Synthesis of DNA-guided silver nanoparticles on a graphene oxide surface: enhancing the antibacterial effect and the wound healing activity

The occurrence of antibiotic resistance against pathogens is rapidly increasing and endangering the efficacy of antibiotics. Thus, finding a way to address this problem has become a major challenge due to the inability of conventional antibiotics to kill these multidrug-resistant bacteria. In order to further enhance the antibacterial ability and reduce the possibility of antibiotic resistance, we developed a simple two-step approach and synthesized a new nanocomposite by directly loading single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-guided silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on graphene oxide (ssDNA-AgNPs@GO). Through systematically evaluating the bactericidal activity and wound healing capability, we found that ssDNA-AgNPs@GO exhibited synergistic antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis with low minimum inhibitory concentrations (6.8 μg mL⁻¹, 6.8 μg mL⁻¹, 11.9 μg mL⁻¹ and 10.2 μg mL⁻¹, respectively) and large-diameter inhibition zones (12.83 ± 0.63 mm, 13.14 ± 0.37 mm, 8.6 ± 0.9 mm and 8.93 ± 0.47 mm, respectively). Furthermore, the wound healing experiment indicated that it has a striking ability to remedy wound infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. In conclusion, the properties of ssDNA-AgNPs@GO with enhanced antibacterial and wound healing capability will give it broad applications in the future.

A simple two-step approach to synthesize a new nanocomposite by directly loading single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-guided silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on graphene oxide (ssDNA-AgNPs@GO) is developed.     

膝关节骨关节炎患者的肌肉功能与功能性行为能力

屈伸膝肌群的肌肉功能在膝关节骨关节炎（ｋｎｅｅｏｓｔｅｏａｒｔｈｒｉｔｉｓ，ＯＡ）的病程中起重要作用。本文的目的在于了解ＯＡ的肌肉功能以及它与功能性行为能力之间的关系。随机抽样的２１例ＯＡ与对照组相比，其等速肌力参数明显减低。另外，ＯＡ在６０°／ｓ等速运动的伸膝肌力与功能性状态参数呈负线性相关，１８０°／ｓ等速运动的伸膝肌爆发力与２０ｍ行走时间呈明显负线性相关。     

Essential metabolic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumorigenic functions of miR-122 in liver

miR-122, an abundant liver-specific microRNA (miRNA), regulates cholesterol metabolism and promotes hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication. Reduced miR-122 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) correlates with metastasis and poor prognosis. Nevertheless, the consequences of sustained loss of function of miR-122 in vivo have not been determined. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of mouse Mir122 resulted in hepatosteatosis, hepatitis, and the development of tumors resembling HCC. These pathologic manifestations were associated with hyperactivity of oncogenic pathways and hepatic infiltration of inflammatory cells that produce pro-tumorigenic cytokines, including IL-6 and TNF. Moreover, delivery of miR-122 to a MYC-driven mouse model of HCC strongly inhibited tumorigenesis, further supporting the tumor suppressor activity of this miRNA. These findings reveal critical functions for miR-122 in the maintenance of liver homeostasis and have important therapeutic implications, including the potential utility of miR-122 delivery for selected patients with HCC and the need for careful monitoring of patients receiving miR-122 inhibition therapy for HCV.     

Aprepitant triple therapy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following high-dose cisplatin in Chinese patients: a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled phase III trial

Purpose

Aprepitant, an oral neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, has demonstrated improved control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in previous studies. This is the first phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of aprepitant in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) in Asian countries.

Methods

This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed the prevention of CINV during the acute phase (AP), delayed phase (DP), and overall phase (OP). Patients receiving HEC were randomized to either an aprepitant group (day 1, aprepitant 125 mg; days 2–3, aprepitant 80 mg) or a standard therapy group (days 1–3, placebo). Both groups received intravenous granisetron and oral dexamethasone. The primary end point was complete response (CR; no emesis and no use of rescue therapy) during the OP.

Results

Of the 421 randomized patients, 411 (98 %) were assessable for efficacy; 69.6 % (142/204) and 57.0 % (118/207) of patients reported CR during the OP in the aprepitant and standard therapy groups, respectively (P?=?0.007). CR rates in the aprepitant group were higher during the DP (74.0 % vs. 59.4 %, P?=?0.001) but were similar during the AP (79.4 % vs. 79.3 %, P?=?0.942). Toxicity and adverse events were comparable in both groups.

Conclusions

The addition of aprepitant to standard antiemetic treatment regimens for Chinese patients undergoing HEC provided superior CINV prevention and was well tolerated.     

Efficacy and Tolerability of Sufentanil,Dexmedetomidine, or Ketamine Added to Propofol-based Sedation for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Elderly Patients: A Prospective,Randomized, Controlled Trial

PurposeTo investigate the optimal agent combined with propofol for sedation in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy.MethodsA total of 120 elderly patients scheduled for gastrointestinal endoscopy under propofol-based sedation were randomly allocated to receive propofol + saline (control group), propofol + sufentanil 0.1 μg/kg, propofol + dexmedetomidine 0.4 μg/kg, or propofol + ketamine 0.4 mg/kg. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, pulse oximetry, pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide, respiratory rate, and Ramsay sedation scale score were recorded. Induction time, procedure time, recovery time, propofol dose, and adverse events were also recorded.FindingsDuring the sedation procedure, the AUC of HR was lowest in the propofol + dexmedetomidine group (all, P < 0.05), and the AUC of pulse oximetry was significantly higher in the propofol + dexmedetomidine and propofol + ketamine groups compared to the other 2 groups (both, P < 0.05). The propofol + dexmedetomidine group had the highest prevalences of hypotension and bradycardia, and the control group experienced the largest number of hypoxia episodes (all, P < 0.05). The control group consumed the highest dose of propofol, while the propofol + ketamine group needed the lowest dose (all, P < 0.05).ImplicationsThe combination of propofol + ketamine 0.4 mg/kg maintained hemodynamic and respiratory stability, as evidenced by less hypotension, bradycardia, and hypoxia events, in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy. China clinical trial registration (chictr.org.cn) ID: ChiCTR-INR-17013710.     

Global and specific transcriptional repression by the histone H3 amino terminus in yeast

The yeast CHA1 promoter is activated in the presence of serine or threonine. Activation requires the Cha4p activator, and it results in perturbation of a nucleosome that incorporates the TATA element under noninducing conditions. We show that in yeast lacking the amino terminus of histone H3, the promoter is constitutively active and the chromatin is concomitantly perturbed. This derepression occurs in the absence of elevated intracellular levels of serine or threonine and is not observed in cells lacking Rpd3p, Tup1p, or the amino terminus of histone H4. Furthermore, derepression in the absence of the H3 amino terminus requires the primary activator of this promoter, Cha4p, which we show by chromatin immunoprecipitation to be constitutively bound to the CHA1 promoter in WT yeast. Thus, the H3 amino terminus is required to prevent Cha4p from activating CHA1 in the absence of inducer. We also present results of a microarray experiment showing that the H3 amino terminus has a substantial repressive effect on a genome-wide scale.     

hsa_circ_0000285 facilitates thyroid cancer progression by regulating miR‐127‐5p/CDH2

Thyroid cancer (THCA) is a leading endocrine cancer and becomes the fifth most commonly diagnosed malignancy in females. It is confirmed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) perform regulatory potencies in the pathological progress of THCA. Our purpose was to certify the trait of hsa_circ_0000285 (circ_0000285) and investigate its modulatory mechanism in THCA progression. We identified the expression profile of hsa_circ_0000285 in THCA by conducting qRT‐PCR assay. Therewith, the potential of hsa_circ_0000285 in THCA development was determined with a set of functional experiments, including CCK‐8, wound healing assay, Western blot, and xenograft model. The molecular mechanism underlying hsa_circ_0000285 was investigated with bioinformatic analysis, RIP and dual‐luciferase reporter experiments. As opposed to normal samples and cells, hsa_circ_0000285 level was overtly increased in THCA specimens and cells. The downregulation of hsa_circ_0000285 weakened the proliferative and migratory capacity of THCA cells and promoted cell apoptosis. In addition, hsa_circ_0000285 silence suppressed the tumor growth of xenograft model mice in vivo. Notably, we demonstrated that hsa_circ_0000285 might target miR‐127‐5p/CDH2 axis in THCA. Afterward, our findings manifested that miR‐127‐5p attenuation blocked the function of hsa_circ_0000285 depletion in THCA cells. In the final step, CDH2 was proven to mediate the repressive potency of miR‐127‐5p in the malignant behaviors of THCA. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0000285 induced the development of THCA via functioning as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR‐127‐5p to enhance CDH2 expression, which provided a new perspective for THCA therapy.     

Preparation of different morphology Cu/GO nanocomposites and their catalytic performance for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

Cu nanoparticles are more active catalytically than CuO nanoparticles, which have been widely studied as catalysts for organic synthesis, electrochemistry, and optics. However, Cu nanoparticles are easily agglomerated and oxidized in air. In this research, columnar, flower-like, bubble-like and teardrop-shaped Cu/GO nanocomposites were fabricated via a water-solvent thermal method and high temperature calcination technique using deionized water (H₂O), methanol (CH₃OH), ethanol (CH₃CH₂OH) and ethylene glycol (EG) as the solvent, respectively. The structures, the morphology and the catalytic performance and catalytic mechanism for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) of the Cu/GO nanocomposites have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption tests (BET), simultaneous thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and thermogravimetric couplet with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA–FTIR), respectively. The experimental results show that the morphology of the Cu/GO nanocomposites has a significant effect on the surface area and the teardrop-shaped Cu/GO nanocomposites have the largest specific surface area and the best catalytic performance among them. When 5 wt% of the Cu/GO nanocomposites was added, the decomposition temperature of AP decreased from 426.3 °C to 345.5 °C and the exothermic heat released from the decomposition of AP increased from 410.4 J g⁻¹ to 4159.4 J g⁻¹. In addition, the four morphological Cu/GO nanocomposites exhibited good stability, their catalytic performance for thermal decomposition of AP remained stable after 1 month in air. Excellent catalytic performance and stability were attributed to the strong catalytic activity of pure metal nanoparticles, and GO can accelerate electron movement and inhibit the agglomeration of nanoparticles, as well as the multiple effects of inhibiting the oxidation of Cu nanoparticles in air. Therefore, it has important application potential in high-energy solid propellant.

Cu nanoparticles are more active catalytically than CuO nanoparticles, which have been widely studied as catalysts for organic synthesis, electrochemistry, and optics.