After the decoupling of the US dollar from gold in 1971,US Treasuries replaced gold as the value benchmark of the international monetary system and acquired an exorbitant privilege.Subsequently,the total amount of US ...After the decoupling of the US dollar from gold in 1971,US Treasuries replaced gold as the value benchmark of the international monetary system and acquired an exorbitant privilege.Subsequently,the total amount of US debt exhibited an exponential expansion trend,unbound by any substantial constraints.The so-called debt ceiling is a partisan game rather than a rigid fiscal constraint on the United States.As long as there are no fundamental changes in the global monetary system,the international credit of US Treasuries will stay stable,and their trend of infinite expansion will be sustained.Massive quantitative easing policies have failed to significantly shake this stability,and the notion of global investors offloading US Treasuries is more an illusion than a fact.The exorbitant privilege of US Treasuries grants its federal government the“freedom to borrow,”shielding the American financial sector from due penalties during global financial crises and securing excessive returns in global capital cycles.In the old days when running“twin surpluses”on capital and current accounts,China kept the value of Renminbi low to support its export manufacturing sector along the southeast coast.As a result,China accumulated huge foreign exchange reserves,mainly US Treasuries.Nowadays,this practice is no longer necessary,yielding low returns and posing significant security risks.展开更多
The advent of biologics and small molecules in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)has marked a significant turning point in the prognosis of IBD,decreasing the rates of corticosteroid dependence,hospitalizations and impro...The advent of biologics and small molecules in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)has marked a significant turning point in the prognosis of IBD,decreasing the rates of corticosteroid dependence,hospitalizations and improving overall quality of life.The introduction of biosimilars has also increased affordability and enhanced access to these otherwise costly targeted therapies.Biologics do not yet represent a complete panacea:A subset of patients do not respond to first-line anti-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha agents or may subsequently demonstrate a secondary loss of response.Patients who fail to respond to anti-TNF agents typically have a poorer response rate to second-line biologics.It is uncertain which patient would benefit from a different sequencing of biologics or even a combination of biologic agents.The introduction of newer classes of biologics and small molecules may provide alternative therapeutic targets for patients with refractory disease.This review examines the therapeutic ceiling in current treatment strategies of IBD and the potential paradigm shifts in the future.展开更多
A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） catalyst labeled as Co-C-N（800） was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmo...A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） catalyst labeled as Co-C-N（800） was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that a metallic β-Co is generated after the heat-treating process. The results from cyclic voltammograms show that the obtained Co-C-N（800） catalyst has good ORR catalytic activity in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution. The catalyst is also good at methanol tolerance and stability in the acidic solution.展开更多
OBJECTIVE Recent studies have shown that hepsin, a type of transmembrane serine protease, is highly upregulated in prostate cancer, but, little is known about its role in progression and invasion of this cancer. We co...OBJECTIVE Recent studies have shown that hepsin, a type of transmembrane serine protease, is highly upregulated in prostate cancer, but, little is known about its role in progression and invasion of this cancer. We constructed a hepsin-expressing plasmid and transfected it into PC-3 cells to investigate the effect of the hepsin gene on the biological behavior of the PC-3 cells. METHODS Plasmid pHepsin-IRES2 was transfected into prostate cancer PC-3 cells using Fugene6, and the cells with stable hepsin expression were screened and selected with Zeocin (600 mg/L). The hepsin mRNA level was measured by real-time PCR and the growth curve of the PC-3-transfected cells assessed using MTT and BrdU assays. A Boyden chamber was used to examine the difference in invasion and metastases between transfected and non-transfected cells. RESULTS The hepsin mRNA level in pHepsin-IRES2 transfected -PC-3 cells was significantly higher than that found in the control PC -3 cells. While the growth curve of the hepsin gene transfected PC -3 cells showed that there was no significant effect on proliferation, the invasive ability of the pHepsin-IRES2 transfected PC-3 cells, as compared with control cells, was significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The results suggest that even though hepsin has no effect on the proliferation of prostate cancer PC-3 cells, it does promote cellular invasion and metastasis.Therefore hepsin may have a role in the development of prostate cancer.展开更多
Icaritin, a prenylflavonoid derivative from Epimedium Genus, has been shown to exhibit many pharmacological and biological activities. However, the function and the underlying mechanisms of icaritin in human non-small...Icaritin, a prenylflavonoid derivative from Epimedium Genus, has been shown to exhibit many pharmacological and biological activities. However, the function and the underlying mechanisms of icaritin in human non-small cell lung cancer have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of icaritin on A549 cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanism. The cell viability after icaritin treatment was tested by MTT assay. The cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species（ROS） levels were analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the genes involved in proliferation and apoptosis were respectively detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results demonstrated that icaritin induced cell cycle arrest at S phase, and down-regulated the expression levels of S regulatory proteins such as Cyclin A and CDK2. Icaritin also induced cell apoptosis characterized by positive Hoechst 33258 staining, accumulation of the Annexin V-positive cells, increased ROS level and alteration in Bcl-2 family proteins expression. Moreover, icaritin induced sustained phosphorylation of ERK and p38 MAPK. These findings suggested that icaritin might be a new potent inhibitor by inducing S phase arrest and apoptosis in human lung carcinoma A549 cells.展开更多
文摘After the decoupling of the US dollar from gold in 1971,US Treasuries replaced gold as the value benchmark of the international monetary system and acquired an exorbitant privilege.Subsequently,the total amount of US debt exhibited an exponential expansion trend,unbound by any substantial constraints.The so-called debt ceiling is a partisan game rather than a rigid fiscal constraint on the United States.As long as there are no fundamental changes in the global monetary system,the international credit of US Treasuries will stay stable,and their trend of infinite expansion will be sustained.Massive quantitative easing policies have failed to significantly shake this stability,and the notion of global investors offloading US Treasuries is more an illusion than a fact.The exorbitant privilege of US Treasuries grants its federal government the“freedom to borrow,”shielding the American financial sector from due penalties during global financial crises and securing excessive returns in global capital cycles.In the old days when running“twin surpluses”on capital and current accounts,China kept the value of Renminbi low to support its export manufacturing sector along the southeast coast.As a result,China accumulated huge foreign exchange reserves,mainly US Treasuries.Nowadays,this practice is no longer necessary,yielding low returns and posing significant security risks.
文摘The advent of biologics and small molecules in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)has marked a significant turning point in the prognosis of IBD,decreasing the rates of corticosteroid dependence,hospitalizations and improving overall quality of life.The introduction of biosimilars has also increased affordability and enhanced access to these otherwise costly targeted therapies.Biologics do not yet represent a complete panacea:A subset of patients do not respond to first-line anti-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha agents or may subsequently demonstrate a secondary loss of response.Patients who fail to respond to anti-TNF agents typically have a poorer response rate to second-line biologics.It is uncertain which patient would benefit from a different sequencing of biologics or even a combination of biologic agents.The introduction of newer classes of biologics and small molecules may provide alternative therapeutic targets for patients with refractory disease.This review examines the therapeutic ceiling in current treatment strategies of IBD and the potential paradigm shifts in the future.
文摘A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） catalyst labeled as Co-C-N（800） was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that a metallic β-Co is generated after the heat-treating process. The results from cyclic voltammograms show that the obtained Co-C-N（800） catalyst has good ORR catalytic activity in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution. The catalyst is also good at methanol tolerance and stability in the acidic solution.
文摘OBJECTIVE Recent studies have shown that hepsin, a type of transmembrane serine protease, is highly upregulated in prostate cancer, but, little is known about its role in progression and invasion of this cancer. We constructed a hepsin-expressing plasmid and transfected it into PC-3 cells to investigate the effect of the hepsin gene on the biological behavior of the PC-3 cells. METHODS Plasmid pHepsin-IRES2 was transfected into prostate cancer PC-3 cells using Fugene6, and the cells with stable hepsin expression were screened and selected with Zeocin (600 mg/L). The hepsin mRNA level was measured by real-time PCR and the growth curve of the PC-3-transfected cells assessed using MTT and BrdU assays. A Boyden chamber was used to examine the difference in invasion and metastases between transfected and non-transfected cells. RESULTS The hepsin mRNA level in pHepsin-IRES2 transfected -PC-3 cells was significantly higher than that found in the control PC -3 cells. While the growth curve of the hepsin gene transfected PC -3 cells showed that there was no significant effect on proliferation, the invasive ability of the pHepsin-IRES2 transfected PC-3 cells, as compared with control cells, was significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The results suggest that even though hepsin has no effect on the proliferation of prostate cancer PC-3 cells, it does promote cellular invasion and metastasis.Therefore hepsin may have a role in the development of prostate cancer.
基金supported by grants from Wuhan Municipal Science and Technology Research Project,China(No.201260523185)the Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of Ocean,China(No.201005013)
文摘Icaritin, a prenylflavonoid derivative from Epimedium Genus, has been shown to exhibit many pharmacological and biological activities. However, the function and the underlying mechanisms of icaritin in human non-small cell lung cancer have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of icaritin on A549 cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanism. The cell viability after icaritin treatment was tested by MTT assay. The cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species（ROS） levels were analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the genes involved in proliferation and apoptosis were respectively detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results demonstrated that icaritin induced cell cycle arrest at S phase, and down-regulated the expression levels of S regulatory proteins such as Cyclin A and CDK2. Icaritin also induced cell apoptosis characterized by positive Hoechst 33258 staining, accumulation of the Annexin V-positive cells, increased ROS level and alteration in Bcl-2 family proteins expression. Moreover, icaritin induced sustained phosphorylation of ERK and p38 MAPK. These findings suggested that icaritin might be a new potent inhibitor by inducing S phase arrest and apoptosis in human lung carcinoma A549 cells.
