Interaction of XRCC1

Background. To explore the correlation between the Arg399Gln polymorphism and susceptibility to esophageal cancer in Korean and Han Chinese individuals in Harbin, China, and its potential interaction with alcohol consumption. Methods. This prospective study included 203 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; 88 were of Korean descent and 115 were of Han Chinese descent. A group of healthy controls included 105 participants of Korean descent and 105 of Han Chinese descent. Genotyping of the Arg399Gln locus of XRCC1 was performed by PCR-RFLP. Results. The allelic and genotypic frequencies were not significantly different between individuals with esophageal cancer and controls or between individuals of Korean and Han Chinese descent (P>0.05). However, when individuals with the wild-type Arg/Arg genotype also consumed alcohol, the risk of esophageal cancer was lower (OR = 3.539; 95% CI = 2.039–6.142; P<0.05). Conclusions. The XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism does not appear to be associated with esophageal cancer in individuals of Korean or Han Chinese descent in Harbin, China. However, alcohol consumption may decrease the risk of esophageal cancer in persons with the wild-type genotype

In-silico design of novel 4-aminoquinolinyl analogs as potential anti-malaria agents using quantitative structure– activity relationships and ADMET approach

Purpose: To design and screen for potential anti-malaria agents based on a series of 4-aminoquinolinyl analogues.Methods: Molecular fingerprint analysis was used for molecular partitioning of training and test sets. Acquired training sets were used for CoMFA and CoMSIA model construction after good alignment was achieved. Partial least squares analysis combined with external validation were used for&nbsp; model evaluation. Deep analysis of acquired contour maps was performed to summarize the substituent property requirements for further rational molecular design. Using the chosen models, activity prediction and subsequent ADMET investigation were performed to discover novel designed&nbsp; compounds with the desired properties.Results: Three different set partitions for model establishment were obtained using fingerprint-based selection. Partition 02 offered an optimal CoMFA model (r2 = 0.964, q2 = 0.605 and r2pred = 0.6362) and the best CoMSIA model (r2 = 0.955, q2 = 0.585 and r2 pred = 0.6403). Based on contour map analysis, a series of compounds were designed for activity prediction. Two of the compounds (wmx09, wmx25) were chosen for their ideal predicted biological activities. Subsequent ADMET investigation indicated that these compoundss have acceptable drug-like characteristics.Conclusion: The screening reveals that compounds wmx09 and wmx25 have strong potential as antimalaria agents. Keywords: Malaria, 4-Aminoquinolinyl, Molecular fingerprint, QSAR, ADME

THE EFFECTS OF PUSH-PULL-MOORING ON THE SWITCHING MODEL FOR SOCIAL NETWORK SITES MIGRATION

Although the number of users has been growing exponentially in SNSs, some SNSs are facing a financial crisis and might be shut down in the near future. Therefore, understand users\u27 incentives to switch to another SNS has great influence on operators\u27 business performance. The study extended Push-Pull-Mooring migratory theory to explain the switching behaviors of users in SNS. Structural equation modeling will applied to analyze data collected from a filed survey. The result can construct a solid switching framework and help operators to understand their customer better

Managing Pain with Laser Acupuncture

According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Qi flows through the body along specific paths known as meridians. Any disturbance in Qi evokes a Ying−Yang imbalance in the body, and consequently leads to disease. Pain results from blood stasis and Qi stagnation. Laser acupuncture (LA), first introduced clinically in the 1970s, combines the advantages of traditional acupuncture and modern laser medicine and has been applied for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we investigated studies on the use of LA for pain management according to current evidence. Articles including English keywords related to the use of LA for pain, published between January 2006 and August 2015 were sourced from PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases. On the basis of these papers, we explored the modern applications, mechanisms, and analgesic effects of LA. LA integrates the positive effects of acupuncture and low-level laser therapy, and is therefore effective in activating blood and in moving Qi. LA relieves pain through both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. No adverse effects or complications resulting from LA were reported in the literature. In the hands of an experienced physician, LA can be a useful and safe method for pain management

Complementary Therapy with Traditional Chinese Medicine for Childhood Asthma

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease that is typically characterized by chronic airway inflammation and obstruction of airflow; it frequently presents in early childhood and is the leading chronic disease in children in the western world. This review presents a brief description of the pathophysiology of asthma and summarizes recent research results on the mechanisms of action of anti-asthma Chinese herbal medicine commonly used in clinical practice. Other interventions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture, tai chi, and meditation are also briefly discussed. We believe that this contribution is theoretically and practically relevant because the prevalence of asthma is increasing and, in addition to standard treatment, the use of complementary therapy is increasing and there is increasing scientific evidence demonstrating that TCM has potential for the treatment of childhood asthma

抑郁发作患者抑郁严重程度与认知应对策略的关系

Objective: To explore the relationship between the depressive mood and cognitive emotion regulation strategies.  Methods: A total of 143 major depression patients were assessed with a self-designed questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Chinese version of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-C) and the twenty-item Toronto Scale (TAS-20), and 95 healthy people were involved as controls. Regression analysis was carried out for the influcing factors to depressive mood. Results: Compared with controls, Patients with Depressive Episode showed significantly higher total scores of inadaptability strategy，TAS and BDI(P&lt;0.01). There were lots of factors, such as domestic stress and maladaptive strategy showed significant correlation with total score of BDI in major depression (P&lt;0.05 or P&lt;0.01). The factors of domestic stress and maladaptive strategy et al entered the regression equation for BDI by turns. Conclusions: Patients with depression suffered from maladaptive strategy. Cognitive coping strategies and stressl were the important influence factors of depression emotion in patients with depression.目的 探讨抑郁发作患者抑郁情绪与认知应对策略的关系。方法 采用自编一般情况问卷、贝克抑郁问卷（BDI）、认知情绪调节问卷中文版（CERQ-C）、多伦多述情量表(TAS-20) 中文版对143例抑郁发作患者及95例健康对照者进行评定，采用多元回归方法对抑郁的影响因素进行分析。结果 抑郁发作患者CERQ-C不适应性策略分、TAS总分及抑郁总分高于对照组（P&lt;0.01）。抑郁发作患者抑郁总分与家庭应激、CERQ-C不适应性策略等因素密切相关（P&lt;0.05或P&lt;0.01）。家庭应激与CERQ-C不适应性策略等依次进入BDI总分的回归方程。结论 抑郁发作患者较多地使用了不适应性策略。认知应对策略、应激等为抑郁发作患者抑郁情绪的重要影响因素

Lipid raft/caveolae signaling is required for Cryptococcus neoformans invasion into human brain microvascular endothelial cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Cryptococcus neoformans </it>has a predilection for central nervous system infection. <it>C. neoformans </it>traversal of the blood brain barrier, composed of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), is the crucial step in brain infection. However, the molecular mechanism of the interaction between <it>Cryptococcus neoformans </it>and HBMEC, relevant to its brain invasion, is still largely unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this report, we explored several cellular and molecular events involving the membrane lipid rafts and caveolin-1 (Cav1) of HBMEC during <it>C. neoformans </it>infection. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to examine the roles of Cav1. The knockdown of Cav1 by the siRNA treatment was performed. Phosphorylation of Cav1 relevant to its invasion functions was investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that the host receptor CD44 colocalized with Cav1 on the plasma membrane, and knockdown of Cav1 significantly reduced the fungal ability to invade HBMEC. Although the CD44 molecules were still present, HBMEC membrane organization was distorted by Cav1 knockdown. Concomitantly, knockdown of Cav1 significantly reduced the fungal crossing of the HBMEC monolayer <it>in vitro</it>. Upon <it>C. neoformans </it>engagement, host Cav1 was phosphorylated in a CD44-dependent manner. This phosphorylation was diminished by filipin, a disrupter of lipid raft structure. Furthermore, the phosphorylated Cav1 at the lipid raft migrated inward to the perinuclear localization. Interestingly, the phospho-Cav1 formed a thread-like structure and colocalized with actin filaments but not with the microtubule network.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data support that <it>C. neoformans </it>internalization into HBMEC is a lipid raft/caveolae-dependent endocytic process where the actin cytoskeleton is involved, and the Cav1 plays an essential role in <it>C. neoformans </it>traversal of the blood-brain barrier.</p