The production of high value biochemicals and high energy biofuels from sustainable resources through the use of microbial based, green conversion technologies could reduce the dependence on ...petrochemical resources. However, a sustainable source of carbon and a clean, cost effective method for its conversion to high quality biofuel products are obstacles that must be overcome. Here we describe the biosynthesis of fatty alcohols in a genetically engineered cyanobacterial system through heterologously expressing fatty acyl-CoA reductase and the effect of environmental stresses on the production of fatty alcohols in the mutant strains. Hydrocarbon production in three representative types of native cyanobacterial model strains and the mutant strain overexpressing acetyl-CoA carboxylase was evaluated. The results of this investigation demonstrate the potential for direct production of high value chemicals and high energy fuels in a single biological system that utilizes solar energy as the energy source and carbon dioxide as the carbon source.
Background Natural killer (NK) cells are proposed to participate in coronary artery disease (CAD) development. However, little is known about how CAD patients’ NK cells respond to different ...stimulatory factors in terms of proliferation capability. Methods and results Twenty-nine CAD patients’ peripheral blood NK cells were isolated and individually treated with IL-2, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, IL-21, cortisone acetate, hydrocortisone, or ascorbic acid for 36 hours, followed by cell cycle analysis using flow cytometry. The ratio of S and G2/M phase cell number to total cell number was defined as a proliferation index (PrI) and used for proliferative capability indication. The results showed that these eight factors resulted in different life cycle changes in the 29 NK cell samples. Remarkably, 28 out of 29 NK cell samples showed an obvious increase in PrI upon ascorbic acid treatment. The serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level of the 29 CAD patients was measured. The results showed a negative correlation between serum LDH level and the CAD patients’ NK cell PrI upon stimulation of interleukins, but not the non-interleukin stimulators. Consistently, a retrospective analysis of 46 CAD patients and 32 healthy donors showed that the circulating NK cell number negatively correlated with the serum LDH level in CAD patients. Unexpectedly, addition of LDH to NK cells significantly enhanced the production of IFN-γ, IL-10 and TNF-α, suggesting a strong regulatory role on NK cell’s function. Conclusion Ascorbic acid could promote the proliferation of the CAD patients’ NK cells; LDH serum level may function as an indicator for NK cell proliferation capability and an immune-regulatory factor.
Abstract
Background
Universal social medical insurance coverage is viewed as a major factor in promoting social integration, but insufficient evidence exists on the integration of elderly rural ...migrants (ERM), generally aged 60 years and above, in low- and middle-income countries. To address this problem, we explore the relationship between the location of social medical insurance (SMI), such as a host city, and social integration in the context of Chinese ERM.
Methods
This study is based on data from the 2017 National Internal Migrant Dynamic Monitoring Survey in China. The study participants were Chinese ERM. An integration index was constructed to measure the degree of social integration in a multi-dimensional manner using a factor analysis method. This study used descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance to explore the differences in social integration between ERM with SMI from host cities and hometowns. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the correlation between SMI location and social integration level in the overall sample. Finally, the results were verified by propensity score matching.
Results
It was found that 606 (18.2%) of the insured ERM chose host city SMI, while 2727 (81.8%) chose hometown SMI. The level of social integration was lower among ERM with hometown SMI (-1.438 ± 32.795,
F
= 28.311, p ≤ 0.01) than those with host city SMI (6.649 ± 34.383). Among the dimensions of social integration, social participation contributed more than other factors, with a contribution rate of 45.42%. Host city SMI increased the probability of the social integration index by 647% among ERM (k-nearest neighbor caliper matched (
n
= 4, caliper = 0.02), with a full sample ATT value of 6.47 (T = 5.32, SE = 1.48,
p
< 0.05)).
Conclusions
ERM with host city SMI have a higher social integration level than those with hometowns SMI. That is, host city SMI positively affects social integration. Policymakers should focus on the access of host city SMI for ERM. Removing the threshold of host city SMI coverage for ERM can promote social integration.
To address the issues of high cost, low welding efficiency, and complex processes in vacuum brazing, we proposed a method of electromagnetic ultrasonic (EU)-assisted brazing with Al-12Si solder to ...join SiC ceramic and TC4 alloy. The results showed that the maximum magnetic induction strength (MIS) on the surface of the liquid solder was 0.629 T when subjected to a static and alternating magnetic field (MF). Additionally, the combined action of MF and eddy current generated a downward Lorentz force (LF) in the liquid solder, with the maximum LF in the horizontal and vertical directions being 48.91 kN m−3 and 60.93 kN m−3, respectively. Under the influence of an EU wave, the liquid solder exhibited capillary filling (CF) behavior. At 26 ms, the maximum length of CF was 12.21 mm.
Abstract Purpose The study aimed to investigate the use of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived permeability parameters for the differentiation of glioblastoma ...multiformes (GBMs), primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs), and brain metastatic tumors (MTs). Materials and Methods Seventy-five patients with histopathologically confirmed GBMs (n = 38), PCNSLs (n = 16) and MTs (n = 21) underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MRIs before surgery. The volume transfer constant Ktrans , the flux rate constant between extravascular extracellular space and plasma Kep , the extravascular extracellular volume Ve and the fractional plasma volume Vp were measured within the entire contrast-enhancing tumor by extended Tofts model. A one-way analysis of variance was used to compare all of the parameters among these three tumors, followed by the post-hoc test. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the permeability parameters. Results Mean Ktrans value and Ve value were significantly higher in PCNSLs than in GBMs ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.011) and MTs ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.001). No significant difference was observed in all of the permeability parameters between GBMs and MTs. According to the receiver operating characteristic analyses, both Ktrans and Ve had good diagnostic performance for discriminating between PCNSLs and GBMs (the area under the curve: 0.847 and 0.785, respectively), as well as between PCNSLs and MTs (the area under the curve: 0.851 and 0.884, respectively). Conclusions The Ktrans and Ve derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI facilitate the differentiation of PCNSLs from GBMs and MTs.
Background
Studies have demonstrated that high iron status is positively associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), implying that iron overload and ferroptosis play important roles in the ...development of GDM. The aim of this study was to explore effective therapeutic drugs from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)formulas for the treatment of GDM based on ferroptosis.
Methods
In this study, the presence of ferroptosis in the placenta was verified through clinical and experimental data, and key genes were subsequently screened for association with ferroptosis in the development of GDM. The analysis was based on transcriptome sequencing of datasets combined with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis and weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA); functional enrichment analysis was also performed. A protein−protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and pivotal genes were identified using Cytoscape. Finally, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)formulas related to treating GDM were collected, then the proteins corresponding to the key genes were molecularly docked with the small molecular structures of clinically proven effective herbal tonics, and molecular dynamic simulations were performed to select the best candidates for pharmacological compounds.
Results
Elevated ferritin levels in patients with GDM were verified using clinical data. The presence of ferroptosis in placental tissues of patients with GDM was confirmed using electron microscopy and western blotting. Ninety-nine key genes with the highest correlation with ferroptosis were identified from DEGs and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes demonstrated that the DEGs were primarily involved in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. The key genes were further screened by PPI; two key genes, SF3B14 and BABAM1, were identified by combining the gene corresponding to protein structure and function, followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation.
Coptis chinensis
was proposed as the best candidate for herbal treatment at the molecular level.
Conclusion
This data revealed the presence of ferroptosis in patients with GDM and identified possible modulatory roles of ferroptosis-related genes involved in the molecular mechanisms of GDM, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of GDM, which also provided new directions for the systematic optimization of TCM formulas for the management and targeted treatment of GDM.
Background
This study aims to determine the relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and cognitive dysfunction as well as explores the effects of DR on different cognitive domains.
Methods
A ...systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang data, CBM, CNKI, and VIP databases from their inception to October 2021. The pooled odds ratio (ORs), hazard ratio (HRs), and 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated.
Results
Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and meta-analysis included 15 studies. The presence of DR reflects a higher risk of cognitive dysfunction (OR = 2.45; 95% CI: 1.76–3.41; HR = 1.34 95% CI: 1.10–1.62). Cohort study combined risk was 2.62 (95% CI: 1.93–3.56), in cross-sectional study was 2.07 (95% CI: 1.11–3.88). The pooled OR was 2.38 (95% CI: 1.83–3.10) and 3.11 (95% CI: 1.15–8.40) in Asia and Oceania. No such association was found in North America (OR = 2.22; 95% CI: 0.77–6.38). The pooled risk was 2.47 (95% CI: 1.76–3.48) in patients with T2DM, while did not identify an association between these two conditions in T1DM. The combined unadjusted and adjusted ORs were 2.72 (95% CI: 1.99–3.73) and 2.06 (95% CI: 1.49–2.85). DR severity and the risk of cognitive impairment showed a positive correlation and mainly impaired the speeds of psychomotor and information processing.
Conclusions
DR can help to identify people at high risk of cognitive dysfunction. Further studies are indispensable for exploring the relationship between DR and cognitive impairment in the patients for different age, gender and race, as well as to assess the risk of cognitive impairment in different populations.
Previous studies demonstrated that EV71-infected cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs), facilitating the transfer of viral components to recipient cells and thereby promoting virus spread. ...Considering lipid signaling plays a crucial role in EVs-mediated cell-to-cell communication, we compared the lipid profile of EVs secreted from uninfected and EV71-infected cells (EVs-Mock and EVs-EV71) using the human rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell model. These two groups of EVs were purified by using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), respectively, and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking technology (NTA), and Western blotting (WB). In-depth lipidomic analysis of EVs identified 1705 lipid molecules belonging to 43 lipid classes. The data showed a significant increase in the lipid content of EVs after EV71 infection. Meanwhile, we deeply analyzed the changes in lipids and screened for lipid molecules with significant differences compared EVs-EV71 with EVs-Mock EVs. Altogether, we report the alterations in the lipid profile of EVs derived from RD-cells after EV71 infection, which may affect the function of the EVs in the recipient cells.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) and miR-9-5p have emerged as attractive therapeutic targets in several tumor types, but in ...CRC, the regulation of their biological function and their target association remain unclear.
The expression of PAK4 in CRC tissues was determined using quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry analyses. The targeted regulation between miR-9-5p and PAK4 was predicted and confirmed with bioinformatics analysis and the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Functional experiments, including the MTT assay and flow cytometry, were performed to investigate the impact of PAK4 knockdown and miR-9-5p overexpression on cell proliferation and apoptosis in CRC cells.
We found that the expression of PAK4 was upregulated in CRC tissues. PAK4 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in cells of the CRC cell lines HCT116 and SW1116. We also found that miR-9-5p directly targeted the 3'-UTR of PAK4 mRNA and negatively regulated its expression. The degree of downregulation of miR-9-5p inversely correlated with PAK4 expression. Intriguingly, enforced expression of miR-9-5p suppressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. This could be partially reversed by PAK4 overexpression.
These results suggest that miR-9-5p targeting of PAK4 could have therapeutic potential for CRC treatment.
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