Prolonged oral intake of green tea polyphenols attenuates delirium-like behaviors in mice induced by anesthesia/surgery.

Postoperative delirium (POD) is a severe postoperative complication characterized by delirium-like symptoms. So far, no effective preventable strategy for POD prevention has been identified. Reports show that the consumption of green tea polyphenols (GTP) is associated with better cognitive function by modulating the composition of gut microbiota.

Prognostic Role of Mitochondrial Transcription Termination Factor 3 in Thyroid Carcinoma.

Studies have shown that the Mitochondrial Transcription Termination Factor 3 (MTERF3) negatively regulates mitochondrial gene expression and energy metabolism, and plays a significant role in many cancer types. Nevertheless, the expression and prognostic role of MTERF3 in patients with thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is still unclear. Thus, we investigated the expression, clinicopathological significance, and prognostic value of MTERF3 in THCA.

Research on the Flexural Performance of Steel Pipe Steel Slag Powder Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Components.

In order to study the flexural performance of the combined structure of steel-pipe and steel slag powder ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), nine round steel-pipe beams filled with steel slag powder UHPC of different types were fabricated according to the orthogonal test method with the steel pipe type, coarse aggregate content, steel fiber admixture, and curing system as parameters. The broken ring morphology, deformation characteristics, deflection distribution, and flexural bearing capacity of the steel-pipe-UHPC beams were analyzed via a pure bending test and a finite element simulation. The results show that the damage morphology of the round steel-tube-UHPC beams prepared by using steel slag powder UHPC as the inner filling material was "bow damage" under the pure bending load, and the load capacity was higher.

Production of Prebiotic Xylooligosaccharides via Dilute Maleic Acid-Mediated Xylan Hydrolysis Using an RSM-Model-Based Optimization Strategy.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are functional feed additives that are attracting growing commercial interest owing to their excellent ability to modulate the composition of the gut microbiota. The acid hydrolysis-based processing of xylan-containing materials has been proposed to represent a cost-effective approach to XOS preparation, with organic acids being preferable in this context. As such, in the present study, maleic acid was selected as a mild, edible organic acid for use in the hydrolysis of xylan to produce XOS.

Characterization of circRNA-Associated-ceRNA Networks Involved in the Pathogenesis of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Aging Mice.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a clinical entity associated with declined cognitive function following surgery. It occurs more frequently in elderly patients. Recent studies have shown that circRNA-associated-ceRNA networks, constructed based on interactions between circRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA, provide key insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases.

Dendrobium polysaccharides attenuate cognitive impairment in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 mice via modulation of microglial activation.

Dendrobium is one of the most important traditional Chinese medicinal foods used to treat age-related disorders. However, it remains unclear whether Dendrobium affects the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the present study, we investigated the effects of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOP) on the BV2 microglial cell line and the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse strain.

Haptoglobin 2-2 Phenotype Is Associated With Increased Acute Kidney Injury After Elective Cardiac Surgery in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: Recent studies reported an association between the 2-2 phenotype of haptoglobin (Hp 2-2) and increased cardiorenal morbidity in nonsurgical diabetic patients. Our goal was to determine whether the Hp 2-2 phenotype was associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) after elective cardiac surgery in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods And Results: We prospectively enrolled 99 diabetic patients requiring elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Regulatory factor X1 depresses ApoE-dependent Aβ uptake by miRNA-124 in microglial response to oxidative stress.

Decreased proteolytic clearance of soluble amyloid β (Aβ) in microglia affects Aβ accumulation on Alzheimer's disease progression. However, the potential molecular mechanism by which microglial Aβ uptake is regulated remains unclear. In this study, we identified a microRNA, miR-124, that was down-regulated in aging with a function in regulating apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-dependent Aβ uptake by targeting regulatory factor X1 (RFX1) transcripts on BV2 microglia cell.

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, attenuates postoperative cognitive dysfunction in aging mice.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a recognized clinical entity characterized with cognitive deficits after anesthesia and surgery, especially in aged patients. Previous studies have shown that histone acetylation plays a key role in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory formation. However, its role in POCD remains to be determined.

Autoregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by RNA interference provides neuroprotection in neonatal rats.

We have shown that autoregulation of gene expression by RNA interference is achievable in cell cultures. To determine whether this novel concept could be used to produce neuroprotection under in vivo condition, postnatal day (PND) 3 rats received intracerebroventricular injection of lentivirus that carried or did not carry code for short hairpin RNA (shRNA) of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The expression of this shRNA was controlled by an iNOS promoter (piNOS-shRNA) or cytomegalovirus promoter (pCMV-shRNA).

Inhibition of brain ischemia-caused notch activation in microglia may contribute to isoflurane postconditioning-induced neuroprotection in male rats.

Prolonged exposure to volatile anesthetics alone may be detrimental to the brain. However, volatile anesthetics, such as isoflurane, can provide neuroprotection against various damaging insults. Application of isoflurane after focal brain ischemia reduces ischemic brain injury.

Critical role of matrix metalloprotease-9 in chronic high fat diet-induced cerebral vascular remodelling and increase of ischaemic brain injury in mice†.

Aims: About one-third of American adults and 20% of teenagers are obese. Obesity and its associated metabolic disturbances including hyperlipidaemia are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases including stroke. They can worsen neurological outcome after stroke.

Regulatory factor X1 is a new tumor suppressive transcription factor that acts via direct downregulation of CD44 in glioblastoma.

Background: The biological functions of regulatory factor (RF)X1, a transcription factor, are not known. Since the RFX1 gene is often epigenetically silenced and clusters of differentiation (CD)44 proteins that regulate cancer cell biology are increased in human glioblastomas, we designed this study to determine whether RFX1 could regulate CD44 expression in glioblastoma.

Methods: Regulatory factor X1 was overexpressed in 4 human glioblastoma cell lines.

Glutamate transporter type 3 knockout leads to decreased heart rate possibly via parasympathetic mechanism.

Parasympathetic tone is a dominant neural regulator for basal heart rate. Glutamate transporters (EAAT) via their glutamate uptake functions regulate glutamate neurotransmission in the central nervous system. We showed that EAAT type 3 (EAAT3) knockout mice had a slower heart rate than wild-type mice when they were anesthetized.

Isoflurane postconditioning reduces ischemia-induced nuclear factor-κB activation and interleukin 1β production to provide neuroprotection in rats and mice.

Application of isoflurane, a volatile anesthetic, after brain ischemia can reduce ischemic brain injury in rodents (isoflurane postconditioning). This study is designed to determine whether isoflurane postconditioning improves long-term neurological outcome after focal brain ischemia and whether this protection is mediated by attenuating neuroinflammation. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 90-min middle cerebral arterial occlusion (MCAO).

Contribution of microRNA-203 to the isoflurane preconditioning-induced neuroprotection.

A prior exposure to isoflurane, a common volatile anesthetic, provides neuroprotection (isoflurane preconditioning). To determine the role of microRNAs in this protection, we performed microRNA array assay on cerebral cortex harvested from rats exposed to isoflurane or isoflurane-exposed rat B35 neuron-like cells. We showed that isoflurane significantly increased microRNA-203 expression in B35 neuron-like cells.

Regulatory factor X1-induced down-regulation of transforming growth factor β2 transcription in human neuroblastoma cells.

Regulatory factor X (RFX) proteins are transcription factors. Seven mammalian RFX proteins have been identified. RFX1 is the prototype RFX.

Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate attenuates brain Aβ increase and improves long-term neurological outcome in rats after transient focal brain ischemia.

Evidence suggests an association between brain ischemia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. Amyloid plaques consisted of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in the brain are a pathological hallmark of AD. Little is known about how brain ischemia induces AD-like neuropathology.

Expression of the transcription factor regulatory factor X1 in the mouse brain.

Limited information indicates that the regulatory factor X1 (RFX1), the prototype member of the transcription factor RFX family, may play a role in the central nervous system. Our recent study showed that knockout of the Rfx1 gene led to early embryonic death. In the present study, we showed that heterozygous Rfx1(+/-) mice were fertile and grew normally.

RNA interference-produced autoregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.

Vector-mediated delivery of short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) to regulate gene expression holds a great therapeutic promise. We hypothesize that gene expression can be autoregulated with RNA interference. We used inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) as a gene model to test this hypothesis.

Volatile anesthetics may not induce significant toxicity to human neuron-like cells.

Background: In vitro experiments and in vivo animal studies suggest detrimental effects of volatile anesthetics including isoflurane on brain cells. It is not clear whether volatile anesthetics can cause human brain cell injury.

Methods: The SH-SY5Y cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line, were induced to differentiate into terminal neuron-like cells.

Knockout of the regulatory factor X1 gene leads to early embryonic lethality.

The biological function of regulatory factor X1 (RFX1), the prototype member of the transcription factor RFX family, is not clear. We have used gene trap technique to disrupt the expression of RFX1 in mice. Although, heterozygous RFX1(+/-) mice appear normal and fertile, homozygous RFX1(-/-) embryos died at an early stage (most likely before embryonic day 2.

The DNA methyltransferase-2 gene in the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii: characteristics and expression patterns during ovarian and embryonic development.

DNA methylation plays important roles in eukaryotic development. However, studies of DNA methylation in Crustacea are very limited. In the present study, we isolated and identified a DNA methyltransferase 2 (Mar-Dnmt2) gene from the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Inhibition of a novel sperm gelatinase in prawn sperm by the male reproduction-related Kazal-type peptidase inhibitor.

Previously, we have identified and characterized a male reproduction-related kazal-type peptidase inhibitor (MRPINK) gene from the prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. In the present study, MRPINK was discovered to have an inhibitory effect on the gelatinolytic activity of M. rosenbergii sperm and immunofluorescence analysis revealed it bound specifically onto the base of sperm.

AMPK alpha subunit gene characterization in Artemia and expression during development and in response to stress.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in maintaining the energy balance of organisms under physiological and environmental stresses. Here two AMPK alpha subunit gene transcripts (named Afr-AMPKalpha1 and Afr-AMPKalpha2) from Artemia franciscana were isolated and gene expression was characterized by semiquantitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Afr-AMPKalpha1 was differentially expressed during Artemia developmental stages as well as in response to stresses, such as heat-shock, starvation and a hyperosmotic environment.