Intraplatelet miRNA-126 regulates thrombosis and its reduction contributes to platelet inhibition.

Aims: MicroRNA-126 (miR-126), one of the most abundant microRNAs in platelets, is involved in the regulation of platelet activity and the circulating miR-126 is reduced during antiplatelet therapy. However, whether intraplatelet miR-126 plays a role in thrombosis and platelet inhibition remains unclear.

Methods And Results: Here, using tissue-specific knockout mice, we reported that the deficiency of miR-126 in platelets and vascular endothelial cells significantly prevented thrombosis and prolonged bleeding time.

Influence of acidic metabolic environment on differentiation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

Stem cell-based myocardial regeneration is a frontier topic in the treatment of myocardial infarction. Manipulating the metabolic microenvironment of stem cells can influence their differentiation into cardiomyocytes, which have promising clinical applications. pH is an important indicator of the metabolic environment during cardiomyocyte development.

Poly(cannabinoid)s: Hemp-Derived Biocompatible Thermoplastic Polyesters with Inherent Antioxidant Properties.

The legalization of hemp cultivation in the United States has caused the price of hemp-derived cannabinoids to decrease 10-fold within 2 years. Cannabidiol (CBD), one of many naturally occurring diols found in hemp, can be purified in high yield for low cost, making it an interesting candidate for polymer feedstock. In this study, two polyesters were synthesized from the condensation of either CBD or cannabigerol (CBG) with adipoyl chloride.

A Critical Role of δ-Opioid Receptor in Anti-microglial Activation Under Stress.

Microglia are involved in the regulation of cerebral homeostasis and pathogen confrontation. There is, however, evidence showing that excessive microglia activation is implicated in various age-related cerebral diseases. On the other hand, microglia may experience complex changes of polarization in pathological insults, i.

Magnetic-field-induced robust zero Hall plateau state in MnBiTe Chern insulator.

The intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBiTe provides an ideal platform for exploring exotic topological quantum phenomena. Recently, the Chern insulator and axion insulator phases have been realized in few-layer MnBiTe devices at low magnetic field regime. However, the fate of MnBiTe in high magnetic field has never been explored in experiment.

δ-opioid receptor activation protects against Parkinson's disease-related mitochondrial dysfunction by enhancing PINK1/Parkin-dependent mitophagy.

Our previous studies have shown that the δ-opioid receptor (DOR) is an important neuroprotector via the regulation of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), a mitochondria-related molecule, under hypoxic and MPP insults. Since mitochondrial dysfunctions are observed in both hypoxia and MPP insults, this study further investigated whether DOR is cytoprotective against these insults by targeting mitochondria. Through comparing DOR-induced responses to hypoxia versus MPP-induced parkinsonian insult in PC12 cells, we found that both hypoxia and MPP caused a collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and severe mitochondrial dysfunction.

Cardiovascular manifestations in severe and critical patients with COVID-19.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could cause virulent infection leading to Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related pneumonia as well as multiple organ injuries.

Hypothesis: COVID-19 infection may result in cardiovascular manifestations leading to worse clinical outcome.

Methods: Fifty four severe and critical patients with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled.

Type-II Ising Superconductivity in Two-Dimensional Materials with Spin-Orbit Coupling.

Centrosymmetric materials with spin-degenerate bands are generally considered to be trivial for spintronics and related physics. In two-dimensional (2D) materials with multiple degenerate orbitals, we find that the spin-orbit coupling can induce spin-orbital locking, generate out-of-plane Zeeman-like fields displaying opposite signs for opposing orbitals, and create novel electronic states insensitive to the in-plane magnetic field, which thus enables a new type of Ising superconductivity applicable to centrosymmetric materials. Many candidate materials are identified by high-throughput first-principles calculations.

Carnosic acid potentiates the anticancer effect of temozolomide by inducing apoptosis and autophagy in glioma.

Objective: Malignant glioma is a lethal brain tumor with a low survival rate and poor prognosis. New strategies are urgently needed to augment the chemotherapeutic effects of temozolomide (TMZ), the standard drug in glioma treatment. Carnosic acid (CA) has been reported to have anticancer, antioxidant and anti-infectious properties.

Grouper iridovirus GIV66 is a Bcl-2 protein that inhibits apoptosis by exclusively sequestering Bim.

Programmed cell death or apoptosis is a critical mechanism for the controlled removal of damaged or infected cells, and proteins of the Bcl-2 family are important arbiters of this process. Viruses have been shown to encode functional and structural homologs of Bcl-2 to counter premature host-cell apoptosis and ensure viral proliferation or survival. Grouper iridovirus (GIV) is a large DNA virus belonging to the Iridoviridae family and harbors GIV66, a putative Bcl-2-like protein and mitochondrially localized apoptosis inhibitor.