Suppression of ZEB1 by Ethyl caffeate attenuates renal fibrosis via switching glycolytic reprogramming.

Renal fibrosis (RF) is a common endpoint of various chronic kidney diseases, leading to functional impairment and ultimately progressing to end-stage renal failure. Glycolytic reprogramming plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, which maybe a potential therapeutic target for treating renal fibrosis. Here, we revealed the novel role of ZEB1 in renal fibrosis, and whether targeting ZEB1 is the underlying mechanism for the anti-fibrotic effects of ethyl caffeate (EC) to regulate the glycolytic process.

Liver X receptor inverse agonist SR9243 attenuates rheumatoid arthritis via modulating glycolytic metabolism of macrophages.

Liver X receptors (LXRs) which link lipid metabolism and inflammation, were overexpressed in experimental rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats as observed in our previous studies, while suppression of LXRα by silybin ameliorates arthritis and abnormal lipid metabolism. However, the role of LXRs in RA remains undefined. In this study, we investigated the inhibition role of LXRs in the polarization and activation of M1 macrophage by using a special LXRs inverse agonist SR9243, which led to ameliorating the progression of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) in rats.

Deformable hard tissue with high fatigue resistance in the hinge of bivalve .

The hinge of bivalve shells can sustain hundreds of thousands of repeating opening-and-closing valve motions throughout their lifetime. We studied the hierarchical design of the mineralized tissue in the hinge of the bivalve , which endows the tissue with deformability and fatigue resistance and consequently underlies the repeating motion capability. This folding fan-shaped tissue consists of radially aligned, brittle aragonite nanowires embedded in a resilient matrix and can translate external radial loads to circumferential deformation.

A comparative study of two single-stage oral mucosal substitution urethroplasty (Kulkarni and Asopa) in the surgical treatments of lichen sclerosus urethral strictures.

Long-segment lichen sclerosus (LS) urethral stricture is a challenge for urologists. Limited data are available for surgeons to make a surgical decision between Kulkarni and Asopa urethroplasty. In this retrospective study, we investigated the outcomes of these two procedures in patients with LS urethral stricture.

Enhancing the osmotic energy conversion of a nanoporous membrane: influence of pore density, pH, and temperature.

Salinity gradient power, which converts Gibbs free energy of mixing to electric energy through an ion-selective pore, has great potential. Towards practical use, developing membrane-scaled nanoporous materials is desirable and necessary. Unfortunately, the presence of a significant ion concentration polarization (ICP) lowers appreciably the power harvested, especially at a high pore density.

The role of radiologic extranodal extension in predicting prognosis and chemotherapy benefit for T1-2 N1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background And Purpose: This multicenter retrospective study aimed to investigated the prognostic value of unequivocal radiologic extranodal extension (rENE) and the efficacy of chemotherapy for stage T1-2 N1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the IMRT era.

Materials And Methods: We included 1,082 patients treated in 2005-2017 from three centers. rENE was recorded as G1 (coalescent nodal mass comprising ≥ 2 inseparable nodes) or G2 (invading beyond perinodal fat to frankly infiltrate adjacent structures).

Regulation of the promoter in yellowtail clownfish () by cortisol GRE-dependent GR pathway.

Kisspeptin plays a vital role in mediating the stress-induced reproductive regulation. Cortisol, known as a stress-related hormone, is involved in gonadal development and sexual differentiation by binding with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to regulate the expression of gene. In the present study, cortisol treatment in yellowtail clownfish () showed that the expression of ( and ) and ( and ) genes were increased significantly.

Sexually dimorphic distribution of kiss1 and kiss2 in the brain of yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii.

Kisspeptin system was shown to be a key factor in mediating social stress and reproduction. Yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii, is a hermaphrodite fish, whose sex determination and gonadal development are affected by the social status of individuals. The yellowtail clownfish is a fantastic animal model to explore sex determination, but the social status and precise distribution of kiss mRNAs in the brain of this species are unknown.

Three new experimental models of anterior urethral stricture in rabbits.

Background: This study describes and compares three surgical procedures for the construction of urethral stricture (US) models in rabbits.

Methods: Forty adult male rabbits were allocated to four groups: 36 rabbits were randomly assigned to three experimental groups, while the remaining 4 were assigned to a sham group. The penis was separated from the rectum.

Transcorporal Artificial Urinary Sphincter Cuff Placement in a Case Requiring Revision for Urethral Atrophy.

Artificial urethral sphincter (AUS) implantation is the definitive management of male stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Under the long-term pressure of the cuff, recurrence of incontinence caused by urethral atrophy can always be observed in patients. In this situation, distal cuff locations are needed, and new cuff sites should be sought in patients who need to undergo AUS reimplantations.

Transcriptome sequencing reveals a lncRNA-mRNA interaction network in extramammary Paget's disease.

Background: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare malignant intraepidermal adenocarcinoma that is poorly understood. Regulatory long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are characterized in many species and shown to be involved in processes such as development and pathologies, revealing a new layer of regulation in different diseases, especially in cancer studies. In the present study, we used high-throughput sequencing to reveal the lncRNA-mRNA interaction network in extramammary Paget's disease.

Novel treatment for refractory rheumatoid arthritis with total glucosides of paeony and nobiletin codelivered in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system.

Patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain a substantial clinical problem, while the overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on their lymphocytes may contribute to resistance to anti-rheumatic drugs. This study aims to develop a novel treatment for refractory RA consisting of the combination of total glucosides of paeony (TGPs) and the P-gp inhibitor nobiletin (N), which are codelivered in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS). Based on the solubility, compatibility, and pseudoternary phase diagram tests, a nano-SNEDDS formulation composed of capryol 90-cremophor EL35-tcranscutol HP (CET) to codeliver TGP and N was developed, and this formulation increased the bioavailability of TGP by 435.

Liver X receptors conserve the therapeutic target potential for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease with extremely complex pathogenesis. Significantly altered lipid paradox related to the inflammatory burden is reported in RA patients, inducing 50% higher cardiovascular risks. Recent studies have also demonstrated that lipid metabolism can regulate many functions of immune cells in which metabolic pathways have altered.

Wutou decoction ameliorates experimental rheumatoid arthritis via regulating NF-kB and Nrf2: Integrating efficacy-oriented compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine.

Background: Thousands of years of clinical application of Wutou decoction (WTD) support its reliable efficacy and safety in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear, and the synergistic involvement of assistant herbs in WTD in enhancing the sovereign herb in treating RA is unknown.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy-oriented compatibility of five herbs in WTD and the underlying mechanisms.

Treatments of Peyronie's disease with Scutellaria baicalensis and surgery according to the disease course: a single-center retrospective study of 261 patients.

Background: Oral medication therapies are more conventional than other non-surgical therapies in the acute phase of Peyronie's disease (PD). Although the commonly used oral drugs for PD have shown poor or indeterminate outcomes, most patients prefer oral medications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Scutellaria baicalensis extract for treating acute-phase PD patients and examine the practicality of treatment strategies for PD according to the disease course.

Hypoxia-preconditioned adipose-derived stem cells combined with scaffold promote urethral reconstruction by upregulation of angiogenesis and glycolysis.

Rationale: Tissue engineering is a promising alternative for urethral reconstruction, and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are widely used as seeding cells. Hypoxia preconditioning can significantly enhance the therapeutic effects of ADSCs. The low oxygen tension of postoperative wound healing is inevitable and may facilitate the nutritional function of ADSCs.

Improved Rectification and Osmotic Power in Polyelectrolyte-Filled Mesopores.

Ample studies have shown the use of nanofluidics in the ionic diode and osmotic power generation, but similar ionic devices performed with large-sized mesopores are still poorly understood. In this study, we model and realize the mesoscale ionic diode and osmotic power generator, composed of an asymmetric cone-shaped mesopore with its narrow opening filled with a polyelectrolyte (PE) layer with high space charges. We show that, only when the space charge density of a PE layer is sufficiently large (>1×106 C/m3), the considered mesopore system is able to create an asymmetric ionic distributions in the pore and then rectify ionic current.

The Evolution of Duplicated Genes of the Cpi-17/Phi-1 () Family of Protein Phosphatase 1 Inhibitors in Teleosts.

The Cpi-17 () gene family is an evolutionarily conserved, vertebrate specific group of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) inhibitors. When phosphorylated, Cpi-17 is a potent inhibitor of myosin phosphatase (MP), a holoenzyme complex of the regulatory subunit Mypt1 and the catalytic subunit PP1. Myosin phosphatase dephosphorylates the regulatory myosin light chain (Mlc2) and promotes actomyosin relaxation, which in turn, regulates numerous cellular processes including smooth muscle contraction, cytokinesis, cell motility, and tumor cell invasion.

Extended Bose-Hubbard Model with Cavity-Mediated Infinite-Range Interactions at Finite Temperatures.

We consider the finite-temperature properties of the extended Bose-Hubbard model realized recently in an ETH experiment [Nature 532, 476 (2016)]. Competing short- and global-range interactions accommodate fascinating collective phenomena. We formulate a self-consistent mean-field theory to describe the behaviors of the system at finite temperatures.

[comIdiopathic scrotal calcinosis: A report of 10 cases and review of the literature].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features, pathogenesis, diagnosis and scrotal reconstruction in the treatment of idiopathic scrotal calcinosis (ISC).

Methods: From March 2007 to October 2018, 10 ISC patients, aged 28－79 (mean 45) years and with a disease course of 6－497 (mean 128.4) months, were treated in our hospital.

Staged male genital reconstruction with a local flap and free oral graft: a case report and literature review.

Background: Male genital skin loss is a common disease in urology. However, male genital skin loss accompanying a penile urethra defect is rarely reported. Herein, we describe a novel surgical technique using a composite local flap and oral mucosal graft to reconstruct the penis, which may provide a new solution for patients with similar conditions.

Simulation of inter atrial block based on a human atrial model.

Inter atrial block (IAB) is a prevailing cardiac conduction abnormality that is under-recognized in clinical practice. IAB has strong association with atrial arrhythmia, left atrial enlargement, and electromechanical discordance, increasing the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and myocardial ischemia. IAB was generally believed to be caused by impaired conduction along the Bachmann bundle (BB).