Human blood metabolites and risk of post-traumatic stress disorder: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating chronic mental disorder that leads to reduced quality of life and increased economic burden. Observational studies have found an association between human blood metabolites and PTSD. Nonetheless, these studies have limitations and are subject to confounding factors as well as reverse causation.

Subcellular distribution of prohibitin 1 in rat liver during liver regeneration and its cellular implication.

Background: The function of prohibitin 1 (Phb1) during liver regeneration (LR) remains relatively unexplored. Our previous research identified downregulation of Phb1 in rat liver mitochondria 24 h after 70% partial hepatectomy (PHx), as determined by subcellular proteomic analysis.

Aim: To investigate the potential role of Phb1 during LR.

Autophagy Related Noncoding RNAs: Emerging Regulatory Factors of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant cancers that seriously affect human health. Autophagy is a highly conserved self-defense mechanism found to plays an important role in the occurrence, progression, drug resistance, and prognosis of GC. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a critical role in the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases including GC.

MBD3 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and metastasis through negative regulation of tumour suppressor TFPI2.

Background: The mechanism of recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is complex and challenging. Methyl-CpG binding domain protein 3 (MBD3) is a key epigenetic regulator involved in the progression and metastasis of several cancers, but its role in HCC remains unknown.

Methods: MBD3 expression in HCC was detected by immunohistochemistry and its association with clinicopathological features and patient's survival was analysed.

The relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D level and sweat function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D(25-(OH)D) level and sweat function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1021 patients with T2DM who underwent 25-(OH)D level detections and sweat function tests was carried out. These individuals were divided into deficient groups (n = 154 cases), insufficient groups (n = 593 cases) and sufficient groups (n = 274 cases).

Tobacco Smoke Plays an Important Role in Initiation and Development of Lung Cancer by Promoting the Characteristics of Cancer Stem Cells.

Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tobacco smoke is the single greatest risk factor of lung cancer. Although enormous progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which tobacco smoke leading to lung cancer has been made, the molecular pathogenesis remains largely unclear.

Antimicrobial peptide AR-23 derivatives with high endosomal disrupting ability enhance poly(l-lysine)-mediated gene transfer.

Background: pH-sensitive peptides are a relatively new strategy for conquering the poor endosomal release of cationic polymer-mediated transfection. Modification of antimicrobial peptides by exchanging positively-charged residues with negatively-charged glutamic acid residues (Glu) greatly improves its lytic activity at the endosomal pH, which could improve cationic polymer-mediated transfection.

Methods: In the present study, we investigated the effect of the number of Glu substituted for positively-charged residues on the endosomal escape activity of AR-23 and the ability of mutated AR-23 with respect to enhancing cationic polymer-mediated transfection.

Toward a Reconceptualization of Stem Cells from Cellular Plasticity.

The slow progress in clinical applications of stem cells and the bewildering mechanisms involved have puzzled many researchers. Recently, the increasing evidences have indicated that cells have superior plasticity in vivo or in vitro, spontaneously or under extrinsic specific inducers. The concept of stem cells may be challenged, or even replaced by the concept of cell plasticity when cell reprogramming technology is progressing rapidly.