An effector-reporter system to study cellular signal transduction in strawberry fruit (Fragaria ananassa).

An effector-reporter system is a powerful tool used to study cellular signal transduction, but this technique has been traditionally used in protoplasts. A similar system to study cellular signal transduction in fruits has not yet been established. In this study, we aimed to establish an effector-reporter system for strawberry fruit, a model nonclimacteric fruit.

Muscle mass rather than muscle strength or physical performance is associated with metabolic syndrome in community-dwelling older Chinese adults.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance were associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in community-dwelling older Chinese adults.

Methods: The study comprised of 1413 community-dwelling Chinese participants (577 men; mean ± standard deviation age: 71.3 ± 5.

Relationships between sarcopenia, depressive symptoms, and mild cognitive impairment in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia. We aimed to investigate the association and mediation pathways of sarcopenia, including its individual components (muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance), and depressive symptoms with MCI in the older adults.

Methods: This study consisting of 1394 community-dwelling Chinese older adults aged 60 years and older in Tianjin and Shanghai, China.

New electrochemical method for programmed death-ligand 1 detection based on a paper-based microfluidic aptasensor.

As programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is considered a referenced therapeutic biomarker, a rapid and low-cost method to detect PD-L1 in body fluids is necessary. In this work, a paper-based microfluidic aptasensor for label-free electrochemical detection of PD-L1 in liquids was fabricated. The aptasensor integrates a reaction cell and a three-electrode system, and a differential pulse voltammetry electrochemical method was adopted.

The role of glymphatic system in the cerebral edema formation after ischemic stroke.

Cerebral edema following ischemic stroke is predictive of the severity of the eventual stroke related damage, however the effective treatment is limited. The glymphatic system is a recently identified waste clearance pathway in the brain, found in the paravascular space and mainly composed of astrocytes and their aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels. In this review, we primarily focus on the role of the glymphatic system in the formation of cerebral edema after ischemic stroke.

Integrated genomic analysis reveals regulatory pathways and dynamic landscapes of the tRNA transcriptome.

tRNAs and tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs) play various roles in many cellular processes outside of protein synthesis. However, comprehensive investigations of tRNA/tRF regulation are rare. In this study, we used new algorithms to extensively analyze the publicly available data from 1332 ChIP-Seq and 42 small-RNA-Seq experiments in human cell lines and tissues to investigate the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms of tRNAs.

Azithromycin inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis of high glucose-induced podocytes by inhibiting STAT1 pathway.

Azithromycin (AZM) has a therapeutic effect on diabetes, but there is no report on whether AZM has a therapeutic effect on diabetic nephropathy (DN) and its specific mechanism. Cell survival was detected by CCK-8. The expression of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 was determined by ELISA.

The Regulatory Functions of lncRNAs on Angiogenesis Following Ischemic Stroke.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of global mortality and disability. It is a multi-factorial disease involving multiple factors, and gene dysregulation is considered as the major molecular mechanisms underlying disease progression. Angiogenesis can promote collateral circulation, which helps the restoration of blood supply in the ischemic area and reduces ischemic necrosis following ischemic injury.

The Role of Oxidative Stress and Natural Antioxidants in Ovarian Aging.

The ovarian system comprises vital organs in females and is of great significance for the maintenance of reproductive potential and endocrine stability. Although complex pathogenesis undoubtedly contributes to ovarian aging, increasing attention is being paid to the extensive influence of oxidative stress. However, the role of oxidative stress in ovarian aging is yet to be fully elucidated.

The Impact of Tai Chi on Motor Function, Balance, and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Parkinson's disease adversely affects function and quality of life, leading to increased mortality. The practice of Tai Chi has been associated with multifaceted improvements in health-related fitness. Considering the limited number of clinical studies included in previous reviews, inconsistent methodological quality, and inconclusive results, this meta-analysis aims to assess the effects of Tai Chi in patients with Parkinson's disease.

An origami paper-based nanoformulated immunosensor detects picograms of VEGF-C per milliliter of blood.

Detecting vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), a kind of tumor biomarker, is of significant clinical importance in evaluating the prognosis of patients with cancer. However, laboratory analyses are usually not suitable for point-of-care testing because they are expensive and time consuming. In response to these challenges, we fabricated an origami paper-based microfluidic electrochemical device.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Laden Hydrogel Microfibers for Promoting Nerve Fiber Regeneration in Long-Distance Spinal Cord Transection Injury.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based regenerative medicine is widely considered as a promising approach for repairing tissue and re-establishing function in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, low survival rate, uncontrollable migration, and differentiation of stem cells after implantation represent major challenges toward the clinical deployment of this approach. In this study, we fabricated three-dimensional MSC-laden microfibers via electrospinning in a rotating cell culture to mimic nerve tissue, control stem cell behavior, and promote integration with the host tissue.

Reduction of essential amino acid levels and sex-specific alterations in serum amino acid concentration profiles in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Existing evidence has shown that metabolic disturbances may be involved in the pathological process of autism spectrum disorder(ASD). This study aimed to investigate the alterations of serum amino acid concentration profiles in Chinese Han children with ASD.

Methods: Serum amino acid levels were measured using tandem mass spectrometry in 60 children with ASD and 30 typically developing (TD) controls.

The effect of exercise on maternal complications and birth outcomes in overweight or obese pregnant women: a meta-analysis.

Background: Overweight and obesity can increase the risk for certain adverse obstetric outcomes. Exercise may reduce these risks by promoting weight loss or preventing excessive weight gain. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of exercise therapy on pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in overweight or obese pregnant women through a meta-analysis.

Prebiotic-like effects of chitosan on the intestinal microflora in mice.

Food supplements can modulate the composition of human intestinal microflora due to the potential capacity of improving the host health. Chitosan (CS) possesses diverse biological and pharmacological effects and has been used as a new source of prebiotic. In this study, ERIC (Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus)-PCR and viable counts methods were combined to explore the prebiotic-like effects of CS on the intestinal microflora in mice.

Cu single-atoms embedded in porous carbon nitride for selective oxidation of methane to oxygenates.

Cu single atoms embedded in the CN (Cu-SAs/CN) matrix exhibited high activity with 95% oxygenate selectivity for the direct conversion of methane at ambient temperature. The presence of abundant anchoring sites in CN led to highly dispersed Cu-N moieties, which were suggested to be the underlying active sites for methane conversion.

Infrapatellar fat pads participate in the development of knee osteoarthritis in obese patients via the activation of the NF‑κB signaling pathway.

The aim of the present study was to assess the activation of nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) in the infrapatellar fat pads (IPFPs) of obese patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). For this purpose, 32 patients (22 obese patients with KOA and 10 patients with KOA with a healthy weight) treated with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were selected. The expression levels of pro‑inflammatory cytokines and adipocytokines, and the activation of NF‑κB were detected in both the cases and controls by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry where appropriate.

Thyroid paraganglioma accompanied by lymph node metastasis or trachea invasion: A case report.

Thyroid paraganglioma (TP) is an uncommon neuroendocrine tumor with potential for misdiagnosis. Case 1 (male; 44 years old) presented with hoarseness for 3 months. A 2.

Enhanced robustness of half-metallicity in VBr nanowires by strains and transition metal doping.

The study of half-metallic behavior for transition metal tribromide nanowires is of great significance to the basic research and application in spintronics. We have theoretically investigated the spin transport properties of half-metallic VBr3 nanowires sandwiched between Au(100) electrodes. For the VBr3 nanowire with a length of 24.

Paper-based microfluidic aptasensors.

For in-situ disease markers detection, point-of-care (POC) diagnosis has great advantages in speed and cost compared with traditional techniques. The rapid diagnosis, prognosis, and surveillance of diseases can significantly reduce disease-related mortality and trauma. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid to the POC diagnosis devices due to their excellent diagnosis speed and portability.

Dopamine and Striatal Neuron Firing Respond to Frequency-Dependent DBS Detected by Microelectrode Arrays in the Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

(1) Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered as an efficient treatment method for alleviating motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), while different stimulation frequency effects on the specific neuron patterns at the cellular level remain unknown. (2) Methods: In this work, nanocomposites-modified implantable microelectrode arrays (MEAs) were fabricated to synchronously record changes of dopamine (DA) concentration and striatal neuron firing in the striatum during subthalamic nucleus DBS, and different responses of medium spiny projecting neurons (MSNs) and fast spiking interneurons (FSIs) to DBS were analyzed. (3) Results: DA concentration and striatal neuron spike firing rate showed a similar change as DBS frequency changed from 10 to 350 Hz.

Testosterone antagonizes paraquat-induced cardiomyocyte senescence via the mIGF-1/SIRT1 signaling pathway.

Testosterone has been demonstrated to antagonize doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte senescence. However, whether testosterone prevents the paraquat-induced cardiomyocyte senescence is largely unknown. The detection of SA-β-gal activity was performed using senescence β-gal staining kit and the reactive oxygen species levels were determined by reactive oxygen species assay kit.

Hyperthermal liquid, spray, and smog may be potential risk factors for recurrent laryngeal nerve thermal injury during thyroid surgeries.

Purpose: The hyperthermal liquid, spray and smog caused by energy-based surgical devices (EBDs) may be the potential risk factors for recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) thermal injury, but not been reported previously. We aim to demonstrated it both in thyroid surgeries and animal experiments.

Methods: 321 thyroid patients and 32 rats were divided into two groups respectively.

Effects of different living conditions on the risk of osteoporosis in Chinese community-dwelling elderly: a 3-year cohort study.

Objective: Osteoporosis can lead to bone fragility and an increased risk of bone fracture with resultant high morbidity and mortality. Living alone has been associated with various mental and physical health problems. However, the risk of osteoporosis among individuals with different living conditions and changing living conditions is unclear.