Ezetimibe ketone protects against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury and attenuates oxidative stress via activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Recently, ezetimibe (EZM) has been suggested to be a potent Nrf2 activator that is important for preventing oxidative stress. Interestingly, we found that its metabolite ezetimibe ketone (EZM-K) also has antioxidant effects. Thus, we investigated the role of EZM-K in preventing renal ischemia‒reperfusion injury (RIRI).

Hydroxychloroquine Potentiates Apoptosis Induced by PPAR Antagonist in 786-O Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Associated with Inhibiting Autophagy.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the major pathological pattern of renal cell carcinoma. The ccRCC cells exhibit a certain degree of inherent drug resistance due to some genetic mutations. In recent years, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- (PPAR) antagonists have been reported as a targeted therapeutic drug capable of inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the ccRCC cell line.

Contrasting ecosystem responses to climatic events and human activity revealed by a sedimentary record from Lake Yilong, southwestern China.

Global climate change and human activities have significantly impacted lake ecosystems at an accelerating rate in recent decades, but the differences between the responses of lake ecosystems to these two stressors remain unclear. Thus an improved understanding of the long-term influences of climatic and anthropogenic disturbances is necessary for the management of lake ecosystems. In order to address these issues, a sedimentary record was obtained from Lake Yilong in Yunnan Province in southwestern China, where the climate and natural environment are dominated by the Indian Summer Monsoon and there is a long history of human occupation and intensive human activity.

B cell-activating factor regulates the survival of B lymphocytes infected with human cytomegalovirus.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that B lymphocytes can be polyclonally activated by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and individuals infected by HCMV exhibit characteristic features of an autoimmunity disease. B cell-activating factor (BAFF) plays important roles in the survival and differentiation of B cells; however, few studies have examined the potential role of BAFF on B cells infected by HCMV.

Methods: HCMV virus strain (HCMV AD-169) was concentrated by normal methods and used to infect microbead-purified tonsil CD19+ B cells.

[miR-338-5p modulates B cell biological functions by targeting NF-κB1].

Objective To explore the effects of miR-338-5p on the nuclear factor κB1 (NF-κB1) expression and the IgG-producing ability of B cells. Methods Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to test the target gene of miR-338-5p. The purified CD20 B cells were transfected with miR-338-5p agomiR, miR-338-5p antagomiR, NF-κB1 siRNA (siNF-κB1) and their corresponding negative control reagents, and then cultured with anti-IgM antibody and/or recombinant human B cell activating factor (rhBAFF).

Comparison of Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells Induced by Liver X Receptor Agonist from Bone Marrow-derived Cells and Natural Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells.

Background: Mouse dendritic cells (DCs) possess the tolerogenic potentiality after being induced by liver X receptor (LXR) agonist; while the characteristics and mechanisms of the induced DCs are still little known.

Methods: Mouse bone marrow cells were pulsed with interleukin (IL)-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) with or without LXR agonist-T0901317 for 7 days, or induced with lipopolysaccharide for 3 days. Cellular biomarkers, inducing ability of T cell proliferation and regulatory T cells (Treg) formation, and cytokines in culture supernatants were tested.

B-cell-activating factor code and human cytomegalovirus infection in renal transplant recipients.

The objective of the present study was to explore the correlation between the BAFF signal and HCMV-TLR activation in RTx recipients complicated by HCMV. Peripheral blood (anticoagulated by EDTA-Na2 ) and urine of 113 RTx recipients were collected; healthy volunteers were controlled. Urine HCMV-DNA was detected by real-time PCR.