N7-methyladenosine-induced SLC7A7 serves as a prognostic biomarker in pan-cancer and promotes CRC progression in colorectal cancer.

Solute transport family 7A member 7 (SLC7A7) mutations contribute to lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI), which is the mechanism of action that has been extensively studied. In colorectal cancer (CRC), SLC7A7 appears to play a role, but the features and mechanisms are not yet well understood. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Macrophage-specific κ-OR knockout exacerbates inflammation in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), a prevalent subtype of pulmonary arterial hypertension, is characterized by pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and vascular remodeling, accompanied by inflammatory responses. Recent in vivo studies have shown a critical role of the κ-opioid receptor (κ-OR) in modulating the aforementioned pathological processes. Specifically, macrophage-specific κ-OR-knockout models have shown inflammatory response exacerbation with pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling.

Deep-learning approach to measuring the refractive index of transparent liquids.

A deep-learning approach is introduced to determine the refractive index of transparent liquids based on variations in the displacement of ultra-smooth interference fringes. The phase characteristics of these fringe variations captured in video data were analyzed and modeled using group-phase fitting. A neural network model, integrating a dense convolutional network with a long short-term memory network, was then developed and trained for high-precision liquid refractive index measurements.

IPR1-mediated MAMs formation contributes to mechanical trauma-induced hepatic injury and the protective effect of melatonin.

Introduction: There is a high morbidity and mortality rate in mechanical trauma (MT)-induced hepatic injury. Currently, the molecular mechanisms underlying liver MT are largely unclear. Exploring the underlying mechanisms and developing safe and effective medicines to alleviate MT-induced hepatic injury is an urgent requirement.

MFN2 deficiency promotes cardiac response to hypobaric hypoxia by reprogramming cardiomyocyte metabolism.

Aim: Under hypobaric hypoxia (HH), the heart triggers various defense mechanisms including metabolic remodeling against lack of oxygen. Mitofusin 2 (MFN2), located at the mitochondrial outer membrane, is closely involved in the regulation of mitochondrial fusion and cell metabolism. To date, however, the role of MFN2 in cardiac response to HH has not been explored.

SEVERE BURN-INDUCED MITOCHONDRIAL RECRUITMENT OF CALPAIN CAUSES ABERRANT MITOCHONDRIAL DYNAMICS AND HEART DYSFUNCTION.

Mitochondrial damage is an important cause of heart dysfunction after severe burn injury. However, the pathophysiological process remains unclear. This study aims to examine the mitochondrial dynamics in the heart and the role of μ-calpain, a cysteine protease, in this scenario.

Lockdown in Chinese university dormitories: Significant increase in negative feelings and time perception distortion.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global crisis resulting in lockdowns worldwide. Studies found that these could amplify negative affects predictive of disturbances in time perception. However, all existing studies on this topic concentrated on the general population during a lockdown at home.

Fibroblast-specific activation of Rnd3 protects against cardiac remodeling in diabetic cardiomyopathy via suppression of Notch and TGF-β signaling.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, a key pathological feature in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), is triggered by oxidative stress, inflammation, and various metabolic disorders in the heart. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are the primary source of ECM proteins and the ultimate effector cells in ECM remodeling. CFs are turned on and differentiated into myofibroblasts in response to profibrotic signaling.

Exosomes derived from pericardial adipose tissues attenuate cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction by Adipsin-regulated iron homeostasis.

As a vital adipokine, Adipsin is closely associated with cardiovascular risks. Nevertheless, its role in the onset and development of cardiovascular diseases remains elusive. This study was designed to examine the effect of Adipsin on survival, cardiac dysfunction and adverse remodeling in the face of myocardial infarction (MI) injury.

Opportunities and challenges of pain-related myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Pain is one of the most serious problems plaguing human health today. Pain is not an independent pathophysiological condition and is associated with a high impact on elevated disability and organ dysfunction. Several lines of evidence suggested the associations of pain with cardiovascular diseases, especially myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, while the role of pain in I/R injury and related mechanisms are not yet comprehensively assessed.

Unravelling relationships between fluorescence spectra, molecular weight distribution and hydrophobicity fraction of dissolved organic matter in municipal wastewater.

The characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the influent and secondary effluent from 6 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were investigated with a size exclusion chromatogram (SEC) coupled with multiple detectors to simultaneously detect ultraviolet absorbance, fluorescence, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) as a function of molecular weight (MW). The SEC chromatograms showed that biopolymers (>6 kDa) and humic substances (0.5-6 kDa) comprised the significant fraction in the influent, while humic substances became the abundant proportion in the secondary effluent.

The Direct Anterior Approach versus the Posterolateral Approach on the Outcome of Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Clinical Study.

Objective: To compare the clinical results of the direct anterior approach (DAA) and posterolateral approach (PLA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients.

Methods: From January 2017 to September 2019, 80 patients who received primary THA in our hospital were retrospectively selected based on the propensity score matching (PSM) method. Baseline characteristics of patients who underwent the DAA and PLA were collected.

Mfn2-mediated mitochondrial fusion alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity with enhancing its anticancer activity through metabolic switch.

Imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics including inhibited mitochondrial fusion is associated with cardiac dysfunction as well as tumorigenesis. This study sought to explore the effects of promoting mitochondrial fusion on doxorubicin(Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity and its antitumor efficacy, with a focus on the underlying metabolic mechanisms. Herein, the inhibition of Mfn2-mediated mitochondrial fusion was identified as a key phenotype in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.

Impairment of μ-calpain activation by rhTNFR:Fc reduces severe burn-induced membrane disruption in the heart.

Stress cardiomyopathy is a major clinical complication after severe burn. Multiple upstream initiators have been identified; however, the downstream targets are not fully understood. This study assessed the role of the plasma membrane in this process and its relationship with the protease μ-calpain and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).

Paeonol promotes Opa1-mediated mitochondrial fusion via activating the CK2α-Stat3 pathway in diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Diabetes disrupts mitochondrial function and often results in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Paeonol is a bioactive compound that has been reported to have pharmacological potential for cardiac and mitochondrial protection. This study aims to explore the effects of paeonol on mitochondrial disorderes in DCM and the underlying mechanisms.

Activation of κ-opioid receptor inhibits inflammatory response induced by sodium palmitate in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objectives: The current study aims to investigate the effect of κ-opioid receptor (κ-OR) activation on sodium palmitate (SP)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) inflammatory response and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A hyperlipidemic cell model was established and treated with κ-OR agonist (U50,488H), and antagonist (norbinaltorphimine, nor-BNI), or inhibitors targeting PI3K, Akt or eNOS (LY294002, MK2206-2HCl or L-NAME, respectively). Furthermore, the expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, p-Akt, Akt, p-eNOS, and total eNOS were evaluated.

Characterization of fragment sizes, copy number aberrations and 4-mer end motifs in cell-free DNA of hepatocellular carcinoma for enhanced liquid biopsy-based cancer detection.

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomics, which encompasses the measurement of cfDNA length and short nucleotide motifs at the ends of cfDNA molecules, is an emerging field for cancer diagnosis. The utilization of cfDNA fragmentomics for the diagnosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is currently limited. In this study, we utilized whole-genome sequencing data of cfDNA in samples from patients with HCC (n = 197) and HBV (n = 187) to analyze the association of fragment size selection (< 150 bp) with tumor fraction (TF), copy number variation (CNV) alterations and the change in the proportion of 4-mer end motifs in HCC and HBV samples.

κ-opioid receptor stimulation alleviates rat vascular smooth muscle cell calcification via PFKFB3-lactate signaling.

In the present study, the effects and mechanism of action of U50,488H (a selective κ-opioid receptor agonist) on calcification of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by β-glycerophosphate (β-GP) were investigated. VSMCs were isolated and cultured in traditional FBS-based media. A calcification model was established in VSMCs under hyperphosphatemia and intracellular calcium contents.

SHANK3 Co-ordinately Regulates Autophagy and Apoptosis in Myocardial Infarction.

Cardiac remodeling and dysfunction are responsible for the high mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). We assessed the potential for Shank3 to alleviate the post-infarction cardiac dysfunction. The experimental MI mice model was constructed by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation.

CircTADA2A suppresses the progression of colorectal cancer via miR-374a-3p/KLF14 axis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of our study was to disclose the expression pattern and underlying molecular mechanism of circular RNA TADA2A (circTADA2A) in CRC.

Methods: The levels of circTADA2A, transcriptional adaptor 2A (TADA2A), microRNA-374a-3p (miR-374a-3p) and Kruppel like factor 14 (KLF14) were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).