PTX3 promotes cementum formation and cementoblast differentiation via HA/ITGB1/FAK/YAP1 signaling pathway.

Cementum is a vital component of periodontium, yet its regeneration remains a challenge. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a multifunctional glycoprotein involved in extracellular matrix remodeling and bone metabolism regulation. However, the role of PTX3 in cementum formation and cementoblast differentiation has not been elucidated. In this study, we initially observed an increase in PTX3 expression during cementum formation and cementoblast differentiation. Then, overexpression of PTX3 significantly enhanced the differentiation ability of cementoblasts. While conversely, PTX3 knockdown exerted an inhibitory effect. Moreover, in Ptx3-deficient mice, we found that cementum formation was hampered. Furthermore, we confirmed the presence of PTX3 within the hyaluronan (HA) matrix, thereby activating the ITGB1/FAK/YAP1 signaling pathway. Notably, inhibiting any component of this signaling pathway partially reduced the ability of PTX3 to promote cementoblast differentiation. In conclusion, our study indicated that PTX3 promotes cementum formation and cementoblast differentiation, which is partially dependent on the HA/ITGB1/FAK/YAP1 signaling pathway. This research will contribute to our understanding of cementum regeneration after destruction.

Seven diterpenoids from the resin of Pinus yunnanensis Franch and their anti-inflammatory activity.

Phytochemical investigation of the 95% ethanol extract from Pinus yunnanensis Franch resin induced the isolation of six previously unreported diterpenoids pinuyunnanacids K - N, P - Q, a nor-diterpenoid with a novel skeleton pinuyunnanacid O and six known analogues. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and computational methods, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, calculated NMR chemical shifts method and electronic circular dichroic (ECD) spectra. All the compounds were analyzed for anti-inflammatory activity through western blotting and cell viability, compounds 2, 10 and 12 significantly downregulated the protein expression of iNOS at the concentration of 40 µM. At the same time, compounds 10 and 12 decreased the expression of COX-2 in LPS-treated RAW264.7 (leukemia cells in mouse macrophage) cells at the concentration of 40 µM.

Liquidambarines A - C, three new abietane diterpenoids from Liquidambar formosana Hance and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Liquidambarines A - C (1-3), three new abietane-type diterpenoids, together with five known compounds (4-8) were isolated from the resin of Liquidambar formosana Hance. Their structures were elucidated by the combination of spectroscopic and computational methods. We explored their anti-inflammatory potential by analyzing the protein expression of iNOS and COX-2. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibit significant anti-inflammatory activities without cytotoxicity. These experimental studies suggest these new abietane-type diterpenoids have the potential to be candidates for inflammation-associated diseases.

Racemic Norlignans as Diastereoisomers from Ferula sinkiangensis Resins with Antitumor and Wound-Healing Promotion Activities.

Ferulasinkins A-D (1-4), four new norlignans, were isolated from the resins of Ferula sinkiangensis, a medicinal plant of the Apiaceae family. All of them were obtained as racemic mixtures, chiral HPLC was used to produce their (+)- and (-)-antipodes. The structures of these new compounds, including their absolute configurations, were elucidated by spectroscopic and computational methods. This isolation provides new insight into the chemical profiling of F. sinkiangensis resins beyond the well-investigated structure types such as sesquiterpene coumarins and disulfides. Compounds 2a and 3a were found to significantly inhibit the invasion and migration of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines via CCK-8 assay. On the other hand, the wound-healing assay also demonstrated that compounds 4a and 4b could promote the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Notably, the promoting effects of 4a and 4b were observed as more significant versus a positive control using basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).

RNA methylation and cancer treatment.

To this date, over 100 different types of RNA modification have been identified. Methylation of different RNA species has emerged as a critical regulator of transcript expression. RNA methylation and its related downstream signaling pathways are involved in plethora biological processes, including cell differentiation, sex determination and stress response, and others. It is catalyzed by the RNA methyltransferases, is demethylated by the demethylases (FTO and ALKBH5) and read by methylation binding protein (YTHDF1 and IGF2BP1). Increasing evidence indicates that this process closely connected to cancer cell proliferation, cellular stress, metastasis, immune response. And RNA methylation related protein has been becoming a promising targets of cancer therapy. This review outlines the relationship between different types of RNA methylation and cancer, and some FTO inhibitors in cancer treatment.

Combined association of physical activity and screen time with healthrelated quality of life among primary and middle school students in China / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the association of physical activity and screen time with health-related quality of life among students in China.@*Methods@#A total of 4 388 students (graders 4-12) were randomly selected from primary, junior and senior high schools in Nanjing, China, to take part in this cross-sectional questionnaire survey in 2018. The associations of physical activity and screen time with health-related quality of life were assessed using mixed-effects linear regression models and reported as mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval(CI).@*Results@#After adjustment for potential confounders and class-level clustering effects, students with sufficient physical activity reported an increased 0.03 (95%CI=0.01-0.05) unit of the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) scores compared to their counterparts with insufficient physical activity, while participants with short screen time also recorded higher CHU9D scores 0.05(95%CI=0.02-0.08) than those with prolonged screen time. Relative to those with insufficient physical activity and prolonged screen time, students with insufficient physical activity and short screen time 0.05(95%CI=0.02-0.09), or students with sufficient physical activity and prolonged screen time 0.03(95%CI=-0.03-0.10), or students with sufficient physical activity and short screen time 0.08(95%CI=0.05-0.12), respectively, reported increased CHU9D scores.@*Conclusion@#Health-related quality of life was positively associated with physical activity, but negatively with screen time. Moreover, these two factors may have a combined effect on health-related quality of life.

Mechanism and In Vivo Evaluation: Photodynamic Antibacterial Chemotherapy of Lysine-Porphyrin Conjugate.

Lysine-porphyrin conjugate 4i has potent photosensitive antibacterial effect on clinical isolated bacterial strains such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mechanism of photodynamic antibacterial chemotherapy of 4i (4i-PACT) in vitro and the treatment effect in vivo was investigated in this paper. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that 4i-PACT can effectively destroy membrane and wall of bacteria, resulting in leakage of its content. This was confirmed by dual fluorescent staining with acridine orange/ethidium bromide and measuring materials absorption at 260 nm. Agarose gel electrophoresis measurement showed that 4i-PACT can damage genomic DNA. Healing of wound in rat infected by mixed bacteria showed that the efficiency of 4i-PACT is dependent on the dose of light. These results showed that 4i-PACT has promising bactericidal effect both in vitro and in vivo.