Evaluating Cell Death Signaling by Immunofluorescence in a Rat Model of Ischemic Stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Most cases of stroke are ischemic and result from the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Current pharmacological approaches for the treatment of ischemic stroke are limited; therefore, novel therapies providing effective neuroprotection against ischemic injury following stroke are urgently needed.

Matrix vesicles from osteoblasts promote atherosclerotic calcification.

Atherosclerotic calcification often coincides with osteoporosis, suggesting a potential interplay between bone and vascular mineralization. Osteoblast-derived matrix vesicles (Ost-MVs), pivotal in bone mineralization, have emerged as potential contributors to ectopic vascular calcification. However, the precise role of Ost-MVs in vascular calcification and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.

Pharmacological inhibition of RUNX1 reduces infarct size after acute myocardial infarction in rats and underlying mechanism revealed by proteomics implicates repressed cathepsin levels.

Myocardial infarction (MI) results in prolonged ischemia and the subsequent cell death leads to heart failure which is linked to increased deaths or hospitalizations. New therapeutic targets are urgently needed to prevent cell death and reduce infarct size among patients with MI. Runt-related transcription factor-1 (RUNX1) is a master-regulator transcription factor intensively studied in the hematopoietic field.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells through the transcription factor JunB.

Medial arterial calcification (MAC) accompanying chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to increased vessel wall stiffness, myocardial ischemia, heart failure, and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, there are currently no drugs available to treat MAC. The natural polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been demonstrated to protect against cardiovascular disease; however, whether EGCG supplementation inhibits MAC in CKD remains unclear.

Transcription factor CaHDZ15 promotes pepper basal thermotolerance by activating HEAT SHOCK FACTORA6a.

High temperature stress (HTS) is a serious threat to plant growth and development and to crop production in the context of global warming, and plant response to HTS is largely regulated at the transcriptional level by the actions of various transcription factors (TFs). However, whether and how homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) TFs are involved in thermotolerance are unclear. Herein, we functionally characterized a pepper (Capsicum annuum) HD-Zip I TF CaHDZ15.

A novel endophytic fungus strain of : its identification, genomic analysis, and effects on plant growth.

Introduction: Endophytic microorganisms are bacteria or fungi that inhabit plant internal tissues contributing to various biological processes of plants. Some endophytic microbes can promote plant growth, which are known as plant growth-promoting endophytes (PGPEs). There has been an increasing interest in isolation and identification of PGPEs for sustainable production of crops.

Use of passive sampling in environmental DNA metabarcoding technology: Monitoring of fish diversity in the Jiangmen coastal waters.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding technology is proving to be the most up-to-date and promising method for monitoring marine fish diversity. Fish eDNA is usually collected on a filter membrane after the filtration of water. Not only does this require the use of specialized equipment, but the amount of filtered water needed is also difficult to meet.

Age-related promoter-switch regulates Runx1 expression in adult rat hearts.

Background: Runt-related transcription factor-1 (RUNX1), a key member of the core-binding factor family of transcription factors, has emerged as a novel therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease. There is an urgent need to fully understand the expression pattern of Runx1 in the heart and the mechanisms by which it is controlled under normal conditions and in response to disease. The expression of Runx1 is regulated at the transcriptional level by two promoters designated P1 and P2.

Prognostic value of day-of-event serum calcium and magnesium for predicting 1-year prognosis after intracerebral hemorrhage.

Aim: To investigate whether serum calcium and magnesium on the day of symptom onset contribute to prognosis at 1 year after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients admitted < 24 h after symptom onset of primary ICH to West China Hospital between January 2012 and October 2014. Blood samples were collected at admission to determine the concentration of serum calcium and magnesium.

sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from sea tidal flat environment.

Two moderately halotolerant bacterium strains, designated PJ-16 and PJ-38, were isolated from a tidal flat of the red beach in Panjin City, Liaoning Province, PR China. Cells were found to be Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile, rod-shaped with a single polar flagellum. Optimum growth of strain PJ-16 occurred at 30 °C, pH 7.

Clinical value and feasibility of CT pulmonary angiography with personalized injection of contrast agent in pulmonary embolism.

Objective: To determine the clinical value and feasibility of CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) with personalized injection of contrast agent in pulmonary embolism (PE).

Methods: In the present retrospective study, 130 patients who underwent CTPA examination in our hospital from June 2019 to May 2020 were evaluated. Among them, 67 cases were detected by CTPA with personalized injection of contrast agent as the observation group (Obs group), and 63 cases were detected by CTPA with bolus-tracking (BT) as the control group (Con group).

Transcriptome analysis reveals molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in halophyte .

Soil salinity is an important environmental problem that seriously affects plant growth and crop productivity. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective solution for reducing soil salinity and potentially converting the soils for crop production. is a typical halophyte which can grow at high salt concentrations.

Anatomical characteristics affecting the surgical approach of oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion: an MR-based observational study.

Background: Oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) is one of the most widely used lumbar interbody fusion procedures in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to minimize the incidence rate of surgical complications by measuring the anatomical parameters of structures surrounding the working channels of OLIF with 3D COSMIC sequence.

Methods: The MRI examination included conventional MRI sequence and 3D COSMIC sequence.

Impacts of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on juvenile Lates calcarifer: Bioaccumulation, antioxidant response, microbiome, and proteome alteration.

Discarded plastic bag is a main component of marine debris, posing potential threats to marine biota. This study was conducted to assess the potential effects of microplastics on juvenile Lates calcarifer. Fish were exposed via diet to two microplastic types from conventional polyethylene (PE) and biodegradable (Bio) plastic bags for 21 days.

Regulatory Mechanism of MicroRNA-9 / Long Non-Coding RNA XIST Expression on Mouse Macrophage RAW264.7 Apoptosis Induced by Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein.

It aims to analyze the influential mechanism of microRNA-9 (miR-9) and long non-coding RNA XIST (lncRNA XIST) expression on the proliferation and apoptosis of macrophages induced by oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Firstly, lncRNA XIST overexpression vector was constructed, and then RAW264.7 cells were used as the research object.

-Mediated Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Affected by Sulfadiazine in Aquaculture Wastewater.

Plant-based removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from water bodies is an important method for remediation of aquaculture wastewater. In order to acquire knowledge as to how antibiotic residues in wastewater might affect the microbial community and plant uptake of N and P, this study investigated N and P removal by a coastal plant L. grown in aquaculture wastewater treated with 0, 1, 5, or 50 mg/L sulfonamide antibiotics (sulfadiazine, SD) for 28 days and compared the microbial community structure between the water and rhizosphere.

Association between serum NLRP3 and malignant brain edema in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: We aimed to explore the association of serum level of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) and its related inflammatory biomarkers (hypoxia inducible factor-1α, cathepsin B, caspase-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9) with malignant brain edema (MBE) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted < 24 h from onset of symptoms. Brain CT was performed on admission and blood samples were collected.

A cysteine-rich receptor-like protein kinase CaCKR5 modulates immune response against Ralstonia solanacearum infection in pepper.

Background: Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) represent a large subfamily of receptor-like kinases and play vital roles in diverse physiological processes in regulating plant growth and development.

Results: CaCRK5 transcripts were induced in pepper upon the infection of Ralstonia solanacearum and treatment with salicylic acid. The fusions between CaCRK5 and green fluorescence protein were targeted to the plasma membrane.

Inhibition of myocardial cathepsin-L release during reperfusion following myocardial infarction improves cardiac function and reduces infarct size.

Aims: Identifying novel mediators of lethal myocardial reperfusion injury that can be targeted during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is key to limiting the progression of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to heart failure. Here, we show through parallel clinical and integrative preclinical studies the significance of the protease cathepsin-L on cardiac function during reperfusion injury.

Methods And Results: We found that direct cardiac release of cathepsin-L in STEMI patients (n = 76) immediately post-PPCI leads to elevated serum cathepsin-L levels and that serum levels of cathepsin-L in the first 24 h post-reperfusion are associated with reduced cardiac contractile function and increased infarct size.

New Permian radiolarians from east Asia and the quantitative reconstruction of their evolutionary and ecological significances.

The biostratigraphically important Permian radiolarian genera Pseudoalbaillella sensu stricto and Follicucullus (Follicucullidae, Polycystinea) are discriminated by morphological gaps in their wings and segmentation. Previous statistical analyses demonstrated that Longtanella fills morphological gaps between these two genera. Longtanella has long been regarded as a junior synonym of Parafollicucullus, and only a few species have been described.

Low level of microplastic contamination in wild fish from an urban estuary.

Microplastic accumulation in estuarine environments is considered the dominant input of land-based plastics into the oceans. In this study, the level of microplastic contamination was evaluated in 26 species of wild fish from the Pearl River Estuary, South China. Results showed that microplastics abundance ranged from 0.

Microplastic accumulation in fish from Zhanjiang mangrove wetland, South China.

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in marine and estuarine environments, but the contamination of MPs in mangrove wetlands is relatively unknown. Here, we quantify the presence of MPs in fish collected from Zhanjiang mangrove wetland, the largest mangrove in South China, which provide baseline data on MPs accumulation in fish in mangrove environment as the first evidence in China. MPs were found in 30 out of 32 fish species at an average abundance of 2.

sp. nov., isolated from a deep subsurface aquifer.

A bacterial strain M05W1-28 was isolated from a well that collected water for irrigation from a deep aquifer at a depth of 400 m. Cells were observed to be rod-shaped, non-motile, aerobic, stained Gram-negative. Optimal growth was obtained at pH 7.