Abstract The degradation of the green plant pigment chlorophyll has fascinated chemists and biologists alike over the last few decades. Bioactivities of the compounds formed in this biochemical degradation pathway, however, have only come to light recently. These natural compounds that are formed from chlorophyll during plant senescence are now called phyllobilins. In this review, we shortly discuss chlorophyll degradation and outline the so-far known bioactivities of selected phyllobilins (phylloleucobilin, dioxobilin-type phylloleucobilin, and phylloxanthobilin), and we also highlight the recently discovered immunomodulatory effects of a yellow phylloxanthobilin.

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a chronic and non-transient disease with increased epidermal proliferation in the skin. Dysregulation of the immune system is an important factor in this pathology. Inflammation markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and immune cells are reported to be changed in psoriasis. Study design In the current cohort study, the possible changes in interleukin-6 (IL-6), neopterin levels, and kynurenine (Kyn) pathway in 42 psoriasis patients compared to 30 controls, and their change with narrow-band (NB) UVB treatment were investigated. Methodology IL-6 and serum neopterin levels were analyzed with ELISA kits. HPLC analyses were performed to detect urinary neopterin, serum Kyn, and tryptophan (Trp) levels. Results IL-6 levels were lower, while Kyn levels and the Kyn-to-Trp ratio were higher in psoriasis patients compared to control subjects (p < 0.01, all). Conclusion Narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) treatment decreased Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores and increased urinary neopterin levels of the patients (both, p < 0.01). Serum neopterin was correlated with Kyn and Kyn/Trp levels before and after NB-UVB treatment (p < 0.05, all). These findings point out that the measured parameters might be considered to support the PASI score in both diagnosis and prognosis of psoriasis rather than evaluating the severity of the disease.

Abstract Background Numerous studies indicated that there exists a relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C667T polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy (DN) susceptibility; nonetheless, available proof reported from individual studies has not been consistent, so we performed an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between MTHFR C667T variant and DN. Materials and methods Relevant studies published before February 2022 were searched from the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Chinese Biology Medicine and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. The strength of the association was examined by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The findings illustrated that there was a significant relationship between the polymorphism of C677T and DN compared with that to DM controls in allele (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.39–1.82), dominant (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.47–2.11) and recessive (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.56–2.20) models in all populations. Moreover, as compared with the healthy controls, a significant relationship between C677T and DN was found in three genetic comparison models (allele: OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.43–2.29; dominant: OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.54–2.85; recessive: OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.51–2.70). Furthermore, stratifying data by race, diabetes duration and whether in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium revealed substantially augmented vulnerability to DN in all subgroups. Conclusion The current meta-analysis highlighted conclusive results for the robust association between C677T polymorphisms and DN susceptibility.

Abstract Because of an increasing incidence of malignant tumours of the head and neck there is an unmet medical need for early diagnosis of the primary disease or precancerous lesions, and timely detection of recurrence by simple non-invasive tests. The analysis of biomarkers in body fluids may be appropriate for this goal. In this review, we compare the data on utilization of neopterin and interleukin-6 (IL-6) measurements in saliva and plasma/serum of patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, indicating the suitability of using saliva as a diagnostic matrix in head and neck cancers on behalf of close anatomical proximity and a potential to study the tumour microenvironment. Salivary neopterin and IL-6 are potential biomarkers of head and neck cancer suitable not only for early diagnosis, but also for monitoring of treatment results and detection of the disease recurrence.

Abstract Objective The present work aimed to investigate folate receptor (FOLR1, FOLR2, FOLR3) expression, functional enrichment, signaling pathway and prognosis in ovarian cancer patients by integrated bioinformatics analysis. Methods Folate receptor (FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3) mRNA expression level between epithelial ovarian cancer and corresponding normal ovarian tissue of cancer patients was compared through the TCGA database by GEPIA online analysis tool. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of FOLR1, FOLR2, FOLR3, and related genes were constructed through the STRING database. GO and KEGG enrichment of FOLR1, FOLR2, FOLR3, and relevant genes were analyzed. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3 mRNA high and low expression epithelial ovarian cancer patients were compared by log-rank test. Results FOLR and FOLR3 mRNA expression in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue were significantly higher than that of corresponding normal ovarian tissue of cancer patients (P < 0.05) The PPI network showed 53 nodes and 298 edges with the average node degree of 11.2. The local clustering coefficient was 0.744, which indicated that the protein–protein enrichment was statistically significant (P < 1.0 × 10−16). Folate receptor (FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3) and relevant genes were mainly enriched in folic acid transport, methotrexate transmembrane transporter activity, antifolate resistance for biological process, molecular function, and KEGG pathway, respectively. The PFS of FOLR1 and FOLR3 high expression epithelial ovarian cancer patients was significantly lower compared to low-expression subjects with statistical significance [hazard ratio (HRFOLR1) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09–1.45, P < 0.05, HRFOLR3 = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06–1.40, P < 0.05]. However, the OS was not statistically different between FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3 low and high expression groups. Conclusion Folate receptor (FOLR1, FOLR2, and FOLR3) genes were up-regulated in epithelial ovarian cancer and partly associated with patient’s poor prognosis.

Abstract Objective To investigate the correlation between serum level of homocysteine (Hcy) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and evaluate its diagnostic performance by pooling the open published data. Methods The case–control or cohort studies relevant to serum level of Hcy and UC, published in Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE, China Wanfang and CNKI databases, were systematically screened by using the text word of “homocysteine,” “hcy,” “UC,” “inflammatory bowel disease.” The standard mean difference (SMD) was pooled through random effect model. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve of serum Hcy for UC were also calculated. Results Eighteen relevant case–control studies were identified by electronic searching the related databases. The pooled results indicated that the serum levels of Hcy were statical different between UC and healthy controls with SMD = 0.95 (95% CI: 0.87–1.04). The serum levels of Hcy were 14.30 ± 3.08 (range: 10.10–21.73) and 10.09 ± 1.57 (range: 6.80–12.47) μmol/L for UC and healthy controls, respectively, of the included 18 studies. Using serum Hcy as biomarker for UC identification, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and AUC were 94.44% (95% CI: 72.71–99.86%), 72.22% (46.52–90.31%) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.77–0.99, P < 0.05), respectively. Significant publication bias was identified in the present work. Conclusion Based on the present publications, serum Hcy was elevated in UC cases and can be applied as serological marker for UC diagnosis. However, due to significant publication bias, the diagnostic performance should be further validated by well-designed prospective diagnostic studies.

Article Serum neopterin and indoleamine 2,3-dioxyg activity are promising biomarkers for presence and progression of hepatitis B was published on January 1, 2022 in the journal Pteridines (volume 33, issue 1).

Abstract Pterins, such as folate and biopterin, and their derivatives hold significant importance given their biological relevance, as well as the numerous pterin-based inhibitors developed for targeting various biological targets. For this reason, pterins can be viewed as a privileged scaffold, as the discovery of new pterin analogs gives rise to a vast array of potential drug candidates. 7-carboxymethyl-pterin (7-CMP) represents a useful scaffold for the rapid generation of structurally diverse pterin amides and has been a key building block in medicinal chemistry. In an effort to facilitate rapid generation of this pterin scaffold, we have explored multiple routes towards 7-CMP to assess the most efficient method of generation. Methods were evaluated based on yield, regioselectivity, reaction time, and hazardous reaction conditions. This work can aide in the synthesis and discovery of new pterin-based drug candidates.

Abstract Background Numerous studies indicated that B vitamin supplementation can reduce cardiovascular risk; nonetheless, available proof reported from individual studies have not been consistent, so we performed an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the relationship between B vitamin supplementation and cardiovascular outcomes. Materials and method Relevant studies published before May 2022 were searched from the electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biology Medicine, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina, revascularization, total mortality, and cardiovascular death. The strength of the association was examined by risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results A total of 17 RCTs involving 31,085 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The combined supplementation of B vitamins had no significant effect on MACE based on eight RCTs (RR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.92–1.04), MI based on 13 RCTs (RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.92–1.09), and revascularization based on 12 RCTs (RR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.95–1.10). Ten studies showed that the combined supplementation of B vitamins reduced the risk of stroke by 12% (RR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.81–0.97). Eleven studies showed that the combined supplementation of B vitamins had no significant effect on the total mortality (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.94–1.05), and nine studies showed that the combined B vitamins had no significant effect on cardiovascular death (RR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.88–1.05). Besides, with the extension of follow-up duration and those with a history of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, supplementation of B vitamins could reduce the risk of stroke. Conclusion The supplementation of folic acid, Vitamin B6, and B12 is associated with a reduction in stroke, but not in total mortality, cardiovascular death, MACE, and MI.

Abstract Objective Inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the association between elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and the risk of different types of strokes. We conducted this meta-analysis to identify the association between tHcy and different kinds of strokes or recurrences of strokes, and provide evidence for preventing. Methods Relevant studies published before May 1, 2022 in databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang were retrieved. Two researchers independently searched and extracted the data, and used Stata 16.0 statistical software for analysis. Results were presented as the odds risk (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results In total, 24 articles were included, involving 51,426 subjects, of which 4,983 had stroke events during follow-up. Relative to lower tHcy, higher tHcy were associated with increased stroke (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.59–2.37), ischemic stroke (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.39–2.11), hemorrhagic stroke (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.03–3.84), and recurrent stroke (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.12–1.39), respectively. Conclusions This study shows that elevated tHcy increases the risk of stroke, including ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, and is closely related to the recurrence of stroke. It is recommended to pay attention to the detection of tHcy in the management of stroke patients in the future, and take effective measures to prevent and delay the progression of stroke.