The Role of α7nAChR-Mediated Cholinergic Anti-Inflammatory Pathway in Vagal Nerve Regulated Atrial Fibrillation.

The aim was to investigate the role of the α7nAChR-mediated cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in vagal nerve regulated atrial fibrillation (AF).18 beagles (standard dogs for testing) were used in this study, and the effective refractory period (ERP) of atrium and pulmonary veins and AF inducibility were measured hourly during rapid atrial pacing at 800 beats/minute for 6 hours in all beagles. After cessation of 3 hours of RAP, the low-level vagal nerve stimulation (LL-VNS) group (n = 6) was given LL-VNS and injection of salinne (0.5 mL/GP) into four GPs, the methyllycaconitine (MLA, the antagonist of α7nAChR) group (n = 6) was given LL-VNS and injection of MLA into four GPs, and the Control group (n = 6) was given saline into four GPs and the right cervical vagal nerve was exposed without stimulation. Then, the levels of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), acetylcholine (ACh), STAT3, and NF-κB proteins were measured. During the first 3 hours of RAP, the ERPs gradually decreased while the dispersion of ERPs (dERPs) and AF inducibility gradually increased in all three groups. During the last 3 hours of 6 hours' RAP in this study, the ERPs in the LL-VNS group were higher, while the dERPs and AF inducibility were significantly lower when compared with the Control and MLA groups at the same time points. The levels of ACh in the serum and atrium in the LL-VNS and MLA groups were higher than in the Control group, and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were higher in the Control and MLA groups than in the LL-VNS group. The concentrations of STAT3 in RA and LA tissues were higher in the LL-VNS group while those of NF-κB were lower.In conclusion, the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway mediated by α7nACh plays an important role in low-level vagal nerve-regulated AF.

[Aerobic exercise improves spermatogenesis of male rats: Results of iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of the testis tissue].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on the spermatogenic function of male rats and screen out differentially expressed proteins related to spermatonesis-regulation by proteomic analysis. METHODS: We randomly divided 24 SD male rats into groups A (non-exercise control), B (exercise), and C (weight-bearing exercise), those in the latter two groups made to swim for 60 minutes a day and those in group C bearing a load 3% of the body weight, both 6 times a week for 9 weeks. At 24 hours after the last exercise, we obtained the sperm count, measured the levels of such serum reproductive hormones as testosterone (T), luteotrophic hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and employed isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based proteomic analysis of the testicular tissue. RESULTS: Compared with group A, group C showed significant increases in sperm concentration (ï¼»2.12 ± 0.43ï¼½ vs ï¼»3.54 ± 0.52ï¼½ ×106/ml, P <0.01) and the levels of serum LH (ï¼»35.99 ± 2.90ï¼½ vs ï¼»38.96 ± 1.34ï¼½ IU/L, P <0.01) and T (ï¼»19.99 ± 0.25ï¼½ vs ï¼»21.36 ± 0.53ï¼½ nmol/L, P <0.01), but no statistically significant differences in GnRH (ï¼»623.95 ± 41.44ï¼½ vs ï¼»641.82 ± 42.78ï¼½ ng/L, P >0.05) and FSH (ï¼»20.49 ± 2.44ï¼½ vs ï¼»22.29 ± 2.31ï¼½ IU/L, P >0.05). No significant changes were observed in sperm concentration or reproductive hormone levels in group B as compared with A. Group B exhibited obviously more mature sperm and cell layers in the seminiferous epithelium than group A. A total of 47 differentially expressed proteins were identified, of which 37 were up-regulated and the other 10 down-regulated. In addition, another 5 significantly differentially expressed proteins closely related to reproductive function were identified, including up-regulated Anx A1, GPX3, Rimbp3, and Dpy19l2 and down-regulated CYP17. Enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, protein digestion and absorption, and focal adhesion pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Proper-intensity exercise can improve the spermatogenic function of rats. Aerobic exercise promotes spermatogenesis mainly by up-regulating the expressions of the proteins related to the production and differentiation of spermatozoa.

[Sodium nitrite reduces lipid accumulation in steatotic cells by enhancing autophagy].

Recent data have revealed that inhibiting autophagy exacerbates lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and nitrite treatment reduces total triglyceride levels in the high-fat diet mice. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effects of nitrite on simple hepatic steatosis and the possible role of autophagy. Firstly, steatotic L-02 cells were induced by incubating L-02 cells with 1.2 mmol · L(-1) oleic acid (OA) for 24 h. Secondly, steatotic L-02 cells were treated with 0.2 mmol · L(-1) sodium nitrite (SN) plus 3-methyladenine (3-MA), or chloroquine (CQ) for 24 h, and then lipid accumulation was measured with oil red O staining and triglyceride quantification. The notable steatosis could be observed in L-02 cells following exposure to 1.2 mmol · L(-1) OA for 24 h. Treatment with 0.2 mmol · L(-1) sodium nitrite reduced lipid accumulation in steatotic L-02 cells. 3-MA weakened the ability of sodium nitrite to ameliorate hepatic steatosis. Additionally, the sodium nitrite increased number of LC3-II immunostaining puncta and LC3-II protein expression was confirmed by immunofluorescence or Western blot analysis, and the effects were enhanced by CQ treatment. The number of increased cytoplasm vacuoles and lysosomes increased was confirmed by phase contrast and fluorescence microscope respectively. The increased autolysosome was detected by electron microscopy, this phenomenon could be reversed by CQ treatment. These data demonstrated that sodium nitrite enhanced the autophagic flux and decomposition of triglycerides in steatotic L-02 cells.

Identification of a Cancer Stem Cells Signature of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks as the sixth most widespread and deadly cancer. In recent times, it has been determined that undifferentiated cell populations with stem cell-like properties in HNSCC are major factors influencing recurrence and progression. Method: In this study, we determine key genes related to stemness by merging WGCNA with HNSCC mRNAsi based on the online database. Results: We first download the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) data and contrast the expression levels of mRNAsi in cancers and control samples; we found significantly elevated mRNAsi expressions in HNSCC tissues (p = 0.002). Moreover, the brown module showed a relatively high negative correlation with mRNAsi (cor = -0.8). Thus, we selected the brown module as the interesting module and used it for following analysis. We screened 20 key genes (PDGFRB, PLPP4, CALU, ADAMTS14, COL5A3, KCNE4, LOXL1, CLEC11A, PODN,BGN, AEBP1, COL1A2, LAMA4, LOXL2, LRRC15, THY1, SPON2, COL1A1, NID2, and AC134312.5) including and as to decide the neighbor genes biological interaction network of these 20 stemness-related genes in HNSCC. The top 10 frequent alterations were PIK3CA, FGF3, FGF19, FGF4, DVL3, P3H2, GNB4, COL22A1, COL14A1, and PLOD2. Conclusion: This study showed the critical role of stemness-related genes in HNSCC. However, more related studies are needed to confirm these results.

Bioinformatics Study Revealed Significance of Exosome Transcriptome in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the fifty most common cancers globally, having a high mortality rate being the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. However, little attention has been paid to the involvement of exosomes and ceRNA in HCC. Method: The study aimed to explore exosome data from exoRBase database and a free online database to estimate possible binding miRNA from mRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA and discover useful exosome biomarkers for HCC therapy. Results: The results indicated that a total of 159 mRNAs, 60 lncRNAs, and 13 circRNAs were differentially expressed, with HIST2H3C exhibiting the highest log2FC change, CTD-2031P19 exhibiting the most relevant lncRNA, and CTD-2031P19 exhibiting the most relevant lncRNA. MARCH8, SH3PXD2A, has-circ-0014088, hsa-miR-186-5p, and hsa-miR-613 were identified as hub biomarkers used by Cytoscape. According to the KEGG pathway analysis results, the differentially expressed proteins were primarily enriched in the MAPK signaling network, central carbon metabolism in cancer, the glucagon signaling pathway, glutamatergic synapse, and spliceosome. Furthermore, immunohistochemical images from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) online tool were used to directly evaluate the protein expression of SMARCA5, CDC42, and UBC between normal and cancer tissues, and the results showed that these three gene expressions were significantly higher in tumor tissues. Conclusion: This study discovered atypical signature exosomes for HCC prognostic prediction based on an online database. The signals could mimic exosome microenvironmental disorders providing potential biomarkers for exosome treatment.

Pyroptosis-Related Signature and Tumor Microenvironment Infiltration Characterization in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most widespread and deadly cancer. Until now, very few studies have systematically evaluated the role of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) and lncRNAs in HNSCC patients. Methods: We integrated the genomic data to comprehensively assess the role of pyroptosis with the tumor microenvironment cell-infiltrating characteristics in HNSCC. In addition, we also constructed a set of the scoring system to calculate the pyroptosis dysfunction in each patient. Results: The analysis of the CNV alteration frequency displayed that CNV changes were common in 33 PRGs, and the frequency of copy number gain and loss was similar. CASP8 demonstrated the highest mutation frequency. Considering the individual heterogeneity, a scoring system to quantify the pyroptosis pattern in each patient was constructed based on these phenotypic-related genes, which we named as the PyroptosisScore. The results indicated that the low PyroptosisScore group experienced increased extensive TMB than the high group, with the most significant mutated genes being TP53 and TTN. Finally, we tried to find some useful pyroptosis-related lncRNAs, and 14 differentially expressed lncRNAs were selected as independent prognosis factors of HNSCC patients based on the multivariate Cox analysis. Conclusion: This work suggests the pyroptosis features and the potential mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment. The exploration may assist in identifying novel biomarkers and help patients predict prognosis, clinical diagnosis, and management.

Ferroptosis-Related Long Non-Coding RNA signature predicts the prognosis of Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are head and neck cancers. On the other hand, ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent and ROS reliant type of cell death observed various disease conditions. Method: We constructed a prognostic multilncRNA signature based on ferroptosis-related differentially expressed lncRNAs in HNSCC. Results: We identified 25 differently expressed lncRNAs associated with prognosis of HNSCC. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed the high-risk lncRNAs signature associated with poor prognosis of HNSCC. Moreover, the AUC of the lncRNAs signature was 0.782, underscoring their utility in prediction HNSCC prognosis. Indeed, our risk assessment model was superior to traditional clinicopathological features in predicting HNSCC prognosis. GSEA revealed the immune and tumor-related pathways in the low risk group individuals. Moreover, TCGA revealed T cell functions including cytolytic activity, HLA, regulation of inflammationp, co-stimulation, co-inhibition and coordination of type II INF response were significantly different between the low-risk and high-risk groups. Immune checkpoints such as PDCD-1 (PD-1), CTLA4 and LAG3, were also expressed differently between the two risk groups. Conclusion: A novel ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature impacts on the prognosis of HNSCC.

High GJB2 mRNA expression and its prognostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma: a study based on the TCGA database.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a form of lung cancer, is reported to cause first and second-order cancer morbidity to men and women in China, respectively. We assessed the mRNA expression of GJB2 in LUAD patients in our study, based on data acquired from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and so as to increase further knowledge into the biological pathways involved in LUAD pathogenesis related to GJB2.Information on gene expression and comparing clinical data were recognized and downloaded from TCGA. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) created an arranged list of all genes is indicated by their connection with GJB2 expression.Our study cohort included 265 (54.5%) female and 221 (36.0%) male patients. The scatter plot and paired plot showed the difference of GJB2 expression between normal and tumor samples (P < .01). Overall survival (OS) analysis demonstrated that LUAD with GJB2 -high had a more terrible prognosis than that with GJB2 -low (P < .01). Multivariate analysis with the cox proportional hazards model indicated that the expression of Cx26 (HR: 1.00; 95%CI: 1.00-1.01; P = .041) and stage (HR: 1.95; 95%CI: 1.23-3.09; P = .003) were independent prognostic factors for patients with LUAD. The GSEA results showed that cytosolic DNA sensing pathway, apoptosis, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, small cell lung cancer and pathways in cancer are differentially enriched in GJB2 high expression phenotype.Our study confirmed the significantly high levels of Cx26 expression in LUAD patients with several observed clinical features. GJB2 may be a potentially useful prognostic molecular biomarker of bad survival in LUAD, while further experimental ought to be performed to demonstrate the biologic effect of GJB2.

Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics by Network Analysis of Transcriptome Data Stemness Indices in Breast Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer (BC) affects women all over the world. This study aimed at screening out potential biomarkers through performing an in-depth analysis of data from the previous research and database. DESIGN: This study made full use of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from cancer genomic maps (TCGA) and screened key genes related to stemness by merging WGCNA with BC mRNAsi. RESULTS: The related mRNAsi data were downloaded, and the transcriptional levels of mRNAsi in cancers contrasted with normal samples. The results showed that there was a significantly higher mRNAsi expression in BC tissues (P=1.791e - 43). Seven modules were obtained following the investigation through cluster analysis. The turquoise module showed a relatively high positive correlation with mRNAsi at 0.79; this module was chosen as the most interesting and was used for subsequent analysis. By setting related cutoffs, 38 key genes were screened, and the coexpression of these genes was explored next. The results showed that the lowest correlation was between CDC20 and KIF11 (0.54), and the highest connection was between BUB1 and CKAP2L (0.86). Furthermore, ten hub genes with the most nodes were sorted using a histogram. Using other databases to explore the prognosis value of key genes, the results showed that lower expression of key genes was significantly connected with longer overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and relapse-free survival (RFS). The immune infiltration relationship between hub genes and six kinds of basic immune cells was investigated; it was revealed that partial ones were positively or negatively related. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to show the important role of stemness-related genes in the prognosis of BC. However, future clinical trials are needed to confirm these results and promote the application of these key genes in prognosis evaluation.

High ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 T mRNA expression and its prognostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma: A study based on the TCGA database.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common subtype of lung cancer with a high mortality disease which has been positioned the first and second cancer morbidity of men and women in China, separately. Our study was to assess the prognostic meaningful of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 T (UBE2T) expression in LUAD dependent on data acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and so as to increase further knowledge into the biological pathways involved in LUAD pathogenesis related to UBE2T.Information on gene expression and comparing clinical data were recognized and downloaded from TCGA. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) created an arranged list of all genes s indicated by their connection with UBE2T expression.Our study cohort included 265 (54.5%) female and 221 (36.0%) male patients. The scatter plot and paired plot showed the difference of UBE2T expression between normal and tumor samples (P < .01). Overall survival (OS) analysis demonstrated that LUAD with UBE2T-high had a more terrible prognosis than that with UBE2T-low (P < .01). Multivariate analysis with the cox proportional hazards model indicated that the expression of UBE2T (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.28; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.06-1.56; P = .011) and stage (HR: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.27-3.21; P = .003) were independent prognostic factors for patients with LUAD. The GSEA results showed that cell cycle, DNA replication, RNA degradation, oxidative phosphorylation, pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, citrate cycle tricarboxylic acid cycle, Alzheimer's disease, P53 signaling pathway, and purine metabolism are differentially enriched in UBE2T high expression phenotype.Our study found that the expression of UBE2T was significantly increased in LUAD patients and associated with several clinical features. UBE2T may be a potentially useful prognostic molecular biomarker of bad survival in LUAD, while further experimental ought to be performed to demonstrate the biologic effect of UBE2T.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Expression and Prognosis for SFRPs in Breast Carcinoma.

Secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) are a group of five secreted glycoproteins-SFRP1, SFRP2, SFRP3 (frizzled related protein, FRZB), SFRP4, and SFRP5-which contain a frizzled-related cysteine-rich domain and a netrin module. We analyzed SFRPs' expression levels, mutations, regulation, functional networks, and correlation with immune infiltration in breast cancer (BC) patients using data from multiple open databases. SFRP1/3/4/5 were downregulated and SFRP2 was upregulated in BC patients compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, higher levels of SFRP1/3/4 were significantly associated with favorable prognosis. In addition, the prognostic significance of the infiltrating B cells was correlated to the SFRPs. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that SFRPs play a synergistic role in BC progression, and are, therefore, promising prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets.

Effect of Shensong Yangxin on the Progression of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation is Correlated with Regulation of Autonomic Nerve Activity.

BACKGROUND: Shensong Yangxin (SSYX), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has long been used clinically to treat arrhythmias in China. However, the mechanism of SSYX on atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the effect of SSYX on the progression of paroxysmal AF is correlated with the regulation of autonomic nerve activity. METHODS: Eighteen mongrel dogs were randomly divided into control group (n = 6), pacing group (n = 6), and pacing + SSYX group (n = 6). The control group was implanted with pacemakers without pacing; the pacing group was implanted with pacemakers with long-term intermittent atrial pacing; the pacing + SSYX group underwent long-term intermittent atrial pacing and SSYX oral administration. RESULTS: Compared to the pacing group, the parameters of heart rate variability were lower after 8 weeks in the pacing + SSYX group (low-frequency [LF] component: 20.85 ± 3.14 vs. 15.3 ± 1.89 ms 2 , P = 0.004; LF component/high-frequency component: 1.34 ± 0.33 vs. 0.77 ± 0.15, P < 0.001). The atrial effective refractory period (AERP) was shorter and the dispersion of the AERP was higher after 8 weeks in the pacing group, while the changes were suppressed by SSYX intake. The dogs in the pacing group had more episodes and longer durations of AF than that in the pacing + SSYX group. SSYX markedly inhibited the increase in sympathetic nerves and upregulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 expression in the pacing + SSYX group. Furthermore, SSYX suppressed the decrease of acetylcholine and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor protein induced by long-term intermittent atrial pacing. CONCLUSIONS: SSYX substantially prevents atrial electrical remodeling and the progression of AF. These effects of SSYX may have association with regulating the imbalance of autonomic nerve activity and the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway.