OBJECTIVE: To determine whether monotropein has an anticancer effect and explore its potential mechanisms against colorectal cancer (CRC) through network pharmacology and molecular docking combined with experimental verification. METHODS: Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict potential targets of monotropein against CRC. Cell counting kit assay, plate monoclonal assay and microscopic observation were used to investigate the antiproliferative effects of monotropein on CRC cells HCT116, HT29 and LoVo. Flow cytometry and scratch assay were used to analyze apoptosis and cell cycle, as well as cell migration, respectively in HCT116, HT29, and LoVo cells. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of proteins related to apoptosis, cell cycle, and cell migration, and the expression of proteins key to the Akt pathway. RESULTS: The Gene Ontology and Reactome enrichment analyses indicated that the anticancer potential of monotropein against CRC might be involved in multiple cancer-related signaling pathways. Among these pathways, RAC-beta serine/threonine-protein kinase (Akt1, Akt2), cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cell division control protein 42 homolog (CDC42) were shown as the potential anticancer targets of monotropein against CRC. Molecular docking suggested that monotropein may interact with the 6 targets (Akt1, Akt2, CDK6, MMP9, EGFR, CDC42). Subsequently, cell activity of HCT116, HT29 and LoVo cell lines were significantly suppressed by monotropein (P<0.05). Furthermore, our research revealed that monotropein induced cell apoptosis by inhibiting Bcl-2 and increasing Bax, induced G₁-S cycle arrest in colorectal cancer by decreasing the expressions of CyclinD1, CDK4 and CDK6, inhibited cell migration by suppressing the expressions of CDC42 and MMP9 (P<0.05), and might play an anticancer role through Akt signaling pathway. CONCLUSION Monotropein exerts its antitumor effects primarily by arresting the cell cycle, causing cell apoptosis, and inhibiting cell migration. This indicates a high potential for developing novel medication for treating CRC.
Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Cell Cycle ; ErbB Receptors ; Apoptosis ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor

Objective To identify the differentially expressed genes and pathways of bone marrow-derived mast cells(BMMCs)of mice induced by IL-3 and IL-3+stem cell factor(SCF)using bioinformatics analysis,which may provide a foundation for in vitro culture and functional study of mast cells(MC).Methods The matrix data of GSE35332 dataset in IL-3 and IL-3+SCF induced BMMCs was downloaded from the GEO database,and the R software was applied to screen differentially expressed genes(DEGs).The gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis of EDGs were performed based on the online tool DAVID database.The protein interaction network was constructed by STRING database and hub genes were screened through MCODE plugin of the Cytoscape software.Results The GSE35332 data set was analyzed by R software,and 1 339 DEGs were screened,including 723 up-regulated genes and 616 down-regulated genes.A total of 6 hub genes were screened through the MCODE plugin of Cytoscape software,namely Psmd8,Psmd6,Psmd14,Psmc4,Psma6 and Psma3.GO and KEGG analysis showed that the hub genes were concentrated in proteolysis,antigen processing and presentation of exogenous peptide antigen via MHC class I,proteasome-mediated ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolism process,and Epstein-Barr virus infection.Conclusion This study found that there were significant differences in BMMCs gene expression profiles in mice induced by two modes and 6 hub genes participated in ubiquitin-dependent protein decomposition process through bioinformatics based on the GEO database,providing help for further research on MC vitro culture and function.

Objective To explore the correlation between colorectal cancer tissue Janus kinase 2(JAK2)gene mutations and T cytokine 3(TCF3)protein expression with clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis,and to provide laboratory reference indicators for early evaluation of the illness severity and prognosis of colorectal cancer.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 50 colorectal cancer patients who were admitted from January 2016 to April 2021 and retained colon cancer and adjacent tissue wax blocks.Basic information,clinical and pathological features such as TNM staging,lymph node metastasis,and 3-year survival prognosis of the patients were collected.The wax blocks of colon cancer and adjacent tissues of patients were detected,in which Taqman fluorescence probe method was applied to detect the distribution of JAK2 gene at the rs2230724 locus AA,AG,and GG genotypes in colon cancer tissues,and immunohistochemistry method was applied to detect the positive expression rate of TCF3 protein in colon cancer and adjacent tissues.The basic information,JAK2 rs2230724 gene mutation,and TCF3 protein expression of patients with different clinical and pathological characteristics were compared,and the influencing factors of clinical and pathological characteristics of colon cancer was analyzed by logistic regression model.Kaplan Meier survival curve was applied to compare the survival prognosis of patients with JAK2 gene mutations and TCF3 protein expression in colorectal cancer tissue,and Cox regression model was applied to analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.Results The positive expression rate of TCF3 protein in colon cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent tissues(P＜0.05).The age,BMI,proportion of GG genotype at rs2230724 locus of JAK2 gene and positive expression rate of TCF3 protein in TNM stage Ⅲ colon cancer patients were higher than those in TNM stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ patients(P＜0.05);The age,BMI,smoking rate,proportion of GG type at the rs2230724 locus of JAK2 gene in colon cancer tissue,and positive expression rate of TCF3 protein in patients with lymph node metastasis were higher than those without lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05);The results of the logistic regression model analysis showed that the influencing factors of clinical pathological features such as TNM staging and lymph node metastasis in colon cancer were age,mutation of JAK2 gene rs2230724 site in colon cancer tissue,and positive expression rate of TCF3 protein(P＜0.05).The Kaplan Meier survival curve analysis showed that patients with JAK2 gene rs2230724 GG genotype and TCF3 protein positivity in colon cancer tissue had higher cumulative all-cause mortality rates(P＜0.05).The results of univariate and multivariate Cox regression model analysis showed that independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients include JAK2 gene rs2230724 site GG type,TCF3 protein positive expression,TNM stage Ⅲ,lymph node metastasis,and age.Conclusion The proportion of JAK2 gene rs2230724 GG type and TCF3 protein expression in colorectal cancer tissues are related to their clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis,and can be used as reference indicators for evaluating clinical pathological characteristics and predicting prognosis of colorectal cancer.

The codon sequence of the S1 protein of the SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant was optimized ac-cording to the preference of CHO cells and cloned into pSN expression vector to construct the re-combinant plasmid pSN-Beta-sl.Recombinant protein was expressed in CHO cells,identified using SDS-PAGE and Western blot,and purified through affinity chromatography.BALB/c mice were immunized with purified recombinant protein Beta-S1 combined with aluminum hydroxide adju-vant.Specific IgG antibody and its subtypes in serum and the cross-neutralization antibody activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants were evaluated.The results showed that the recombinant plasmid pSN-Beta-S1 was successfully constructed,and the recombinant protein Beta-S1 was produced u-sing the CHO cell expression system.The purified recombinant protein had a single band of about 120 kDa with the purity exceeding 85％and can bind to RBD pAb and strep-tag mAb.The recom-binant S1 protein showed good immunogenicity in BALB/c mice.The titers of specific IgG antibodies against RBD protein and S1 protein reached 1∶66 260 and 1∶133 120 on average 21 d after the third immunization,the antibody subtypes were mainly inclined to IgG1.Serum neutrali-zing antibody titer was 1∶629 for wild type,1∶1 720 for Beta,1∶374 for Delta,1∶77 for Omi-cron BA1 and 1∶101 for Omicron BA2.In this study,S1 recombinant protein of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant was successfully expressed in CHO cell expression system and produced good immunoge-nicity and cross-neutralizing activity in BALB/c mice.These results provide a reference for the fur-ther development of broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Objective To investigate a suspected outbreak event of Mycobacterium abscessus(Mab)infection in department of pulmonary and critical care medicine in a hospital,provide basis for the precise prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection(HAI).Methods On-site epidemiological investigation and environmental hygienic detection were carried out in patients with Mab infection following fiberbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage in the department of pulmonary and critical care medicine in this hospital,and targeted intervention measures were pro-posed.Results From September 7 to October 20,2022,a total of 344 cases of bronchoalveolar lavage were per-formed for patients in fiberbronchoscopy room of department of pulmonary and critical care medicine.Mab was de-tected from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)of 10 patients.Through on-site and follow-up investigation,the initial case was defined as community-associated infection,and the other 9 cases were due to the contamination of specimens.A total of 33 environmental hygienic specimens were collected,and no Mab was detected.The event was effectively controlled after standardizing the process of bronchoscope decontamination,strengthening the infection management of ward and bronchoscopy room,and strictly implementing the certificate system of bronchoscopy de-contamination personnel.Conclusion This pseudo-outbreak is due to the contamination of fiberbronchoscope by Mab.Timely identifying risk factors as well as taking targeted prevention and control measures can effectively con-trol the spread and prevalence of Mab infection.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of ivabredine tablets in the treatment of elderly patients with hypertension and heart failure.Methods Elderly patients with hypertension and heart failure were divided into control group and treatment group by cohort method.The control group received nifedipine controlled release tablets 30 mg per time,qd,orally+furosemide tablets 20 mg per time,qd,orally+digoxin tablets 0.5 mg per time,qd,orally.On the basis of control group,the treatment group received ivabradine 5 mg per time,bid,orally after meals.Two groups were treated for 24 weeks.The clinical efficacy,right atrial volume indexes,left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide precursor(NT-proBNP)levels and safety were compared between two groups.Results Fifty-three cases were enrolled in the treatment group,45 cases were enrolled in the control group.After treatment,the total effective rates of the treatment and control groups were 88.68％(47 cases/53 cases)and 71.11％(32 cases/45 cases),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).After treatment,the right atrial volume indexes of treatment and control groups were(35.48±6.17)and(29.88±5.38)mL·m-2;the LVEF were(50.51±7.02)％and(43.78±6.35)％;the levels of NT-proBNP were 214(155,379)and 212(167,458)ng·mL-1,respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The adverse drug reactions of two groups were nausea and vomiting,slow heart rate,rash and dizziness.The total incidences of adverse drug reactions in the treatment and control groups were 11.32％and 11.11％without significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion Ivaframine tablets have a significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of elderly patients with hypertension and heart failure,without increasing the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

As a traditional Chinese herb and functional food, the fruits of Lycium barbarum has been widely used for thousands of years in China. L. barbarum polysaccharides(LBPs) are predominant active components, which have immunomodulatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, neuroprotective, anti-tumor, and prebiotic activities. The molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, glycosidic bond, branching degree, protein content, chemical modification, and spatial structure of LBPs are closely related to their biological activity. Based on the previous studies of this research team, this paper systematically combed and integrated the research progress of structure, function, and structure-activity relationship of LBPs. At the same time, some problems restricting the clarification of the structure-activity relationship of LBPs were considered and prospected, hoping to provide references for the high value utilization of LBPs and in-depth exploration of their health value.
Lycium/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Polysaccharides/chemistry*

OBJECTIVES: To explore the cytotoxicity of four wild mushrooms involved in a case of Yunnan sudden unexplained death (YNSUD), to provide the experimental basis for prevention and treatment of YNSUD. METHODS: Four kinds of wild mushrooms that were eaten by family members in this YNSUD incident were collected and identified by expert identification and gene sequencing. Raw extracts from four wild mushrooms were extracted by ultrasonic extraction to intervene HEK293 cells, and the mushrooms with obvious cytotoxicity were screened by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The selected wild mushrooms were prepared into three kinds of extracts, which were raw, boiled, and boiled followed by enzymolysis. HEK293 cells were intervened with these three extracts at different concentrations. The cytotoxicity was detected by CCK-8 combined with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) Assay Kit, and the morphological changes of HEK293 cells were observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope. RESULTS: Species identification indicated that the four wild mushrooms were Butyriboletus roseoflavus, Boletus edulis, Russula virescens and Amanita manginiana. Cytotoxicity was found only in Amanita manginiana. The raw extracts showed cytotoxicity at the mass concentration of 0.1 mg/mL, while the boiled extracts and the boiled followed by enzymolysis extracts showed obvious cytotoxicity at the mass concentration of 0.4 mg/mL and 0.7 mg/mL, respectively. In addition to the obvious decrease in the number of HEK293 cells, the number of synapses increased and the refraction of HEK293 cells was poor after the intervention of Amanita manginiana extracts. CONCLUSIONS The extracts of Amanita manginiana involved in this YNSUD case has obvious cytotoxicity, and some of its toxicity can be reduced by boiled and enzymolysis, but cannot be completely detoxicated. Therefore, the consumption of Amanita manginiana is potentially dangerous, and it may be one of the causes of the YNSUD.
Humans ; HEK293 Cells ; Sincalide ; China ; Amanita ; Death, Sudden

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Cesarean Section ; Risk Factors ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/etiology*

Objective: Clinical manifestations, imaging findings, pathologic features, and genetic mutations of Chinese adult patients with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) were analyzed in order to achieve a greater understanding of CTX that can improve early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: Clinical data including medical history, neurologic and auxiliary examinations, imaging findings, and genetic profile were collected for an adult patient with CTX admitted to the Sixth Medical Center of Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital in August 2020. Additionally, a systematic review of genetically diagnosed Chinese adult CTX cases reported in major databases in China and other countries was performed and age of onset, first symptoms, common signs and symptoms, pathologic findings, imaging changes, and gene mutations were analyzed. Results: The proband was a 39-year-old female with extensive, early-onset nervous system manifestations including cognitive dysfunction and ataxia. Systemic lesions included juvenile cataract and a tendon mass. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed cerebral atrophy, symmetric white matter changes predominantly in the pyramidal tract, and lesions in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. A novel homozygous mutation in the sterol-27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) gene (c.1477-2A>C) was identified. There were no family members with similar clinical presentation although some were carriers of the c.1477-2A>C mutation. The patient showed a good response to deoxycholic acid treatment. Totally there were 56 cases of adult CTX patients in China, mostly in East China (31/56, 55.4%), at a male-to-female ratio of 1.8 to 1. Multiple organs and tissues including nervous system, tendon, lens, lung, and skeletal muscle were affected in these cases. The most common neurologic manifestations were cognitive dysfunction (44/52, 84.6%) and ataxia (44/51, 86.3%). The cases were characterized by early onset, chronic progressive damage of multiple systems, long disease course, and delayed diagnosis, making the disease difficult to manage clinically and resulting in poor prognosis. The 2 most common genetic mutations in Chinese adult CTX patients were c.1263+1G>A and c.379C>T. Exon 2 of the CYP27A1 gene was identified as a mutation hot spot. Conclusions: Chinese adult patients with CTX have complex clinical characteristics, a long diagnostic cycle, and various CYP27A1 gene mutations. Early diagnosis and intervention can improve the prognosis of these patients.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Xanthomatosis, Cerebrotendinous/pathology* ; Pedigree ; Cholestanetriol 26-Monooxygenase/genetics* ; Mutation ; Ataxia