Potential contribution of the gut microbiota to the development of portal vein thrombosis in liver cirrhosis.

Background: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis (LC) and is closely related to gut homeostasis. The study aimed to investigate the composition of gut microbiota and its putative role in PVT development in LC.

Methods: 33 patients with LC admitted between January 2022 and December 2022 were enrolled in this study.

Therapeutic vaccine against IL-1β improved glucose control in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Inflammation is strongly associated with the mechanism of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Blockade of the key proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β has been implicated as a promising therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this study, we developed an IL-1β-targeted therapeutic vaccine consisting of an IL-1β epitope peptide (A1β) and assessed its efficacy on a diabetic KK-A mouse model.

GABA, progesterone and zona pellucida activation of PLA2 and regulation by MEK-ERK1/2 during acrosomal exocytosis in guinea pig spermatozoa.

We investigated whether GABA activates phospholipase A2 (PLA2) during acrosomal exocytosis, and if the MEK-ERK1/2 pathway modulates PLA2 activation initiated by GABA, progesterone or zona pellucida (ZP). In guinea pig spermatozoa prelabelled with [14C]arachidonic acid or [14C]choline chloride, GABA stimulated a decrease in phosphatidylcholine (PC), and release of arachidonic acid and lysoPC, during exocytosis. These lipid changes are indicative of PLA2 activation and appear essential for exocytosis since inclusion of aristolochic acid (a PLA2 inhibitor) abrogated them, along with exocytosis.

Neuroprotection by melatonin against ischemic neuronal injury associated with modulation of DNA damage and repair in the rat following a transient cerebral ischemia.

In the present study, double fluorescence staining combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis were used to examine the effects of melatonin on ischemia-induced neuronal DNA strand breaks and its possible mechanisms in a transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model. Results showed that melatonin dose-dependently reduced infarct areas and decreased both DNA double and single strand breaks (DSB and SSB) and enhanced cell viability in the peri-ischemic brain regions. Furthermore, Bcl-2 induction in the ischemic brain was further enhanced by melatonin treatment.