The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

About: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is a education organization based out in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & China. The organization has 7491 authors who have published 7153 publications receiving 83555 citations.

Dietary quercetin potentiates the antiproliferative effect of interferon-α in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through activation of JAK/STAT pathway signaling by inhibition of SHP2 phosphatase

Abstract: Type I interferons (IFN-α/β) have broad and potent immunoregulatory and antiproliferative activities, which are negatively regulated by Src homology domain 2 containing tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP-2). Inhibition of SHP2 by small molecules may be a new strategy to enhance the effcacy of type I IFNs. Using an in vitro screening assay for new inhibitors of SHP2 phosphatase, we found that quercetin was a potent inhibitor of SHP2. Computational modeling showed that quercetin exhibited an orientation favorable to nucleophilic attack in the phosphatase domain of SHP2. Quercetin enhanced the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins 1 (STAT1) and promoted endogenous IFN-α-regulated gene expression. Furthermore, quercetin also sensitized the antiproliferative effect of IFN-α on hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and Huh7 cells. The overexpression of SHP2 attenuated the effect of quercetin on IFN-α-stimulated STAT1 phosphorylation and antiproliferative effect, whereas the inhibition of SHP2 promoted the effect of quercetin on IFN-α-induced STAT1 phosphorylation and antiproliferative effect. The results suggested that quercetin potentiated the inhibitory effect of IFN-α on cancer cell proliferation through activation of JAK/STAT pathway signaling by inhibiting SHP2. Quercetin warrants further investigation as a novel therapeutic method to enhance the efficacy of IFN-α/β.

MiRoR—Miniaturized Robotic Systems for Holistic In-Situ Repair and Maintenance Works in Restrained and Hazardous Environments

Abstract: This letter presents the novel concept of a miniaturized robotized machine tool, Mini-RoboMach, consisting of a walking hexapod robot and a Slender Continuum Arm. By combining the mobility of the walking robot with the positioning accuracy of the machine tool, with its 24 + 25 degrees of freedom, camera-based calibration system, laser scanner, and two end-effectors of opposed orientations, the proposed system can provide a versatile tool for in-situ work (e.g., repair) in hazardous/unreachable locations in large installations.