Assessing ACE2 expression patterns in lung tissues in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 may use ACE2 as a receptor to gain entry into human cells, in a way similar to that of SARS-CoV. Analyzing the distribution and expression level of ACE2 may therefore help reveal underlying mechanisms of viral susceptibility and post-infection modulation. In this study, we utilized previously uploaded information on ACE2 expression in various conditions including SARS-CoA to evaluate the role of ACE2 in SARS-CoV and extrapolate that to COVID-19.

Genetic Diversity and Drug Resistance of HIV-1 CRF55_01B in Guangdong, China.

Background: HIV-1 CRF55_01B was first reported in 2013. At present, no report is available regarding this new clade's polymorphisms in its functionally critical regions protease and reverse transcriptase.

Objective: To identify the diversity difference in protease and reverse transcriptase between CRF55_01B and its parental clades CRF01_AE and subtype B; and to investigate CRF55_01B's drug resistance mutations associated with the protease inhibition and reverse transcriptase inhibition.

Management of large renal stones with super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy: an international multicentre comparative study.

Objectives: To comparatively evaluate the clinical outcomes of super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) and mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (Miniperc) for treating urinary tract calculi of >2 cm.

Patients And Methods: An international multicentre, retrospective cohort study was conducted at 20 tertiary care hospitals across five countries (China, the Philippines, Qatar, UK, and Kuwait) between April 2016 and May 2019. SMP and Miniperc were performed in 3525 patients with renal calculi with diameters of >2 cm.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on cognitive functions, hippocampal HIF-1α and neurons apoptosis in postoperative cognitive dysfunction rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on learning and memory ability, hippocampal hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) and apoptosis in postoperative cognitive dysfunction(POCD) rats, and to investigate its mechanism underlying improvement of POCD.

Methods: A total of 90 aged male SD rats were randomized into a sham-operation group, a model group and an EA group, 30 rats in each group, which were further divided into 3 time-point subgroups (1, 3 and 7 days after intevention, 10 rats in each subgroup). In the model group and the EA group, left hepatectomy was adopted to establish the model of POCD.

Therapeutic ultrasound combined with microbubbles improves atherosclerotic plaque stability by selectively destroying the intraplaque neovasculature.

: The current antiangiogenic therapy for atherosclerotic plaques was mainly achieved by the use of antiangiogenic drugs, but serious side effects have limited the clinical application. The present study investigated whether therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) treatment with appropriate pressure could selectively deplete the neovasculature in vulnerable plaques to improve its stability with no side effects on the body; the underlying mechanisms were also explored. : A mouse model of advanced atherosclerosis was generated by maintaining apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice on a hypercholesterolemic diet (HCD).

Kinetics study of heterogeneous reactions of O and SO with sea salt single droplets using micro-FTIR spectroscopy: Potential for formation of sulfate aerosol in atmospheric environment.

The heterogeneous reactions of sea salt single droplets with the mixture of O and SO were studied in real time using microscopic Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) spectrometer. Chemical conversion of SO to sulfate and consumption of gaseous HCl occur on the surface of droplets in the presence of O. The sulfate formation rate and the uptake coefficient are obtained by quantitatively estimating the changes in absorbance area of the sulfate stretching band.

General Strategy to Fabricate Metal-Incorporated Pyrolysis-Free Covalent Organic Framework for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Because of the permission of the manipulations of modular construction on the atomic level, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted extensive attention in the electrocatalytic field. Owing to the lack of metal sites in pristine COFs constructed only by metal-free organic building units, it generally exhibits extremely low electrocatalytic activity. Thereby, linking metal sites on the backbone of pyrolysis-free COFs but not loading them on the surface to enhance the electrocatalytic activity is highly desirable but still remains a huge challenge.

CircRNA_0001449 disturbs phosphatidylinositol homeostasis and AKT activity by enhancing Osbpl5 translation in transient cerebral ischemia.

Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3] is a phosphorylated derivative of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate [PI(4)P] and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], which recruit and activate AKT in the plasma membrane (PM) to promote cellular survival. ORP5 anchors at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-PM contact sites and acts as a PI(4)P and PI(4,5)P2/phosphatidylserine (PS) exchanger. Here, a lipidomics analysis of the sensorimotor cortex revealed that transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) disturbs the homeostasis of phosphatidylinositols (PIs) and PS between the PM and ER.

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction procedures for emphysema: A network meta-analysis.

Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) offers alternative novel treatments for patients with emphysema. Comprehensive evidence for comparing different BLVR remains unclear. To estimate the effects of different BLVR on patients with emphysema.

The Mitochondrial Protein MAVS Stabilizes p53 to Suppress Tumorigenesis.

Recent reports have shown the critical role of the mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein in virus-induced apoptosis, but the involvement of MAVS in tumorigenesis is still poorly understood. Herein, we report that MAVS is a key regulator of p53 activation and is critical for protecting against tumorigenesis. We find that MAVS promotes p53-dependent cell death in response to DNA damage.

Sirt1-inducible deacetylation of p21 promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation.

Inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation is a hopeful approach for cardiac regeneration following myocardial infarction. Previous studies have shown that p21 inhibits the cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regeneration. Deacetylation of p21 by Sirt1 deacetylase may reduce p21 abundance and remove p21-induced cell cycle arrest.

Uncovering the functional residues of isoprenoid biosynthesis enzyme HDS.

The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway is responsible for producing isoprenoids, metabolites with essential functions in the bacterial kingdom and plastid-bearing organisms including plants and Apicomplexa. Additionally, the MEP-pathway intermediate methylerythritol cyclodiphosphate (MEcPP) serves as a plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signal. A suppressor screen of the high MEcPP accumulating mutant plant () led to the isolation of 3 revertants (designated -) resulting from independent intragenic substitutions of conserved amino acids in the penultimate MEP-pathway enzyme, hydroxymethylbutenyl diphosphate synthase (HDS).

Elliptically polarized laser-pumped magnetometer towards applications at room temperature.

An atomic magnetometer operated with elliptically polarized light is investigated theoretically and experimentally. To explore the potential of this magnetometric configuration, the analytical form of the outgoing signal is derived. Parameters that significantly influence the performance are optimized, which lead to a sensitivity of 300 / at 45 C with a 2×2×2 cm uncoated Rb vapor cell.

Reproducibility assessment of neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging protocols for region-of-interest and voxelwise analyses.

Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) provides a noninvasive measure of the content of neuromelanin (NM), a product of dopamine metabolism that accumulates with age in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). NM-MRI has been validated as a measure of both dopamine neuron loss, with applications in neurodegenerative disease, and dopamine function, with applications in psychiatric disease. Furthermore, a voxelwise-analysis approach has been validated to resolve substructures, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), within midbrain dopaminergic nuclei thought to have distinct anatomical targets and functional roles.

ING4 alleviated lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation by regulating the NF-κB pathway via a direct interaction with SIRT1.

Sepsis is a complex inflammatory disorder in which high mortality is associated with an excessive inflammatory response. Inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4), which is a cofactor of histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase complexes, could negatively regulate this inflammation. However, the exact molecular signaling pathway regulated by ING4 remains uncertain.

lncRNA CCAT2 promotes radiotherapy resistance for human esophageal carcinoma cells via the miR‑145/p70S6K1 and p53 pathway.

The long non‑coding RNA colon cancer‑associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) is abnormally expressed in various types of malignant tumor tissues and considered to be an oncogene, including for esophageal cancer (EC). Radiotherapy is an important and widely used cancer treatment. However, some patients with EC do not respond to radiotherapy.

Optical puncture combined with balloon dilation PCNL vs. conventional puncture dilation PCNL for kidney stones without hydronephrosis: a retrospective study.

Background: Accurate puncture and dilation of the target kidney calices for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) can be difficult. This study aimed to investigate the advantages of PCNL using optical puncture (i.e.

Targeting TR4 nuclear receptor with antagonist bexarotene increases docetaxel sensitivity to better suppress the metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer progression.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in America, and there are no curative options for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Docetaxel (DTX) has been used as a standard chemotherapy for the mCRPC. However, resistance to DTX is a significant clinical problem as half of patients fail to respond to therapy.

Retracted Article: Exosome-derived PTENP1 suppresses cisplatin resistance of bladder cancer (BC) by suppressing cell proliferation, migration and inducing apoptosis the miR-103a/PDCD4 axis.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a lethal cancer that threatens the health of millions of people. Chemotherapy drug resistance, for example, cisplatin (DDP) resistance, is a huge limitation for BC therapy. PTEN pseudogene-1 (PTENP1) has been identified as a significant biomarker of multiple cancers.

Structure elucidation and NMR assignments of a new sesquiterpene of volatile oil from Willd.

A new sesquiterpene, artefrigin (), together with four known sesquiterpenes were isolated from the volatile oil of Willd. The structure of was elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS and extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques.

Low serum level of sirtuin 1 predicts coronary atherosclerosis plaques during computed tomography angiography among an asymptomatic cohort.

Objectives: Whether in asymptomatic populations levels of serum sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) are associated with coronary atherosclerosis plaque characteristics remains unclear. This article aims to evaluate the possibility of Sirt1 serum levels predicting high-risk coronary plaques revealed through computed tomography angiography (CTA).

Methods: The current cross-sectional investigation was performed on patients from non high-risk plaque (HRP) group (control group) as well as HRP group.

Heterogeneous reactions of isoprene and ozone on α-AlO: The suppression effect of relative humidity.

The heterogeneous reactions of α-AlO particles with a mixture of ozone (∼50 ppm) and isoprene (∼50 ppm) were studied as a function of relative humidities (RHs). The reactions were monitored in real time through the microscopic Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) spectrometer. The results show that the presence of ozone leads to the rapid conversion of isoprene to carboxylate (COO) ions on the surfaces of α-AlO particles in the initial stage.

Rubidium-containing mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds support angiogenesis, osteogenesis and antibacterial activity.

In this study, rubidium-containing mesoporous bioglass (Rb-MBG) scaffolds were formed with the investigation of the influence of Rb addition on angiogenic and osteogenic differentiation abilities of hBMSC. The phase composition, microstructure, pore size distribution, ion release, biological activity, drug loading rate, and release rate of Rb-MBG were characterized. The proliferation and differentiation of hBMSC, the markers of bone formation (ALP, COL-1) and angiogenesis (VEGF, HIF-1α), and wnt/β-catenin related-signaling pathway gene were studied by cell culture.

Long noncoding RNA GAS5 induces abdominal aortic aneurysm formation by promoting smooth muscle apoptosis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may serve as specific targets for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). LncRNA GAS5, functionally associated with smooth muscle cell (SMC) apoptosis and proliferation, is likely involved in AAA formation, but the exact role of GAS5 in AAA is unknown. We thus explored the contribution of GAS5 to SMC-regulated AAA formation and its underlying mechanisms.

Abbreviated quantitative UTE imaging in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Existing ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE MRI) methods require prohibitively long acquisition times (~ 20-40 min) to quantitatively assess the clinically relevant fast decay T* component in ligaments and tendons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and clinical translatability of a novel abbreviated quantitative UTE MRI paradigm for monitoring graft remodeling after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods: Eight patients who had Graftlink™ hamstring autograft reconstruction were recruited for this prospective study.