Activating α7nAChR helps post-myocardial infarction healing by regulating macrophage polarization via the STAT3 signaling pathway.

Background: Monocytes/macrophages play critical roles in inflammation and cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI). The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) modulates local and systemic inflammatory responses by activating α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR) in monocytes/macrophages. We investigated the effect of α7nAChR on MI-induced monocyte/macrophage recruitment and polarization and its contribution to cardiac remodeling and dysfunction.

Effects of vitamin D combined with pioglitazone hydrochloride on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in Type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

The study aims to investigate the effect of vitamin D (VD) combined with pioglitazone hydrochloride (PIO) on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism in patients with Type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN). T2DN patients were selected and assigned into mild, moderate, and severe groups. In each group, three therapy regimens (VD, PIO, and VD plus PIO) were administered.

A duplex DNA model with regular inter-base-pair hydrogen bonds.

It is well known that base-pair stacking is the main factor in stabilizing DNA duplex and plays an important role in determining DNA sequence-dependence. What is the dominant force in base-pair stacking? This fundamental biological question remains a challenging problem. Here, based on recent studies about the non-planarity of amino groups on DNA bases, we propose a new duplex DNA model, in which all base amino groups are non-planar and participate in forming regular inter-base-pair hydrogen bonds (IBP H-bonds).

First record of Bursaphelenchus rainulfi on pine trees from eastern China and its phylogenetic relationship with intro-genus species.

Bursaphelenchus rainulfi isolated from dead pine trees in Zhejiang, China, is described and illustrated. It also provided some molecular characters of the Chinese population, including the PCR-RFLP and sequences of ITS region and D2-D3 expansion region of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Both the morphological characters and ITS-RFLP patterns match with the original description.

Polarity and hydrophobicity interactions in protein synthesis process.

About 30 years ago, experiments found that there are polarity and hydrophobicity (P and H) correlations and affinity between amino acids and their anticodons. Although it is shown that these experimental findings are important for explaining the origins of the genetic code, the great potential of P and H interactions in investigating other bio-functions have not been fully explored. Here, through raising, discussing and answering seven relevant questions hidden in tRNA aminoacylation, the formation of peptide bonds, and the ending of translations, etc.