Associations of Serum Zinc, Copper, and Zinc/Copper Ratio with Sleep Duration in Adults.

The existing evidence on the relationships of serum zinc, copper, and zinc/copper ratio with sleep duration is limited and conflicting. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate these associations in general adults by utilizing data from the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The concentrations of zinc and copper were measured in serum samples. Sleep duration (self-reported usual sleep duration) was categorized as < 7 h/night (short sleep duration), 7-8 h/night (optimal sleep duration), and > 8 h/night (long sleep duration). Multinomial logistic regression models and restricted cubic splines were constructed to examine the associations of serum zinc, copper, and zinc/copper ratio with sleep duration. A total of 5067 adults were included. After multivariate adjustment, compared with the optimal sleep duration group, the odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals, CIs) in the long sleep duration group for the highest versus lowest quartile of serum zinc concentration and zinc/copper ratio were 0.61 (0.39-0.96) and 0.58 (0.38-0.89), respectively. Furthermore, among males, the OR (95% CI) of long sleep duration for the highest versus lowest quartile of serum copper concentration was 2.23 (1.15-4.32). Finally, the dose-response trends suggested that participants with optimal sleep duration had the highest serum zinc concentration and zinc/copper ratio and a slightly lower serum copper concentration. No significant association was found between serum zinc, copper concentrations and the zinc/copper ratio and short sleep duration. In conclusion, serum zinc and zinc/copper ratio were inversely related to long sleep duration in adults, while serum copper was positively associated with long sleep duration in males.

Neuroprotective effect of liquiritin against neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve in mice.

Managing of neuropathic pain remains clinically challenging because the existing pharmacotherapies are either ineffective or non-specific. Therefore, developing novel alternatives is essential for better treatment. Liquiritin is an active component extracted from Glycyrrhizae radix and has potential neuroprotective action. This study aimed to investigate the protective efficacy of liquiritin on chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in mice. Liquiritin (30, 60, and 120mg/kg) and pregabalin (40mg/kg) were administered intragastrically for 7 consecutive days starting on the 8th day post-surgery. Behavioral parameters and sciatic functional index were assessed on days 0, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Electrophysiological and histopathological changes were analyzed on the 14th day. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of glial cells and the protein levels of inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord, respectively. Results showed that liquiritin dose-dependently reduced hyperalgesia and allodynia and increased the sciatic functional index and motor nerve conduction velocities. Moreover, liquiritin restored the injured axon and myelin sheath, inhibited the activation of astrocyte and microglia, down-regulated the pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-6, and IL-1ß), and simultaneously up-regulated the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Our study revealed that liquiritin exerted a neuroprotective effect on CCI-induced neuropathic pain, which might be attributed to its direct protective effect on damaged nerves and its anti-inflammatory activity at the level of the spinal cord. Therefore, liquiritin shows promise as a compound for the development of novel analgesic agents that can be used to effectively treat intractable neuropathic pain.

SHP2 promotes laryngeal cancer growth through the Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk pathway and serves as a prognostic indicator for laryngeal cancer.

The overall survival rate and prognosis of patients with laryngeal cancer are not optimistic despite advances in therapeutic techniques. Gene expression prognostic models enable the development of more appropriate treatment strategies. The human gene PTPN11 encoding a non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase, Src homology phosphotyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2), is a well-documented proto-oncogene in various malignancies. This study investigated the role of SHP2 expression and associated clinical manifestations in laryngeal cancer using a tissue microarray of 112 pairs of laryngeal cancer samples and corresponding adjacent normal mucosae. SHP2 expression increased in laryngeal cancer, and this result was associated with the poor survival rate of laryngeal cancer patients. Moreover, increased SHP2 expression remarkably promoted the growth of laryngeal cancer cells in vitro and tumorigenicity of laryngeal cancer cells in vivo. The Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk pathway was also found to be involved in the SHP2-induced growth of laryngeal cancer cells. Overall, our findings indicated that SHP2 plays an important role in laryngeal cancer tumorigenesis and that its expression is negatively correlated with the prognosis of patients. Thus, SHP2 may be a promising combinational therapeutic target for treatment of laryngeal cancer. The interference of SHP2 expression can serve as a novel strategy for laryngeal cancer treatment.