Appropriate autophagy has protective effects on ischemic nerve tissue, while excessive autophagy may cause cell death. The inflammatory response plays an important role in the survival of nerve cells ...and the recovery of neural tissue after ischemia. Many studies have found an interaction between autophagy and inflammation in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. This study outlines recent advances regarding the role of autophagy in the post-stroke inflammatory response as follows. (1) Autophagy inhibits inflammatory responses caused by ischemic stimulation through mTOR, the AMPK pathway, and inhibition of inflammasome activation. (2) Activation of inflammation triggers the formation of autophagosomes, and the upregulation of autophagy levels is marked by a significant increase in the autophagy-forming markers LC3-II and Beclin-1. Lipopolysaccharide stimulates microglia and inhibits ULK1 activity by direct phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, reducing the flux and autophagy level, thereby inducing inflammatory activity. (3) By blocking the activation of autophagy, the activation of inflammasomes can alleviate cerebral ischemic injury. Autophagy can also regulate the phenotypic alternation of microglia through the nuclear factor-κB pathway, which is beneficial to the recovery of neural tissue after ischemia. Studies have shown that some drugs such as resveratrol can exert neuroprotective effects by regulating the autophagy-inflammatory pathway. These studies suggest that the autophagy-inflammatory pathway may provide a new direction for the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Medicinal herbs and their derivative phytocompounds are being increasingly recognized as useful complementary treatments for cancer. A large volume of clinical studies have reported the beneficial ...effects of herbal medicines on the survival, immune modulation, and quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients, when these herbal medicines are used in combination with conventional therapeutics. Here, we briefly review some examples of clinical studies that investigated the use of herbal medicines for various cancers and the development of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this emerging research area. In addition, we also report recent studies on the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of herbal medicines in specific tumor microenvironments and the potential application of specific phytochemicals in cell-based cancer vaccine systems. This review should provide useful technological support for evidence-based application of herbal medicines in cancer therapy.
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Photocatalytic technology assisted via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has good potential in water treatment. In this study, the Co3O4/Bi2WO6 composite was constructed via an in-situ ...calcination process and used to activate PMS for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible light irradiation. The obtained 5 wt% Co3O4/Bi2WO6(CBWO-2) can highly effectively remove 86.2% CIP within 5 min visible light irradiation in presence of PMS. The excellent degradation performance of Co3O4/Bi2WO6/PMS system can be attributed to the synergistic effect between p-n heterojunction and PMS activation. The conduction band and valence band deviation between Co3O4 and Bi2WO6 were calculated by XPS techniques. Besides, DFT calculations were performed to further confirm the internal structure between Co3O4 and Bi2WO6. This work not only provides an approach to fabricate heterostructures but also indicated that Co3O4/Bi2WO6/PMS/Vis system is a potential environment remediation alternative for the efficient removal of recalcitrant organic compounds from wastewaters.
Knowledge of the contribution that individual countries have made to global radiative forcing is important to the implementation of the agreement on "common but differentiated responsibilities" ...reached by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, accompanied by increased emission of greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and aerosols, but the magnitude of the associated radiative forcing has remained unclear. Here we use a global coupled biogeochemistry-climate model and a chemistry and transport model to quantify China's present-day contribution to global radiative forcing due to well-mixed greenhouse gases, short-lived atmospheric climate forcers and land-use-induced regional surface albedo changes. We find that China contributes 10% ± 4% of the current global radiative forcing. China's relative contribution to the positive (warming) component of global radiative forcing, mainly induced by well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon aerosols, is 12% ± 2%. Its relative contribution to the negative (cooling) component is 15% ± 6%, dominated by the effect of sulfate and nitrate aerosols. China's strongest contributions are 0.16 ± 0.02 watts per square metre for CO2 from fossil fuel burning, 0.13 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for CH4, -0.11 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for sulfate aerosols, and 0.09 ± 0.06 watts per square metre for black carbon aerosols. China's eventual goal of improving air quality will result in changes in radiative forcing in the coming years: a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions would drive a faster future warming, unless offset by larger reductions of radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon.
Abstract
GRB 211211A is a rare burst with a genuinely long duration, yet its prominent kilonova association provides compelling evidence that this peculiar burst was the result of a compact binary ...merger. However, the exact nature of the merging objects, whether they were neutron star pairs, neutron star–black hole systems, or neutron star–white dwarf systems, remains unsettled. This Letter delves into the rarity of this event and the possibility of using current and next-generation gravitational wave detectors to distinguish between the various types of binary systems. Our research reveals an event rate density of
≳
5.67
−
4.69
+
13.04
×
10
−
3
Gpc
−
3
yr
−
1
for GRB 211211A-like gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which, assuming GRB 211211A is the only example of such a burst, is significantly smaller than that of typical long- and short-GRB populations. We further calculated that if the origin of GRB 211211A is a result of a neutron star–black hole merger, it would be detectable with a significant signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), given the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA designed sensitivity. On the other hand, a neutron star–white dwarf binary would also produce a considerable S/N during the inspiral phase at decihertz and is detectable by next-generation spaceborne detectors DECIGO and the Big Bang Observer. However, to detect this type of system with millihertz spaceborne detectors like LISA, Taiji, and TianQin, the event must be very close, approximately 3 Mpc in distance or smaller.
Pectate lyase (PL, EC 4.2.2.2), as an endo-acting depolymerizing enzyme, cleaves α-1,4-glycosidic linkages in esterified pectin and involves a broad range of cell wall modifications. However, the ...knowledge concerning the genome-wide analysis of the PL gene family in Fragaria vesca has not been thoroughly elucidated.
In this study, sixteen PLs members in F. vesca were identified based on a genome-wide investigation. Substantial divergences existed among FvePLs in gene duplication, cis-acting elements, and tissue expression patterns. Four clusters were classified according to phylogenetic analysis. FvePL6, 8 and 13 in cluster II significantly contributed to the significant expansions during evolution by comparing orthologous PL genes from Malus domestica, Solanum lycopersicum, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Fragaria×ananassa. The cis-acting elements implicated in the abscisic acid signaling pathway were abundant in the regions of FvePLs promoters. The RNA-seq data and in situ hybridization revealed that FvePL1, 4, and 7 exhibited maximum expression in fruits at twenty days after pollination, whereas FvePL8 and FvePL13 were preferentially and prominently expressed in mature anthers and pollens. Additionally, the co-expression networks displayed that FvePLs had tight correlations with transcription factors and genes implicated in plant development, abiotic/biotic stresses, ions/Ca
, and hormones, suggesting the potential roles of FvePLs during strawberry development. Besides, histological observations suggested that FvePL1, 4 and 7 enhanced cell division and expansion of the cortex, thus negatively influencing fruit firmness. Finally, FvePL1-RNAi reduced leaf size, altered petal architectures, disrupted normal pollen development, and rendered partial male sterility.
These results provide valuable information for characterizing the evolution, expansion, expression patterns and functional analysis, which help to understand the molecular mechanisms of the FvePLs in the development of strawberries.
Flower color is an important ornamental feature that is often modulated by the contents of flavonoids. Chalcone synthase is the first key enzyme in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, but little is known ...about the role of
CHS in flavonoid biosynthesis. In this paper, three
genes (
) were successfully cloned from
flowers. According to multiple sequence alignment and a phylogenetic analysis, only RdCHS1 contained all the highly conserved and important residues, which was classified into the cluster of bona fide CHSs. RdCHS1 was then subjected to further functional analysis. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the transcripts of
were the highest in the leaves and lowest in the roots; this did not match the anthocyanin accumulation patterns during flower development. Biochemical characterization displayed that RdCHS1 could catalyze
-coumaroyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA molecules to produce naringenin chalcone. The physiological function of
was checked in
mutants and tobacco, and the results showed that
transgenes could recover the color phenotypes of the
mutant and caused the tobacco flower color to change from pink to dark pink through modulating the expressions of endogenous structural and regulatory genes in the tobacco. All these results demonstrate that RdCHS1 fulfills the function of a bona fide CHS and contributes to flavonoid biosynthesis in
.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of arthroscopic sciatic neurolysis for treating deep gluteal syndrome (DGS) and to analyse the application value of high-frequency ...ultrasound during perioperative period.
Methods
Between June 2020 and February 2022, 30 patients with DGS who underwent failed conservative treatment were retrospectively analysed. Lateral arthroscopic exploration of the deep gluteal space and sciatic neurolysis were performed. In addition to pelvic X-ray, lumbar disc and hip magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography of the sciatic nerve was also performed in all patients. The visual analogue scale pain score (VAS), modified Harris hip score (mHHS) and Benson symptom-rating scale were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy. The correlation between preoperative sciatic nerve ultrasound and arthroscopic findings was analysed.
Results
The median follow-up for these patients was 13 months (range,12–21 months). Preoperative ultrasonography showed precise morphological changes in 26 sciatic nerves of patients. The VAS score decreased from 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) preoperatively to 0.5 (0, 1.0) postoperatively (
p
< 0.001), and the mHHS increased from 64.0 (57.0, 67.0) preoperatively to 95.0 (93.0, 97.0) postoperatively (
p
< 0.001). The Benson symptom score was excellent in 15 cases, good in 12 cases, fair in 2 cases, poor in 1 case; thus, the score was excellent or good in 90% of the cases. Preoperative ultrasound diagnosis and intra-operative findings matched up in all cases. There were four cases of transient numbness in the posterior thigh.
Conclusions
Arthroscopic sciatic neurolysis is a safe and effective treatment option for DGS patients who fail conservative treatment. Ultrasound diagnosis matched the arthroscopic findings perfectly. Preoperative Doppler ultrasound can assist surgical decision-making, guide intraoperative release.
Endometriosis is a hormone-associated disease which has been considered as the precursor for certain types of ovarian cancer. In recent years, emerging evidence demonstrated potent roles of lncRNA in ...regulating cancer development. Since endometriosis shares several features with cancer, we investigated the possible involvement of cancer-related lncRNAs in endometriosis, including UCA1, GAS5 and PTENP1. By using massARRAY system, we investigated certain genetic variations in cancer-related lncRNAs that can change the thermo-stability, leading to up-regulation or down-regulation of those lncRNAs. Our data indicated three risk genetic haplotypes in UCA1 which can stabilize the RNA structure and increase the susceptibility of endometriosis. Of note, such alterations were found to be associated with long-term pain and infertility in patients. It has been known that UCA1 can function as a ceRNA to sponge and inhibit miRNAs, resulting in loss-of-control on downstream target genes. Gene network analyses revealed fatty acid metabolism and mitochondria beta-oxidation as the major pathways associated with altered UCA1 expression in endometriosis patients. Our study thus provides evidence to highlight functional/epigenetic roles of UCA1 in endometriosis development via regulating fatty acid metabolism in women.
Aims
SUMOylation is a posttranslational modification related to multiple human diseases. SUMOylation can be reversed by classes of proteases known as the sentrin/SUMO‐specific proteases (SENPs). In ...the present study, we investigate the potential role of SENP1 in pericytes in the brain ischemia.
Methods
Pericyte‐specific deletion of senp1 mice (Cspg4‐Cre; senp1f/f) were used for brain function and neuronal damage evaluation following brain ischemia. The cerebral blood vessels of diameter, velocity, and flux were performed in living mice by two‐photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM). Biochemical analysis and immunohistochemistry methods were used to address the role and mechanism of pericyte‐specific SENP1 in the pathological process of brain ischemia. A coculture model of HBVPs and HBMECs mimicked the BBB in vitro and was used to evaluate BBB integrity after glucose deprivation.
Results
Our results showed that senp1‐specific deletion in pericytes did not affect the motor function and cognitive function of mice. However, the pericyte‐specific deletion of senp1 aggravated the infarct size and motor deficit following focal brain ischemia. Consistently, the TPLSM data demonstrated that SENP1 deletion in pericytes accelerated thrombosis formation in brain microvessels. We also found that pericyte‐specific deletion of senp1 exaggerated the neuronal damage significantly following brain ischemia in mice. Moreover, SENP1 knockdown in pericytes could activate the apoptosis signaling and disrupt the barrier integrity in vitro coculture model.
Conclusions
Our findings revealed that targeting SENP1 in pericytes may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for neurovascular protection in stroke.
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