and other tumors. Apatinib exerts antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in different kinds of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms by which apatinib effective against esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have only been partially researched and whether it has a sensitizing effect on paclitaxel remains unclear. Materials and methods The effects of apatinib or paclitaxel on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, autophagy, apoptosis and proliferation of ESCC cell lines were evaluated. Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses were performed to detect the expression of related genes. The weight and volume of xenograft tumors in mice were measured. Results In the current study, we elucidated the antiproliferative and ER-stress-mediated autophagy-inducing effects of apatinib on ECA-109 and KYSE-150 esophageal squamous cancer cells and identified the underlying mechanisms of its action. We demonstrated that apatinib not only inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of ESCC cells, but also activated ER stress and triggered protective autophagy. Moreover, inhibiting autophagy by chloroquine (CQ) enhanced the apatinib-induced apoptosis of ESCC cells through the IRE-1α–AKT–mTOR pathway. In addition, we showed, for the first time, the paclitaxel combined with apatinib and CQ exhibited the best antitumor effect on ESCC both in vivo and in vitro via the IRE-1α–AKT–mTOR pathway. Conclusions Our data showed that apatinib induced ER stress, autophagy and apoptosis in ESCC. Inhibiting autophagy by CQ enhanced apatinib-induced apoptosis. The combination of apatinib and CQ sensitized ESCC cells to paclitaxel to induce apoptosis through the IRE-1α–AKT–mTOR signaling pathway, thus providing the basis for its use in innovative anticancer therapeutic strategies. Graphic abstract

A porous poly (5-cyanoindole) film was easily electrodeposited and for the first time evaluated as an active electrode material in 1.0 M H2SO4. The poly (5-cyanoindole) film was investigated using scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy and charge-discharge test. The specific capacitance of poly (5-cyanoindole) electrode was 336 F g-1 under the current density of 2.4 A g-1 and decreased by 30% after 1000 cycles, which indicated that poly (5-cyanoindole) electrode had good cycle stability. Additionally, the specific energy of poly (5-cyanoindole) electrode reached 23 Wh kg-1 when the specific power was 190 W kg-1. These results indicated the feasibility of poly (5-cyanoindole) as electrode material for supercapacitors.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical outcomes of simultaneous modulated accelerated radiotherapy (SMART) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 97 patients who underwent SMART for NPC between August 2005 and November 2011 were evaluated. The prescribed dose was 69.9 Gy/30 fractions at 2.33 Gy/fraction to the primary gross tumor volume (PGTV) including the nasopharynx gross target volume and the positive neck lymph nodes, and 60 Gy/30 fraction at 2.0 Gy/fraction to the PCTV1; 54 Gy/30 fractions at 1.8 Gy/fraction was given to the PCTV2. Among 59 patients with local advanced disease, 31 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (chemo-RT) with a regimen consisting of 135 mg/m 2 paclitaxel on Day 1 and 25 mg/m 2 cisplatin on Days 1–3. The median follow-up period was 42 months. The local control rate (LCR), distant metastases-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 93.3%, 90.3% and 91.6% at 3 years, and 87.6%, 87.9% and 85.7% at 5 years, respectively. There was no significant difference in outcome with respect to these three indicators for Stage III and IV disease treated with/without concurrent chemoradiotherapy (P> 0.05). Acute toxicities included Grade 3 mucositis, skin desquamation, and leucopenia, which occurred in 78 (80.4%), 8 (8.2%), and 45 (46.4%) patients, respectively. No patient had a Grade 3–4 late toxicity. SMART was associated with a favorable outcome for NPC with acceptable toxicity. The local-regional control was excellent but distant metastasis remains the main risk. The combination of SMART and chemotherapy needs to be optimized through further studies to enhance outcomes for locally advanced diseases.

The study aimed to develop a novel dose conversion platform by improving linear-quadratic (LQ) model to more accurately describe radiation response for high fraction/acute doses. This article modified the LQ model via piecewise fitting the biological dose curve using different fractionated dose and optimizing the consistency between mathematical model and experimental data to gain a more reasonable transform. That mathematical development of the LQ model further amended certain deviations of various cell curves with high doses and implied the rationality of the present model at low dose range. The modified biologically effective dose model that solved the dilemma of inaccurate LQ model had been used in comparing between hypofractionated and conventional fractioned dose. It has been verified that the calculated values are similar in the treatment of same efficacy, no matter what α/β is, and provided a more rational explanation for significant differences among various hypofractionations. The equivalent uniform dose based on the subsection function could represent arbitrary inhomogeneous dose distributions including high-dose fractions, providing a foundation for the implementation of detailed evaluation of different cell dose effects.

Mn(2)Au, a layered bimetal, is successfully grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The experiments and theoretical calculations presented suggest that Mn(2)Au film is antiferromagnetic with a very low critical temperature. The antiferromagnetic nature is demonstrated by measuring the exchange-bias effect of Mn(2)Au/Fe bilayers. This study establishes a primary basis for further research of this new antiferromagnet in spin-electronic device applications.

Objective: S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is a positive regulator of G1-S transition and promotes ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27. Its overexpression has been implicated in cell transformation and oncogenesis. In this study, we investigated significance of Skp2 expression in human gastric carcinoma and the relationship between Skp2, p27 and PTEN expression. Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 138 surgical resected primary gastric carcinoma specimens, 102 paired metastasis carcinoma tissue specimens in lymph node from the same set of 138 surgical resected primary gastric carcinoma specimens, 30 dysplasia specimens, 30 intestinal metaplasia specimens, and 20 normal gastric mucosa specimens for Skp2 and performed on the same set of 138 surgical resected primary gastric carcinoma specimens for p27 and PTEN. Results: Skp2 labeling frequency % was increased dramatically in intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and primary gastric carcinoma compared with normal gastric mucosa (P=0.000, all the same). Skp2 labeling frequency % in metastasis gastric carcinoma in lymph node was significantly higher than primary gastric carcinoma (P=0.037). Skp2 labeling frequency % was positively associated with differentiated degree (rho=0.315, P=0.000), vessel invasion (rho=0.303, P=0.000) and lymph node metastasis (rho=0.254, P=0.000) respectively. An inverse correlation of Skp2 was observed with both its biochemical target p27 expression in gastric carcinoma (rho=−0.451, P=0.000) and with its putative negative regulator, the PTEN tumor suppressor protein (rho=−0.480, P=0.000). p27 expression had positive relationship with PTEN expression in gastric carcinoma (rho=0.642, P=0.000). Conclusion: Skp2 overexpression is correlated with carcinogenesis and progression of gastric carcinoma: elevated Skp2 expression is correlated with decreased p27 and PTEN in gastric carcinoma, and p27 expression is parallel with PTEN expression. These suggest that PTEN may regulate expression of p27 through the Skp2 pathway, and the effects of Skp2, p27 and PTEN together play an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of gastric carcinoma.

We report a new type of memory device based on insulating LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) hetero-interface. The microstructures of the LAO/STO interface are characterized by Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, which reveals the element intermixing at the interface. The inhomogeneous element distribution may result in carrier localization, which is responsible for the insulating state. The insulating state of such interface can be converted to metallic state by light illumination and the metallic state maintains after light off due to giant persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect. The on/off ratio between the PPC and the initial dark conductance is as large as 105. The metallic state also can be converted back to insulating state by applying gate voltage. Reversible and reproducible resistive switching makes LAO/STO interface promising as a nonvolatile memory. Our results deepen the understanding of PPC phenomenon in LAO/STO, and pave the way for the development of all-oxide electronics integrating information storage devices.

To investigate the effects of silencing heparanase (HPA) on growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of human gastric carcinoma transplanted in nude mice.Human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells and those cells with silenced HPA (gastric carcinoma SGC-7901-HPA(-)) were separately transplanted subcutaneously in 6 nude mice. The time, size and speed of tumor growth were recorded. RT-PCR and Western-blot were used to detect the expression of HPA mRNA and protein in the subcutaneous tumors of the two groups. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect microvessel density (MVD) in the subcutaneous tumors of the two groups. Cells of the subcutaneous transplanted tumors of the two groups were separately injected into the peritoneal cavity of nude mice, 6 mice each. The growth of metastatic tumors in nude mice was observed.Human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells and SGC-7901-HPA(-) cells were subcutaneously inoculated in nude mice, and tumors appeared at 4 days and 7 days after inoculation, respectively. The MVD was (20.69 ± 1.20)/HP and (11.35 ± 1.94)/HP, respectively (P0.05). The expressions of HPA mRNA and protein of the subcutaneously transplanted SGC-7901-HPA(-) tumor were decreased. Four voluminous metastatic tumors caused by SGC-7901 cells occurred in 3 mice in the liver, right kidney, omentum and intestine. Two smaller abdominal metastatic tumors of SGC-7901-HPA(-) cells were found in the liver and right kidney.Silencing HPA can inhibit the tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of human gastric cancer in nude mice. It suggests that HPA might become a new target for prevention and treatment of gastric cancer.

To investigate whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) is expressed in human gastric carcinoma and whether PPAR-gamma is a potential target for gastric carcinoma therapy.PPAR-gamma protein in gastric carcinoma was examined by immunohistochemistry. In the gastric carcinoma cell line MGC803, PPAR-gamma, survivin, Skp2 and p27 protein and mRNA were examined by Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively; proliferation was examined by MTT; apoptosis was examined by chromatin staining with Hoechst 33342 and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). and cell cycle was examined by FACS; the knockdown of PPAR-gamma was done by RNA interference.A high level of expression of PPAR-gamma was observed in human gastric carcinoma and in a human gastric carcinoma cell line MGC803. The PPAR-gamma agonist 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)) inhibited growth, and induced apoptosis and G(1)/G(0) cell cycle arrest in MGC803 cells in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. The effect of 15d-PGJ(2) on MGC803 cells was not reversed by the selective and irreversible antagonist GW9662 for PPAR-gamma. Furthermore, survivin and Skp2 expression were decreased, whereas p27 expression was enhanced following 15d-PGJ(2) treatment in a dose-dependent manner in MGC803 cells. Interestingly, we also found that small interfering RNA for PPAR-gamma inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in MGC803 cells. The inhibition of PPAR-gamma function may be a potentially important and novel modality for treatment and prevention of gastric carcinoma.A PPAR-gamma agonist inhibited growth of human gastric carcinoma MGC803 cells by inducing apoptosis and G(1)/G(0) cell cycle arrest with the involvement of survivin, Skp2 and p27 and not via PPAR-gamma.

AIM: To investigate the significance of S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) expression in human gastric carcinoma and the relation between expressions of Skp2, p27 and PTEN. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 138 gastric carcinoma specimens, their paired adjacent mucosa specimens, 102 paired lymphatic metastatic carcinoma tissue specimens, 30 dysplasia specimens, 30 intestinal metaplasia specimens, 10 chronic superficial gastritis specimens and 5 normal gastric mucosa specimens for Skp2 expression and on 138 gastric carcinoma specimens for p27 and PTEN expression. RESULTS: Skp2 labeling frequency was significantly higher in intestinal metaplasia (12.68±0.86) and adjacent mucosa (19.32±1.22) than in normal gastric mucosa (0.53±0.13) and chronic superficial gastritis (0.47±0.19) (P = 0.000); in dysplasia (16.74±0.82) than in intestinal metaplasia (P = 0.000); in gastric primary carcinoma (31.34±2.17) than in dysplasia and adjacent mucosa (P = 0.000); in metastasis gastric carcinoma in lymph nodes (39.76±2.00) than in primary gastric carcinoma (P = 0.037), respectively. Skp2 labeling frequency was positively associated with differentiation degree (rho = 0.315, P = 0.000), vessel invasion (rho = 0.303, P = 0.000) and lymph node metastasis (rho = 0.254, P = 0.000) of gastric cancer. Expression of Skp2 was negatively associated with p27 (rho = -0.451, P = 0.000) and PTEN (rho = -0.480, P = 0.000) expression in gastric carcinoma. p27 ex-pression was positively associated with PTEN expression in gastric carcinoma (rho = 0.642, P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Skp2 overexpression may be involved in carcinogenesis and progression of human gastric carcinoma in vivo, possibly via p27 proteolysis. PTEN may regulate the expression of p27 by negatively regulating Skp2 expression.

S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is a positive regulator of G1-S transition and promotes ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor P27. Its overexpression has been involved in cell transformation and tumorigenesis. This study was to investigate the significance of Skp2 expression in human gastric carcinoma and its correlation to expression of both P27 and PTEN.The expression of Skp2 in 138 specimens of gastric cancer and their paired adjacent mucosa, 102 specimens of paired metastatic lymph nodes, 30 specimens of dysplasia, 30 specimens of intestinal metaplasia, 10 specimens of chronic superficial gastritis, and 5 specimens of normal gastric mucosa, and the expression of P27 and PTEN in 138 specimens of gastric cancer were detected by immunohistochemistry.Skp2 labeling frequency was significantly higher in intestinal metaplasia [(12.68+/-0.86)%] and adjacent mucosa [(19.32+/-1.22)%] than in chronic superficial gastritis [(0.53+/-0.13)%] and normal gastric mucosa [(0.47+/-0.19)%] (P0.001), but there was no difference between chronic superficial gastritis and normal gastric mucosa (P0.05); Skp2 labeling frequency was significantly higher in dysplasia [(16.74+/-0.82)%] than in intestinal metaplasia (P0.001), significantly higher in primary gastric carcinoma [(31.34+/-2.17)%] than in dysplasia and adjacent mucosa (P0.001), and significantly higher in metastatic lymph node [(39.76+/-2.00)%] than in primary gastric carcinoma (P=0.037). Skp2 labeling frequency in gastric carcinoma was positively correlated with differentiation grade (rs=0.315, P0.001), vessel invasion (rs=0.303, P0.001), and lymph node metastasis (rs=0.254, P=0.001). Skp2 expression was negatively correlated with both P27 expression (rs=-0.451, P0.001) and PTEN expression (rs=-0.480, P0.001) in gastric carcinoma. P27 expression was positively correlated with PTEN expression in gastric carcinoma (rs=0.642, P0.001).Skp2 overexpression, which may lead to degradation of P27 and low expression of PTEN, may be a very important reason in carcinogenesis and progression of gastric carcinoma.