The HIF-1α antisense long non-coding RNA drives a positive feedback loop of HIF-1α mediated transactivation and glycolysis.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a master driver of glucose metabolism in cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate that a HIF-1α anti-sense lncRNA, HIFAL, is essential for maintaining and enhancing HIF-1α-mediated transactivation and glycolysis. Mechanistically, HIFAL recruits prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3) to pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2) to induce its prolyl hydroxylation and introduces the PKM2/PHD3 complex into the nucleus via binding with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNPF) to enhance HIF-1α transactivation.

Functional analysis of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in Huntington's disease.

The aim of this study is to determine the molecular functions of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in Huntington's disease (HD). A total of 1,675 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were overlapped from HD versus control and BDNF-low versus high groups. Five co-expression modules were constructed using weight gene correlation network analysis, among which the blue and turquoise modules were most strongly correlated with HD and low BDNF.

Resistance to thyroid hormone caused by a mutation of the thyroid β receptor gene in a family over three generations.

Not required for Clinical Vignette.

Brain activation during verbal fluency task in type II bipolar disorder patients: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Background: Previous studies have shown that BD patients exhibited impairment when performing a verbal fluency task (VFT) and abnormal prefrontal cortex activation during this task. However, no study has specifically examined whether patients with type II BD demonstrate difficulty in performing VFT and impairments in relevant neural correlates or whether these are related to psychotic symptoms, the present study aimed to examine these issues.

Methods: Forty-nine patients with type II BD (21 patients with psychotic symptoms [BDIIp] and 28 patients without psychotic symptoms [BDIIn]) and 45 matched healthy controls (HCs) participated the study and completed the VFTs, while their brain activity was recorded with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Circ‑TOP2A acts as a ceRNA for miR‑346 and contributes to glioma progression via the modulation of sushi domain‑containing 2.

Dysregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of multiple human malignancies. Knowledge of circRNAs in glioma (GM) is limited and further study to uncover new therapeutic targets for GM is urgently required. The present study demonstrated that circ‑TOP2A was elevated in GM tissue specimens and cells and that circ‑TOP2A levels indicated an unfavorable clinical prognosis in GM.

A chemical genetic screen identifies Aurora kinases as a therapeutic target in EGFR T790M negative, gefitinib-resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Background: Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and downstream pathway activation appears to be a common oncogenic driver in the majority of head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCCs); yet targeting EGFR for the treatment of HNSCC has met with limited success. Apart from the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab, no small molecule EGFR/tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have progressed to routine clinical use. The aim of this study was to determine factors contributing to the lack of response to TKIs and identify alternative therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Differential expression and correlation analysis of miRNA-mRNA profiles in swine testicular cells infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

The variant virulent porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) strain (YN15) can cause severe porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED); however, the attenuated vaccine-like PEDV strain (YN144) can induce immunity in piglets. To investigate the differences in pathogenesis and epigenetic mechanisms between the two strains, differential expression and correlation analyses of the microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA in swine testicular (ST) cells infected with YN15, YN144, and mock were performed on three comparison groups (YN15 vs Control, YN144 vs Control, and YN15 vs YN144). The mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were obtained using next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the differentially expressed (DE) (p-value < 0.

Innovative Characterization Based on Stress Relaxation and Creep to Reveal the Tenderizing Effect of Ultrasound on Wooden Breast.

In order to explore a new strategy to characterize the texture of raw meat, based on the ultrasonic tenderized wooden breast (WB), this study proposed stress relaxation and creep to determine the rheological properties. Results showed that hardness was significantly decreased from 3625.61 g to 2643.

Differentiating between bipolar and unipolar depression using prefrontal activation patterns: Promising results from functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) findings.

Background: Bipolar depression (BD) is a unique, severe and prevalent mental illness that shares many similarities in symptoms with unipolar depression (UD). Improving precision of their diagnoses would enhance treatment outcome and prognosis for both conditions. This study aims to provide evidence from functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a potential tool to differentiate UD and BD based on their differences in hemodynamic change in the prefrontal cortex during verbal fluency tasks (VFT).

LncRNA GAS5 is upregulated in polycystic ovary syndrome and regulates cell apoptosis and the expression of IL-6.

Background: GAS5 contains a hormone response element that can induce cell apoptosis in breast cancer. It is known that cell apoptosis and hormone response play crucial roles in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), indicating the potential involvement of GAS5 in PCOS. This study was performed to investigate the potential involvement of GAS5 and IL-6 (a critical player in PCOS) in PCOS.

Theobromine ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by regulating hepatic lipid metabolism via mTOR signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro.

Theobromine, a methylxanthine present in cocoa, has been shown to possess many beneficial pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory property, and anti-microbial activity. In this study, we investigated the effects of theobromine on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the possible underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that theobromine reduced body weight and fat mass and improved dyslipidemia.

Molecular identification of protein kinase C beta in Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential roles of protein kinase C beta (PRKCB) in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We identified 2,254 differentially expressed genes from 19,245 background genes in AD versus control as well as PRKCB-low versus high group. Five co-expression modules were constructed by weight gene correlation network analysis.

Inhibition of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Replication and Viral 3C-Like Protease by Quercetin.

For the last decade, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) variant strains have caused severe damage to the global pig industry. Until now, no effective antivirals have been developed for the therapeutic treatment of PEDV infection. In the present study, we found that quercetin significantly suppressed PEDV infection at noncytotoxic concentrations.

Flame Retardancy and Thermal Behavior of an Unsaturated Polyester Modified with Kaolinite-Urea Intercalation Complexes.

Organic modified kaolinite-urea intercalation complex (KUIC) was prepared using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the precursor of kaolinite intercalation. Its structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Subsequently, as a synergistic agent, KUIC was combined with flame retardant ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to improve the flame retardant and smoke suppression performance of unsaturated polyester (UP) resin.

Elevated postoperative serum uric acid is associated with major adverse events following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Few data are available on the association between postoperative serum uric acid (SUA) level and poor survival in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We evaluated the relationship between postoperative SUA and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) among patients undergoing CABG.

Methods: This study used data from 1614 consecutive patients undergoing CAGB at Fuwai Hospital (Beijing, China) from 2011 to 2015.

Inhibition of MyD88 by a novel inhibitor reverses two-thirds of the infarct area in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Cardiomyocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts play important roles in inflammation and repair during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI). Myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) is upregulated in immunocytes, cardiomyocytes, and fibroblasts during MIRI. MyD88 induces the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), while fibroblasts are recruited and activated to mediate cardiac remodeling.

The general public's ability to operate automated external defibrillator: A controlled simulation study.

Background: Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) enable laypeople to provide early defibrillations to patients undergoing cardiac arrest, but scant information is available on the general public's ability to use AEDs. This study assessed the ability of laypeople to operate AEDs, the effect of a 15-minute training, and whether skills differed by age.

Methods: From May 1 to December 31, 2018, a prospective simulation study was conducted with 94 laypeople aged 18-65 years (32 aged 18-24 years, 34 aged 25-54 years, and 28 aged 55-65 years) with no prior AED training.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of mouse testis uncovers cellular pathways associated with bisphenol A (BPA)-induced male infertility.

Quantitative proteomic analysis was performed using iTRAQ to explore the potential regulation of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) by bisphenol A (BPA) in murine testis. BPA was intraperitoneally injected into mice at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight for 7 consecutive days. After BPA treatment, the histopathology changes of testis were examined.

The vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway regulates liver sinusoidal endothelial cells during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.

Introduction: Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy is a very complex and well-regulated procedure. It utilizes all liver cell types, which are associated with signaling pathways involving growth factors, cytokines, and stimulatory and inhibitory feedback of several growth-related signals. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) contribute to liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy.

Wilms' tumor 1 () promotes ovarian cancer progression by regulating E-cadherin and ERK1/2 signaling.

Wilms' tumor 1 () is reported to play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis, two hallmarks of ovarian cancer (OC) that influence treatment efficacy and prognosis. However, the specific roles and underlying mechanisms of in OC have not been fully understood. Here, we investigated the potential function and signaling pathways of in OC cells.

Paxillin knockdown suppresses metastasis and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer via the ERK signalling pathway.

Paxillin (PXN) is a cytoplasmic protein that plays an important role in regulating focal adhesion, cytoskeletal rearrangements and cell motility. The present study aimed to investigate the role of PXN in the metastasis of human colorectal cancer (CRC) and its possible mechanisms. Immunohistochemical staining of tissues from 102 surgical CRC patients revealed that high PXN expression was positively correlated with tumour‑node‑metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and recurrence at distant sites after radical surgery.

DNA of neutrophil extracellular traps promotes cancer metastasis via CCDC25.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which consist of chromatin DNA filaments coated with granule proteins, are released by neutrophils to trap microorganisms. Recent studies have suggested that the DNA component of NETs (NET-DNA) is associated with cancer metastasis in mouse models. However, the functional role and clinical importance of NET-DNA in metastasis in patients with cancer remain unclear.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligand ITE inhibits cell proliferation and migration and enhances sensitivity to drug-resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, is considered as a crucial gene during tumor formation and progress. Among various ligands, 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE) has been evaluated to share a broad spectrum of biological activities. However, the specific effects and potential mechanisms of ITE against hepatocellular carcinoma remain unclear.

Flexible motor sequence generation during stereotyped escape responses.

Complex animal behaviors arise from a flexible combination of stereotyped motor primitives. Here we use the escape responses of the nematode to study how a nervous system dynamically explores the action space. The initiation of the escape responses is predictable: the animal moves away from a potential threat, a mechanical or thermal stimulus.

rs622342 Polymorphism Predicts Insulin Resistance Improvement in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treated with Metformin: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Metformin is the most widely used oral antidiabetic agent and can reduce insulin resistance (IR) effectively. Organic cation transporter 1 (encoded by ) is responsible for the transport of metformin, and ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated () is a gene relating to the DNA repair and cell cycle control. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the genetic variants in rs622342 and rs11212617 could be effective predictors of islet function improvement in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on metformin treatment.