PRaG 3.0 therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is a highly fatal disease with limited effective treatment especially after first-line chemotherapy.The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER-2)immunohistochemistry(IHC)positive is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and shorter overall survival in PDAC.CASE SUMMARY We present a case of multiple metastatic PDAC with IHC mismatch repair proficient but HER-2 IHC weakly positive at diagnosis that didn’t have tumor regression after first-line nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and PD-1 inhibitor treatment.A novel combination therapy PRaG 3.0 of RC48(HER2-antibody-drug conjugate),radio-therapy,PD-1 inhibitor,granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-2 was then applied as second-line therapy and the patient had confirmed good partial response with progress-free-survival of 6.5 months and overall survival of 14.2 month.She had not developed any grade 2 or above treatment-related adverse events at any point.Percentage of peripheral CD8^(+) Temra and CD4^(+) Temra were increased during first two activation cycles of PRaG 3.0 treatment containing radiotherapy but deceased to the baseline during the maintenance cycles containing no radiotherapy.CONCLUSION PRaG 3.0 might be a novel strategy for HER2-positive metastatic PDAC patients who failed from previous first-line approach and even PD-1 immunotherapy but needs more data in prospective trials.

METTL5 promotes cell proliferation,invasion,and migration by up-regulating Toll-like receptor 8 expression in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND N6-methyladenosine(m6A)modification represents the predominant alteration found in eukaryotic messenger RNA and plays a crucial role in the progression of various tumors.However,despite its significance,the comprehensive investigation of METTL5,a key m6A methyltransferase,in colorectal cancer(CRC)remains limited.AIM To investigate the role of METTL5 in CRC.METHODS We assessed METTL5 expression levels in clinical samples obtained from CRC patients as well as in CRC cell lines.To elucidate the downstream targets of METTL5,we performed RNA-sequencing analysis coupled with correlation analysis,leading us to identify Toll-like receptor 8(TLR8)as a potential downstream target.In vitro functional assessments of METTL5 and TLR8 were conducted using CCK-8 assays,scratch assays,as well as assays measuring cell migration and invasion.RESULTS Our findings reveal a pronounced upregulation of METTL5 expression in both CRC cells and tissues,which correlated significantly with an unfavorable prognosis.In vitro experiments unequivocally demonstrated the oncogenic role of METTL5,as evidenced by its promotion of CRC cell proliferation,invasion,and migration.Notably,we identified TLR8 as a downstream target of METTL5,and subsequent down-regulation of TLR8 led to a significant inhibition of CRC cell proliferation,invasion,and tumor growth.CONCLUSION The heightened expression of METTL5 in CRC is strongly associated with clinicopathological features and a poor prognosis,thereby underscoring its potential utility as a critical marker for facilitating early diagnosis and prognostication in CRC.

Clinicopathological Features and Long-Term Prognostic Role of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 Low Expression in Chinese Patients with Early Breast Cancer:A Single-Institution Study

Objective This study aimed to comprehensively analyze and compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Chinese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-low early breast cancer(BC)and HER2-IHC0 BC.Methods Patients diagnosed with HER2-negative BC(N=999)at our institution between January2011 and December 2015 formed our study population.Clinicopathological characteristics,association between estrogen receptor(ER)expression and HER2-low,and evolution of HER2 immunohistochemical(IHC)score were assessed.Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the long-term survival outcomes(5-year follow-up)between the HER2-IHC0 and HER2-low groups.Results HER2-low BC group tended to demonstrate high expression of ER and more progesterone receptor(PgR)positivity than HER2-IHC0 BC group(P<0.001).The rate of HER2-low status increased with increasing ER expression levels(Mantel-Haenszelχ^(2)test,P<0.001,Pearson’s R=0.159,P<0.001).Survival analysis revealed a significantly longer overall survival(OS)in HER2-low BC group than in HER2-IHC0 group(P=0.007)in the whole cohort and the hormone receptor(HR)-negative group.There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease-free survival(DFS).The discordance rate of HER2 IHC scores between primary and metastatic sites was 36.84%.Conclusion HER2-low BC may not be regarded as a unique BC group in this population-based study due to similar clinicopathological features and prognostic roles.

Advances in targeted therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive in advanced gastric cancer

Emerging therapeutic methods represented by targeted therapy are effective supplements to traditional first-line chemoradiotherapy resistance.Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)is one of the most important targets in targeted therapy for gastric cancer.Trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy has been used as the first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer.The safety and efficacy of pertuzumab and margetuximab in the treatment of gastric cancer have been verified.However,monoclonal antibodies,due to their large molecular weight,inability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier,and drug resistance,lead to decreased therapeutic efficacy,so it is necessary to explore the efficacy of other HER2-targeting therapies in gastric cancer.Small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors,such as lapatinib and pyrrotinib,have the advantages of small molecular weight,penetrating the blood-brain barrier and high oral bioavailability,and are expected to become the drugs of choice for perioperative treatment and neoadjuvant therapy of gastric cancer after validation by large-scale clinical trials in the future.Antibo-drug conjugate,such as T-DM1 and T-DXd,can overcome the resistance of monoclonal antibodies despite their different mechanisms of tumor killing,and are a supplement for the treatment of patients who have failed the treatment of monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab.Therefore,after more detailed stratification of gastric cancer patients,various gastric cancer drugs targeting HER2 are expected to play a more significant role.

Impaired pericyte-Müller glia interaction via PDGFRβsuppression aggravates photoreceptor loss in a rodent model of light-induced retinal injury

AIM:To investigate the involvement of pericyte-Müller glia interaction in retinal damage repair and assess the influence of suppressing the platelet-derived growth factor receptorβ(PDGFRβ)signaling pathway in retinal pericytes on photoreceptor loss and Müller glial response.METHODS:Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to intense light to induce retinal injury.Neutralizing antibody against PDGFRβwere deployed to block the signaling pathway in retinal pericytes through intravitreal injection.Retinal histology and Müller glial reaction were assessed following light injury.In vitro,normal and PDGFRβ-blocked retinal pericytes were cocultured with Müller cell line(rMC-1)to examine morphological and protein expression changes upon supplementation with light-injured supernatants of homogenized retinas(SHRs).RESULTS:PDGFRβblockage 24h prior to intense light exposure resulted in a significant exacerbation of photoreceptor loss.The upregulation of GFAP and p-STAT3,observed after intense light exposure,was significantly inhibited in the PDGFRβblockage group.Fur ther upregulation of cytokines monocyte chemoattractant protein 1(MCP-1)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)was also observed following PDGFRβinhibition.In the in vitro coculture system,the addition of light-injured SHRs induced pericyte deformation and upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)expression,while Müller cells exhibited neuron-like morphology and expressed Nestin.However,PDGFRβblockage in retinal pericytes abolished these cellular responses to light-induced damage,consistent with the in vivo PDGFRβblockage findings.CONCLUSION:Pericyte-Müller glia interaction plays a potential role in the endogenous repair process of retinal injury.Impairment of this interaction exacerbates photoreceptor degeneration in light-induced retinal injury.

Therapeutic strategies targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway in metastatic colorectal cancer

More than 1.9 million new colorectal cancer(CRC)cases and 935000 deaths were estimated to occur worldwide in 2020,representing about one in ten cancer cases and deaths.Overall,colorectal ranks third in incidence,but second in mortality.More than half of the patients are in advanced stages at diagnosis.Treatment options are complex because of the heterogeneity of the patient population,including different molecular subtypes.Treatments have included conventional fluorouracil-based chemotherapy,targeted therapy,immunotherapy,etc.In recent years,with the development of genetic testing technology,more and more targeted drugs have been applied to the treatment of CRC,which has further prolonged the survival of metastatic CRC patients.

Concomitant epidermal growth factor receptor mutation/c-ros oncogene 1 rearrangement in non-small cell lung cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and c-ros oncogene 1(ROS1)rearrangement are key genetic alterations and predictive tumor markers for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)and are typically considered to be mutually exc-lusive.EGFR/ROS1 co-mutation is a rare event,and the standard treatment appr-oach for such cases is still equivocal.CASE SUMMARY Herein,we report the case of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with lung adenocar-cinoma,with concomitant EGFR L858R mutation and ROS1 rearrangement.The patient received two cycles of chemotherapy after surgery,but the disease prog-ressed.Following 1-month treatment with gefitinib,the disease progressed again.However,after switching to crizotinib,the lesion became stable.Currently,crizotinib has been administered for over 53 months with a remarkable treatment effect.CONCLUSION The efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and crizotinib was vastly different in this NSCLC patient with EGFR/ROS1 co-mutation.This report will aid future treatment of such patients.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression level and combined positive score can evaluate efficacy of advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Although treatment options for gastric cancer(GC)continue to advance,the overall prognosis for patients with GC remains poor.At present,the predictors of treatment efficacy remain controversial except for high microsatellite instability.AIM To develop methods to identify groups of patients with GC who would benefit the most from receiving the combination of a programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)inhibitor and chemotherapy.METHODS We acquired data from 63 patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-negative GC with a histological diagnosis of GC at the Cancer Hospital,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between November 2020 and October 2022.All of the patients screened received a PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment.RESULTS As of July 1,2023,the objective response rate was 61.9%,and the disease control rate was 96.8%.The median progression-free survival(mPFS)for all patients was 6.3 months.The median overall survival was not achieved.Survival analysis showed that patients with a combined positive score(CPS)≥1 exhibited an extended trend in progression-free survival(PFS)when compared to patients with a CPS of 0 after receiving a PD-1 inhibitor combined with oxaliplatin and tegafur as the first-line treatment.PFS exhibited a trend for prolongation as the expression level of HER2 increased.Based on PFS,we divided patients into two groups:A treatment group with excellent efficacy and a treatment group with poor efficacy.The mPFS of the excellent efficacy group was 8 months,with a mPFS of 9.1 months after excluding a cohort of patients who received interrupted therapy due to surgery.The mPFS was 4.5 months in patients in the group with poor efficacy who did not receive surgery.Using good/poor efficacy as the endpoint of our study,univariate analysis revealed that both CPS score(P=0.004)and HER2 expression level(P=0.015)were both factors that exerted significant influence on the efficacy of treatment the combination of a PD-1 inhibitor and chemotherapy in patients with advanced GC(AGC).Finally,multivariate analysis confirmed that CPS score was a significant influencing factor.CONCLUSION CPS score and HER2 expression both impacted the efficacy of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in AGC patients who were non-positive for HER2.

基于胶质细胞GR/CX3CR1双信号探讨柴金解郁安神片含药血清减轻体外抑郁模型大鼠ACC神经元突触损伤的机制

目的:基于胶质细胞糖皮质激素受体(glucocorticoid receptor,GR)/CX3C趋化因子受体1(CX3C chemokine receptor 1,CX3CR1)双信号探讨柴金解郁安神片(CJJY)含药血清对体外抑郁模型中大鼠前扣带皮层(anterior cingulate cortex,ACC)神经元突触损伤的保护机制。方法:原代培养SD大鼠ACC脑区星形胶质细胞、小胶质细胞和神经元,并分别进行鉴定;采用200μmol/L皮质酮(corticosterone,CORT)联合1 mg/L脂多糖(lipopolysaccharide,LPS)建立模拟抑郁环境的体外细胞模型,实验设正常组、模型组(CORT+LPS)、GR阻断剂(GR-)组(CORT+LPS+RU486)、GR激动剂(GR+)组(CORT+LPS+dexamethasone)、CX3CR1阻断剂(CX3-)组(CORT+LPS+AZD8797)、CX3CR1激动剂(CX3+)组(CORT+LPS+fractalkine)、CJJY组(CORT+LPS+CJJY含药血清)、CJJY联合GR激动剂(CJJY/GR+)组(CORT+LPS+CJJY含药血清+dexamethasone)组和CJJY联合CX3CR1激动剂(CJJY/CX3+)组(CORT+LPS+CJJY含药血清+fractalkine);高内涵细胞成像分析技术观察星形胶质细胞、小胶质细胞和ACC神经元形态学变化;ELISA法检测细胞上清液中促肾上腺皮质激素(adrenocorticotropic hormone,ACTH)、促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素(corticotropin-releasing hormone,CRH)、CORT、肿瘤坏死因子α(tumor necrosis factor-α,TNF-α)、白细胞介素1β(interleukin-1β,IL-1β)、IL-6和谷氨酸(glutamate,Glu)水平;免疫荧光染色检测星形胶质细胞中GR和囊泡谷氨酸转运体1(vesicular glutamate transporter 1,VGluT1)表达水平,以及小胶质细胞中CX3CR1和腺苷A2A受体(adenosine A2A receptor,A2AR)表达水平;Nissl染色和β-tubulin染色观察神经元突触损伤情况。结果:CJJY含药血清能减轻体外抑郁模型中大鼠星形胶质细胞损伤,抑制小胶质细胞激活,同时抑制细胞上清液中ACTH、CRH、CORT、TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-6和Glu水平异常增高(P<0.05或P<0.01),有效调控GR、VGluT1、CX3CR1和A2AR表达异常(P<0.05或P<0.01),并减轻大鼠ACC神经元树突和树突棘损伤。结论:CJJY含药血清通过调控胶质细胞GR/CX3CR1双信号而减轻体外抑郁模型中大鼠ACC神经元突触损伤。

GRED对慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者血清IL-10 TGF-β_(1) sPD-1和sPD-L1表达水平及临床表现的影响

目的:分析胃食管反流病(GRED)对慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者血清白细胞介素-10(IL-10)、转化生长因子-β_(1)(TGF-β_(1))、可溶性程序性死亡受体-1(sPD-1)和sPD-1配体(sPD-L1)表达水平及临床表现的影响。方法:选取我院2022年1月至2023年9月收治的104例COPD患者,按照患者是否合并反流性疾病,将其分别纳入合并组、未合并组。对比两组肺功能、IL-10、TGF-β_(1)、sPD-L1和sPD-1表达水平及临床表现差异。结果:104例COPD患者中,32例合并GERD,占30.77%。合并组IL-10低于未合并组,其TGF-β_(1)、sPD-1、sPD-L1均高于未合并组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。合并组FEV1、FEV1/FVC、FEV1%均低于未合并组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。合并组CASA-Q问卷咳嗽症状、咳嗽影响、咳痰症状、咳痰影响评分,以及mMRC评分和SGRQ问卷各项目评分、总分均高于未合并组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:近1/3的COPD患者合并GERD,且GERD与患者更为强烈的炎症反应和sPD-1、sPD-L1高表达有关,并伴有更差的肺功能和更严重的临床表现。

Axonal growth inhibitors and their receptors in spinal cord injury:from biology to clinical translation

Axonal growth inhibitors are released during traumatic injuries to the adult mammalian central nervous system, including after spinal cord injury. These molecules accumulate at the injury site and form a highly inhibitory environment for axonal regeneration. Among these inhibitory molecules, myelinassociated inhibitors, including neurite outgrowth inhibitor A, oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein, myelin-associated glycoprotein, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and repulsive guidance molecule A are of particular importance. Due to their inhibitory nature, they represent exciting molecular targets to study axonal inhibition and regeneration after central injuries. These molecules are mainly produced by neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes within the scar and in its immediate vicinity. They exert their effects by binding to specific receptors, localized in the membranes of neurons. Receptors for these inhibitory cues include Nogo receptor 1, leucine-rich repeat, and Ig domain containing 1 and p75 neurotrophin receptor/tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 19(that form a receptor complex that binds all myelin-associated inhibitors), and also paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and repulsive guidance molecule A bind to Nogo receptor 1, Nogo receptor 3, receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase σ and leucocyte common antigen related phosphatase, and neogenin, respectively. Once activated, these receptors initiate downstream signaling pathways, the most common amongst them being the Rho A/ROCK signaling pathway. These signaling cascades result in actin depolymerization, neurite outgrowth inhibition, and failure to regenerate after spinal cord injury. Currently, there are no approved pharmacological treatments to overcome spinal cord injuries other than physical rehabilitation and management of the array of symptoms brought on by spinal cord injuries. However, several novel therapies aiming to modulate these inhibitory proteins and/or their receptors are under investigation in ongoing clinical trials. Investigation has also been demonstrating that combinatorial therapies of growth inhibitors with other therapies, such as growth factors or stem-cell therapies, produce stronger results and their potential application in the clinics opens new venues in spinal cord injury treatment.

Exosome-transported IncRNA H19 regulates insulin-like growth factor-1 via the H19/let-7a/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor axis in ischemic stroke

LncRNA(long non-coding RNA) H19 is a transcript of the H19 gene that is expressed during embryogenesis.We previously discove red a role for circular lncRNA H19 in the onset and prognosis of cerebral ischemic stroke.In this study,we used serum from patients with ischemic stroke,and mouse and cell culture models to elucidate the roles of plasma and neuronal exosomes in the regulatory effect of lncRNA H19 on insulin-like growth factor-1 and its mechanism in ischemic stroke,using western blotting,quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Plasma exosomal IncRNA H19 was negatively associated with blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 in samples from patients with cerebral ischemic stroke.In a mouse model,levels of exosomal IncRNA H19 were positively correlated with plasma and cerebral lncRNA H19.In a cell co-culture model,we confirmed that IncRNA H19 was transported from neuro ns to astrocytes by exosomes to induce downregulation of insulin-like growth factor-1 through the H19/let-7 a/insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor axis.This study provides the first evidence for the transpo rtation of IncRNA H19 by exosomes and the relationship between IncRNA H19 and insulinlike growth factor-1.

Are TrkB receptor agonists the right tool to fulfill the promises for a therapeutic value of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling via its receptor tro pomyosin receptor kinase B regulates several crucial physiological processes.It has been shown to act in the brain,promoting neuronal survival,growth,and plasticity as well as in the rest of the body where it is involved in regulating for instance aspects of the metabolism.Due to its crucial and very pleiotro pic activity,reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and alterations in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling have been found to be associated with a wide spectrum of neurological diseases.Howeve r,because of its poor bioavailability and pharmacological properties,brain-derived neurotrophic factor itself has a very low therapeutic value.Moreover,the concomitant binding of exogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor to the p75 neurotrophin receptor has the potential to elicit several unwanted and deleterious side effects.Therefo re,developing tools and approaches to specifically promote tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling has become an important goal of translational research.Among the newly developed tools are different categories of tropomyosin receptor kinase B receptor agonist molecules.In this review,we give a comprehensive description of the diffe rent tro pomyosin receptor kinase B receptor agonist drugs developed so far and of the res ults of their application in animal models of several neurological diseases.Moreover,we discuss the main benefits of tropomyosin receptor kinase B receptor agonists,concentrating especially on the new tropomyosin receptor kinase B agonist antibodies.The benefits observed both in vitro and in vivo upon application of tropomyosin receptor kinase B receptor agonist drugs seem to predominantly depend on their general neuroprotective activity and their ability to promote neuronal plasticity.Moreover,tro pomyosin receptor kinase B agonist antibodies have been shown to specifically bind the tropomyosin receptor kinase B receptor and not p75 neurotrophin receptor.Therefore,while,based on the current knowledge,the tropomyosin receptor kinase B receptor agonists do not seem to have the potential to reve rse the disease pathology per se,promoting brainderived neurotrophic factor/tro pomyosin receptor kinase B signaling still has a very high therapeutic relevance.

固相萃取-高效液相色谱法检测食品中酸性大红GR

建立了高效液相色谱法测定多种食品中非法染料酸性大红GR的分析方法,并对样品的提取溶剂、净化方式及色谱条件进行了优化。样品采用1%氨化甲醇溶液提取,PWAX萃取柱净化浓缩,以10 mmol乙酸铵-甲醇为流动相,经Titank C18色谱柱分离,采用二极管阵列检测器测定。结果显示,酸性大红GR在0.040〜10.00μg/mL线性关系良好(R2>0.999),检出限和定量限分别为0.025和0.10 mg/kg。在阴性样品中添加0.10、0.20、1.00 mg/kg三水平加标,平均回收率为80.14%〜102.60%,相对标准偏差为1.08%〜4.29%。通过与食品补充检验方法比较,验证了本方法测定辣椒制品、水产制品和饮料中酸性大红GR的准确性,同时对其他食品中酸性大红GR进行测定,结果证明该方法灵敏度高、回收率好,为食品安全的监管提供了技术支持。

SA765Gr.Ⅱ合金钢热拉伸本构模型的参数反求

在温度为950~1150℃,应变速率为0.01~5 s^(-1)的条件下,使用Gleeble-1500D热模拟实验机对SA765Gr.Ⅱ合金钢进行了等温热拉伸实验以研究其热拉伸变形行为。首先通过线性回归方法推导了SA765Gr.Ⅱ合金钢的Norton-Hoff模型参数,之后提出了一种基于自适应模拟退火(ASA)算法求解本构模型参数的方法(反求方法)。结果表明:相比于回归方法,反求方法构建的模型预测相关系数R从0.9831提高到0.9958、均方根误差RMAE由6.392降低至3.603、平均相对误差AARE由5.38%降低至3.69%。线性回归方法构建的模型预测误差期望与标准偏差分别为0.97和8.76,反求方法构建的模型预测误差期望与标准偏差分别为0.13和5.14。通过反求方法构建的Norton-Hoff模型预测精度得到了提高。

Ni-Mo-Y-Gr复合材料的制备及其在宽温域条件下的摩擦学性能

采用放电等离子烧结技术制备了Ni-Mo-Y-Gr(石墨烯)自润滑复合材料,通过光学显微镜、扫描电镜、X射线衍射、拉曼及高温摩擦实验机对复合材料的微观组织、成分、力学性能及摩擦磨损性能进行了研究。结果表明:Ni-Mo-Y-Gr复合材料的组织均匀致密,随着石墨烯含量的增加,复合材料的密度、硬度及屈服强度呈下降趋势,实际密度大于计算理论密度,即复合材料制备过程中发生了冶金熔合与固溶;Ni-Mo-Y-Gr复合材料在室温至600℃范围内具有较低的摩擦系数及磨损率,表明其具有较好的摩擦学性能;在室温、200和400℃时石墨烯起到了良好的润滑作用,在600℃时的主要润滑相为石墨烯、NiO、MoO2、MoO3和NiMoO_(4);在800℃时形成NiMoO_(4)及镍钼的氧化物,难以形成完整、有效的润滑层,从而使复合材料的摩擦学性能有所下降。

Dihydroergotamine ameliorates liver fibrosis by targeting transforming growth factor β type Ⅱ receptor

BACKGROUND The transforming growth factor β(TGFβ) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the development of liver fibrosis by activating TGFβ type Ⅱ receptor(TGFβR2), followed by the recruitment of TGFβR1 finally triggering downstream signaling pathway.AIM To find drugs targeting TGFβR2 that inhibit TGFβR1/TGFβR2 complex formation, theoretically inhibit TGFβ signaling pathway, and thereby ameliorate liver fibrosis.METHODS Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs were screened for binding affinity with TGFβR2 by virtual molecular docking. We identified 6 candidates and further explored their potential by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) cell cytotoxic experiment to validate toxicity and titrated the best cellular working concentrations. Next, we further demonstrated the detailed molecular working mechanisms using mutagenesis analysis. Finally, we used a mouse model to investigate its potential anti-liver fibrosis effect.RESULTS We identified 6 drug candidates. Among these 6 drugs, dihydroergotamine(DHE) shows great ability in reducing fibrotic gene expressions such as collagen, p-SMAD3, and α-SMA in TGFβ induced cellular model of liver fibrosis in LX-2 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that DHE binds to TGFβR2. Moreover, mutation of Leu27, Phe30, Thr51, Ser52, Ile53, and Glu55 of TGFβR2 disrupted the binding of TGFβR2 with DHE. In addition, DHE significantly improved liver fibrosis, as evidenced by Masson’s trichrome staining of liver sections. This is further supported by the width and the velocity of the portal vein, and serum markers of liver function. In line with those observations, DHE also decreased macrophages infiltration and extracellular matrix deposition in the liver.CONCLUSION DHE alleviates liver fibrosis by binding to TGFβR2 thereby suppressing TGFβ signaling pathway. We show here that as far as drug repurposing, DHE has great potential to treat liver fibrosis.

Role of bitter contributors and bitter taste receptors:a comprehensive review of their sources,functions and future development

Bitterness,one of the 5“basic tastes”,is usually undesired by humans.However,abundant literature reported that bitter fruits and vegetables have beneficial health effects due to their bitter contributors.This review provided an updated overview of the main bitter contributors of typical bitter fruits and vegetables and their health benefits.The main bitter contributors,including phenolics,terpenoids,alkaloids,amino acids,nucleosides and purines,were summarized.The bioactivities and wide range of beneficial effects of them on anti-cancers,anti-inflammations,anti-microbes,neuroprotection,inhibiting chronic and acute injury in organs,as well as regulating behavior performance and metabolism were reported.Furthermore,not only did the bitter taste receptors(taste receptor type 2 family,T2Rs)show taste effects,but extra-oral T2Rs could also be activated by binding with bitter components,regulating physiological activities via modulating hormone secretion,immunity,metabolism,and cell proliferation.This review provided a new perspective on exploring and explaining the nutrition of bitter foods,revealing the relationship between the functions of bitter contributors from food and T2Rs.Future trends may focus on revealing the possibility of T2Rs being targets for the treatment of diseases,exploring the mechanism of T2Rs mediating the bioactivities,and making bitter foods more acceptable without getting rid of bitter contributors.

Perioperative cardiac risks in myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis(MG)is an autoimmune disorder that affects the neuromuscular junction.The primary pathology in MG involves the presence of autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptors(AChRs),which results in qualitative and quantitative reductions in the availability of functional AChRs.Cardiac muscles are also affected,resulting in various perioperative cardiac complications.Antistriational antibodies are commonly reported in MG cases with cardiac involvement.In the presence of thymoma,the prevalence of cardiac manifestations in patients with MG increases to approximately 10%-15%.Cardiac involvement in MG may range from asymptomatic electrocardiogram changes to ventricular tachycardia,myocarditis,conduction disorders,heart failure,and sudden death.Increased incidence of atrial fibrillation,ventricular and supraventricular extra systoles,and prolonged QTc have also been reported in patients with MG.Clinicians should consider the evaluation of autonomic dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with MG.

Precision targeting in hepatocellular carcinoma:Exploring ligandreceptor mediated nanotherapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common primary liver cancer and poses a major challenge to global health due to its high morbidity and mortality.Conventional chemotherapy is usually targeted to patients with intermediate to advanced stages,but it is often ineffective and suffers from problems such as multidrug resistance,rapid drug clearance,nonspecific targeting,high side effects,and low drug accumulation in tumor cells.In response to these limitations,recent advances in nanoparticle-mediated targeted drug delivery technologies have emerged as breakthrough approaches for the treatment of HCC.This review focuses on recent advances in nanoparticle-based targeted drug delivery systems,with special attention to various receptors overexpressed on HCC cells.These receptors are key to enhancing the specificity and efficacy of nanoparticle delivery and represent a new paradigm for actively targeting and combating HCC.We comprehensively summarize the current understanding of these receptors,their role in nanoparticle targeting,and the impact of such targeted therapies on HCC.By gaining a deeper understanding of the receptor-mediated mechanisms of these innovative therapies,more effective and precise treatment of HCC can be achieved.