Since accelerated metabolism produces much higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer cells compared to ROS levels found in normal cells, human MutT homolog 1 (MTH1), which sanitizes oxidized nucleotide pools, was recently demonstrated to be crucial for the survival of cancer cells, but not required for the proliferation of normal cells. Therefore, dozens of MTH1 inhibitors have been developed with the aim of suppressing cancer growth by accumulating oxidative damage in cancer cells. While several inhibitors were indeed confirmed to be effective, some inhibitors failed to kill cancer cells, complicating MTH1 as a viable target for cancer eradication. In this review, we summarize the current status of developing MTH1 inhibitors as drug candidates, classify the MTH1 inhibitors based on their structures, and offer our perspectives toward the therapeutic potential against cancer through the targeting of MTH1.

OBJECTIVE To explore mecha-nisms of imperatorin on regulating P-glycoprotein(P-gp)in blood-brain barrier(BBB)based on net-work pharmacology combined with in vitro experi-ment.METHODS Drug targets were predicted using the Pharmapper and Swiss targets data-bases;disease targets were obtained through the Genecards database;intersections between drugs and disease targets were screened by Cytoscape software;the obtained core targets were used to construct protein-protein interaction(PPI)network,gene ontology(GO)functions,and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis.The effects of imperatorin(20,50,100 μ mol·L-1)on P-gp activity were monitored in hCMEC/D3in vitro BBB model,and the effects of imperatorin on the expression of target proteins were verified using Western blot method.RESULTS 55 drug targets and 3102 disease targets were obtained from the network pharmacology screening,and 37 core targets were obtained after the combination.Enrichment analysis showed that core targets were closely related to chemical synaptic trans-mission regulation,neurotransmitter receptor activity,proteinkinaseregulationactivity,G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway,neural active ligand receptor interaction pathway,PI3K-Akt sig-naling pathway,VEGF signaling pathway,etc..In vitro experimental validation suggested that all tested concentration groups of imperatorin signifi-cantly reduced the activity and expression of P-gp,which were achieved by significantly downregu-lating the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt,and repressing the expression of VEGFR2 pro-tein.CONCLUSION Network pharmacology was used to predict the core targets and signaling pathways of imperatorin on regulating P-gp in BBB and relevant validation was conducted through in vitro experiments,providing a refer-ence basis for further exploration of the mecha-nisms of imperatorin on regulating P-gp in BBB.

Objective:To investigate the clinical pathological and epidemiological characteristics of primary esophageal malignant melanoma (PMME).Methods:The clinical pathology data of 180 PMME patients in the esophageal cancer database of the key laboratory of esophageal cancer research in Henan Province from 1973 to 2016 were collected, of which 136 were male, aged (58.5±9.0) years, 44 were female, aged (56.7±12.2) years. Kaplan-Meier and Log rank test were used for survival analysis, Cox regression scale model was used for risk factor analysis.Results:The incidence of PMME is 0.036% (180/500, 000), mostly were male (about 3∶1 for men: female). The common sites of PMME were the lower part of the esophagus (48.9%, 85/174), followed by the middle section of the esophagus (46.0%, 80/174) and the upper part of the esophagus (5.2%, 9/174). No black particles were seen in the PMME cells of 3 patients under microscope, and strong positive expressions of Melan-A and HMB453 were observed in these 3 patients by immunohistochemical results. Of the 129 patients who had a routine preoperative esophageal biopsy, 69 were undiagnosed with PMME (53.5%). The medium survival time of the whole group was 7.9 months, and the survival rates of 1, 2, 3, 5 years were 25.0%, 7.9%, 6.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The univariate analysis showed that N, M, TNM phase and radiotherapy were related to the overall survival of patients ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that TNM phase and radiotherapy were the independent risk factors for overall survival of patients ( P<0.05). Conclusions:PMME is more common in men, the common site of the disease is the lower part of the esophagus. The preoperatively missed diagnosis rate of Chinese PMME is high. TNM phase and radiotherapy are the independent risk factors for overall survival of patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinical pathological and epidemiological characteristics of primary esophageal malignant melanoma (PMME).Methods:The clinical pathology data of 180 PMME patients in the esophageal cancer database of the key laboratory of esophageal cancer research in Henan Province from 1973 to 2016 were collected, of which 136 were male, aged (58.5±9.0) years, 44 were female, aged (56.7±12.2) years. Kaplan-Meier and Log rank test were used for survival analysis, Cox regression scale model was used for risk factor analysis.Results:The incidence of PMME is 0.036% (180/500, 000), mostly were male (about 3∶1 for men: female). The common sites of PMME were the lower part of the esophagus (48.9%, 85/174), followed by the middle section of the esophagus (46.0%, 80/174) and the upper part of the esophagus (5.2%, 9/174). No black particles were seen in the PMME cells of 3 patients under microscope, and strong positive expressions of Melan-A and HMB453 were observed in these 3 patients by immunohistochemical results. Of the 129 patients who had a routine preoperative esophageal biopsy, 69 were undiagnosed with PMME (53.5%). The medium survival time of the whole group was 7.9 months, and the survival rates of 1, 2, 3, 5 years were 25.0%, 7.9%, 6.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The univariate analysis showed that N, M, TNM phase and radiotherapy were related to the overall survival of patients ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that TNM phase and radiotherapy were the independent risk factors for overall survival of patients ( P<0.05). Conclusions:PMME is more common in men, the common site of the disease is the lower part of the esophagus. The preoperatively missed diagnosis rate of Chinese PMME is high. TNM phase and radiotherapy are the independent risk factors for overall survival of patients.

Objective: To investigate the current status of professional identity among the undergraduates majoring in public affairs management and the related influence factors. Methods: A stratified cluster sampling method was used to conduct a questionnaire survey among the 115 undergraduates majoring in public affairs management in a medical university in Harbin, China, and the contents of the questionnaires included general status and professional identity. The t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of professional identity. In-depth interviews were conducted for some students to explore the profound influencing factors for professional identity among the students majoring in public affairs management. Results: The overall level of professional identity was low among the undergraduates majoring in public affairs management in the medical university in Harbin, and the score of professional identity was 3.25±0.56. The scores of cognitive dimension, emotional dimension, behavioral dimension, and applicable dimension were 3.41±0.69, 3.21±0.78, 3.24±0.71, and 3.13±0.72, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that grade, academic performance, major selection, and children number in family had significant influence on their professional identity. The students who were at grade four, who had high academic record (b=-0.276, P<0.01), who chose this major independently (b=-0.277, P<0.01), and who were the only child (b=-0.233, P<0.05) had a high score of professional identity. As for the undergraduates at different grades, the undergraduates at grades two and three had a significantly lower score of professional identity than those at grade four (b=-0.296 and -0.369, P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the undergraduates at grades one and four (b=-0.008, P>0.05). Furthermore, the students with a high score of professional identity had higher possibility to pursue the job related to this major than those with a low score (3.39±0.53 vs. 2.92±0.49, t=4.414, P<0.01). Conclusion Universities should strengthen the publicity of the major of public affairs management, optimize the curriculum, and add job experience, so as to enhance professional identity among students with this major and provide talent for the field of public health management.

BACKGROUNDLowering intraocular pressure (IOP) is currently the only therapeutic approach in primary open-angle glaucoma. and the fixed-combination medications are needed to achieve sufficiently low target IOP. A multicenter prospective study in the Chinese population was needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of Bimatoprost/Timolol Fixed Combination Eye Drop in China. In this study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of Bimatoprost/Timolol Fixed Combination with concurrent administration of its components in Chinese patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

METHODSIn this multicenter, randomized, double-masked, parallel controlled study, patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension who were insufficiently responsive to monotherapy with either topical β-blockers or prostaglandin analogues were randomized to one of two active treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio at 11 Chinese ophthalmic departments. Bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination treatment was a fixed combination of 0.03% bimatoprost and 0.5% timolol (followed by vehicle for masking) once daily at 19:00 P.M. and concurrent treatment was 0.03% bimatoprost followed by 0.5% timolol once daily at 19:00 P.M. The primary efficacy variable was change from baseline in mean diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) at week 4 visit in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Primary analysis evaluated the non-inferiority of bimatoprost/ timolol fixed combination to concurrent with respect to the primary variable using a confidence interval (CI) approach. Bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination was to be considered non-inferior to concurrent if the upper limit of the 95% CI for the between-treatment (bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination minus concurrent) difference was ≤ 1.5 mmHg. Adverse events were collected and slit-lamp examinations were performed to assess safety. Between-group comparisons of the incidence of adverse events were performed using the Pearson chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

RESULTSOf the enrolled 235 patients, 121 patients were randomized to receive bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination and, 114 patients were randomized to receive concurrent treatment. At baseline the mean value of mean diurnal IOP was (25.20 ± 3.06) mmHg in the bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination group and (24.87 ± 3.88) mmHg in the concurrent group. The difference between the treatment groups was not statistically significant. The mean change from baseline in mean diurnal IOP (± standard deviation) in the bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination group was (-9.38 ± 4.66) mmHg and it was (-8.93 ± 4.25) mmHg in the concurrent group (P < 0.01). The difference between the two treatment groups (bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination minus concurrent) in the change from baseline of mean diurnal IOP was -0.556 mmHg (95% CI: -1.68, 0.57, P = 0.330). The upper limit of the 95% CI was less than 1.5 mmHg, the predefined margin of non-inferiority. Adverse events occurred in 26.4% (32/121) of the bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination patients and 30.7% (35/114) of the concurrent patients. The most frequent adverse event was conjunctival hyperemia, which was reported as treatment related in 16.5% (20/121) in the bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination group and 18.4% (21/114) in the concurrent group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBimatoprost/Timolol Fixed Combination administered in Chinese patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension was not inferior to concurrent dosing with the individual components. Safety profiles were similar between the treatment groups.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Amides ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Bimatoprost ; Cloprostenol ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ocular Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Timolol ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

In this work, retinal penetration of fluorescein was achieved in vitro by covalent attachment of taurine to fluorescein, yielding the F-Tau conjugate. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) were used to confirm the successful synthesis of F-Tau. The cellular uptake of F-Tau in adult retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19) and human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hRMECs) was visualized via confocal scanning microscopy. The results indicated an improvement of solubility and a reduction of logP of F-Tau compared with fluorescein. As compared with fluorescein, F-Tau showed little toxicity, and was retained longer by cells in uptake experiments. F-Tau also displayed higher transepithelial permeabilities than fluorescein in ARPE-19 and hRMECs monolayer cells (P<0.05). These results showed that taurine may be a useful ligand for targeting small-molecule hydrophobic pharmaceuticals into the retina.

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of recombinant oncolytic adenovirusAd-Apoptin-hTERTp-E1A(ATV) on luciferase-labeled human lung cancer cells (A549-luc) and human lung cancerA549 cells, and to compare the differences in the inhibitory effect on two cell lines. Methods:ATV was used to infectA549-luc cells andA549 cells respectively. WST-1 and crystal violet staining were used to determine the difference in the inhibitory effect of ATV. Hoechst and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining were used to verify the inhibition mode ofATV. Results: WST-1 and crystal violet staining showed thatATV had significant inhibitory effect on bothA549-luc and A549 cells ( P <0.05). ATV showed significant inhibitory effect on both cells at 24, 48 and 72 h ( P <0.05 or P <0.01), and reached the peak at 72 h; ATV at concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 MOI all showed inhibitory effect on both cells, and reached the peak at 100 MOI. Hoechst staining showed that A549-luc cells and A549 cells infected with ATV showed typical nuclear fragmentation and marginal set. The results of Annexin V-FITC/PI Flow cytometry showed that ATV infection resulted in apoptosis of A549-luc and A549 cells, which was in a time-dependent manner and reached the peak at 72 h( P <0.05 or P <0.01). Conclusion: Insertion of luciferase didn’t significantly change the inhibitory effect and inhibitory mode ofATV onA549-luc cells.ATV exerted its in vitro inhibitory effect onA549-luc and A549 cells by inducing cell apoptosis.