Effect of smoking on thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome: a 10-year prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for autoimmune diseases. However, whether smoking plays a clear role in thrombotic APS (TAPS) has not been determined. We aimed to investigate the effects of smoking on the clinical characteristics and prognosis of TAPS.

ATM Inhibition-Induced ISG15/IFI27/OASL Is Correlated with Immunotherapy Response and Inflamed Immunophenotype.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy can improve the survival of cancer patients with a high tumor mutation burden (TMB-H) or deficiency in DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) in their tumors. However, most cancer patients without TMB-H and dMMR do not benefit from ICB therapy. The inhibition of ATM can increase DNA damage and activate the interferon response, thus modulating the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and the efficacy of ICB therapy.

Multiple Calcium Channel Types with Unique Expression Patterns Mediate Retinal Signaling at Bipolar Cell Ribbon Synapses.

Retinal bipolar cells (BCs) compose the canonical vertical excitatory pathway that conveys photoreceptor output to inner retinal neurons. Although synaptic transmission from BC terminals is thought to rely almost exclusively on Ca influx through voltage-gated Ca (Ca) channels mediating L-type currents, the molecular identity of Ca channels in BCs is uncertain. Therefore, we combined molecular and functional analyses to determine the expression profiles of Ca α, β, and αδ subunits in mouse rod bipolar (RB) cells, BCs from which the dynamics of synaptic transmission are relatively well-characterized.

Glutamate Transporters EAAT2 and EAAT5 Differentially Shape Synaptic Transmission from Rod Bipolar Cell Terminals.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) control visual signal transmission in the retina by rapidly removing glutamate released from photoreceptors and bipolar cells (BCs). Although it has been reported that EAAT2 and EAAT5 are expressed at presynaptic terminals of photoreceptors and some BCs in mammals, the distinct functions of these two glutamate transporters in retinal synaptic transmission, especially at a single synapse, remain elusive. In this study, we found that EAAT2 was expressed in all BC types while coexisting with EAAT5 in rod bipolar (RB) cells and several types of cone BCs from mice of either sex.

Targeting Cancer Stem Cells through Epigenetic Modulation of Interferon Response.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cancer cells and are thought to play a critical role in the initiation and maintenance of tumor mass. CSCs exhibit similar hallmarks to normal stem cells, such as self-renewal, differentiation, and homeostasis. In addition, CSCs are equipped with several features so as to evade anticancer mechanisms.

Epigenetic therapy combination of UNC0638 and CI-994 suppresses breast cancer via epigenetic remodeling of BIRC5 and GADD45A.

Background: There is currently a growing interest in the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapies associated with precision oncology for breast cancer (BC). This study aimed to demonstrate the clinical significance of euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferase 2 (EHMT2), histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC2 in BC, to evaluate the antitumor effectiveness of a combination of the selective inhibitors UNC0638 and CI-994 (U+C), and to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Multi-omic analysis was used to study the clinical significance of the biomarkers of interest.

Downregulation of ATM and BRCA1 Predicts Poor Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer: Implications for ATM-Targeted Therapy.

and are DNA repair genes that play a central role in homologous recombination repair. Alterations of and gene expression are found in cancers, some of which are correlated with treatment response and patient outcome. However, the role of and gene expression in head and neck cancer (HNC) is not well characterized.

Corrigendum: New Insights Into the Plastome Evolution of the Millettioid/Phaseoloid Clade (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.

Calmodulin Bidirectionally Regulates Evoked and Spontaneous Neurotransmitter Release at Retinal Ribbon Synapses.

For decades, a role for the Ca-binding protein calmodulin (CaM) in Ca-dependent presynaptic modulation of synaptic transmission has been recognized. Here, we investigated the influence of CaM on evoked and spontaneous neurotransmission at rod bipolar (RB) cell→AII amacrine cell synapses in the mouse retina. Our work was motivated by the observations that expression of CaM in RB axon terminals is extremely high and that [Ca] in RB terminals normally rises sufficiently to saturate endogenous buffers, making tonic CaM activation likely.

The benefits of higher LMR for early threatened abortion: A retrospective cohort study.

Problem: To investigate the relation of inflammation-related parameters and pregnancy outcome in women with the early threatened abortion.

Method Of Study: 630 women with early threatened abortion were divided into two groups based on the pregnancy outcome. All of them had the blood routine examination before treating.

New Insights Into the Plastome Evolution of the Millettioid/Phaseoloid Clade (Papilionoideae, Leguminosae).

The Millettioid/Phaseoloid (MP) clade from the subfamily Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) consists of six tribes and ca. 3,000 species. Previous studies have revealed some plastome structural variations (PSVs) within this clade.

Exploration of Plastid Phylogenomic Conflict Yields New Insights into the Deep Relationships of Leguminosae.

Phylogenomic analyses have helped resolve many recalcitrant relationships in the angiosperm tree of life, yet phylogenetic resolution of the backbone of the Leguminosae, one of the largest and most economically and ecologically important families, remains poor due to generally limited molecular data and incomplete taxon sampling of previous studies. Here, we resolve many of the Leguminosae's thorniest nodes through comprehensive analysis of plastome-scale data using multiple modified coding and noncoding data sets of 187 species representing almost all major clades of the family. Additionally, we thoroughly characterize conflicting phylogenomic signal across the plastome in light of the family's complex history of plastome evolution.

Differences in the Composition of Vaginal Microbiota between Women Exhibiting Spleen-Deficiency Syndrome and Women with Damp-Heat Syndrome, Two of the Most Common Syndromes of Vaginitis in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Spleen-deficiency syndrome and damp-heat syndrome are the two most common syndromes of vaginitis in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although it is known that the vaginal microbiota is closely associated with vaginitis, present studies have not fully elucidated the relationship between the composition of the vaginal microbiome and type of TCM syndrome because of the limitations in the present reductionist approaches. Samples of vaginal secretions were collected from patients with bacterial vaginitis and healthy subjects with spleen-deficiency syndrome and damp-heat syndrome, in order to analyze the constitution of the vaginal microflora using 16S rRNA sequencing methods that encompass taxonomic units, alpha diversity rarefaction curves, and principal component analyses.

Plastid Genome Evolution in the Early-Diverging Legume Subfamily Cercidoideae (Fabaceae).

The subfamily Cercidoideae is an early-branching legume lineage, which consists of 13 genera distributed in the tropical and warm temperate Northern Hemisphere. A previous study detected two plastid genomic variations in this subfamily, but the limited taxon sampling left the overall plastid genome (plastome) diversification across the subfamily unaddressed, and phylogenetic relationships within this clade remained unresolved. Here, we assembled eight plastomes from seven Cercidoideae genera and conducted phylogenomic-comparative analyses in a broad evolutionary framework across legumes.

Diversification of Rosaceae since the Late Cretaceous based on plastid phylogenomics.

Phylogenetic relationships in Rosaceae have long been problematic because of frequent hybridisation, apomixis and presumed rapid radiation, and their historical diversification has not been clarified. With 87 genera representing all subfamilies and tribes of Rosaceae and six of the other eight families of Rosales (outgroups), we analysed 130 newly sequenced plastomes together with 12 from GenBank in an attempt to reconstruct deep relationships and reveal temporal diversification of this family. Our results highlight the importance of improving sequence alignment and the use of appropriate substitution models in plastid phylogenomics.

Genome skimming reveals the complete chloroplast genome of (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Arundinarieae) with phylogenomic implication.

is one drooping bamboo with an important ornamental value endemic to Taiwan Island. To date, the genetic and genomic information of this species is little known. Here we characterized the complete chloroplast genome of using genome skimming approach.

Chloroplast Genome Evolution in Actinidiaceae: clpP Loss, Heterogenous Divergence and Phylogenomic Practice.

Actinidiaceae is a well-known economically important plant family in asterids. To elucidate the chloroplast (cp) genome evolution within this family, here we present complete genomes of three species from two sister genera (Clematoclethra and Actinidia) in the Actinidiaceae via genome skimming technique. Comparative analyses revealed that the genome structure and content were rather conservative in three cp genomes in spite of different inheritance pattern, i.

Impact of LPL gene rs283 polymorphism on exercise-induced changes in metabolism of obese adolescents and the regulatory mechanisms behind it.

What is the central question of this study? We investigated whether the LPL gene rs283 polymorphism affects exercise-induced changes in body composition and lipid and glucose metabolism in obese adolescents and whether it is functional. What is the main finding and its importance? Chinese obese adolescents of Han nationality with the GG genotype of the rs283 polymorphism were more sensitive to exercise-induced reduction of the body fat percentage, insulin resistance and plasma triglyceride levels. The G allele can significantly increase reporter gene expression level, which may be the molecular reason for the difference in exercise-induced parameter changes among obese adolescents.

Should genes with missing data be excluded from phylogenetic analyses?

Phylogeneticists often design their studies to maximize the number of genes included but minimize the overall amount of missing data. However, few studies have addressed the costs and benefits of adding characters with missing data, especially for likelihood analyses of multiple loci. In this paper, we address this topic using two empirical data sets (in yeast and plants) with well-resolved phylogenies.

Initial value problems of cylindrical electromagnetic waves propagation in a nonlinear nondispersive medium.

We introduce a simple method to estimate the accuracy of exact solutions under initial value conditions proposed by Petrov and Kudrin [Phys. Rev. Lett.

Comparative analysis of a large dataset indicates that internal transcribed spacer (ITS) should be incorporated into the core barcode for seed plants.

A two-marker combination of plastid rbcL and matK has previously been recommended as the core plant barcode, to be supplemented with additional markers such as plastid trnH-psbA and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). To assess the effectiveness and universality of these barcode markers in seed plants, we sampled 6,286 individuals representing 1,757 species in 141 genera of 75 families (42 orders) by using four different methods of data analysis. These analyses indicate that (i) the three plastid markers showed high levels of universality (87.