The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.

The COVID-19 virus not only has significant pathogenicity but also influences the progression of many diseases, altering patient prognosis. Cardiovascular diseases, particularly aortic aneurysms, are among the most life-threatening conditions. COVID-19 infection is reported to accelerate the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and increase the risk of rupture; however, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains elusive.

Urine proteomics in cardiovascular disease: advances in biomarker discovery and clinical applications.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide, making early diagnosis and effective treatment essential. As a promising and noninvasive research method, urine proteomics shows excellent potential to identify reliable urinary biomarkers that could enhance prediction, prevention, and prognosis in patients with CVD.

Areas Covered: This review summarizes recent advancements in urinary protein biomarker profiling using urine proteomic techniques to identify potential CVD biomarkers.

Serum small extracellular vesicles-derived BST2 as a biomarker for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma promotes lymph node metastasis.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), although frequently indolent, could be aggressive in a few patients, leading to lymph node metastasis (LNM) and worsened prognosis. To explore the role of protein profiling of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) in the auxiliary diagnosis and risk stratification of PTMC, proteins in serum sEVs isolated from PTMC patients with (N = 10) and without (N = 10) LNM and benign thyroid nodule (BN) patients (N = 9) were profiled via a bioinformatics-integrated data-independent acquisition proteomic technique. The performance of candidate proteins as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in PTMC was assessed via receiver operating characteristic analysis.

MicroRNA399s and strigolactones mediate systemic phosphate signaling between dodder-connected host plants and control association of host plants with rhizosphere microbes.

A dodder (Cuscuta) often simultaneously parasitizes two or more adjacent hosts. Phosphate (Pi) deficiency is a common stress for plants, and plants often interact with soil microbes, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to cope with Pi stress. Little is known about whether dodder transmits Pi deficiency-induced systemic signals between different hosts.

Establishment and Clinical Significance of the Patient-Derived Xenograft Model of Colorectal Cancer.

Objectives: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are widely acknowledged for their ability to reflect the heterogeneity of human cancers and can be used to improve preclinical models. In this study, we evaluated the factors affecting the tumor formation rate of the PDX colorectal cancer (CRC) model and conducted preliminary drug sensitivity tests.

Methods: CRC patients who underwent elective surgery at Shaoxing People's Hospital from November 2019 to October 2020 were included.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 phosphorylates MYC2 transcription factors to regulate jasmonic acid signaling and herbivory responses in maize.

Regulation of responses induced by herbivory and jasmonic acid (JA) remains poorly understood in the important staple crop maize (Zea mays). MYC2 is the key transcription factor regulating many aspects of JA signaling, while mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs or MPKs) play important roles in various plant physiological processes. Using a combination of reverse genetics, transcriptome analysis, and biochemical assays, we elucidated the important role of mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MPK4) in maize resistance to insects and in JA signaling.

Salicylic acid positively regulates maize defenses against lepidopteran insects.

In response to insect attack, plants use intricate signaling pathways, including phytohormones, such as jasmonate (JA), ethylene (ET), and salicylic acid (SA), to activate defenses. Maize () is one of the most important staple food crops around the world. Previous studies have shown that the JA and ET signaling play important roles in maize defense against insects, but little is known about whether and how SA regulates maize resistance to insect herbivores.

Comparative Morphological, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Analyses of Diploid and Tetraploid Wucai ( L.).

Polyploid plants often exhibit superior yield, stress resistance, and quality. In this study, homologous tetraploid wucai ( L.) was successfully obtained by spraying seedling growth points with colchicine.

Legumain in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, having become a global public health problem, so the pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of CVDs need further study. Legumain is a powerful enzyme that is widely distributed in mammals and plays an important role in a variety of biological processes. Recent research suggests that legumain is associated with the occurrence and progression of CVDs.

Cistanche phenylethanoid glycosides induce apoptosis and pyroptosis in T-cell lymphoma.

, known for its extensive history in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is valued for its therapeutic properties. Recent studies have identified its anticancer capabilities, yet the mechanisms underlying these properties remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we determined that a mixture of four cistanche-derived phenylethanoid glycosides (CPhGs), echinacoside, acteoside, 2-acetylacteoside, and cistanoside A, which are among the main bioactive compounds in , eliminated T-cell lymphoma (TCL) cells by inducing apoptosis and pyroptosis and attenuated tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model.

C5aR plus MEK inhibition durably targets the tumor milieu and reveals tumor cell phagocytosis.

Plexiform neurofibromas (PNFs) are nerve tumors caused by loss of and dysregulation of RAS-MAPK signaling in Schwann cells. Most PNFs shrink in response to MEK inhibition, but targets with increased and durable effects are needed. We identified the anaphylatoxin C5a as increased in PNFs and expressed largely by PNF m acrophages.

IAA-miR164a-NAC100L1 module mediates symbiotic incompatibility of cucumber/pumpkin grafted seedlings through regulating callose deposition.

Grafting is one of the key technologies to overcome the obstacles of continuous cropping, and improve crop yield and quality. However, the symbiotic incompatibility between rootstock and scion affects the normal growth and development of grafted seedlings after survival. The specific molecular regulation mechanism of graft incompatibility is still largely unclear.

Large-scale interplant exchange of macromolecules between soybean and dodder under nutrient stresses.

Parasitic plants and their hosts communicate through haustorial connections. Nutrient deficiency is a common stress for plants, yet little is known about whether and how host plants and parasites communicate during adaptation to such nutrient stresses. In this study, we used transcriptomics and proteomics to analyze how soybean () and its parasitizing dodder () respond to nitrate and phosphate deficiency (-N and -P).

Ionic Bonding Without Directionality Facilitates Efficient Interfacial Bridging for Perovskite Solar Cells.

Interface passivation through Lewis acid-base coordinate chemistry in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is a universal strategy to reduce interface defects and hinder ion migration. However, the formation of coordinate covalent bonding demands strict directional alignment of coordinating atoms. Undoubtedly, this limits the selected range of the interface passivation molecules, because a successful molecular bridge between charge transport layer and perovskite bottom interface needs a well-placed molecular orientation.

Case report: JAK1/2 inhibition with baricitinib in the treatment of STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy.

Background: Gain-of-function mutations in STING1 (also known as TMEM173) which result in constitutive activation of STING, have been reported to cause STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI). Although a wider spectrum of associated manifestations and perturbations in disease onset have been observed since its description, the genotype-phenotype correlations are not definite, and there is no established treatment protocol for SAVI.

Case Presentation: Herein, we report a kindred, heterozygous STING mutation (p.

Ethylene and jasmonate signaling converge on gibberellin catabolism during thigmomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

Touch induces marked morphological changes in plants, including reduced rosette diameters and delayed flowering, a process called thigmomorphogenesis. Previous studies have revealed that thigmomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) results from touch-induced accumulation of jasmonic acid (JA) and GIBBERELLIN 2-OXIDASE7 (GA2ox7) transcripts, which encode a gibberellin (GA) catabolism enzyme, leading to reduced levels of active GAs. However, the mechanisms underlying thigmomorphogenesis remain uncharacterized.

Proteomics analysis of carotid body tumor revealed potential mechanisms and molecular differences among Shamblin classifications.

Carotid body tumors (CBTs) are a rare type of paraganglioma, and surgical resection is the only effective treatment. Because of the proximity of CBTs to the carotid artery, jugular vein, and cranial nerve, surgery is extremely difficult, with high risks of hemorrhage and neurovascular injury. The Shamblin classification is used for CBT clinical evaluation; however, molecular mechanisms underlying classification differences remain unclear.

MiR-204-5p regulates HUVEC cell inflammation and apoptosis by targeting P4HB.

The purpose of this study arose to investigate the mechanism of miR-204-5p targeting P4HB to regulate inflammation and apoptosis in HUVEC cells. Serum specimens were obtained from lower extremity DVT patients and healthy subjects. Targetscan predicted P4HB as a target gene for miR-204-5p.

Balanophora genomes display massively convergent evolution with other extreme holoparasites and provide novel insights into parasite-host interactions.

Parasitic plants have evolved to be subtly or severely dependent on host plants to complete their life cycle. To provide new insights into the biology of parasitic plants in general, we assembled genomes for members of the sandalwood order Santalales, including a stem hemiparasite (Scurrula) and two highly modified root holoparasites (Balanophora) that possess chimaeric host-parasite tubers. Comprehensive genome comparisons reveal that hemiparasitic Scurrula has experienced a relatively minor degree of gene loss compared with autotrophic plants, consistent with its moderate degree of parasitism.

Laparoscopic resection for gastric schwannoma larger than 30 mm with long-term outcomes.

Background And Aims: Laparoscopic resection has been reported as effective and safe for gastric schwannoma (GS) in the form of case reports. However, study on laparoscopic surgery in patients with GS larger than 30 mm has been rarely reported. To this end, the present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic resection for the treatment of GS larger than 30 mm and its long-term outcomes.

Plant biology: Young maize leaves 'smell' a volatile danger signal.

Insect-attacked maize releases volatile compounds named green leaf volatiles. A new study shows that young maize leaves respond to a green leaf volatile compound with emission of indole and terpenes, while these responses are almost completely absent in mature leaves.

FAM3A reshapes VSMC fate specification in abdominal aortic aneurysm by regulating KLF4 ubiquitination.

Reprogramming of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) differentiation plays an essential role in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We explore the expression of FAM3A, a newly identified metabolic cytokine, and whether and how FAM3A regulates VSMC differentiation in AAA.

Bibliometric analysis on the progress of immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma from 2003-2022.

The incidence and mortality rates of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been increasing annually due to obesity and environmental pollution. Although immunotherapy of RCC has been studied for decades, few comprehensive bibliometric analyses exist on the treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this bibliometric analysis was to identify scientific achievements of the global research on RCC immunotherapy from 2003 to 2022 and discuss research trends.