NLRP3 inflammasome is a key multiprotein signaling platform that tightly controls inflammatory responses and coordinates antimicrobial host defenses by activating caspase-1 for the subsequent maturation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, and induces pyroptosis. The assembly and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome are linked to the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes, and their major consequences-myocardial remodeling. The study of the NLRP3 inflammasome in these cardiovascular disease states may uncover important triggers and endogenous modulators of the disease, and lead to new treatment strategies. This review outlines current insights into NLRP3 inflammasome research associated with cardiovascular diseases and discusses the questions that remain in this field.

Astragalus membranaceus (A. membranaceus) is a type of traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of clinical application. It is used in the improvement and treatment of various diseases as medicine and food to invigorate the spleen and replenish qi. The main components of A. membranaceus are Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), flavonoids compounds, saponins compounds, alkaloids, etc. APS is the most important natural active component in A. membranaceus, and possesses multiple pharmacological properties. At present, APS possess the huge potential to develop a drug improving or treating different diseases. In this review, we reveal the potential approaches of pretreating and preparation on APS as much as possible and the study on content of APS and its chemical composition including different monosaccharides. More importantly, this paper summarize pharmacological actions on immune regulation, such as enhancing the immune organ index, promoting the proliferation of immune cells, stimulating the release of cytokines, and affecting the secretion of immunoglobulin and conduction of immune signals; anti-aging; anti-tumor by enhancing immunity, inducing apoptosis of tumor cells and inhibiting the proliferation and transfer of tumor cells; antiviral effects; regulation of blood glucose such as type I diabetes mellitus, type II diabetes mellitus and diabetic complications; lipid-lowering; anti-fibrosis; antimicrobial activities and anti-radiation. It provided theoretical basis for the further research such as its structure and mechanism of action, and clinical application of APS.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), one type of non-coding RNA, were initially misinterpreted as nonfunctional products of pre-mRNA mis-splicing. Currently, circRNAs have been proven to manipulate the functions of diverse molecules, including non-coding RNAs, mRNAs, DNAs and proteins, to regulate cell activities in physiology and pathology. Accumulating evidence indicates that circRNAs play critical roles in tumor genesis, development, and sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are two primary types of intervention for most cancers, but their therapeutic efficacies are usually retarded by intrinsic and acquired resistance. Thus, it is urgent to develop new strategies to improve therapeutic responses. To achieve this, clarification of the underlying mechanisms affecting therapeutic responses in cancer is needed. This review summarizes recent progress and mechanisms of circRNAs in cancer resistance to radiation and chemotherapy, and it discusses the limitations of available knowledge and potential future directions.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of targets for approved drugs, are rarely targeted for cancer treatment, except for certain endocrine and hormone-responsive tumors. Limited knowledge regarding GPCR expression in cancer cells likely has contributed to this lack of use of GPCR-targeted drugs as cancer therapeutics. We thus undertook GPCRomic studies to define the expression of endoGPCRs (which respond to endogenous molecules such as hormones, neurotransmitters and metabolites) in multiple types of cancer cells. Using TaqMan qPCR arrays to quantify the mRNA expression of ∼340 such GPCRs, we found that human chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells/stromal cells associated with CLL, breast cancer cell lines, colon cancer cell lines, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and PDAC tumors express 50 to >100 GPCRs, including many orphan GPCRs (which lack known physiologic agonists). Limited prior data exist regarding the expression or function of most of the highly expressed GPCRs in these cancer cells and tumors. Independent results from public cancer gene expression databases confirm the expression of such GPCRs. We propose that highly expressed GPCRs in cancer cells (for example, GPRC5A in PDAC and colon cancer cells and GPR68 in PDAC CAFs) may contribute to the malignant phenotype, serve as biomarkers and/or may be novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer.

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Exercise is a safe and effective method of improving the quality of life in patients with breast cancer. In particular, combined training was associated with a significant improvement in quality of life. In future research, more high-quality, multicenter trials evaluating the effect of exercise in breast cancer patients are needed.

BackgroundHepatitis B is a public health problem worldwide. Viral infection can affect a man's fertility, but only scant information about the influence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on sperm quality is available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hepatitis B virus S protein (HBs) on human sperm membrane integrity and functions.Methods/Principal FindingsReactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization were determined. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays and flow cytometric analyses were performed. (1) After 3 h incubation with 25 µg/ml of HBs, the average rates of ROS positive cells, annexin V–positive/propidium iodide (PI)-negative cells, Caspases-3,-8,-9 positive cells and TUNEL-positive cells were significantly increased in the test groups as compared to those in the control groups, while TAC level was decreased when compared with the control. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the sperm cells exposed to 50 µg/ml of HBs for 3 h was significantly higher than that in the control (P<0.05–0.01). (2) HBs increased the MDA levels and the numbers of ROS positive cells, annexin V–positive/PI-negative cells, caspases-3, -8, -9 positive cells and TUNEL-positive cells in a dose-dependent manner. (3) HBs monoclonal antibody (MAb) and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) reduced the number of ROS-positive sperm cells. (4) HBs decreased the TAC levels in sperm cells in a dose-dependent manner.ConclusionHBs exposure could lead to ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, TAC reduction, PS externalization, activation of caspases, and DNA fragmentation, resulting in increased apoptosis of sperm cells and loss of sperm membrane integrity and causing sperm dysfunctions.

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