The impact of screening on the survival of colorectal cancer in Shanghai, China: a population based study

Background Shanghai is one of the earliest cities in developing countries to introduce an organized colorectal screening program for its residents to fight against the rising disease burden of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aims to investigate the impact of the Shanghai screening program implemented in 2013 on the survival rates of CRC patients. Methods We calculated up to 5-year survival rates for 18,592 CRC patients from a representative district of Shanghai during 2002–2016, using data from the Shanghai Cancer Registry. We performed joinpoint regressions to examine temporal changes in the trends of the CRC survival rates. We then conducted Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards modelling to study the association of the survival rates with screening behaviors of the patients. In all the model specifications, we took into account the gender, age and TNM stage at diagnosis, and level of treatment hospital of the patients. Results We find that the annual percentage changes of the survival rates increased faster after somewhere around 2013, however, the differential trends were not significant. Results from the Cox multivariate regression analysis suggest that patients who did not participate in the screening program showed significantly lower cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.46; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12–1.91) and all-causes survival (HR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.05–1.77), compared to those who did. Among program participants, delayed colonoscopy was associated with poor cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.93; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.64–5.23) and all-causes survival (HR = 3.29; 95% CI: 1.85–5.84). Conclusion Screening participation and high level of colonoscopy compliance can improve the survival of CRC participants

Exploring biodiversity and ethnobotanical significance of Solanum species in Uzbekistan: unveiling the cultural wealth and ethnopharmacological uses

Despite its millennial existence and empirical documentation, the ethnological knowledge of herbs is a more recent phenomenon. The knowledge of their historical uses as food, medicine, source of income and small-scale businesses, and the sociological impacts are threatened due to the slow ethnobotanical research drive. Species of the genus Solanum have long been extensively used in folk medicine to treat various illnesses of humans since the dawn of civilization. All data were systematically obtained from papers, monographs, and books written in Uzbek, Russian, and English through various scientific online databases, including Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Semantic Scholar, Science Direct, and Web of Science using specific keywords focused on eight Solanum species. Eight native and non-native Solanum species as S. dulcamara L., S. lycopersicum L., S. melongena L., S. nigrum L., S. rostratum Dunal., S. sisymbriifolium Lam., S. tuberosum L., and S. villosum Mill. have been recorded in Uzbekistan of Central Asia. In this article we presented recently obtained data on the diversity, morphological characteristics, global distribution, habitat, population status, phenology, reproduction, pharmacology and phytochemistry of these Solanum species in Uzbekistan. Furthermore, relying on a combination of literature reviews and analyses from various scientific papers, we focus on food consumption coupled with global ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological uses in human diseases of the Solanum species growing in Uzbekistan. Since the dawn of civilization, these eight cultivated and non-cultivated species of Solanum have provided sustainable resources of medicinal plants in Uzbekistan to prevent and treat various human diseases. Based on the collected data, it was shown that Solanum species have not been studied ethnobotanically and ethnomedicinally in Uzbekistan and it is necessary to conduct phytochemical and biotechnological research on them in the future. Traditional uses and scientific evaluation of Solanum indicate that S. nigrum, S. sisymbriifolium and S. tuberosum are one of the most widely used species in some parts of the world. Although considerable progress has been made to comprehend the chemical and biological properties of S. nigrum and S. tuberosum species, more research on the pharmacology and toxicology of these species is needed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of their biologically active extracts and isolated bioactive compounds. Additionally, conducting additional research on the structure-activity relationship of certain isolated phytochemicals has the potential to enhance their biological efficacy and advance the scientific utilization of traditional applications of Solanum taxa

Effect of carot-4-en-9,10-diol on <i>B. plantarii</i> cell growth and morphology.

<p>(A) Cell growth was quantified from <i>B. plantarii</i> PDB cultures containing carot-4-en-9,10-diol at 20 µM (blue triangle), 200 µM (green diamond), and in PDB without carot-4-en-9,10-diol (red circle). Values are means ± SD (shown as error bars) (n = 3). (B) Cell morphology was observed at 30 h for culture medium inoculated with <i>B. plantarii</i> containing no carot-4-en-9,10-diol (left panel, control) and 20 µM (right panel). Yellow arrowheads indicate typical cell aggregation.</p

Tropolone production by <i>B. plantarii</i> in the coculture system.

<p>Tropolone production was quantified in the mono-culture of <i>B. plantarii</i> (red circle), and in the co-culture system of <i>B. plantarii</i> and <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 (blue triangle). Values are means ± SD (shown as error bars) (n = 3).</p

Repression of Tropolone Production and Induction of a <i>Burkholderia plantarii</i> Pseudo-Biofilm by Carot-4-en-9,10-diol, a Cell-to-Cell Signaling Disrupter Produced by <i>Trichoderma virens</i>

<div><p>Background</p><p>The tropolone-tolerant <i>Trichoderma virens</i> PS1-7 is a biocontrol agent against <i>Burkholderia plantarii,</i> causative of rice seedling blight. When exposed to catechol, this fungus dose-dependently produced carot-4-en-9,10-diol, a sesquiterpene-type autoregulatory signal molecule that promotes self-conidiation of <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 mycelia. It was, however, uncertain why <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 attenuates the symptom development of the rice seedlings infested with <i>B. plantarii</i>.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>To reveal the antagonism by <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 against <i>B. plantarii</i> leading to repression of tropolone production in a coculture system, bioassay-guided screening for active compounds from a 3-d culture of <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 was conducted. As a result, carot-4-en-9,10-diol was identified and found to repress tropolone production of <i>B. plantarii</i> from 10 to 200 µM in a dose-dependent manner as well as attenuate virulence of <i>B. plantarii</i> on rice seedlings. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that transcriptional suppression of <i>N</i>-acyl-L-homoserine lactone synthase <i>plaI</i> in <i>B. plantarii</i> was the main mode of action by which carot-4-en-9,10-diol mediated the quorum quenching responsible for repression of tropolone production. In addition, the unique response of <i>B. plantarii</i> to carot-4-en-9,10-diol in the biofilm formed in the static culture system was also found. Although the initial stage of <i>B. plantarii</i> biofilm formation was induced by both tropolone and carot-4-en-9,10-diol, it was induced in different states. Moreover, the <i>B. plantarii</i> biofilm that was induced by carot-4-en-9,10-diol at the late stage showed defects not only in matrix structure but also cell viability.</p><p>Conclusions/Significance</p><p>Our findings demonstrate that carot-4-en-9,10-diol released by <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 acts as an interkingdom cell-to-cell signaling molecule against <i>B. plantarii</i> to repress tropolone production and induces pseudo-biofilm to the cells. This observation also led to another discovery that tropolone is an autoregulatory cell-to-cell signaling molecule of <i>B. plantarii</i> that induces a functional biofilm other than a simple <i>B. plantarii</i> virulence factor.</p></div

Active principle from <i>T. virens</i> PS1-7 for repression of tropolone production by <i>B. plantarii</i>.

<p>Tropolone production was semi-quantified by the density of dark crystallines formed by chelation of <i>B. plantarii</i>-produced tropolone with iron supplemented to the medium at 0.1 mM. Repression of tropolone production was observed in the area around the paper disc charged with solvent (A), the area around the paper disc charged with fraction 2 equivalent to 3 ml culture fluid (35 µg disc⁻¹) (B), and with fraction 3 equivalent to 3 ml culture fluid (55 µg disc⁻¹) (C). Red arrow indicates the typical tropolone-iron crystallines. Major component in the fractions 2 and 3 were identical with carot-4-en-9,10-diol. Its chemical structure including the relative configuration was shown in this figure.</p

Coexposure to environmental concentrations of cis-bifenthrin and graphene oxide: Adverse effects on the nervous system during metamorphic development of Xenopus laevis

Despite the great concerns associated with the combined biological effects of nanoparticles and insecticides, the current understanding of the corresponding ecological risks remains limited. Xenopus laevis (X. laevis) tadpoles were exposed to various concentrations of typical pyrethroid (cis-bifenthrin; cis-BF), either alone or in combination with graphene oxide (GO), for 21 days. The presence of GO resulted in increased bioconcentration of cis-BF and a higher 1S-enantiomer fraction. Exposure to cis-BF and GO caused further reduction in pre-metamorphic developmental rates and activated dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. Reduced tadpole activity and levels of genomic DNA methylation at cytosine nucleotides (5hmC) were observed in the coexposure groups. These results indicate that GO enhance the bioconcentration of cis-BF and promote the conversion of its 1R-enantiomer to the 1S form, which lead to disruption of neurotransmitter systems as well as interference in metamorphic development.</p

Relationship between biofilm formation and tropolone production in <i>B. plantarii</i>.

<p>Correlation analysis of biofilm biomass and endogenous tropolone produced by <i>B. plantarii</i> incubated for 24, 36, 48, 72, 84 and 96 h in the static culture system. The endogenous tropolone production showed a positive and linear correlation with the biofilm formation evaluated by crystal violet staining method with the correlation coefficient of <i>r</i>² = 0.96 (n = 18). Both tropolone production and biofilm formation increased along with longer incubation time up to 96 h. Values shown by the plots are means ± SD (n = 3). Vertical and horizontal error bars on each plot were for the biofilm biomass (OD₅₇₀) and the tropolone production (mM) respectively.</p