To investigate the function of histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D) on the methylation of H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) in the progression of Ovarian cancer (OV). KMT2D, ESR1 and H3K4me expressions in ...surgical resected tumors and tumor adjacent tissues of OV from 198 patients were determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Human OV cell lines including SKOV3, HO-8910 cells and normal ovarian epithelial cell line IOSE80 were employed for in vitro experiment, and BALB/C female nude mice were used for in vivo study. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were implemented for measuring the KMT2D, ESR1, PTGS2, STAT3, VEGFR2, H3K4me and ELF3 levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis was used for studying the binding between ESR1 and H3K4me. Edu staining assay was executed to determine cell viability, and colony formation and cell invasion assay. The immunofluorescence method was utilized for the visualization of protein expression and distribution in cells. In this study, KMT2D, ESR1 and H3K4me were found upregulated in OV progression. Mutated H3K4me could inhibit the proliferation, colony formation and invasion ability of OV cells. Mutated H3K4me could also hinder the ESR1 in SKOV3 expressions and HO-8910 cells, which would further mediate PTGS2/STAT3/VEGF pathway. In vivo studies also demonstrated that mutated H3K4me inhibited OV progression via targeting ESR1. All the ChIP-PCR analysis indicated the moderator effect of H3K4me on ESR1. Our findings indicated that ESR1 played an important role in the OV progression. Besides, H3K4me could promote cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of OV cells. Meanwhile, it could also targets the ESR1 production to enhance the migration and invasion of OV cells, which was through the activation of ESR1-ELF3-PTGS2-STAT3-VEGF cascade signaling pathway.
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSCs) transplantation has been widely studied in premature ovarian failure (POF). However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study aims to ...investigate the protective properties and mechanisms of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expressed in UCMSCs in restoring the ovarian function of POF mice.
In in vitro and in vivo experiments, mice were treated with the presence or absence of the HO-1/shHO-1-transfected UCMSCs, and the administration of SP600125 or anisomycin, the inhibitor or activator of JNK. The viability and apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) at different time points of co-cultivation were assessed in vitro. In in vivo experiments, mouse ovarian function was assessed by detecting the serum levels of hormone and observing the ovarian morphological changes. Multiple molecular indices of JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway were performed. And the autophagy changes in GCs were assessed by detecting the associated cytokines and observing the intracellular autophagosome accumulation. Additionally, the spleen levels of CD8
CD28
T cells and serum levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) were tested to evaluate the immune mechanisms involved.
UCMSCs transfected with shHO-1 or treated with SP600125 inhibited GCs' viability and promoted its apoptosis in a time-dependent manner in vitro. In in vivo experiments, mice in both groups showed little therapeutic efficiency which presented as the increased extent of ovarian fibrosis with decreased number of functional follicles, and disordered hormone production. Additionally, the JNK/Bcl-2-associated cytokines were obviously declined. The inhibited autophagy-related cytokines, the chromatin condensation and abound vacuolar autophagosome in GCs, and weakened fluorescence intensity by MDC were observed. The downregulated levels of CD8
CD28
T cells and serum levels of IL-10 were also detected. The damages above can be alleviated with HO-1-MSCs treatment or anisomycin administration.
HO-1 expressed in UCMSCs is critical in restoring the ovarian function in POF mice with UCMSC transplantation, which is mediated by the activation of JNK/Bcl-2 signal pathway-regulated autophagy and upregulating the circulating of CD8
CD28
T cells.
Nutrition and health knowledge (NHK) is linked to people's dietary behavior and health outcomes. However, studies on the associations between NHK and chronic diseases are limited. This study aimed to ...examine the association of NHK with five specific chronic diseases (diabetes/hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke) in central China. Individual NHK and disease status were investigated using a self-reporting questionnaire. We further added up the number of chronic diseases and used this as a secondary outcome. A total of 21,559 adults were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. NHK score was significantly inversely associated with diabetes/hyperglycemia, hypertension, CHD, and stroke (all
-trends < 0.001). Moreover, an inverse association was found between NHK and the number of chronic diseases, especially among responders with three or more chronic diseases. Stratified analyses showed that the above association was more likely to be stronger among younger, female, highly educated, and inner-city residents. However, NHK was negatively associated with dyslipidemia in less educated people and positively correlated with dyslipidemia in highly educated people. NHK showed an inverse relationship with specific chronic diseases and the number of chronic diseases. Improving NHK might be a key strategy for easing the global burden of chronic diseases.
The application fields of infrared photodetectors are quite extensive. Compared with traditional infrared photodetection materials such as IV and III–V semiconductors, newly emerging low‐dimensional ...materials and quantum materials (e.g., 2D materials and quantum wells) have many advantages in different aspects, such as wide spectral range, low dark current, room temperature operation, and high processing compatibility. However, the performance of photodetectors based on low‐dimensional materials is limited by the ultra small thicknesses, polarization selectivity, and the poor absorption efficiency. Therefore, improving the performance of infrared photodetectors based on low‐dimensional materials has been a focus research task in recent years. The integration of photonic structures can improve the performance of infrared photodetectors, such as enhancing absorption efficiency, reducing the volume of active materials, and increasing polarization selectivity. Herein, different kinds of photonic structure integrated infrared photodetectors, roughly divided into two categories, namely, dielectric photonic structure integrated ones and metallic photonic structure integrated ones, are reviewed. The active materials include 2D materials, quantum wells, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes.
Herein, some important photonic structures for infrared photodetection enhancement, such as microcavity, photonic crystal, waveguide, surface plasmon polariton (SPP) coupler, and plasmonic cavity, have been reviewed.
Nutrition and health knowledge play a crucial role in promoting healthy dietary behaviors, and have been found to be related to sociodemographic characteristics. However, the existing evidence is ...limited and inconsistent. We aimed to evaluate the awareness level of nutrition and health knowledge and its influencing factors among Wuhan residents, and to provide scientific basis for carrying out targeted nutrition education programmes.
By stratified random sampling, residents aged 18-64 in Wuhan were selected for self-administered questionnaire survey. We adopted the structured questionnaire to investigate respondents' sociodemographic characteristics, nutrition and health knowledge, and the way to acquire knowledge. Among them, nutrition and health knowledge includes the following four parts: dietary guidelines recommendations, food and nutrients, nutrition and disease prevention, and nutrition skills. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the associations between total awareness rate and sociodemographic characteristics. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors of nutrition and health awareness.
A total of 33,436 valid questionnaires were obtained, with a response rate of 97.8%. The total awareness rate was 20.4%, with the highest in nutrition and disease prevention (72.7%) and the lowest in nutrition skills (46.3%). Responders aged 35-44 (23.3%), females (22.8%), educational workers (24.8%), obtaining a master's degree or above (34.1%), living in downtown area (23.1%), and without a history of chronic disease (24.6%) were more likely to have higher awareness rates (all
< 0.001). The multiple linear regression models showed that age, gender, education level, occupation, residential address, and the history of chronic disease were the potential factors affecting individual nutrition awareness.
The total awareness rate of nutrition and health knowledge among Wuhan residents was not optimistic. Besides, our findings suggested that sociodemographic characteristics are closely related to nutrition awareness, which may provide important clues for carried out nutrition education campaigns.
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of major pollutant in food and feed worldwide. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of AFB1-induced liver injury. Our results showed that AFB1 caused ...hepatic bile duct proliferation, oxidative stress, inflammation and liver injury in mice. AFB1 exposure induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and reduced fecal bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity. AFB1 exposure promoted hepatic bile acid (BA) synthesis and changed intestinal BA metabolism, especially increased intestinal conjugated bile acids levels. AFB1 exposure inhibited intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF-15) signaling. Furthermore, the mice received fecal microbiota transplantation from AFB1-treated mice induced liver injury, reduced intestinal FXR signaling and increased hepatic BA synthesis. Finally, the intestine-restricted FXR agonist treatment decreased hepatic BA synthesis, ROS level, inflammation and liver injury in AFB1-treated mice. This study suggests that modifying the gut microbiota, altering intestinal BA metabolism and/or activating intestinal FXR/FGF-15 signaling may be of value for the treatment of AFB1-induced liver disease.
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•AFB1 induces hepatic ductular proliferation, oxidative stress, inflammation and injury in mice.•AFB1 exposure induces gut microbiota dysbiosis and hepatic bile acid accumulation.•Gut microbiota–bile acid–intestinal FXR signaling is involved in AFB1-induced liver injury.•Activation of intestinal FXR signaling reduced hepatic bile acid synthesis in AFB1-exposed mice.•Activation of intestinal FXR signaling improved liver injury in AFB1-exposed mice.
In humans and animal models, the kidneys and cardiovascular systems are negatively affected by BPA from the environment. It is considered that BPA have some potential estrogen-like and ...non-hormone-like properties. In this study, RNA-sequencing and its-related bioinformatics was used as the basic strategy to clarify the characteristic mechanisms of kidney–heart axis remodeling and dysfunction in diabetic male rats under BPA exposure. We found that continuous BPA exposure in diabetic rats aggravated renal impairment, and caused hemodynamic disorders and dysfunctions. There were 655 and 125 differentially expressed genes in the kidney and heart, respectively. For the kidneys, functional annotation and enrichment, and gene set enrichment analyses identified bile acid secretion related to lipid synthesis and transport, and MAPK cascade pathways. For the heart, these bioinformatics analyses clearly pointed to MAPKs pathways. A total of 12 genes and another total of 6 genes were identified from the kidney tissue and heart tissue, respectively. Western blotting showed that exposure to BPA activated MAPK cascades in both organs. In this study, the exacerbated remodeling of diabetic kidney–heart axis under BPA exposure and diabetes might occur through hemodynamics, metabolism disorders, and the immune-inflammatory response, as well as continuous estrogen-like stimulation, with focus on the MAPK cascades.
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•Environmental BPA exposure accelerated damage to the structures of both organs, aggravated renal impairment, and caused hemodynamic disorders in the status of diabetes mellitus.•The dual effects of chronic BPA exposure and diabetes mellitus were determined to exacerbate kidney–heart axis remodeling characterized by destruction and dysfunction.•The alterations of the axis accelerated by environmental BPA might occur through hemodynamics, metabolism, and the immune-inflammatory response, with focus on the MAPK cascades, and not completely depend on the estrogenic effect of BPA.
This study to understand how environmental disrupting chemicals interact with pathologies associated with diabetes is an important topic, and the use of the metabolic disease model to examine the effects of BPA exposure and diabetes on alternations of kidney-heart axis is innovative.
In recent years, microflow cytometry has become a popular research field because of its potential to provide low‐cost and disposable chips for complex cell analyses. Herein, we demonstrate a ...sheathless microflow cytometer which integrates a bulk standing acoustic wave based microchip capable of three dimensional cell focusing. Flow cytometry was successfully demonstrated using this system with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.16% with standard calibration beads. The sensitivities calibrated by rainbow beads are 518 MEFL in fluorescein Isothiocyanate (FITC) channel and 264 MEPE in P‐phycoerythrin (PE) channels, respectively. The linearities are more than 99% in both channels. The capability of the proposed microflow cytometer is further demonstrated by immunologically labeled leukocytes differentiation in blood. This acoustic‐based microflow cytometer did not require any sheath flows or complex structures and can be mass produced. Because of the simple fluid channel, the chip can be easily made pipeless, disposable for applications requiring no cross contamination. Moreover, with the gentle and bio‐compatible acoustic waves used, this technique is expected to maintain the viability of cells and other bioparticles.
On-chip polarization detectors have attracted extensive research interest due to their filterless and ultracompact architecture. However, their polarization-dependent photoresponses cannot be ...dynamically adjusted, hindering the development toward intelligence. Here, we propose dynamically reconfigurable polarimetry based on in-sensor differentiation of two self-powered photoresponses with orthogonal polarization dependences and tunable responsivities. Such a device can be electrostatically configured in an ultrahigh polarization extinction ratio (PER) mode, where the PER tends to infinity, a Stokes parameter direct sensing mode, where the photoresponse is proportional to S 1 or S 2 with high accuracy (RMSE S1 = 1.5%, RMSE S2 = 2.0%), or a background suppressing mode, where the target-background polarization contrast is singularly enhanced. Moreover, the device achieves a polarization angle sensitivity of 0.51 mA·W–1·degree–1 and a specific polarization angle detectivity of 2.8 × 105 cm·Hz1/2·W·degree–1. This scheme is demonstrated throughout the near-to-long-wavelength infrared range, and it will bring a leap for next-generation on-chip polarimeters.
Cholestatic liver disease is characterized by disturbances in the intestinal microbiota and excessive accumulation of toxic bile acids (BA) in the liver. Melatonin (MT) can improve liver diseases. ...However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of MT on hepatic BA synthesis, liver injury, and fibrosis in 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC)-fed and Mdr2
mice. MT significantly improved hepatic injury and fibrosis with a significant decrease in hepatic BA accumulation in DDC-fed and Mdr2
mice. MT reprogramed gut microbiota and augmented fecal bile salt hydrolase activity, which was related to increasing intestinal BA deconjugation and fecal BA excretion in both DDC-fed and Mdr2
mice. MT significantly activated the intestinal farnesoid X receptor (FXR)/fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF-15) axis and subsequently inhibited hepatic BA synthesis in DDC-fed and Mdr2
mice. MT failed to improve DDC-induced liver fibrosis and BA synthesis in antibiotic-treated mice. Furthermore, MT provided protection against DDC-induced liver injury and fibrosis in fecal microbiota transplantation mice. MT did not decrease liver injury and fibrosis in DDC-fed intestinal epithelial cell-specific FXR knockout mice, suggesting that the intestinal FXR mediated the anti-fibrosis effect of MT. In conclusion, MT ameliorates cholestatic liver diseases by remodeling gut microbiota and activating intestinal FXR/FGF-15 axis-mediated inhibition of hepatic BA synthesis and promotion of BA excretion in mice.
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