OBJECTIVE Cloves(Syzygium aromaticum L.)have been used as both a spice and a traditional Chinese medicinal herb for thousands of years. However, relatively little is known about its potential anticancer activity and mechanisms.In this study,we investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effects and mechanisms of water extract of cloves(WEC)against colorectal cancer. METHODS MTS assay and Colony-formation assay were used to detect the anti-tumor activity of WEC on HT-29 cells.The in vivo anti-tumor effect of WEC was detected in a subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of human HT-29 cells.Autophagy was detected by flow cytometry and the expressions of autophagy related proteins(Beclin-1 and LC-3a/b)were determined by western blot. RESULTS MTS result showed that WEC significantly inhibited the viability of HT-29 cells,with the IC50values of 150 μg·mL-1.The colony-formation assay showed that the WEC significantly suppressed colon cancer cells proliferation.WEC also exhibited significant antitumor activity in tumor bearing nude mice. Flow cytometry result showed that WEC significantly induced autophagy, and the averaged relative values of fluorescence intensity were 206,251,341 and 356 in cells treated with 0,100,150 and 200 μg·mL-1WEC for 48 h.Western blot result showed that WEC treatment significantly increased Beclin-1 expression and ratios of LC3-II/LC3-I. CONCLUSION These result showed that WEC inhibited the growth of colon tumor both in vitro and in vivo, which might be related with autophagy induction, and WEC has potential to be developed as a novel anticancer agent for the treatment of colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites (Zn-CuO NPs) are novel nanoparticles synthesized by our research group.In this study,we assessed the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of Zn-CuO NPS on pancreatic cancer cells,as well as the potential mechanisms. METHODS MTS assay was used to detect the effects of Zn-CuO NPS on proliferation pancreatic cancer cells(Panc-mia and Aspc-1). The in vivo antitumor effects of Zn-CuO NPs were detected by xenografts model in nude mice. The effects of Zn-CuO NPS on autophagy were detected bytransmission electron microscopy (TEM) andflow cytometry. Autophagy related proteins were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS Zn-CuO NPS significantly inhibited the proliferation of Panc-mia cells and Aspc-1 cells.In vivo experi-ments showed that Zn-CuO NPS significantly inhibited the tumor growth in nude mice without affecting the body weight of the mice. TEM and flow cytometry showed that Zn-CuO NPS induced autophagy, and significantly increased the number of autophagosome.Western Blot showed that Zn-CuO NPS alterd the expression of autophagy related proteins,such as AMPK,mTORand Beclin-1.Also,AMPK inhibitor could significantly reduce Zn-CuO NPS-induced autophagy pathwayas analyzed byWestern blotting. CONCLUSION The findings suggested that Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites inhibited the in vitro and in vivo growth of pancreatic cancer by inducing autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway.

OBJECTIVE Granulin A (GRN A), a cytokinesis protein, is derived from proteolysis of progranulin. The previous study in our laboratory has shown that GRN A is able to inhibit cancer cell growth significantly. This study aimed to investigate the effect of combination of GRN A and cisplatin on in vitro and in vivo on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS The in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of combination of GRN A and Cisplatin were evaluated with MTS assay and subcuta-neous transplantation tumor model.Chou-Talalay method was used to calculate the combination index (CI). Colony formation assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of GRN A on apoptosis. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blot. RESULTS MTS assay showed that GRN A significantly inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cells growth with the IC50of 5.6 μmol·L-1, and GRN A combined with cisplatin synergistically inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation, with the CI<1.The colony-formation assay showed that GRN A significantly enhanced the inhibitory effects of cisplatin on cellular anchorage-independent growth. Flow cytometry showed that GRN A combined with cisplatin synergistically induced apoptosis,with the apoptotic rates of 5.87%,32.74%,35.67% and 67.15% in control, GRN A, Cisplatin, and combination of GRN A and Cisplatin groups, respectively. Western blot confirmed that the two drugs synergistically changed the expressions of proteins related to apoptosis.In vivo experiment indicated that combination of GRN A and cisplatin significantly suppressed tumor growth compared with single drug treatment groups.CONCLUSION The combination of GRN A and cisplatin resulted in synergistic antitumor effects against hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo.

Objective To explore the expression level and influencing factors of CD4 +CD25 + regulatory cells(Treg)among male drug -abusers with syphilis.Methods 144 male drug -abusers with syphilis,41 male drug -abusers without syphilis,35 male non -drug abuser with syphilis and 35 male healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study.Expression levels of CD4 +CD25 +Treg of them were detected.A questionnaire interview was conducted among these participants, including drug abuse duration,drug types and abuse ways.Results The levels of Treg expression of drug -abusers with syphilis were significantly higher than that of drug -abusers without syphilis and non -drug abuser with syphilis (P <0.01 ).Despite of the stage of syphilis,types of drugs and abuse way,Treg expression levels with drug abuse duration of"above 1 -year"were significantly higher than those of "1 -year or below"(P <0.01 ).Treg expression levels were positively correlated to drug abuse duration (R2 =0.672,P <0.01)among patients.Among the participants,people both with traditional and new drugs were significantly higher than that with only traditional or new drug (P <0.01).In addition, people both with injecting and non -injecting abuse were significantly higher than that with one way of drug -abuse (P <0.01).Among those with drug abuse duration of "above 1 -year",Treg levels of drug -abusers with traditional drugs and injecting abuse way were remarkably higher than that with new drug and non -injecting abuse respectively (P <0.01). Conclusion Among male drug -abusers with syphilis,suppression of cellular immune function resulting from increased CD4 +CD25 +regulatory T cells is related to drug abuse duration,and is also influenced by drug types and abuse ways.

BACKGROUNDTrichophyton rubrum represents the most common infectious fungus responsible for dermatophytosis in human, but the mechanism involved is still not completely understood. An appropriate model constructed to simulate host infection is the prerequisite to study the pathogenesis of dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum. In this study, we intended to develop a new T. rubrum infection model in vitro, using the three-dimensional reconstructed epidermis - EpiSkin ®, and to pave the way for further investigation of the mechanisms involved in T. rubrum infection.

METHODSThe reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) was infected by inoculating low-dose (400 conidia) and high-dose (4000 conidia) T. rubrum conidia to optimize the infection dose. During the various periods after infection, the samples were processed for pathological examination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation.

RESULTSThe histological analysis of RHE revealed a fully differentiated epidermis with a functional stratum corneum, which was analogous to the normal human epidermis. The results of hematoxylin and eosin staining and the periodic acid-Schiff staining showed that the infection dose of 400 conidia was in accord with the pathological characteristics of host dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum. SEM observations further exhibited the process of T. rubrum infection in an intuitionistic way.

CONCLUSIONSWe established the T. rubrum infection model on RHE in vitro successfully. It is a promising model for further investigation of the mechanisms involved in T. rubrum infection.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Epidermis ; microbiology ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; cytology ; Tissue Culture Techniques ; Trichophyton ; pathogenicity

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors