MiR-1307-5p enhances fibroblast transdifferentiation to exacerbate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through regulating FBXL16/HIF1α axis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an irreversible and progressive chronic inflammatory lung disease which affects millions of people worldwide. Activated fibroblasts are observed to accumulate in lung of COPD patients and promote COPD progression through aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. In this study, we identified that miR-1307-5p expression was significantly increased in lung fibroblasts derived from COPD patients.

Sinomenine ameliorates fibroblast-like synoviocytes dysfunction by promoting phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of CRMP2.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and arthritic pain. Sinomenine (SIN), derived from the rhizome of Chinese medical herb Qing Teng (scientific name: Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd.

Simulations of naïve and KLA-activated macrophage plasma membrane models.

Macrophages (MAs), which play vital roles in human immune responses and lipid metabolisms, are implicated in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, the abnormal lipid metabolism of oxidized low-density lipids (oxLDLs) in MAs is believed to be a crucial factor. However, the precise mechanism by which the MA membrane contributes to this altered lipid metabolism remains unclear.

The genetic architecture of the corpus callosum and its genetic overlap with common neuropsychiatric diseases.

Background: The corpus callosum (CC) is the main structure transferring information between the cerebral hemispheres. Although previous large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) has illustrated the genetic architecture of white matter integrity of CC, CC volume is less stressed.

Methods: Using MRI data from 33,861 individuals in UK Biobank, we conducted univariate and multivariate GWAS for CC fractional anisotropy (FA) and volume with PLINK 2.

Sinomenine regulates immune cell subsets: Potential neuro-immune intervene for precise treatment of chronic pain.

Chronic pain is a disease of long-lasting pain with unpleasant feelings mediated by central and (or) peripheral sensitization, its duration usually lasts more than 3 months or longer than the expected recovery time. The patients with chronic pain are manifested with enhanced sensitivity to noxious and non-noxious stimuli. Due to an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms, patients are commonly insensitive to the treatment of first line analgesic medicine in clinic.

Association of circadian rhythms with brain disorder incidents: a prospective cohort study of 72242 participants.

Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is a shared characteristic of various brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and major depression disorder (MDD). Disruption of circadian rhythm might be a risk factor for brain disorder incidents. From 7-day accelerometry data of 72,242 participants in UK Biobank, we derived a circadian relative amplitude variable, which to some extent reflected the degree of circadian rhythm disruption.

An Apriori Algorithm-Based Association Analysis of Analgesic Drugs in Chinese Medicine Prescriptions Recorded From Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain.

Chronic pain, a common symptom of people with rheumatoid arthritis, usually behaves as persistent polyarthralgia pain and causes serious damage to patients' physical and mental health. Opioid analgesics can lead to a series of side effects like drug tolerance and addiction. Thus, seeking an alternative therapy and screening out the corresponding analgesic drugs is the key to solving the current dilemma.

Vitamin A Deficiency Exacerbates Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Cognitive Deficits in Amyloid Precursor Protein/Presenilin 1 Transgenic Mice.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the specific mechanism by which VAD aggravates cognitive impairment is still unknown. At the intersection of microbiology and neuroscience, the gut-brain axis is undoubtedly contributing to the formation and function of neurological systems, but most of the previous studies have ignored the influence of gut microbiota on the cognitive function in VAD.

Pharmacology and molecular docking study of cartilage protection of Chinese herbal medicine Fufang Shatai Heji (STHJ) by inhibiting the expression of MMPs in collagen-induced arthritis mice.

Background: This study aims to explore whether Fufang Shatai Heji (STHJ), as a mixture collected by a decoction of a variety of Chinese herbal medicines for immune system diseases, can improve the cartilage destruction of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: The therapeutic effects of STHJ were studied using collagen induced arthritis (CIA) mice. The improvement effect of STHJ on synovitis and cartilage damage caused by arthritis was studied by joint pathological analysis.

[Effect of Yes-associated protein in regulation of electroacupuncture pretreatment on cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment on inflammatory reaction, apoptosis and expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) of ischemic penumbra of cerebral cortex in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury rats, and to explore the possible mechanism of its neuroprotection effect.

Methods: A total of 84 SD rats were randomized into a sham operation group (12 rats), a model group (18 rats), an EA group (18 rats), an EA+YAP virus transfection group (18 rats) and an EA+virus control group (18 rats). Except for the sham operation group, thread embolization method was adopted to establish the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats of the other groups.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclohepta[b]indoles by Visible-Light-Induced [2+2]-Cycloaddition/retro-Mannich-type Reactions.

A novel method for the concise synthesis of cyclohepta[b]indoles in high yields was developed. The method involves a visible-light-induced, photocatalyzed [2+2]-cycloaddition/ retro-Mannich-type reaction of enaminones. Experimental and computational studies suggested that the reaction is a photoredox process initiated by single-electron oxidation of an enaminone moiety, which undergoes subsequent cyclobutane formation and rapidly fragmentation in a radical-cation state to form cyclohepta[b]indoles.

KLF4 initiates sustained YAP activation to promote renal fibrosis in mice after ischemia-reperfusion kidney injury.

Acute renal injury (AKI) causes a long-term risk for progressing into chronic kidney disease (CKD) and interstitial fibrosis. Yes-associated protein (YAP), a key transcriptional cofactor in Hippo signaling pathway, shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus, which is required for the renal tubular epithelial cells repair in the acute phase of AKI. In this study we investigated the role of YAP during ischemia-reperfusion (IR)-induced AKI to CKD.

Reduced Lipocalin 2 Expression Contributes to Vincristine Resistance in Human Colon Cancer Cells.

Background: Vincristine (VCR) resistance can lead to cancer chemotherapy failure. Although changes in gene expression are responsible for drug resistance, the specific identities and roles of these genes remain unclear.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to identify differentially expressed genes and mechanisms of VCR resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

A chimeric HS4 insulator-scaffold attachment region enhances transgene expression in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are one of the most commonly used expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins but low levels of transgene expression and transgene silencing are frequently encountered. Epigenetic regulatory elements such as the chicken β-globin locus control region hypersensitive site 4 (HS4) and scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs) have positive effects on transgene expression. In this study, a chimeric HS4-SAR was cloned upstream or downstream of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression cassette in a eukaryotic vector, and the resulting vectors were transfected into CHO cells.

Matrix attachment region combinations increase transgene expression in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Matrix attachment regions (MARs) are cis-acting DNA elements that can increase transgene expression levels in a CHO cell expression system. To investigate the effects of MAR combinations on transgene expression and the underlying regulatory mechanisms, we generated constructs in which the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene flanked by different combinations of human β-interferon and β-globin MAR (iMAR and gMAR, respectively), which was driven by the cytomegalovirus (CMV) or simian virus (SV) 40 promoter. These were transfected into CHO-K1 cells, which were screened with geneticin; eGFP expression was detected by flow cytometry.

A qualitative exploration of the unmet psychosocial rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors in China.

Objective: This study explores the unmet psychosocial rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors.

Methods: Sixty-eight cancer survivors from the Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club in China participated in one of the eight focus groups. These were transcribed verbatim, coded using thematic analysis and analysed using NVivo 10.

The experience of cancer survivors in community-based psycho-social support activities in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Cancer survivors are often embroiled in various physical and psycho-social issues as a consequence of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Psycho-social support activities in the phase of rehabilitation were provided to enhance their quality of life. This study seeks to explore and understand their experience of engagement in Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club (SCRC).

Sesquiterpene lactones inhibit advanced oxidation protein product-induced MCP-1 expression in podocytes via an IKK/NF-κB-dependent mechanism.

Inflammation is a relevant factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes nephropathy (DN). Sesquiterpene lactones (SLs), originally isolated from Tanacetum parthenium, have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects but few studies have examined their effects on DN. To determine whether advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) can induce the expression of chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein- (MCP-) 1 in cultured mouse podocytes and to explore the mechanisms of the potential renoprotection of SLs, we treated podocytes with AOPPs and SLs (parthenolide and its derivatives micheliolide, compound 1, and compound 2).

The role of Moloney leukemia virus 10 in hepatitis B virus expression in hepatoma cells.

Recent studies have shown that the Moloney leukemia virus 10 (Mov10), a putative RNA helicase, has very broad and potent antiretroviral activities. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a reverse transcription process, but the potential role of Mov10 in HBV replication remains unknown. In this study, Mov10 was demonstrated to affect HBV expression in HepG2 and HepG2.