Hepatic Steatosis Aggravates Vascular Calcification via Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Osteochondrogenic Switch of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

The global incidence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has risen sharply. This condition is strongly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but how MAFLD affects the development and progression of CVD, particularly concerning vascular calcification, remains unclear. Herein, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are identified from steatotic hepatocytes as a trigger that accelerated the progression of both vascular intimal and medial calcification.

Oral secretions from striped stem borer (Chilo suppressalis) induce defenses in rice.

Background: The striped stem borer (SSB, Chilo suppressalis) is one of the most destructive insect pests on rice. As a chewing insect, SSB larval feeding causes a dramatic increase in rice defense responses. However, the effects of oral secretions (OSs) during SSB feeding on rice defense remain largely unexplored.

Preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion: new insights into personalized therapy for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Owing to advances in diagnosis and treatment methods over past decades, a growing number of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnoses has enabled a greater of proportion of patients to receive curative treatment. However, a high risk of early recurrence and poor prognosis remain major challenges in HCC therapy. Microvascular invasion (MVI) has been demonstrated to be an essential independent predictor of early recurrence after curative therapy.

The dynamics of N-methyladenine RNA modification in resistant and susceptible rice varieties responding to rice stem borer damage.

N-methyladenosine (mA) is the most prevalent modification in cellular RNA which orchestrates diverse physiological and pathological processes during stress response. However, the differential mA modifications that cope with herbivore stress in resistant and susceptible crop varieties remain unclear. Here, we found that rice stem borer (RSB) larvae grew better on indica rice (e.

Tyrosine hydroxylase plays crucial roles in larval cuticle formation and larval-pupal tanning in the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis.

The striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker), a notorious pest infesting rice, has evolved a high level of resistance to many commonly used insecticides. In this study, we investigate whether tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which is required for larval development and cuticle tanning in many insects, could be a potential target for the control of C. suppressalis.

Defence and nutrition synergistically contribute to the distinct tolerance of rice subspecies to the stem borer, Chilo suppressalis.

Damage caused by the rice striped stem borer (SSB), Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is much more severe on indica/xian rice than on japonica/geng rice (Oryza sativa) which matches pest outbreak data in cropping regions of China. The mechanistic basis of this difference among rice subspecies remains unclear. Using transcriptomic, metabolomic and genetic analyses in combination with insect bioassay experiments, we showed that japonica and indica rice utilise different defence responses to repel SSB, and that SSB exploited plant nutrition deficiencies in different ways in the subspecies.

Gene polymorphisms associated with sudden decreases in heart rate during extensive peritoneal lavage with distilled water after gastrectomy.

Background: Our previous study found that the telomerase-associated protein 1 (, rs938886 and rs1713449) and homo sapiens RecQ like helicase 5 (, rs820196) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with changes in heart rate (HR) ≥ 30% during peritoneal lavage with distilled water after gastrectomy. This study established a single tube method for detecting these three SNPs using two-dimensional (2D) polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and investigated whether SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interactions increase the risk of high HR variability (HRV).

Aim: To investigate whether genotypes, genetic patterns, SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interactions were associated with HRV.

Identification of a fatty acid synthase gene (FAS1) from Laodelphax striatellus planthoppers contributing to fecundity.

Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a multifunctional enzyme that plays an important role in the formation of fatty acids. The fatty acids take part in many processes, such as cell signaling and energy metabolism, and in insects they are important in both cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) formation and reproduction. Here we characterized the sequence structure and function of an FAS from the small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus.

is Required for Ecdysteroid Induction of Neuropeptide Genes During Insect Eclosion.

In insects, the shedding of the old exoskeleton is accomplished through ecdysis which is typically followed by the expansion and tanning of the new cuticle. Four neuropeptides, eclosion hormone (EH), ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH), crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) and bursicon (Bur) are known to control ecdysis. However, the regulation of these neuropeptide genes is still poorly understood.

Assessment of structural brain changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using the MRI-based brain atrophy and lesion index.

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often have cognitive impairment and structural brain abnormalities. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based brain atrophy and lesion index can be used to evaluate common brain changes and their correlation with cognitive function, and can therefore also be used to reflect whole-brain structural changes related to T2DM. A total of 136 participants (64 men and 72 women, aged 55-86 years) were recruited for our study between January 2014 and December 2016.

Impact of metabolism-related mutations on the heart rate of gastric cancer patients after peritoneal lavage.

Background: During surgery for gastric cancer, peritoneal lavage using warm distilled water can cause temporary hemodynamic changes.

Aim: To examine the associations between changes in heart rate and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Methods: This was a prospective observational study of patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy and peritoneal hypotonic lavage at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from March 2018 to March 2019.

Magnetic Resonance Texture Analysis in Alzheimer's disease.

Texture analysis is an emerging field that allows mathematical detection of changes in MRI signals that are not visible among image pixels. Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is the most common cause of dementia. Recently, multiple texture analysis studies in patients with Alzheimer's disease have been performed.

DNA methylation detection methods used in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major contributor to the number of cancer-related deaths that occur annually worldwide. With the development of molecular biology methods, an increasing number of molecular biomarkers have been identified and investigated. CRC is believed to result from an accumulation of epigenetic changes, and detecting aberrant DNA methylation patterns is useful for both the early diagnosis and prognosis of CRC.

and digestive system cancers.

() is an anaerobic gram-negative bacterium that colonizes in the epithelium and has been strongly associated with periodontal disease. Recently, various degrees of associations between and digestive system cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity, oesophageal squamous carcinoma in the digestive tract, and pancreatic cancer in pancreatic tissues, have been displayed in multiple clinical and experimental studies. Since has a strong association with periodontal diseases, not only the relationships between and digestive system tumours but also the effects induced by periodontal diseases on cancers are well-illustrated in this review.

Short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 3 exhibits tumor-suppressing effects in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with high mortality-to-incidence ratios. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 3 (NFE2L3), also known as NRF3, is a member of the cap 'n' collar basic-region leucine zipper family of transcription factors. NFE2L3 is involved in the regulation of various biological processes, whereas its role in HCC has not been elucidated.

Apolipoprotein M induces inhibition of inflammatory responses via the S1PR1 and DHCR24 pathways.

Apolipoprotein M (ApoM) is a type of apolipoprotein. It is well known that high‑density lipoprotein (HDL) decreases inflammatory responses via the apoM‑sphingosine‑1‑phosphate (S1P) pathway. The present study further investigated the importance of ApoM in the inhibitory effects of HDL on inflammation.

Increased apolipoprotein M induced by lack of scavenger receptor BI is not activated via HDL-mediated cholesterol uptake in hepatocytes.

Background: Scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) is a classic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor, which mediates selective lipid uptake from HDL cholesterol esters (HDL-C). Apolipoprotein M (ApoM), as a component of HDL particles, could influence preβ-HDL formation and cholesterol efflux. The aim of this study was to determine whether SR-BI deficiency influenced the expression of ApoM.

Apolipoprotein M Protects Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury via Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling.

It had been demonstrated that apolipoprotein M (apoM) is an important carrier of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in blood, and the S1P has critical roles in the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). In the present study, we investigated whether apoM has beneficial effects in a mouse model after lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Forty-eight mice were divided into two groups: male C57BL/6 wild-type (apoM) group (n = 24) and apoM gene-deficient (apoM) group (n = 24) and then randomly subdivided into four subgroups (n = 6 each) according to different intraperitoneal (i.

Apolipoprotein M increases the expression of vitamin D receptor mRNA in colorectal cancer cells detected with duplex fluorescence reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Apolipoprotein M (ApoM) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are apolipoproteins predominantly presenting in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and a karyophilic protein belonging to the steroid‑thyroid receptor superfamily, respectively. Previous studies have demonstrated that ApoM and VDR are associated with cholesterol metabolism, immune and colorectal cancer regulation. In order to investigate whether ApoM affected the expression of VDR in colorectal cancer cells, a single‑tube duplex fluorescence reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) system was developed to simultaneously detect the mRNA levels of VDR and GAPDH in HT‑29 cells overexpressing ApoM.

17β-estradiol regulates the expression of apolipoprotein M through estrogen receptor α-specific binding motif in its promoter.

Background: We have previously demonstrated that estrogen could significantly enhance expression of apolipoprotein M (apoM), whereas the molecular basis of its mechanism is not fully elucidated yet. To further investigate the mechanism behind the estrogen induced up-regulation of apoM expression.

Results: Our results demonstrated either free 17β-estradiol (E2) or membrane-impermeable bovine serum albumin-conjugated E2 (E2-BSA) could modulate human apoM gene expression via the estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) pathway in the HepG2 cells.

Variability in development of the striped rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), due to instar number and last instar duration.

The striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker), is an important insect pest of rice which shows substantial variation in developmental duration among individuals. This variation is currently poorly characterized but it is important from a control perspective because pesticides can only target early sensitive instars. It is unclear whether there are key stages that determine the length of developmental duration of individuals and/or whether variation in instar number contributes to this variation.

Transition and Transversion Mutations Are Biased towards GC in Transposons of Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Transposons are often regulated by their hosts, and as a result, there are transposons with several mutations within their host organisms. To gain insight into the patterns of the variations, nucleotide substitutions and indels of transposons were analysed in Chilo suppressalis Walker. The CsuPLE1.

Cloning of Two Acetylcholinesterase Genes and Analysis of Point Mutations Putatively Associated with Triazophos Resistance in Chilo auricilius (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the target of organophosphate (OP) and carbamate insecticides. Mutations in the AChE gene (ace) leading to decreased insecticide susceptibility is the main resistance mechanism in insects. In this study, two Chilo auricilius acetylcholinesterase genes, designated as Caace1 and Caace2, were cloned using RT-PCR and RACE.