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Total syntheses of the title prenylated indole alkaloids together with seven others are reported. Biogenetic considerations have been employed in devising the reaction sequences leading to these targets with, in the opening stages, electrochemically-derived indole-3-carboxaldehyde 15 being subject to an aldol-type condensation reaction involving diketopiperazine derivative 19 . This led, after prototopic shifts, intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition and hydrolysis/deprotection steps, to the racemic forms of the bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane-containing natural product stephacidin A ( 2 ) and its C6 epimer 3 . Epoxidation of the last compound afforded, following rearrangement of the primary oxidation products, a mixture of (±)-taichunamide A [(±)- 4 ] and (±)-versicolamide B [(±)- 7 ]. Related protocols allowed for the conversion of (±)-stephacidin A [(±)- 2 ] into (±)-notoamide B [(±)- 5 ]. Analogous aldol condensation, nucleophilic reduction, and epoxidation steps led to the formation of (-)-notoamide E and its conversion into notoamide C as well as the indole fragmentation product amoenamide E. A late-stage chlorination reaction applied to (±)-stephacidin A provided access to the spirocyclic oxindole (±)-notoamide N [(±)- 6 ].

The abnormal overexpression of FLT3 kinase is intimately associated with pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), positioning FLT3 inhibitors as pivotal therapeutic agents. Despite the availability of three FDA-approved FLT3 inhibitors, their clinical utility is hampered by resistance stemming from tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) mutations. Through an integrative analysis of case studies, we identified a potential advantage of type I FLT3 inhibitors in overcoming TKD mutation-induced resistance. Structure-activity relationships (SAR) analysis indicated that FW-1 exhibited over 50% inhibition against FLT3 at a concentration of 1 μM and demonstrated potent activity against AML cell lines MV4-11 (IC 50  = 2.68 μM) and MOLM-13 (IC 50  = 1.03 μM). In our cellular mechanistic studies, FW-1 also effectively induced apoptosis by arresting cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase. This study introduces FW-1 as a promising lead for type I FLT3 inhibitor, warranting further optimization., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Chirality plays a pivotal role across scientific disciplines with profound implications spanning light-matter interactions, molecular recognition, and natural evolutionary processes. This study delves into the active influence of molecular chirality on exciton energy transfer within photosynthetic protein complexes, focusing on the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex. Employing two-dimensional circular dichroism (2DCD) spectroscopy, we investigate the transient chiral dynamics of excitons during energy transfer processes within the FMO complex. Our approach, incorporating pulse information into population dynamics based on the third-order response function, facilitates the calculation of 2DCD spectra and dynamics. This enables the extraction of chiral contributions to excitonic energy transfer and the examination of electronic wave functions. We demonstrate that 2DCD spectra offer excitation energies that are better resolved than those from conventional two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy. These findings deepen our understanding of exciton energy transfer mechanisms in natural photosynthesis, emphasizing the potential of 2DCD spectroscopy as a powerful tool for unraveling the chiral contribution to exciton dynamics.

Background and Aims: The associations between dietary vitamin C (VC), vitamin E (VE) intake and aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) remain unclear. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the associations between dietary VC and VE with the incident risk of AAD., Methods and Results: A total of 139 477 participants of UK Biobank cohort were included in the analysis. Dietary VC and VE consumptions were acquired through a 24-h recall questionnaire. Cox proportional regression models were used to examine the associations between VC, VE intake and the risk of AAD. Incident AAD was ascertained through hospital inpatient records and death registers. During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, 962 incident AAD events were documented. Both dietary VC [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.77; 95 % confidence intervals (CI), 0.63-0.93; P-trend = 0.008] and VE (adjusted HR, 0.70; 95 % CI, 0.57-0.87; P-trend = 0.002) were inversely associated with incident AAD when comparing the participants in the highest quartile with those in the lowest. In subgroup analyses, the associations were more pronounced in participants who were over 60 years old, participants with smoking history, hypertension or hyperlipidemia, who were under the high risk of AAD., Conclusion: Higher dietary VC and VE intakes are associated with reduced risk of AAD. Our study emphasizes the importance of diet adjustment strategies targeted on VC and VE to lower the incidence rate of AAD especially in the high-risk population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The potential influence of tinnitus on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality has yet to be explored. We aim to examine the correlations between tinnitus and the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality., Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study utilising data from the UK Biobank. The presence of tinnitus was evaluated through a questionnaire. The primary outcome was defined as a composition of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and mortality from CVD, as well as all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to examine the associations between tinnitus and both the primary outcome and its individual components. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of the primary analysis., Results: A total of 140,146 participants were included in the study. The presence of tinnitus was found to be associated with a higher incident rate of the primary outcome (HR = 1.057, 95%CI: 1.017-1.099, p  = 0.005), MI (HR = 1.139, 95%CI: 1.061-1.222, p  < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.053, 95%CI: 1.003-1.105, p  = 0.038) after adjusting for confounders. However, there was no significant association between tinnitus and stroke or mortality from CVD. Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between tinnitus and the primary outcome was significant in females, participants with abnormal BMI, and those without hearing difficulty, depression or anxiety. Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results., Conclusion: The findings from this study contribute to the existing body of evidence suggesting an association between tinnitus and an increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.

Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) acts as a crucial transcription factor in Th17 cells and is involved in diverse autoimmune disorders. RORγ allosteric inhibitors have gained significant research focus as a novel strategy to inhibit RORγ transcriptional activity. Leveraging the high affinity and selectivity of RORγ allosteric inhibitor MRL-871 ( 1 ), this study presents the design, synthesis, and characterization of 11 allosteric fluorescent probes. Utilizing the preferred probe 12h , we established an efficient and cost-effective fluorescence polarization-based affinity assay for screening RORγ allosteric binders. By employing virtual screening in conjunction with this assay, 10 novel RORγ allosteric inhibitors were identified. The initial SAR studies focusing on the hit compound G381-0087 are also presented. The encouraging outcomes indicate that probe 12h possesses the potential to function as a powerful tool in facilitating the exploration of RORγ allosteric inhibitors and furthering understanding of RORγ function.

Background: Parvoviruses are icosahedral, nonenveloped viruses with single-stranded DNA genomes of approximately 5 kb in length. In recent years, parvoviruses have frequently mutated and expanded their host range to cause disease in many wild animals by altering their tissue tropism. Animal infection mainly results in acute enteritis and inflammation of other organs. In this study, we used a viral metagenomic method to detect a novel parvovirus species in a red-crowned crane that died due to severe diarrhea in China., Results: The presence of the viral genome in the kidney, lung, heart, liver, and intestine were confirmed by PCR. Histopathological examination of the intestine showed a large number of infiltrated inflammatory cells. The JL21/10 strain of the red-crowned crane parvovirus was first isolated from the intestine. Whole-genome sequence analysis showed that JL21/10 shared high identity with the red-crowned crane Parvovirinae strains yc-8 at the nucleotide level (96.61%). Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome and NS1 gene revealed that the JL21/10 strain clustered with strains in chicken and revealed a close genetic relationship with the red-crowned crane parvovirus strains.The complete of VP2 gene analysis showed that JL21/10 shared identity with the red-crowned crane yc-8 strains (97.7%), chicken (55.4%),ducks(31.0%) and geese(30.1%) at the amino acid level. The result showed that red-crowned crane parvovirus may be cross-species transmission to chicken. However, There is little possibility of transmission to ducks and geese., Conclusion: This is the first isolation and identification of a parvovirus in red-crowned crane that was associated with severe diarrhea., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. The pro-epileptic and antiepileptic roles of microglia have recently garnered significant attention. Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-M, an important kinase in the innate immune response, is mainly expressed in microglia and acts as a negative regulator of the TLR4 signaling pathway that mediates the anti-inflammatory effect. However, whether IRAK-M exerts a protective role in epileptogenesis as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these processes are yet to be elucidated. An epilepsy mouse model induced by pilocarpine was used in this study. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to analyze mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were employed to evaluate the glutamatergic synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence was utilized to show the glial cell activation and neuronal loss. Furthermore, the proportion of microglia was analyzed using flow cytometry. Seizure dynamics influenced the expression of IRAK-M. Its knockout dramatically exacerbated the seizures and the pathology in epilepsy and increased the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) expression, thereby enhancing glutamatergic synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice. Furthermore, IRAK-M deficiency augmented hippocampal neuronal loss via a possible mechanism of NMDAR-mediated excitotoxicity. IRAK-M deletion promotes microglia toward the M1 phenotype, which resulted in high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and was accompanied by a visible increase in the expressions of key microglial polarization-related proteins, including p-STAT1, TRAF6, and SOCS1. The findings demonstrate that IRAK-M dysfunction contributes to the progression of epilepsy by increasing M1 microglial polarization and glutamatergic synaptic transmission. This is possibly related to NMDARs, particularly Grin2A and Grin2B, which suggests that IRAK-M could serve as a novel therapeutic target for the direct alleviation of epilepsy., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Chirality has been considered as one of the key factors in the evolution of life in nature. It is important to uncover how chiral potentials of molecular systems play vital role in fundamental photochemical processes. Here, we investigate the role of chirality in photoinduced energy transfer in a model dimeric system, where the monomers are excitonically coupled. To observe transient chiral dynamics and energy transfer, we employ circularly polarized laser pulses in two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to construct the two-dimensional circular dichroism (2DCD) spectral maps. Tracking time-resolved peak magnitudes in 2DCD spectra allows one to identify chirality induced population dynamics. The dynamics of energy transfer is revealed by the time-resolved kinetics of cross peaks. However, the differential signal of 2DCD spectra shows the magnitude of cross peaks is dramatically reduced at initial waiting time, which indicates the weak chiral interactions between two monomers. The downhill energy transfer is resolved by presenting a strong magnitude of cross peak in 2DCD spectra after long waiting time. The chiral contribution towards coherent and incoherent energy-transfer pathways in the model dimer system is further examined via control of excitonic couplings between two monomers. Applications are made to study the energy-transfer process in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. Our work uncovers the potential of 2DCD spectroscopy to resolve the chiral-induced interactions and population transfers in excitonically coupled systems.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of low-dose atropine eyedrops on pupil metrics., Methods: This study was based on a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, and cross-over trial in mainland China. In phase 1, subjects received 0.01% atropine or placebo once nightly. After 1 year, the atropine group switched to placebo (atropine-placebo group), and the placebo group switched to atropine (placebo-atropine group). Ocular parameters were measured at the crossover time point (at the 12th month) and the 18th month., Results: Of 105 subjects who completed the study, 48 and 57 children were allocated into the atropine-placebo and placebo-atropine groups, respectively. After cessation, the photopic pupil diameter (PD) and mesopic PD both decreased (- 0.46 ± 0.47 mm, P < 0.001; - 0.30 ± 0.74 mm, P = 0.008), and the constriction ratio (CR, %) increased (4.39 ± 7.54, P < 0.001) compared with values at the crossover time point of the atropine-placebo group; pupil metrics of the atropine-placebo group had no difference from the values at the crossover time point of the placebo-atropine group. After 6 months of treatment, the photopic PD and the mesopic PD increased (0.54 ± 0.67 mm, P < 0.001; 0.53 ± 0.89 mm, P < 0.001), the CR (%) decreased (- 2.53 ± 8.64, P < 0.001) compared with values at the crossover time point of the placebo-atropine group. There was no significant relationship between pupil metrics and myopia progression during 0.01% atropine treatment., Conclusion: Pupil metrics and the CR could return to pre-atropine levels after cessation. Pupil metrics had no significant effect on myopia progression during treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Recent evidence suggests that human islet amyloid polypeptide (h-IAPP) accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and may interact with Aβ or microtubule associated protein tau to associate with the neurodegenerative process. Increasing evidence indicates a potential protective effect of h-IAPP against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in AD mouse models. However, a direct therapeutic effect of h-IAPP supplementation on tauopathy has not been established. Here, we found that long-term h-IAPP treatment attenuated tau hyperphosphorylation levels and induced neuroinflammation and oxidative damage, prevented synaptic loss and neuronal degeneration in the hippocampus, and alleviated behavioral deficits in P301S transgenic mice (a mouse model of tauopathy). Restoration of insulin sensitization, glucose/energy metabolism, and activated BDNF signaling also contributed to the underlying mechanisms. These findings suggest that seemly h-IAPP has promise for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders with tauopathy, such as AD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: To assess the effect of 0.01% atropine eye drops on intraocular pressure (IOP) in myopic children., Methods: A placebo-controlled, double-masked, randomized study. Totally 220 children aged 6 to 12y with myopia ranging from -1.00 to -6.00 D in both eyes were enrolled. Children were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either 0.01% atropine eye drops or a placebo group using generated random numbers. All participants underwent the examination of IOP and cycloplegic refraction at baseline, 6 and 12mo. The change of IOP and the proportion of subjects with increased IOP in atropine and placebo groups were compared., Results: Of 220 children, 117 were boys (53.2%). A total of 159 (72.3%) participants completed the follow-up at the 1-year study. At baseline, the mean IOP was 15.74 mm Hg (95%CI, 15.13 to 16.34 mm Hg) for the 0.01% atropine group and 15.59 mm Hg (95%CI, 15.00 to 16.19 mm Hg) for placebo group (mean difference, 0.14 mm Hg; P =0.743) after adjusting for central corneal thickness at baseline. At one year follow-up, the mean change of IOP was 0.16 mm Hg (95%CI, -0.43 to 0.76 mm Hg) for the 0.01% atropine group and -0.11 mm Hg (95%CI, -0.71 to 0.50 mm Hg) for placebo group (mean difference, 0.27 mm Hg; P =0.525) after adjusting for central corneal thickness. The 51.4% of children have increased IOP in the 0.01% atropine group, compared with 45.9% in the placebo group ( P =0.511)., Conclusion: The 0.01% atropine eye drops do not significantly affect the risk of elevated IOP. It is relatively safer to use in the studies that try to minimize myopia progression. However, a further long-duration study is required to be validated., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

This study aimed to investigate the expression of autophagy-related proteins in a mouse model of neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Mice were assigned to one of four groups: an animal experimental model group (NMO-EAE group, given with exogenous IL-17A), Interleukin-17 monoclonal antibody intervention group (NMO-EAE&#95;0IL17inb), No exogenous interleukin-17 enhanced immune intervention group (NMO-EAE&#95;0IL17), and a control group. Behavioral scores were assessed in each group, and the protein expressions of sequestosome 1 (P62), Beclin-1, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K-I), and LC3II/LC3I were detected using Western blotting. In the NMO-EAE&#95;0IL17 group, the expression of Beclin-1 decreased, the LC3II/LC3I ratio was lower, and the expressions of P62, mTOR, and PI3K-I increased; after administration of IL-17A inhibitor into the brain tissue, however, the expression of Beclin-1 increased significantly, along with the LC3II/LC3I ratio, while the expressions of P62, mTOR and PI3K-I protein decreased significantly. In terms of behavioral scores, the scores of optic neuritis and myelitis were more serious, onset occurred earlier and the progress was faster, after the administration of IL-17A. In the mechanism of NMO animal model, IL-17A may regulate autophagy and affect the disease process through the activation of the PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effects of PM 2.5 exposure at different stages of early life on the prefrontal cortex of offspring rats. Methods: Twelve pregnant SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group (CG), Maternal pregnancy exposure group (MG), Early postnatal exposure group (EP) and Perinatal period exposure group (PP), 3 rats in each group. The pregnant and offspring rats were exposed to clean air or 8-fold concentrated PM 2.5 . MG was exposed from gestational day (GD) 1 to GD21. EP was exposed from postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND21, and PP was exposed from GD1 to PND21. After exposure, the prefrontal cortex of 6 offspring rats in each group was analyzed. HE staining was used to observe the pathological damage in the prefrontal cortex. ELISA was employed to detect neuroinflammatory factors, and HPLC/MSC was applied to determine neurotransmitter content. Western blot and colorimetry were applied for detecting astrocyte markers and oxidative stress markers, respectively. Results: Compared with MG and CG, the pathological changes of prefrontal cortex in PP and EP were more obvious. Compared with MG and CG, the neuroinflammatory factors (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α) in PP and EP were increased significantly ( P ＜0.01), the level of MT were decreased significantly ( P ＜0.05), and the level of oxytocin (OT) showed a downward trend; the level of neurotransmitter ACh was also increased significantly ( P ＜0.01). Compared with MG and CG, the GFAP level of PP and EP showed an upward trend, the level of oxidative stress index SOD in PP and EP was decreased significantly ( P ＜0.01), and the level of ROS was increased significantly ( P ＜0.01). Compared with the offspring rats of CG and MG, the CAT level of PP was decreased significantly ( P ＜0.01, P ＜0.05). Compared with the offspring rats of CG, the CAT level of EP was decreased significantly ( P ＜0.05). There was no significant difference in IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, MT, OT, ACh, GFAP, SOD, ROS and CAT levels between PP and EP, or MG and CG. Conclusion: PM 2.5 exposure in early life has adverse effects on the prefrontal cortex of offspring male rats, and early birth exposure may be more sensitive.

A convenient enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-cyclobutastellettolide B via a strategy that involves a diastereoselective Johnson-Claisen rearrangement, a regioselective cyclopropoxytrimethylsilane ring-opening reaction, and a Norrish-Yang cyclization is described. The results of computational and experimental studies indicate that the regio- and stereoselectivity of the Norrish-Yang reaction are controlled by the C-H bond dissociation energy and restricted rotation of the C13-C14 bond.

The final phase of the total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A is described. A tungsten-mediated cyclopropene-based Pauson-Khand reaction was developed to form the spiral CD ring system with desired stereochemistry at the C13 quaternary center. Other important steps enabling completion of this synthesis included an intermolecular aldol condensation to link the ABCD core with the EF fragment and a Cu-mediated 1,4-addition to stereoselectively install the C21 stereogenic center. The chemistry developed for this total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A ( 1 ) will aid the synthesis of polycyclic natural products bearing this unique spiral ring system.

A concise and diastereoselective construction of the ABCD ring system of spirochensilide A is described. The key steps of this synthesis are a semipinacol rearrangement reaction to stereoselectively construct the AB ring system bearing two vicinal quaternary chiral centers and a Co-mediated Pauson-Khand reaction to form the spiro-based bicyclic CD ring system. This chemistry leads to the stereoselective synthesis of 13( R )-demethyl spirochensilide A, paving the way for the first asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A.

Acute alcoholism (AAI) is a common emergency. Currently, there is a lack of preventive and therapeutic drugs with superior safety and efficacy. Curcuma longa , Panax ginseng , Pueraria lobata , Pueraria flower, and Hovenia dulcis Thunb., which are the components of compound turmeric recipe (CTR), are, respectively, used in China as adjuvant therapeutic agents for AAI and alcoholic liver injury, respectively. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of traditional compound turmeric recipe in anti-inebriation treatment and to identify its underlying mechanisms. The mice were administered with CTR mixture, and ethanol was subsequently given to mice by gavage. The effects of CTR on the righting reflex, 24-hour survival, drunken behavior, blood ethanol concentration, and pathological changes of liver are depicted. The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were detected. Besides, the activities of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ), interleukin-8 (IL-8), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), cytochrome P450 (P450), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver and the levels of β -endorphin ( β -EP) and leucine enkephalin (LENK) in the brain were also measured. Our results demonstrated that CTR can increase the activities of ADH, ALDH, P450, and SOD and decrease the contents of TNF- α , IL-8, and MDA in the liver. In addition, it can decrease the activities of ALT, AST, and ALP in serum and β -EP and LENK activities in the brain. CTR showed effects on prevention of acute alcoholism, promoting wakefulness, and alleviating alcoholic liver injury, which were likely mediated by the above mechanisms., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Xian-ting Liang et al.)

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have various properties that make them promising candidates for stem cell-based therapies in clinical settings. These include self-renewal, multilineage differentiation, and immunoregulation. However, recent studies have confirmed that aging is a vital factor that limits their function and therapeutic properties as standardized clinical products. Understanding the features of senescence and exploration of cell rejuvenation methods are necessary to develop effective strategies that can overcome the shortage and instability of MSCs. This review will summarize the current knowledge on characteristics and functional changes of aged MSCs. Additionally, it will highlight cell rejuvenation strategies such as molecular regulation, non-coding RNA modifications, and microenvironment controls that may enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs in clinical settings., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this work., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

An asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-spirochensilide A has been achieved for the first time. The synthesis features a semipinacol rearrangement reaction to stereoselectively construct the two-vicinal quaternary chiral centers at C8 and C10, a tungsten-mediated cyclopropene-based Pauson-Khand reaction to install the C13 quaternary chiral center, and a furan-based oxidative cyclization to stereoselectively form the spiroketal motif.

A girl, aged 15 months, attended the hospital due to recurrent skin erythema, blisters, and desquamation for more than 7 months. Giemsa staining and immunohistochemical staining showed mast cell infiltration and degranulation. Hematoxylin staining showed spinous layer edema and blister formation under the epidermis, with a large amount of serous fluid and a small number of inflammatory cells in the blister. Marked edema was observed in the dermis, with diffused mononuclear cell infiltration. The girl was diagnosed with mastocytosis. Mastocytosis should be considered for children with recurrent skin erythema and blisters.

Objective: To investigate the methods of optometric refraction adopted for adolescents in spectacles stores in Anyang city of Henan Province and the professional performance of optometric refraction. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Maps and yellow pages were used to collect the information of 131 spectacles stores in Anyang city. A questionnaire was used to investigate spectacles stores that had optometry equipment and can provide refraction prescription and spectacles in this city. The questionnaire covered (1) the process of optometric refraction, including whether cycloplegic refraction was conducted for adolescents and children if it was their first-time optometry and the type of cycloplegics,and (2) the opticians' knowledge on optometric refraction for adolescents and children, such as necessity of cycloplegic refraction for adolescents and children and age cut-offs. According to whether they used a comprehensive refractometer, the optometry methods were divided into conventional optometry and medical optometry. Results: Of 131 spectacles stores in Anyang city, 127 were enrolled. A total of 127 questionnaires were distributed and returned with an effective rate of 100%. Conventional optometric refraction was performed in 53 stores (41.73%), and medical optometric refraction was performed in 74 stores (58.27%). Cycloplegic refraction was conducted in only 4 spectacles stores (3.15%) for adolescents and children upon their first-time optometry. The fogging method of refraction was adopted in 31 stores (24.41%), while optometric refraction was directly conducted in 92 stores (72.44%) without controlling accommodation. As for the use of cycloplegia at initial optometric refraction of children, cycloplegia was objected to in 4 stores,and thought to be no need in 28 stores including 6 stores in which the fogging method was used to replace cycloplegia. In 68 stores, cycloplegia was performed if wanted, or children could go to a hospital for it. In 12 stores, the use of cycloplegics was determined by children's vision and diopters. In 5 stores, children were suggested to go to a hospital for cycloplegic refraction. Cycloplegic refraction was required in only 4 stores. As to the age cut-offs of cycloplegic refraction, 6 years old, 12 years old, and 18 years old were considered as the boundary in 7 stores, 33 stores, and 9 stores, respectively.In 11 stores, age was only considered for amblyopia and hyperopia, and in 67 stores, it was not realized. Conclusions: Cycloplegic refraction was found to be conducted for adolescents and children in only 3% of the spectacles stores in Anyang city. Moreover, most of the spectacles store opticians did not support to use cycloplegia before optometric refraction for adolescents and children and lacked knowledge on the age cut-offs of cycloplegic refraction.Standardized training of cycloplegic refraction should be further strengthened. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55: 576-581) .

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most often diagnosed hematological malignant tumors in the Western world and a type of inert B‑cell lymphoma that commonly attacks the elderly. Small ubiquitin related modifier (SUMO)‑specific protease 2 (SENP2) can act as a suppressor in various types of cancer by regulating the stability of β‑catenin to affect the Notch signaling pathway; however, it has a low expression level in CLL cells. In this study, we firstly used western blot analysis and RT‑qPCR to detect the protein and mRNA expression levels of SENP2 in the peripheral blood of patients with CLL and healthy volunteers. Secondly, we overexpressed or knocked down the expression of SENP2 in CLL cells and then determined the cell invasive and chemotactic ability in a Transwell assay and chemotaxis assay. We examined the sensitivity of the cells to cytarabine and dexamethasone via a CCK‑8 assay and determined the cell apoptotic condition and the expression of the Notch signaling pathway using flow cytometry and western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that the patients with CLL had relatively low expression levels of SENP2. The overexpression of SENP2 in the CLL cells decreased their invasive and proliferative ability, as well as their chemotactic response and enhanced their sensitivity to cytarabine and dexamethasone, while it promoted cell apoptosis. The silencing of SENP2 in the CLL cells generally produced the opposite results. We thus hypothesized that the overexpression of SENP2 downregulated β‑catenin expression, thus inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway in CLL cells. Moreover, the nuclear factor (NF)‑κB signaling pathway was also regulated by the overexpression of SENP2. On the whole, the findings of this study indicate tha SENP2 can act as a tumor suppressor in CLL cells, and may thus prove to be a novel target for CLL treatment in clinical practice.

Fading and showing mechanisms of ancient color paintings based on light scattering induced by particles were proposed. To confirm the mechanisms, simulated and application experiments were carried out to restore an ancient blurred color painting. Loading TiO 2 particles (500-1000 nm) onto a piece of colored paper could result in blurring of the color of the paper, which is attributed to light scattering caused by air voids between the particles. Filling air voids with ionic liquid (a non-volatile solution with a high refractive index) could highlight the color by reducing scattering. These results were experimentally testified by the combination of a fluorescence probe and multi-angle reflectance spectra, in which scattering decreased the incident optical path in the painting layer while the incident optical path was increased by filling the air voids with ionic liquid. As a practical example, the proposed method was applied to highlight an ancient Chinese painting with blurred color. This investigation is very useful to restore faded color paintings., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The mechanism underlying the non-genomic action of progesterone in sperm functions and related Ca 2+ mobilisation remains elusive. Herein we report the expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor delta subunit (GABRD) in human and rodent sperm and its involvement in mediating the progesterone-induced acrosome reaction. GABRD was localised in the sperm head/neck region. A δ (392-422) -specific inhibitory peptide against GABRD blocked the progesterone-induced acrosome reaction and the associated increase in intracellular Ca 2+ . Similarly, an inhibitory effect against both progesterone-induced Ca 2+ influx and the acrosome reaction was observed with a P2X 2 receptor antagonist. The lack of synergism between the GABRD and P2X 2 inhibitors suggests that these two receptors are playing a role in the same pathway. Furthermore, a co-immunoprecipitation experiment demonstrated that GABRD could undergo protein-protein interactions with the Ca 2+ -conducting P2X 2 receptor. This interaction between the receptors could be reduced following progesterone (10μM) inducement. Significantly reduced GABRD expression was observed in spermatozoa from infertile patients with reduced acrosome reaction capacity, suggesting that normal expression of GABRD is critical for the sperm acrosome reaction and thus male fertility. The results of the present study indicate that GABRD represents a novel progesterone receptor or modulator in spermatozoa that is responsible for the progesterone-induced Ca 2+ influx required for the acrosome reaction through its interaction with the P2X 2 receptor.

Soybeans contain oil bodies (OBs) that encapsulate triacylglycerols (TAGs) with a phospholipid monolayer carrying scattered proteins. In nature, soybean OBs can form natural emulsions in aqueous media and may serve as natural, minimally processed, stable, and pre-emulsified oil for addition into appropriate food systems. In this study, OBs were obtained by aqueous extraction from the mature seeds of 2 soybean crop cultivars, high-fat soybean and low-fat soybeans. The compositions of the extracted OBs were analyzed during storage at room temperature up to 14 d (pH = 7). The oxidative stability of these OBs, stored at 60 °C, was evaluated by measuring the presence of primary (lipid hydroperoxides) and secondary lipid oxidation products (malondialdehyde) by determining the standard peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) value. During storage, the contents of unsaturated fatty acids, phospholipids, and tocopherols declined in both OBs, while their mean particle diameters (d 32 ) and ζ-potentials increased. The changes in PV and TBARS values exhibited a similar trend for both OBs, but the OBs from low-fat soybeans had significantly lower PV and higher TBARS values than the OBs from high-fat soybean cultivars (P < 0.05). Overall, the OBs from both soybean cultivars had good stability during storage., (© 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

A series of benzoates (or phenylacetates or cinnamates) - tacrine hybrids (7a-o) were designed, synthesized and evaluated as multi-potent anti-Alzheimer drug candidates. The screening results showed that most of them exhibited a significant ability to inhibit ChEs, certain selectivity for AChE over BuChE and strong potency inhibitory of self-induced β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation. All IC50 values of biological activity were at the nanomolar range. Especially, compound 7c displayed the greatest ability to inhibit AChE with an IC50 value of 5.63 nM and the highest selectivity with ratio of BuChE/AChE value of 64.6. Moreover, it also exhibited a potent inhibitory of Aβ aggregation with an IC50 value of 51.81 nM. A Lineweaver-Burk plot and molecular modeling study showed that compound 7c targeted both the CAS and PAS of ChEs. A structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the electron density of aromatic ring which was linked with tacrine through acetyl group played a significant role in determining the inhibitory activity., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The enantioselective synthesis of the fully functionalized BCDE tetracyclic ring system of propindilactone G (A) is reported. Several synthetic methods were developed and applied to achieve this goal, including: 1) an asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction in the presence of Hayashi's catalyst for the synthesis of optically pure key intermediate 3; 2) an intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction (PKR) for the stereoselective synthesis of the BCDE ring with an all-carbon chiral quaternary center at the C13 position by using the TMS-substituted acetylene as the substrate; and 3) Pd-catalyzed reductive hydrogenolysis for the stereoselective synthesis of the fully functionalized BCDE tetracyclic ring system. The chemistry developed herein provided a greater understanding of the total synthesis propindilactone G (A) and its analogues., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Two independent synthetic approaches were evaluated for the final phase of the asymmetric total synthesis of propindilactone G (1). The key steps that led to the completion of the asymmetric total synthesis included: 1) an intermolecular oxidative heterocoupling reaction of enolsilanes to link the core structure to the side chain; 2) an intermolecular Wittig reaction for the formation of the α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated ester; and 3) a regio- and stereoselective OsO4 -catalyzed dihydroxylation of an α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated enone, followed by an intramolecular lactonization reaction to afford the final product. These reactions enabled the synthesis of (+)-propindilactone G in only 20 steps. As a consequence of our synthetic studies, the structure of (+)-propindilactone G has been revised. Furthermore, the direct oxidative coupling strategy for ligation of the core of propindilactone G with its side chain may find application in the syntheses of other natural products and complex molecules., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this article, the mechanism of inheritance behind inherited hearing loss and genetic susceptibility in noise-induced hearing loss are reviewed. Conventional treatments for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), i.e. hearing aid and cochlear implant, are effective for some cases, but not without limitations. For example, they provide little benefit for patients of profound SNHL or neural hearing loss, especially when the hearing loss is in poor dynamic range and with low frequency resolution. We emphasize the most recent evidence-based treatment in this field, which includes gene therapy and allotransplantation of stem cells. Their promising results have shown that they might be options of treatment for profound SNHL and neural hearing loss. Although some treatments are still at the experimental stage, it is helpful to be aware of the novel therapies and endeavour to explore the feasibility of their clinical application.

A concise total synthesis of (+)-propindilactone G, a nortriterpenoid isolated from the stems of Schisandra propinqua var. propinqua, has been achieved for the first time. The key steps of the synthesis include an asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction, a Pauson-Khand reaction, a Pd-catalyzed reductive hydrogenolysis reaction, and an oxidative heterocoupling reaction. These reactions enabled the synthesis of (+)-propindilactone G in only 20 steps. As a consequence of our synthetic studies, the structure of (+)-propindilactone G has been revised.

By using a hierarchical equations-of-motion approach, we reproduce the two-dimensional electronic spectra of phycoerythrin 545 from Rhodomonas CS24 at ambient temperature (294 K). The simulated spectra are in agreement with the experimental results reported in Wong et al. (Nat. Chem. 2012, 4, 396). The evolutions of cross peaks for rephasing spectra and diagonal peaks for nonrephasing spectra have also been plotted. The peaks oscillate with the population times, with frequencies, phases, and amplitudes of the oscillating curves also being qualitatively consistent with the experimental results.

A framework for simulating electronic spectra from photon-echo experiments is constructed by using a numerical path integral technique. This method is non-Markovian and nonperturbative and, more importantly, is not limited by a fixed form of the spectral density functions of the environment. Next, a two-dimensional (2D) third-order electronic spectrum of a dimer system is simulated. The spectrum is in agreement with the experimental and theoretical results previously reported [for example, M. Khalil, N. Demirdöven, and A. Tokmakoff, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 047401 (2003)]. Finally, a 2D third-order electronic spectrum of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex is simulated by using the Debye, Ohmic, and Adolphs and Renger spectral density functions. It is shown that this method can clearly produce the spectral signatures of the FMO complex by using only the Adolphs and Renger spectral density function. Plots of the evolution of the diagonal and cross-peaks show that they are oscillating with the population time.

Objective: To explore the preparation of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules and evaluate its molluscicidal effect., Methods: The optimal formula was obtained by the selection of wetting agents, dispersants, adhesives and carriers. The molluscicidal effect of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules was measured by the spray methods in the laboratory and field., Results: The mixed 5% niclosamide ethanolamine, 0.2% sodium lauryl sulfate, and 1% alkylphenol sulfonic polyxyethylene ether sulfonate were crushed by gas flow, and then mixed with 93.7% quartz sand and 0.1% polyvinyl alcohol water solution, drying to 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules. The density, bulk density, and moisture of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules were 1.4 g/ml, 1.3 g/ml, and 2.4%, respectively, and the hot storage stability was qualified. Under the lab condition, the death rates of Oncomelania hupensis snails sprayed with 0.5 g/m2 (7 d) or 1.0 g/m2 (1 d) of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules were higher than 95%. In the field, the death rates of the snails sprayed with 0.5 g/m2 (7 d) or 1.0 g/m2 (1 d) were higher than 85%., Conclusion: There is a high molluscicidal effect of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules and it is suitable for field application.

Serum levels of soluble MHC class I-related chain A (sMICA) are related with the prognosis of various types of cancer; however, few studies on the prognostic value of sMICA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the relationship between sMICA levels and clinical features of advanced HCC, and we assessed the prognostic value of sMICA in advanced HCC. Furthermore, the relationship of serum sMICA levels and natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) expression on natural killer (NK) cells was also evaluated. We detected sMICA levels in the serum of 60 advanced HCC patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and measured expression levels of NKG2D on NK cells using flow cytometry. We found that serum sMICA levels in HCC patients were in the range of 0.10-6.21 ng/mL. Chi-square analyses showed that sMICA level was significantly related with only tumor size. Survival analysis showed that a high sMICA level was significantly related with poor prognosis among HCC patients. Multivariate analyses indicated that sMICA was an independent prognostic factor. In addition, the levels of CD56+NKG2D+ NK cells were within the range of 11.2%-55.4%, and correlation analyses indicated that sMICA level was negatively correlated with the level of NKG2D+ NK cells. Our results suggest that serum sMICA levels may be an independent prognostic factor for advanced HCC.

A proximity-dependent surface hybridization strategy is employed for designing a "signal-on" electrochemical DNAzyme biosensor. By taking advantage of the high sensitivity of the PDSH strategy, and by realizing the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction in a homogenous system with a unimolecular design, the proposed biosensor shows a very high sensitivity to target molecules.

It has been shown that bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) can interact with c-myelocytomatosis (c-Myc) oncoprotein in cancer. However, the role of BIN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not clear. In the present study, we investigated the expression and prognostic role of BIN1 in primary HCC and evaluated the function of BIN1 in hepatocarcinogenesis. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, we found significantly decreased expression of BIN1 in primary HCC tumor tissues (n = 42) compared with adjacent normal tissues and in HCC cell lines. Immunohistochemistry analysis also found decreased BIN1 expression in HCC tumor tissues (n = 117). In clinicopathological analysis, loss of BIN1 expression correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with differentiation scores and tumor size. Importantly, decreased expression of BIN1 in tumors was found to be closely associated with a poor prognosis, and we conclude that BIN1 was an independent prognostic factor in a multivariate analysis. In mechanistic studies, restoring BIN1 expression in BIN1-null HCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation and induced apoptosis of HCC cells. Furthermore, we found that BIN1 overexpression could significantly suppress the motility and invasion of HCC cells in vitro. Our results indicate that BIN1 may function as a potential tumor suppressor and serve as a novel prognostic marker in HCC patients. The BIN1 molecule might play an important role in tumor growth, cell motility and invasion. Modulation of BIN1 expression may lead to clinical applications of this critical molecule in the control of hepatocellular carcinoma as well as in early and effective diagnosis of this aggressive tumor.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas are the most important symbioses in terrestrial ecosystems and they enhance the plant defense against numerous soil-borne pathogenic fungi and nematodes. Two corn (Zea mays) varieties, Gaoyou-115 that is susceptible to sheath blight disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani and Yuenong-9 that is resistant, were used for mycorrhizal inoculation in this study. Pre-inoculation of susceptible Gaoyou-115 with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus mosseae significantly reduced the disease incidence and disease severity of sheath blight of corn. HPLC analysis showed that AMF inoculation led to significant increase in 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2 H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4 H)-one (DIMBOA) accumulation in the roots of both corn varieties and in leaves of resistant Yuenong-9. R. solani inoculation alone did not result in accumulation of DIMBOA in both roots and leaves of the two corn varieties. Our previous study showed that DIMBOA strongly inhibited mycelial growth of R. solani in vitro. Real-time PCR analysis showed that mycorrhizal inoculation itself did not affect the transcripts of most genes tested. However, pre-inoculation with G. mosseae induced strong responses of three defense-related genes PR2a, PAL, and AOS, as well as BX9, one of the key genes in DIMBOA biosynthesis pathway, in the leaves of corn plants of both Yuenong-9 and Gaoyou-115 after the pathogen attack. Induction of defense responses in pre-inoculated plants was much higher and quicker than that in non-inoculated plants upon R. solani infection. These results indicate that induction of accumulation of DIMBOA, an important phytoalexin in corn, and systemic defense responses by AMF, plays a vital role in enhanced disease resistance of mycorrhizal plants of corn against sheath blight. This study also suggests that priming is an important mechanism in mycorrhiza-induced resistance.

Background and Aim: Exportin 4 (XPO4) is a recently-discovered candidate tumor-suppressor gene identified in a liver cancer mouse model. To investigate the role of XPO4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis, we determined XPO4 expression and its correlation to prognosis in human primary HCC., Methods: The XPO4 mRNA transcription level in HCC cell lines and tissue samples were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). XPO4 protein expression in 123 primary HCC clinical surgical specimens were analyzed by immunohistochemical detection., Results: Real-time quantitative PCR showed a decrease in XPO4 expression in HCC cell lines BEL-7402, Hep-G2, and SK-hep1 compared to the normal liver cell line LO2. Decreased XPO4 mRNA was also found in the majority of tumor tissues compared with matched non-tumor liver tissues (P = 0.004). Immunohistochemical detection revealed that XPO4 expression was reduced in 51 of 123 (41.5%) tumor resection samples compared with adjunct non-tumor tissues. We also found XPO4 expression to be significantly correlated with tumor size (P = 0.045) and histopathological classification (P = 0.004). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the downregulation of XPO4 resulted in a significantly poor prognosis (P = 0.008, log-rank test), and multivariate Cox's analysis showed that XPO4 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of HCC patients (P = 0.013)., Conclusions: Our data suggest that XPO4 could be involved in the progression of human HCC and could serve as a potential target for gene therapy in the treatment of HCC., (© 2011 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

In this study, we characterized the intratumoral expression of IL-17 and CD8(+) TILs in gastric adenocarcinoma patients after resection and determined the correlation between the survival probability of gastric adenocarcinoma patients and the expression of IL-17 in tumor. Expression of IL-17 and CD8 was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and the prognostic effects of intratumoral IL-17 expression and CD8(+) TILs were evaluated by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Immunohistochemical detection revealed the presence of IL-17 and CD8(+) cells in gastric adenocarcinoma tissue samples (90.6%, 174 out of 192 patients and 96.9%, 186 out of 192 patients, respectively). We have also found that intratumoral IL-17 expression was significantly correlated with age (p=0.004) and that the number of CD8(+)TILs was significantly correlated with UICC staging (p=0.012) and the depth of tumor invasion (p=0.022). The five-year overall survival probability among patients intratumorally expressing higher levels of IL-17 was significantly better than those expressing lower levels of IL-17 (p=0.036). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses revealed that intratumoral IL-17 expression (HR: 0.521; 95% CI: 0.329-0.823; p=0.005) was an independent factor affecting the five-year overall survival probability. We conclude that low levels of intratumoral IL-17 expression may indicate poor prognosis in gastric adenocarcinoma patients.

In this paper, we investigate the non-markovian dynamics of a model to mimic the excitation energy transfer (EET) between chromophores in photosynthesis systems. The numerical path integral method is used. This method includes the non-Markovian effects of the environmental affects, and it does not need the perturbation approximation in solving the dynamics of systems of interest. It implies that the coherence helps the EET between chromophores through lasting the transfer time rather than enhancing the transfer rate of the EET. In particular, the non-markovian environment greatly increases the efficiency of the EET in the photosynthesis systems.

The choice of the tumor antigen preparation used for dendritic cell (DC) loading is important for optimizing DC vaccines. In the present study, we compared DCs pulsed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) total RNA or cell lysates for their capacity to activate T cells. We showed here that HCC total RNA pulsed-DCs induced effector T lymphocyte responses which showed higher killing ability to HCC cell lines, as well as higher frequency of IFN-γ producing of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells when compared with lysate pulsed-DCs. Both of RNA and lysate loading did not influence the changes of mature DC phenotype and the capacity of inducing T cell proliferation. However, HCC lysate loading significantly inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokines IL-12p70, IFN-γ and enhanced the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 of mature DCs. Our results indicated that DCs loaded with HCC RNA are superior to that loaded with lysate in priming anti-HCC CTL response, suggesting that total RNA may be a better choice for DCs-based HCC immunotherapy.

Aim: To determine the role of epidermal growth factor-like repeats and discoidin I-like domains 3 (EDIL3) in pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by investigating the EDIL3 expression in HCC and its prognostic value for HCC., Methods: EDIL3 expression was detected in 101 HCC surgical tissue samples with immunohistochemistry method, and its relation with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of HCC patients was analyzed., Results: EDIL3 was highly expressed in 48.5% of the HCC patients. Although the EDIL3 expression level did not correlate with any clinicopathological parameters, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high expression level of EDIL3 resulted in a significantly poor prognosis of HCC patients (log-rank test, P = 0.010). Multivariate Cox's analysis showed that the EDIL3 expression level was a significant and independent prognostic parameter for the overall survival rate of HCC patients (hazard ratio = 1.978, 95% confidence interval = 1.139-3.435, P = 0.015)., Conclusion: High expression level of EDIL3 predicts poor prognosis of HCC patients. EDIL3 may be a potential target of antiangiogenic therapy for HCC.

Immunotherapy, especially using dendritic cells (DCs)-based vaccine, appears promising in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following surgery. However, the therapeutic efficacy of current DC vaccines loaded with HCC antigen is limited in clinical practice. One important reason might be that the DC vaccines for the treatment of HCC were not aimed at targeting the hepatocellular carcinoma cancer stem cells (HCCCSCs). Therefore, establishing an immunotherapy to kill HCC stem cells could be a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, we have developed an immunotherapy to target CD133(+) HCC cells in the treatment of HCC. This study had three main findings; (1) CD133(+)HCC cells RNA loaded DCs could induce special CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD133(+)Huh7-CTLs) response against CD133(+) Huh7 cells in vitro. (2) Huh7 cells-induced tumor growth in vivo was effectively inhibited by CD133(+)Huh7-CTLs. (3) the great inhibition potential of CD133(+)Huh7-CTLs to Huh7-induced tumor growth might not be only associated with anti-tumor cytokines such as IFNγ, but also to CD133(+)Huh7-DCs induced specific CTLs. This study shows an experimental proof that CD133(+)HCC cells RNA loaded DC vaccine has potential in treating HCC and may provide a new therapy for clinical post operative adjuvant therapy in future.

Background and Objective: Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells and autologous dendritic cells-CIK (DC-CIK) cells co-cultured with autologous dendritic cells (DCs) and CIK cells are commonly used for immunotherapy recently. We compared the anti-tumor immune response of CIK cells, autologous DC-CIK cells, and semi-allogeneic DC-CIK cells to explore a more effective anti-tumor adoptive immunotherapy approach., Methods: Peripheral monocytes were isolated from patients with renal carcinoma, lung cancer, or maxillary squamous cell carcinoma and their healthy adult children. Isolated cells were cultured and induced as DCs and CIK cells in vitro. CIK cells from patients were co-cultured with autologous DCs and DCs from their children respectively, generating DC-CIK cells and semi-allogeneic DC-CIK cells. The anti-tumor activities of autologous CIK cells, autologous DC-CIK cells, and semi-allogeneic DC-CIK cells were measured by LDH assay. Intracellular staining was used to test the secretion of cytokines. Flow cytometry was applied for detecting the phonotype changes of these three types of cells. Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were detected by 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) and Annexin V/PI respectively., Results: Compared with autologous CIK cells and DC-CIK cells, semi-allogeneic DC-CIK cells significantly enhanced the anti-tumor activity and IFN-gamma secretion, reduced IL-4 secretion, increased the ratio of CD3(+)CD56(+) cells and CD3(+)CD8(+) cells, decreased the number of CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, promoted cell proliferation, and lessened cell apoptosis., Conclusions: Semi-allogeneic DC-CIK cells had a stronger anti-tumor effect than did autologous CIK cells and DC-CIK cells. Our results provided experimental evidence for clinical application of DC-CIK cells.

In this paper, we present a theoretical description to the quantum coherence and decoherence phenomena of energy transfer in photosynthesis observed in a recent experiment [Science 316, 1462 (2007)]. As a successive two-color laser pulses with selected frequencies cast on a sample of the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rb. sphaeroides two resonant excitations of electrons in chromophores can be generated. However, this effective two-level subsystem will interact with its protein environment and decoherence is inevitable. We describe this subsystem coupled with its environment as a dynamical spin-boson model. The non-Markovian decoherence dynamics is described using a quasiadiabatic propagator path integral (QUAPI) approach. With the photon-induced effective time-dependent level splitting energy and level flip coupling coefficient between the two excited states and the environment-induced non-Markovian decoherence dynamics, our theoretical result is in good agreement with the experimental data.