Pygopus 2 promotes kidney cancer OS-RC-2 cells proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo

AbstractObjectiveHuman Pygopus 2 (Pygo2) was recently discovered to be a component of the Wnt signaling pathway required for β-catenin/Tcf-mediated transcription. But the role of Pygo2 in malignant cell proliferation and invasion has not yet been determined.MethodsLentivirus-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) and vector-based overexpression were used to study the function of Pygo2 in OS-RC-2 cells. The resulted cells were subject to Western blotting assay, MTT assay, colony formation and cell invasion assays. Furthermore, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) models were established in BALB/c nude mice inoculated with OS-RC-2 cells. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was performed in tumor tissue.ResultsPygo2 gene was successful knocked down and overexpressed in RCC OS-RC-2 cells by using an shRNA and overexpressing vector, respectively. Overexpression of Pygo2 effectively promoted cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion in vitro. Knockdown of Pygo2 obviously inhibited xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. In addition, overexpression of Pygo2 increased the levels of MMP-7, MMP-9 and VEGF in the xenograft tumors.ConclusionPygo2 has a role in promoting cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and may regulate angiogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Effect of the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and oral paroxetine hydrochloride in patients with post-stroke depression

Purpose: To determine the effects of combined use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and paroxetine hydrochloride tablets in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD), and its effect on scores on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL). Methods: Clinical data for 96 patients with PSD who were treated in Dongying Traditional Chinese Hospital, Dongying City, China from June 2018 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were divided into treatment group (TG, n = 48) and reference group (RG, n = 48) based on odd and even hospitalization numbers. Both groups received conventional treatment, but RG patients were in addition given clopidogrel, while TG received CBT in combination with paroxetine hydrochloride tablets. Clinical indices were evaluated in both groups before and after treatment. Moreover, therapeutic effects in the two different treatment methods on PSD, as well as on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) and Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL) scores were analyzed. Results: After treatment, TG had lower HAMD score (p < 0.001), lower scores on modified Rankin scale, and few incidences of adverse reactions at 3, 7, 15 and 30 days of treatment (p < 0.05), but higher total clinical effectiveness and mean SS-QOL score (p < 0.05), when compared with RG. Conclusion: Combined use of CBT and oral paroxetine hydrochloride tablets may be a promising strategy for treating depression and enhancing the quality of life of PSD patients, as it greatly improves neurological deficit and prognosis. However, further clinical trials should be carried out prior to introducing it in clinical practice

Three-dimensional Pentagon Carbon with a genesis of emergent fermions

Carbon, the basic building block of our universe, enjoys a vast number of allotropic structures. Owing to its bonding characteristic, most carbon allotropes possess the motif of hexagonal rings. Here, with first-principles calculations, we discover a new metastable three-dimensional carbon allotrope entirely composed of pentagon rings. The unique structure of this "Pentagon Carbon" leads to extraordinary electronic properties, making it a cornucopia of emergent topological fermions. Under lattice strain, Pentagon Carbon exhibits topological phase transitions, generating a series of novel quasiparticles, from isospin-1 triplet fermions, to triply-degenerate fermions, and further to concatenated Weyl-loop fermions. Its Landau level spectrum also exhibits distinct features, including a huge number of almost degenerate chiral Landau bands, implying pronounced magneto-transport signals. Our work not only discovers a remarkable carbon allotrope with highly rare structural motifs, it also reveals a fascinating hierarchical particle genesis with novel topological fermions beyond the Dirac and Weyl paradigm

One-pot biosynthesis of N-acetylneuraminic acid from chitin via combination of chitin-degrading enzymes, N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase, and N-neuraminic acid aldolase

N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) possesses the ability to promote mental health and enhance immunity and is widely used in both medicine and food fields as a supplement. Enzymatic production of Neu5Ac using N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) as substrate was significant. However, the high-cost GlcNAc limited its development. In this study, an in vitro multi-enzyme catalysis was built to produce Neu5Ac using affordable chitin as substrate. Firstly, exochitinase SmChiA from Serratia proteamaculans and N-acetylglucosaminosidase CmNAGase from Chitinolyticbacter meiyuanensis SYBC-H1 were screened and combined to produce GlcNAc, effectively. Then, the chitinase was cascaded with N-acetylglucosamine-2-epimerase (AGE) and N-neuraminic acid aldolase (NanA) to produce Neu5Ac; the optimal conditions of the multi-enzyme catalysis system were 37°C and pH 8.5, the ratio of AGE to NanA (1:4) and addition of pyruvate (70 mM), respectively. Finally, 9.2 g/L Neu5Ac could be obtained from 20 g/L chitin within 24 h along with two supplementations with pyruvate. This work will lay a good foundation for the production of Neu5Ac from cheap chitin resources