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Objectives Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignancy in the oral and maxillofacial regions with an increasing incidence rate. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a recently discovered long-chain non-coding RNA family member. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of circ_0068162 in OSCC development. Methods We downloaded sample data GSE145608 from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Online databases Starbase, TargetScan and miRDB were used to predict the target microRNAs (miRNAs) and genes. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using the CCK-8 and EdU assays, respectively. Cell migration and invasion abilities were detected using transwell assay. The double luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to verify the interaction relationship between the identified target molecules. RNase R and actinomycin D treatment were performed to analyze the stability of circ_0068162. Results We found that circ_0068162 was overexpressed in the cytoplasm of OSCC cells and clinical OSCC tissues. Knockdown of circ_0068162 inhibited the growth, migration and invasion of OSCC cells. We also identified miR-186 as the target miRNA of circ_0068162, and JAG1 and JAG2 as the target genes of miR-186. The miR-186 inhibitor rescued the effects of sh-circ_0068162 and JAG1/JAG2 overexpression rescued the effects of miR-186 mimic in OSCC cells. Furthermore, ESRP1 promoted the biosynthesis of circ_0068162. Conclusions The circ_0068162/miR-186/JAGs/ESRP1 feedback loop is closely related to OSCC development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: What are the main findings? In total, 14 core genes for vitamin D against MetS are obtained via enrichment analysis. Van der Waals forces are the main interactions to sustain vitamin D binding with targets. What is the implication of the main finding? Vitamin D could reduce triglycerides significantly and improve insulin resistance. Vitamin D might modulate the PPAR signaling pathway and inhibit bile secretion. As a dietary supplement or functional food additive, vitamin D (VD) deficiency may impact extra-skeletal functions associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors. However, the precise effects and mechanisms of VD supplementation on dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in MetS subjects remain controversial. Here, we investigate potential therapeutic targets, pathways and mechanisms of VD against MetS through a comprehensive strategy including meta-analysis, network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking, dynamics simulations, and quantum chemical calculations. Our results reveal that VD supplementation significantly reduces triglyceride levels, fasting glucose, and insulin concentrations in subjects, thereby improving insulin homeostasis to some extent. We theoretically identify 14 core MetS-associated targets. Notably, VD exhibits substantial interactions with three targets (PPARγ, FABP4, and HMGCR) in the PPAR signaling pathway, indicating that VD can modulate this pathway. Van der Waals forces predominantly stabilize the complexes formed between VD and the three targets. Nonetheless, to provide valuable insights for personalized MetS management, further research is necessary to confirm our findings, emphasizing the importance of exploring genetic variability in VD response. In conclusion, our study contributes insights into the mechanisms of VD in preventing and treating MetS through dietary supplementation, promoting the development of VD-based functional foods or nutritious diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography was prepared by covalently bonding a heteroatom-bridged cyclophane onto silica gel using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the coupling reagent. The structure of the new material was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The linear solvation energy relationship method was successfully employed to evaluate the new phase with a set of 25 solutes, and compared with octadecylsilyl and p- tert-butyl-calix[4]arene bonded stationary phases. The retention characteristics of the new phase are similar to the octadecylsilyl and conventional calixarene phases, and it also has distinctive features. In addition, the chromatographic behavior of the phase was illustrated by eluting alkylbenzenes and inorganic anions in the reversed-phase mode and anion-exchange mode, respectively. Thus, multi-interaction mechanisms and mixed-mode separation of the new phase can very likely guarantee its promising application in the analysis of complex samples. The column has been successfully employed for the analysis of triazines in milk, and it is demonstrated to be a competitive alternative analytical method for the determination of triazine herbicide residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection method, using tetraazacalix[2]arene[2]triazine-modified silica gel (NCS) as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent, was developed for extracting and purifying the two phytohormones (indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)) in chili and wheat samples from different organs of chili and wheat. The limits of detection were about 0.02 and 0.04 μg/mL, and the limits of quantification were 0.04 and 0.20 μg/mL for IAA and IBA, respectively. The intraday and interday RSDs (n = 6) of peak areas and retention times were in the range of 0.76-1.20%. In addition, overall recoveries through the extraction and NCS-SPE purification ranged from 78.4% to 86.8% for IAA and IBA were obtained. Compared with the commercial SPE sorbents, NCS featured excellent selectivity to retain IAA and IBA in the sample matrices. In addition, the results more clearly indicated that high IAA and IBA content existed in roots and leaves of wheat and chili; in other organs of the plants, the concentration of the two phytohormones is lower. The results from theoretical computation were consistent with the retention behaviors of IAA and IBA on NCS. The proposed NCS-SPE-HPLC method is highly effective for trace analysis of the two phytohormones in plant samples., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)