A review of clinical and histological parameters associated with contralateral neck metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma （OSCC） has a high incidence of cervical micrometastases and sometimes metastasizes contralaterally because of the rich lymphatic intercommunications relative to submucosal plexus of oral cavity that freely communicate across the midline, and it can facilitate the spread of neoplastic cells to any area of the neck consequently. Clinical and histopathologic factors continue to provide predictive information to contralateral neck metastases （CLNM） in OSCC, which determine prophylactic and adjuvant treatments for an individual patient. This review describes the predictive value of clinical-histopathologic factors, which relate to primary tumor and cervical lymph nodes, and surgical dissection and adjuvant treatments. In addition, the indications for elective contralateral neck dissection and adjuvant radiotherapy （aRT） and strategies for follow-up are offered, which is strongly focused by clinicians to prevent later CLNM and poor prognosis subsequently.

Oxidative stress bridges the gut microbiota and the occurrence of frailty syndrome

The incidence of frailty gradually increases with age.This condition places a heavy burden on modern society,of which the aging population is increasing.Frailty is one of the most complicated clinical syndromes;thus,it is difficult to uncover its underlying mechanisms.Oxidative stress(OS)is involved in frailty in multiple ways.The association between the gut microbiota(GM)and frailty was recently reported.Herein,we propose that OS is involved in the association between the GM and the occurrence of frailty syndrome.An imbalance between oxidation and antioxidants can eventually lead to frailty,and the GM probably participates in this process through the production of reactive oxygen species.On the other hand,OS can disturb the GM.Such dysbiosis consequently induces or exacerbates tissue damage,leading to the occurrence of frailty syndrome.Finally,we discuss the possibility of improving frailty by intervening in the vicious cycle between the imbalance of OS and dysbiosis.

Total Synthesis of Lignan Lactone (–)-Hinokinin

This research paper is aimed at studying the total synthesis of pharmacologically active lignan(–)-hinokinin.The synthesis features a three-step cascade reaction involving highly stereoselective Michael addition,anion-oxidative hydroxylation,and oxygen anion cyclization to construct the pivotal butyrolactonimidate intermediate.

Application of the thought of "simultaneous treatment of medicine and food" in the treatment of intractable functional constipation

Intractable functional constipation is a type of constipation which is difficult to cure,which is usually characterized by persistent constipation,dependence on laxative and/or ineffective treatment of laxative.In recent years,with the change of diet structure,accelerated pace of life and the influence of socio-psychological factors,the incidence rate has increased year by year,seriously affecting the quality of life of patients.Professor Yao Shukun has remarkable clinical effect and experience in the treatment of intractable functional constipation.Professor Yao believes that,combined with the changes of people's diet structure,life style and physique,the main TCM syndrome type of clinical stubborn functional constipation is dampness-heat and blood stasis,and the main treatment should be clearing heat and resolving dampness,regulating qi and removing blood stasis;and we should pay attention to the application of the idea of"Simultaneous Treatment of Medicine and Food"in the process of diagnosis and treatment,and educate patients to change their diet structure in order to fundamentally dispel the etiology.

Red light at intensities above 10lx alters sleep–wake behavior in mice

Sleep is regulated by two mechanisms:the homeostatic process and the circadian clock.Light affects sleep and alertness by entraining the circadian clock,and acutely inducing sleep/alertness,in a manner mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.Because intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells are believed to be minimally sensitive to red light,which is widely used for illumination to reduce the photic disturbance to nocturnal animals during the dark phase.However,the appropriate intensity of the red light is unknown.In the present study,we recorded electroencephalograms and electromyograms of freely moving mice to investigate the effects of red light emitted by light-emitting diodes at different intensities and for different durations on the sleep–wake behavior of mice.White light was used as a control.Unexpectedly,red light exerted potent sleep-inducing effects and changed the sleep architecture in terms of the duration and number of sleep episodes,the stage transition,and the EEG power density when the intensity was 420 lx.Subsequently,we lowered the light intensity and demonstrated that red light at or below 10 lx did not affect sleep–wake behavior.White light markedly induced sleep and disrupted sleep architecture even at an intensity as low as 10 lx.Our findings highlight the importance of limiting the intensity of red light(⩽10 lx)to avoid optical influence in nocturnal behavioral experiments,particularly in the field of sleep and circadian research.

Chemical and chemoenzymatic stereoselectivesynthesis of β-nucleosides and their analogues

β-Nucleosides are fundamental building blocks of biological systems and are widely used as therapeuticagents for the treatment of cancer and viral infections, among others. In the last two years, nucleosideanalogues have been investigated with renewed urgency in the search for agents that are effective againstSARS-CoV-2, the cause of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19. This has resulted in an explosionof activities in the field of β-nucleoside synthesis. This review summarizes the historical perspective andthe recent advances in the stereoselective synthesis of β-nucleosides and their analogues. The syntheticstrategies to obtain β-nucleosides can be divided into three categories: (1) N-glycosylation;(2) intramolecular sugar ring formation;and (3) enzymatic transglycosylation.