Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cold acclimation strategies on exercise performance in male mice exposed to low-temperature environments.
Methods: Male mice were subjected to five distinct acclimation regimens over 8 weeks: immersion at 10 °C (10 °CI) or 20 °C (20 °CI), swimming at 10 °C (10 °CS), 20 °C (20 °CS), or 34 °C (34 °CS). During the first 2 weeks, the acclimation time progressively decreased from 30 min to 3 min per day, and the water temperatures were lowered from 34 °C to the target levels, followed by 6 weeks of consistent exposure.
Electrical stimulation of existing three-dimensional bioprinted tissues to alter tissue activities is typically associated with wired delivery, invasive electrode placement, and potential cell damage, minimizing its efficacy in cardiac modulation. Here, we report an optoelectronically active scaffold based on printed gelatin methacryloyl embedded with micro-solar cells, seeded with cardiomyocytes to form light-stimulable tissues. This enables untethered, noninvasive, and damage-free optoelectronic stimulation-induced modulation of cardiac beating behaviors without needing wires or genetic modifications to the tissue solely with light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigher strength and higher ductility are desirable for structural materials. However, ultrastrong alloys inevitably show decreased strain-hardening capacity, limiting their uniform elongation. We present a supranano (<10 nanometers) and short-range ordering design for grain interiors and grain boundary regions, respectively, in fine-grained alloys based on vanadium, cobalt, and nickel, with additions of tungsten, copper, aluminum, and boron.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To measure the aging process before a cancer diagnosis, we developed the first cancer-specific proteomic aging clock (CaPAC) and examined its association with cancer risk in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) studies.
Methods: Using the SomaScan assay, ARIC measured 4,712 proteins in plasma samples collected in 1990-92 from 3,347 participants who developed cancer over follow-up until 2015 and 7,487 who remained cancer-free, all aged 46-70. We constructed CaPAC0 using elastic net regression among two-thirds randomly selected cancer-free participants (N=4,991, training set) and calculated age acceleration for CaPAC0 (CaPAA0) as residuals of CaPAC0 on chronological age in all remaining ARIC participants.
Adipogenesis is the healthy expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT), serving as a compensatory response to maintain metabolic homeostasis in the presence of excess energy in the body. Therefore, the identification of novel regulatory molecules in adipogenesis, specifically membrane receptors such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), holds significant clinical promise. These receptors can serve as viable targets for pharmaceuticals, offering potential for restoring metabolic homeostasis in individuals with obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRiboflavin, an important vitamin utilized in pharmaceutical products and as a feed additive, is mainly produced by metabolically engineered bacterial fermentation. However, the reliance on antibiotics in the production process leads to increased costs and safety risks. To address these challenges, an antibiotic-free riboflavin producer was constructed using metabolic engineering approaches coupled with a novel plasmid stabilization system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiabetic wound healing remains a major challenge in modern medicine. The persistent inflammation and immune dysfunction hinder angiogenesis by producing excessive ROS and increasing the susceptibility to bacterial infection. In this study, we developed an integrated strategy for whole-process management of diabetic wounds based on a bioinspired adhesive hydrogel platform with hemostasis, photothermal antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs part of our plan to discover new bioactive ingredients from entomophagous fungi, a new macrolide compound, talarolide (1), and a new bioactive natural product, talarenal (2), with two known compounds, WF-3681 methy ester (3) and aspergillumarin A (4) were isolated from an insect derived strain GIZ45-A37. The structures were determined based on extensive comprehensive spectroscopic (NMR and HR-ESI-MS) analyses and compared with literature values. The relative configuration of 1 was defined by DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent DP4/DP4+ probability methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFibrosis represents a terminal pathological manifestation encountered in numerous chronic diseases. The process involves the persistent infiltration of inflammatory cells, the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, and the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) within damaged tissues, all of which are characteristic features of organ fibrosis. Extensive documentation exists on fibrosis occurrence in vital organs such as the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, and skeletal muscles, elucidating its underlying pathological mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to explore whether ultra-early indicators can predict the severity of acute hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) and guide clinical decisions. This retrospective study analyzed data from HTGP patients who were categorized into mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and moderately severe/severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP/SAP) groups based on their final clinical outcomes. Ultra-early indicators (serum calcium, triglyceride [TG], interleukin-6 [IL-6], D-dimer, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], arterial lactate) were measured within 6 h of admission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhonghua Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue
December 2024
Macrophages are widely distributed in peripheral blood, lungs, liver, brain, kidneys, skin, testes, vascular endothelial cells, and other parts of the body. As sentinel cells of innate immunity, they play an important role in the occurrence and development of sepsis. Recent research in immune metabolism has revealed the complicated relationship between specific metabolic pathways of macrophages and their phenotype and function in sepsis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlecirasib (JAB-21822) is a new covalent oral KRAS-G12C inhibitor. This multicenter, single-arm phase 2b study assessed the efficacy and safety of glecirasib administered orally at 800 mg daily in patients with locally advanced or metastatic KRAS-mutated nonsmall-cell lung cancer. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR) assessed by an independent review committee (IRC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), osteoarthritis (OA), and osteoporosis (OP) are common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with similar age-related risk factors, representing the leading causes of disability. However, successful therapeutic development and translation have been hampered by the lack of clinically-relevant animal models. In this study, we investigated the potential suitability of the tree shrew, a small mammal with a close genetic relationship to primates, as a new animal model for MSDs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEntomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) associated with their symbiotic bacteria can effectively kill insect pests, in agriculture, forestry and floriculture. Industrial-scale production techniques for EPNs have been established, including solid and liquid monoculture systems. It is found that supplement of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent explorations into cinnamaldehyde (CIN) have identified its potential as a natural preservative, particularly when incorporated into active packaging to enhance the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. This study explores the use of cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-stabilized Pickering emulsions as a novel delivery system for essential oils, demonstrating broad applicability in food preservation strategies. We employ CNF as Pickering stabilizers to effectively emulsify and encapsulate CIN, investigating the influence of tannic acid (TA) concentrations on the stability of these emulsions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe impact of housing temperature on exercise-induced metabolic adaptations is not well understood, despite extensive research on the benefits of exercise for metabolic health. The aim of this study was to elucidate how housing temperatures influence the molecular responses and metabolic benefits of exercise in mice. Male C57BL/6N mice were housed at either room temperature (RT, 21°C) or in a thermoneutral environment (TN, 29°C) and subjected to either a 6-week or acute exercise regimen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai)
December 2024
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) plays a pivotal role in regulating metabolic processes and energy homeostasis, making it a promising therapeutic avenue for various obesity-related conditions. However, its therapeutic efficacy faces challenges due to its suboptimal pharmacokinetics and bioactivity. To overcome these limitations, we adapt a strategy in which key amino acid residues responsible for enhanced activity are pinpointed through sequence alignment and comparative analysis to develop long-acting FGF21 analogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Ther Nucleic Acids
December 2024
CHD6, a member of the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein family, has been implicated in various diseases and tumors. However, its precise binding model of CHD6 on regulatory functional genes remains poorly understood. In this study, we discovered sharp peaks of CHD6, as the first member of CHD family for housekeeping process, binding only to the promoter region of genes in the C4-2 cell line.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioblastoma (GBM) severely hinder the infiltration and activity of natural killer (NK) cells, thereby reducing their clinical efficacy in GBM treatment. To address this challenge, we introduced an engineered living material, HEFDS-NK cells, designed to enhance the penetration of NK cells across the BBB and improve their cytotoxicity against GBM. HEFDS comprises magnetic nanoparticles modified using cationic polyethylenimine (PEI), selenocysteine (Sec), and sodium hyaluronate (HA) and cocultured with NK cells to form HEFDS-NK cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFree Radic Biol Med
February 2025
The mitochondrial open reading frame of 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) is a biologically active mitochondria-derived peptide. However, the relationship between MOTS-c, skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, and endurance exercise adaptations is unknown. Here, we tested indices such as maximal oxygen uptake and serum MOTS-c levels in marathon runners and sedentary subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore the types of pathogens causing lower respiratory tract infections (LTRIs) in children and construction of a predictive model for monitoring secondary asthma caused by LTRIs.
Methods: Seven hundred and seventy-five children with LTRIs treated from June 2017 to July 2024 were selected as research subjects. Bacterial isolation and culture were performed on all children, and drug sensitivity tests were conducted on the isolated pathogens; And according to whether the child developed secondary asthma during treatment, they were divided into asthma group (n = 116) and non-asthma group (n = 659); Using logistic regression model to analyze the risk factors affecting secondary asthma in children with LTRIs, and establishing machine learning (ie nomogram and decision tree) prediction models; Using ROC curve analysis machine learning algorithms to predict AUC values, sensitivity, and specificity of secondary asthma in children with LTRIs.
Encapsulin nanocompartments loaded with dedicated cargo proteins via unique targeting peptides, play a key role in stress resistance, iron storage and natural product biosynthesis. Mmp1 and cysteine desulfurase (Enc-CD) have been identified as the most abundant representatives of family 2 encapsulin systems. However, the molecular assembly, catalytic mechanism, and physiological functions of the Mmp1 encapsulin system have not been studied in detail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Synth Biol
January 2025
targeted mutagenesis technologies are the basis for the continuous directed evolution of specific proteins. Here, an efficient mutagenesis system (CgMutaT7) for continuous evolution of the targeted gene in was developed. First, cytosine deaminase and uracil-DNA glycosylase inhibitor were sequentially fused to T7 RNA polymerase using flexible linkers to build the CgMutaT7 system, which introduces mutations in targeted regions controlled by the T7 promoter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Male sterility is an important trait for breeding and for the seedless fruit production in citrus. We identified one seedling which exhibiting male sterility and seedlessness (named hereafter), from a cross between two fertile parents, with sour orange () as seed parent and Ponkan mandarin () as pollen parent. Analysis using pollen viability staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the mature pollen of the was aborted, displaying collapse and deformity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCysteine metabolism is a key determinant of the defense against ferroptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Blocking cysteine metabolism may trigger potent ferroptosis in PDAC cells by generating lipid peroxides during tumor metabolic processes. However, current methods to limit cysteine availability fall short, failing to efficiently block cysteine metabolism due to inadequate tumor targeting and compensatory cysteine sources.
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