Sex differences in murine MASH induced by a fructose-palmitate-cholesterol-enriched diet.

Background & Aims: Metabolic syndrome-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and metabolic syndrome-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) have global prevalence rates exceeding 25% and 3-6%, respectively. The introduction of high-fructose corn syrup to the diet in the 1970s has been linked to metabolic and hepatic disturbances. Despite these associations, the potential for sex-dependent responses resulting from fructose-containing diets on MASLD/MASH has not been addressed.

[Viable Bacteria Assay of by RT-qPCR Measurement of Gene Expression Levels: Establishment and Application of a New Method].

Objective: To establish a viable bacteria assay for () by assessing the gene expression, and to develop accordingly a rapid and novel testing method for clinical precision treatment.

Methods: Viable bacteria count was determined in bacterial cultures. The transcriptional expression level of (), the conserved gene that encodes cholesterol-α-glucosyltransferase (CGT) in , was measured by RT-PCR.

An integrated strain-level analytic pipeline utilizing longitudinal metagenomic data.

Unlabelled: With the development of sequencing technology and analytic tools, studying within-species variations enhances the understanding of microbial biological processes. Nevertheless, most existing methods designed for strain-level analysis lack the capability to concurrently assess both strain proportions and genome-wide single nucleotide variants (SNVs) across longitudinal metagenomic samples. In this study, we introduce LongStrain, an integrated pipeline for the analysis of large-scale metagenomic data from individuals with longitudinal or repeated samples.

Changes in Widespread Pain After Surgical Weight Loss in Racialized Adults: A Secondary Analysis From a 2-Year Longitudinal Study.

Widespread pain (WP) is associated with reduced function and disability. Importantly, three-fourths of the approximately 42% of U.S.

Ginseng Polysaccharide Enhances the Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 RBD Protein Subunit Vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic remarkably accelerated vaccine research progress. The role of adjuvants in enhancing vaccine immune intensity and influencing immune types has been considered. Ginseng polysaccharide (GPS) has been demonstrated to have strong immunoregulatory properties.

DIAPH1-MFN2 interaction regulates mitochondria-SR/ER contact and modulates ischemic/hypoxic stress.

Inter-organelle contact and communication between mitochondria and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR/ER) maintain cellular homeostasis and are profoundly disturbed during tissue ischemia. We tested the hypothesis that the formin Diaphanous-1 (DIAPH1), which regulates actin dynamics, signal transduction and metabolic functions, contributes to these processes. We demonstrate that DIAPH1 interacts directly with Mitofusin-2 (MFN2) to shorten mitochondria-SR/ER distance, thereby enhancing mitochondria-ER contact in cells including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and macrophages.

Immune Regulation of Seminal Plasma on the Endometrial Microenvironment: Physiological and Pathological Conditions.

Seminal plasma (SP) accounts for more than 90% of semen volume. It induces inflammation, regulates immune tolerance, and facilitates embryonic development and implantation in the female reproductive tract. In the physiological state, SP promotes endometrial decidualization and causes changes in immune cells such as macrophages, natural killer cells, regulatory T cells, and dendritic cells.

Analysis of the Tomato Gene Family and Study of the Stress Resistance Function of .

Mitochondrial transcription termination factor (mTERF) is a DNA-binding protein that is encoded by nuclear genes, ultimately functions in mitochondria and can affect gene expression. By combining with mitochondrial nucleic acids, mTERF regulates the replication, transcription and translation of mitochondrial genes and plays an important role in the response of plants to abiotic stress. However, there are few studies on genes in tomato, which limits the in-depth study and utilization of mTERF family genes in tomato stress resistance regulation.

Pharmacological antagonism of receptor for advanced glycation end products signaling promotes thermogenesis, healthful body mass and composition, and metabolism in mice.

Objective: Optimal body mass and composition as well as metabolic fitness require tightly regulated and interconnected mechanisms across tissues. Disturbances in these regulatory networks tip the balance between metabolic health versus overweight and obesity and their complications. The authors previously demonstrated roles for the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in obesity, as global- or adipocyte-specific deletion of Ager (the gene encoding RAGE) protected mice from high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

STEMSIM: a simulator of within-strain short-term evolutionary mutations for longitudinal metagenomic data.

Motivation: As the resolution of metagenomic analysis increases, the evolution of microbial genomes in longitudinal metagenomic data has become a research focus. Some software has been developed for the simulation of complex microbial communities at the strain level. However, the tool for simulating within-strain evolutionary signals in longitudinal samples is still lacking.

DIAPH1 mediates progression of atherosclerosis and regulates hepatic lipid metabolism in mice.

Atherosclerosis evolves through dysregulated lipid metabolism interwoven with exaggerated inflammation. Previous work implicating the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in atherosclerosis prompted us to explore if Diaphanous 1 (DIAPH1), which binds to the RAGE cytoplasmic domain and is important for RAGE signaling, contributes to these processes. We intercrossed atherosclerosis-prone Ldlr mice with mice devoid of Diaph1 and fed them Western diet for 16 weeks.

Cuproptosis-related gene PDHX and heat stress-related HSPD1 as potential key drivers associated with cell stemness, aberrant metabolism and immunosuppression in esophageal carcinoma.

Background: Heat stress is fundamental to esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) oncogenesis and progression. Heat stress damages epithelial structure, causing aberrant 'cell death-repair' patterns of esophagus cells and thereby driving tumor occurrence and progression. However, due to the distinctive functions and crosstalk of regulatory cell death (RCD) patterns, the specific cell deaths in ESCA malignancy are still unclear.

Cultural and demic co-diffusion of Tubo Empire on Tibetan Plateau.

A high point of Tibetan Plateau (TP) civilization, the expansive Tubo Empire (618-842 AD) wielded great influence across ancient western China. However, whether the Tubo expansion was cultural or demic remains unclear due to sparse ancient DNA sampling. Here, we reported ten ancient genomes at 0.

Microbial risk score for capturing microbial characteristics, integrating multi-omics data, and predicting disease risk.

Background: With the rapid accumulation of microbiome-wide association studies, a great amount of microbiome data are available to study the microbiome's role in human disease and advance the microbiome's potential use for disease prediction. However, the unique features of microbiome data hinder its utility for disease prediction.

Methods: Motivated from the polygenic risk score framework, we propose a microbial risk score (MRS) framework to aggregate the complicated microbial profile into a summarized risk score that can be used to measure and predict disease susceptibility.

Modulating the Activity of Enzyme in Metal-Organic Frameworks Using the Photothermal Effect of TiC Nanosheets.

Enzymes are versatile catalysts with high potential in various applications, and much attention has been paid to the stability improvement of native enzymes and activity modulation. Encapsulation in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as an efficient strategy for protecting fragile native enzymes while modulating the activity of enzymes remotely, which is practically demanded, has rarely been explored in MOF-encapsulated enzymes. Herein, TiC nanosheets exhibiting photothermal effect and biocompatibility were encapsulated in Cyt -embedded ZIF-8 to tailor the enzymatic activity remotely by near-infrared (NIR) irradiation for the first time.

[Analysis of swelling stress and signaling pathway of human lung cancer cells].

Objective To investigate whether swelling stress exists in lung cancer cells by comparing water content and nucleus size as well as mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation activation between lung cancer tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues. Methods Differences in water content between fresh specimens of 10 human lung adenocarcinoma, 12 lung squamous cell carcinoma, and corresponding paracancerous normal lung tissues were examined through "dry and wet" mass comparison. The expressions and phosphorylation activation of mitogen activated protein kinases JNK, ERK1/2, and p38 in 30 lung adenocarcinoma samples, 32 lung squamous cell carcinoma samples, and alveolar epithelial cells and lung bronchial epithelial cells of 10 paracancerous normal tissues samples were detected with their phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated antibodies and by immunohistochemical staining.

Microbial Risk Score for Capturing Microbial Characteristics, Integrating Multi-omics Data, and Predicting Disease Risk.

Background: With the rapid accumulation of microbiome-wide association studies, a great amount of microbiome data are available to study the microbiome's role in human disease and advance the microbiome's potential use for disease prediction. However, the unique features of microbiome data hinder its utility for disease prediction.

Methods: Motivated from the polygenic risk score framework, we propose a microbial risk score (MRS) framework to aggregate the complicated microbial profile into a summarized risk score that can be used to measure and predict disease susceptibility.

Gut Microbiota and Subjective Memory Complaints in Older Women.

Background: Epidemiological studies that investigate alterations in gut microbial composition associated with cognitive dysfunction are limited.

Objective: To examine the association between the gut microbiota and subjective memory complaints (SMCs), a self-reported, validated indicator of cognitive dysfunction.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 95 older women selected from the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS), we characterized the gut microbial composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (sRAGE) Isoforms Predict Changes in Resting Energy Expenditure in Adults with Obesity during Weight Loss.

Background: Accruing evidence indicates that accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and activation of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) play a significant role in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The concentrations of circulating RAGE isoforms, such as soluble RAGE (sRAGE), cleaved RAGE (cRAGE), and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE), collectively sRAGE isoforms, may be implicit in weight loss and energy compensation resulting from caloric restriction.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate whether baseline concentrations of sRAGE isoforms predicted changes (∆) in body composition [fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM)], resting energy expenditure (REE), and adaptive thermogenesis (AT) during weight loss.

Sex-Biased Population Admixture Mediated Subsistence Strategy Transition of Heishuiguo People in Han Dynasty Hexi Corridor.

The Hexi Corridor was an important arena for culture exchange and human migration between ancient China and Central and Western Asia. During the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE), subsistence strategy along the corridor shifted from pastoralism to a mixed pastoralist-agriculturalist economy. Yet the drivers of this transition remain poorly understood.

Small-molecule antagonism of the interaction of the RAGE cytoplasmic domain with DIAPH1 reduces diabetic complications in mice.

The macro- and microvascular complications of type 1 and 2 diabetes lead to increased disease severity and mortality. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) can bind AGEs and multiple proinflammatory ligands that accumulate in diabetic tissues. Preclinical studies indicate that RAGE antagonists have beneficial effects on numerous complications of diabetes.

Factors of the Ecosystem Service Value in Water Conservation Areas Considering the Natural Environment and Human Activities: A Case Study of Funiu Mountain, China.

Water conservation areas play an important role in regional ecological security patterns. The Funiu Mountain water conservation area is located in the densely populated central region of China, where human disturbance to the ecosystem is strong and ecosystem services are facing a very serious situation. Identifying and evaluating the factors leading to changes in the ecosystem service value (ESV) of the Funiu Mountain water conservation area can provide scientific guidance for ecological management and sustainable development.

Oral and gastric microbiome in relation to gastric intestinal metaplasia.

Evidence suggests that Helicobacter pylori plays a role in gastric cancer (GC) initiation. However, epidemiologic studies on the specific role of other bacteria in the development of GC are lacking. We conducted a case-control study of 89 cases with gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM) and 89 matched controls who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at three sites affiliated with NYU Langone Health.

Ancient DNA and multimethod dating confirm the late arrival of anatomically modern humans in southern China.

The expansion of anatomically modern humans (AMHs) from Africa around 65,000 to 45,000 y ago (ca. 65 to 45 ka) led to the establishment of present-day non-African populations. Some paleoanthropologists have argued that fossil discoveries from Huanglong, Zhiren, Luna, and Fuyan caves in southern China indicate one or more prior dispersals, perhaps as early as ca.