Unraveling DDIT4 in the VDR-mTOR pathway: a novel target for drug discovery in diabetic kidney disease.

Introduction: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies. This study delves into the role of DNA damage-inducing transcription factor 4 (DDIT4) within the VDR-mTOR pathway, aiming to identify a novel target for DKD drug discovery.

Methods: Transcriptome data from the Gene Expression Omnibus Database were analyzed to assess the expression of mTOR and VDR expression in human renal tissues.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide ameliorates acute lung injury by inducing mitonuclear protein imbalance and activating the UPR.

Mitochondria need to interact with the nucleus under homeostasis and stress to maintain cellular demands and nuclear transcriptional programs. Disrupted mitonuclear interaction is involved in many disease processes. However, the role of mitonuclear signaling regulators in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains unknown.

Involvement of Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway in sevoflurane-induced cognitive improvement in rats with traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an increasingly common emergency disease that usually leads to prolonged physical and cognitive impairments. In this study, we investigated if sevoflurane could induce cognitive improvement in TBI rats. Rats were subjected to head trauma induced by a fluid percussion device.

Circ_0000190 suppresses gastric cancer progression potentially via inhibiting miR-1252/PAK3 pathway.

Background: Gastric cancer is a serious malignant tumor associated with aberrant circular RNAs (circRNAs) expression. In this study, we aim to investigate the role and the underlying mechanism of circ_0000190, a circRNA in gastric cancer.

Methods: Circ_0000190 expression in vivo was examined in gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues by RT-PCR.

Electroacupuncture Improves Cognition in Rats With Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy.

Background: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common complication of sepsis. Although sepsis is effectively managed with the administration of antibiotics and source control, which may include surgical intervention, SAE usually leads to prolonged cognitive dysfunction affecting the quality of life of the patients. In this study, we investigated the possible effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on cognition in a model of SAE induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).

Mast Cell Tryptase Promotes Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Induced Intestinal Fibrosis.

Background: Intestinal fibrosis is the final pathological outcome of chronic intestinal inflammation without specific therapeutic drugs, which leads to ileus and surgical intervention. Intestinal fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). The role of mast cells (MCs), which are members of the sentinel immune cell population, is unknown in intestinal fibrosis.

Effects of adding tripterygium glycosides to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers on albuminuria in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Introduction: Tripterygium glycosides (TGs) have been widely used in China to treat diabetic nephropathy (DN); however, proof of their use is scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of adding TGs to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

Methods: By searching Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, SINOMED, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Information/Chinese Scientific Journals, and WANFANG databases, we identified previous studies that met the specific selection criteria and included them in the meta-analysis.

Platelet count as a new biomarker for acute kidney injury induced by hemorrhagic shock.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between nadir platelet count and acute kidney injury (AKI) or 28-day all-cause mortality induced by hemorrhagic shock (HS), and to determine the cutoff value of nadir platelet count in HS clinical practice. This retrospective study included hospitalized patients enrolled in a tertiary-care teaching hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015. Clinical data from HS admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were evaluated.

Targeting HMGB1 ameliorates cardiac fibrosis through restoring TLR2-mediated autophagy suppression in myocardial fibroblasts.

Background: Extracellular high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has been identified as playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism of its involvement in cardiac fibrosis is still not well-defined. Here, we aim to investigate whether toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) contributes to the extracellular HMGB1-mediated development and progression of cardiac fibrosis.

Identification of two novel mutations in the ATP7B gene that cause Wilson's disease.

Background: Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by liver disease and/or neurologic deficits due to copper accumulation and is caused by pathogenic mutations in the ATP7B gene.

Data Sources: Two unrelated Chinese patients born to nonconsanguineous parents who were diagnosed with earlyonset Wilson's disease. DNA sequencing and bioinformation analysis were conducted.