Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a type of cancer that is difficult to cure; chemoresistance of cholangiocarcinoma cells affect the prognosis of patients who cannot be treated with surgery. The mechanism underlying this chemoresistance remains unknown. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to be important components of the tumor microenvironment. In the present study, a large number of MSCs were observed to infiltrate the tumor sites of ICC; thus, MSCs were isolated from ICC tumor tissues. It was revealed that herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) was overexpressed in ICC-MSCs. The present study then investigated the role of HVEM-overexpressing MSCs in the chemoresistance of cholangiocarcinoma cells. It was demonstrated that HVEM-overexpressing MSCs could support cell survival of chemotherapeutic cholangiocarcinoma cells and inhibited their apoptosis. Further investigations revealed that HVEM-overexpressing MSCs could secrete IL-6 and also activated AMPK/mTOR-dependent autophagy of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Thus, it was concluded that ICC-MSC-induced autophagy is the primary cause of chemoresistance in ICC.

Sedum rubrotinctum is widely grown as an ornamental because of its attractive leaf shape and color. Increasing the morphological diversity and color will greatly add to its ornamental value. Environmental conditions such as light and temperature can change the leaf color of succulent plants, but the mechanism is uncertain. To examine this mechanism, we tested the effects of two commercial chemical products Sowing Goodliness (Sg) and Aromatic Garden (Ag) on the morphology, pigment content, and growth performance of Sedum rubrotinctum seedlings. The Sg treatment did not change foliage color, but can accelerate plant growth and increase lateral bud number. The Ag treatment had marked changes on the relative proportions of pigments and leaf color, and plant growth was severely reduced with mortality observed in some plants. After Ag stress was discontinued, the surviving plants began to regrow and had good ornamental value but had the fewest number of lateral buds and leaves, and the smallest leaf length and thickness, canopy diameter, and plant height. Foliage color changes are caused directly by shifts in the relative proportions of pigments, particularly chlorophyll b and anthocyanin. In Ag-treated plants, chlorophyll b declined much faster than chlorophyll a, indicating that the transformation of chlorophyll b into chlorophyll a is an important step in the chlorophyll degradation pathway. Ag provides a way to learn more about the mechanism of chlorophyll degradation and should be investigated further. Ag enhanced anthocyanin production rapidly and improved the ornamental value of Sedum rubrotinctum. Different concentrations of Ag and Sg were not studied in this trial and might be tested to determine the ideal balance between leaf color and plant growth.

Background: Worldwide adoption of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased exponentially over the past decade due to the perception that they may represent a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes (CS) and as an effort to reduce smoking-related diseases. Various types of e-cigarettes from different brands have been emerged in the market with different design and quality. However, whether the safety risks of e-cigarettes held the trends toward positive changes need to be further certified by more scientific evidence. Methods: A systematic comparison study on the selected harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) levels, including carbonyls, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metals in aerosols of two typical commercially available e-cigarettes and one cigarette smoke (CS) in Chinese market were proceeded, together with their cytotoxicity on Jukart, CNE-1, HONE1, Hep-2 cell lines by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Results: The results showed that the levels of vast majority HPHCs in e-cigarette aerosols are either undetected or obviously lower than those in CS, which indicating the exposure to HPHCs was markedly reduced in the tested e-cigarettes. The CCK-8 and colony formation assay also indicated that the TPM extracts of e-cigarette aerosols also exhibited much weaker cytotoxicity than CS. Conclusion: The comparison of HPHCs levels in e-cigarette aerosols revealed that the use of e-cigarettes could lead to a significant reduction in exposure to harmful substances compared to CS. In tandem, the potential cytotoxicity of e-cigarettes on cell levels also showed potential for improvement compared to smoking. However, more attention needs to be paid to the differences in safety risks between different brands of e-cigarettes.