Handgrip Strength Is Inversely Associated With the Progression of Kidney Damage in a General Japanese Population: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background Handgrip strength is an indicator of muscle function and a predictor of health outcomes. However, only a few studies have examined the association between handgrip strength and the development of kidney damage. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal association of handgrip strength with kidney damage in a general Japanese population.

Design, in silico evaluation, and in vitro verification of new bivalent Smac mimetics with pro-apoptotic activity.

Bivalent Smac mimetics have been shown to possess binding affinity and pro-apoptotic activity similar to or more potent than that of native Smac, a protein dimer able to neutralize the anti-apoptotic activity of an inhibitor of caspase enzymes, XIAP, which endows cancer cells with resistance to anticancer drugs. We design five new bivalent Smac mimetics, which are formed by various linkers tethering two diazabicyclic cores being the IAP binding motifs. We built in silico models of the five mimetics by the TwistDock workflow and evaluated their conformational tendency, which suggests that compound 3, whose linker is n-hexylene, possess the highest binding potency among the five.

Combination of Risks of BMI and Health-Related Lifestyles on Kidney Function in the Prediabetic Japanese Population: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Diabetic overweight patients are more likely to show the progression of kidney damage than the general population. The majority of people in the early stages of kidney damage do not recognize the importance of risk modification, mainly due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease. This study aimed to examine specific risk combinations of lifestyle and BMI regarding the deterioration of kidney function and to explore whether there are gender-based differences among the prediabetic population.

Circ_CEA promotes the interaction between the p53 and cyclin-dependent kinases 1 as a scaffold to inhibit the apoptosis of gastric cancer.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to play essential roles in tumorigenesis and progression. This study aimed to identify dysregulated circRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) and investigate the functions and underlying mechanism of these circRNAs in GC development. Here, we identify circ_CEA, a circRNA derived from the back-splicing of CEA cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEA) gene, as a novel oncogenic driver of GC.

PAD4-dependent citrullination of nuclear translocation of GSK3β promotes colorectal cancer progression via the degradation of nuclear CDKN1A.

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4), a Ca-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the conversion of arginine to citrulline and has been strongly associated with many malignant tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms of PAD4 in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclearly defined. In our study, PAD4 expression was increased in CRC tissues and cells, and was closely related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis.

Vimentin binds to a novel tumor suppressor protein, GSPT1-238aa, encoded by circGSPT1 with a selective encoding priority to halt autophagy in gastric carcinoma.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed, endogenous molecules that are widespread in eukaryotes. Recent evidence indicates that circRNAs play important roles in carcinogenesis. Several circRNAs have been reported to comprise translatable RNA; however, whether circRNAs encode functional proteins remains unknown.

Hearing loss and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Hearing loss is an important public health problem. Its causes vary, including infections, noise, and aging. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in April 2020 in Japan.

Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1 promotes proliferation and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell.

Background: Long non-coding RNA SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (Lnc RNA SPRY4-IT1) was aberrant-expressed in various kinds of cancer. Increasing evidence demonstrated that lnc RNAs involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this study, we aimed to explore the biological role of SPRY4-IT1 on the phenotype of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in vitro and in vivo.

A novel protein AXIN1-295aa encoded by circAXIN1 activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to promote gastric cancer progression.

Background: Circular RNA (circRNA), a subclass of non-coding RNA, plays a critical role in cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis. It has been suggested that circRNA acts as a microRNA sponge or a scaffold to interact with protein complexes; however, its full range of functions remains elusive. Recently, some circRNAs have been found to have coding potential.

MiRNA-20b/SUFU/Wnt axis accelerates gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and EMT.

Previous research has found that miRNA-20b is highly expressed in gastric cancer (GC), however, its function and underlying mechanism are not clear. Wnt signaling pathway, implicated in tumorigeneisis, is activated in more than 30% of GC. We would like to characterize the biological behavior of miRNA-20b in terms of modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and EMT.

Dual activation of Hedgehog and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway caused by downregulation of SUFU targeted by miRNA-150 in human gastric cancer.

Mounting evidence has shown that miRNA-150 expression is upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) and is associated with gastric carcinogenesis, but the underlying oncogenic mechanism remains elusive. Here, we discovered that miRNA-150 targets the tumor suppressor SUFU to promote cell proliferation, migration, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the dual activation of Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt signaling. MiRNA-150 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines, and the level of this miRNA was negatively related to that of SUFU.

Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery for subxiphoid anterior mediastinal tumor resection.

Background: Subxiphoid approach for mediastinal tumor resection was reported to provide a better view and less postoperative pain. Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (NI-VATS) without muscle relaxant would decrease the possibility of postoperative airway collapse for anterior mediastinal mass operation. Herein, we sought to describe the use of NI-VATS through subxiphoid approach for anterior mediastinal tumor resection.

SUFU mediates EMT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activation promoted by miRNA-324-5p in human gastric cancer.

The poor prognosis of late gastric carcinomas (GC) underscores the necessity to identify novel biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and effective therapeutic targets. MiRNA-324-5p has been shown to be over-expressed in GC, however the biological function of miRNA-324-5p implicated in gastric cancer and its downstream targets were not well understood. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is aberrantly regulated in GC.

miRNA-192 and -215 activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in gastric cancer via APC.

Although great progress has been made in surgical techniques, traditional radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, gastric cancer (GC) is still the most common malignant tumor and has a high mortality, which highlights the importance of novel diagnostic markers. Emerging studies suggest that different microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis of GC. In this study, we found that miRNA-192 and -215 are significantly upregulated in GC and promote cell proliferation and migration.

Inhibition of miR‑194 suppresses the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway in gastric cancer.

A mounting body of evidence has revealed that microRNAs (miRs) serve pivotal roles in various developmental processes, and in tumourigenesis, by binding to target genes and subsequently regulating gene expression. Continued activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling is positively associated with human malignancy. In addition, miR‑194 dysregulation has been implicated in gastric cancer (GC); however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of miR‑194 on GC carcinogenesis remain to be elucidated.

Inhibition of the miR-192/215-Rab11-FIP2 axis suppresses human gastric cancer progression.

Less than a century ago, gastric cancer (GC) was the most common cancer throughout the world. Despite advances in surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic treatment, GC remains the number 3 cancer killer worldwide. This fact highlights the need for better diagnostic biomarkers and more effective therapeutic targets.

SMG-1 inhibition by miR-192/-215 causes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric carcinogenesis via activation of Wnt signaling.

SMG-1,a member of the phosphoinositide kinase-like kinase family, functioned as a tumor suppressor gene. However, the role of SMG-1 in GC remain uncharacterized. In this study, regulation of SMG-1 by miR-192 and-215, along with the biological effects of this modulation, were studied in GC.

Hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystalline perovskite PbTiO3 nanosheets with dominant (001) facets.

Single-crystalline tetragonal perovskite lead titanate (PbTiO3) nanosheets with dominant (001) facets have been successfully synthesized by employing layered K2Ti6O13 nanofibers as titanium sources. The as-prepared PbTiO3 nanosheets were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and selected-area electron diffraction. In order to understand the formation mechanism of the PbTiO3 nanosheets, a series of time-dependent experiments were performed.