Research on advanced photoresponsive azobenzene hydrogels with push-pull electronic effects: a breakthrough in photoswitchable adhesive technologies.

Smart materials that adapt to various stimuli, such as light, hold immense potential across many fields. Photoresponsive molecules like azobenzenes, which undergo - photoisomerization when exposed to light, are particularly valuable for applications in smart coatings, light-controlled adhesives, and photoresists in semiconductors and integrated circuits. Despite advances in using azobenzene moieties for stimuli-responsive adhesives, the role of push-pull electronic effects in regulating reversible adhesion remains largely unexplored.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid targets HSP90 to promote protein homeostasis and extends healthy lifespan.

As the elderly population expands, the pursuit of therapeutics to reduce morbidity and extend lifespan has become increasingly crucial. As an FDA-approved drug for chronic cholestatic liver diseases, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a natural bile acid, offers additional health benefits beyond liver protection. Here, we show that TUDCA extends the lifespan and healthspan of C.

Nicotinamide Suppresses Hyperactivation of Dendritic Cells to Control Autoimmune Disease through PARP Dependent Signaling.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in initiating and shaping both innate and adaptive immune responses. Clinical studies and experimental models have highlighted their significant involvement in various autoimmune diseases, positioning them as promising therapeutic targets. Nicotinamide (NAM), a form of vitamin B3, with its anti-inflammatory properties, has been suggested, while the involvement of NAM in DCs regulation remains elusive.

Stretchable, Adhesive, and Biocompatible Hydrogel Based on Iron-Dopamine Complexes.

Hydrogels' exceptional mechanical strength and skin-adhesion characteristics offer significant advantages for various applications, particularly in the fields of tissue adhesion and wearable sensors. Herein, we incorporated a combination of metal-coordination and hydrogen-bonding forces in the design of stretchable and adhesive hydrogels. We synthesized four hydrogels, namely PAID-0, PAID-1, PAID-2, and PAID-3, consisting of acrylamide (AAM), '-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA), and methacrylic-modified dopamine (DA).

Preoperative and postoperative clinical signatures of postgastrectomy venous thromboembolism in patients with gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: This study aimed to identify preoperative and postoperative risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after gastrectomy in gastric cancer (GC) patients.

Methods: 757 GC patients underwent gastrectomy at our institution and 246 patients with elevated postoperative D-dimer levels who received Doppler ultrasonography of lower/upper extremity veins were enrolled. Clinicopathological factors data were collected, and the differences in clinicopathological factors between postoperative VTE (+) and VTE (-) groups were analyzed.

The Role of HMGB1 in Invasive Candida albicans Infection.

Introduction: High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an important "late" inflammatory mediator in bacterial sepsis. Ethyl pyruvate (EP), an inhibitor of HMGB1, can prevent bacterial sepsis by decreasing HMGB1 levels. However, the role of HMGB1 in fungal sepsis is still unclear.

Platelets as a prognostic marker for sepsis: A cohort study from the MIMIC-III database.

During sepsis, platelets dysfunction contributes to organ dysfunction. Studies on platelets dysfunction in the long-term prognosis of sepsis are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the role of platelets in the long-term prognosis of sepsis patients.

Elevated ROS depress mitochondrial oxygen utilization efficiency in cardiomyocytes during acute hypoxia.

Mitochondria are important sites for the production of ATP and the generation of ROS in cells. However, whether acute hypoxia increases ROS generation in cells or affects ATP production remains unclear, and therefore, monitoring the changes in ATP and ROS in living cells in real time is important. In this study, cardiomyocytes were transfected with RoGFP for ROS detection and MitGO-Ateam2 for ATP detection, whereby ROS and ATP production in cardiomyocytes were respectively monitored in real time.

Evaluation of the clinical diagnostic value of traditional inflammatory markers and novel biomarkers in intracellular bacterial bloodstream infections.

Objectives: The clinical symptoms of the patients with intracellular bacterial bloodstream infections (Intra-bac BSIs) are atypical, and no early and accurate diagnostic biomarkers exist, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate and delayed treatment. Therefore, it is imperative to find novel biomarkers to help clinical diagnosis of Intra-bac BSIs. The present study was initiated to evaluate the diagnostic values of traditional inflammatory biomarkers (PCT, WBC and NEU% in identifying the patients with Intra-bac BSIs, and to further explore into the possibility of using suPAR and sCD14-ST as novel biomarkers for Intra-bac BSIs.

[Effect of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line Cal-27].

Purpose: To investigate the effect of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line Cal-27 and its mechanism.

Methods: hBM-MSCs and Cal-27 were cultured respectively, and the morphology of the cells was observed under an inverted microscope. The co-cultured Cal-27 cells were obtained by co-culture of hBM-MSCs and Cal-27.

[Effects of farnesyltransferase silencing on the migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effects of silencing farnesyltransferase (FTase) on the migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) through RNA interference.

Methods: TSCC cells (CAL27 and SCC-4) were cultured in vitro and then transfected with siRNA to silence FTase expression. The tested cells were categorized as follows: experimental group (three RNA interference groups), negative control group, and blank control group.

Microrna Expression Profiling of Macrophage Line Raw264.7 Infected by Candida Albicans.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to clarify the microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles of RAW264.7 macrophages infected by Candida albicans to elucidate the roles of differentially expressed miRNAs and to further explore the mechanisms underlying the immune response to C. albicans infection.

Streptococcus pneumoniae induces autophagy through the inhibition of the PI3K-I/Akt/mTOR pathway and ROS hypergeneration in A549 cells.

The present study focused on the action mechanism of S. pneumoniae (Sp) in inducing autophagy in human alveolar epithelial cells. Sp, a gram-positive extracellular bacterium, activates autophagy with considerably increased microtuble-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) punctation in A549 cells.

Multisite phosphorylation of Bcl-2 via protein kinase Cδ facilitates apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiomyocytes.

Activated protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) associated with cardiac hypertrophy moves from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria and subsequently triggers the apoptotic signalling pathway. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether mitochondrial translocation of PKCδ phosphorylates multiple sites of Bcl-2, resulting in an imbalance between Bcl-2 and Bak or Bax, thus enhancing the susceptibility of hypertrophic cardiomyocytes to angiotensin II (AngII)-induced apoptosis.

[Autophagic flux of cardiomyocytes from 20-week transverse abdominal aortic constriction rats].

Cardiac autophagy dramatically increases in heart failure induced by sustained pressure overload. However, it has not yet been addressed if enhanced autophagy plays a role in protecting myocardium or mediating progression from compensative hypertrophy to heart failure. The aim of the present study was to detect autophagic flux of cardiomyocytes from 20-week transverse abdominal aortic constriction (TAC) rats.

[Relationship of S100B protein expression and the pathogenesis of early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia].

Objective: To investigate the relationship of S100B protein expression and the pathogenesis of early-onset and late-onset preeclampsia.

Methods: Sixty patients with preeclampsia who received caesarean section at Qingdao Municipal Hospital from October 2010 to September 2011 were enrolled in this study. Thirty cases were early-onset preeclampsia (referred as early-onset preeclampsia group, < 34 weeks), and the other 30 cases were late-onset preeclampsia (referred as late-onset preeclampsia group, ≥ 34 weeks).

[Correlative analysis of different HBV genotypes and autoantibodies in hepatitis B patients].

To study the genotypes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients from Chongqing district and determine the prevalence of autoantibodies in these patients. HBV genotyping was carried out by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of venous blood serum samples from 252 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 25 healthy controls. Indirect immunofluorescent assay was used to detect autoantibodies, including antinuclear antibody, anti-mitochondrial antibody, anti-smooth muscle (SM) antibody, and anti-liver and kidney microsomal antibody.

Enhanced N-terminal degradation of troponin I blunts cardiac function responsiveness to isoproterenol in 4-week tail-suspended rats.

The N-terminal extension of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is important in regulating cardiac function. Although the normal rat myocardium shows some cTnI N-terminal degradation (cTnI-ND), exposure to 4 weeks of tail-suspension markedly increased cTnI-ND. We hypothesized that the increased cTnI-ND in tail-suspended rats may affect cardiac function, particularly during β-adrenergic (β-A) stimulation.

A novel splice site mutation in ANTXR2 (CMG2) gene results in systemic hyalinosis.

Systemic hyalinosis is a rare autosomal recessive inheritance disease characterized by accumulation of amorphous, unidentified hyaline material in skin and other organs, which leads to papulonodular skin lesions, gingival hypertrophy, flexion contractures of the joints, and large subcutaneous tumors. It is composed of 2 allelic syndromes, infantile systemic hyalinosis and juvenile hyaline fibromatosis. Here we describe a patient with juvenile hyaline fibromatosis confirmed by clinical and histopathologic findings, and genetic analysis, which revealed a novel homozygous splice site mutation IVS14+1G→T on exon 14 in anthrax toxin receptor 2 gene.

Synergistic effects between phosphorylation of phospholamban and troponin I promote relaxation at higher heart rate.

We hypothesized that the extent of frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation (FDAR) would be less than that of isoproterenol-(ISO-)dependent acceleration of relaxation (IDAR) at the same increment of heart rates, and ISO may improve FDAR. Cardiac function and phosphorylation of PLB and cTnI were compared in pacing, ISO treatment, and combined pacing and ISO treatment in isolated working heart. The increase in cardiac output and the degree of relaxation was less in pacing than in ISO treatment at the same increment of heart rates.

High glucose alters apoptosis and proliferation in HEK293 cells by inhibition of cloned BK Ca channel.

It has been reported that diabetic vascular dysfunction is associated with impaired function of large conductance Ca(2+) -activated K(+) (BK(Ca) ) channels. However, it is unclear whether impaired BK(Ca) channel directly participates in regulating diabetic vascular remodeling by altering cell growth in response to hyperglycemia. In the present study, we investigated the specific role of BK(Ca) channel in controlling apoptosis and proliferation under high glucose concentration (25 mM).

Nuclear translocation of calpain-2 regulates propensity toward apoptosis in cardiomyocytes of tail-suspended rats.

The compensatory increase in catecholamine release does not reverse orthostatic intolerance after returning from a long-term spaceflight, but it is unclear whether high dose of catecholamine induces cardiac damage. The tail-suspended rat model was used to simulate the effects of weightlessness on the heart. Apoptotic rates in the left ventricular myocardium did not increase in 4-week of tail-suspended rats compared with the synchronous control.

[Cardiac hypertrophy and changes in contractile function of cardiomyocyte].

To investigate the cellular mechanisms of pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy transition to heart failure, we observed time course of changes in morphology and contractile function of cardiomyocytes in transverse abdominal aortic constriction (TAC) rats. Since TAC rats suffered higher stress, body weight had a slower growth rate compared with that of synchronous control rats. Therefore, the left ventricular to body weight ratio produced experimental bias to evaluate the degree of cardiac hypertrophy.

Association of shorter mean telomere length with large artery stiffness in patients with coronary heart disease.

Background: Accumulating evidence implicates leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening as a potential risk predictor for cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness chronicles the cumulative burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Therefore, the capacity of LTL to predict arterial stiffness was examined.

[Calpain mediates cardiac troponin I degradation in tail-suspended rats].

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expressions of calpain and calpastatin in the myocardium of simulated weightlessness rats, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) degradations. Tail-suspended (SUS) rats were used as a simulated weightlessness model on the ground. The myocardium of rats was homogenized, and the expressions of calpain-1, calpain-2, calpastatin and cTnI were analyzed by Western blotting technique.