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Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), as a typical transcription inhibitory factor of E-cadherin, plays a major role in stimulating the invasion and metastasis of tumors via modulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signal. However, its function and modulatory mechanisms in endometrial carcinoma (EC) remain unclear. In this study, silencing ZEB1 significantly reduced EC cell migration, invasion, and metastasis, as well as enhanced the sensitivity of EC cells to cisplatin (cDDP) in vitro and in vivo. Mechanism analysis indicated that ZEB1 interacts with hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and co-localizes in the nucleus. In addition, ZEB1 as a transcription factor binds to the promoter of HDGF to stimulate HDGF transcription. Furthermore, suppression of HDGF in ZEB1-overexpressed EC cells not only reduced the expression of β-catenin, TCF4, and ZEB1, but also repressed β-catenin translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus and further downregulated the combination with TCF4. Interestingly, the β-catenin/TCF4 signaling feedback stimulates ZEB1 transcription and therefore constitutes a positive feedback loop. In clinical samples, ZEB1 positively correlates with HDGF expression, and co-expression of ZEB1 and HDGF promotes the pathogenesis of EC. In summary, our study demonstrated that the positive feedback loop of ZEB1/HDGF/β-catenin/TCF4 plays an unfavorable role in the metastasis of endometrial carcinoma.

Eight phenalenone derivatives, including four new compounds, aceneoherqueinones A and B (1 and 2), (+)-aceatrovenetinone A (3a), and (+)-aceatrovenetinone B (3d), along with four known congeners, (–)-aceatrovenetinone A (3b), (–)-aceatrovenetinone B (3c), (–)-scleroderolide (4a), and (+)-scleroderolide (4b), were characterized from the marine mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium herquei MA-370. Among them, compounds 1 and 2 are rare phenalenone derivatives featuring cyclic ether unit between C-5 and C-2′. All of these compounds were subjected to chiral HPLC analysis, and the unstable stereoisomers 3a–3d, containing configurationally labile chirality centers, were characterized by online HPLC-ECD measurements supported with TDDFT-ECD calculations. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed analysis of their NMR and mass spectroscopic data, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, while those of compounds 2 and 3a–3d were determined by TDDFT-ECD calculations of their ECD spectra. All of the isolated compounds were tested for the inhibitory activity against angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE), and compounds 1 and 2 displayed activity with IC50 values 3.10 and 11.28 μM, respectively. The intermolecular interaction and potential binding sites of 1 and 2 with ACE were elaborated by molecular docking, showing that compound 1 bound well with ACE via hydrogen interactions with residues Ala261, Gln618, Trp621, and Asn624, while compound 2 interacted with residues Asp358 and Tyr360.

In traditional chemical processes, they are considered highly polluting and unfriendly to the environment. The air, water, soil, and land were severely damaged. Among the international environmental protection issues, especially the development of industry is a very worthwhile study. Therefore, this study will discuss metal ions in water. This study takes copper as the object of discussion. In the future, different metals, such as nickel, iron, zinc, and other metals, will be discussed, and industrial process problems will be solved. For copper, it is also a common metal in life. Copper metal bottles, handicrafts, circuit boards, heat dissipation components, metal soldering agents, sewage treatment agents and many other uses. However, in the copper process, electroplating, and waste after use are often treated as secondary pollution. From the perspective of technology and process, an environmentally friendly chemical process is proposed, which can also make the best use of reactants and waste water. After the process improvement, the copper ions are post-processed to extract new copper compound material technology. At the same time, the water body is controlled at pH 7, which can be reused more to achieve the goal of sustainable circulation. Thank partially support by the MOST 108-2221-E-343-001.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) and its prognostic value in endometrial carcinoma (EC). METHODS: The expression of PGK1 was detected immunohistochemically in 30 normal endometrium and 130 EC specimens. The relationship between PGK1 protein expression and the clinicopathological features of the patients was evaluated. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed low PGK1 expression in 55.4% (72/130) and high PGK1 expression in 44.6% (58/130) of the EC specimens, as compared with the rates of 90% (27/30) and 10% (3/30) in normal endometrium, respectively (P < 0.001). PGK1 expression was significantly correlated with FIGO stage (P < 0.001), histological grade (P=0.002) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with a high PGK1 expression had a shorter overall survival rate than those with a low PGK1 expression (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that a high PGK1 expression was not the independent predictor of the prognosis of EC (P=0.077). CONCLUSION: A high expression of PGK1 is associated with aggressive and metastatic behaviors of EC, and detection of PGK1 provides assistance in evaluating the prognosis of patients with EC.

Chemical investigation of the marine algal-derived endophytic fungus Aspergillus alabamensis EN-547 resulted in the isolation of 4-epi-seco-shornephine A methyl ester (1) and 4-epi-seco-shornephine A carboxylic acid (2), two new secondary metabolites having a rare diketomorpholine motif, and 28-acetoxy-12β,15α,25-trihydroxyergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (3), a new highly conjugated ergostane-type steroid, together with four known metabolites (4–7). Their chemical structures were elucidated by detailed analysis of their NMR spectra, ECDs, HRESIMS, optical rotation, and X-ray crystallographic data, and by comparison with literature data as well. The antimicrobial activities of compounds 1–7 were evaluated.

Simpterpenoid A (1), an unprecedented meroterpenoid possessing a highly functionalized cyclohexadiene moiety (ring C) featuring gem-propane-1,2-dione and methylformate groups, was characterized from mangrove-derived Penicillium simplicissimum MA-332. Due to the highly oxygenated and functionalized ring C and lack of some key correlations, the unambiguous assignment of the planar structure and steric configuration was solved by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity against influenza neuraminidase in nanomolar quantities.

Three new indolediterpenoids, namely, 22-hydroxylshearinine F (1), 6-hydroxylpaspalinine (2), and 7-O-acetylemindole SB (3), along with eight related known analogs (4–11), were isolated from the sea-anemone-derived fungus Penicillium sp. AS-79. The structures and relative configurations of these compounds were determined by a detailed interpretation of the spectroscopic data, and their absolute configurations were determined by ECD calculations (1 and 2) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (3). Some of these compounds exhibited prominent activity against aquatic and human pathogenic microbes.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression of MAP2K4 and vimentin in human endometrial carcinoma (EC) and their association with the clinicopathological features and prognosis of the patients. METHODS: MAP2K4 and vimentin expressions were detected immunohistochemically in paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 128 patients with EC, and the correlation of MAP2K4 and vimentin expressions with the clinicopathological factors of the patients was analyzed. RESULTS: MAP2K4 and vimentin proteins were positively expressed in 49 (38.3%) and 83 (64.8%) of the patients, respectively. A positive expression of MAP2K4 was negatively correlated with FIGO stage of the tumor (P=0.010) and lymph node status (P=0.016); a positive expression of vimentin was positively correlated with FIGO stage of the tumor (P=0.025), histological grades (P=0.017), depth of myometrial invasion (P=0.044) and lymph node status (P=0.032). MAP2K4 was inversely associated with vimentin expression in EC(r=-0.598, P＜0.001). Patients positive for MAP2K4 tended to have a higher overall survival rate (P=0.002), and those positive for vimentin tended to have a lower overall survival rate (P=0.007); patients positive for MAP2K4 but negative for vimentin had the longest survival time, while those negative for MAP2K4 and positive for vimentin had lowest survival rate (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Detection of MAP2K4 and vimentin might help in early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of patients with EC.

Aims. This study examined the correlation between high nuclear expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) and clinicopathologic data in endometrial carcinoma (EC), including patient survival.Methods. One hundred and twenty-two endometrial carcinoma (EC) patients from 2002 to 2008 were reviewed in the study. HDGF expression in tumor tissues was examined using immunohistochemistry (IHC), and its association with clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Tumors with 80% or more nuclei staining were regarded as high expression and tumors with less than 80% nuclei staining considered as low expression.Results and Conclusions. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that HDGF was expressed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. High nuclear expression of HDGF was positively correlated with FIGO stage (P=0.032), but not associated with other clinical features, such as histological grading or lymph node status. Patients with high expression of HDGF had poorer overall survival rates than those with low expression of HDGF (P=0.001). However, multivariate analyses showed that high nuclear expression of HDGF protein was not an independent predictor of prognosis for EC patients (P=0.111). Our results suggest that high nuclear expression of HDGF is a potential unfavorable factor for the progression and prognosis of EC.

To investigate the role of specificity protein 1 (Sp1) in regulating radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cell lines.We analyzed Sp1 expression in 6 different cervical cancer cell lines (SiHa, HeLa, Caski, Me180, Ms751, and C33a) using Western blotting and real-time PCR. Clonogenic survival assay and curve fitting were used to assess the changes in radiosensitivity of Me180 cells transfected with lentivirus-mediated shRNA vector targeting sp1 and HeLa cells transfected with sp1 over-expression vector.In the 6 cell lines tested, the cellular expression levels of Sp1 decreased gradually in the order of Me180, Caski, C33a, SiHa, Ms751, and HeLa. SP1 knockdown with lentivirus-mediated shRNA significantly lowered the survival rate of Me180 cells following radiation exposure (P0.05), and obviously lowered the values of SF2, D0 and Dq but significantly increased α/β of the cells. Compared with the cells transfected with the mock vector, HeLa cells with sp1 over-expression showed a significantly increased survival following radiation exposure (P0.05) with obviously increased values of SF2, D0 and Dq but significantly lowered α/β.Silencing Sp1 can increase the radiosensitivity while Sp1 overexpression enhances the radioresistance of cervical cancer cell lines, suggesting an important role of Sp1 in radiotherapy for cervical cancer.

Five new polyketides, namely, 5R-hydroxyrecifeiolide (1), 5S-hydroxyrecifeiolide (2), ent-cladospolide F (3), cladospolide G (4), and cladospolide H (5), along with two known compounds (6 and 7), were isolated from the endophytic fungal strain Cladosporium cladosporioides MA-299 that was obtained from the leaves of the mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. The structures of these compounds were established by extensive analysis of 1D/2D NMR data, mass spectrometric data, ECDs and optical rotations, and modified Mosher&rsquo, s method. The structures of 3 and 6 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and this is the first time for reporting the crystal structures of these two compounds. All of the isolated compounds were examined for antimicrobial activities against human and aquatic bacteria and plant pathogenic fungi as well as enzymatic inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase. Compounds 1&ndash, 4, 6, and 7 exhibited antimicrobial activity against some of the tested strains with MIC values ranging from 1.0 to 64 &mu, g/mL, while 3 exhibited enzymatic inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase with the IC50 value of 40.26 &mu, M.

To investigate the expressions of DAPK3 and c-Myc and their prognostic value in endometrial carcinoma (EC).The expressions of DAPK3 and c-Myc were detected immunohistochemically in 132 surgical specimens. The relationship between DAPK3 and c-Myc protein expressions and the clinicopathological features of the patients was evaluated.Immunohistochemical analysis revealed low DAPK3 expression in 60.61% (80/132) and high c-Myc expression in 53.79% (71/132) of the specimens of EC. Both DAPK3 expression and c-Myc expression were significantly correlated with FIGO stage (P=0.034 and 0.015, respectively) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.022 and 0.031, respectively). DAPK3 expression was closely correlated with the histological grade (P=0.027) and depth of myometrial invasion (P=0.011). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with low DAPK3 expressions had a shorter overall survival rate than those with high DAPK3 expressions (P=0.023), while patients with high c-Myc expressions had poorer prognoses than those with low c-Myc expressions (P=0.002). Spearman correlation analysis showed that DAPK3 and c-Myc expressions were negatively correlated (P0.001, r=?0.310). Multivariate analysis identified a high c-Myc expression as the independent predictor of the prognosis of EC (P=0.007).A low expression of DAPK3 and a high expression of c-Myc are associated with aggressive and metastatic behaviors of EC, and their detection may help to predict the prognosis of the EC patients.

Two new terpenoid glucosides, namely 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside-vicodiol (1) and 10-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside-oplopanone (2), along with seven known compounds, were isolated from the aerial part of Aster flaccidus (composite), a traditional Chinese herb medicine. The structures of 1 and 2 were established by spectroscopic methods, especially 2D NMR experiments.

// Mengyang Zhao 1, 2, * , Weiyi Fang 1, 2, * , Yan Wang 2, 5, * , Suiqun Guo 6, * , Luyun Shu 6 , Lijing Wang 2, 6 , YiYu Chen 2 , Qiaofen Fu 2 , Yan Liu 2 , Shengni Hua 2 , Yue Fan 2 , Yiyi Liu 2 , Xiaojie Deng 2 , Rongcheng Luo 1 , Zhong Mei 5 , Qinping Jiang 2, 4 , Zhen Liu 2, 3 1 Cancer Center, Traditional Chinese Medicine-Integrated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 2 Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China 3 Department of Pathology of Basic School, Medical University of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, China 4 Department of Pathology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, China 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China 6 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Weiyi Fang, e-mail: fangweiyi1975@163.com Zhen Liu, e-mail: narcissus_jane@163.com Qingping Jiang, e-mail: 413430005@qq.com Keywords: ENO1, endometrial carcinoma, cell growth, EMT, glycolysis Received: December 30, 2014 Accepted: April 10, 2015 Published: April 24, 2015 ABSTRACT ENO1 plays a paradoxical role in driving the pathogenesis of tumors. However, the clinical significance of ENO1 expression remains unclear and its function and modulatory mechanisms have never been reported in endometrial carcinoma (EC). In this study, ENO1 silencing significantly reduced cell glycolysis, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro , as well as tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo by modulating p85 suppression. This in turn mediated inactivation of PI3K/AKT signaling and its downstream signals including glycolysis, cell cycle progression, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated genes. These effects on glycolysis and cell growth were not observed after ENO1 suppression in normal human endometrial epithelial cells (HEEC). Knocking down ENO1 could significantly enhance the sensitivity of EC cells to cisplatin (DDP) and markedly inhibited the growth of EC xenografts in vivo . In clinical samples, EC tissues exhibited higher expression levels of ENO1 mRNA and protein compared with normal endometrium tissues. Patients with higher ENO1 expression had a markedly shorter overall survival than patients with low ENO1 expression. We conclude that ENO1 favors carcinogenesis, representing a potential target for gene-based therapy.

To investigate human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and genotyping in patients with cervical cancer in Guangzhou in the last 3 decades.HPV L1 gene fragment in paraffin-embedded cervical cancer samples was amplified by HPV-specific PCR with consensus primers, and typing of HPV strains was performed on the basis of sequence analysis of the PCR products.The positivity rates of HPV DNA was 26.2% in the 99 cases of cervical cancer. Five HPV genotypes were identified including HPV16, 18, 33, 52 and 58.HPV16, 58 and 33 are the most common genotypes of HPV, accounting for over 88.4% in the total infected cases, suggesting that the HPV genotypes closely related to cervical cancer is more centralized in Guangzhou.

To explore how adjustment of the negative and neutral emotion excitement contribute to the well-being of middle-aged and aged adults in their health, intelligence, working and living.Twenty-five middle-aged and aged participants performed recognition tasks of schematic facial representations of positive, neutral and negative emotions and also Chinese characters (equivalent to happy, thinking and fear).The main effects of the facial recognition task occurred in the left temporal-parietal area (40 to 80 ms), bilateral parietal-occipital and temporal-parietal area (160-180 ms and 310-340 ms). The effects of stimulation with the 3 Chinese characters were found in the anterior region (375-475 ms), posterior region (195-255 ms), and whole scalp region (135-175 ms and 275-355 ms). There were no significant interactive effects between schematic facial recognition and stimulation with Chinese characters.Positive emotional excitement may promote the well-being of the adults in their health, intelligence, working performance and living.

To study gene expression profiling in human type I and II endometrial carcinoma.Six Affymetrix human genome genechips were utilized to investigate the differences in gene expression profiles between type I and II endometrial carcinoma with bioinformatic analysis.Many genes were highly expressed in estrogen-dependent endometrial carcinoma, and some of them were involved in the metabolism and conversion of estrogen, while some others in estrogen regulation. CYP2C9, for instance, was involved in the conversion of estrogen sulfate to 16-hydroxy sulfate metabolite, DDC in estrogen-dependent pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma possibly by DDC interaction with AR to enhance steroid receptor transcription.High expression of these genes in estrogen-dependent endometrial carcinoma may provide insights into their roles in the pathogenesis and prognosis of this malignancy.

To explore an effective method for detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical cancer tissue.HPV L1 gene fragment in cervical cancer tissue was amplified by HPV-specific PCR with consensus primers, and typing of the HPV strains was performed on the basis of sequence analysis of the PCR product.The positivity rates of HPV DNA was 78% in the 50 cases of cervical cancer, and mixed infection with HPV16 and HPV18 strains was the most common, which accounted for 48% on the total infections. Infection with HPV58 was detected in one case. The sequencing results showed no difference in L1 sequence between the detected samples and the standard German HPV58 strain.PCR and direct sequencing approach is effective for detecting and typing of HPV DNA in cervical cancer tissue, through which rare HPV strain or mutants of known HPV strains may not escape detection.