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Tumor microenvironment (TME) responsive polymeric micelles are promising carriers for drug delivery. In order to meet the needs of various applications, multifarious TME-responsive switches are used to construct smart polymeric micelles, which causes the complexity and corpulence of the polymeric micelle system and increases the difficulty of preparation. In this study, we designed and synthesized an ingenious TME-responsive switch through grafting disulfide bond-modified piperidinepropionic acid (CPA) on copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(aspartate)(PEG-b-PAsp) and built a novel pH/reduction-responsive PEG-b-PAsp-g-CPA polymeric micelle delivery system. The CPA-pendants can reverse the surface charge of the polymeric micelle from negative to positive at pH 6.5 because of the protonation of piperidine groups, thereby enhancing the internalization of cell. Subsequently, more piperidine groups are protonated at pH 5.0 which will increase the hydrophilicity of polymeric micelles and cause the hydrophobic core to swell, thus making the disulfide bonds packed in the core to be more easily broken by GSH. With the synergistic effect of the pH-triggered protonation of piperidine groups and reduction triggered break of disulfide bonds, the polymeric micelles will disintegrate and achieve efficient intracellular drug release. The TME-responsive polymeric micelles exhibited good biological safety, enhanced internalization, and rapid intracellular doxorubicin (DOX) release in vitro. Moreover, the PEG-b-PAsp-g-CPA/DOX polymeric micelles showed excellent antitumor efficacy and low systemic toxicity in lung tumor-bearing BALB/C mice. These results indicated that the novel integrated TME-responsive switch CPA helps the PEG-b-PAsp-g-CPA polymeric micelles to obtain excellent TME-responsiveness and antitumor drug delivery capabilities, while it also makes the preparation of TME-responsive polymeric micelles simpler and more convenient. This work provides a new idea for the architecture of TME-responsive polymeric micelles.

Hematologic malignancies (HM) start in blood forming tissue or in the cells of the immune system. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) regulate cell cycle progression, and some of them control cellular transcription. CDK inhibition can trigger apoptosis and could be particularly useful in hematological malignancies. Herein, we describe our efforts toward the discovery of a novel series of quinazoline derivatives as CDK inhibitors. Intensive structural modifications lead to the identification of compound 37d as the most active inhibitors of CDKs 1, 2, 4, 8 and 9 with balancing potency and selectivity against CDKs. Further biological studies revealed that compound 37d can arrest the cell cycle and induce apoptosis via activating PARP and caspase 3. More importantly, compound 37d showed good antitumor efficacy in multiple HM mice xenograft models with no obvious toxicity. These results indicated that CDK 1, 2, 4, 8, and 9 inhibitors could be potentially used to treat certain hematologic malignancies.

Metal-containing nanomaterials have attracted substantial research efforts due to their rich compositional and structural diversity as well as the broad possible applications. However, the most metal-containing nanomaterials are normally only used as new delivery vehicles in the field of biomedicine but do not possess biologically activity by itself. Herein, we modified dendritic polyethylene glycol on one folate-nickel nanotube to fabricate a new-type of metal-containing nanotube PEG-FA-Ni NTs. We found PEG-FA-Ni NTs have exhibited excellent in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity comparable to the positive drugs doxorubicin and cisplatin. Meanwhile, this study indicates that the PEG-FA-Ni NTs may achieve more optimal anti-tumor effects by damaging DNA, blocking cell cycle and ultimately inducing apoptosis. All the results showed that PEG-FA-Ni NTs could be a potent nanomedicine for the further development and application on cancer therapy.

Secondary mutations of FLT3 have become the main mechanism of FLT3 inhibitor resistance that presents a significant clinical challenge. Herein, a series of pyrazole-3-amine derivatives were synthesized and optimized to overcome the common secondary resistance mutations of FLT3. The structure-activity relationship and molecular dynamics simulation studies illustrated that the ribose region of FLT3 could be occupied to help address the obstacle of secondary mutations. Among those derivatives, compound 67 exhibited potent and selective inhibitory activities against FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and possessed equivalent potency against transformed BaF3 cells with a variety of secondary mutations. Besides, cellular mechanism assays demonstrated that 67 strongly inhibited phosphorylation of FLT3 and its downstream signaling factors, as well as induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MV4-11 cells. In the MV4-11 xenograft models, 67 exhibited potent antitumor potency without obvious toxicity. Taken together, these results demonstrated that 67 might be a drug candidate for the treatment of FLT3-ITD-positive AML.

Hematologic malignancies (HM) start in blood forming tissue or in the cells of the immune system. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) regulate cell cycle progression, and some of them control cellular transcription. CDK inhibition can trigger apoptosis and could be particularly useful in hematological malignancies. Herein, we describe our efforts toward the discovery of a novel series of quinazoline derivatives as CDK inhibitors. Intensive structural modifications lead to the identification of compound

Objective: In the current study, we aimed to provide a clear insight on the racial disparity of breast conserving rate (BCR) and survival in breast cancer after breast conserving surgery (BCS). Materials and Methods: Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (SEER), we estimated breast cancer incidence rates and the rate of BCS by race in two periods (2000-2004 and 2013-2017). Relative survival analysis was based on patient-level data from 1998 to 2017. To be adjusted for baseline differences for different races, inverse probability weighting (IPW) models were stepwise performed.Results: From 2000-2004 to 2013-2017, both the breast cancer incidence (from 4.18 to 5.05 per 1000 white women) and the proportion of patients after BCS (from 55.5% to 59.9) were highest in whites than that of other races. Black individuals’ incidence (1.20 per 1000 black women or relatives 43.6% increased) and the BCR were increased most rapidly (6%) than other races. Asian or Pacific Islanders (APIs) were less likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and had the best prognosis than those of other races. After baselines fully adjusted, whites had the better Breast Cancer Specific Survival (BCSS) and Overall Survival (OS) than that of minorities (all p< 0.001).Conclusions: We identified the racial disparities of breast cancer incidence, BCR, and survival differences. We found increase trends of breast cancer incidence and BCR in minorities; however, we also identified the worse survival of minorities than that of whites, regardless of age, tumor stage, grade, and Luminal subtype.

Reported here is a novel photoinduced strategy for the borylation of aryl sulfonium salts using bis(pinacolato)diboron as the boron source. This method exploits redox-neutral aryl sulfoniums to gain access to aryl radicals via C-S bond activation upon photoexcitation under transition-metal-free conditions. Therefore, it grants access to diverse arylboronate esters with good performance from easily available aryl sulfoniums accompanied by mild conditions, operational simplicity, and easy scalability.

As an effective target in abnormal angiogenesis-related tumor treatment, VEGFR-2 has small-molecule inhibitors of various scaffolds being approved for treating diseases such as renal carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, etc. However, endogenous and acquired drug resistance are still considered to be the main contributors for the failure of VEGFR-2 clinical candidates. Therefore, development of novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors is still urgently needed in the market but also challenging. In this work, residues including Asp1046, Ile1025, HIS1026, Cys919 and Lys868 were identified as the most important residues for Hbonded interaction, while His1026, Asp1046, Glu885, Ile1025 and Leu840 exhibited critical role for the nonbonded interactions through a comprehensive analysis of protein-ligand interactions, which plays critical roles in the binding of compounds and targets. Guided by the analysis of binding interactions, a total of 10 novel VEGFR-2 inhibitors based on

Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a transcriptional regulator and a potential therapeutic target in hematologic malignancies. Selective and transient CDK9 inhibition reduces Mcl-1 expression and induces apoptosis in Mcl-1-dependent tumor cells for survival. Here, we describe our efforts to discover a novel series of 2H-benzo[b][1,4]oxazin-3(4H)-one as CDK9 inhibitors. Compound 32k was identified as a selective CDK9 inhibitor with short pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties suitable for intravenous administration. Short-term treatment with 32k resulted in a rapid dose-dependent decrease in cellular p-Ser2-RNAPII, Mcl-1 and c-Myc, leading to apoptosis in the MV4-11 cell line. Correspondingly, significant in vivo antitumor efficacy was observed in xenograft models derived from multiple hematological tumors with intermittent 32k dosing. These results provide evidence that selective transient CDK9 inhibitors could be used for the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

As epigenetic readers, bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family proteins bind to acetylated-lysine residues in histones and recruit protein complexes to promote transcription initiation and elongation. Inhibition of BET bromodomains by small molecule inhibitors has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer. Herein, we describe our efforts toward the discovery of a novel series of 1-(5-(1H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-yl)-2,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)ethan-1-one derivatives as BET inhibitors. Intensive structural modifications led to the identification of compound 35f as the most active inhibitor of BET BRD4 with selectivity against BET family proteins. Further biological studies revealed that compound 35f can arrest the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induce apoptosis via decreasing the expression of c-Myc and other proteins related to cell cycle and apoptosis. More importantly, compound 35f showed favorable pharmacokinetic properties and antitumor efficacy in MV4-11 mouse xenograft model with acceptable tolerability. These results indicated that BET inhibitors could be potentially used to treat hematologic malignancies and some solid tumors.

Specific inhibition of CDK9 is considered a promising strategy for developing effective anticancer therapeutics. However, most of the reported CDK9 inhibitors are still at an early stage of development and lack selectivity against other CDKs. Herein, we discovered coumarin derivative 30i as a potent CDK9 inhibitor with high selectivity (8300-fold over CDK7). Binding mode analysis illustrated that the substituent coumarin moiety is a critical group for CDK9 selectivity by occupying a flexible hinge/αD region, which is sterically hindered in other CDKs. Compound 30i showed excellent cellular antiproliferative activity, moderate pharmacokinetic property and low hERG inhibition. Moreover, 30i significantly induced tumour growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner without causing an obvious loss of body weight in an MV4-11 xenograft mice model. Altogether, these results suggest that 30i may serve as a potential acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) therapeutics by selectively targeting CDK9.

A new class of urea-based benzamides derivatives were designed and synthesized as histone deacetylases inhibitors. Biological evaluations of these compounds included the inhibitory activity of histone deacetylases1 and cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines in vitro. Most compounds exhibited potential histone deacetylases inhibitory activity and antitumor activities. Compound 5h behaved as potent histone deacetylases1 inhibitor (IC50 = 0.182 μM) and showed comparable cytotoxicity with MS-275, which could be considered as a potential candidate compound for further development.

Simutaneous targeting all Raf isoforms offers the prospect of enhanced efficacy as well as reduced potential for resistance. Described herein is the discovery and characterization of a series of pyrimidine scaffold with DFG-out conformation as potent Pan-Raf inhibitors. Among them, I-41 with excellent Pan-Raf potency demonstrates inhibitory activity against BRafWT phenotypic melanoma and BRafV600E phenotypic colon cells. The western blot results for the Erk inhibition in human melanoma SK-Mel-2 cell lines showed I-41 inhibited the proliferation of SK-Mel-2 cell lines without paradoxical activation of Erk, which supported I-41 may become a good candidate compound to overcome the resistance of melanoma against the current BRafV600E inhibitor therapy. I-41 also have a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in rat. Synthesis, SAR, lead selection, and evaluation of the key compounds studies are described.

β-Functionalization of indolin-2-one-derived aliphatic acids has been applied in formal [3 + 2] annualtions for catalyst-free and divergent synthesis of two series of structurally interesting 3,3'-spirooxindole γ-butyrolactones that may be attractive for potential drug discovery. These findings also pave the way for further diversity-oriented synthesis of spirooxindoles starting from indolin-2-one-derived aliphatic acids or their derivatives.

Selective BRafV600E inhibitors with DFG-in conformation have been proven effective against a subset of melanoma. However, representative inhibitor vemurafenib rapidly acquires resistance in the BRafWT cells through a CRaf or BRafWT dependent manner. Simultaneous targeting of all subtypes of Raf proteins offers the prospect of enhanced efficacy as well as reduced potential for acquired resistance. Herein, we describe the design and characterization of a series of compounds I-01-I-22, based on a pyrimidine scaffold with DFG-out conformation as Pan-Raf inhibitors. Among them, I-15 binds to all Raf protomers with IC50 values of 12.6 nM (BRafV600E), 30.1 nM (ARaf), 19.7 nM (BRafWT) and 17.5 nM (CRaf) and demonstrates cellular activity against BRafWT phenotypic melanoma and BRafV600E phenotypic colorectal cancer cells. The western blot results for the P-Erk inhibition in human melanoma SK-Mel-2 cell line showed that I-15 inhibited the proliferation of the SK-Mel-2 cell line at concentrations as low as 400 nM, without paradoxical activation of Erk as vemurafenib, which supported that I-15 may become a good candidate compound to overcome the resistance of melanoma induced by vemurafenib. I-15 also has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in rats. Rational design, synthesis, SAR, lead selection and evaluation of the key compounds studied are described.

A general and simple synthesis of 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyridines and fused pyridine-2-ones from bromoacetic acid is developed via a DMAP-promoted in situ activation strategy. In this protocol, readily accessible bromoacetic acid has been effectively employed as a 2C synthon to undergo formal [2+4] cycloadditions with diverse acyclic and cyclic 1-azadienes. Low costs of the reagents and materials, mild reaction conditions and broad functional-group tolerance make this protocol applicable for practical and scalable synthesis.

Kinase insert Domain-containing Receptor (KDR) is one of the currently validated targets for anticancer drug discovery and development. Herein, a series of o-amino-arylurea derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their kinase inhibitory activity. The optimization on the basis of biological screening and molecular modeling resulted in obvious increase in KDR kinase inhibitory activity compared with the hit compound. Eventually, we identified a potent inhibitor 5a of 1-(4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-(2-((quinolin-4-ylmethyl) amino)pyridin-3-yl)urea scaffold against KDR (IC50 = 0.0689 µM), which can serve as good starting point for further KDR inhibitor optimization and development.

Despite various applications of kinase inhibitors in oncology and inflammatory diseases, the emergence of resistance still remains the major barrier to achieve long-term remission in cancer treatment. With the aim of overcoming the resistance induced by type IIB BRaf V600E selective inhibitor vemurafenib, and further ameliorating the antiproliferative activity, a novel type IIA Pan-Raf inhibitors Ia–Io based on pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyrimidine scaffold were designed and evaluated in this work. Herein, we tried to improve the cellular potency of the target compounds by increasing their solubility. Among them, Il, with the solubility of 0.107 mg/mL, demonstrated favorable cellular activity against vemurafenib-resistant carcinoma cells including BRafWT phenotypic melanoma SK-MEL-2 and BRafV600E phenotypic colorectal cancer HT-29 cell lines. Based on the well solubility, Il exhibited good metabolic stability compared to sorafenib and showed favorable pharmacokinetic profiles in rats. As for the biological mechanism research, Il had the similar P-ERK kinase inhibitory activity in A375 and SK-Mel-2 cells as our previously lead P-2. Il may become a good candidate compound to overcome the resistance associated with vemurafenib.

A novel synthetic method to access fused indolin-3-ones with a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter has been developed via NHC-catalyzed umpolung formal [3+3] cycloaddtion of enals with isatogens. This methodology could be also applied for the quick construction of the 6-5-5 tricyclic pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole skeleton which is frequently found as a core structure of many indole alkaloids.

A novel synthetic approach to functionalized indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidines is developed via an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed annulation of cyclic β-enamino esters 1 with enals 2. This methodology offers a pathway for quick and efficient construction of an indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidine skeleton which is a core structure of many natural products with diverse bioactivities.

By combining the scaffolds of UI-125 and Sorafenib, a series of bis-aryl ureas and amides based on 2-amino-3-purinylpyridine moiety were designed and synthesized as novel DFG-out B-Raf(V600E) inhibitors. Among them, 20c-e, 20g and 21h displayed potent antiproliferative activities against melanoma A375 (B-Raf(V600E)) cell lines with IC50 values of 3.190, 2.276, 1.856, 1.632 μM and 1.839 μM, respectively, comparable with the positive control Vemurafenib (IC50 = 3.32 μM). Selected compounds were tested for the ERK inhibition in human melanoma A375 (B-Raf(V600E)) and SK-MEL-2 (B-Raf(WT)) cell lines by Western blot. The results revealed that our compounds inhibited the proliferation of melanoma A375 cells (B-Raf(V600E)) through ERK pathway, without paradoxical activation of ERK in melanoma SK-MEL-2 cells (B-Raf(WT)). Eventually, 20g and 21h were selected to confirm their inhibitory effects on tumor growth in A375 xenograft models in mice. Compound 20g exhibited equivalent antitumor efficacy in vivo (T/C = 44.37%), compared to Sorafenib (T/C = 37.35%), by 23-day repetitive administration of a single dose of 50 mg/kg without significant body weight loss.

While selective BRafV600E inhibitors have been proven effective clinically, acquired resistance rapidly develops through reactivation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Simultaneous targeting of multiple nodes in the pathway offers the prospect of enhanced efficacy as well as reduced potential for acquired resistance. Replacement pyridine group of Y-1 by a cyclopropyl formamide group afforded I-01 as a novel multitargeted kinase inhibitor template. I-01 displayed enzyme potency against Pan-Raf and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Based on the binding mode of I-01, analogues I-02–I-18 were designed and synthesized. The most promising compound I-16 potently inhibits all subtypes of Rafs with IC50 values of 3.49 (BRafV600E), 8.86 (ARaf), 5.78 (BRafWT), and 1.65 nM (CRaf), respectively. I-16 not only exhibit comparable antiproliferative activities with positive control compounds against HepG2, SW579, MV4-11, and COLO205 cell lines, but also suppress the proliferation of melanoma SK-MEL-2...

A series of novel indole derivatives were designed and synthesized and their inhibitory activity against B-Raf and HepG2 cell were also described. Among them, compounds 7a and 7b exhibited excellent potency, which showed the potential for further research as lead compounds.

Alkynyl acylammoniums generated in situ from alkynyl acids are first used as electrophilic 3C synthons in a formal [3 + 3] annulation with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds for regioselective synthesis of functionalized 4H-pyran-4-ones via a 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine/Lewis acid dual-activation strategy. This protocol paves the way for further investigation of alkynyl acylammoniums as 3C synthons for construction of diverse heterocyclic skeletons.

A series of 1-(2-aminophenyl)-3-arylurea novel derivatives were synthesized and evaluated against Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) kinase. Most of the compounds exhibited inhibitory activity against EphA2 and HDAC. The antiproliferative activities were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) (thiazolyl blue, tetrazolium blue) against the human cancer cell lines HCT116, K562 and MCF7. Compounds 5a and b showed the most potent inhibitory activity against EphA2 and HDAC. However, compound 5b exhibited higher potency against HCT116 (IC50=5.29 µM) and MCF7 (IC50=7.42 µM). 1-(2-Aminophenyl)-3-arylurea analogues may serve as new EphA2-HDAC dual inhibitors.

Spiro and fused indoles are attractive heterocyclic compounds with broad and promising activities in various therapeutic fields, and thus, have become the synthetic targets of organic chemists. In this account, we describe our recent progress in the synthesis of a series of spiro and fused indole derivatives through N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed annulations of diverse NHC-bound intermediates derived from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. Particularly, the novel synthesized isatin-derived α-bromoenals may be used as versatile 1,3-biselectrophile synthons for combination with a range of bisnucleophiles for potentially divergent syntheses of skeletally diverse spirooxindoles in the future.

A stereoselective synthetic approach to spirooxindole γ-butyrolactams is developed via N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed formal [3 + 2] annulation of α-bromoenals with 3-aminooxindoles. An enantioselective variant of this methodology is also investigated resulting in good substrate tolerance and high enantioselectivities.

Spiro and fused indoles are attractive heterocyclic compounds with broad and promising activities in various therapeutic fields, and thus, have become the synthetic targets of organic chemists. In this account, we describe our recent progress in the synthesis of a series of spiro and fused indole derivatives through N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed annulations of diverse NHC-bound intermediates derived from α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. Particularly, the novel synthesized isatin-derived α-bromoenals may be used as versatile 1,3-biselectrophile synthons for combination with a range of bisnucleophiles for potentially divergent syntheses of skeletally diverse spirooxindoles in the future.

β-Carboline family of compounds is a large group of alkaloids widely distributed in nature and exhibits broad-spectrum anti-tumor activities. We designed and synthesized two series of novel 1-carboxamide- and 6-sulfonamide-substituted β-carboline derivatives 7a–p and 12a–b, and their wild type B-Raf kinase inhibitory activities were described. Most compounds showed moderate to excellent inhibitory activities. Among them, 1-carboxamide-6-(N-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)-sulfamoyl)-β-carboline, 7e exhibited potent activity (IC50 = 1.62 μM), showing the potential for further investigation as a lead compound.

A facile and efficient one-pot synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 3-amino-2-pyridone derivatives via three-component reactions of readily available alkynyl aldehydes, amines, and ethyl 2-((diphenylmethylene)amino)acetate has been developed. The alkynyl aldehyde substrates and the amine partners can be flexibly varied to achieve a range of 3-amino-2-pyridone derivatives, which could exert interesting chemical and biological properties. The reaction mechanism for the formation of 3-amino-2-pyridone derivatives is briefly explained.

A new and stereoselective synthetic approach to spirooxindole 4H-pran-2-one derivatives with three contiguous stereogenic centers has been developed via an NHC-catalyzed three-component domino reaction of alkynyl aldehydes with oxindoles. The reaction proceeds smoothly in good yields with good to high diastereoselectivities. These novel heterocyclic spirooxindoles may provide promising candidates for drug discovery. Additionally, a possible mechanism for the entire reaction sequence is proposed.

A convenient assembly of polysubstituted 2-amino-4,5-dihydrofuran-3-nitriles from a tandem Michael addition/cyclization reaction between benzoins and arylidenemalononitriles is described. The products are also obtained from readily available benzaldehydes via a sequential N-heterocyclic carbene–catalyzed benzoin condensation and Michael addition/cyclization process in a one-pot tandem procedure.

Injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve often leads to permanent vocal cord paralysis, which has a significant negative impact on the quality of life. Long-term denervation can induce laryngeal muscle fibrosis, which obstructs the muscle recovery after laryngeal reinnervation. However, the mechanisms of fibrosis remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to analyze the changes in the expression of fibrosis-related factors, including transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in denervated skeletal muscles using a mouse model of accessory nerve transection. Because of the small size, we used sternocleidomastoid muscles instead of laryngeal muscles for denervation experiments. Masson's trichrome staining showed that the grade of atrophy and fibrosis of muscles became more severe with time, but showed a plateau at 4 weeks after denervation, followed by a slow decrease. Quantitative assessment and immunohistochemistry showed that TGF-β1 expression peaked at 1 week after denervation (p0.05) and was maintained at its high level until 4 weeks. CTGF- and α-SMA-positive muscle cells were detected at 1 week after denervation, peaked at 2 weeks (p0.05), and remained at high levels with a subsequent slight decrease for 3-4 weeks. These results suggest that TGF-β1 and CTGF may be involved in the process of denervated skeletal muscle fibrosis. They may induce the differentiation of myoblasts into myofibroblasts, as characterized by the activation of α-SMA. These findings may provide insights on key pathological processes in denervated skeletal muscle fibrosis and develop novel therapeutic strategies.

The N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed hydroacylation of isatins with aldehydes has been described. This process offers a highly efficient and atom-ecomonical access to 3-acyloxy-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-ones in good to excellent yields.

A mild and efficient one-pot reaction for the synthesis of 1-substituted β-carboline derivatives via the Minisci reaction has been developed with good yields and selectivity. In addition, the mechanism of the 1-substituted β-carboline derivatives by means of the nucleophilic radical is described.

A three dimensional (3D) chemical feature based pharmacophore model was developed for selective histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) inhibitors, which provides an efficient way to discuss the isoform selectivity of HDAC inhibitors. In contrast to the classical pan-HDAC pharmacophore, two hydrophobic features (HY and HYAr2) were found in the chemical feature based pharmacophore model, which might be responsible for the selectivity of HDAC1 inhibitions. Molecular docking also highlighted the two hydrophobic features, which are located in the internal cavity adjacent to the active site. The results contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the selectivity of HDAC1 inhibitors and suggest a possible target region to design novel selective HDAC1 inhibitors.

A mild and efficient process for the synthesis of 3-amino-2-pyrone derivatives has been developed. This approach is based on the Michael addition of N-(diphenylmethylene)glycinates to various alkynyl ketones, followed by lactonization using 10 mol% sodium hydroxide as catalyst. Aromatic and aliphatic alkynyl ketones were converted into the corresponding 3-amino-2-pyrone derivatives in moderate to high yields. When methyl propiolate was submitted to the reaction, α,β-dehydroamino acids were formed in good yields.

A stereoselective synthetic approach to spirooxindole γ-butyrolactams is developed via N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed formal [3 + 2] annulation of α-bromoenals with 3-aminooxindoles. An enantioselective variant of this methodology is also investigated resulting in good substrate tolerance and high enantioselectivities.

A novel approach for the quick and efficient construction of the indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidine skeleton, a core structure of many biologically active natural products, is developed.

A novel synthetic method to access fused indolin-3-ones with a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter has been developed via NHC-catalyzed umpolung formal [3+3] cycloaddtion of enals with isatogens. This methodology could be also applied for the quick construction of the 6-5-5 tricyclic pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole skeleton which is frequently found as a core structure of many indole alkaloids.

We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of postpathological characters in nonmetastatic breast cancer (NMBC) patients who received preoperative radiotherapy (PRT) followed by mastectomy (MAST). We conducted retrospective analyses using the data collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of the National Cancer Institute. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. Disease-specific survival was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier curve and validated by log rank test. The discriminations of independent risk factors and staging systems were compared by the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) and validated by Harrell concordance index (bootstrapping algorithm). Akaike information criterion (AIC) was applied to compare the difference of model. One thousand three hundred fifty NMBC patients who had received PRT followed by MAST from 1988 to 2013 were included in the study. We found the metastatic lymph node ratio (mLNR) staging was a superior indicator than pN staging. Thus, we proposed a T-lymph node ratio (T-NR) staging system with simplified-T categories (T0–3 and T4) and the mLNR staging. The novel T-NR staging system provided larger AUC (P = .024, .008, respectively) and the smaller AIC (P