Xihuang pill induces pyroptosis and inhibits progression of breast cancer cells via activating the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway.

Xihuang pill (XHP), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to be effective for breast cancer (BC) therapy in clinical trials. However, the molecular mechanism of XHP in BC remains unclear. The molecular mechanism of XHP in BC was investigated in vivo by generating murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 cell xenografts. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect pyroptosis-related indicators. Transcriptome sequencing was used to identify potential targets of XHP. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), EdU, cell wound-healing, and transwell assays were performed to investigate the role of XHP in BC cells. Western blotting was performed to identify proteins related to the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway. XHP inhibited the growth of BC and induced pyroptosis. Western blotting confirmed the significant association between XHP and the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway revealed by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. XHP inhibited BC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced pyroptosis. Inhibiting the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway reversed the anti-cancer activity of XHP. XHP inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induces pyroptosis of BC cells via activating the cAMP/PKA signalling pathway.

Synthesis of temperature- and humidity-induced dual stimulation film PU-PNIPAm n and its independent film formation as a smart window application.

Dynamic windows, which switch between transparent and opaque states as the temperature changes, can be applied in buildings to reduce building energy consumption. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) is the most studied thermochromic hydrogel for climate-resilient smart window applications. In addition to its poor mechanical properties and low reaction rate, the PNIPAm hydrogel must be sandwiched between two pieces of glass to form an interlayer in practical applications. Here, durable PU-PNIPAm n copolymers for smart windows were synthesized by reacting the synthesized poly-NIPAm diols with isocyanate (-NCO) monomer, which greatly improved the mechanical properties of the hydrogel and it was able to form a film alone. These temperature-sensitive films can switch between transparent (>80% transmittance) and opaque (<5% transmittance) states in less than 10 minutes, with no degradation in optical contrast, switching speed, or uniformity after at least 100 switching cycles.

Value of CT application in the screening,diagnosis,and treatment of COVID-19. / CT检查在2019å† çŠ¶ç— æ¯’ç— ç­›æŸ¥ã€è¯Šæ–­åŠæ²»ç–—ä¸­çš„åº”ç”¨ä»·å€¼.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has attracted extensive attention all around the world recently. Early screening, early diagnosis, early isolation, and early treatment remain the most effective prevention and control measures. Computed tomography (CT) plays a vital role in the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of COVID-19, especially in the early screening, with a higher sensitivity than that of real-time fluorescence RT-PCR. The combination of CT and artificial intelligence has the potential to help clinicians in improving the diagnostic accuracy and working efficiency.

Copper salt-catalyzed formation of a novel series of triazole-spirodienone conjugates with potent anticancer activity.

Copper salt-catalyzed oxidative amination resulted in the formation of a novel series of triazole- spirodienone conjugates, 4-triazolyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4,5]deca-6,9-dien-3,8-diones and 4-triazolyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4,5]deca-6,9-dien-8-ones. A single crystal of compound 1p among them was grown and analyzed by X-ray crystallography. These compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against MDA-MB-231, HeLa, A549 and MCF-7 cell lines. Most of them showed moderate to high anticancer potency in the four cancer cell lines. The discovery of the triazole-spirodienone conjugates as cytotoxic agents against cancer cells may open up a new field in which these novel small molecules could be further explored as promising anticancer agents.

Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1: its clinical significance and functional role in human thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Transcription factor zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), as one of the key inducers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, has been reported to be regulated by microRNA-144 and Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3, which both promote thyroid cancer cell invasion. However, the involvement of ZEB1 in thyroid cancer has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and clinical implication of ZEB1 in this disease. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the subcellular localization and the expression level of ZEB1 protein in 82 self-pairs of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded cancerous and adjacent noncancerous tissues obtained from patients with thyroid cancer. The roles of ZEB1 in thyroid cancer cell migration, invasion, and proliferation were also detected by transwell and MTT analyses, respectively. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry showed that ZEB1 was predominantly localized in the nucleus of thyroid cancer cells. Its immunoreactive score in thyroid cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent noncancerous tissues (P=0.01). In addition, ZEB1 overexpression was significantly associated with the advanced tumor node metastasis staging (P=0.008), the positive lymph node metastasis (P=0.01) and distant metastasis (P=0.02). Furthermore, ZEB1 knockdown by siRNA could efficiently inhibit the migration, invasion, and proliferation abilities of thyroid cancer cells in vitro. CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that ZEB1 might function as an oncogene, the overexpression of which was associated with the aggressive tumor progression of human thyroid cancer. Interestingly, ZEB1 also could promote thyroid cancer cell migration, invasion, and proliferation, suggesting that the inhibition of this protein might be a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this malignancy.

Increased Expression of FGF19 Contributes to Tumor Progression and Cell Motility of Human Thyroid Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous reports indicate a role for aberrant expression of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) in tumor development and progression, and several drugs have been developed to target it. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of FGF19 and examine whether it plays any roles in progression of thyroid cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Translation research. SETTING: Navy General Hospital of Chinese PLA, China. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Expression patterns of FGF19 protein in 100 paired formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded cancerous and adjacent noncancerous tissues from patients with thyroid cancer were detected by immunohistochemistry. Then, in vitro migration and invasion assays of siRNA-targeted FGF19-transfected cells were performed. RESULTS: Positive immunostaining of FGF19 protein expression was localized in cytoplasm with or without membrane of malignant cells and was observed in 82 (82.0%) of 100 patients with thyroid cancer. Statistically, the expression level of FGF19 protein in thyroid cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. In addition, FGF19 overexpression was significantly associated with the advanced tumor node metastasis staging (P = .008), the presence of extrathyroidal invasion (P = .01), lymph nodes metastasis (P = .01), and distant metastasis (P = .02). Furthermore, knockdown of FGF19 by transfection of siRNA-FGF19 could efficiently suppress the migration and invasion abilities of thyroid cancer cells in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our data revealed that the increased expression of FGF19 might be involved in the malignant behaviors of thyroid cancer, highlighting its potential as a molecular marker for early diagnosis and as a possible target for therapeutic intervention of this disease.

[Multi-slice CT angiography in the diagnosis of lesions of mesenteric artery and mesenteric vein].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of multi-slice CT angiography (MSCTA) in the diagnosis of super mesenteric artery (SMA) and super mesenteric vein (SMV), and discuss the 3D reconstruction method for detecting mesenteric vessel lesions. METHODS: Thirty-three patients suffering from mesenteric vessel diseases were analyzed. There were 14 SMA lesions, including 9 thromboses, 3 dissecting aneurysms, 1 pseudoaneurysm, and 1 malrotation. There were 19 SMV thromboses. The 3D reconstruction included volume rendering (VR), maximum intensity projection (MIP), and multi-planner reformation (MPR). RESULTS: The lesions appeared clear by MSCTA in the 33 patients. The SMA thrombosis was shown clear in the MIP in all 9 patients, and only 4 of them were detected in the VR. There was significant difference between MIP andVR in detecting SMA thrombosis (P=0.0294). Three dissecting aneurysms were best shown in the MPR; 1 pseudoaneurysm and 1 malrotation were clearly manifested in the VR. The thrombosis of SMV was clearly shown by both MIP and MPR in all 19 patients. Collateral vessels were clearly shown in the MIP in 12 patients; the collateral vessels were detected by VR only in 5, and the other 7 failed to show the collateral vessels. There was significant difference between the MIP and the VR in showing lateral collateral vessels (P=0.0046). CONCLUSION: Both lesions of SMA and SMV can be detected by MSCTA. MIP is an ideal reconstruction method for SMA thrombosis and collateral vessels around the SMV.