Prasugrel, a new medicine for preventing blockages in the arteries

Prasugrel {systematic name: 5-[(2-cyclo­propyl­carbon­yl)(2-fluoro­phen­yl)meth­yl]-4,5,6,7-tetra­hydro­thieno[3,2-c]pyridin-2-yl acetate}, C20H20FNO3S, is a new third-generation thienopyridine which was recently approved for clinical use as a more potent blocker of the platelet P2Y12 receptor than clopidogrel, which was previously used for this purpose. The mol­ecule features a tetra­hydro­thienopyridine system with the tetra­hydro­pyridine ring showing a half-chair conformation; the dihedral angle formed by the the planes of the benzene and thio­phene rings is 83.17 (3)°

Analysis of the scalar doubly heavy tetraquark states with QCD sum rules

In this article, we perform a systematic study of the mass spectrum of the scalar doubly charmed and doubly bottom tetraquark states using the QCD sum rules.Comment: 17 pages, 24 figures, add more discussion

{μ-6,6′-Dimeth­oxy-2,2′-[propane-1,3-diylbis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]­diphenolato}­trinitratocopper(II)lutetium(III) acetone solvate

In the title complex, [CuLu(C19H20N2O4)(NO3)3]·CH3COCH3, the CuII ion is four-coordinated in a square-planar geometry by two O atoms and two N atoms from the deprotonated Schiff base. The LuIII ion is ten-coordinate, chelated by three nitrate groups and linked to the four O atoms of the deprotonated Schiff base. A mol­ecule of acetone is present as a solvate

MicroRNA-21 inhibitor sensitizes human glioblastoma cells U251 (PTEN-mutant) and LN229 (PTEN-wild type) to taxol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Substantial data indicate that the oncogene microRNA 21 (miR-21) is significantly elevated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and regulates multiple genes associated with cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasiveness. Thus, miR-21 can theoretically become a target to enhance the chemotherapeutic effect in cancer therapy. So far, the effect of downregulating miR-21 to enhance the chemotherapeutic effect to taxol has not been studied in human GBM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human glioblastoma U251 (PTEN-mutant) and LN229 (PTEN wild-type) cells were treated with taxol and the miR-21 inhibitor (in a poly (amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer), alone or in combination. The 50% inhibitory concentration and cell viability were determined by the MTT assay. The mechanism between the miR-21 inhibitor and the anticancer drug taxol was analyzed using the Zheng-Jun Jin method. Annexin V/PI staining was performed, and apoptosis and the cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry analysis. Expression of miR-21 was investigated by RT-PCR, and western blotting was performed to evaluate malignancy related protein alteration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IC(50) values were dramatically decreased in cells treated with miR-21 inhibitor combine with taxol, to a greater extent than those treated with taxol alone. Furthermore, the miR-21 inhibitor significantly enhanced apoptosis in both U251 cells and LN229 cells, and cell invasiveness was obviously weakened. Interestingly, the above data suggested that in both the PTEN mutant and the wild-type GBM cells, miR-21 blockage increased the chemosensitivity to taxol. It is worth noting that the miR-21 inhibitor additively interacted with taxol on U251cells and synergistically on LN229 cells. Thus, the miR-21 inhibitor might interrupt the activity of EGFR pathways, independently of PTEN status. Meanwhile, the expression of STAT3 and p-STAT3 decreased to relatively low levels after miR-21 inhibitor and taxol treatment. The data strongly suggested that a regulatory loop between miR-21 and STAT3 might provide an insight into the mechanism of modulating EGFR/STAT3 signaling.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Taken together, the miR-21 inhibitor could enhance the chemo-sensitivity of human glioblastoma cells to taxol. A combination of miR-21 inhibitor and taxol could be an effective therapeutic strategy for controlling the growth of GBM by inhibiting STAT3 expression and phosphorylation.</p

Folate Deficiency Induces Neural Stem Cell Apoptosis by Increasing Homocysteine In Vitro

Cellular events for neural progenitor cells, such as proliferation and differentiation, are regulated by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic cell signals. Folate plays a central role in central nervous system development, so folate, as an extrinsic signal, may affect neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation and differentiation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of folate deficiency on the cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and homocysteine concentrations in NSCs. NSCs were isolated from fetal rats and identified as NSCs by their expression of immunoreactive nestin. Cell proliferation was quantitated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptotic cells were detected and confirmed by flow cytometric analysis. We measured homocysteine concentrations in NSCs by high performance liquid chromatography and detected the expression of caspase-3 by western blot method. Folate deficiency not only decreased cell proliferation, but also increased the apoptotic rate of NSCs as demonstrated by the increased expression of early apoptotic markers such as caspase-3, compared to control group (p<0.05). Furthermore, There was a statistically significant increase in homocysteine concentration during folate deficiency in NSCs (p<0.05). These data suggest that folate affects the cell proliferation, apoptosis and homocysteine generation in NSC cells

Study of Periplaneta Americana Microbial Community Structure and Diversity by 16S rRNA High-Throughput Sequencing

Objective: The present study probes into the microbial community structure in Periplaneta americana under different breeding conditions, using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technique, in the hope of finding the microbial community structure in Periplaneta americana and their diversity under different breeding conditions. Methods: In this study, we extract the microbial metagenomic DNA of 5 groups of Periplaneta americana which under different breeding conditions. Using lllumina Miseq sequencing platform, two-terminal sequencing of V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA were sequenced; diversity of community structure was analyzed using the softwares such as fastqc, QIIME, PyNAST, fasttree and R language.Results: Shannon index of samples in SG group was lower than that of the other four groups, significantly lower than that of DB group (P<0.05), but not significantly different from other groups. This suggested that the intake of a mixed fodder with high sugar, high fat and high protein by Periplaneta americana can reduce the diversity of microbial communities. Our findings showed that breeding intervention with different fodders may cause differences in the contents of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes in Periplaneta americana. Results showed that long-term intake of lots of sucrose and fat may increase the proportion of Bacteroidetes in Periplaneta americana; and long-term intake of lots of sucrose may reduce the proportion of Proteobacteria in Periplaneta americana; and long-term intake of lots of fat may reduce the proportion of Firmicutes in Periplaneta americana. Two major dominant bacterial genera in all samples were Blattabacterium and Rickettsiella. But different feeding interventions can change the proportions of Blattabacterium and Rickettsiella.Conclusion: Periplaneta americana has a complex microbial community structure. Different feeding conditions may change the microbial community structure of Periplaneta americana. An important bacterial genus in Periplaneta americana, Blattabacterium is positively correlated with the intake of sucrose- and fat-rich fodder. In the breeding process of Periplaneta americana, adding sucrose and fat to fodder may increase the content and proportion of Blattabacterium in microbial communities