Explore the vast range of titles available.

Rationale: Malignant ascites caused by cancer cells results in poor prognosis and short average survival time. No effective treatment is currently available for malignant ascites. In this study, the effects of lentinan (LNT)-functionalized selenium nanoparticles (Selene) on malignant ascites were evaluated. Furthermore, the mechanism of Selene targeting mitochondria of tumor cells were also investigated. Methods: Selene were synthesized and characterized by TEM, AFM and particle size analysis. The OVCAR-3 and EAC cells induced ascites models were used to evaluate the effects of Selene on malignant ascites. Proteomic analysis, immunofluorescence, TEM and ICP-MS were used to determine the location of Selene in tumor cells. Mitochondrial membrane potential, ROS, ATP content, and caspase-1/3 activity were detected to evaluate the effect of Selene on mitochondrial function and cell apoptosis. Immunofluorescence, Co-IP, pull-down, duolink, Western blot, and FPLC were used to investigate the pathway of Selene targeting mitochondria. Results: Selene could effectively inhibit ascites induced by OVCAR-3 and EAC cells. Selene was mainly located in the mitochondria of tumor cells and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. The LNT in Selene was involved in caveolae-mediated endocytosis through the interaction between toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and caveolin 1 (CAV1). Furthermore, the Selene in the endocytic vesicles could enter the mitochondria via the mitochondrial membrane fusion pathway, which was mediated by TLR4/TNF receptor associated factor 3 (TRAF3)/mitofusin-1 (MFN1) protein complex. Conclusion: Selene is a candidate anticancer drug for the treatment of malignant ascites. And TLR4/TRAF3/MFN1 may be a specific nano-drug delivery pathway that could target the mitochondria.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.46467.].[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.46467.].

Neuroimaging studies have revealed that insomnia is characterized by aberrant neuronal connectivity in specific brain regions, but the topological disruptions in the white matter (WM) structural connectivity networks remain largely unknown in insomnia. The current study uses diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography to construct the WM structural networks and graph theory analysis to detect alterations of the brain structural networks. The study participants comprised 30 healthy subjects with insomnia symptoms (IS) and 62 healthy subjects without IS. Both the two groups showed small-world properties regarding their WM structural connectivity networks. By contrast, increased local efficiency and decreased global efficiency were identified in the IS group, indicating an insomnia-related shift in topology away from regular networks. In addition, the IS group exhibited disrupted nodal topological characteristics in regions involving the fronto-limbic and the default-mode systems. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the topological organization of WM structural network connectivity in insomnia. More importantly, the dysfunctions of large-scale brain systems including the fronto-limbic pathways, salience network and default-mode network in insomnia were identified, which provides new insights into the insomnia connectome. Topology-based brain network analysis thus could be a potential biomarker for IS.

This study analyzed the effects of ecological factors on secondary metabolites of Scutellaria baicalensis using two sources： 92 individual roots of S. baicalensis from all over China, and secondary metabolites, medicinal materials and inorganic element contents obtained from the testing of 92 S. baicalensis rhizosphere soil samples. The study used environmental data from the Genuine Medicinal Material Spatial Analysis Database. Most of the chemical constituents of S. baicalensis were negatively correlated to latitude and positively correlated to temperature; generally, the contents of 21 chemical constituents were higher at low latitudes than that at high latitudes. By gradual regression analysis, it was found that the content of baicalin in S. bai- calensis was negatively correlated to latitude and generally the content of inorganic elements in soil was excessively high （ex- cluding Mg and Ca）, which has a negative effect on the accumulation of chemical constituents in S. baicalensis. Based on the cluster analysis of 21 constituents, S. baicalensis from different places of origin was divided into two groups, and S. bai- calensis was not genuine only in a specific small region. Within the zone from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia to Taibai, Shaanxi is suitable for accumulation of secondary metabolites of S. baicalensis and such a zone represents a suitable distribution and po- tential genuine producing area.