Modifiable Risk Factors for Breast Cancer: Insights From Systematic Reviews.

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive review of reversible factors associated with breast cancer, with the aim of offering insights for the creation of early intervention strategies for breast cancer prevention.

Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases were systematically searched to collect systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to breast cancer risk. Searches were limited to literature published from the inception of each database up to May 1, 2024.

Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Among Pregnant Women at High Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Physical activity could decrease the odds of pregnant women at high risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) developing GDM. Physical activity self-efficacy was the key predictor of physical activity. This study aimed to examine physical activity self-efficacy and identify its predictors among pregnant women at high risk for GDM in mainland China.

The Mediating Role of Physical Activity Self-Efficacy in Predicting Moderate-Intensity Physical Activity in Pregnant People at High Risk for Gestational Diabetes.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common medical complication in pregnancy. Moderate-intensity physical activity during pregnancy can lower the risk of GDM. However, the relationship between moderate-intensity physical activity and correlated factors among pregnant people at high risk for GDM remains unknown.

Development and feasibility of a theory-guided and evidence-based physical activity intervention in pregnant women with high risk for gestational diabetes mellitus: a pilot clinical trial.

Background: Physical activity has been utilized as an effective strategy to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, most pregnant women with high risk for GDM did not achieve the recommended physical activity level. Furthermore, relevant physical activity protocols have varied without theory-guided and evidence-based tailored to pregnant women with high risk for GDM.

A self-efficacy-enhancing physical activity intervention in women with high-risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus: study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common medical disorders in pregnancy. Evidence has demonstrated that moderate-intensity physical activity may reduce the risk of gestational diabetes. However, women at risk of GDM spend most of their time performing sedentary behaviors.

Shewanella jiangmenensis sp. nov., isolated from aquaculture water.

A Gram-stain-negative and facultatively anaerobic bacterial strain designated as JM162201 was isolated from aquaculture water for farming Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). The genome size of strain JM162201 was 4,436,316 bp, and the genomic DNA G + C content was 55.0%.

Attenuation of virulence in multiple serotypes (M1, M3, and M28) of Group A Streptococcus after the loss of secreted esterase.

Introduction: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) can produce streptococcal secreted esterase (Sse), which inhibits neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection and is crucial for GAS pathogenesis. As an effective esterase, Sse hydrolyzes the sn-2 ester bond of human platelet-activating factor, inactivating it and abolishing its ability to recruit neutrophils.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sse deletion on the virulence of multiple serotypes of GAS.

Immunization With a Secreted Esterase Protects Mice Against Multiple Serotypes (M1, M3, and M28) of Group A .

Streptococcal secreted esterase (Sse) is a platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase that is critical for Group A (GAS) skin invasion and innate immune evasion. There are two Sse variant complexes that share >98% identity within each complex but display about 37% variation between the complexes in amino acid sequences. Sse immunization protects mice against lethal infection and skin invasion in subcutaneous infection with the hypervirulent CovRS mutant strain, MGAS5005.

Naringin suppresses the growth and motility of hypertrophic scar fibroblasts by inhibiting the kinase activity of Akt.

Hypertrophy is a very common pathologic phenomenon of scar hyperplasia after human skin injury and wound healing. In this article, we first proved that naringin could inhibit the proliferation of fibroblasts by MTT experiments. Flow cytometry indicated that naringin could block the cell cycle and promote apoptosis.

The Heme Transporter HtsABC of Group A Contributes to Virulence and Innate Immune Evasion in Murine Skin Infections.

Group A (GAS) requires iron for growth, and heme is an important source of iron for GAS. Streptococcus heme transporter A (HtsA) is the lipoprotein component of the GAS heme-specific ABC transporter (HtsABC). The objective of this study is to examine the contribution of HtsABC to virulence and host interaction of hypervirulent M1T1 GAS using an isogenic deletion mutant (Δ).

Active and passive immunizations with HtsA, a streptococcal heme transporter protein, protect mice from subcutaneous group A Streptococcus infection.

Background/purpose: HtsA (Streptococcus heme transporter A) is the lipoprotein component of the streptococcal heme ABC transporter (HtsABC). The aim of this study is to investigate whether the HtsA protein has immunoprotective effect against group A Streptococcus (GAS) infection in mice.

Methods: The HtsA protein was purified by sequential chromatography on Ni-sepharose, DEAE-sepharose and Phenyl-sepharose, CD-1 mice were actively immunized with ALUM (control) or HtsA/ALUM, and passively immunized with control or anti-HtsA serum.

Overexpression of microRNA-26a protects against deficient β-cell function via targeting phosphatase with tensin homology in mouse models of type 2 diabetes.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increased rapidly in the world. The development of β-cell dysfunction is the quintessential defects in T2DM patients However, the pathogenesis of β-cell dysfunction is still unclear. MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNAs and has been reported to be involved in pathogenesis of β-cell dysfunction and T2DM.

Streptococcal heme binding protein (Shp) promotes virulence and contributes to the pathogenesis of group A Streptococcus infection.

Streptococcal heme binding protein (Shp) is involved in the process of heme acquisition in group A Streptococcus (GAS). However, no research thus far has examined the contribution of Shp to the virulence of GAS. To this end, we generated an isogenic strain lacking the shp gene (Δshp) and its complemented strain (Δshp-c) using the parent strain MGAS5005 (WT).

Immunization with Streptococcal Heme Binding Protein (Shp) Protects Mice Against Group A Streptococcus Infection.

Streptococcal heme binding protein (Shp) is a surface protein of the heme acquisition system that is an essential iron nutrient in Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Here, we tested whether Shp immunization protects mice from subcutaneous infection. Mice were immunized subcutaneously with recombinant Shp and then challenged with GAS.

miRNA-34a promotes proliferation of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by targeting PDGFRA.

Objectives: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fast progressing vascular disease characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Some studies have suggested that PAH and cancers share an apoptosis-resistant state, featuring excessive cell proliferation. The miR-34 family consists of tumour-suppressive miRNAs, and its reduced expression has been reported in numerous cancers; however, its role in hypoxia-induced PAH has not been previously studied.

Arsenic induced overexpression of inflammatory cytokines based on the human urothelial cell model in vitro and urinary secretion of individuals chronically exposed to arsenic.

Chronic persistent inflammation could play an important role in the pathogenesis of some malignancies, and inflammation is a critical factor for bladder cancer development. In this study, we measured urine levels of transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-8 in arsenic exposure workers and expressions of inflammatory cytokines in human urothelial cells in vivo and in vitro. We found the concentrations of IL-8, TNF-α, and TGF-α presented in urine were significantly elevated in the high urinary arsenic workers compared with the low urinary arsenic workers.

Urinary VEGF and PGE2 levels and the association with arsenical metabolites in copper-smelting workers.

Objectives: To examine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and PGE2 levels in urine from the copper smelting workers exposed to arsenic and analyse the relationships between urinary VEGF or PGE2 level and arsenical metabolites.

Methods: The study was conducted in a group of 106 copper-smelting male workers. Information about each subject was obtained by questionnaire, inorganic As (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), VEGF and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in urine were determined.

Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V) ) changed the expressions of proliferative related factors and secretion of inflammatory cytokines in rat bladder.

Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V) ), the major urinary metabolite of inorganic arsenic, is a urinary bladder carcinogen and bladder tumor promoter in adult rats. Increased urothelial cellular proliferation has been considered as an earlier phenotype in DMA(V) -induced bladder carcinogenesis. The present study examined the ultrastructural changes of bladder epithelial cells and expressions of proliferation factors, as well as the secretion of inflammatory cytokines in rats exposed to DMA(V) for 10 weeks by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical staining and ELISA methods.

Thermal-induced formation of a three-dimensional nanoplasmonic sensor from Ag nanocubes with high stability and reusability.

Nanoplasmonic sensors based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metal nanoparticles have many advantages, such as real-time detection, no need for reagent labelling, and no use of complicated equipment. However, the nanoplasmonic sensors with two dimensional structures usually suffer from a low LSPR signal and thus low sensitivity due to the low density of the nanoparticles. In addition, complicated surface functionalization is always required to suppress the non-specific binding of the analyst to the substrate of the sensor, because the two types of surface, that is, metal and substrate surfaces, are simultaneously exposed to the reaction medium.

Maize purple plant pigment protects against fluoride-induced oxidative damage of liver and kidney in rats.

Anthocyanins are polyphenols and well known for their biological antioxidative benefits. Maize purple plant pigment (MPPP) extracted and separated from maize purple plant is rich in anthocyanins. In the present study, MPPP was used to alleviate the adverse effects generated by fluoride on liver and kidney in rats.

Progress in development of Group A Streptococcus vaccines.

Streptococcus pyogenes or Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a major Gram-positive human pathogen that causes diverse human diseases with a high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of an effective GAS vaccine is hindered by the occurrence of many unique GAS serotypes, the complexity of the global epidemiology of GAS infections, and safety concerns over the cross-reactivity of some antigen-specific antibodies with human tissues and proteins. Although no licensed GAS vaccine is available, a number of candidate vaccines have been or are being evaluated in laboratory or in clinical trials.

JNK and NADPH oxidase involved in fluoride-induced oxidative stress in BV-2 microglia cells.

Excessive fluoride may cause central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, and oxidative stress is a recognized mode of action of fluoride toxicity. In CNS, activated microglial cells can release more reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NADPH oxidase (NOX) is the major enzyme for the production of extracellular superoxide in microglia. ROS have been characterized as an important secondary messenger and modulator for various mammalian intracellular signaling pathways, including the MAPK pathways.

Arsenic induces the expressions of angiogenesis-related factors through PI3K and MAPK pathways in SV-HUC-1 human uroepithelial cells.

Arsenic, a well-established human carcinogen, can cause various types of cancers, including bladder cancer. Angiogenesis is a key event for tumor initiation. In this study, several important angiogenesis related factors, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), were up-regulated and PI3K/AKT and MAPK signal pathways were activated in human uroepithelial cell line (SV-HUC-1) treated with NaAsO2 (0, 1, 2, 4, 8 or 10μM) for 24h.

Oxidative stress and MAPK involved into ATF2 expression in immortalized human urothelial cells treated by arsenic.

ATF2 is a subfamily member of AP-1 and has an important role in cellular stress responses. ATF2 has been implicated in a transcriptional response leading to cell migration and malignant tumor progression. However, little is known about the effect of arsenic on expression of ATF2 and regulatory pathways in human urothelial cells.

The factors influencing urinary arsenic excretion and metabolism of workers in steel and iron smelting foundry.

In order to evaluate the degree of arsenic (As) exposure and the factors influencing urinary As excretion and metabolism, 192 workers from a steel and iron smelting plant, with different type of work in production such as roller, steel smelting, iron smelting and metallic charge preparation, were recruited. Information about characteristics of each subject was obtained by questionnaire and inorganic As (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine were determined. The results showed that steel smelters had significantly higher concentrations of DMA and total As (TAs) than rollers and metallic charge preparation workers, and iron and steel smelters had a higher value of primary methylation index and lower proportion of the iAs (iAs%) than rollers and metallic charge preparation workers.