Berberine as a Multi-Targeted Therapeutic Agent in Melanoma: Mechanisms, Efficacy, and Combination Therapies.

Melanoma is a type of aggressive cancer distinguished by its high propensity for recurrence, the development of metastases, and an unfavorable outlook for recovery. Treatment modalities for melanoma encompass surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies. In recent decades, berberine has garnered attention for its significant anticancer properties across various cancer types.

Association Between Telomere Length and Risk of Lung Cancer in an Asian Population: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Several traditional observational studies and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have indicated an association between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and the risk of lung cancer in the European population. However, the results in the Asian population are still unclear. The objective was to reveal the genetic causal association between LTL and the risk of lung cancer in the Asian population.

[Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon Components and Their Correlation with Other Soil Physical and Chemical Factors in Cotton Fields with Different Continuous Cropping Years in the Oasis on the Northern Edge of Tarim Basin].

The study of soil organic carbon components in continuous cropping cotton fields in oases is helpful to reveal the change characteristics of the soil organic carbon stability mechanism in arid areas under the effects of man-land relationships. In this study, the contents of soil organic carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon in cotton fields with different continuous cropping years (2 a, 5 a, 12 a, 20 a, and 35 a) were collected and analyzed by using space instead of the time series method. Through redundancy analysis, the relationship between soil organic carbon components and other soil physical and chemical factors was discussed.

Icaritin Attenuates Lipid Accumulation by Increasing Energy Expenditure and Autophagy Regulated by Phosphorylating AMPK.

Background And Aims: Lipid accumulation is the major characteristic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the prevalence of which continues to rise. We aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of icaritin on lipid accumulation.

Methods: Cells were treated with icaritin at 0.

Presynaptic inputs to vasopressin neurons in the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus in mice.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurons in the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) are involved in important physiological behaviors, such as controling osmotic stability and thermoregulation. However, the presynaptic input patterns governing AVP neurons have remained poorly understood due to their heterogeneity, as well as intermingling of AVP neurons with other neurons both in the SON and PVN. In the present study, we employed a retrograde modified rabies-virus system to reveal the brain areas that provide specific inputs to AVP neurons in the SON and PVN.

Differential efferent projections of GABAergic neurons in the basolateral and central nucleus of amygdala in mice.

The Basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) have been proved to play a key role in the control of anxiety, stress and fear-related behaviors. BLA is a cortex-like complex consisting of both γ-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) interneurons and glutamatergic neurons. The CEA is a striatum-like output of the amygdala, consisting almost exclusively of GABAergic medium spiny neurons.

[Soil Enzyme Activity in and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang].

Nitrogen deposition may affect forest soil traits and metabolic activity. We would like to further understand the mechanisms of soil biochemical processes and habitat interactions under conditions of nitrogen deposition in forests and to investigate the characteristics of soil enzyme activities and soil environmental factors in response to nitrogen deposition in forests in the Tianshan Mountains. In this study, nitrogen application tests were carried out using the nitrogen sedimentation gradient method on forest soils in the Tianshan Mountains.

Decreased expression of ApoF associates with poor prognosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently associated with metabolism dysfunction. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the crucial role of lipid metabolism in HCC progression. The function of apolipoprotein F (ApoF), a lipid transfer inhibitor protein, in HCC is incompletely understood.

Total Synthesis of Spirotryprostatins through Organomediated Intramolecular Umpolung Cyclization.

Cyclodipeptide 2,5-diketopiperazines (DKP) are privileged structural units present in drugs and natural alkaloids. This work reports a new method for the synthesis of biologically important DKP scaffolds based on an intramolecular nucleophilic α-addition of general amides towards an alkynamide system. The utility of this umpolung cyclization mediated by trimethyl phosphine and l-glutamic acid is highlighted by its application to the concise total syntheses of 6-methoxyspirotryprostatin B (the first total synthesis), spirotryprostatin A, and spirotryprostatin B.

Whole-Brain Monosynaptic Afferent Projections to the Cholecystokinin Neurons of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the principal pacemaker driving the circadian rhythms of physiological behaviors. The SCN consists of distinct neurons expressing neuropeptides, including arginine vasopressin (AVP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), cholecystokinin (CCK), and so on. AVP, VIP, and GRP neurons receive light stimulation from the retina to synchronize endogenous circadian clocks with the solar day, whereas CCK neurons are not directly innervated by retinal ganglion cells and may be involved in the non-photic regulation of the circadian clock.

Increased B cell activating factor is associated with B cell class switching in patients with tuberculous pleural effusion.

B cell activating factor (BAFF), a member of the tumor necrosis factor family, is a key cytokine for B cell survival, a function that is essential for B cell maturation and memory. The expression levels of BAFF and its potential contribution to B cell maturation remain elusive in patients with tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE). The present study enrolled 40 healthy controls (HC) and 45 TPE patients, and investigated the levels of BAFF in the plasma and pleural effusion.

Complement C5a inhibition moderates lipid metabolism and reduces tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Complement C5 mediates pro-inflammatory responses in many immune-related renal diseases. Given that the C5a level is elevated in diabetes, we investigated whether activation of C5a/C5aR signalling plays a pathogenic role in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the therapeutic potential of C5a inhibition for renal fibrosis.

Methods: Human renal biopsies from patients with DN and control subjects were used for immunohistochemical staining of complement C5 components.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells prevent adriamycin nephropathy in mice.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iPS-MSCs) are emerging as attractive options for use in cell replacement therapy, but their effect in kidney diseases remains unknown. Here, we showed that intravenous injection of iPS-MSCs protect against renal function loss in both short-term and long-term models of adriamycin nephropathy (AN). In the short-term AN model, iPS-MSCs conferred a substantial anti-apoptotic effect on tubular cells, associated with a downregulation of Bax and Bax/Bcl2 ratio and an upregulation of survivin expression.

Activation of Parvalbumin Neurons in the Rostro-Dorsal Sector of the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus Promotes Sensitivity to Pain in Mice.

The calcium-binding protein, parvalbumin (PV), is highly expressed in thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) GABAergic neurons, which receive input from the cerebral cortex and thalamus and send inhibitory output to the thalamic relay nucleus. Previous studies suggest that the TRN is involved in pain regulation as an important relay nucleus of the ascending pain pathway. However, little is known about its functional role in pain regulation and interconnectivity.

Striatal adenosine A receptor neurons control active-period sleep via parvalbumin neurons in external globus pallidus.

Dysfunction of the striatum is frequently associated with sleep disturbances. However, its role in sleep-wake regulation has been paid little attention even though the striatum densely expresses adenosine A receptors (ARs), which are essential for adenosine-induced sleep. Here we showed that chemogenetic activation of AR neurons in specific subregions of the striatum induced a remarkable increase in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

The circular RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells: Hsa_circ_0005836 as a new diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target of active pulmonary tuberculosis.

It has been reported that circular RNA (circRNA) is associated with human cancer. However, few studies have been reported in active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB). The global circRNA expression was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of APTB patients (n=5) and health controls (HC) (n=5) by using high-throughput sequencing.

Kallistatin protects against diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice by suppressing AGE-RAGE-induced oxidative stress.

Kallistatin is a serine protease inhibitor with anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-oxidative properties. Since oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, we studied the effect and mechanisms of action of kallistatin superinduction. Using ultrasound-microbubble-mediated gene transfer, kallistatin overexpression was induced in kidney tubules.

Role of bone morphogenetic protein-7 in renal fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is final common pathway of end stage renal disease. Irrespective of the primary cause, renal fibrogenesis is a dynamic process which involves a large network of cellular and molecular interaction, including pro-inflammatory cell infiltration and activation, matrix-producing cell accumulation and activation, and secretion of profibrogenic factors that modulate extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and cell-cell interaction. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 is a protein of the TGF-β super family and increasingly regarded as a counteracting molecule against TGF-β.

BMP7 reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic tubulopathy.

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) has been reported to confer renoprotective effects in acute and chronic kidney disease models, but its potential role in Type 2 diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. In cultured human proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs), exposure to advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) induced overexpression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1), interleukin 8 (IL-8) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), involving activation of p44/42 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling. BMP7 dose-dependently attenuated AGE-induced up-regulation of ICAM1, MCP1, IL-8 and IL-6 at both mRNA and protein levels.

Mesenchymal stem cells modulate albumin-induced renal tubular inflammation and fibrosis.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have recently shown promise as a therapeutic tool in various types of chronic kidney disease (CKD) models. However, the mechanism of action is incompletely understood. As renal prognosis in CKD is largely determined by the degree of renal tubular injury that correlates with residual proteinuria, we hypothesized that BM-MSCs may exert modulatory effects on renal tubular inflammation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) under a protein-overloaded milieu.

Projections of nucleus accumbens adenosine A2A receptor neurons in the mouse brain and their implications in mediating sleep-wake regulation.

Adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) in the nucleus accumbens (Acb) have been demonstrated to play an important role in the arousal effect of adenosine receptor antagonist caffeine, and may be involved in physiological sleep. To better understand the functions of these receptors in sleep, projections of A2AR neurons were mapped utilizing adeno-associated virus (AAV) encoding humanized Renilla green fluorescent protein (hrGFP) as a tracer for long axonal pathways. The Cre-dependent AAV was injected into the core (AcbC) and shell (AcbSh) of the Acb in A2AR-Cre mice.

Transplantation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells improves locomotion deficits in rats with spinal cord irradiation injury.

Demyelination contributes to the functional impairment of irradiation injured spinal cord. One potential therapeutic strategy involves replacing the myelin-forming cells. Here, we asked whether transplantation of Olig2(+)-GFP(+)-oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which are derived from Olig2-GFP-mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), could enhance remyelination and functional recovery after spinal cord irradiation injury.

The TLR4 antagonist CRX-526 protects against advanced diabetic nephropathy.

We recently showed that Toll-like receptor (TLR) TLR4 was overexpressed in the human diabetic kidney, which could promote tubular inflammation. Here we explored whether the TLR4 antagonist, CRX-526, has therapeutic potential to attenuate renal injuries and slow the progression of advanced diabetic nephropathy in wild-type and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) knockout mice. In the latter, the endogenous TLR4 ligand, high-mobility group box 1, was upregulated more than in wild-type animals.