Oxysterol Sensing Through GPR183 Triggers Endothelial Senescence in Hypertension.

Background: Despite endothelial dysfunction being an initial step in the development of hypertension and associated cardiovascular/renal injuries, effective therapeutic strategies to prevent endothelial dysfunction are still lacking. GPR183 (G protein-coupled receptor 183), a recently identified G protein-coupled receptor for oxysterols and hydroxylated metabolites of cholesterol, has pleiotropic roles in lipid metabolism and immune responses. However, the role of GPR183 in the regulation of endothelial function remains unknown.

Chemical and biological characterization of vaccine adjuvant QS-21 produced via plant cell culture.

Many vaccines, including those using recombinant antigen subunits, rely on adjuvant(s) to enhance the efficacy of the host immune responses. Among the few adjuvants clinically approved, QS-21, a saponin-based immunomodulatory molecule isolated from the tree bark of (QS) is used in complex formulations in approved effective vaccines. High demand of the QS raw material as well as manufacturing scalability limitation has been barriers here.

Dietary protein levels modulate the gut microbiome composition through fecal samples derived from lactating ewes.

In ruminants, the digestion and utilization of dietary proteins are closely linked to the bacterial populations that are present in the gastrointestinal tract. In the present study, 16S rDNA sequencing, together with a metagenomic strategy was used to characterize the fecal bacteria of ewes in the early lactation stage after feeding with three levels of dietary proteins 8.58%, 10.

Lias overexpression alleviates pulmonary injury induced by fine particulate matter in mice.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are mechanisms underlying toxicity induced by fine particulate matter (PM). The antioxidant baseline of the human body modulates the intensity of oxidative stress in vivo. This present study aimed to evaluate the role of endogenous antioxidants in alleviating PM-induced pulmonary injury using a novel mouse model (Lias) with an endogenous antioxidant capacity of approximately 150% of its wild-type counterpart (Lias).

Identifying spatial agglomeration and driving forces of land use by green industries: a case study of Jiangsu Province, China.

In response to China's aims of becoming "carbon-neutral," the development of green industries such as renewable energy and recycling has flourished. Based on 2015 and 2019 data, this study uses spatial autocorrelation to analyze the evolution of land use by the green industries in Jiangsu Province. The Geodetector model was also applied to identify the driving factors underlying these spatial patterns.

Retraction Note: LINC01296 promotes the proliferation and invasion by regulating microRNA-760 expression and predicts poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The article "LINC01296 promotes the proliferation and invasion by regulating microRNA-760 expression and predicts poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma", by Z.-C. Wang, S.

Elevated Placental microRNA-155 Is a Biomarker of a Preeclamptic Subtype.

Background: Preeclampsia is a complicated syndrome with marked heterogeneity. The biomarker-based classification for this syndrome is more constructive to the targeted prevention and treatment of preeclampsia. It has been reported that preeclamptic patients had elevated microRNA-155 (miR-155) in placentas or circulation.

Engineered Cas12a-Plus nuclease enables gene editing with enhanced activity and specificity.

Background: The CRISPR-Cas12a (formerly Cpf1) system is a versatile gene-editing tool with properties distinct from the broadly used Cas9 system. Features such as recognition of T-rich protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) and generation of sticky breaks, as well as amenability for multiplex editing in a single crRNA and lower off-target nuclease activity, broaden the targeting scope of available tools and enable more accurate genome editing. However, the widespread use of the nuclease for gene editing, especially in clinical applications, is hindered by insufficient activity and specificity despite previous efforts to improve the system.

Induction of CoP Growth on a MXene (TiCT)-Modified Self-Supporting Electrode for Efficient Overall Water Splitting.

It still is a challenge to create a superior and easily coupled bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting impelled by a low voltage. In this work, the controlled growth of CoP NAs on the surface of a MXene (TiCT)-modified self-supporting electrode is demonstrated as a competent and reliable bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient water splitting. The heterointerface in CoP@TiCT with an optimized adsorption free energy of H*, HO, and better conductivity can give enhanced HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) activity, with a low overpotential (42 mV) at 10 mA cm.

Insight into Bile Duct Reaction to Obstruction from a Three-dimensional Perspective Using ex Vivo Phase-Contrast CT.

Background Biliary obstruction leads to an increase in biliary pressure within the biliary system, which induces the morphologic adaptation of the biliary tree. Purpose To observe and to quantify the morphologic characteristics of the adaptation in a bile duct ligation rat model and verify it in patients with biliary atresia in a three-dimensional (3D) manner using x-ray phase-contrast CT. Materials and Methods A bile duct ligation model was induced in 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats, which were divided into five groups: the control group (no ligation) and groups 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after bile duct ligation (eight animals in each group).

[Corrigendum] Nicorandil protects mesenchymal stem cells against hypoxia and serum deprivation-induced apoptosis.

After the publication of the above article, the authors have realized that Figs. 2 and 4 in their paper were published with incorrect images; regarding Fig. 2, the data featured in Fig.

Correlation of Chest CT and RT-PCR Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China: A Report of 1014 Cases.

Background Chest CT is used in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is an important complement to reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. Purpose To investigate the diagnostic value and consistency of chest CT as compared with RT-PCR assay in COVID-19. Materials and Methods This study included 1014 patients in Wuhan, China, who underwent both chest CT and RT-PCR tests between January 6 and February 6, 2020.

Inhibition of USP7 activity selectively eliminates senescent cells in part via restoration of p53 activity.

The accumulation of senescent cells (SnCs) is a causal factor of various age-related diseases as well as some of the side effects of chemotherapy. Pharmacological elimination of SnCs (senolysis) has the potential to be developed into novel therapeutic strategies to treat these diseases and pathological conditions. Here we show that ubiquitin-specific peptidase 7 (USP7) is a novel target for senolysis because inhibition of USP7 with an inhibitor or genetic depletion of USP7 by RNA interference induces apoptosis selectively in SnCs.

Risk factors predicting a higher grade of subarachnoid haemorrhage in small ruptured intracranial aneurysm (< 5 mm).

Aim: To identify the risk factors for clinical and radiographic grades of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in small (< 5 mm) intracranial aneurysms (SIAs).

Material And Methods: We retrospectively analysed patients with SIAs treated in our centre between February 2009 and June 2018. The clinical status was graded using the Hunt and Hess (H&H) score and the radiological severity of SAH was graded by Fisher grades (FG).

Gemcitabine and Cisplatin Induction Chemotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Background: Platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Additional gemcitabine and cisplatin induction chemotherapy has shown promising efficacy in phase 2 trials.

Methods: In a parallel-group, multicenter, randomized, controlled, phase 3 trial, we compared gemcitabine and cisplatin as induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone.

A New Segmented Virus Associated with Human Febrile Illness in China.

Background: In 2017, surveillance for tickborne diseases in China led to the identification of a patient who presented to a hospital in Inner Mongolia with a febrile illness that had an unknown cause. The clinical manifestation of the illness was similar to that of tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection, but neither TBEV RNA nor antibodies against the virus were detected.

Methods: We obtained a blood specimen from the index patient and attempted to isolate and identify a causative pathogen, using genome sequence analysis and electron microscopy.

Relationship between land-use and sources and fate of nitrate in groundwater in a typical recharge area of the North China Plain.

Identification of different nitrate sources in groundwater is challenging in areas with diverse land use and multiple potential inputs. An area with mixed land-uses, typical of the piedmont-plain recharge area of the North China Plain, was selected to investigate different nitrate sources and the impact of land use on nitrate distribution in groundwater. Multiple environmental tracers were examined, including major ions, stable isotopes of water (δH-HO, δO-HO) and nitrate (δN-NO and δO-NO).

VU0477573: Partial Negative Allosteric Modulator of the Subtype 5 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor with In Vivo Efficacy.

Negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) have potential applications in the treatment of fragile X syndrome, levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, addiction, and anxiety; however, clinical and preclinical studies raise concerns that complete blockade of mGlu5 and inverse agonist activity of current mGlu5 NAMs contribute to adverse effects that limit the therapeutic use of these compounds. We report the discovery and characterization of a novel mGlu5 NAM, N,N-diethyl-5-((3-fluorophenyl)ethynyl)picolinamide (VU0477573) that binds to the same allosteric site as the prototypical mGlu5 NAM MPEP but displays weak negative cooperativity. Because of this weak cooperativity, VU0477573 acts as a "partial NAM" so that full occupancy of the MPEP site does not completely inhibit maximal effects of mGlu5 agonists on intracellular calcium mobilization, inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, or inhibition of synaptic transmission at the hippocampal Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse.

AMPK Inhibits the Stimulatory Effects of TGF-β on Smad2/3 Activity, Cell Migration, and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important downstream effector of the tumor suppressor liver kinase 1 (LKB1) and pharmacologic target of metformin, is well known to exert a preventive and inhibitory effect on tumorigenesis; however, its role in cancer progression and metastasis has not been well characterized. The present study investigates the potential roles of AMPK in inhibiting cancer-cell migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by regulating the canonical transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway, an important promoting factor for cancer progression. Our results showed that activation of AMPK by metformin inhibited TGF-β-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation in cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Ghrelin signaling in the ventral tegmental area mediates both reward-based feeding and fasting-induced hyperphagia on high-fat diet.

Ghrelin is a potent orexigenic hormone that acts in the central nervous system to stimulate food intake via the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) that is abundantly expressed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Not only does ghrelin modulate feeding behavior via a homeostatic mechanism, but numerous studies have identified ghrelin as a key regulator of reward-based hedonic feeding behaviors. Nutritional states influence ghrelin and GHSR expression as well as the behavioral sensitivity to reward-inducing stimuli.

Abnormal white matter integrity in chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups: a tract-based spatial statistics study.

Background And Purpose: Codeine-containing cough syrups have become one of the most popular drugs of abuse in young people in the world. Chronic codeine-containing cough syrup abuse is related to impairments in a broad range of cognitive functions. However, the potential brain white matter impairment caused by chronic codeine-containing cough syrup abuse has not been reported previously.

Decomposition of methylamine on nitrogen atom modified Mo(100): a density functional theory study.

Three possible pathways for C-N bond breaking in methylamine have been investigated over clean Mo(100) and nitrogen atom-modified Mo(100) surfaces with a nitrogen coverage of 0.25 monolayer (ML) (N-Mo(100)) firstly, and the C-N bond breaking following the intramolecular hydrogen transfer from the CH3 to NH2 is excluded owing to the high barriers. Then methylamine decomposition starting with C-H, N-H, and C-N scission over the nitrogen atom-modified Mo(100) surface with a nitrogen coverage of 0.

Structural analysis of water-soluble glucans from the root of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels.

Two water-soluble glucans (designated APS-1cI and APS-1cII) were extracted from the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and further purified by anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. Their molecular weights were determined to be 1.