Investigation on the Efficiency of Chinese Herbal Injections combined with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Treating Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma based on Multidimensional Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

Introduction: Given the wide utilization of Chinese herbal injections in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), this network meta-analysis (NMA) was devised to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of different Chinese herbal injections combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) against NPC.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from seven electronic databases from the date of database establishment to October 5, 2020. Study selection and data extraction conformed to a priori criteria. Focusing on clinical effective rate, performance status, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, and thrombopenia, this NMA was performed with Review Manager 5.3.5, Stata 13.1, WinBUGS 1.4.3, and R 4.0.3 software.

Results: Ten inventions from 37 RCTs involving 2,581 participants with NPC that evaluated the clinical effective rate, nausea and vomiting, leukopenia, thrombopenia, and grade ≥3 oral mucositis were included. Compared with CCRT alone, Elemene injection and Compound Kushen injection were associated with significantly improved clinical effective rates, and Elemene injection plus CCRT had the highest probability in terms of clinical effective rate (78.07%) compared with the other interventions. Shenqifuzheng injection, Xiaoaiping injection, and Shenmai injection ranked the best in terms of performance status (79.02%), nausea and vomiting (86.35%), and grade ≥3 oral mucositis (78.14%) when combined with CCRT. Kangai injection combined with CCRT ranked ahead of the other injections in terms of leukopenia (90.80%) and thrombopenia (91.04%), and had a better impact on improving performance status and reducing leukopenia, thrombopenia, grade ≥3 oral mucositis, and nausea and vomiting in the multidimensional cluster analysis.

Conclusion: Current clinical evidence indicates that Elemene injection combined with CCRT has the best clinical effective rate and that Kangai injection might have a comprehensively better impact on improving performance status and reducing adverse reactions against NPC. Additionally, due to the limitations of this NMA, more multicenter, high-quality, and head-to-head RCTs are needed to properly support our findings.

Interactive effects of vitamins A and K3 on laying performance, egg quality, tibia attributes and antioxidative status of aged Roman Pink laying hens

Extending laying cycle is a tendency in hen breeding, but egg quality declines as laying hens age. The present study was conducted to investigate the interactive effects of vitamins A and K₃ on laying performance, egg and tibia quality, and antioxidative status of aged Roman Pink laying hens. In a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, 1 080 87-week-old laying hens were allocated to nine groups with eight replicates in each group. Deficient, adequate and excess vitamins A (0, 7 000 and 14 000 IU/kg) and K₃ (0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg) were supplemented into a basal diet with 1 320 IU/kg of vitamin A and 0.5 mg/kg of vitamin K₃. After 2 weeks of adaption to basal diet, hens were fed corresponding diets for 8 weeks. Vitamins A and K₃ did not significantly affect the laying performance. However, they showed interactive effects on yolk ratio at week 93 as well as tibia weight and diameter (P < 0.05), and hens fed deficient vitamins A and K₃ had the highest yolk ratio and tibia weight, but the lowest tibia diameter. Compared with deficient addition, adequate or excess vitamins A and K₃ increased yolk color at weeks 93 and 97 (P < 0.05). Compared with hens fed deficient or excess vitamins, hens fed adequate vitamins A and K₃ had higher eggshell strength at week 93 or 97 (P < 0.05). Increasing vitamin A elevated plasma total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity and decreased hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.05). Excess vitamin K₃ increased hepatic T-SOD activity (P < 0.05). Vitamins A and K₃ exhibited interaction on the activities of antioxidative enzymes in eggshell gland (P < 0.05), and adequate or excess vitamins A and K₃ increased the activities of GSH-Px, T-SOD and catalase (CAT). Adequate and excess vitamin A up-regulated the mRNA expression of GSH-Px1, GSH-Px3 and SOD1 in eggshell gland (P < 0.05). Vitamins A and K₃ showed interactive effects on CAT mRNA expression in eggshell gland (P < 0.05) and hens fed adequate vitamins A and K₃ had the highest CAT mRNA levels. In conclusion, dietary addition of vitamins A and K₃ improved the eggshell quality and yolk color as well as antioxidative status in eggshell gland of aged laying hens. Adequate vitamins A and K₃ showed beneficial effects and excess levels did not exhibit superior effects.

Identification of potential hub genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma via integrated bioinformatics analysis

Objective

The objective was to identify potential hub genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Gene expression profile datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC and normal samples were identified via an integrated analysis. A protein–protein interaction network was constructed and analyzed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software, and enrichment analyses were carried out through DAVID. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and Kaplan–Meier plotter were used to determine expression and prognostic values of hub genes.

Results

We identified 11 hub genes (CDK1, CCNB2, CDC20, CCNB1, TOP2A, CCNA2, MELK, PBK, TPX2, KIF20A, and AURKA) that might be closely related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of HCC. Enrichment analyses indicated that the DEGs were significantly enriched in metabolism-associated pathways, and hub genes and module 1 were highly associated with cell cycle pathway.

Conclusions

In this study, we identified key genes of HCC, which indicated directions for further research into diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that could facilitate targeted molecular therapy for HCC.

MiR-138-5p predicts negative prognosis and exhibits suppressive activities in hepatocellular carcinoma HCC by targeting FOXC1

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence verified that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the development of several cancers.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The levels of miR-138-5p and forkhead box c1 (FOXC1) were examined using quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, migration, and Transwell invasion assays were conducted to examine the impact of miR-138-5p on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The protein expression of FOXC1 was detected using Western blotting assay. The tumor growth of HCC cell in vivo was analyzed using transplanted tumor model. The expressions of FOXC1 and Ki67 in vivo were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay.

RESULTS

We testified that miR-138-5p was down-expressed in HCC and the low level of miR-138-5p was related to the poor clinical outcome of patient with HCC. Moreover, miR-138-5p repressed the growth and metastatic phenotypes of HCC cells. Consistent with the results in vitro investigations, we revealed that miR-138-5p served as a suppressive miRNA in the growth of HCC cell in vivo. By using the luciferase assay and immunoblotting, we validated that FOXC1 was a potential downstream gene of miR-138-5p. Finally, our results showed that re-expression of FOXC1 rescued the growth and metastatic-related traits of HCC cell inhibited by miR-138-5p.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, our observations imply that miR-138-5p restrains the aggressive phenotypes of HCC cell via modulating FOXC1.

The expressions of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and their effects on the biological functions of lung cancer A549 cells

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expressions of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and their effects on the biological functions of lung cancer A549 cells.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Samples of lung cancer tissue (55 cases) and pericarcinomatous tissue (55 cases) were collected in thoracic surgery in our hospital from May 2017 to November 2018. The expression levels of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues were detected by RT-PCR. Lung cancer cells A549 were transfected. Before transfection, the cells were divided into a negative control group (NC group, transfected with miRNA NC), a group transfected with miR-151a-5p inhibitor and a group transfected with miR-23b inhibitor. MTS Cell Proliferation Colorimetric Assay Kit (CCK8) was used to detect cell proliferation and draw the growth curve. Transwell chamber was used to detect the invasion ability in vitro, and BD flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in each group.

RESULTS

The expression levels of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b in lung cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in pericarcinomatous tissues (p<0.001). After 48 h to 72 h, the cell growth of both the miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and the miR-23b inhibitor group was significantly lower than that of the NC group (p<0.001). The numbers of invasion of miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and miR-23b inhibitor group were significantly lower than that of NC group (p<0.00). The apoptosis rates of miR-151a-5p inhibitor group and miR-23b inhibitor group were significantly higher than that of NC group (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both miR-151a-5p and miR-23b are highly expressed in lung cancer, and the inhibition of miR-151a-5p and miR-23b can restrain the proliferation, invasion and migration of lung cancer A549 cells, thereby promoting the apoptosis of lung cancer A549 cells.

A general MOF-intermediated synthesis of hollow CoFe-based trimetallic phosphides composed of ultrathin nanosheets for boosting water oxidation electrocatalysis

Engineering an electrode material for boosting reaction kinetics is highly desired for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the anodic half reaction, and is still a grand challenge for energy conversion technologies. By taking inspiration from the catalytic properties of transition metal phosphides (TMPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), we herein propose a general MOF-intermediated synthesis of a series of hollow CoFeM (M = Bi, Ni, Mn, Cu, Ce, and Zn) trimetallic phosphides composed of ultrathin nanosheets as advanced electrocatalysts for the OER. A dramatic improvement of electrocatalytic performance toward the OER is observed for hollow CoFeM trimetallic phosphides compared to bimetallic CoFe phosphides. Remarkably, composition-optimized CoFeBiP hollow microspheres could deliver superior electrocatalytic performance, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 with an overpotential of only 273 mV. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the Bi and P doping effectively optimizes the electronic structure of Co and Fe by charge redistribution, which significantly lowers the adsorption energy of oxygen intermediates. Moreover, the hollow microsphere structures composed of ultrathin nanosheets also enable them to provide rich surface active sites to boost the electrocatalytic OER.

Identification and analysis of key genes associated with acute myocardial infarction by integrated bioinformatics methods

BACKGROUND

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common disease leading threat to human health around the world. Here we aimed to explore new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in AMI through adopting integrated bioinformatics tools.

METHODS

The gene expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to obtain genes data of AMI and no-AMI whole blood. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using the "Limma" package in R 3.6.1 software. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed via "Bioconductor" and "GOplot" package in R 3.6.1 software. In order to screen hub DEGs, the STRING version 11.0 database, Cytoscape and molecular complex detection (MCODE) were applied. Correlation among the hub DEGs was evaluated using Pearson's correlation analysis.

RESULTS

By performing DEGs analysis, 289 upregulated and 62 downregulated DEGs were successfully identified from GSE66360, respectively. And they were mainly enriched in the terms of neutrophil activation, immune response, cytokine, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway. Based on the data of protein-protein interaction (PPI), the top 10 hub genes were ranked, including interleukin-8 (CXCL8), TNF, N-formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), growth-regulated alpha protein (CXCL1), transcription factor AP-1 (JUN), interleukin-1 beta (IL1B), platelet basic protein (PPBP), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and high affinity immunoglobulin epsilon receptor subunit gamma (FCER1G). What's more, the results of correlation analysis demonstrated that there was positive correlation between the 10 hub DEGs.

CONCLUSION

Ten DEGs were identified as potential candidate diagnostic biomarkers for patients with AMI in present study. However, further experiments are needed to confirm the functional pathways and hub genes associated with AMI.

Robust and High-Temperature-Resistant Nanofiber Membrane Separators for Li-Metal, Li-Sulfur, and Aqueous Li-Ion Batteries

Mechanically strong separators with good electrolyte wettability and low-shrinkage properties are desirable for highly efficient and safe lithium batteries. In this study, multifunctional nanofiber membranes are fabricated by electrospinning a homogeneous solution containing amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate-grafted siloxane and polyacrylonitrile. After the chemical cross-linking of siloxane, the prepared nanofiber membranes are found to exhibit good mechanical properties, high thermostability, and superior electrolyte-philicity with aqueous and nonaqueous electrolytes. Li-metal cells with the fabricated membrane separator exhibit high cycling stability (Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% after 1000 cycles). Moreover, improved cycling stability of Li-sulfur batteries can be achieved using these membrane separators. These membrane separators can be further used in flexible aqueous lithium-ion batteries and exhibit steady electrochemistry performance. This work opens up a potential route for designing multifunctional universal separators for rechargeable batteries.

On infinite homoclinic orbits induced by unstable periodic orbits in the Lorenz system

In this paper, infinite homoclinic orbits existing in the Lorenz system are analytically presented. Such homoclinic orbits are induced by unstable periodic orbits on bifurcation trees through period-doubling cascades. Each unstable periodic orbit ends at its corresponding homoclinic orbit. Traditional computational methods cannot obtain homoclinic orbits from the corresponding unstable periodic orbits. This is because unstable periodic orbits in the Lorenz system cannot be achieved in numerical simulations. Herein, the stable and unstable periodic motions to chaos on the period-doubling cascaded bifurcation trees are determined through a discrete mapping method. The corresponding homoclinic orbits induced by the unstable periodic orbits are predicted analytically. A period-doubling bifurcation tree of period-1, period-2, and period-4 motions are generated as an example. The homoclinic orbits relative to unstable period-1, period-2, and period-4 motions are determined. Illustrations of homoclinic orbits and periodic orbits are given. This study presents how to determine infinite homoclinic orbits through unstable periodic orbits in three-dimensional or higher-dimensional nonlinear systems.

Improved AP-3 production through combined ARTP mutagenesis, fermentation optimization, and subsequent genome shuffling

Ansamitocin (AP-3) is an ansamycins antibiotic isolated from Actinosynnema pretiosum and demonstrating high anti-tumor activity. To improve AP-3 production, the A. pretiosum ATCC 31565 strain was treated with atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP). Four stable mutants were obtained by ARTP, of which the A. pretiosum L-40 mutant produced 242.9 mg/L AP-3, representing a 22.5% increase compared to the original wild type strain. With seed medium optimization, AP-3 production of mutant L-40 reached 307.8 mg/L; qRT-PCR analysis revealed that AP-3 biosynthesis-related gene expression was significantly up-regulated under optimized conditions. To further improve the AP-3 production, genome shuffling (GS) technology was used on the four A. pretiosum mutants by ARTP. After three rounds of GS combined with high-throughput screening, the genetically stable recombinant strain G3-96 was obtained. The production of AP-3 in the G3-96 strain was 410.1 mg/L in shake flask cultures, which was 44.5% higher than the L-40 production from the parental strain, and AP-3 was increased by 93.8% compared to the wild-type A. pretiosum. These results suggest that the combination of mutagenesis, seed medium optimization, and GS technology can effectively improve the AP-3 production capacity of A. pretiosum and provide an enabling methodology for AP-3 industrial production.

Screening maize (Zea mays L.) varieties with low accumulation of cadmium, arsenic, and lead in edible parts but high accumulation in other parts: a field plot experiment

To find maize varieties with both safe production and soil remediation, 11 maize varieties were planted in field soil which was combinedly polluted by cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and lead (Pb). The plant growth, accumulation, phytochemical forms, and translocation of Cd, As, and Pb in different tissues were examined. Furthermore, maize varieties with low metal accumulation in their edible parts but high accumulation in other parts were selected as remediation candidates and pollution-safe varieties. The results showed that the growth of varieties Yayu69, Longhuang2502, and Shennongyu10 were the least affected by heavy metals. The concentrations of Cd, As, and Pb in all of the tested maize grains met the national feed hygiene standards, and the grain concentrations of the three metals in Yayu69, Shengnongyu10, and Yunrui62 all met the national food safety standards. According to the extraction efficiency of Cd, As, and Pb and heavy metal concentrations in grains, four types of maize were classified as follows: (1) the first category was suitable for both soil remediation and safe production, including the varieties Yayu69 (Cd, Pb), Jinyi418 (As, Cd), and Shengnongyu10 (Pb); (2) the second category had a high concentration of metals in edible part but did not exceed the limiting value in national feed hygiene standards, and the metal extraction efficiency was also high, including Beiyu1521 (Cd) and Longhuang2502 (Cd, As, Pb); (3) the third category included heavy metal exclusion varieties with low metals accumulation, such as Yayu749 (Cd), Yunrui62 (As, Pb), and Yunrui8 (As); and (4) the fourth type covered risk maize varieties with food safety risks and unsuitable cultivation at sites polluted with toxic metals, including Chuangui1586 (Pb) and Enyu69 (As). The variety Yayu69 (a Cd/Pb low accumulator in grain) contained a low percentage of inorganic (FE) and water-soluble (FW) Cd (4%) and Pb (6%) in roots, respectively, but the percentage of FE and FW Cd and Pb in the variety Beiyu1521 (a Cd/Pb high accumulator in grain) was up to 29% and 13%. Our results provided a new perspective in applying maize varieties with different metal-accumulating ability in their different parts to achieve the remediation of metal-polluted soil and the sustainable development of agricultural production.

A review of the role and mechanism of surfactants in the morphology control of metal nanoparticles

Although great progress has been made in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles, good repeatability and accurate predictability are still difficult to achieve. This difficulty can be attributed to the synthetic method based primarily on observation and subjective experience, and the role of many surfactants remains unclear. It should be noted that surfactants play an important role in the synthetic process. Understanding their function and mechanism in the synthetic process is a prerequisite for the rational design of nanocatalysts with ideal morphology and performance. In this review article, the function of surfactants is introduced first, and then the mechanism of action of surfactants in controlling the morphology of nanoparticles is discussed according to the types of surfactants, and the promoting and sealing effects of surfactants on the crystal surface is revealed. The relationship between surfactants and the morphology structure of nanoparticles is studied. The removal methods of surfactants are discussed, and the existing problems in the current development strategy are summarized. Finally, the application of surfactants in controlling the morphology of metal nanocrystals is prospected. It is hoped that the review can open up new avenues for the synthesis of nanocrystals.

3D Taraxacum-like porous Pd nanocages with Bi doping: High-performance non-Pt electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction

Modifying the electronic structure and optimizing the geometric structure can expeditiously tune the electrocatalytic properties of catalysts, resulting in considerably enhanced electrocatalytic performance towards electrocatalytic oxidation of liquid fuels. We herein report a simple synthetic strategy to prepare Bi-doped 3D taraxacum-like Pd nanocages (NCs) composed of porous nanosheets, which possess high surface areas and strong synergistic effects. Notably, a trace of Bi diffuses into the lattice of Pd and increases the electronic effects of the surface of Pd, endowing PdBi-0.5 NCs/C with superior electrocatalytic performance towards ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). The mass activity and specific activity of PdBi-0.5 NCs/C were 3494.8 mA mg_Pd^-1 and 10.37 mA cm^-2, being 4.08- and 4.82- fold enhancements as compared with commercial Pd/C, respectively. Moreover, the highly open porous 3D nanocages structure with rich active sites and defects can also facilitate the mass/electron transfer to favor the EOR kinetics.

Investigation on the Efficiency of Chinese Herbal Injections for Treating Non-small Cell Lung Cancer With Vinorelbine and Cisplatin Based on Multidimensional Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis

Background: As non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) seriously threatens human health, several clinical studies have reported that Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) combined with vinorelbine and cisplatin (NP) are beneficial. This multidimensional network meta-analysis was performed to explore the preferable options among different CHIs for treating NSCLC.

Methods: A literature search was performed in several databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHIs in the treatment of NSCLC from inception to January 31, 2019. Final included studies met the eligibility criteria and methodological quality recommendations. Data analysis was performed using Stata 13.0 and WinBUGS 14.0 software. Each outcome was presented as an odds ratio and the surface under the cumulative ranking curve value (SCURA). The “scatterplot3d” package in R 3.6.1 software was used to perform multidimensional cluster analysis.

Results: Ultimately, 97 eligible RCTs involving 7,440 patients and 14 CHIs were included in this network meta-analysis. Combined with NP chemotherapy, Kanglaite injection plus NP exhibited a better impact on the clinical effectiveness rate (SCURA probability: 78.34%), and Javanica oil emulsion injection plus NP was better in the performance status (95.44%). Huachansu injection plus NP was dominant in reducing thrombocytopenia (92.67%) and gastrointestinal reactions (92.52%). As to multidimensional cluster analysis, Shenmai injection plus NP was superior considering improving the clinical effectiveness rate, performance status and relieving leukopenia.

Conclusions: The combination of CHIs and NP has a better impact on patients with NSCLC than NP alone. Among them, Shenmai injection plus NP, Kanglaite injection plus NP and Javanica oil emulsion injection plus NP were notable. Nevertheless, more multicenter and better designed RCTs are needed to validate our findings.

[Effect of RNA interference targeting neuropilin-2 gene on proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cell line HCT-8]

Objective: To investigate the effects of down-regulation of expression of neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) by RNA interference (RNAi) technique on proliferation and apoptosis of HCT-8 colon cancer cells. Methods: NRP2-siRNA and negative control (NControl)-siRNA were transferred into HCT-8 colon cancer cells by liposomes (lip2000) as transfection group and negative control group, and phosphate buffered solution (PBS) was added as blank control group. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were used to detect the transfection effect. The proliferation of cells in the three groups was examined by cell counting kit (CCK) assay, colony-forming unit assay and Ki-67 protein staining assay, respectively. Moreover, the apoptosis of cells in the three groups was determined by acridine orange/propranidine iodide (AO/PI) staining method. Results: The results of RT-qPCR and Western blot showed that the relative expression of NRP-2 mRNA and the content of NRP-2 protein in the transfer group decreased (0.46±0.05 vs 0.99±0.05 and 1.00±0.06; 1.04±0.06 vs 1.73±0.09 and 1.65±0.11) (all P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 demonstrated that the optical density of transfection group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group and the blank control group(24 h: 0.53±0.04 vs 0.82±0.07 and 0.87±0.07; 48 h: 0.54±0.05 vs 1.00±0.09 and 1.17±0.05; 72 h: 0.75±0.05 vs 1.31±0.13 and 1.50±0.03; 96 h:1.05±0.04 vs 1.46±0.09 and 1.86±0.06) (all P<0.05). The results of colony-forming unit assay indicated that the proliferation ability of the cells in the transfer group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups (134.67±8.74 vs 245.33±19.14 and 300.33±14.01, P<0.05). The results of Ki-67 protein staining assay showed that compared with the negative control group and blank control group, the expression of Ki-67 protein was significantly decreased in the transfection group (5.93±0.22 vs 8.36±0.09 and 8.70±0.21, P<0.05). The results of AO/PI assay revealed that the ratio of apoptotic cells to living cells in the transfer group was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (0.43±0.07 vs 0.14±0.04 and 0.11±0.04, P<0.05). Conclusion: The proliferation ability of HCT-8 colon cancer cells decreases, and the apoptosis ability increases by decreasing the expression of NRP-2.

Identification of candidate biomarkers correlated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of breast cancer via integrated bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

This study was carried out to identify potential key genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of breast cancer (BC).

METHODS

Seven GEO datasets (GSE24124, GSE32641, GSE36295, GSE42568, GSE53752, GSE70947, GSE109169) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between BC and normal breast tissue samples were screened by an integrated analysis of multiple gene expression profile datasets. Hub genes related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of BC were verified by employing protein-protein interaction (PPI) network.

RESULTS

Ten hub genes with high degree were identified, including CDK1, CDC20, CCNA2, CCNB1, CCNB2, BUB1, BUB1B, CDCA8, KIF11, and TOP2A. Lastly, the Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) online database demonstrated that higher expression levels of these genes were related to lower overall survival. Experimental validation showed that all 10 hub genes had the same expression trend as predicted.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this research would provide some directive significance for further investigating the diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to facilitate the molecular targeting therapy of BC, which could be used as a new biomarker for diagnosis and to guide the combination medicine of BC.

Antioxidant activity and inhibition of ultraviolet radiation-induced skin damage of Selenium-rich peptide fraction from selenium-rich yeast protein hydrolysate

The bioactive peptides and trace element selenium (Se) both have good antioxidant activity. However, whether combined Se and bioactive peptides have more excellent antioxidant activity remain unknown. The aim of this study is to prepare a Se-rich peptide fraction containing both Se and peptides from Se-rich yeast protein hydrolysate and investigated its antioxidant activity and effect on ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation-induced skin oxidative damage. The peptide fractions with different molecular weight (MW) and Se content were obtained by enzymatically hydrolyzing normal or Se-rich yeast proteins followed by a filtration process. In vitro free radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition assays showed that Se-rich peptides fraction with lower MW of <1 kDa (sSeP) had the highest antioxidant activity compared with Se-rich peptide fractions with higher MW of <3 kDa or normal peptide fractions. Oral administration of sSeP significantly decreased the level of malonaldehyde (MDA) in liver and serum, and increased the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in liver and serum in normal mice. When topically applied on the dorsal skin of mice, sSeP effectively alleviate UVB radiation-induced skin damage and oxidative stress by increasing GPx and catalase activities and glutathione content in skin or serum. Furthermore, sSeP showed a protective effect against H₂O₂-induced cytotoxicity in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes (HaCaT) cells probably by increasing aquaporin-3 expression and attenuating the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. Overall, the results showed that Se-rich yeast peptide fraction containing Se and bioactive peptides could be a promising antioxidant nutrient used as food additive to enhance the body's antioxidant ability or as cosmeceutical product to minimize the skin oxidative damage.

Dissecting the mechanism of Yuzhi Zhixue granule on ovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding by network pharmacology and molecular docking

Background

Yuzhi Zhixue Granule (YZG) is a traditional Chinese patent medicine for treating excessive menstrual flow caused by ovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding (ODUB) accompanied by heat syndrome. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms, potential targets, and active ingredients of this prescription are still unknown. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the molecular mechanism of YZG.

Methods

The active compounds in YZG were screened by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). The putative targets of YZG were collected via TCMSP and Search Tool for Interacting Chemicals (STITCH) databases. The Therapeutic Target Database (TTD) and Pharmacogenomics Knowledgebase (PharmGKB) databases were used to identify the therapeutic targets of ODUB. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network containing both the putative targets of YZG and known therapeutic targets of ODUB was built. Furthermore, bioinformatics resources from the database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID) were utilized for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Finally, molecular docking was performed to verify the binding effect between the YZG screened compounds and potential therapeutic target molecules.

Results

The study employed a network pharmacology method, mainly containing target prediction, network construction, functional enrichment analysis, and molecular docking to systematically research the mechanisms of YZG in treating ODUB. The putative targets of YZG that treat ODUB mainly involved PTGS1, PTGS2, ALOX5, CASP3, LTA4H, F7 and F10. The functional enrichment analysis suggested that the produced therapeutic effect of YZG against ODUB is mediated by synergistical regulation of several biological pathways, including apoptosis arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, serotonergic synapse, complement and coagulation cascades and C-type lectin receptor signaling pathways. Molecular docking simulation revealed good binding affinity of the seven putative targets with the corresponding compounds.

Conclusion

This novel and scientific network pharmacology-based study holistically elucidated the basic pharmacological effects and the underlying mechanisms of YZG in the treatment of ODUB.

Comparative Efficacy of Danshen Class Injections for Treating Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Multidimensional Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Acute coronary syndrome, that is a common and serious cardiovascular disease, imposes a huge economic burden on global public health. And Danshen class injections are commonly used in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome in China. Thus, the Bayesian network meta-analysis was devised to investigate the efficacy of different Danshen class injections against acute coronary syndrome.

Methods

Eligible inclusion and exclusion criteria were established in advance. Then, a systematic literature search was performed in several databases from inception to February 2020. Further, the included randomized controlled trials data were adopted to calculation, prepare graphs and multidimensional cluster analysis by WinBUGS 1.4.3, Stata V.13.0 and R 3.6.1 software, respectively.

Results

A total of 53 eligible randomized controlled trial studies with 6401 patients were obtained that evaluated the clinical effectiveness rate, the level of hypersensitive C-reactive protein, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, fibrinogen, and adverse reactions after the application of Danshen class injections plus western medicine. Compared with western medicine alone, Danshen class injections combined with western medicine therapy were associated with significantly improved the therapeutic effect. In addition, the results of the multidimensional cluster analysis demonstrated that Danhong injection + western medicine and Danshen injection + western medicine had better therapeutic effects. However, since most eligible randomized controlled trial studies did not focus on the monitoring of adverse reactions, the safety of these Chinese herbal injections needs to be further explored.

Conclusion

Based on this Bayesian network meta-analysis results, Danhong injection + western medicine and Danshen injection + western medicine might have a better impact on acute coronary syndrome patients. Nevertheless, more large samples, high-quality clinical and multicenter randomized controlled trial studies should be tested and verified in the future.

Identification of novel monoclonal antibodies targeting the outer membrane protein C and lipopolysaccharides for Escherichia coli O157:H7 detection

AIMS

To identify and evaluate the application of two novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2G12 against outer membrane protein (Omp) C and mAb 12B1 targeting the O chain of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECO157).

METHODS AND RESULTS

The sensitivity and specificity of these two antibodies were evaluated with eight ECO157 strains and 68 untargeted strains. mAb 2G12 and 12B1 had no detectable binding with any of the non-O157 strains at 6·0 log₁₀ CFU per ml, while its high specificity and affinity remained with all ECO157 strains. When a higher level (8·0 log₁₀ CFU per ml) was tested, 2G12 and 12B1 did not react with 82·35 and 97·06% of the non-O157 strains respectively. Based on the pair of two antibodies, the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected 100% (8/8) of ECO157 strains and none of the non-ECO157 strains. The detection limit of ECO157 strains in pure culture were 4·2 ± 0·2 log₁₀ CFU per ml. When the developed test was applied to artificially inoculated beef samples, the detection limit was 6·0 log₁₀ CFU per gram without enrichment and 1·0 log₁₀ CFU per gram after 12 h of enrichment.

CONCLUSIONS

The two novel antibodies identified in this study served as great candidates for the recovery, and detection of ECO157 from different environmental and food samples.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

ECO157-specific detection was improved by a combination of the novel OmpC mAb and LPS mAb with defined target antigen and good specificity.

Transcranial MR Imaging-Guided Focused Ultrasound Interventions Using Deep Learning Synthesized CT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound is a promising novel technique to treat multiple disorders and diseases. Planning for transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound requires both a CT scan for skull density estimation and treatment-planning simulation and an MR imaging for target identification. It is desirable to simplify the clinical workflow of transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of deep learning techniques to convert MR imaging ultrashort TE images directly to synthetic CT of the skull images for use in transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment planning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The U-Net neural network was trained and tested on data obtained from 41 subjects (mean age, 66.4 ± 11.0 years; 15 women). The derived neural network model was evaluated using a k-fold cross-validation method. Derived acoustic properties were verified by comparing the whole skull-density ratio from deep learning synthesized CT of the skull with the reference CT of the skull. In addition, acoustic and temperature simulations were performed using the deep learning CT to predict the target temperature rise during transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound.

RESULTS

The derived deep learning model generates synthetic CT of the skull images that are highly comparable with the true CT of the skull images. Their intensities in Hounsfield units have a spatial correlation coefficient of 0.80 ± 0.08, a mean absolute error of 104.57 ± 21.33 HU, and a subject-wise correlation coefficient of 0.91. Furthermore, deep learning CT of the skull is reliable in the skull-density ratio estimation (r = 0.96). A simulation study showed that both the peak target temperatures and temperature distribution from deep learning CT are comparable with those of the reference CT.

CONCLUSIONS

The deep learning method can be used to simplify workflow associated with transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound.

Raman Spectroscopy to Characterize Bladder Tissue for Multidimensional Diagnostics of Cancer in Urology

Fiber optic Raman spectroscopy offers labelfree identification of cancer in the bladder under in vivo conditions. However, state-of-the-art Raman technology does not enable to scan the entire bladder wall. Our multidimensional approach within the project Uro-MDD combines panoramic 3D-image reconstruction of white light cystoscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging to define regions of interest for Raman-assisted diagnostics. First Raman results are presented from human control and cancer bladder specimens that demonstrated how to obtain specific molecular information. Such Raman images can be used in a clinical setting to determine cancer margins and the resection status. Fiber probes are under development to translate the technique to in vivo screening.