Development of Electrospinning Setup for Vascular Tissue-Engineering Application with Thick-Hierarchical Fiber Alignment.

Background: Tissue engineering holds promise for vascular repair and regeneration by mimicking the extracellular matrix of blood vessels. However, achieving a functional and thick vascular wall with aligned fiber architecture by electrospinning remains a significant challenge.

Methods: A novel electrospinning setup was developed that utilizes an auxiliary electrode and a spring.

The evolution of the Amber additive protein force field: History, current status, and future.

Molecular dynamics simulations are pivotal in elucidating the intricate properties of biological molecules. Nonetheless, the reliability of their outcomes hinges on the precision of the molecular force field utilized. In this perspective, we present a comprehensive review of the developmental trajectory of the Amber additive protein force field, delving into researchers' persistent quest for higher precision force fields and the prevailing challenges.

Effect of plaque micro-watershed changes on carotid atherosclerosis.

Objective: The study aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying plaque growth by analyzing the variations in hemodynamic parameters within the plaque region of patients' carotid arteries before and after the development of atherosclerotic lesions.

Methods: The study enrolls 25 patients with common carotid artery stenosis and 25 with tandem carotid artery stenosis. Based on pathological analysis, three-dimensional models of the actual blood vessels before and after the lesion are constructed for two patients within a two-year period.

The pleiotropic effects of PCSK9 in cardiovascular diseases beyond cholesterol metabolism.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels being a major risk factor. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) plays a critical role in regulating LDL-C levels by promoting the degradation of hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR) responsible for clearing LDL-C from the circulation. PCSK9 inhibitors are novel lipid-modifying agents that have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in reducing plasma LDL-C levels and decreasing the incidence of CVD.

Genomic prediction accounting for dominance and epistatic genetic effects on litter size traits in Large White pigs.

Litter size traits of sows are crucial for the economic benefits of the pig industry. Three phenotypic traits of 1,206 Large White (LW) pigs, that is, the total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA), and number of healthy piglets (NHP), were recorded. We evaluated a series of genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models that sequentially added additive effects (model A), dominance effects (model A+D), and epistatic effects (model A+D+AA, model A+D+AA+AD, and model A+D+AA+AD+DD) using chip data and imputed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data to estimate genetic parameters and predictive accuracy.

Tetraspanin CD81 serves as a functional entry factor for porcine circovirus type 2 infection.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated disease, clinically resulting in immunosuppression and co-infections with other pathogens in infected pigs. The mechanism of PCV2 infection remains unclear. In this study, we firstly found that the tetraspanin CD81 in PK-15 cells interacts with PCV2 Cap protein by using virus overlay protein-binding assay combined with mass spectrometry.

Global and Regional Burden of Ischemic Stroke Disease from 1990 to 2021: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis.

Ischemic stroke is a significant global public health issue that impacts health burdens across various regions. This study analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to assess the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with ischemic stroke worldwide and across different Socio-demographic Index (SDI) regions. Using joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort (APC) models, we examined trends in disease burden and made projections for 2022 to 2035.

Comparative ultrastructural and transcriptomic profile analysis of skin tissues from indigenous, improved meat, and dairy goat breeds.

Background: High-quality goatskins are valuable byproducts usually produced by indigenous goat breeds with poorer production performance in Asia and Africa. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms underpinning goatskin's biomechanical properties (e.g.

Knockdown of ANO1 decreases TGF-β- and IL-6-induced adhesion and migration of cardiac fibroblasts by inhibiting the expression of integrin and focal adhesion kinase.

Ischemic cardiac injury triggers a significant inflammatory response, activating and mobilizing cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), which ultimately contributes to myocardial fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the role of ANO1, a calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC) protein, in regulating CFs migration and adhesion under inflammatory conditions. Our results demonstrated that ANO1 knockdown significantly attenuated TGF-β- and IL-6-induced adhesion and migration of CFs.

CD94 deficiency or blockade unleashes the anti-tumor immunity in mice and humanized murine models.

NKG2 family members have emerged as promising targets in tumor immunotherapy. CD94 can dimerize with both inhibitory and activating NKG2 proteins, while the overall effect and value of targeting CD94 on anti-tumor immunity are unclear. Here, it is shown that the expression of CD94 is upregulated on tumor-infiltrating natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 T cells, and is related to their exhausted characteristics.

Osthole, a Coumarin from : A Review on Its Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Innovative Drug Delivery Platforms.

Osthole, a coumarin compound mainly derived from (L.), has attracted much interest from the scientific community owing to its multiple therapeutic properties. However, its pharmacological mechanism, pharmacokinetics, and toxicological effects are far from clear.

Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the S genes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus isolates from China from 2020 to 2023.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an enteric coronavirus that has been the main cause of diarrhea in piglets since 2010 in China. The aim of this study was to investigate sequence variation and recombination events in the spike (S) gene of PEDV isolates from China. Thirty complete S gene sequences were obtained from PEDV-positive samples collected in six provinces in China from 2020 to 2023.

Disulfide stress and its role in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in humans, and oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in disease progression. This phenomenon typically arises from weakening of the cellular antioxidant system or excessive accumulation of peroxides. This review focuses on a specialized form of oxidative stress-disulfide stress-which is triggered by an imbalance in the glutaredoxin and thioredoxin antioxidant systems within the cell, leading to the accumulation of disulfide bonds.

Double-stranded RNA induces antiviral transcriptional response through the Dicer-2/Ampk/FoxO axis in an arthropod.

Invertebrates mainly rely on sequence-specific RNA interference (RNAi) to resist viral infections. Increasing studies show that double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can induce sequence-independent protection and that Dicer-2, the key RNAi player that cleaves long dsRNA into small interfering RNA (siRNA), is necessary for this protection. However, how this protection occurs remains unknown.

DNMT3A dysfunction promotes neuroinflammation and exacerbates acute ischemic stroke.

Somatic mutations related to clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) are risk factors for stroke. The impact of , the most mutated gene in CHIP, on clinical functional outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains unclear. In a well-characterized cohort of 8524 ischemic stroke patients, we demonstrated that -driven CHIP was significantly associated with neurological disability in these patients.

Flow shear force destabilizes carotid plaques by affecting CHOP and GRP78 proteins.

Background: Various factors, including blood, inflammatory, infectious, and immune factors, can cause ischemic stroke. However, the primary cause is often the instability of cervical arteriosclerosis plaque. It is estimated that 18-25% of ischemic strokes are caused by the rupture of carotid plaque.

The E3 Ubiquitin Ligase FBXO38 Maintains the Antitumor Function of Natural Killer Cells by Sustaining IL15R Signaling.

Natural killer (NK) cells are the main innate antitumor effector cells but their function is often constrained in the tumor microenvironment. It has been reported that the E3 ligase FBXO38 accelerates PD-1 degradation in tumor-infiltrating T cells to unleash their cytotoxic function. In this study, we found that the transcriptional levels of FBXO38 in intratumoral NK cells of patients with cancer and tumor-bearing mice were significantly lower than in peritumoral NK cells.

Carbon nitride reinforced chitosan/sodium alginate hydrogel as high-performance adsorbents for free hemoglobin removal in vitro and in vivo.

Removing free hemoglobin generated during extracorporeal circulation remains a challenge. Currently, there is no adsorbent with specificity and good biosafety for removing hemoglobin. In this study, a new chitosan/sodium alginate/carbon nitride (CS/SA/CN) hydrogel adsorbent was prepared by blending SA with CN to drop into CS/CaCl solution.

Alder expansion stimulates nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions from southern Eurasian permafrost peatlands.

Nitrogen oxides (NO) play an important role for atmospheric chemistry and radiative forcing. However, NO emissions from the vast northern circumpolar permafrost regions have not been studied in situ due to limitations of measurement techniques. Our goals were to validate the offline analytical technique, and based on this, to widely quantify in situ NO emissions from peatlands in the southern Eurasian permafrost region.

Modulation of host lipid metabolism by virus infection leads to exoskeleton damage in shrimp.

The arthropod exoskeleton provides protection and support and is vital for survival and adaption. The integrity and mechanical properties of the exoskeleton are often impaired after pathogenic infection; however, the detailed mechanism by which infection affects the exoskeleton remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the damage to the shrimp exoskeleton is caused by modulation of host lipid profiles after infection with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).