T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a highly aggressive hematologic malignancy with a poor prognosis, despite advancements in treatment. Many patients struggle with relapse or refractory disease. Investigating the role of the super-enhancer (SE) regulated gene ubiquitin-specific protease 20 (USP20) in T-ALL could enhance targeted therapies and improve clinical outcomes. Analysis of histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data from six T-ALL cell lines and seven pediatric samples identified USP20 as an SE-regulated driver gene. Utilizing the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and BloodSpot databases, it was found that USP20 is specifically highly expressed in T-ALL. Knocking down USP20 with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) increased apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in T-ALL cells. In vivo studies showed that USP20 knockdown reduced tumor growth and improved survival. The USP20 inhibitor GSK2643943A demonstrated similar anti-tumor effects. Mass spectrometry, RNA-Seq, and immunoprecipitation revealed that USP20 interacted with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A) and stabilized it by deubiquitination. Cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag) results indicated that USP20 co-localized with HIF1A, jointly modulating target genes in T-ALL. This study identifies USP20 as a therapeutic target in T-ALL and suggests GSK2643943A as a potential treatment strategy.

Objective To investigate the associations of reproductive health indicators with lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)among women aged 40 years and above.Methods From Jul to Sep,2021,female subjects aged 40 years and above were randomly selected from the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank for COPD screening.A questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographic characteristics and reproductive health indicators.Linear regression was used to analyze the effects of reproductive health indicators on forced vital capacity(FVC)and forced expiratory volume in the first second(FEV1).Logistic regression was also used to analyze the effects of reproductive health factors on FVC as a percentage of the predicted value(FVC%Pred)and FEV1%Pred as well as on COPD.Results A total of 1876 women aged 40 years and above were enrolled with mean age of(62.1±8.2)years old,among them,78.1%were menopausal,and 40.9%had been pregnant≥3 times.Multivariate analysis showed that FVC and FEV1 decreased in postmenopausal women,but menopause was not associated with a decrease in their percentage of predicted values.Pregnancies≥3 times was a risk factor for COPD(for 3 times,OR=4.92,95%CI:1.48-19.95,P<0.05;for≥4 times,OR=9.06,95%CI:2.32-41.57,P<0.01),while pregnancies of 2 times did not increase the risk of COPD.Conclusion In women aged 40 years and above,menopause is associated with poorer FVC and FEV1,and excessive pregnancy(≥3 times)is a risk factor for COPD.

Aim To observe the effect of thalidomide on the learning and memory ability and hippocampal tissue proteome of Alzheimer's disease(AD)mice,to screen the differential proteins of thalidomide in preventing and treating AD,the pathways involved in regulation,and to explore its possible mechanism. Methods The experimental mice were randomly divided into blank control group,model group,and thalidomide high and low dose groups. The drugs were administered by gavage every day for 21 days. After the administration,Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of the mice,HE staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the pathological tissue morphology of the mouse hippocampus,ELISA was employed to detect the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complex in mouse brain,and the Label-free proteomics method was used to screen different groups of hippocampal proteome proteins. Results The results of the Morris water maze showed that compared with the model group,the escape latency time of the drug group was significantly reduced,and the number of crossing the platform significantly increased(P<0.05). Thalidomide administration could improve the morphological structure of neurons in hippocampus,and could increase the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex ,Ⅱ, and of the brain tissues of AD mice(P<0.05). A total of 4 378 differential proteins were identified,which had a significant regulatory effect on the expression of 580 proteins in hippocampus of AD mice(P<0.05). Energy metabolism may jointly participate in the regulation of neurodegeneration pathways-changes in pathways such as various diseases and Alzheimer's disease. Conclusions Thalidomide can significantly improve the learning and memory function of AD model mice induced by Aβ

Aim To explore the roles of miRNA-132 and its related proteins(Mecp2, CREB)in the mechanism of methamphetamine(MA)-induced neurotoxicity and dependence.Methods The rats were intraperitioneally injected(ip)with MA(10 mg·kg-1·d-1)to establish methamphetamine dependence model with different dependent time courses of 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks respectively.The miRNA-132 and Mecp2 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR, and the Mecp2, p-Mecp2, CREB and p-CREB proteins were detected by Western blot in the tissues of frontal cortex and hippocampus.Results In the frontal cortex, the miRNA-132 and Mecp2 mRNA were up-regulated in MA-dependent groups(P<0.05 and P<0.01), while the Mecp2 protein were down-regulated(P<0.01).MA could promote the phosphorylation of Mecp2 protein in the frontal cortex(P<0.01).In hippocampus, the miRNA-132 was down-regulated in the MA-dependent groups, but Mecp2 mRNA was up-regulated(P<0.05).Mecp2 protein increased in MA-dependent 1 week group(P<0.05), and then recovered with the prolonged time of MA dependence, then decreased in MA-dependent 4 weeks groups(P<0.05)in hippocampus.The phosphorylation level of Mecp2 was significantly decreased in the 1 week group(P<0.01), and then increased in the 2 weeks group(P<0.01)in hippocampus.Conclusions MA could induce an abnormal expression of miRNA-132 in the frontal cortex and hippocampus, and miRNA-132 might inhibit the translation of Mecp2 mRNA and induce the decrease expression of Mecp2 protein in the frontal cortex.But in hippocampus, miRNA-132 does not show the correlation with the Mecp2 expression trend of the frontal cortex.And miRNA-132 regulation does not depend on the expression of Mecp2 in hippocampus.

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the neuroprotective effect and the underlying mechanisms of a mixture of the main components of Panax notoginseng saponins (TSPN) on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) of cultured cortical neurons. METHODS: The neuroprotective effect of TSPN was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, flow cytometry and live/dead cell assays. The morphology of dendrites was detected by immunofluorescence. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was developed in rats as a model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. The neuroprotective effect of TSPN was evaluated by neurological scoring, tail suspension test, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and Nissl stainings. Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to measure the changes in the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. RESULTS: MTT showed that TSPN (50, 25 and 12.5 µ g/mL) protected cortical neurons after OGD/R treatment (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Flow cytometry and live/dead cell assays indicated that 25 µ g/mL TSPN decreased neuronal apoptosis (P<0.05), and immunofluorescence showed that 25 µ g/mL TSPN restored the dendritic morphology of damaged neurons (P<0.05). Moreover, 12.5 µ g/mL TSPN downregulated the expression of Beclin-1, Cleaved-caspase 3 and LC3B-II/LC3B-I, and upregulated the levels of phosphorylated (p)-Akt and p-mTOR (P<0.01 or P<0.05). In the MCAO model, 50 µ g/mL TSPN improved defective neurological behavior and reduced infarct volume (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3B in cerebral ischemic penumbra was downregulated after 50 µ g/mL TSPN treatment, whereas the p-mTOR level was upregulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION TSPN promoted neuronal survival and protected dendrite integrity after OGD/R and had a potential therapeutic effect by alleviating neurological deficits and reversing neuronal loss. TSPN promoted p-mTOR and inhibited Beclin-1 to alleviate ischemic damage, which may be the mechanism that underlies the neuroprotective activity of TSPN.
Animals ; Beclin-1 ; Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Glucose ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/drug therapy* ; Mammals/metabolism* ; Neuroprotection ; Neuroprotective Agents/therapeutic use* ; Oxygen ; Panax notoginseng ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Rats ; Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Saponins/therapeutic use* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of excretory-secretory proteins from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae (Ts-MES) on sepsis-induced myocardial injury in mice. METHODS: Eighty male BALB/C mice were randomized equally into sham-operated group, myocardial injury group, Ts-MES treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group. In the latter 3 groups, sepsis-induced myocardial injury models were established by cecal ligation and perforation; the sham operation was performed by exposure of the cecum without ligation or perforation. Forty minutes after the operation, the mice were given intraperitoneal injections 150 μL PBS, 20 μg TS-MES or 0.3 mg/kg dexamethasone as indicated. At 12 h after the operation, 6 mice were randomly selected from each group for echocardiography, and 8 mice were used for observing the survival rate within 72 h. The remaining 6 mice were examined for myocardial pathologies with HE staining and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI with ELISA; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β in the serum and myocardial tissue were detected using ELISA and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice showed significantly decreased cardiac function indexes (LVEF, LVFS, and E/A) with lowered survival rate within 72 h (P < 0.001) and significantly higher myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.01). Treatment with TS-MES significantly improved the cardiac function and 72-h survival rate (P < 0.05) and lowered the myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.05) in the septic mice. Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice had obviously increased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the serum and myocardial tissue (P < 0.001), which were significantly lowered by treatment with TS-MES (P < 0.05). TS-MES and dexamethasone both increased the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in the septic mice, but the changes were significant only in TS-MES-treated mice (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Ts-MES are capable of protecting against myocardial injury in septic mice by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhancing the levels of regulatory cytokines.
Animals ; Cytokines ; Dexamethasone ; Heart Injuries ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6 ; Larva ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Myocardium ; Sepsis ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Trichinella spiralis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The Solanaceae plants distributed in China belong to 105 species and 35 varietas of 24 genera. Some medicinal plants of Solanaceae are rich in tropane alkaloids(TAs), which have significant pharmacological activities. In this paper, the geographical distribution, chemical components, traditional therapeutic effect, pharmacological activities, and biosynthetic pathways of TAs in Solanaceous plants were summarized. Besides, the phylogeny of medicinal plants belonging to Solanaceae was visualized by network diagram. Fourteen genera of Solanaceae plants in China contain TAs and have medical records. TAs mainly exist in Datura, Anisodus, Atropa, Physochlaina, and Hyoscyamus. The TAs-containing species were mainly concentrated in Southwest China, and the content of TAs was closely related to plant distribution area and altitude. The Solanaceae plants containing TAs mainly have antispasmodic, analgesic, antiasthmatic, and antitussive effects. Modern pharmacological studies have proved the central sedative, pupil dilating, glandular secretion-inhibiting, and anti-asthma activities of TAs. These pharmacological activities provide a reasonable explanation for the traditional therapeutic efficacy of tropane drugs. In this paper, the geographical distribution, chemical components, traditional therapeutic effect, and modern pharmacological activities of TAs-containing species in Solanaceae were analyzed for the first time. Based on these data, the genetic relationship of TAs-containing Solanaceae species was preliminarily discussed, which provided a scientific basis for the basic research on TAs-containing solanaceous species and was of great significance for the development of natural medicinal plant resources containing TAs.
Biosynthetic Pathways ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; Solanaceae/genetics* ; Tropanes

Arm ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Carboplatin ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Maintenance Chemotherapy ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Recombination, Genetic ; Sample Size

Objectives: An Asian Gynecologic Oncology Group phase III randomized trial was conducted to determine whether maintenance chemotherapy could improve progression-free survival (PFS) in stages III/IV ovarian cancer. Methods: Between 2007 and 2014, 45 newly-diagnosed ovarian cancer patients were enrolled after complete remission and randomized (1:1) to arm A (4-weekly carboplatin area under the curve 4 and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin [PLD] 30 mg/m2, n=24) for 6 cycles or arm B (observation, n=21). The primary end-point was PFS. A post hoc translational study was conducted to deep sequence BRCA/homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) genes, because BRCA/HRD mutations (BRCA/HRDm) are known to be associated with better prognosis. Results: Enrollment was slow, accrual was closed when 7+ years had passed. With a medianfollow-up of 88.9 months, the median PFS was significantly better in arm A (55.5 months) than arm B (9.2 months) (hazard ratio [HR]=0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.19–0.87; p=0.020), yet the median overall survival was not significantly different in arm A (not reached) than arm B (95.1 months) (p=0.148). Overall grade 3/4 adverse events were more frequent in arm A than arm B (60.9% vs 0.0%) (p<0.001). Quality of life was generally not significantly different. Distribution of BRCA1/2m or BRCA/HRDm was not significantly biased between the two arms. Wild-type BRCAon-HRD subgroup seemed to fare better with maintenance therapy (HR=0.35; 95% CI=0.11–1.18; p=0.091). Conclusions Despite limitations in small sample size, it suggests that maintenance carboplatin-PLD chemotherapy could improve PFS in advanced ovarian cancer.