Omicron variant infection worsen the prognosis of haemodialysis (HD) patients.

Background: Haemodialysis (HD) patients are predisposed to physical ailments, and their occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could potentially lead to a more unfavourable prognosis. However, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron variant) infection on the prognosis of HD patients remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the impact of Omicron variant infection on the prognosis of HD patients.

Przewaquinone A inhibits Angiotensin II-induced endothelial diastolic dysfunction activation of AMPK.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED), characterized by markedly reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, vasoconstriction, and a shift toward a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state, is an important contributor to hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is widely involved in cardiovascular development. Przewaquinone A (PA), a lipophilic diterpene quinone extracted from Salvia przewalskii Maxim, inhibits vascular contraction.

ARF6, a component of intercellular bridges, is essential for spermatogenesis in mice.

Male germ cells are connected by intercellular bridges (ICBs) in a syncytium due to incomplete cytokinesis. Syncytium is thought to be important for synchronized germ cell development by interchange of cytoplasmic factors via ICBs. Mammalian ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6) is a small GTPase that is involved in many cellular mechanisms including but not limited to regulating cellular structure, motility, vesicle trafficking and cytokinesis.

MiRNA-200b level in peripheral blood predicts renal interstitial injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Background: To uncover the diagnostic potential of peripheral blood microRNA-200b (miRNA-200b) in renal interstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients.

Methods: A total of 50 diabetes subjects, 50 mild DN subjects, 50 moderate-severe DN subjects and 50 healthy subjects were included. Peripheral blood level of miRNA-200b in every subject was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Gene burden analysis identifies genes associated with increased risk and severity of adult-onset hearing loss in a diverse hospital-based cohort.

Loss or absence of hearing is common at both extremes of human lifespan, in the forms of congenital deafness and age-related hearing loss. While these are often studied separately, there is increasing evidence that their genetic basis is at least partially overlapping. In particular, both common and rare variants in genes associated with monogenic forms of hearing loss also contribute to the more polygenic basis of age-related hearing loss.

LncRNA TCF7 contributes to high glucose-induced damage in human podocytes by up-regulating SEMA3A via sponging miR-16-5p.

Aims/introduction: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert essential functions in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). LncRNA T-cell factor 7 (TCF7) and semaphorin-3A (SEMA3A) have been found to be involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy. However, whether the effect of TCF7 on the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy is mediated by SEMA3A remains unclear.

Developmental trajectories of thalamic progenitors revealed by single-cell transcriptome profiling and Shh perturbation.

The thalamus is the principal information hub of the vertebrate brain, with essential roles in sensory and motor information processing, attention, and memory. The complex array of thalamic nuclei develops from a restricted pool of neural progenitors. We apply longitudinal single-cell RNA sequencing and regional abrogation of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) to map the developmental trajectories of thalamic progenitors, intermediate progenitors, and post-mitotic neurons as they coalesce into distinct thalamic nuclei.

Radix Glycyrrhizae extract and licochalcone a exert an anti-inflammatory action by direct suppression of toll like receptor 4.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Radix Glycyrrhizae (GL), a herbal medicine that is widely available, has shown advantages for a variety of inflammatory diseases. Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway has been shown to play a key role in the progression of inflammation.

Aim Of The Study: The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of TLR4 in the anti-inflammatory mechanism of GL extract and its active constituent on acute lung injury (ALI).

Calycosin protects against oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by activating aldehyde dehydrogenase 2.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and oxidative stress is part of the process that causes MI. Calycosin, a naturally occurring substance with cardioprotective properties, is one of the major active constituents in Radix Astragali. In this study, effect of Calycosin was investigated in vivo and in vitro to determine whether it could alleviate oxidative stress and oxidative stress-induced cardiac apoptosis in neonatal cardiomyocytes (NCMs) via activation of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2).

Cochlear supporting cells require GAS2 for cytoskeletal architecture and hearing.

In mammals, sound is detected by mechanosensory hair cells that are activated in response to vibrations at frequency-dependent positions along the cochlear duct. We demonstrate that inner ear supporting cells provide a structural framework for transmitting sound energy through the cochlear partition. Humans and mice with mutations in GAS2, encoding a cytoskeletal regulatory protein, exhibit hearing loss due to disorganization and destabilization of microtubule bundles in pillar and Deiters' cells, two types of inner ear supporting cells with unique cytoskeletal specializations.

Effects of Cu Dopant on Lattice and Optical Properties of ZnS Quantum Dots.

Doped and undoped ZnS colloidal nanocrystals have drawn much attention due to their versatile applications in the fields of optoelectronics and biotechnology. In this paper, Cu doped ZnS quantum dots were synthesized via the simple thermolysis of ethylxanthate salts. The lattice and optical properties of the nanocrystals were then studied in detail.

Growth and Properties of Cl- Incorporated ZnO Nanofilms Grown by Ultrasonic Spray-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Pure and Cl- incorporated ZnO nanofilms were grown by the ultrasonic spray-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The properties of the nanofilms were investigated. The effects of growth temperature and Cl- concentration on the crystal structure, morphology, and optical properties of the nanofilms were studied.

Effects of doping and annealing on properties of ZnO films grown by atomic layer deposition.

Undoped and Al-doped ZnO films were synthesized by atomic layer deposition at 150°C and then annealed at 350°C in different atmospheres. Effects of doping and annealing on the film growth mode and properties were investigated. The undoped film has strong UV emission and weak Zn interstitial emission.

Emodin ameliorates high glucose induced-podocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition in-vitro and in-vivo.

Background: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a potential pathway leading to podocyte depletion and proteinuria in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Here, we investigated the protective effects of Emodin (EMO) on high glucose (HG) induced-podocyte EMT in-vitro and in-vivo.

Methods: Conditionally immortalized mouse podocytes were exposed to HG with 30 μg /ml of EMO and 1 μmol/ml of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) inhibitor QLT0267 for 24 h.

MiR-196a Regulates High Glucose-Induced Mesangial Cell Hypertrophy by Targeting p27kip1.

Glomerular mesangial cell (MC) hypertrophy is regarded as one of the earliest pathological characteristics of diabetic nephropathy (DN), which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis. This study investigated the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in MC hypertrophy due to exposure to high glucose. With a microarray, we screened the differential profiles of miRNAs in the renal cortex of DN mice, as verified by reverse transcription PCR with subsequent analysis of bioinformatics.

CXXC5 regulates differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myocytes.

CXXC5 is a member of the CXXC-type zinc-finger domain containing protein family, which is suggested to function in gene transcription, cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization. Previous studies have revealed that CXXC5 is expressed in skeletal muscle, but whether it regulates skeletal myogenesis is yet unknown. Here, we screened for the possible signaling pathways in which CXXC5 might participate using luciferase gene reporters.

Growth and properties of ZnO films grown by the ultrasonic spray-assisted CVD.

ZnO films were successfully grown on the glass substrates employing an ultrasonic spray-assisted CVD method at 573-673 K. The optical properties, electrical characteristics and crystalline structures of the films were characterized. Effects of the growth temperatures on the film properties were studied.

Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of CuO nanostructures.

CuO nanostructures were grown by decomposition of a mixture of Cu(CH3COO)2 x H2O and NaCl at different temperatures. The nanostructure properties were studied by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and Raman spectroscope. Photodegradation activity of the nanostructures towards methyl orange was also examined.

Expression and identification of a novel gene Spata34 in mouse spermatogenic cells.

Leucine-rich repeat (LRR) containing proteins play an essential role in signal transduction, cell adhesion, cell development, DNA repair and RNA processing. Here we cloned a novel gene, Spata34, encoding a LRR containing protein of 415 aa. Spata34 gene consisted of 9 exons and 8 introns and mapped to chromosome 3qA3.

[Construction and assessment of heart-specific green fluorescence zebrafish line].

Using the promoter for cardiac myosin light chain 2 (cmlc2) gene, an expression vector pTol2-cmlc2-IRES- EGFP for making heart-specific expression of exogenous gene in transgenic zebrafish was generated previously. Here, we reported the construction of a transgenic zebrafish line which stably expresses EGFP using this vector, and the effects of EGFP on the heart development and cardiac function of this transgenic zebrafish line were preliminarily analyzed. The results showed that the green fluorescence signal of cmlc2:EGFP line under fluorescence microscopy specifically expressed in heart and faithfully recapitulated both the spatial and temporal expression patterns of endogenous cmlc2 gene revealed by in situ hybridization in the early developmental stages.

Modulation of chemotactic and pro-inflammatory activities of endothelial progenitor cells by hepatocellular carcinoma.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) participate in the neovascularization processes in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated whether interactions between EPCs and HCC cells affect chemotactic and pro-inflammatory activities of EPCs. Two distinct phenotypes of circulating EPCs, i.

Antimutagenic constituents of adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) with potential cancer chemopreventive activity.

Adlay has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a nourishing food. The acetone extract of adlay hull had previously been demonstrated to possess potent antimutagenic activity. The aims of this study were to identify the antimutagenic constituents from adlay hull by using Ames antimutagenic activity-guide isolation procedures and to investigate their chemopreventive efficacies in cultured cells.

[Construction and expression analysis of the zebrafish heart-specific transgenetic vector based on Tol2 transposable element].

In an effort to generate a desired expression construct for making heart-specific expression transgenic zebrafish, a Tol2 plasmid, which can drive EGFP reporter gene specifically expressed in the heart, was modified using subcloning technology. An IRES fragment bearing multiple cloning site (MCS) was amplified directly from pIRES2-EGFP plasmid and was inserted between the CMLC2 promoter and EGFP fragment of the pDestTol2CG vector. This recombinant expression plasmid pTol2-CMLC2-IRES-EGFP can drive any interested gene specifically expressed in the zebrafish heart along with EGFP reporter gene.

A novel method for promoting heterologous protein expression in Escherichia coli by fusion with the HIV-1 TAT core domain.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transactivator of transcription (TAT) protein, a member of the protein transduction domain (PTD) superfamily, can deliver heterologous proteins across most biomembranes without losing bioactivity. However, there is no report on whether the TAT core domain containing the sequence 'YGRKKRRQRRR' has other functions. As the TAT core domain is most basic (pI=12.