Background: Phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLCγ1) is an important mediator of the T cell receptor (TCR) and growth factor signaling. PLCγ1 is activated by Src family kinases (SFKs) and produces inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (InsP) from phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP). Inositol polyphosphate multikinase (IPMK) is a pleiotropic enzyme with broad substrate specificity and non-catalytic activities that mediate various functional protein-protein interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is strongly associated with insulin resistance development. Hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation are considered the main drivers of hepatic insulin resistance in MASLD. Cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61 also called CCN1), a novel secretory matricellular protein, is implicated in liver inflammation, and its role in MASLD is not clearly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: HSCs contribute to HCC progression by regulating multiple factors. However, the entire immunoregulatory functions of HSCs are still obscure. Here, we aim to investigate whether HSCs impose CX 3 CR1 + macrophages to protumorigenic properties in the peritumoral area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistone deacetylase 11 (HDAC11) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation, such as obesity. However, the influence of HDAC11 on inflammation and the specific effect of HDAC11 on the palmitic acid (PA)-induced NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation are poorly understood. The effect of PA treatment on HDAC11 activity and the NLRP3 inflammasome was investigated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and THP-1 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Process-based quality measures are generally intended to promote evidence-based practices that have been proven to improve outcomes. However, due to lack of standardized implementation of diagnostic codes in dentistry, assessing the association between process and oral health outcomes has been challenging.
Objective: To estimate the association of adhering to dental quality measures with patient oral health outcomes.
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have recently emerged as novel cardioprotective agents. However, their direct impact on cardiomyocyte injury is yet to be studied. In this work, we investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of empagliflozin (EMPA), an SGLT2 inhibitor, in mitigating palmitate (PA)-induced cardiomyocyte injury in H9c2 cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Inflammation is a major cause of hepatic tissue damage and accelerates the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Amphiregulin (AREG), an epidermal growth factor receptor ligand, is associated with human liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to investigate the effects of AREG on hepatic inflammation during NAFLD progression, and .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA fructose-enriched diet is thought to contribute to hepatic injury in developing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the cellular mechanism of fructose-induced hepatic damage remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine whether fructose induces cell death in primary hepatocytes, and if so, to establish the underlying cellular mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: While large oral health disparities remain by race and ethnicity among children, the associations of race, ethnicity, and mediating factors with oral health outcomes are poorly characterized. Identifying the pathways that explain these disparities would be critical to inform policies to effectively reduce them.
Objective: To measure racial and ethnic disparities in the risk of developing tooth decay and quantify relative contributions of factors mediating the observed disparities among US children.
Importance: Despite considerable efforts to improve oral health for all, large disparities remain among US children. A dental professional shortage is thought to be among the determinants associated with oral health disparities, particularly for those residing in underserved communities.
Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of expanding the dental workforce through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and associations with oral health outcomes among US children.
Activation of Kupffer cells (KCs) by gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) instigates nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-mediated inflammatory responses in alcohol-associated liver diseases (ALD). Here, we utilized a novel optogenetically engineered exosome technology called 'exosomes for protein loading via optically reversible protein-protein interactions (EXPLOR)' to efficiently deliver the super-repressor IκB-loaded exosomes (Exo-srIκB) to the liver and examined its therapeutic potential in acute-on-chronic alcohol-associated liver injury. We detected enhanced uptake of DiI-labeled Exo-srIκB by LPS-treated inflammatory KCs, which suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory gene expression levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objectives: Meat eaters face conflicts over meat consumption due to recent increasing demands for reduced-meat diets to promote human and environmental health. Attitudes toward consuming meat have been shown to be culture-specific. Thus, this study was performed to examine cultural differences in attitudes, beliefs, and patterns of meat consumption among meat eaters in a group homogeneous in terms of age and sex but with diverse ethnicities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic alcohol consumption often induces hepatic steatosis but rarely causes severe inflammation in Kupffer cells (KCs) despite the increased hepatic influx of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), suggesting the presence of a veiled tolerance mechanism. In addition to LPS, the liver is affected by several gut-derived neurotransmitters through the portal blood, but the effects of catecholamines on KCs have not been clearly explored in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). Hence, we investigated the regulatory roles of catecholamine on inflammatory KCs under chronic alcohol exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Although many academic institutions have implemented infection control and prevention protocols, including regular asymptomatic self-testing, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the outcomes of mandatory surveillance testing programs at academic dental institutions that offer direct patient-facing clinical care has not yet been reported.
Objective: To report the findings of a comprehensive surveillance COVID-19 testing program at an academic dental institution by assessing SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates and the potential association of test positivity with individual-level characteristics such as age, sex, and role.
Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using SARS-CoV-2 self-testing data from a mandatory surveillance program at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol
December 2022
The accumulation of hepatic lipid droplets (LDs) is a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Appropriate degradation of hepatic LDs and oxidation of complete free fatty acids (FFAs) are important for preventing the development of NAFLD. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) is involved in the impaired lipid metabolism seen in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoparticles have garnered significant interest in neurological research in recent years owing to their efficient penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, significant concerns are associated with their harmful effects, including those related to the immune response mediated by microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain, which are exposed to nanoparticles. We analysed the cytotoxic effects of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles containing rhodamine B isothiocyanate dye [MNPs@SiO(RITC)] in a BV2 microglial cell line using systems toxicological analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in Korean American (KA) women. In view of its high prevalence in these women, their low screening rates, and the cultural influence of BC risk factors in their lifestyles, we developed a community-based culturally tailored BC prevention program, the Korean Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Program (KBCRRP). Guided by the PRECEDE-PROCEDE and health belief models, the KBCRRP was developed to achieve four goals: (1) healthy weight, (2) physically active lifestyle, (3) healthy diet, and (4) BC screening and adherence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study aimed to describe nurses' perceived needs and barriers to pediatric palliative care (PPC).
Methods: Mixed methods with an embedded design were applied. An online survey was conducted for nurses who participated in the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium- Pediatric Palliative Care (ELNEC-PPC) train-the-trainer program, of whom 63 responded.
Hepatic fibrosis is the excessive production and deposition of the extracellular matrix, resulting in the activation of the fibrogenic phenotype of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) signalling pathway is a highly conserved kinase cascade that is critical in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival, and controls stellate cell activation. Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter type-2 inhibitor, is an antidiabetic drug that may prevent fibrotic progression by reducing hepatic steatosis and inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Several prognostic tools have been developed to aid clinicians in survival prediction. However, changes in symptoms are rarely included in established prognostic systems. We aimed to investigate the influence of changes in symptoms and quality of life (QOL) on survival time in outpatients with advanced cancer.
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