Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes,promoting the onset and progression of cancer.Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks,tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes,which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy,cancer immunotherapy,and their combinations.Herein,we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes,DNA methylation,histone post-translational modification,and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity,and introduce these epigenetic research methods.We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immuno-therapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Medicinal plants have provided numerous medicinal active ingredients for thousands of years and these ingredients have been used in Chinese medicine (CM) and traditional pharmacologies worldwide. Recently, the exploitation and utilisation of medicinal plant resources has increased significantly. The results of the studies have led to the identification of many active components, such as steroidal alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, and glycosides, in various medicinal plants with different evolutionary levels. Moreover, research on the chemical classification, molecular phylogeny, and pharmacological activity of medicinal plants is increasing in popularity. Pharmacophylogeny is an interdisciplinary topic that studies the correlation between plant phylogeny, chemical composition, and curative effects (pharmacological activity and the traditional curative effect) of medicinal plants. In addition, it provides the basic tools to enable research and development of CM resources. This literature review, based on the genetic relationship between phytogroup and species, highlights the formation process, research content, applications, and future directions of pharmacophylogeny.
Alkaloids ; Glycosides ; Plant Extracts/chemistry* ; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry* ; Saponins ; Terpenes

Objective:To review the treatment experience of extremely premature infants (EPIs) with gestational age (GA) <23 weeks.Methods:From January to November 2021, EPIs with GA<23 weeks treated in our hospital was retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 3 patients with GA of 22 weeks were reviewed, including 2 boys and 1 girl. Their birth weight (BW) was 450~498 g. The duration of hospitalization was 112~126 d. The treatment included early "gentle" management strategies, respiratory management, anti-infection, patent ductus arteriosus treatment and parenteral + enteral nutrition. All 3 infants were discharged from the hospital without further oxygen therapy. All had satisfying oral feeding with no neurological sequelae on follow-up.Conclusions:Early "gentle" management is the key to successful treatment and good prognosis for EPIs with GA<23w

This study aimed to investigate the effect of methyl eugenol(ME) on hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R)-induced injury of human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells and its mechanism. The viability of HK-2 cells cultured with different concentrations of ME and exposed to H/R was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay. The effect of ME on the morphology of HK-2 cells was observed under an inverted microscope. The content of intracellular reactive oxygen species in different groups was detected after 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate(DCFH-DA) fluorescence staining. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were monitored by JC-1 dye. The concentrations of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1(HO-1), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphatase oxidase 4(Nox4) were measured by Western blot, followed by the assay of Nrf2 concentration changes in cytoplasm and nucleus by confocal fluorescence staining. The results showed that when the concentration of ME was 0-40 μmol·L~(-1), the activity of HK-2 cells was not affected. Compared with the model group, ME enhanced the activity of HK-2 cells and the cell morphology was normal. As revealed by further experiments, ME inhibited the release of reactive oxygen species and the decline in mitochondrial membrane potential of HK-2 cells after H/R injury, promoted Nrf2/HO-1 expression and Nrf2 translocation to the nucleus, and down-regulated the expression of Nox4, thereby significantly reducing apoptosis. This protective effect of ME could be reversed by the specific Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. These findings have preliminarily proved that ME effectively protected HK-2 cells against H/R injury, which might be related to its promotion of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and inhibition of Nox4. Such exploration on the possible mechanism of ME in the treatment of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI) and protection of organ function from the perspective of antioxidant stress has provided reference for related research on the treatment of acute kidney injury with traditional Chinese medicine.
Apoptosis ; Epithelial Cells/metabolism* ; Eugenol/pharmacology* ; Heme Oxygenase-1/metabolism* ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reperfusion Injury/drug therapy*

Objective:To explore the clinical application of intermttent oro-esphageal (IOE) tube feeding in the treatment of dementia patients with dysphagia.Methods:Sixty dementia patients with dysphagia were randomly divided into an IOE group and an nasogastric tube feeding (NGT) group, each of 30. Both groups were given conventional treatment, but the group members were fed through IOE or NGT respectively. Both groups′ swallowing and nutritional condition were evaluated 24 hours after admission and 30 days after the end of the treatment. The incidence of complications within 30 days, the average hospital stay and hospitalization cost were compared between the 2 groups.Results:No significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the measurements before the intervention. During the intervention, the number of malnourished subjects decreased and the average body mass index (BMI), albumin (ALB) level, hemoglobin (HB) level and FOIS score improved significantly in both groups. Significantly better improvements in the incidence of malnutrition and the FOIS scores was observed in the IOE group. By the 30th day the average effective swallowing rate in the IOE group (90%) was significantly higher than in the NGT group (70%).Conclusions:IOE can improve the nutrition and swallowing of dementia patients with dysphagia. It can reduce the incidence of complications, shorten hospital stays and reduce hospitalization cost.

Objective:To compare the optimal conditions, virus yield, viral titer and cell metabolism between culturing influenza virus H1N1 vaccine strain in MDCK and MDCK-G1 cells.Methods:The optimal culture conditions were investigated using chessboard method. The hemagglutination titer, half of the tissue infection dose (TCID 50) and the metabolism of glucose and lactic acid were monitored and compared between the two cell lines. Results:After MDCK-G1 cells were inoculated with H1N1 at the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.001 with the presence of 1 μg/ml of trypsin, the hemagglutination titer reached the peak of 1∶512 at 72 h and the viral titer was 10 7.4TCID 50/ml. In the MDCK cell line group, the hemagglutination titer reached the peak of 1∶256 at 72 h and the viral titer was 10 6.6TCID 50/ml when using H1N1 at MOI=0.0001 and 1 μg/ml of trypsin. Conclusions:MDCK-G1 cells were more suitable than MDCK cells for the proliferation of influenza virus. This study provided reference data for further research on cell-derived influenza vaccine.

Objective To investigate the effect of intermittent oro-esophageal rube feeding (IOE) on dysphagia in acute stroke patients with bulbar or pseudobulbar palsy.Methods From May 2016 to December 2018,patients with acute stroke complicated with bulbar or pseudobulbar palsy admitted to the Department of Neurobgy,Ninghe District Hospital of Tianjin were enrolled retrospectively.They were divided into IOE group and nasogastric gavage tube (NGT) group.The baseline clinical data,swallowing function and nutritional indicators before and after treatment,and the incidence of aspiration pneumonia were collected and compared.Kubota's water swallow test was used to evaluate the swallowing function,and Grade ≥ 3 was defined as poor swallowing function after 30 days of treatment.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of poor outcomes of swallowing function.Results A total of 92 patients were enrolled,58 were males (63％),and aged 64.3-± 11.2 years;the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 5.98 ±-2.29;76 patients (82.6％) had cerebral infarction,16 (17.4％) had cerebral hemorrhage;16 (17.4％) had bulbar palsy,and 76 (82.6％) had pseudobulbar palsy.There were 46 cases in each of the IOE group and the NGT group.The improvement of swallowing function and nutritional status at 30 d in the IOE group were significantly better than those in the NGT group (all P ＜0.01),while the incidence of aspiration pneumonia was significantly lower than that in the NGT group (19.6％ vs.39.1％;x2 =4.246,P =0.039).The dysphagia of 70 patients (76.1％) had good outcomes,and that of 22 (23.9％) had poor outcomes.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the NIHSS score on admission (odds ratio [OR] 1.225,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.221-1.445;P=0.030),bulbar palsy (OR 1.428,95％ CI 1.327-1.545;P＜0.001),and left lesions (OR 1.424,95％ CI 1.352-1.565;P＜0.001) were independently associated with the poor outcomes of swallowing function,while IOE (OR 0.351,95％ CI 0.075-0.643;P ＜0.001) was independently associated with the good outcomes of swallowing function.Conclusion IOE can improve the swallowing function of stroke patients with bulbar or pseudobulbar palsy,and reduce the incidence of aspiration pneumonia while providing good nutritional support.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clone and characterize the oxiranedicarboxylate hydrolase (ORCH) from Labrys sp. WH-1. METHODS: Purification by column chromatography, characterization of enzymatic properties, gene cloning by protein terminal sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequence analysis by secondary structure prediction and multiple sequence alignment were performed. RESULTS: The ORCH from Labrys sp. WH-1 was purified 26-fold with a yield of 12.7%. It is a monomer with an isoelectric point (pI) of 8.57 and molecular mass of 30.2 kDa. It was stable up to 55 °C with temperature at which the activity of the enzyme decreased by 50% in 15 min (T₅₀¹⁵) of 61 °C and the half-life at 50 °C (t_{1/2, 50 °C}) of 51 min and was also stable from pH 4 to 10, with maximum activity at 55 °C and pH 8.5. It is a metal-independent enzyme and strongly inhibited by Cu²⁺, Ag⁺, and anionic surfactants. Its kinetic parameters (K_m, k_cat, and k_cat/K_m) were 18.7 mmol/L, 222.3 s^-1, and 11.9 mmol/(L·s), respectively. The ORCH gene, which contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 825 bp encoding 274 amino acid residues, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the enzyme activity was 33 times higher than that of the wild strain. CONCLUSIONS The catalytic efficiency and thermal stability of the ORCH from Labrys sp. WH-1 were the best among the reported ORCHs, and it provides an alternative catalyst for preparation of L(+)-2,3-dihydrobutanedioic acid.
Alphaproteobacteria/enzymology* ; Cloning, Molecular ; Dicarboxylic Acids/metabolism* ; Enzyme Stability ; Epoxide Hydrolases/metabolism*

·AIM: To evaluate the effects of foldable capsular vitreous body (FCVB) implantation on the treatment of severe ocular trauma and late silicone oil-dependent eyes due to severe ocular trauma and recurrent retinal detachment. · METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the four patients (four eyes) with FCVB implantation at our hospital since November 2017. Out of these 4 patients,2 were males and 2 were females, with an average age of 31.5 years and an average intraocular pressure (IOP) of 5.6mmHg pre-operatively. Among those 4 eyes,3 eyes underwent silicone oil tamponade due to severe ocular trauma and the other one was recurrent retinal detachment in silicone oil - filled eye. Standard pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) was performed, and the FCVB was triple folded and implanted in the vitreous cavity of four eyes. The retinal was assessed, as well as visual acuity,IOP, FCVB condition before and after treatment, and applied therapy. ·RESULTS: All of those 4 eyes underwent successfully implantation of FCVB, which remained its proper position. During 1-3mo follow-up, the mean visual acuity was no different compared with pre - operative values.

Objective To analyze CT morphologicl characteristics of tibial nerve,lateral and medial plantar nerves and their clinical significances in the diabetic foot (DF) patients.Methods Bilateral feet (DF group) of 33 patients diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus with DF were examined with CT.Meanwhile,36 uninjured feet (NDF group) of patients with single-side foot wound were taken as the controls.CT findings of distal part of tibial nerve,medial plantar nerve and lateral plantar nerve on the same plane were observed with CT post-processing technique.The morphological measurements were done at the points of A1 (tibial nerve measuring position),A2 (proximal part of medial plantar nerve measuring position),A3 (distal part of medial plantar nerve measuring position) and A4 (lateral plantar nerve measuring position).Both of the anteroposterior and transverse diameters were measured and compared between DF and NDF groups.Results Plantar nerves (tibial nerve,medial plantar nerve and lateral plantar nerve) of DF patients were thick (52/66,78.79 ％),and the edges of nerve were indistinct (51/66,78.78％).The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of measurement points A1,A2 and A4 in DF group were larger than those in NDF group (all P＜0.01).There was no statistical difference of the anteroposterior and transverse diameters of point A3 between the two groups (both P＞0.05).Conclusion The plantar nerves of DF patient were thick with indistinct edges.The observation of continuous morphological characteristics and the diameter measurements of the plantar nerve can be performed with CT post-processing technique,which can provide more information for clinical diagnosis of DF.