The excessive consumption of red meat, such as beef, is a growing global health concern linked to increased risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The health consequences associated with red meat consumption were estimated to cost USD 285 billion globally in 2020, accounting for approximately 0.3% of total health expenditures that year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrofacial cleft (OFC) is a common human congenital anomaly. Epithelial-specific RNA splicing regulators ESRP1 and ESRP2 regulate craniofacial morphogenesis and their disruption result in OFC in zebrafish, mouse and humans. Using esrp1/2 mutant zebrafish and murine Py2T cell line models, we functionally tested the pathogenicity of human ESRP1/2 gene variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrofacial cleft (OFC) is a common human congenital anomaly. Epithelial-specific RNA splicing regulators and regulate craniofacial morphogenesis and their disruption result in OFC in zebrafish, mouse and humans. Using mutant zebrafish and murine Py2T cell line models, we functionally tested the pathogenicity of human gene variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study is to examine the viability, precision, and consistency of a computer-based optokinetic nystagmus analyzer (nystagmus meter) for diagnosing eyesight in preschoolers. A total of 59 subjects who could pass the log of minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) visual acuity chart were divided into three groups by age, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old groups, and their visual acuity was tested with nystagmus meter. The percentage of children in each age group that could be detected by nystagmus was recorded along with the differences between these groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Upregulation of Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. Transgenic rats expressing the human angiotensinogen gene [TGR (hAGT)L1623] are a new novel humanized model of hypertension that associates with declines in cardiac contractile function and β-adrenergic receptor (AR) reserve. The molecular mechanisms are unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: This study provides long-term evidence that profiles of temperament during adolescence are associated with happiness and health over two decades later.
Methods: Data are based on the ongoing Fullerton Longitudinal Study, a community-based sample in the United States. At 14 and 16 years, adolescents (N = 111; 52% male, 90% Euro-American) and their mothers (N = 105) completed the Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised, a scale designed specifically to assess adolescents' temperament across a set of attributes.
What Works Clearinghouse (WWC, 2022) recommends a design-comparable effect size (D-CES; i.e., g) to gauge an intervention in single-case experimental design (SCED) studies, or to synthesize findings in meta-analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe beginning of college marks a decline in physical activity and racial/ethnic minorities have disproportionately lower rates of physical activity. This study examined the association between perceived stress and physical activity among an ethnically diverse sample of college-attending young adults. 2,396 students (36% male, 64% female) from a large public university.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ovarian cancer was one of the gynecological malignant tumors. Bunge (SMB) was a kind of herbal medicine with an antitumor effect. However, the inhibitory effect of SMB on ovarian cancer and its potential mechanism were still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is upregulated in diabetes mellitus (DM), leading to the overproduction of collagen in the myocardium. We hypothesized that CaMKII plays a role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Streptozotocin (STZ) injection into FVB wild-type mice led to mild mesangial matrix expansion, reproducing an essential feature of early human DN.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this prospective study, we examined the link between positive family relationships during childhood and adolescence and health and happiness three decades later in middle adulthood. We also investigated the stability of positive family relationships into adulthood as one possible pathway underlying this long-term association. Data were from the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS) an ongoing investigation in the United States initiated in 1979 when children were aged 1 year with the most recent data collected in 2017.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA species are recognized as a powerful probe for nanochannel analyses to address the issues of specific target recognition and highly efficient signal conversion due to their programmable and predictable Watson-Crick bases. However, in the conventional view, abundant sophisticated DNA structures synthesized by DNA amplification strategies are unsuitable for use in nanochannel analyses owing to their low probability to enter a nanochannel restricted by the smaller opening of the nanochannel, as well as the faint ion signal produced by the steric effect. Here, we present an integrated strategy of nanochannel analyses that combines the target recognitions by encoded rolling circle amplification (RCA) in solution and the ionic signal enhancement by the space charge effect through the immobilization of highly negative-charged RCA amplicons on the outer surface of the nanochannels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 30 (GPR30) activation by its agonist, G1, exhibits beneficial actions in female with heart failure (HF). Recent evidence indicates its cardiovascular benefits may also include male as well. However, whether and how GPR30 activation may limit HF progression and have a salutary role in males is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSolid-state nanochannels (SSNs) provide a promising approach for biosensing due to the confinement of molecules inside, their great mechanical strength and diversified surface chemical properties; however, until now, their sensitivity and specificity have not satisfied the practical requirements of sensing applications, especially in complex matrices, i.e., media of diverse constitutions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomimetic solid-state nanochannel/nanopore with flexible geometric structures, mechanical robustness and multifunctional surfaces have attracted extensive attention in separation, catalysis, drug delivery and other fields. Nanostructures have been introduced in nanoconfines to compress substances passthrough for high-efficient screening. However, precise controls of the nanostructure's growth in nanoconfines is rare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe identification of an alternate extended form of angiotensin I composed of the first twelve amino acids at the N-terminal of angiotensinogen has generated new knowledge of the importance of noncanonical mechanisms for renin independent generation of angiotensins. The human sequence of the dodecapeptide angiotensin-(1-12) [N-Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Va-Ile-COOH] is an endogenous substrate that in the rat has been documented to be present in multiple organs including the heart, brain, kidney, gut, adrenal gland, and the bone marrow. Newer studies have confirmed the existence of Ang-(1-12) as an Ang II-forming substrate in the blood and heart of normal and diseased patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) both self-renew and give rise to progenitors that initiate spermatogenic differentiation in the mammalian testis. Questions remain regarding the extent to which the SSC and progenitor states are functionally distinct. Here we provide the first multiparametric integrative analysis of mammalian germ cell epigenomes comparable with that done for >100 somatic cell types by the ENCODE Project.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe growing prevalence of obesity among college students is a major public health issue, as over one-third are overweight or obese. This study used gender-stratified multivariate analyses to examine psychological distress and social contextual factors as key determinants of obesity. Students of a large public university in Southern California (N = 2392).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor (GPER) is a novel membrane-bound receptor that mediates non-genomic actions of the primary female sex hormone 17β-estradiol. Studies over the past two decades have elucidated the beneficial actions of this receptor in a number of cardiometabolic diseases. This review will focus specifically on the cardiac actions of GPER, since this receptor is expressed in cardiomyocytes as well as other cells within the heart and most likely contributes to estrogen-induced cardioprotection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngiotensin-(1-12) [Ang-(1-12)], an alternate substrate for tissue angiotensin II (Ang II) formation, underscores the importance of alternative renin-independent pathway(s) for the generation of angiotensins. Since renin enzymatic activity is species-specific, a transgenic model of hypertension due to insertion of the human angiotensinogen (AGT) gene in Sprague Dawley rats allowed for characterizing the contribution of a non-renin dependent mechanism for Ang II actions in their blood and heart tissue. With this in mind, we investigated whether TGR(hAGT)L1623 transgenic rats express the human sequence of Ang-(1-12) before and following a 2-week oral therapy with the type I Ang II receptor (AT1-R) antagonist valsartan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Activation of the intracrine renin angiotensin systems (RAS) is increasingly recognized as contributing to human pathologies, yet non-canonical renin-independent mechanisms for angiotensin II (Ang II) biosynthesis remain controversial. Direct Ang II generation from angiotensin-(1-12) [Ang-(1-12)] by chymase is an essential intracrine source for regulation of cardiac function. Using a transgenic rat model that overexpresses the human angiotensinogen gene [TGR(hAGT)L1623] and displays increased cardiac Ang II levels, this study aimed to provide evidence for intracrine activation of L-type calcium currents (I) mediated by the Ang-(1-12)/chymase axis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study considered the stability of nickel oxide nanoparticles (nNiO) in seawater including their ability of aggregation and ion release. Furthermore, the relationship between these properties and their toxicity on marine algae Chlorella vulgaris was investigated. The results showed nNiO inhibited the growth of algal cells and decreased their chlorophyll content, which was due to the shading effects by aggregation of nNiO in seawater.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Angiotensin-(1-12) [Ang-(1-12)] is a renin-independent precursor for direct angiotensin-II production by chymase. Substantial evidence suggests that heart failure (HF) may alter cardiac Ang-(1-12) expression and activity; this novel Ang-(1-12)/chymase axis may be the main source for angiotensin-II deleterious actions in HF. We hypothesized that HF alters cardiac response to Ang-(1-12).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Angiotensin-(1-12) [Ang-(1-12)] is a chymase-dependent source for angiotensin II (Ang II) cardiac activity. The direct contractile effects of Ang-(1-12) in normal and heart failure (HF) remain to be demonstrated. We assessed the hypothesis that Ang-(1-12) may modulate [Ca] regulation and alter cardiomyocyte contractility in normal and HF rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of The Review: Drugs targeting the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), namely angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, are the most commonly prescribed drugs for patients with or at risk for cardiovascular events. However, new treatment strategies aimed at mitigating the rise of the heart failure pandemic are warranted because clinical trials show that RAS blockers have limited benefits in halting disease progression. The main goal of this review is to put forward the concept of an intracrine RAS signaling through the novel angiotensin-(1-12)/chymase axis as the main source of deleterious angiotensin II (Ang II) in cardiac maladaptive remodeling leading to heart failure (HF).
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