Comparative study of type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated gut microbiota between the Dai and Han populations.

Background: The global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing. T2DM is associated with alterations of the gut microbiota, which can be affected by age, illness, and genetics. Previous studies revealed that there are discriminating microbiota compositions between the Dai and the Han populations.

Glycemic dispersion: a new index for screening high glycemic variability.

Objective: For patients with diabetes, high-frequency and -amplitude glycemic variability may be more harmful than continuous hyperglycemia; however, there is still a lack of screening indicators that can quickly and easily assess the level of glycemic variability. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the glycemic dispersion index is effective for screening high glycemic variability.

Methods: A total of 170 diabetes patients hospitalized in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were included in this study.

[Organoids derived from the digestive system and their perspective applications in exercise physiology].

Organoid, formed from organ-specific cells, is a group of self-renewal and self-organizing cells growing in a 3-dimensional structure. With the recent progress on microenvironment regulation, stem cell differentiation and organ development, organoids have been constructed and used as promising tools for a wide range of multidisciplinary biomedical applications. Exercise disrupts the internal environment homeostasis, which brings a series of physiological alterations to the digestive system.

Effect of Aerobic and Resistance Training on Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Mice with Type 2 Diabetes.

Since no study has explored whether exercise could improve impaired proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in animal models or humans with type 2 diabetes, we aimed to explore the effect of different models of exercise on EPC function and expression of caveolin-1, PI3K, and AKT in mice with type 2 diabetes. Male db/db mice (age: 8 weeks) with type 2 diabetes were subjected to aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT), or combined aerobic and resistance training (AT+RT) 3 or 4 days/week. Mice in the control group remained sedentary with no specific training requirement.

Retraction Note: Resveratrol rescues hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction via activation of Akt.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The FGFR1 V561M Gatekeeper Mutation Drives AZD4547 Resistance through STAT3 Activation and EMT.

FGFR1 has been implicated in numerous cancer types including squamous cell lung cancer, a subset of non-small cell lung cancer with a dismal 5-year survival rate. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting FGFR1 are currently in clinical trials, with AZD4547 being one of the furthest along; however, the development of drug resistance is a major challenge for targeted therapies. A prevalent mechanism of drug resistance in kinases occurs through mutation of the gatekeeper residue, V561M in FGFR1; however, mechanisms underlying V561M resistance to AZD4547 are not fully understood.

Resveratrol rescues hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction via activation of Akt.

Resveratrol (RSV), a phytoalexin, has shown to prevent endothelial dysfunction and reduce diabetic vascular complications and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the signaling mechanisms underlying the protecting effects of RSV against endothelial dysfunction during hyperglycemia in vitro and in vivo. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with RSV, and then exposed to high glucose (HG, 30 mmol/L).

Efficacy and safety of short-term (≤6 months) duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: Optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation remains controversial. The present study is an assessment of efficacy and safety of short-term (≤6 months) DAPT after DES implantation in patients with coronary artery disease, especially in important subgroups.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomized, controlled trials comparing short-term and long-term (>6 months) DAPT after DES implantation.

Illuminating the molecular mechanisms of tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance for the FGFR1 gatekeeper mutation: the Achilles' heel of targeted therapy.

Human fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) 1-4 are a family of receptor tyrosine kinases that can serve as drivers of tumorigenesis. In particular, FGFR1 gene amplification has been implicated in squamous cell lung and breast cancers. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting FGFR1, including AZD4547 and E3810 (Lucitanib), are currently in early phase clinical trials.

Differential Effects of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors on Normal and Oncogenic EGFR Signaling and Downstream Effectors.

Unlabelled: Constitutive activation of EGFR due to overexpression or mutation in tumor cells leads to dysregulated downstream cellular signaling pathways. Therefore, EGFR as well as its downstream effectors have been identified as important therapeutic targets. The FDA-approved small-molecule inhibitors of EGFR, gefitinib (Iressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva), are clinically effective in a subset of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors harbor activating mutations within the kinase domain of EGFR.

[Current developments in exercise immunology].

The aim of this review is to highlight the research and review papers that reflect the current developments in Exercise Immunology, including the interventions on immunosuppression after extreme performance, the effect of exercise on immunosenescence, and the immunomodulating role of exercise in stress and disease. We discuss the papers in accordance with these themes, summarizing their important contributions, and providing directions for future research.

Serum amyloid A stimulates lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 expression in vitro and in vivo.

Objectives: Although lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) has been regarded as a biomarker and a causative agent for acute coronary events recently, the mechanism of the regulation of Lp-PLA2 has not been fully elucidated yet. This study was aimed to investigate the influence of serum amyloid A (SAA) on the expression of Lp-PLA2 in THP-1 cells and ApoE-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice.

Methods: THP-1 cells were stimulated by SAA and the mRNA and protein expression of Lp-PLA2 was detected.

Evolution of metamorphism in thymidylate synthases within the primate lineages.

Crystal structures of human thymidylate synthase (hTS) revealed that the protein exists in active and inactive conformations, defined by the position of a loop containing the active site nucleophile. TS is highly homologous among diverse species; however, the residue at position 163 (hTS) differs among species. Arginine at this position is predicted by structural modeling to enable conformational switching.

Human thymidylate synthase with loop 181-197 stabilized in an inactive conformation: ligand interactions, phosphorylation, and inhibition profiles.

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a well-validated cancer target that undergoes conformational switching between active and inactive states. Two mutant human TS (hTS) proteins are predicted from crystal structures to be stabilized in an inactive conformation to differing extents, with M190K populating the inactive conformation to a greater extent than A191K. Studies of intrinsic fluorescence and circular dichroism revealed that the structures of the mutants differ from those of hTS.

Isolation of high quality RNA and construction of a suppression subtractive hybridization library from ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.).

Isolation of high quality RNA from ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) is difficult due to its high levels of polyphenols, polysaccharides, pectin, fat, wax and other secondary metabolites.