Abstract The prevalence of hypertension has increased rapidly in recent years. Currently, increasing attention has been paid to the relationship between hypertension and platelet abnormalities. As a simple and available platelet parameter, platelet distribution width (PDW) can reflect platelet abnormalities and further reflect the risk of thrombotic diseases. However, the views on PDW and hypertension are controversial at present studies. Hence, we aimed to find the associations between PDW and hypertension subtypes in the present study. A total of 73,469 participants (44,665 males and 28,804 females) were enrolled. We found that PDW was a risk factor for isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), and the risk of ISH increased with PDW quartiles among women. In men, high PDW might be a risk factor for isolated diastolic hypertension and systolic–diastolic hypertension.
Abstract Pancreatic cancer accompanies poor prognosis and accounts for a significant number of deaths every year. Due to possessing a broad spectrum of bioactivities such as antioxidant and antitumor activity, Psoralea corylifolia L. (PCL) is widely used in clinical Chinese medicine. In the present work, we explored potential antitumor agents of PCL and underlying mechanisms in vivo and vitro experiments. Based on the integration of network pharmacology, protein-protein interaction network, the expression profile of gene, survival analysis, multivariate Cox regression model, and molecular docking, we considered Isobavachalcone (IBC) as a candidate compound. Subsequently, we confirmed that IBC could inhibit Panc 02 cells proliferation and induce apoptosis via increasing ROS production in vitro. Meanwhile, IBC could attenuate the weight of orthotopic pancreatic cancer in mice, increase CD8 + cells and reduce M2 macrophages polarization in the tumor tissue and spleen. IBC also alleviated the proportion of MDSCs in the tumor tissue but had no change in the spleen. In addition, IBC restrained the polarization of RAW 264.7 cells into M2 macrophages by inhibiting the expression of ARG1 and MRC1 and suppressed the expression of ARG1 and TGF-β in BM-derived MDSCs. Thus, IBC can attenuate orthotopic pancreatic cancer growth via activating immune activity and inducing cell apoptosis. This research could be a reference for the antitumor ability of IBC and the treatment of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive muscle-wasting disease caused by a mutation in the DMD gene. The aim of this study was to identify a de novo mutation of the DMD gene in the family of a 9-month-old Chinese male patient, as well as to describe the phenotypic characteristics of this patient. The patient was suspected to suffer from DMD according to physical examination, biochemical analyses, and electromyogram. We identified a duplication of exons 4–42 in DMD gene with targeted exome sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). In addition, the patient's mother was a carrier of the same mutation. We identified a de novo duplication of exons 4–42 in a patient with early stage DMD. The discovery of this mutation may provide insights into future investigations.
sulfur-containing amino acids have been reported to patriciate in gene regulation, DNA methylation, protein synthesis and other physiological or pathological processes. In recent years, metabolism-related molecules of sulfur-containing amino acids affecting the occurrence, development and treatment of tumors have been implicated in various disorders, especially in leukemia. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism pathway in leukemia and examine ongoing efforts to target this pathway, including treatment strategies targeting (a) sulfur-containing amino acids, (b) metabolites of sulfur-containing amino acids, and (c) enzymes and cofactors related to sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism in leukemia. Future leukemia therapy will likely involve innovative strategies targeting the sulfur-containing amino acid metabolism pathway.
Three birds with one stone: New therapies are needed to facilitate synergistic combinations that span distinct antitumor mechanisms. A small library of structurally relevant C,N-cyclometalated ruthenium(II) complexes was synthesized and their pharmacologic efficacy was investigated. The cover art shows the structure of the complex Ru8, which was demonstrated to have three antitumor functions, including potent cytotoxicity, antimetastasis and antivascular activity. The complex deserves further investigation as a promising drug candidate to combat metastatic cancer. More information can be found in the Full Paper by C. Chen, H. Wang, et al. on page 15170.
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