Atherosclerosis is one of the most common vascular disorders. Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation contributes to the development of atherosclerosis. ...Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in several biological processes and human diseases. Here we show that lncRNA-RNCR3 is expressed in ECs and VSMCs. RNCR3 expression is significantly upregulated in mouse and human aortic atherosclerotic lesions, and cultured ECs and VSMCs upon ox-LDL treatment in vitro. RNCR3 knockdown accelerates the development of atherosclerosis, aggravates hypercholesterolemia and inflammatory factor releases, and decreases EC and VSMC proliferation in vivo. RNCR3 knockdown also reduces the proliferation and migration, and accelerates apoptosis development of EC and VSMC in vitro. RNCR3 acts as a ceRNA, and forms a feedback loop with Kruppel-like factor 2 and miR-185-5p to regulate cell function. This study reveals that RNCR3 has an atheroprotective role in atherosclerosis, and its intervention is a promising strategy for treating atherosclerosis-related vascular dysfunction.
Insulin‐like peptides (ILPs) including insulin, insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) and relaxin are evolutionarily conserved hormones in metazoans, and they are involved in diverse physiological ...processes. The migratory brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, encodes four ILP genes (Nlilp1, Nlilp2, Nlilp3 and Nlilp4) but their physiological roles are largely unknown. Sequence analysis showed that NlILP1 contained a relaxin‐specific G protein‐coupled receptor‐binding motif and a variant motif of cysteine residues, and NlILP2 and NlILP4 resembled vertebrate IGFs. RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated gene silencing showed that depletion of each of Nlilp1, 2 and 3 significantly delayed the developmental duration of nymphs, and this effect could be exacerbated by double or triple gene depletion. Depletion of Nlilp1, Nlilp2 or Nlilp3 induces the accumulation of glucose, trehalose and glycogen, which is contradictory to depletion of the insulin receptor (NlInR1) in the BPH. Depletion of Nlilp1 significantly enhanced starvation resistance in both females and males although its extent was smaller than NlInR1 depletion. A parental RNAi assay showed that depletion of each of Nlilp1–4 dramatically impaired female fecundity. These findings indicate that NlILP1–4 have redundant and distinct roles in physiological processes in the BPH, thereby enhancing our understanding of the contribution of each NlILP to the ecological success of this species in natural habitats.
Knockdown of Nilaparvata lugens insulin‐like peptide 1 (Nlilp1), Nlilp2 or Nlilp3 extended the developmental duration of nymphs and led to the accumulation of glucose, trehalose and glycogen.
Knockdown of Nlilp1 enhanced starvation resistance in both females and males.
Knockdown of each of Nlilp1–4 impaired female fecundity.
Aim
To examine the association between depression and impaired glucose regulation, newly diagnosed diabetes and previously diagnosed diabetes in middle‐aged and elderly Chinese people, and whether ...depression was associated with different treatment regimens or durations of diabetes.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was performed among 229 047 adults living in the community aged ≥ 40 years from 25 centres in China. The self‐reported depression rating scale Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ–9) was used to diagnose probable and sub‐threshold depression. Glucose metabolism status was determined according to World Health Organization 1999 diagnostic criteria.
Results
The numbers of participants with normal glucose regulation, impaired glucose regulation, newly diagnosed diabetes and previously diagnosed diabetes were 120 458, 59 512, 24 826 and 24 251, respectively. The prevalence of sub‐threshold depression in the total sample of participants was 4.8% (4.8%, 4.8%, 4.4% and 5.6% from normal glucose regulation to previously diagnosed diabetes, respectively), and the prevalence of probable depression was 1.1% (1.1%, 1.0%, 0.9% and 1.8% from normal glucose regulation to previously diagnosed diabetes, respectively). Compared with participants with normal glucose regulation, those with previously diagnosed diabetes had increased odds of probable depression odds ratio (OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39–1.87 and sub‐threshold depression (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.06–1.24), after adjustment for multiple confounding factors. Newly diagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose regulation was not associated with depression. Among those with previously diagnosed diabetes, insulin treatment was associated with greater odds of depression compared with no treatment or oral anti‐diabetic medicine.
Conclusion
Previously diagnosed diabetes, but not newly diagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose regulation, was associated with a higher prevalence of depression. Patients receiving insulin were more likely to have depression than those not receiving treatment or being treated with oral anti‐diabetic medicine.
What's new?
Using a nationwide sample of middle‐aged and elderly Chinese people, we showed that patients with previously diagnosed diabetes had a higher prevalence of depression, compared with those with normal glucose regulation. Newly diagnosed diabetes or impaired glucose regulation were not associated with depression.
Patients with diabetes treated with insulin had greater odds of suffering from depression than those who were treated with oral medicine or were untreated. Duration of diabetes was not associated with depression, after accounting for the role of different treatments.
Iron selenide superconductors exhibit a number of unique characteristics that are helpful for understanding the mechanism of superconductivity in high-Tc iron-based superconductors more generally. ...However, in the case of AxFe2Se2 (A = K, Rb, Cs), the presence of an intergrown antiferromagnetic insulating phase makes the study of the underlying physics problematic. Moreover, FeSe-based systems intercalated with alkali metal ions, NH3 molecules or organic molecules are extremely sensitive to air, which prevents the further investigation of their physical properties. It is therefore desirable to find a stable and easily accessible FeSe-based superconductor to study its physical properties in detail. Here, we report the synthesis of an air-stable material, (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe, which remains superconducting at temperatures up to ~40 K, by means of a novel hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is unambiguously determined by a combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, antiferromagnetic order is shown to coexist with superconductivity. This synthetic route opens a path for exploring superconductivity in other related systems, and confirms the appeal of iron selenides as a platform for understanding superconductivity in iron pnictides more broadly.
Cellular plasticity has an important role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, the involvement of a TGF-β1-CD147 self-sustaining network in the regulation of the ...dedifferentiation progress was fully explored in HCC cell lines, hepatocyte-specific basigin/CD147-knockout mice and human HCC tissues. We demonstrated that TGF-β1 stimulation upregulated CD147 expression and mediated the dedifferentiation of HCC cells, whereas all-trans-retinoic acid induced the downregulation of CD147 and promoted differentiation in HCC cells. Overexpression of CD147 induced the dedifferentiation and enhanced the malignancy of HCC cells, and increased the transcriptional expression of TGF-β1 by activating β-catenin. CD147-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production activated pro-TGF-β1. The activated TGF-β1 signaling subsequently repressed the HNF4α expression via Smad-Snail1 signaling and enhanced the dedifferentiation progress. Hepatocyte-specific basigin/CD147-knockout mice decreased the susceptibility to N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced tumorigenesis by suppressing TGF-β1-CD147 signaling and inhibiting dedifferentiation in hepatocytes during tumor progression. CD147 was positively correlated with TGF-β1 and negatively correlated with HNF4α in human HCC tissues. Positive CD147 staining and lower HNF4α levels in tumor tissues were significantly associated with poor survival of patients with HCC. The overexpression of HNF4α and Smad7 and the deletion of CD147 by lentiviral vectors jointly reprogrammed the expression profile of hepatocyte markers and attenuated malignant properties including proliferation, cell survival and tumor growth of HCC cells. Our results highlight the important role of the TGF-β1-CD147 self-sustaining network in driving HCC development by regulating differentiation plasticity, which provides a strong basis for further investigations of the differentiation therapy of HCC targeting TGF-β1 and CD147.
Previous studies indicate that N-ratio has significant superiority in minimizing ‘stage migration’ for patients with >15 lymph nodes retrieved. Whether the result is applicable to patients with ≤15 ...lymph nodes retrieved is still in question.
Overall survival rates of 2159 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical resection were compared between patients with different number and level of lymph nodes retrieved according to pN International Union Against Cancer (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer)/AJCC N stage, n (JGCA N stage) and rN (N-ratio) staging system.
Patient number was significantly different between insufficient and sufficient number or level retrieved group in pN and n system, respectively, but not in rN system, while overall survival rates were not significantly different between those groups. The 5-year survival rates of patients with insufficient nodes retrieved were significantly lower than those with sufficient nodes retrieved in pN and n system, but not in rN system. The hazard risk for patients with insufficient nodes retrieved was significantly higher than that for patients with sufficient nodes retrieved in pN and n system, but not in rN system.
The rN stage has more potential advantages in minimizing stage migration phenomenon for patients with insufficient number or level of lymph nodes retrieved.
•Thirty eight antibiotic residues were analyzed in raw milk by UPLC–MS/MS.•Extraction procedure of antibiotic residues in raw milk was optimized.•The proposed method achieves suitable detection ...limits, recoveries and precision.•The low LOQs were fit for trace analysis of antibiotic residues in raw milk.
A selective and rapid method has been developed to determine, simultaneously, 38 veterinary antibiotic residues in raw milk by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). One milliliter of raw milk was diluted with 0.5mL water and 3mL acetonitrile, then purified using an Oasis HLB cartridge. The eluates were evaporated by nitrogen drying and then reconstituted to 4mL with water/acetonitrile (8:1) before being injected into the UPLC–MS/MS system. The results indicated recoveries of 68–118% for 14 β-lactams, 79–118% for eight quinolones, 71–106% for eight sulfonamides, 76–116% for four tetracyclines, 78–106% for three macrolides, and 88–103% for one lincosamides, with coefficients of variation less than 15% for intraday and interday precisions. The limit of quantification for all antibiotics was 0.03–10μgkg−1. This methodology was then applied to field-collected real raw milk samples and trace levels of four antibiotics were detected.
•Bulk NiTip/6061Al were prepared by FSP via a multi-hole particle presetting mode.•NiTip were homogeneously distributed in Al matrix without interfacial products.•The composite had a phase ...transformation behavior similar to that of the NiTip.•T6-treatment strengthened the composite without discernible interfacial reaction.•The aging or T6 treated composites had higher strengths than the BM.
Friction stir processing (FSP) was used to prepare NiTip reinforced 6061Al bulk composites with the aim to avoid deleterious Al–NiTi interface reaction occurred in cast and powder metallurgy processes. NiTip were homogeneously distributed in the Al matrix without interfacial reaction. The intrinsic characteristic of a reversible thermoelastic phase transformation of the NiTip was observed in the composites. The as-FSP composites showed lower tensile strengths and higher elongation than the as-received 6061Al–T651, and the strengths increased greatly after both aging and T6 heat treatments without interfacial products being detected. The results show that FSP is an effective way to produce NiTip/Al composites with good shape memory effect and mechanical properties.
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