Extracellular acidosis-induced mitochondrial damage of cardiomyocytes leads to cardiac dysfunction, but no detailed mechanism or efficient therapeutic target has been reported. Here we found that the ...protein levels of MIC60 were decreased in H9C2 cells and heart tissues in extracellular acidosis, which caused mitochondrial damage and cardiac dysfunction. Overexpression of MIC60 maintains H9C2 cells viability, increases ATP production and mitochondrial membrane potential, mitigates the disruptions of mitochondrial structure and cardiac injury. Mechanistically, extracellular acidosis excessively promoted MIC60 ubiquitin-dependent degradation. TRAP1 mitigated acidosis-induced mitochondrial impairments and cardiac injury by directly interacting with MIC60 to decrease its ubiquitin-dependent degradation in extracellular acidosis.
The recognition memory for inverted faces is especially difficult when compared with that for non-face stimuli. This face inversion effect has often been used as a marker of face-specific holistic ...processing. However, whether face processing without awareness is still specific remains unknown. The present study addressed this issue by examining the face inversion effect with the technique of binocular rivalry. Results showed that invisible upright faces could break suppression faster than invisible inverted faces. Nevertheless, no difference was found for invisible upright houses and invisible inverted houses. This suggested that face processing without awareness is still specific. Some face-specific information can be processed by high-level brain areas even when that information is invisible.
A study was conducted in four compartments of a polycarbonate greenhouse at Gainesville, FL, USA to investigate how a soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) cultivar, Maverick (maturity group III, ...indeterminate), responded to three elevated temperatures, ELT, (day/night of 34/26 °C, 38/30 °C, and 42/34 °C) in comparison to a control growth temperature (30/22 °C). Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration was maintained at 700 μmol mol−1 in each compartment by a processor controlled air-sampling and CO2-injection system. Three sequential experiments were conducted at different times of year (summer, autumn, and early spring) to investigate the effect of intensity, timing, and duration of ELT on soybean node number, internode elongation, mainstem length, and number of pods set per plant. At the control temperature, the soybean plants grown in the polycarbonate greenhouse were taller than field-grown plants. When plants were grown under continuous ELT applied soon after sowing or at initial flowering, the number of nodes increased with increasing ELT intensity, whereas the length of individual internodes decreased. When ELT treatment was applied during the beginning of flowering stage (R1–R2) or earlier, more nodes were produced and the length of affected internodes was decreased. When the ELT was imposed later at reproductive stage R5+ just before the beginning of seed filling, effects on node numbers and internode lengths were negligible. Short-term (10-day) duration of ELT applied at four stages from V3 to R5+ did not significantly affect final mean numbers of nodes or mean mainstem lengths. Possible mechanisms of elevated temperature effects on soybean internode elongation and node number (internode number) are discussed. Total pod numbers per plant increased linearly with mainstem node numbers and mainstem length. Furthermore, total pod numbers per plant were greatest at 34/26 °C rather than at the control temperature of 30/22 °C (and remained high at 38/30 °C). Mild increases in temperature might not threaten, but actually increase, yields of soybean in northerly zones where this crop is currently grown at slightly suboptimal temperatures. However, a sustained increase in ambient temperature would likely threaten soybean yields.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly implicated in the pathology of diabetic complications. Here, we examined the role of lncRNAs in monocyte dysfunction and inflammation associated with ...human type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). RNA sequencing analysis of CD14+ monocytes from patients with T2D versus healthy controls revealed downregulation of antiinflammatory and antiproliferative genes, along with several lncRNAs, including a potentially novel divergent lncRNA diabetes regulated antiinflammatory RNA (DRAIR) and its nearby gene CPEB2. High glucose and palmitic acid downregulated DRAIR in cultured CD14+ monocytes, whereas antiinflammatory cytokines and monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation upregulated DRAIR via KLF4 transcription factor. DRAIR overexpression increased antiinflammatory and macrophage differentiation genes but inhibited proinflammatory genes. Conversely, DRAIR knockdown attenuated antiinflammatory genes, promoted inflammatory responses, and inhibited phagocytosis. DRAIR regulated target gene expression through interaction with chromatin, as well as inhibition of the repressive epigenetic mark H3K9me2 and its corresponding methyltransferase G9a. Mouse orthologous Drair and Cpeb2 were also downregulated in peritoneal macrophages from T2D db/db mice, and Drair knockdown in nondiabetic mice enhanced proinflammatory genes in macrophages. Thus, DRAIR modulates the inflammatory phenotype of monocytes/macrophages via epigenetic mechanisms, and its downregulation in T2D may promote chronic inflammation. Augmentation of endogenous lncRNAs like DRAIR could serve as novel antiinflammatory therapies for diabetic complications.
Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the development and progression of breast cancer (BC). The purpose of the present study was to identify plasma miRNAs enabling early diagnosis ...of BC.
Materials and Methods
Expression levels of seven plasma miRNAs (miR‐23a‐3p, miR‐29b‐2‐5p, miR‐130a‐5p, miR‐144‐3p, miR‐148a‐3p, miR‐152‐3p, and miR‐182‐5p) in 106 patients with newly diagnosed BC and 96 healthy participants were analyzed by qRT‐PCR. We also evaluated the relationship between the expression levels of these miRNAs and clinicopathological features of patients with BC.
Results
Compared with healthy controls, we found that miR‐23a‐3p (p = .025), miR‐130a‐5p (p = .006), miR‐144‐3p (p = .040), miR‐148a‐3p (p = .023), and miR‐152‐3p (p = .019) were downregulated in the plasma of patients with BC. MiR‐130a‐5p, miR‐144‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p were downexpressed in BC tissues as well as plasma. The expression of the miR‐23a‐3p, miR‐144‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p was related to ER positive and PR positive. Besides, miR‐23a‐3p, miR‐144‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p did show the significant difference in the staging compromised to the control, especially in stage I‐II. Moreover, we also found that miR‐144‐3p and miR‐148a‐3p were associated with lymph node invasion.
Conclusions
The expression levels of the miR‐23a‐3p, miR‐130a‐5p, miR‐144‐3p, miR‐148a‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p were lower in patients with BC compared to healthy controls and were associated with ex hormone receptor, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis, indicating the diagnostic potential of these miRNAs in BC.
We identified significant reduction of miR‐23a‐3p, miR‐130a‐5p, miR‐144‐3p, miR‐148a‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p in the plasma of the patients compared with the controls. MiR‐130a‐5p, miR‐144‐3p, and miR‐152‐3p were downexpressed in BC tissues as well as plasma in silico analysis. The relative expression of these five miRNAs was closely associated with the clinicopathologic features of the BC such as the expression of ER, PR, and HER2, histological tumor grades, and lymph node metastasis.
This study confronts the ambiguous concept of sustainability within contemporary art and design, seeking to define and operationalize it through an interdisciplinary lens. By synthesizing ...philosophical, technological, and artistic methodologies, this research utilizes qualitative analysis and detailed case studies to evaluate the sustainable attributes of modern decorative arts. Focusing on the integration of nature and technology, the investigation spans various artistic disciplines, critically assessing their contributions to sustainable practices. The results indicate that an innovative use of materials and avant-garde design approaches significantly advance sustainability, highlighting the role of contemporary art in promoting environmental consciousness and sustainability in policy-making. Conclusively, in this paper, a paradigm shift in art and design education and policy is argued for, advocating for a proactive engagement with sustainability that extends beyond traditional artistic boundaries, thus providing a framework for future sustainable development strategies in the arts. This study offers a comprehensive model for understanding and implementing sustainability that could influence future artistic and educational practices globally.
Among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors, how the prior tumor location affects the risk of subsequent primary colorectal cancer (SPCRC) and the outcome of those suffering from SPCRC remain unknown.
...CRC cases diagnosed from 1973 to 2012 were screened for SPCRC development using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The relative risk of SPCRC was estimated using the standardized incidence ratio. Survivals were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression model.
The overall risk of SPCRC increased by 27% in CRC survivors compared to that of the general population. The risk increased in patients with both prior right colon cancer (RCC) and left colon cancer (LCC), and was concentrated in the first 5 years after the prior diagnosis, and among young patients. Among the 6701 SPCRC patients identified, patients with prior RCC were more likely to be elderly, female, and with more low or undifferentiated disease than those with prior LCC or rectal cancer (ReC). The overall survivals differed by both prior tumor location (P < 0.0001) and age (P < 0.0001), and the difference by tumor location remained significant when adjusted or stratified by any other potential prognostic factor except age. The cancer specific survivals differed by age (P < 0.0001) rather than by prior tumor location (P = 0.455).
The overall risk of SPCRC increased among patients with both prior RCC and LCC, but not among those with ReC. The different survival outcomes in CRC survivors suffering from SPCRC were largely explained by the patient age but not by the prior tumor location.
•Foreign ownership (FO) significantly reduces stock market volatility.•Heterogeneous investor beliefs mediate foreign ownership effect on stock market volatility.•China's policy of encouraging ...foreign institutional shareholding.•There is a negative relationship between the FO and investors' heterogeneous beliefs.
This paper examines the effect of foreign ownership on stock market volatility, and further explore the mediating effect of heterogeneous beliefs on the above relationship. We use the data from China's stock markets in 2015 to 2021, present evidence that foreign ownership significantly reduces stock market volatility and heterogeneous investor beliefs are mediating variables for foreign ownership in influencing stock market volatility. To verify the robustness of the results, we conduct further tests by changing the measure of heterogeneous investor beliefs and adding control variables, and all findings are consistent.
▶ The long day (LD) greatly affects morphological and anatomical features of soybean. ▶ LD changes parameters of terminal raceme and other yield components of soybean. ▶ LD has a profound cumulative ...effect on plant growth and development.
The type of terminal inflorescence is a key component for identifying soybean type. In this study, a late maturity and photoperiod-sensitive determinate soybean, cv. Zigongdongdou, was used to investigate effects of long-day (LD) on the formation and development of the terminal inflorescence. After emergence, soybean seedlings were subjected to 12h short-day (SD) photoperiod for 13 days to induce the initiation of terminal inflorescence. The plants were then moved to 16h LD treatment (LDT) for 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wks, respectively. After LDT, plants were moved back to 12h SD condition until the end of the experiment. The LDT greatly affected morphological and anatomical features of terminal inflorescence as well as the developmental rate of plants. Reversed flowers could be found in the reversed “inflorescences” in plants with 2–5 wks LDT. Such changes were confirmed through morphological observation and anatomical dissection. In the long-day treatments, the formation of flowers and the development of terminal inflorescence could be reversed and plant type of a soybean could be further changed. This long-day effect was a cumulative process, which increased with the increase in the duration of LDT.
Seedlessness is often a desired characteristic for many types of fruits. A new seedless mandarin cultivar ‘Wuzishatangju’ and its original seeded cultivar ‘Shatangju’ were used to study the mechanism ...of seedlessness from the beginning of fertility. Embryonic development, compatibility of self-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ and cross-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ (‘Wuzishatangju’
×
‘Ponkan’, ‘Wuzishatangju’
×
‘Shatangju’) were studied. Results indicated that the male gametes of ‘Wuzishatangju’ were healthy. Fertility of the ‘Wuzishatangju’ embryo sac was normal and the mature embryo sac had one egg, two synergids, three antipodal cells and one big central cell containing two polar nuclei. Embryonic development of cross-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ was normal. Many globular embryos and a few heart-shaped embryos were observed 2 weeks after cross-pollination (WACP). Heart- and torpedo-shaped embryos were observed at three WACP while embryos reached the torpedo stage at four WACP. Cotyledonary embryos were observed at five WACP and they developed into seeds while funiculi were still existent at seven WACP. However, embryonic development of self-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ was abnormal and most embryos, which degenerated by 2 weeks after self-pollination (WASP), disappeared and seedless fruits were produced by four WASP. Pollen tubes of cross-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ could grow normally in the stigma, style and ovary, and they entered into the embryo sac resulting in successful fertilization. The pollen tubes of self-pollinated ‘Wuzishatangju’ grew well in the stigma and style; however, when they entered into the ovary, they became twisted and could not enter the embryo sac. Results indicate that the activities of the male gamete and the fertility of the embryo sac of ‘Wuzishatangju’ were functioning normally with no embryo abortion during embryonic development. Gametophytic self-incompatibility (SI) caused seedlessness in ‘Wuzishatangju’ by blocking fertilization in the ovary.
PDF
