Testing Acute Oxygen Sensing in Genetically Modified Mice: Plethysmography and Amperometry.

Monitoring responsiveness to acute hypoxia of whole animals and single cells is essential to investigate the nature of the mechanisms underlying oxygen (O) sensing. Here we describe the protocols followed in our laboratory to evaluate the ventilatory response to hypoxia in normal and genetically modified animals. We also describe the amperometric technique used to monitor single-cell catecholamine release from chemoreceptor cells in carotid body and adrenal medulla slices.

Alpha-mangostin attenuates diabetic nephropathy in association with suppression of acid sphingomyelianse and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Aims: Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of diabetes, but there are currently few treatment options. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the effect of alpha-mangostin on diabetic nephropathy and possible related mechanisms.

Methods: Goto-Kakizaki rats were used as a diabetic model and received alpha-mangostin or desipramine treatment with normal saline as a control.

Extracting Fitness Relationships and Oncogenic Patterns among Driver Genes in Cancer.

Driver mutation provides fitness advantage to cancer cells, the accumulation of which increases the fitness of cancer cells and accelerates cancer progression. This work seeks to extract patterns accumulated by driver genes ("fitness relationships") in tumorigenesis. We introduce a network-based method for extracting the fitness relationships of driver genes by modeling the network properties of the "fitness" of cancer cells.

Improvement of Image Sticking in Liquid Crystal Display Doped with γ-Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles.

Image sticking in thin film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) is related to the dielectric property of liquid crystal (LC) material. Low threshold value TFT LC materials have a weak stability and the free ions in them will be increased because of their own decomposition. In this study, the property of TFT LC material MAT-09-1284 doped with γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles was investigated.

Dexmedetomidine attenuates pancreatic injury and inflammatory response in mice with pancreatitis by possible reduction of NLRP3 activation and up-regulation of NET expression.

Objective: Previous studies have shown that acute inflammation is associated with increased sympathetic activity, which in turn increases the inflammatory response and leads to organ damage. The present study aimed to investigate whether dexmedetomidine administration during acute pancreatitis (AP) lessens pancreatic pathological and functional injury and the inflammatory response, and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Mild pancreatitis was induced in mice with caerulein, and severe pancreatitis was induced with caerulein plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

The impact of stromal Hic-5 on the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer through lysyl oxidase induction and stromal remodeling.

Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) influence tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis within the tumor-associated stroma. This suggests that CAFs would be a potential target for tumor therapy. Here we found that Hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone-5 (Hic-5), also named transforming growth factor beta-1-induced transcript 1 protein (Tgfb1i1), was strongly induced in CAFs found in human colorectal cancer.

Iron-induced chelation alleviates the potential allergenicity of ovotransferrin in a BALB/c mouse model.

Ovotransferrin (OVT) is one of the main egg allergens with 2 iron-binding sites. Several studies have demonstrated that iron-chelation decreased the allergenicity of milk allergen and birch pollen allergens. Therefore, we hypothesized that iron-chelation could also reduce the allergenicity of OVT.

Ultrasound-triggered effects of the microbubbles coupled to GDNF- and Nurr1-loaded PEGylated liposomes in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate ultrasound-triggered effects of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) + nuclear receptor-related factor 1 (Nurr1)-polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated liposomes-coupled microbubbles (PLs-GDNF + Nurr1-MBs) on behavioral impairment and neuron loss in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). The unloaded PEGylated liposomes-coupled microbubbles (PLs-MBs) were characterized for zeta potential, particle size, and concentration. 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) was used to establish the PD rat model.

Epidemiological characteristics of lower extremity arterial disease in Chinese diabetes patients at high risk: a prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study.

Aims: To determine the epidemiological characteristics of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) in high-risk patients and identify practical gaps in LEAD management.

Methods: This cross-sectional study consecutively enrolled 10681 patients with type 2 diabetes from 30 hospitals across China from June 2016 to January 2017. All patients were assessed for LEAD by the Ankle-Brachial Index in conjunction with lower limb ultrasonography according to local guidelines.

MiR-137 inhibited inflammatory response and apoptosis after spinal cord injury via targeting of MK2.

Spinal cord injuries are common and troublesome disorder, which is mediated by various signal pathways and mechanisms. MK2 is also involved in numerous inflammatory diseases including spinal cord injury. The role of microRNA-137 (miR-137) and its detailed working mechanism in spinal cord injuries remain unclear.

Hydrogen Sulfide Attenuates Atherosclerosis in a Partially Ligated Carotid Artery Mouse model via Regulating Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 Expression.

Hydrogen sulfide has been suggested to play an essential role in atherogenesis. There is a paucity of information about the association between HS and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a novel homolog of ACE. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the role of HS in atherosclerosis with respect to ACE2 both and .

Integrative Analysis of Transcription Factor Combinatorial Interactions Using a Bayesian Tensor Factorization Approach.

Transcription factors play a key role in transcriptional regulation of genes and determination of cellular identity through combinatorial interactions. However, current studies about combinatorial regulation is deficient due to lack of experimental data in the same cellular environment and extensive existence of data noise. Here, we adopt a Bayesian CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP) factorization approach (BCPF) to integrate multiple datasets in a network paradigm for determining precise TF interaction landscapes.

The Regulatory Effects of Lateral Hypothalamus Area GABA Receptor on Gastric Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

The aim of the research was to determine the functional effects and molecular mechanisms of GABA receptor on ischemia reperfusion-induced gastric injury in rats.The lateral hypothalamus area GABA receptor attenuated the ischemia reperfusion-induced gastric injury by up-regulating the production of GABA, GABAR, and down-regulating GABAR in the brain.This work would provide a new therapeutic strategy for acute gastric injury.

Microbial competition among anammox bacteria in nitrite-limited bioreactors.

Phylogenetically diverse anammox bacteria have been detected in most of anoxic natural and engineered ecosystems and thus regarded as key players in the global nitrogen cycle. However, ecological niche differentiation of anammox bacteria remains unresolved despite its ecological and practical importance. In this study, the microbial competitions for a common substrate (nitrite) among three anammox species (i.

Circulating zinc-α2-glycoprotein levels are low in newly diagnosed patients with metabolic syndrome and correlate with adiponectin.

Background: Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a novel adipokine that reduces insulin resistance, protecting against type 2 diabetes. However, past studies have been contradictory. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association of circulating ZAG with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in middle-aged and older Chinese adults.

Association between chronic exposure to different water iodine and thyroid cancer: A retrospective study from 1995 to 2014.

The controversy that iodine intake may increase the risk of thyroid cancer has heightened over the past twenty years. In this retrospective study, we mainly analyzed the association between water iodine and thyroid cancer and discussed the possible cause of the increase in thyroid cancer. This study was supported by three hospitals in areas with different water iodine concentration.

Gene expression analyses reveal metabolic specifications in acute O -sensing chemoreceptor cells.

Key Points: Glomus cells in the carotid body (CB) and chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla (AM) are essential for reflex cardiorespiratory adaptation to hypoxia. However, the mechanisms whereby these cells detect changes in O tension are poorly understood. The metabolic properties of acute O -sensing cells have been investigated by comparing the transcriptomes of CB and AM cells, which are O -sensitive, with superior cervical ganglion neurons, which are practically O -insensitive.

TGFβ/SMAD/microRNA-486-3p Signaling Axis Mediates Keratin 17 Expression and Keratinocyte Hyperproliferation in Psoriasis.

Keratin 17 (K17) is strongly expressed in psoriatic lesions but not healthy skin, and plays a crucial role in disease pathogenesis. The mechanism of aberrant K17 expression in psoriasis has not been fully elucidated. MicroRNAs are short, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that play important roles in regulating gene expression.

Direct separation of arsenic and antimony oxides by high-temperature filtration with porous FeAl intermetallic.

A temperature-controlled selective filtration technology for synchronous removal of arsenic and recovery of antimony from the fume produced from reduction smelting process of lead anode slimes was proposed. The chromium (Cr) alloyed FeAl intermetallic with an asymmetric pore structure was developed as the high-temperature filter material after evaluating its corrosive resistance, structural stability and mechanical properties. The results showed that porous FeAl alloyed with 20wt.

Drug repositioning based on triangularly balanced structure for tissue-specific diseases in incomplete interactome.

Finding new uses for existing drugs has become a new strategy for decades to treat more patients. Few traditional approaches consider the tissue specificities of diseases. Moreover, disease genes, drug targets and protein interaction (PPI) networks remain largely incomplete and the relationships between drugs and diseases conform to the triangularly balanced structure.

Kallistatin reduces vascular senescence and aging by regulating microRNA-34a-SIRT1 pathway.

Kallistatin, an endogenous protein, protects against vascular injury by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation in hypertensive rats and enhancing the mobility and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). We aimed to determine the role and mechanism of kallistatin in vascular senescence and aging using cultured EPCs, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).

Natural alkaloid bouchardatine ameliorates metabolic disorders in high-fat diet-fed mice by stimulating the sirtuin 1/liver kinase B-1/AMPK axis.

Background And Purpose: Promoting energy metabolism is known to provide therapeutic effects for obesity and associated metabolic disorders. The present study evaluated the therapeutic effects of the newly identified bouchardatine (Bou) on obesity-associated metabolic disorders and the molecular mechanisms of these effects.

Experimental Approach: The molecular mode of action of Bou for its effects on lipid metabolism was first examined in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 cells.

Redox signaling in acute oxygen sensing.

Acute oxygen (O) sensing is essential for individuals to survive under hypoxic conditions. The carotid body (CB) is the main peripheral chemoreceptor, which contains excitable and O-sensitive glomus cells with O-regulated ion channels. Upon exposure to acute hypoxia, inhibition of K channels is the signal that triggers cell depolarization, transmitter release and activation of sensory fibers that stimulate the brainstem respiratory center to produce hyperventilation.