catena-Poly[[diaqua­[(4-tolyl­sulfan­yl)acetato-κO]cadmium(II)]-μ-4,4′-bipyridine-κ2 N:N′]

The title complex, [Cd(C9H9O2S)2(C10H8N2)(H2O)2]n, has a linear chain structure. The central CdII ion is in a slightly disorted octa­hedral environment, coordinated by two aqua ligands, two (4-tolyl­sulfan­yl)acetate ligands and two bridging 4,4′-bipyridine ligands. The CdII ion lies on a twofold rotation axis. Inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect adjacent chains, forming a layer structure. An intramolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond is also present

{μ-trans-N,N′-Bis[(diphenyl­phosphan­yl)meth­yl]benzene-1,4-diamine-κ2 P:P′}bis­{(acetonitrile-κN)[dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine-κ2 N 4,N 5]copper(I)} bis­(tetra­fluoridoborate)

In the centrosymmetric dinuclear title compound, [Cu2(C2H3N)2(C18H10N4)2(C32H30N2P2)](BF4)2, the CuI centre is coordinated by two N atoms from a dipyridophenazine ligand, one P atom from an N,N′-bis­[(diphenyl­phosphan­yl)meth­yl]benzene-1,4-diamine (bpbda) ligand, and one N atom from an acetonitrile mol­ecule in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry. The bpbda ligand, lying on an inversion center, bridges two CuI centres into a Z-shaped complex. Intra­molecular π–π inter­actions between the dipyridophenazine ligand and the benzene ring of the bpbda ligand are observed [centroid–centroid distance = 3.459 (3) Å]. The crystal structure also involves inter­molecular π–π inter­actions between the dipyridophenazine ligands [centroid–centroid distance = 3.506 (3) Å], which lead to a one-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Bardoxolone methyl induces apoptosis and autophagy and inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and stemness in esophageal squamous cancer cells

Natural and synthetic triterpenoids have been shown to kill cancer cells via multiple mechanisms. The therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of the synthetic triterpenoid bardoxolone methyl (C-28 methyl ester of 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoolean-1,9-dien-28-oic acid; CDDO-Me) on esophageal cancer are unclear. Herein, we aimed to investigate the anticancer effects and underlying mechanisms of CDDO-Me in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. Our study showed that CDDO-Me suppressed the proliferation and arrested cells in G2/M phase, and induced apoptosis in human ESCC Ec109 and KYSE70 cells. The G2/M arrest was accompanied with upregulated p21Waf1/Cip1 and p53 expression. CDDO-Me significantly decreased B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xl), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) levels but increased the expression level of Bcl-2-associated X (Bax). Furthermore, CDDO-Me induced autophagy in both Ec109 and KYSE70 cells via suppression of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway. There were interactions between the autophagic and apoptotic pathways in Ec109 and KYSE70 cells subject to CDDO-Me treatment. CDDO-Me also scavenged reactive oxygen species through activation of the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway in Ec109 and KYSE70 cells. CDDO-Me inhibited cell invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and stemness in Ec109 and KYSE70 cells. CDDO-Me significantly downregulated E-cadherin but upregulated Snail, Slug, and zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (TCF-8/ZEB1) in Ec109 and KYSE70 cells. CDDO-Me significantly decreased the expression of octamer-4, sex determining region Y-box 2 (Sox-2), Nanog, and B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (Bmi-1), all markers of cancer cell stemness, in Ec109 and KYSE70 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that CDDO-Me is a promising anticancer agent against ESCC. Further studies are warranted to explore the molecular targets, efficacy and safety of CDDO-Me in the treatment of ESCC

Micropathogen community analysis in Hyalomma rufipes via high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs

Ticks are important vectors in the transmission of a broad range of micropathogens to vertebrates, including humans. Because of the role of ticks in disease transmission, identifying and characterizing the micropathogen profiles of tick populations have become increasingly important. The objective of this study was to survey the micropathogens of Hyalomma rufipes ticks. Illumina HiSeq2000 technology was utilized to perform deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNAs) extracted from field-collected H. rufipes ticks in Gansu Province, China. The resultant sRNA library data revealed that the surveyed tick populations produced reads that were homologous to St. Croix River Virus (SCRV) sequences. We also observed many reads that were homologous to microbial and/or pathogenic isolates, including bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. As part of this analysis, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to display the relationships among the homologous sequences that were identified. The study offered a unique opportunity to gain insight into the micropathogens of H. rufipes ticks. The effective control of arthropod vectors in the future will require knowledge of the micropathogen composition of vectors harboring infectious agents. Understanding the ecological factors that regulate vector propagation in association with the prevalence and persistence of micropathogen lineages is also imperative. These interactions may affect the evolution of micropathogen lineages, especially if the micropathogens rely on the vector or host for dispersal. The sRNA deep-sequencing approach used in this analysis provides an intuitive method to survey micropathogen prevalence in ticks and other vector species

Synthesis of single-crystal La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 freestanding films with different crystal-orientation

We report the synthesis of single-crystal La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) freestanding films with different crystal orientations. By using pulsed laser deposition, water soluble perovskite-like sacrificial layers Sr3Al2O6 (SAO) followed by LSMO films are grown on differently oriented SrTiO3 substrates. Freestanding LSMO films with different orientations are obtained by etching the SAO in pure water. All the freestanding films show room-temperature ferromagnetism and metallicity, independent of the crystal orientation. Intriguingly, the Curie temperature (TC) of the freestanding films is increased due to strain relaxation after releasing from the substrates. Our results provide an additional degree of freedom to tailor the properties of freestanding perovskite oxide heterostructures by crystal orientation and an opportunity to further integrate different oriented films together