Investigation of the feasibility of NRAV as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma

The long non-coding RNA,Negative Regulator of Antiviral Response(NRAV)has been identified as a participant in both respiratory virus replication and immune checkpoints,however,its involvement in pan-cancer immune regulation and prognosis,particularly those of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),remains unclear.To address this knowledge gap,we analyzed expression profiles obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,comparing normal and malignant tumor tissues.We found that NRAV expression is significantly upregulated in tumor tissues compared to adjacent nontumor tissues.Kaplan-Meier(K-M)analysis revealed the prognostic power of NRAV,wherein overexpression was significantly linked to reduced overall survival in a diverse range of tumor patients.Furthermore,noteworthy associations were observed between NRAV,immune checkpoints,immune cell infiltration,genes related to autophagy,epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),pyroptosis,tumor mutational burden(TMB),and microsatellite instability(MSI)across different cancer types,including HCC.Moreover,NRAV upregulation expression was associated with multiple pathological stages by clinical observations.Furthermore,our investigation revealed a substantial elevation in the expression of NRAV in both HCC tumor tissues and cells compared to normal tissues and cells.The inhibition of NRAV resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation,migration,and invasion in HCC cells,while also influencing the expression of CD274(PD-L1)and CD44,along with various biomarkers associated with EMT,autophagy,and pyroptosis.The aforementioned results propose NRAV as a promising prognostic biomarker for HCC.

Targeting the extracellular matrix for NF1-associated neurofibroma treatment

Neurofibromatosis type 1(NF1)is one of the most common genetic disorders that predisposes patients to benign and malignant tumors of the peripheral nervous system.Plexiform and cutaneous neurofibromas are NF1-associated benign tumors.Despite their benign nature,they can cause tremendous morbidity in patients with NF1.Therapeutic drug options are limited to the MEK inhibitor,selumetinib,which is the only approved drug for pediatric patients with plexiform neurofibromas.Antifibrotic strategies have substantial therapeutic potential for NF1-associated neurofibromas.This review discusses the fibrotic features of plexiform and cutaneous neurofi-bromas focusing on the pathological composition of the extracellular matrix.It also highlights the core pathways implicated in the biochemical and biophysical regulation of the extracellular matrix remodeling in tumor imitation and progression.Finally,this review provides a brief outlook on how exploring novel vulnerabilities residing in the aberrant extracellular matrix and their underlying pathways can benefit the treatment of NF1-associated neurofibromas.

载二氧化钛聚醚醚酮中空纤维膜光催化反应器的制备及性能

以二氧化钛(TiO_(2))为光催化剂、聚醚醚酮(PEEK)中空纤维膜为基体,分别采用了溶胶-凝胶法、共混法及化学接枝法3种方法制备PEEK-TiO_(2)膜光催化反应器。通过扫描电子显微镜、X射线能谱、X射线衍射、热重分析等测试表征方法详细对比了PEEK-TiO_(2)膜的结构与性能;并以柠檬黄为模型染料测定了PEEK-TiO_(2)膜光催化反应器的光催化性能。结果表明,溶胶-凝胶法和化学接枝法制备得到的PEEK-TiO_(2)膜具有完整的表面及截面形貌,TiO_(2)主要分布在膜的表面,膜的亲水性和渗透性能得到提升。共混法制备得到的PEEK-TiO_(2)膜内部存在缺陷,TiO_(2)主要被包埋在树脂基体内部。光催化性能测试表明,溶胶-凝胶法、共混法和化学接枝法制备得到的光催化膜反应器对柠檬黄染料降解效率(5 h)分别为100%,1%和98.63%。重复实验表明,化学接枝法制备得到的PEEK-TiO_(2)膜反应器具有优异的重用性能,二次实验对柠檬黄的降解效率达到82.71%。因此,化学接枝法是PEEK中空纤维膜固定化负载TiO_(2)光催化剂的有效方法。

Transcription factor EB(TFEB)-mediated autophagy protects bovine mammary epithelial cells against H_(2)O_(2)-induced oxidative damage in vitro

Background:Bovine mammary epithelial cells after calving undergo serious metabolic challenges and oxidative stress both of which could compromise autophagy.Transcription factor EB(TFEB)-mediated autophagy is an important cytoprotective mechanism against oxidative stress.However,effects of TFEB-mediated autophagy on the oxidative stress of bovine mammary epithelial cells remain unknown.Therefore,the main aim of the study was to investigate the role of TFEB-mediated autophagy in bovine mammary epithelial cells experiencing oxidative stress.Results:H_(2)O_(2) challenge of the bovine mammary epithelial cell MAC-T increased protein abundance of LC3-II,increased number of autophagosomes and autolysosomes while decreased protein abundance of p62.Inhibition of autophagy via bafilomycin A1 aggravated H_(2)O_(2)-induced reactive oxygen species(ROS)accumulation and apoptosis in MAC-T cells.Furthermore,H_(2)O_(2) treatment triggered the translocation of TFEB into the nucleus.Knockdown of TFEB by siRNA reversed the effect of H_(2)O_(2) on protein abundance of LC3-II and p62 as well as the number of autophagosomes and autolysosomes.Overexpression of TFEB activated autophagy and attenuated H_(2)O_(2)-induced ROS accumulation.Furthermore,TFEB overexpression attenuated H_(2)O_(2)-induced apoptosis by downregulating the caspase apoptotic pathway.Conclusions:Our results indicate that activation of TFEB mediated autophagy alleviates H_(2)O_(2)-induced oxidative damage by reducing ROS accumulation and inhibiting caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Ionic/electronic conductivity regulation of n-type polyoxadiazole lithium sulfonate conductive polymer binders for high-performance silicon microparticle anodes

Low-cost silicon microparticles(SiMP),as a substitute for nanostructured silicon,easily suffer from cracks and fractured during the electrochemical cycle.A novel n-type conductive polymer binder with excellent electronic and ionic conductivities as well as good adhesion,has been successfully designed and applied for high-performance SiMP anodes in lithium-ion batteries to address this problem.Its unique features are attributed to the stro ng electron-withdrawing oxadiazole ring structure with sulfonate polar groups.The combination of rigid and flexible components in the polymer ensures its good mechanical strength and ductility,which is beneficial to suppress the expansion and contraction of SiMP s during the charge/discharge process.By fine-tuning the monomer ratio,the conjugation and sulfonation degrees of the polymer can be precisely controlled to regulate its ionic and electronic conductivities,which has been systematically analyzed with the help of an electrochemical test method,filling in the gap on the conductivity measurement of the polymer in the doping state.The experimental results indicate that the cell with the developed n-type polymer binder and SiMP(~0.5 μm) anodes achieves much better cycling performance than traditional non-conductive binders.It has been considered that the initial capacity of the SiMP anode is controlled by the synergetic effect of ionic and electronic conductivity of the binder,and the capacity retention mainly depends on its electronic conductivity when the ionic conductivity is sufficient.It is worth noting that the fundamental research of this wo rk is also applicable to other battery systems using conductive polymers in order to achieve high energy density,broadening their practical applications.

Highly stereoselective construction of polycyclic benzofused tropane scaffolds and their latent bioactivities: bifunctional phosphonium salt-enabled cyclodearomatization process

Structurally fused heterocycles encompassing a centerpiece of benzotropane are significant scaffolds with a plethora of promising biological activities,but such molecular architectures pose a long-standing daunting synthetic challenge.Herein,we reported a highly efficient asymmetric cyclodearomatization of 2-nitrobenzofurans with cyclic azomethine ylides by employing bifunctional phosphonium salts as phase-transfer catalysts.Under optimized reaction conditions,a diverse array of polycyclic benzofused tropane derivatives with four contiguous 4°/3°stereocenters were readily synthesized in both high yields and diastereoselectivities with up to>99%ee.The practicality and utility of this protocol were further demonstrated by the scaled-up reaction and facile elaborations.Moreover,preliminary investigations into their antitumor activities were also presented.