Publications by authors named "Ji-Kuai Chen"

DNAJA1 is a member of type I DnaJ proteins, which is essential for spermatogenesis and male fertility. However, its expression pattern in the testes and its impact on spermatogenesis remains unclear. Our study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action of DNAJA1.

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Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have numerous applications in the field of carbon nanomaterials. However, the associated toxicity concerns have increased significantly because of their widespread use. The inhalation of MWCNTs can lead to nanoparticle deposition in the lung tissue, causing inflammation and health risks.

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Endothelial barrier disruption plays a key role in the pathophysiology of heat stroke (HS). Knockout of DNAJA1 (DNAJA1‑KO) is thought to be protective against HS based on a genome‑wide CRISPR‑Cas9 screen experiment. The present study aimed to illustrate the function of DNAJA1‑KO against HS in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

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Photothermal therapy (PTT) of nanomaterials is an emerging novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancer. However, there exists an urgent need for appropriate strategies to enhance the antitumor efficacy of PTT and minimize damage to surrounding normal tissues. Piezo1 might be a promising novel photothermal therapeutic target for breast cancer.

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Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of proteins involved in protein folding and maturation that are expressed by cells in response to stressors including heat shock. Recent studies have demonstrated that HSPs play major roles in carcinogenesis by regulating angiogenesis, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, metastasis, apoptosis, as well as therapy resistance to certain anticancer drugs. Despite being the largest and most diverse subgroup of the HSP family, HSP40 (DNAJ) is an understudied family of co-chaperones.

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Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mainly induce oxidative stress through the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to cytotoxicity. Celastrol, a plant-derived compound, can exert antioxidant effects by reducing ROS production. Our results indicated that exposure to MWCNTs decreased cell viability and increased ROS production.

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Article Synopsis
  • Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are being studied for their potential use in drug delivery and medical imaging, but their impact on blood vessel cells (endothelial cells) hasn't been fully understood.
  • The research revealed that MWCNTs can enter these cells and disrupt their functions, specifically hindering their ability to form new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in both lab and animal studies.
  • The study found that the harmful effects of MWCNTs on endothelial cells are linked to decreased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), but introducing recombinant VEGF can help restore cell function and promote angiogenesis.
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Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is defined as a dilated aorta in diameter at least 1.5 times of a normal aorta. Our previous studies found that activating α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) had a protective effect on vascular injury.

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is a famous functional food and herb. To guarantee quality of a strategy "Q-markers targeted screening" was successfully developed by sufficient extraction of compounds and the targeted screening of qualitative and quantitative markers calculated through chemometric methods based fingerprints. Accelerated solvent extraction was selected due to its prominent advantages exhibiting the maximum extraction yields and varieties of compounds and especially excellent reproducibility (RSD < 1).

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Psoriasis is characterized by keratinocyte proliferation and immune cell infiltration. M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) was reported to have an important role in cell proliferation, which is a rate-limiting enzyme that regulates the final step of glycolysis. However, how PKM2 regulates cell metabolism and proliferation in psoriatic keratinocytes is still poorly understood.

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This study tested the hypothesis that endothelium-specific GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH I) overexpression (Tg-GCH) restores age-associated endothelial dysfunction in vivo. Aortic GTPCH I expression and serum nitric oxide (NO) release were measured in young and aged mice. Aortic rings from young and aged wild-type (WT) mice and aged Tg-GCH mice were suspended for isometric tension recording.

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Added risk portended by diabetes in addition to hypertension has been related to an amplification of endothelial dysfunction. β-blockers are widely used for cardiovascular diseases and improve the endothelial function compared with a placebo. However, the effect of β-blockers on the endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) function in diabetes is still unknown.

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Forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) is involved in lipid metabolisms. However, its role in chronic stress-related nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is unclear. The scientific premise of our study was based on the finding that FoxO1 expression is increased in the liver of mice after chronic stress.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer, and this study investigates the anti-tumor effects of Celastrol, a compound known for its potential in various cancers, specifically targeting CRC.
  • - The research demonstrated that Celastrol inhibits proliferation in CRC cells and significantly reduces tumor growth in mice, identifying 69 candidate proteins linked to its effects, with Shoc2 being the most notable.
  • - Celastrol works by inhibiting the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, which is crucial for cancer cell movement and growth, and down-regulation of Shoc2 decreases tumor cell proliferation and migration.
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Na is an important nutrient and its intake, mainly from salt (NaCl), is essential for normal physiological function. However, high salt intake may lead to vascular injury, independent of a rise in blood pressure (BP). Canonical NALP3 inflammasome activation is a caspase-1 medicated process, resulting in the secretion of IL-18 and IL-1β which lead to endothelial dysfunction.

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Previous studies have indicated that gut-derived endotoxin played a pivotal role for aggravating systemic inflammatory response to multi-organ dysfunction under heatstroke. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) could protect against inflammation and multi-organ injury in various scenarios. The aim of this study was to explore the protective effect of DEX on heatstroke and the mechanism involved.

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A limit to the clinical benefit of radiotherapy is not an incapacity to eliminate tumor cells but rather a limit on its capacity to do so without destroying normal tissue and inducing inflammation. Recent evidence reveals that the inflammasome is essential for mediating radiation-induced cell and tissue damage. In this study, using primary cultured bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) and a mouse radiation model, we explored the role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and the secondary pyroptosis underlying radiation-induced immune cell death.

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Background: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR) injury is a complication of liver surgery. As much as 50% of hepatocytes undergo apoptosis within the first 24 h of reperfusion. The neurotransmitters of the vagus nerve can activate α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages.

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Article Synopsis
  • The NLRP3 inflammasome is a protein complex in the immune system that helps with sensing infections and is linked to feelings of fatigue.
  • Scientists created a mouse model to study fatigue using a chemical called LPS and a swim stress test to see how NLRP3 affects this feeling.
  • They found that mice with active NLRP3 showed less activity and more fatigue symptoms, while mice without NLRP3 were more active and had less fatigue.
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Background: Cardio-cerebral-vascular diseases, including myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and stroke etc, are the major reasons for morbidity and mortality all over the world. Recent studies showed that inflammation exerts an important impact on the pathogenesis and development of cardio-cerebral-vascular diseases. "The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway", mainly modulated through α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR), has attracted much attention.

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Unlabelled: The above article, published online on 24 December 2014 as an Accepted Article in Wiley Online Library (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prolonged stress contributes to an increased risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), though the exact relationship has not been fully studied.
  • In an experiment on mice subjected to chronic stress, researchers observed significant increases in liver triglycerides and cholesterol, indicating a negative impact on liver health despite a decrease in body weight and visceral fat.
  • Findings suggest that chronic stress triggers inflammation in visceral fat and affects liver function, which could provide insights for prevention and treatment strategies for NAFLD.
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Radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome occurs when the body is exposed to a high dose of radiation. Currently, safe and effective radioprotectants are not available. Apoptosis was reported to play a primary role in radiation-induced injury.

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  • A high-salt (HS) diet may lead to increased oxidative stress and could worsen existing hypertension, which is linked to neurodegenerative diseases.
  • In an experiment with C57BL/6J mice, those on an HS diet showed significant impairment in spatial memory compared to those on a normal-salt (NS) diet.
  • The HS diet was associated with heightened superoxide production and decreased antioxidant defenses specifically in the hippocampus, indicating a potential link between high sodium intake and cognitive decline.
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Background: Cardiac dysfunction is well-described in endotoxemia and diagnosed in up to 60% of patients with endotoxic shock. ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are critical to cardiac function. This study investigates the role of Kir6.

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