Low molecular fucoidan alleviated alcohol-induced liver injury in BALB/c mice by regulating the gut microbiota-bile acid-liver axis.

Fucoidan has attracted significant attention owing to its remarkable bioactivities, but the effect of molecular weight (Mw) on its activities in the context of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD) is poorly understood. In this study, low Mw fucoidan (OSLF) was prepared, and its protective effect against alcohol-induced liver injury was assessed in a mouse model. OSLF increased weight gain and colon length, improved lipid disorders, and reduced oxidative stress in mice exposed to alcohol, alleviating liver injury.

Fucoidan ameliorates alcohol-induced liver injury in mice through Parabacteroides distasonis-mediated regulation of the gut-liver axis.

Polysaccharides can benefit the liver via modulation of the gut microbiota, but the exact mechanism is still unclear. This study demonstrated that the effect of Scytosiphon lomentaria fucoidan (SLF) on alcohol-induced liver injury can be closely related to the level of Parabacteroides distasonis (Pd) via in vivo and in vitro models. Further mice experiment showed that Pd alleviated liver injury and inflammation by suppressing the NF-κB/MAPK pathways and activating Nrf2 pathway.

zDHHC20-driven S-palmitoylation of CD80 is required for its costimulatory function.

CD80 is a transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the B7 family, which has emerged as a crucial molecule in T cell modulation via the CD28 or CTLA4 axes. CD80-involved regulation of immune balance is a finely tuned process and it is important to elucidate the underlying mechanism for regulating CD80 function. In this study we investigated the post-translational modification of CD80 and its biological relevance.

Malignant arrhythmias detection using a synthesis-by-analysis modeling method of arterial blood pressure signal.

Extreme bradycardia, extreme tachycardia, ventricular flutter fib, and ventricular tachycardia are four malignant arrhythmias (MAs) that lead to sudden cardiac death. It is very important to detect them in daily life. The arterial blood pressure (ABP) signal contains abundant pathological information about four MAs and is easy to be recorded under domestic conditions.

Digestion characteristics of polysaccharides from Gracilaria lemaneiformis and its interaction with the human gut microbiota.

The health effects of polysaccharides have attracted lots of attention, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. This study indicated that polysaccharides from Gracilaria lemaneiformis (GLPs) tolerated the conditions of mouth, stomach, and small intestine, and it reached the colon integrally, where it increased the production of short chain fatty acids, altered the gut microbiota, and especially increased the level of Bacteroides. To explore the underlying mechanism, hundreds of Bacteroides strains were isolated from the human feces and identified by MALDI-TOF/MS.

HEDGEHOG/GLI Modulates the PRR11-SKA2 Bidirectional Transcription Unit in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

We previously demonstrated that proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) and spindle and kinetochore associated 2 (SKA2) constituted a head-to-head gene pair driven by a prototypical bidirectional promoter. This gene pair synergistically promoted the development of non-small cell lung cancer. However, the signaling pathways leading to the ectopic expression of this gene pair remains obscure.

Tc-conjugated manganese-based mesoporous silica nanoparticles for SPECT, pH-responsive MRI and anti-cancer drug delivery.

In recent decades, hybrid imaging techniques that exploit the advantages of multiple imaging technologies have aroused extensive attention due to the deficiencies of single imaging modes. Along with the development of single photon emission computed tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (SPECT-MRI), it is currently necessary to develop a series of dual probes that can combine the outstanding sensitivity of SPECT with the high spatial resolution of MRI. Herein, the commonly used technetium-99 (Tc) was labelled on the surface of manganese oxide-based mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MnO-MSNs) for use in SPECT-MRI dual-modal imaging.