Cellular Protein Aggregates: Formation, Biological Effects, and Ways of Elimination.

The accumulation of protein aggregates is the hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. The dysregulation of protein homeostasis (or proteostasis) caused by acute proteotoxic stresses or chronic expression of mutant proteins can lead to protein aggregation. Protein aggregates can interfere with a variety of cellular biological processes and consume factors essential for maintaining proteostasis, leading to a further imbalance of proteostasis and further accumulation of protein aggregates, creating a vicious cycle that ultimately leads to aging and the progression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Effect of Lacking ZKSCAN3 on Autophagy, Lysosomal Biogenesis and Senescence.

Transcription factors can affect autophagy activity by promoting or inhibiting the expression of autophagic and lysosomal genes. As a member of the zinc finger family DNA-binding proteins, ZKSCAN3 has been reported to function as a transcriptional repressor of autophagy, silencing of which can induce autophagy and promote lysosomal biogenesis in cancer cells. However, studies in knockout mice showed that the deficiency of ZKSCAN3 did not induce autophagy or increase lysosomal biogenesis.

sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from deep seawater.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designated C281, was isolated from seawater sampled at the Marshallese seamount chain. Results of 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that strain C281 was most closely related to CZ-AZ5 with 92.7 % sequence similarity.

Macrophage autophagy in macrophage polarization, chronic inflammation and organ fibrosis.

As the essential regulators of organ fibrosis, macrophages undergo marked phenotypic and functional changes after organ injury. These changes in macrophage phenotype and function can result in maladaptive repair, causing chronic inflammation and the development of pathological fibrosis. Autophagy, a highly conserved lysosomal degradation pathway, is one of the major players to maintain the homeostasis of macrophages through clearing protein aggregates, damaged organelles, and invading pathogens.

Autophagy and Renal Fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis is a common process of almost all the chronic kidney diseases progressing to end-stage kidney disease. As a highly conserved lysosomal protein degradation pathway, autophagy is responsible for degrading protein aggregates, damaged organelles, or invading pathogens to maintain intracellular homeostasis. Growing evidence reveals that autophagy is involved in the progression of renal fibrosis, both in the tubulointerstitial compartment and in the glomeruli.

Local hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of multiple recurrences of : A case report.

Background: is a type of soft tissue sarcoma, the histologic origin and differentiation direction of which are still unclear. There are few treatment options for other than surgery. Herein we describe a patient who had multiple recurrences of postoperatively, but R0 resection was achieved by local hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy, thus providing a new treatment approach for similar situations.

Extracellular HSPs: The Potential Target for Human Disease Therapy.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved stress proteins known as molecular chaperones, which are considered to be cytoplasmic proteins with functions restricted to the intracellular compartment, such as the cytoplasm or cellular organelles. However, an increasing number of observations have shown that HSPs can also be released into the extracellular matrix and can play important roles in the modulation of inflammation and immune responses. Recent studies have demonstrated that extracellular HSPs (eHSPs) were involved in many human diseases, such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and kidney diseases, which are all diseases that are closely linked to inflammation and immunity.

Cell Cycle Dysregulation and Renal Fibrosis.

Precise regulation of cell cycle is essential for tissue homeostasis and development, while cell cycle dysregulation is associated with many human diseases including renal fibrosis, a common process of various chronic kidney diseases progressing to end-stage renal disease. Under normal physiological conditions, most of the renal cells are post-mitotic quiescent cells arrested in the G0 phase of cell cycle and renal cells turnover is very low. Injuries induced by toxins, hypoxia, and metabolic disorders can stimulate renal cells to enter the cell cycle, which is essential for kidney regeneration and renal function restoration.

Autophagy in Viral Infection and Pathogenesis.

As an evolutionarily conserved cellular process, autophagy plays an essential role in the cellular metabolism of eukaryotes as well as in viral infection and pathogenesis. Under physiological conditions, autophagy is able to meet cellular energy needs and maintain cellular homeostasis through degrading long-lived cellular proteins and recycling damaged organelles. Upon viral infection, host autophagy could degrade invading viruses and initial innate immune response and facilitate viral antigen presentation, all of which contribute to preventing viral infection and pathogenesis.

Prevalence of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip in Chinese Adults: A Cross-sectional Survey.

Background: The prevalence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is unknown in China. We aimed to determine the prevalence of DDH in Chinese adults.

Methods: In this study, we performed a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of Chinese adults.

Biomechanical Comparison of Open and Arthroscopic Transosseous Repair of Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Foveal Tears: A Cadaveric Study.

Purpose: To biomechanically compare the stability between open repair and arthroscopic transosseous repair technique for reattachment of the foveal triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC). We also evaluated the feasibility of a new aiming device for the creation of 2 bone tunnels simultaneously during the arthroscopic technique.

Methods: Six matched pairs of fresh-frozen forearm cadaver specimens were prepared for testing.

[Research the biogeochemical processes of nutrients in Minjiang Estuary].

The variations in the concentration and distribution of nutrients and influencing factors in the Minjiang Estuary with a tidal cycle were investigated based on the data obtained during field observations in May 2007. The results showed the suspended sediment, dissolved inorganic nitrogen and silicate were opposite to the change of tidal, while the water level and salinity were consistent with tidal. The buffer mechanism of phosphate was controlled by suspended sand and water.

[Impact of typhoon "Fung-wong" on the distribution patterns of heavy metals in the Quanzhou Bay].

Based on the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) data of concentrations of 7 heavy metals (including Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and As) in suspended particles and surface sediments samples collected at 6 and 1 13-hours-mooring stations, respectively, in Quanzhou Bay 4 days after the landing of typhoon "Fung-wong". The average contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Cd are 60.4, 50.

[Distribution patterns of heavy metals in suspended particles of the Quanzhou Bay and their influence factors].

Based on the inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) data of concentrations of 7 heavy metals (including Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and As) in suspended particles and surface sediments samples collected at 6 and 2 13-hours-mooring stations, respectively, in Quanzhou Bay. The average contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cd are 1.610-0.

[Distribution patterns of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Quanzhou Bay and environmental quality assessment].

The concentrations of 7 heavy metals were determined in 48 surface sediments in the Quanzhou Bay by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The average contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb are 47.66, 52.

[Spatial variations of carbon and nitrogen in coastal wetland sediments of Quanzhou Bay in China].

Six short sediment cores were collected from different coastal wetlands of Quanzhou Bay in order to obtain the particle size distribution and median grain size by laser particle size analyzer, and the contents of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total inorganic carbon (TIC) by element analyzer. Analysis results show that sediment in coastal wetlands of Quanzhou Bay can be classified as silt and clayey-silt, and the median grain size varies from 9.2 microm to 18.