The naringin extraction process was optimised using response surface methodology (RSM). A central component design was adopted, which included four parameters: extraction temperature (X
), ...material-liquid ratio (X
), extraction time (X
), and ultrasonic frequency (X
) of 74.79 °C, 1.58 h, 1:56.51 g/mL, and 28.05 KHz, respectively. Based on these optimal extraction conditions, naringin was tested to verify the model's accuracy. Naringin yield was 36.2502 mg/g, which was equivalent to the predicted yield of 36.0124 mg/g. DM101 macroporous adsorption resin was used to purify naringin. The effects of loading concentration, loading flow rate, and sample pH on the adsorption rate of naringin and the effect of ethanol concentration on the desorption rate of naringin were investigated. The optimum conditions for naringin purification using macroporous resins were determined. The optimal loading concentration, sample solution pH, and loading flow rate were 0.075 mg/mL, 3.5, and 1.5 mL/min, respectively. Three parallel tests were conducted under these conditions, and the average naringin yield was 77.5643%. Naringin's structure was identified using infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. In vitro determination of the lipid-lowering activity of naringin was also conducted. These results showed that naringin has potential applications as a functional food for lowering blood lipid levels.
Thermal priming of reef corals can enhance their heat tolerance; however, the legacy effects of heat stress during parental brooding on larval resilience remain understudied. This study investigated ...whether preconditioning adult coral Pocillopora damicornis to high temperatures (29°C and 32°C) could better prepare their larvae for heat stress. Results showed that heat‐acclimated adults brooded larvae with reduced symbiont density and shifted thermal performance curves. Reciprocal transplant experiments demonstrated higher bleaching resistance and better photosynthetic and autotrophic performance in heat‐exposed larvae from acclimated adults compared to unacclimated adults. RNA‐seq revealed strong cellular stress responses in larvae from heat‐acclimated adults that could have been effective in rescuing host cells from stress, as evidenced by the widespread upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle and mitosis. For symbionts, a molecular coordination between light harvesting, photoprotection and carbon fixation was detected in larvae from heat‐acclimated adults, which may help optimize photosynthetic activity and yield under high temperature. Furthermore, heat acclimation led to opposing regulations of symbiont catabolic and anabolic pathways and favoured nutrient translocation to the host and thus a functional symbiosis. Notwithstanding, the improved heat tolerance was paralleled by reduced light‐enhanced dark respiration, indicating metabolic depression for energy saving. Our findings suggest that adult heat acclimation can rapidly shift thermal tolerance of brooded coral larvae and provide integrated physiological and molecular evidence for this adaptive plasticity, which could increase climate resilience. However, the metabolic depression may be maladaptive for long‐term organismal performance, highlighting the importance of curbing carbon emissions to better protect corals.
Abstract
The spindle and kinetochore-associated protein complex (Ska) is an essential component in chromosome segregation. It comprises three proteins (Ska1, Ska2, and Ska3) with theorized roles in ...chromosomal instability and tumor development, and its overexpression has been widely reported in a variety of tumors. However, the prognostic significance and immune infiltration of Ska proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not completely understood. The bioinformatics tools Oncomine, UALCAN, gene expression profiling interactive analysis 2 (GEPIA2), cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, Metascape, and TIMER were used to analyze differential expression, prognostic value, genetic alteration, and immune cell infiltration of the Ska protein complex in HCC patients. We found that the mRNA expression of the Ska complex was markedly upregulated in HCC. High expression of the Ska complex is closely correlated with tumor stage, patient race, tumor grade, and TP53 mutation status. In addition, high expression of the Ska complex was significantly correlated with poor disease-free survival, while the high expression levels of Ska1 and Ska3 were associated with shorter overall survival. The biological functions of the Ska complex in HCC primarily involve the amplification of signals from kinetochores, the mitotic spindle, and (via a MAD2 invasive signal) unattached kinetochores. Furthermore, the expression of the complex was positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating cells. These results may provide new insights into the development of immunotherapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for HCC.
Allopolyploids are believed to inherit the genetic characteristics of its progenitors and exhibit stronger adaptability and vigor. The allotetraploid Isoetes sinensis was formed by the natural ...hybridization and polyploidization of two diploid progenitors, Isoetes taiwanensis and Isoetes yunguiensis, and was believed to have the potential to adapt to plateau environments. To explore the expression pattern of homoeologous genes and their contributions to altitude adaptation, we transplanted natural allotetraploid I. sinensis (TnTnYnYn) along the altitude gradient for a long‐term, and harvested them in summer and winter, respectively. One year after transplanting, it still lived well, even in the extreme environment of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Then, we performed high‐throughput RNA sequencing to measure their gene expression level. A total of 7801 homoeologous genes were expressed, among which 5786 were identified as shared expression in different altitudes and seasons. We further found that altitude variations could change the subgenome bias trend of I. sinensis, but season could not. Moreover, the functions of uniquely expressed genes indicated that temperature might be an important restrictive factor during the adaptation process. Through the analysis of DEGs and uniquely expressed genes, we found that Y subgenome provided more contributions to high altitude adaptation than T subgenome. These adaptive traits to high altitude may be inherited from its plateau progenitor I. yunguiensis. Through weighted gene co‐expression network analysis, pentatricopeptide repeats gene family and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway were considered to play important roles in high‐altitude adaptation. Totally, this study will enrich our understanding of allopolyploid in environmental adaptation.
Long‐term transplanting experiment was performed to simulate real local habitats. The genomes of Isoetes taiwanensis and Isoetes yunguiensis (diploid progenitors) were used as references to separately obtain the two subgenomes transcriptome expression data of Isoetes sinensis (subgenome T and Y).Through transcriptomic analysis, we demonstrated that the potential adaptation of I. sinensis to high altitude inherited from its plateau progenitor, I. yunguiensis.
Background
Although osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor, the biological mechanism underlying its incidence and improvement remains unclear. This study investigated early ...diagnosis and treatment objectives using bioinformatics strategies and performed experimental verification.
Methods and results
The top 10 OS hub genes—
CCNA2
,
CCNB1
,
AURKA
,
TRIP13
,
RFC4
,
DLGAP5
,
NDC80
,
CDC20
,
CDK1
, and
KIF20A
—were screened using bioinformatics methods.
TRIP13
was chosen for validation after reviewing literature.
TRIP13
was shown to be substantially expressed in OS tissues and cells, according to Western blotting (WB) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction data. Subsequently,
TRIP13
knockdown enhanced apoptosis and decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion in U2OS cells, as validated by the cell counting kit-8 test, Hoechst 33,258 staining, wound healing assay, and WB. In addition, the levels of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT in U2OS cells markedly decreased after
TRIP13
knockdown. Culturing U2OS cells, in which
TRIP13
expression was downregulated, in a medium supplemented with a PI3K/AKT inhibitor further reduced their proliferation, migration, and invasion and increased their apoptosis.
Conclusions
TRIP13
knockdown reduced U2OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via a possible mechanism involving the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
Background:
Acupuncture stimulation at GV26 during the acute phase of cerebral ischaemia can effectively reduce brain damage induced by ischaemic injury. However, the time course of the effects of ...acupuncture stimulation has not yet been thoroughly studied.
Objective:
To investigate the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) on glutamic acid (Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) expression in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and determine whether there is a temporal effect of acupuncture on the treatment of cerebral ischaemia.
Methods:
We performed thread occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery in rats to establish an animal model of MCAO. Simultaneously, during acupuncture treatment, microdialysis was used to continuously and dynamically observe immediate alterations in amino acid metabolism with acupuncture stimulation after cerebral ischaemia in vivo in this rat model of MCAO.
Results:
We found that, in comparison with an untreated MCAO group, Glu content was significantly decreased during the first acupuncture stimulation and during the course of the acupuncture treatment in the MCAO+MA group (MCAO vs MCAO+MA: day 1, P=0.032; day 2, P=0.021; day 3, P=0.017). These findings were also seen after the end of treatment when acupuncture was no longer applied (MCAO vs MCAO+MA: day 7, P=0.009). Measurements of GABA content following cerebral ischaemic injury showed that GABA peaks 24 hours after damage, falls thereafter and decreases to baseline levels on day 7. In the MCAO+MA group, GABA content on days 1 to day 2 was lower than in the MCAO group (MCAO+MA vs MCAO: day 1, P=0.003; day 2, P=0.001), although it was higher than in the control group (MCAO+MA vs control: day 1, P=0.024; day 2, P=0.009). GABA content on day 3 and day 7 was higher in the MCAO+MA group than in the MCAO group and the control group (MCAO+MA vs MCAO: day 3, P=0.008; day 7, P=0.013; MCAO+MA vs control: day 3, P=0.002; day 7, P=0.009).
Conclusion:
Acupuncture stimulation at GV26 can effectively decrease excessive release of Glu induced by ischaemia and maintain the endogenous inhibitory activity of GABA. This phenomenon was seen during the entire course of acupuncture treatment and continued for some time after the end of acupuncture treatment.
In the foreseeable future, coastal coral reef ecosystems are likely to face further increases in eutrophication. Lipids and fatty acids (FAs), as important components of corals, are becoming a hot ...topic to study the effects of eutrophication on corals. This study investigated the effects of nitrate (NO3-) enrichment (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μM) on the respiration, photosynthesis, and FA compositions of Pocillopora damicornis larvae. Our results showed that saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were the most abundant in P. damicornis larvae over all treatment groups, followed by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio (U/S) and unsaturation index (UI) reduced at low nitrate concentrations (20 μM). The UI and U/S levels were elevated due to the increased PUFAs levels and decreased SFA levels at higher nitrate concentrations. Compared with the N5 and N10 groups, the fluidity of the biomembrane of the larvae did not continue to decrease but instead increased at higher nitrate concentrations, indicating that the biomembrane restructuring in the larvae may have become ineffective. Moreover, respiration increased and the consumption of numerous lipids led to a significant decrease in TFAs. These could adversely affect the dispersal, settlement, and development of larvae. Overall, P. damicornis larvae can adapt to low levels of nitrate (< 10 μM) due to biomembrane restructuring through changes in FA composition. However, negative effects occur in larvae when nitrate exceeds 20 μM.
3D microelectrodes are one-step fabricated into a microfluidic droplet separator by filling conductive silver paste into PDMS microchambers. The advantages of 3D silver paste electrodes in promoting ...droplet sorting accuracy are systematically demonstrated by theoretical calculation, numerical simulation and experimental validation. The employment of 3D electrodes also helps to decrease the droplet sorting voltage, guaranteeing that cells encapsulated in droplets undergo chip-based sorting processes are at better metabolic status for further potential cellular assays. At last, target droplet containing single cell are selectively sorted out from others by an appropriate electric pulse. This method provides a simple and inexpensive alternative to fabricate 3D electrodes, and it is expected our 3D electrode-integrated microfluidic droplet separator platform can be widely used in single cell operation and analysis.
To obtain highly fire-safe epoxy resin (EP), piperazine-modified ammonium polyphosphate (PAz-APP) with multiple active –NH– groups was prepared and utilized as a highly effective flame-retardant ...hardener. After curing by PAz-APP as a monocomponent hardener, cross-linked networks containing both tertiary amino and ether linkages were obtained, which resulted in two glass transitions. Thanks to the phosphorus-containing inorganic part, PAz-APP brought excellent flame retardance and smoke suppression efficiency to the EP system. The cured sample passed V-0 rating (UL-94) with only 7.5 wt% addition of PAz-APP. Cone calorimetric results suggested that, compared with PAz/EP (as a reference sample), both the peak-heat release rate (PHRR) and total smoke production (TSP) of PAz-APP 15/EP (15 wt% addition) sharply dropped by 81.5% and 80.0%, respectively. By analyzing the chemical constitution of the decomposing residues at different temperatures, it was noticed that PAz-APP mainly acted as a flame retardant in the condensed phase via the formation of phosphorus-rich char. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) illustrated that the main glass transition temperature ( T g ) of PAz-APP 15/EP was as high as 162.4 °C. Furthermore, the incorporation of PAz-APP did not worsen the mechanical properties, but contrarily, improved the impact strength.
To expand the application of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) in epoxy resin (EP), hyperbranched polyethyleneimines (PEI) were selected to modify it via cation exchange reaction. Then, a highly-efficient ...flame-retardant hardener with poly-functionalities for EP was successfully prepared and named as PEI-APP. After curing, PEI-APP endowed the EP samples with good flame retardance and smoke suppression performance. Results suggested the total heat release (THR) and total smoke production (TSP) decreased 76.1% and 70.5% respectively. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) of the PEI-APP cured EPs displayed a slight improvement in the high temperature region compared with the reference sample (PEI/EP). Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) demonstrated that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PEI-APP/EP also slightly increased compared with PEI/EP. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) was used to analyse the condensed products of PEI-APP/EP samples at different temperatures to investigate the flame-retardant mechanism. All the aforementioned results distinctly confirmed that PEI-APP did not only act as an effective flame-retardant hardener for EP, but also brought a good thermal stability and improved the smoke suppression to the system. This polyamine hardener provided a new platform for intumescent flame-retardant application in EP.
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