Pioglitazone Ameliorates Atorvastatin-Induced Islet Cell Dysfunction through Activation of FFA1 in INS-1 Cells.

Increasing evidence shows that statins increase the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus, but the exact mechanism is not clearly known. Free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1) has been recognized to mediate insulin secretion, and pioglitazone has direct effects on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in addition to the reversion of insulin resistance. In this study, we found that atorvastatin decreased potassium-stimulated insulin secretion and inhibited the expression of FFA1, PDX-1, and BETA2/NeuroD in INS-1 cells.

Limb Remote Ischemic Preconditioning Reduces Repeated Ketamine Exposure-Induced Adverse Effects in the Developing Brain of Rats.

Prolonged or repeated exposure to ketamine, a common anesthetic in pediatrics, has been shown to induce neurotoxicity and long-term neurocognitive deficits in the developing brain. Therefore, identification of potential therapeutic targets for preventing or alleviating such neurodegeneration and neuroapoptosis induced by ketamine is urgently needed. Remote ischemic preconditioning of the limb provides neuroprotection in different models of cerebral injury.

The Role and Mechanism of CRT0066101 as an Effective Drug for Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Background/aims: Breast cancer is clinically classified into three main subtypes: estrogen receptor-positive (ER) breast cancer, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2) breast cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Without specific targeted therapies, patients with TNBC have poorer prognosis compared with those with ER and HER2 breast cancer. Protein kinase D (PRKD) family members play crucial roles in cancer progression.

Effects of the antimicrobial peptide L12 against multidrug‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus; MRSA) is one of the most common bacterial pathogens and MRSA infections are characterized by high mortality rates. Antimicrobial peptides are considered one of the most promising drugs for the treatment of resistant strains of S.

A Comparison of the Effect of Sevoflurane and Propofol on Ventricular Repolarisation after Preoperative Cefuroxime Infusion.

The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in QT, QTc, and Tp-e intervals and Tp-e/QT ratio on surface electrocardiogram (ECG) signals during anaesthesia induction using propofol or sevoflurane after preoperative cefuroxime infusion. Some 120 cases of gynaecological patients are randomly divided into propofol (P) and sevoflurane (S) groups (n=60). After cefuroxime (1.

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor 1-Deoxynojirimycin promotes beige remodeling of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes via activating AMPK.

Obesity is a serious health challenge in the world, and searching effective drugs to cure obesity is of great importance. 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) is extracted from mulberry leaves and acts as an α-glucosidase inhibitor to lower blood glucose. Recent studies demonstrated that it also has anti-obesity effect, but the mechanisms remain unknown.

Oncogenic functions of protein kinase D2 and D3 in regulating multiple cancer-related pathways in breast cancer.

Protein Kinase D (PKD) family contains PKD1, PKD2, and PKD3 in human. Compared to consistent tumor-suppressive functions of PKD1 in breast cancer, how PKD2/3 functions in breast cancer are not fully understood. In the current study, we found that PKD2 and PKD3 but not PKD1 were preferentially overexpressed in breast cancer and involved in regulating cell proliferation and metastasis.

Novel Strategy to Decipher the Regulatory Mechanism of 1-Naphthaleneacetic Acid in Strawberry Maturation.

1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) has long been used to regulate strawberry growth. However, its regulatory mechanisms are unclear. Here, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics approach was utilized to capture differential metabolites, then matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and transcriptomics as assisted methods to validate the significant findings of metabolomics.

Clinical features of patients with anti-leucine-rich glioma inactivated-1 protein associated encephalitis: a Chinese case series.

Antibodies against leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) are associated with limbic encephalitis and faciobrachial dystonic seizures (FBDS). We present a large series of Han Chinese patients for further clinical refinement. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients were tested.

Catalpol Exerts an Anti-Epilepticus Effect, Possibly by Regulating the Nrf2-Keap1-ARE Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND Status epilepticus (SE) is a refractory neurological disease with high mortality and morbidity rates. SE can be induced by numerous factors, including oxidative stress. Catalpol has several biological activities, including regulating the oxidative stress response.

Facile and Scalable Fabrication of Surface-Modified Sponge for Efficient Solar Steam Generation.

Solar steam generation is a highly promising technology for harvesting solar energy and desalination. Here, a new solar steam generation system is introduced based on a surface-modified polyurethane sponge with bilayered structures for efficient solar steam generation. The top layer, coated with polydimethylsiloxane-modified graphite powder, serves as light-to-heat conversion layer with a broad optical absorption, whereas the lower part of the sponge acts as a thermal insulator with a low thermal conductivity in the wet state (0.

Large-scale analysis reveals a novel risk score to predict overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer mortality and an increasing incidence worldwide; however, there are very few effective diagnostic approaches and prognostic biomarkers.

Materials And Methods: One hundred forty-nine pairs of HCC samples from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were obtained to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC and normal samples. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, Gene ontology enrichment analyses, and protein-protein interaction network were used.

Effects of carrier frequency mismatch on frequency-selective spectral editing.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the effects of carrier frequency mismatch on spectral editing and its correction by frequency matching of basis functions.

Materials And Methods: Full density matrix computations and Monte-Carlo simulations based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data collected from five healthy volunteers at 7 T were used to analyze the effects of carrier frequency mismatch on spectral editing. Relative errors in metabolite quantification were calculated with and without frequency matching of basis functions.

Aortic constriction induces hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy via (pro)renin receptor activation and the PLC‑β3 signaling pathway.

The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR] serves an important role in cardiovascular complications. However, the precise mechanisms of (P)RR in the heart remain obscure. The authors hypothesized that overexpression of (P)RR would be associated with activation of the relevant signal pathway which could lead to organ injury.

Recombinant expression, purification and bioactivity characterization of extracellular domain of human tumor necrosis factor receptor 1.

The interaction between TNF-α with TNFR1 triggers important signaling pathways inducing diverse cellular phenomena including inflammation, apoptosis, etc., and is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of numerous autoimmune diseases. The extracellular domain (ECD) of TNFR has been successfully used to clinically treat such TNF-associated diseases.

Heterostructure-Promoted Oxygen Electrocatalysis Enables Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery with Neutral Aqueous Electrolyte.

Neutral aqueous zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are an emerging type of energy devices with substantially elongated lifetime and improved recyclability compared to conventional alkaline ZABs. However, their development is impeded by the lack of robust bifunctional catalyst at the air-electrode for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report the controlled synthesis of NiFeO/FeNiS heterostructured nanosheets (HNSs) that are highly efficient in catalyzing OER and ORR, therefore enabling neutral rechargeable ZABs.

Noble gas inserted compounds of borazine and its derivative BNR: structures and bonding.

Quantum chemistry computations were performed at the MP2 and B3LYP levels of theory using the basis sets aug-cc-pVDZ and def2-TZVPPD to study the noble gas (Ng) compounds formed by insertion of a Ng atom (Kr, Xe, Rn) into the B-H/F and N-H/F bonds of inorganic benzene BNH and its fluorine derivative BNF. The geometrical structures were optimized and vibrational analysis was carried out to demonstrate these structures being local minima on the potential energy surface. The thermodynamic properties of the formation process of Ng compounds were calculated.

Subcellular organization of UBE3A in human cerebral cortex.

Background: Loss of UBE3A causes Angelman syndrome, whereas excess UBE3A activity appears to increase the risk for autism. Despite this powerful association with neurodevelopmental disorders, there is still much to be learned about UBE3A, including its cellular and subcellular organization in the human brain. The issue is important, since UBE3A's localization is integral to its function.

The complete mitochondrial genome of golden yellow snakehead fish, .

We sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of golden yellow snakehead fish, The mitogenomes contained the typical complement of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a non-coding control region. They share the same gene arrangement pattern that was identical with most vertebrates. The entire mitochondrial DNA molecule of golden yellow snakehead fish was 16,558 bp long.

The Patterned Structure of Galactoglucomannan Suggests It May Bind to Cellulose in Seed Mucilage.

The interaction between mannan polysaccharides and cellulose microfibrils contributes to cell wall properties in some vascular plants, but the molecular arrangement of mannan in the cell wall and the nature of the molecular bonding between mannan and cellulose remain unknown. Previous studies have shown that mannan is important in maintaining Arabidopsis () seed mucilage architecture, and that Cellulose Synthase-Like A2 (CSLA2) synthesizes a glucomannan backbone, which Mannan α-Galactosyl Transferase1 (MAGT1/GlycosylTransferase-Like6/Mucilage Related10) might decorate with single α-Gal branches. Here, we investigated the ratio and sequence of Man and Glc and the arrangement of Gal residues in Arabidopsis mucilage mannan using enzyme sequential digestion, carbohydrate gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry.

Effect of scrotal heating on sperm quality, seminal biochemical substances, and reproductive hormones in human fertile men.

At present, male contraceptive methods are only vasectomy and condoms, so it is necessary to research on male contraceptive techniques. The aim of this study is to observe the effects of scrotal heating (SH) on semen parameters, seminal l-carnitine (LC), epidermal growth factor (EGF), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), reproductive hormones and sperm chromosome numbers of adult healthy men, and to provide the experimental data for male contraception. The scrotums of 30 healthy male volunteers were exposed to the condition of 40 to 43°C SH belt warming 40 minutes each day for successive 2 days per week.

Activation of defective nickel molybdate nanowires for enhanced alkaline electrochemical hydrogen evolution.

Designing highly-efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline solution is more complex and sluggish than for an acidic one. Herein, we report a controllable N-doping strategy to synthesize a series of N-doped porous metallic NiMoO4 nanowires with concomitant oxygen vacancy defects (N-Vo-NiMoO4 NWs) for promoting the alkaline HER ability and durability. Both experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the doped-N at NiO6 octahedral sites and the abundant oxygen vacancy defects confined in N-Vo-NiMoO4 NWs with modified electronic arrangement could enhance the metallic conductivity, affect the surface areas, and lower the adsorption energy of hydrogen, resulting in an increased HER property.

The Secretion from Neural Stem Cells Pretreated with Lycopene Protects against -Butyl Hydroperoxide-Induced Neuron Oxidative Damage.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) hold great potential for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through both cellular replacement and their secretion of trophic factors. Lycopene is a potent -carotenoid antioxidant that has been shown to ameliorate oxidative damage in previous studies. However, it is unclear if lycopene can interact with NSCs to induce the secretion of growth factors, and whether pretreatment with lycopene will allow NSCs to secrete enough trophic factors to reduce oxidative damage to neurons.

NMR-based global metabolomics approach to decipher the metabolic effects of three plant growth regulators on strawberry maturation.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are commonly used to regulate maturation in strawberry. Despite this, comprehensive assessments of the metabolomic effects of PGRs on strawberry maturation are lacking. In this study, a nuclear magnetic resonance-based approach, combined with multivariate and pathway analysis, was used to evaluate the regulatory effects of gibberellin, forchlorfenuron, and brassinolide, applied at two different maturation stages, on the expression of metabolites in strawberry.

A novel gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry derivatization method for nitrogen isotope analysis of nitrate in water.

Rationale: The stable nitrogen isotopic composition of nitrate (NO ) can be an effective tool to identify NO sources and understand nitrogen cycling. However, the usefulness of this isotopic tool in environment research has been limited by complex analytical procedures for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of NO . We aimed to develop a novel method for the simple and rapid measurement of the δ N value of NO in water.