Ethanol Extract of the Infructescence of Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc. Induces Methuosis of Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells

The infructescence of Platycarya strobilacea Sieb. et Zucc. (PS) has been used in the treatment of rhinitis and sinusitis in clinical practice. Our preliminary study showed that an ethanol extract of the infructescence of PS (EPS) had significant antinasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) effects in vitro. However, the mechanism underlying the NPS cell death induced by EPS remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of EPS on NPC cells and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. The effects of EPS on NPC cells were investigated in CNE1 and CNE2 cells in vitro. In EPS-treated cells, the cell morphological changes were evaluated through fluorescence microscope, transmission electron microscopy, and flow cytometry. The underlying mechanism was analyzed via network pharmacology and further verified by western blot analysis. The anticancer effects of EPS were associated with the generation of CNE1 and CNE2 cell fusion and vacuoles, the perturbation of lysosomal vesicle transportation, and the induction of methuosis. The network pharmacology and western blot results indicated that the effect of EPS in NPC cells might be achieved via regulation of the Ras proto-oncogene (RAS)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and the transcription factor c-Fos proto-oncogene (c-FOS) and its downstream genes. EPS induces NPC cell death through methuosis. The mechanism might be related to regulation of the transcription factor c-FOS and its downstream genes

Prognostic and clinicopathological value of Beclin-1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background The abnormal expression of Beclin-1 has recently been investigated in a variety of tumors. However, previous studies have obtained contradicting results regarding the clinical and prognostic value of Beclin-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the prognostic value of Beclin-1 and its correlations with clinical pathological parameters in HCC. Methods Relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang and Chinese VIP databases. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) to estimate the quality of the involved studies. Results Ten eligible studies with 1086 HCC patients were included in this study. Our results showed that decreased Beclin-1 expression in HCC related to histological grade [poor-undifferentiated vs. well-moderate: odds ratio (OR) = 2.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.65–3.32, P < 0.00001]. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) (HR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.17–1.75, P = 0.0004) indicated that decreased Beclin-1 expression correlated with poor overall survival (OS). Conclusions This meta-analysis indicated that decreased Beclin-1 expression might relate to poor differentiation and unfavorable outcome in HCC

Temporal Spatial Mutations of Soil Erosion in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Lancang River Basin and Its Influencing Mechanisms

As a major threat to ecosystem functions and national food security, soil erosion also exerts an influence on the water quality in basins and the operation and maintenance of hydropower plants. Existing discussions about trends of soil erosion focus mainly on its variation and mutation over time. Few studies have addressed the spatial mutation of soil erosion and its influence mechanism. In this research, Sen&rsquo;s slope estimation was coupled with a Mann&ndash;Kendall model to explore the spatiotemporal distribution, spatial mutation characteristics and influence mechanisms of soil erosion, and conduct a case study on the Middle and Lower reaches of the Lancang River Basin (ML-LRB) in China. There are three main conclusions from this study: (1) During 2000&ndash;2019, the annual soil erosion in the ML-LRB variation ranged from 0 to 7.00 &times; 103 t/(km2&middot;a) with a multi-year mean of 1.53 &times; 103 t/(km2&middot;a), decreasing year by year from north to south, while an increasing trend began to appear in the central above region after 2015. (2) The areas with decreased soil erosion were much larger than those with increased soil erosion during 2000&ndash;2019, and there was a concentrated increase in soil erosion in Dali and in Xishuangbanna. (3) The mutation of the soil erosion intensity was spatially consistent with that of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Overall, this paper provides a new perspective for the study of factors affecting the trends and spatial mutation of soil erosion

Deregulation of Serum MicroRNA Expression Is Associated with Cigarette Smoking and Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered potential biomarkers of various cancers, including lung cancer. However, it is unclear whether changes in circulating miRNAs are associated with smoking and smoking-related lung cancer. In this study, we determined the serum miRNA profiles of 10 nonsmokers, 10 smokers, and 10 lung-cancer patients with miRCURY LNA microRNA arrays. The differentially expressed miRNAs were then confirmed in a larger sample. We found that let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p were significantly downregulated in the sera of smokers and lung-cancer patients, so the serum levels of let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p are associated with smoking and smoking-related lung cancer. The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p were approximately 0.892 and 0.957, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate that changes in serum miRNAs are associated with cigarette smoking and lung cancer and that let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p are potential biomarkers of smoking-related lung cancer

Deregulation of Serum MicroRNA Expression Is Associated with Cigarette Smoking and Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death and cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered potential biomarkers of various cancers, including lung cancer. However, it is unclear whether changes in circulating miRNAs are associated with smoking and smoking-related lung cancer. In this study, we determined the serum miRNA profiles of 10 nonsmokers, 10 smokers, and 10 lung-cancer patients with miRCURY LNA microRNA arrays. The differentially expressed miRNAs were then confirmed in a larger sample. We found that let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p were significantly downregulated in the sera of smokers and lung-cancer patients, so the serum levels of let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p are associated with smoking and smoking-related lung cancer. The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves for let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p were approximately 0.892 and 0.957, respectively. In conclusion, our results indicate that changes in serum miRNAs are associated with cigarette smoking and lung cancer and that let-7i-3p and miR-154-5p are potential biomarkers of smoking-related lung cancer

Sensitive Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Glucose Detection Based on Hollow Porous NiO

Abstract Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have attracted extensive research attentions as promising electrocatalytic materials. Despite low cost and high stability, the electrocatalytic activity of TMOs still cannot satisfy the requirements of applications. Inspired by kinetics, the design of hollow porous structure is considered as a promising strategy to achieve superior electrocatalytic performance. In this work, cubic NiO hollow porous architecture (NiO HPA) was constructed through coordinating etching and precipitating (CEP) principle followed by post calcination. Being employed to detect glucose, NiO HPA electrode exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity in terms of high sensitivity (1323 μA mM−1 cm−2) and low detection limit (0.32 μM). The excellent electrocatalytic activity can be ascribed to large specific surface area (SSA), ordered diffusion channels, and accelerated electron transfer rate derived from the unique hollow porous features. The results demonstrate that the NiO HPA could have practical applications in the design of nonenzymatic glucose sensors. The construction of hollow porous architecture provides an effective nanoengineering strategy for high-performance electrocatalysts

Distribution, Risk Assessment, and Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Sediments of the Upper Reaches of Zhanghe River, Haihe Basin

The Beijing&ndash;Tianjin&ndash;Hebei region is mostly located in the Haihe Basin. Studying the distribution and sources of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and heavy metals in the upper reaches of Zhanghe River, the largest tributary of Haihe runoff, is of great significance to the water security of Beijing&ndash;Tianjin&ndash;Hebei region, a world-class urban agglomeration. In this study, 32 sediment samples were collected in the upper reaches of Zhanghe River, and the concentrations of eight PTEs were analyzed. The results show that the concentrations of PTEs in sediments ranked are as follows: Mn &gt; Cr &gt; Zn &gt; Cu &gt; Pb &gt; Co &gt; As &gt; Cd. Cr, Cu, Zn, and Cd show a random spatial variation trend; Mn, As, and Pb are mainly distributed in the headwaters of the Zhuozhang River. Ninety percent of samples of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb are under the threshold effect level, and 16% of the Cr samples are above the probable effect level. PTEs in the study area have low to moderate pollution as the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index showed, and the contribution of anthropogenic sources to the enhancement of PTEs in sediment samples is still at a preliminary stage. Potential ecological risk results indicate that 96% of the upper reaches of Zhanghe River have a low risk level. The three evaluation methods all point out that Cr is the main pollutant in the upper reaches of Zhanghe River, and the Southern Headwater of Zhuozhang River is the main polluted area. Cr, Mn, Co, and Pb originate from mining activities and road dust, while Cu, Zn, As, and Cd originate from agricultural activities

Peripheral Nerve Injury-Induced Astrocyte Activation in Spinal Ventral Horn Contributes to Nerve Regeneration

Accumulating evidences suggest that peripheral nerve injury (PNI) may initiate astrocytic responses in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the response of astrocytes in the spinal ventral horn and its potential role in nerve regeneration after PNI remain unclear. Herein, we firstly illustrated that astrocytes in the spinal ventral horn were dramatically activated in the early stage following sciatic nerve injury, and these profiles were eliminated in the chronic stage. Additionally, we found that the expression of neurotrophins, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), also accompanied with astrocyte activation. In comparison with the irreversible transected subjects, astrocyte activation and the neurotrophic upregulation in the early stage were more drastic in case the transected nerve was rebridged immediately after injury. Furthermore, administering fluorocitrate to inhibit astrocyte activation resulted in decreased neurotrophin expression in the spinal ventral horn and delayed axonal regeneration in the nerve as well as motor function recovery. Overall, the present study indicates that peripheral nerve injury can initiate astrocyte activation accompanied with neurotrophin upregulation in the spinal ventral horn. The above responses mainly occur in the early stage of PNI and may contribute to nerve regeneration and motor function recovery