Xianyi Zeng

Background & AimsPien Tze Huang (PZH) is a well-established traditional medicine with beneficial effects against inflammation and cancer. We aimed to explore the chemopreventive effect of PZH in colorectal cancer (CRC) through modulating gut microbiota.MethodsCRC mouse models were established by azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium treatment or in Apcmin/+ mice treated with or without PZH (270 mg/kg and 540 mg/kg). Gut barrier function was determined by means of intestinal permeability assays and transmission electron microscopy. Fecal microbiota and metabolites were analyzed by means of metagenomic sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, respectively. Germ-free mice or antibiotic-treated mice were used as models of microbiota depletion.ResultsPZH inhibited colorectal tumorigenesis in azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium–treated mice and in Apcmin/+ mice in a dose-dependent manner. PZH treatment altered the gut microbiota profile, with an increased abundance of probiotics Pseudobutyrivibrio xylanivorans and Eubacterium limosum, while pathogenic bacteria Aeromonas veronii, Campylobacter jejuni, Collinsella aerofaciens, and Peptoniphilus harei were depleted. In addition, PZH increased beneficial metabolites taurine and hypotaurine, bile acids, and unsaturated fatty acids, and significantly restored gut barrier function. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that PZH inhibited PI3K–Akt, interleukin-17, tumor necrosis factor, and cytokine–chemokine signaling. Notably, the chemopreventive effect of PZH involved both microbiota-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Fecal microbiota transplantation from PZH-treated mice to germ-free mice partly recapitulated the chemopreventive effects of PZH. PZH components ginsenoside-F2 and ginsenoside-Re demonstrated inhibitory effects on CRC cells and primary organoids, and PZH also inhibited tumorigenesis in azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium–treated germ-free mice.ConclusionsPZH manipulated gut microbiota and metabolites toward a more favorable profile, improved gut barrier function, and suppressed oncogenic and pro-inflammatory pathways, thereby suppressing colorectal carcinogenesis. Pien Tze Huang (PZH) is a well-established traditional medicine with beneficial effects against inflammation and cancer. We aimed to explore the chemopreventive effect of PZH in colorectal cancer (CRC) through modulating gut microbiota. CRC mouse models were established by azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium treatment or in Apcmin/+ mice treated with or without PZH (270 mg/kg and 540 mg/kg). Gut barrier function was determined by means of intestinal permeability assays and transmission electron microscopy. Fecal microbiota and metabolites were analyzed by means of metagenomic sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, respectively. Germ-free mice or antibiotic-treated mice were used as models of microbiota depletion. PZH inhibited colorectal tumorigenesis in azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium–treated mice and in Apcmin/+ mice in a dose-dependent manner. PZH treatment altered the gut microbiota profile, with an increased abundance of probiotics Pseudobutyrivibrio xylanivorans and Eubacterium limosum, while pathogenic bacteria Aeromonas veronii, Campylobacter jejuni, Collinsella aerofaciens, and Peptoniphilus harei were depleted. In addition, PZH increased beneficial metabolites taurine and hypotaurine, bile acids, and unsaturated fatty acids, and significantly restored gut barrier function. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that PZH inhibited PI3K–Akt, interleukin-17, tumor necrosis factor, and cytokine–chemokine signaling. Notably, the chemopreventive effect of PZH involved both microbiota-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Fecal microbiota transplantation from PZH-treated mice to germ-free mice partly recapitulated the chemopreventive effects of PZH. PZH components ginsenoside-F2 and ginsenoside-Re demonstrated inhibitory effects on CRC cells and primary organoids, and PZH also inhibited tumorigenesis in azoxymethane plus dextran sulfate sodium–treated germ-free mice. PZH manipulated gut microbiota and metabolites toward a more favorable profile, improved gut barrier function, and suppressed oncogenic and pro-inflammatory pathways, thereby suppressing colorectal carcinogenesis.

The enormous impact of artificial intelligence has been realized in transforming the fashion and apparel industry in the past decades. However, the research in this domain is scattered and mainly focuses on one of the stages of the supply chain. Due to this, it is difficult to comprehend the work conducted in the distinct domain of the fashion and apparel industry. Therefore, this paper aims to study the impact and the significance of artificial intelligence in the fashion and apparel industry in the last decades throughout the supply chain. Following this objective, we performed a systematic literature review of research articles (journal and conference) associated with artificial intelligence in the fashion and apparel industry. Articles were retrieved from two popular databases “Scopus” and “Web of Science” and the article screening was completed in five phases resulting in 149 articles. This was followed by article categorization which was grounded on the proposed taxonomy and was completed in two steps. First, the research articles were categorized according to the artificial intelligence methods applied such as machine learning, expert systems, decision support system, optimization, and image recognition and computer vision. Second, the articles were categorized based on supply chain stages targeted such as design, fabric production, apparel production, and distribution. In addition, the supply chain stages were further classified based on business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) to give a broader outlook of the industry. As a result of the categorizations, research gaps were identified in the applications of AI techniques, at the supply chain stages and from a business (B2B/B2C) perspective. Based on these gaps, the future prospects of the AI in this domain are discussed. These can benefit the researchers in academics and industrial practitioners working in the domain of the fashion and apparel industry.

We have identified a novel function for a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) protein super-family, TRPM2, in prostate cancer cell proliferation. TRPM2 encodes a non-selective cation-permeable ion channel. We found that selectively knocking down TRPM2 with the small interfering RNA technique inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells but not of non-cancerous cells. The subcellular localization of this protein is also remarkably different between cancerous and non-cancerous cells. In BPH-1 (benign), TRPM2 protein is homogenously located near the plasma membrane and in the cytoplasm, whereas in the cancerous cells (PC-3 and DU-145), a significant amount of the TRPM2 protein is located in the nuclei in a clustered pattern. Furthermore, we have found that TRPM2 inhibited nuclear ADP-ribosylation in prostate cancer cells. However, TRPM2 knockdown-induced inhibition of proliferation is independent of the activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases. We conclude that TRPM2 is essential for prostate cancer cell proliferation and may be a potential target for the selective treatment of prostate cancer.