The transcription factor MdMYB2 influences cold tolerance and anthocyanin accumulation by activating SUMO E3 ligase MdSIZ1 in apple.

Conjugation of the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) peptide to target proteins is an important post-translational modification. SAP AND MIZ1 DOMAIN-CONTAINING LIGASE1 (MdSIZ1) is an apple (Malus domestica Borkh). SUMO E3 ligase that mediates sumoylation of its targets during plant growth and development under adverse environmental conditions. However, it is unclear how MdSIZ1 senses the various environmental signals and whether sumoylation is regulated at the transcriptional level. In this study, we analyzed the MdSIZ1 promoter and found that it contained an MYB binding site (MBS) motif that was essential for the response of MdSIZ1 to low temperature (LT) and drought. Subsequently, we used yeast one-hybridization screening to demonstrate that a MYB transcription factor, MdMYB2, directly bound to the MBS motif in the MdSIZ1 promoter. Phenotypic characterization of MdMYB2 and MdSIZ1 suggested that the expression of both MdMYB2 and MdSIZ1 substantially improved cold tolerance in plants. MdMYB2 was induced by LT and further activated the expression of MdSIZ1, thereby promoting the sumoylation of MdMYB1, a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple. MdMYB2 promoted anthocyanin accumulation in apple fruits, apple calli, and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in an MdSIZ1-dependent manner. In addition, the interaction of MdMYB2 and the MdSIZ1 promoter substantially improved plant tolerance to cold stress. Taken together, our findings reveal an important role for transcriptional regulation of sumoylation and provide insights into plant anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation mechanisms and stress response.

The role of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells in liver remodeling after injury.

Liver transplantation is the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease, metabolic liver diseases, and hepatic malignancies that are not amenable to resection. Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is the main problem in liver transplantation and liver resection, leading to parenchymal cell injury and organ dysfunction. The damage of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) is a critical event in IRI. LSECs work as an important regulating factor of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. This review primarily describes the mechanisms of LSECs injury in IRI and explores the roles of LSECs in liver regeneration, and briefly introduces the protective strategies targeting LSECs damaged in IRI.

Combined assessment of tumour cell nest size and desmoplastic reaction as an excellent prognostic predictor in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

AIMS: Tumour budding (TB) activity, cell nest size (CNS), and desmoplastic reaction (DR) have been confirmed to be significantly correlated with prognosis in oesophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) recently. However, there are limited data on the prognostic significance of combined assessment of cellular dissociation and tumour stroma in ESCC. METHODS: In all, 265 cases with resected ESCCs diagnosed between January 2018 and August 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. All slides were reviewed for assessing TB, CNS, and DR. The Cellular Dissociation Grading and our Combined CNS and DR (CNS/DR) Grading systems were adopted to re-grade ESCCs. RESULTS: High TB activity, small CNS, and immature DR had a strong association with shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P < 0.001, respectively) in ESCC. Combined assessment of CNS and DR in a 4-tiered grading system displayed a prognostic excellence for survival (P < 0.001), and outperformed the Cellular Dissociation Grading for both OS (area under the curve [AUC], 0.728 versus 0.644, P = 0.043) and PFS (AUC, 0.763 versus 0.667, P = 0.018) by receiver operator characteristic curves. Also, Combined CNS/DR Grading showed superiority in recognizing a G4 subgroup with the worst outcome in our cohort, to whom the most urgent attention needs to be called. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to propose a novel Combined Grading system based on CNS and DR in ESCC, which has been demonstrated to be relatively superior to Cellular Dissociation Grading in predicting prognosis. The findings shed new light on the histopathological grading of ESCC and facilitates identifying biologically aggressive ESCCs.

Liver function recovery of COVID-19 patients after discharge, a follow-up study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to observe the liver function recovery of COVID-19 patients after discharge. Patients and Methods: A total of 253 discharged COVID-19 patients in Shenzhen city, China were selected. The clinical characteristics of these patients were assessed. A 2-month follow-up and laboratory hematology test were performed to examine the status of patients' liver function. Results: Patients combined with liver diseases, especially fatty liver, are more likely to progress to severe condition (P<0.05). Patients in severe condition and those with liver diseases have higher rates of liver injuries during hospitalization, characterized by a significant increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST, P<0.01). The ALT, AST/ALT, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and A/G levels showed significant differences in comparison with the control group (P<0.05, and P<0.001); and the outlier ratio of A/G, ALT, GGT and ALP of patients remained abnormal higher within 14 days after discharge (P<0.001). Liver injuries of COVID-19 patients may be related to the epidemiological characteristics, clinical indexes, basic diseases, symptoms, drug treatment during hospitalization and the complications. Indicators of liver function were correlated with cardiac function, renal function, thyroid function, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, immune index, leukocyte, erythrocyte, hemoglobin and platelet related indexes. The outlier ratio of TP, ALB and GLB remained extremely low throughout the follow-up period; the outlier ratio of ALT, AST and GGT decreased below 10% from a high level at 40 days after discharged. However, the outlier ratio of A/G, AST/ALT and ALP remained high during the follow-up period. Conclusions: Abnormal liver function might indicate worse recovery of COVID-19 patients. Changes in liver function should be emphasized during long-term follow-up of COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge; the necessity of employing appropriate interventions for liver function repair should be emphasized.

FBW7 protects against spinal cord injury by mitigating inflammation-associated neuronal apoptosis in mice.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to severe and long-lasting neurological disability. Presently, the lack of effective therapies for SCI is largely attributable to an incomplete understanding of its pathogenesis. F-box and WD repeat domain-containing protein 7 (FBW7, also known as FBXW7) is a type of E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and plays essential roles in regulating different pathological and physiological processes. In this study, we attempted to explore the effects of FBW7 on SCI progression by the in vivo and in vitro experiments. SCI mice showed significantly reduced expression of FBW7 in spinal cord tissues. Promoting FBW7 expression via intrathecal injection of AAV9/FBW7 effectively improved locomotor function in SCI mice. Neuronal death in spinal cords of SCI mice was obviously ameliorated by FBW7 over-expression, along with greatly decreased expression of cleaved Caspase-3. In addition, microglial activation in spinal cord specimens was detected in SCI mice through increasing Iba-1 expression levels, which was, however, attenuated in SCI mice injected with AAV9/FBW7. Additionally, FBW7 over-expression dramatically restrained inflammatory response in spinal cord tissues of SCI mice, as evidenced by the down-regulated expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) through blocking the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling. These anti-inflammatory effects of FBW7 were confirmed in LPS-stimulated mouse microglial BV2 cells. Finally, our in vitro studies showed that conditional medium (CM) collected from LPS-incubated BV2 cells markedly induced apoptosis in the isolated primary spinal neurons; However, this effect was overtly ameliorated by CM from LPS-exposed BV2 cells over-expressing FBW7. Thus, FBW7-regulated inflammation in microglial cells was involved in the amelioration of neuronal apoptosis during SCI development. Collectively, these findings illustrated that FBW7 expression was down-regulated in spinal cords of SCI mice, and promoting its expression could effectively mitigate SCI progression by repressing microglial inflammation and neuronal death.

Massively parallel sequencing of STRs using a 29-plex panel reveals stutter sequence characteristics.

Massively parallel sequencing of forensic STRs simultaneously provides length-based genotypes and core repeat sequences as well as flanking sequence variations. Here, we report primer sequences and concentrations of a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based in-house panel covering 28 autosomal STR loci (CSF1PO, D1GATA113, D1S1627, D1S1656, D1S1677, D2S441, D2S1776, D3S3053, D5S818, D6S474, D6S1017, D6S1043, D8S1179, D9S2157, D10S1435, D11S4463, D13S317, D14S1434, D16S539, D18S51, D18S853, D20S482, D20S1082, D22S1045, FGA, TH01, TPOX, and vWA) and the sex determinant locus Amelogenin. Preliminary evaluation experiments showed that the panel yielded intralocus- and interlocus-balanced sequencing data with a sensitivity as low as 62.5 pg input DNA. A total of 203 individuals from Yunnan Bai population were sequenced with this panel. Comparative forensic genetic analyses showed that sequence-based matching probability of this 29-plex panel reached 2.37 × 10-29 , which was 23 times lower than the length-based data. Compound stutter sequences of eight STRs were compared with parental alleles. For seven loci, repeat motif insertions or deletions occurred in the longest uninterrupted repeat sequences (LUS). However, LUS and non-LUS stutters co-existed in the locus D6S474 with different sequencing depth ratios. These results supplemented our current knowledge of forensic STR stutters, and provided a sound basis for DNA mixture deconvolution.

Synthesis and antibacterial evaluation against resistant Gram-negative bacteria of monobactams bearing various substituents on oxime residue.

Based on the structural characteristics of aztreonam (AZN) and its target PBP3, a series of new monobactam derivatives bearing various substituents on oxime residue were prepared and evaluated for their antibacterial activities against susceptible and resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Among them, compounds 8p and 8r displayed moderate potency with MIC values of 0.125-32 µg/mL against most tested Gram-negative strains, comparable to AZN. Meanwhile, the combination of 8p and 8r with avibactam as a ß-lactamases inhibitor, in a ratio of 1:16, showed a promising synergistic effect against both ESBLs- and NDM-1-producing K. pneumoniae, with significantly reduced MIC values up to 8-fold and >256-fold respectively. Furthermore, both of them demonstrated excellent safety profiles both in vitro and in vivo. The results provided powerful information for further structural optimization of monobactam antibiotics to fight ß-lactamase-producing resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Marital status is an independent prognostic factor in inflammatory breast cancer patients: an analysis of the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this analysis was to study the impact of marital status on inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) patients, as the prognostic impact is yet to be studied in detail. METHODS: Data of IBC patients from 2004 to 2010 were sorted out from the database of surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER), and overall survival (OS) rates and breast cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were compared between a group of married and unmarried patients. The comparison was performed by Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test, and multivariate survival analysis of CSS and OS was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Data of 1342 patients were collected from the SEER database, on an average 52% of married patients (n = 698, 52.01%) and 48% of unmarried patients (n = 644, 47.99%) for this analysis. Married patients were more likely to be more younger (aged ≤ 56) (52.44% vs. 43.94%), white ethnicity (83.24% vs. 71.58%), HoR positive (48.28% vs. 41.61%), more patients received surgery (78.51% vs. 64.60%), chemotherapy (90.69% vs. 80.12%) and radiotherapy (53.44% vs. 44.41%) compared to unmarried group, and less likely to be AJCC stage IV (26.22% vs. 35.40%) (All P ˂ 0.05). Married patients had better 5-year CSS (74.90% vs. 65.55%, P < 0.0001) and OS rates (45.43% vs. 33.11%, P < 0.0001). The multivariate analysis revealed that marital status is an independent prognostic factor, whereas the data of unmarried patients showed worse CSS (HR 1.188; 95% CI 1.033-1.367; P = 0.016) and OS rates (HR 1.245; 95% CI 1.090-1.421; P = 0.001).The subgroup analysis further revealed that the OS and CSS rates in the married group were better than the unmarried group, regardless of different AJCC stages. CONCLUSION: Marital status was an independent prognostic indicator in IBC patients. As the study reveals, the CSS and OS rates of the married patients were better than those of the unmarried patients.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Quinoline Derivatives as a Novel Class of Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Agents.

Nineteen new quinoline derivatives were prepared via the Mannich reaction and evaluated for their antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive (G⁺) and Gram-negative (G-) bacteria, taking compound 1 as the lead. Among the target compounds, quinolone coupled hybrid 5d exerted the potential effect against most of the tested G⁺ and G- strains with MIC values of 0.125⁻8 µg/mL, much better than those of 1. Molecular-docking assay showed that compound 5d might target both bacterial LptA and Top IV proteins, thereby displaying a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect. This hybridization strategy was an efficient way to promote the antibacterial activity of this kind, and compound 5d was selected for the further investigation, with an advantage of a dual-target mechanism of action.

The efficacy of group cognitive-behavioural therapy plus duloxetine for generalised anxiety disorder versus duloxetine alone.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether and how group cognitive-behavioural therapy (GCBT) plus medication differs from medication alone for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). METHODS: Hundred and seventy patients were randomly assigned to the GCBT plus duloxetine (n=89) or duloxetine group (n=81). The primary outcomes were Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) response and remission rates. The explorative secondary measures included score reductions from baseline in the HAMA total, psychic, and somatic anxiety subscales (HAMA-PA, HAMA-SA), the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Severity Subscale of Clinical Global Impression Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning, and the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 4-week, 8-week, and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: At 4 weeks, HAMA response (GCBT group 57.0% vs. control group 24.4%, p=0.000, Cohen's d=0.90) and remission rates (GCBT group 21.5% vs. control group 6.2%, p=0.004; d=0.51), and most secondary outcomes (all p<0.05, d=0.36-0.77) showed that the combined therapy was superior. At 8 weeks, all the primary and secondary significant differences found at 4 weeks were maintained with smaller effect sizes (p<0.05, d=0.32-0.48). At 3-month follow-up, the combined therapy was only significantly superior in the HAMA total (p<0.045, d=0.43) and HAMA-PA score reductions (p<0.001, d=0.77). Logistic regression showed superiority of the combined therapy for HAMA response rates [odds ratio (OR)=2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-4.42, p=0.04] and remission rates (OR=2.80, 95% CI 1.27-6.16, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with duloxetine alone, GCBT plus duloxetine showed significant treatment response for GAD over a shorter period of time, particularly for psychic anxiety symptoms, which may suggest that GCBT was effective in changing cognitive style.

A Genetic Susceptibility Study of Lung Cancer Risk Potentially Associated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Inhalation Exposure.

To establish a genetic susceptibility assessment model of lung cancer risk potentially associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) inhalation exposure among non-smokers in China, a total of 143 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and 143 cancer-free individuals were recruited. Sixty-eight genetic polymorphisms in 10 pathways related to PAH metabolism and tumorigenesis were selected and examined. It was observed that 3 genetic polymorphisms, along with 10 additional genetic polymorphisms via gene-gene interactions, significantly influenced lung cancer risk potentially associated with PAH inhalation exposure. Most polymorphisms were associated with PAH metabolism. According to the established genetic susceptibility score (GSS), lung cancer risk increased with a rise in the GSS level, thereby indicating a positive dose-response relationship.

Association of HMGB1 Gene Polymorphisms with Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. More advanced work is required in the detection of biomarkers for CRC susceptibility and prognosis. High-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is an angiogenesis-related gene reported to be associated with the development of CRC. The direct evidence of HMGB1 gene polymorphisms as biomarkers for CRC has not been reported previously. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 240 CRC patients and 480 healthy controls were periodically enrolled. DNA was extracted from blood specimens. The distributions of SNPs of HMGB1 were determined by using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. RESULTS In this case-control study, we observed a significant association between overall CRC risk and SNP rs2249825 (CG vs. CC and GG vs. CC). Participants carrying both rs2249825 CG (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.89 to 3.78) and rs2249825 GG genotypes (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.13 to 4.73) had a significantly increased risk of developing CRC compared to those carrying GG genotype. rs2249825 was associated with the risk of CRC in the dominant model but not in the recessive model. However, we found no significant differences in the rs1412125 or rs1045411 polymorphisms in the HMGB1. Advanced analyses showed that the number of rs2249825 G alleles showed a significant relationship with risk of CRC. CONCLUSIONS Our results show an association between HMGB1 rs2249825 SNP and CRC incidence in the Chinese Han population. However, population-based studies with more subjects and prognostic effects are needed to verify the association of HMGB1 SNPs with CRC susceptibility, severity, and long-term prognosis.

[Fluorescence Spectroscopic Studies on Binding of 20 (S)-Protopanaxatriol with Bovine Serum Albumin].

The interaction between 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) and bovine serum albumin ( BSA) was studied with fluorescence quenching technique and ultra-violet absorption spectroscopy. The results indicated that PPT led to the intrinsic fluorescence quenching of BSA through a static quenching process .The binding constants of PPT with BSA obtained with fluorescence quenching method were calculated as 0.926 3×10(3) (298 K), 0.618 2×10(3) (308 K), 0.414 4×10(3) L·mol(-1)(318 K), respectively; while the number binding sites n were close to unity. The results showed that the driving force of the interaction between PPT and BSA was hydrogen bond and Van der Waals force. The result of synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that binding of PPT with BSA could induce conformational changes in BSA, that the part of tryptophan became more closely. According to Föster fluorescence resonance energy transfer theory, the binding distance r and energy-transfer efficiency E were respectively 26.2 nm and 0.32.

Enhanced exchange bias and coercivity arising from heterojunctions in Ni-NiO nanocomposites.

By a reflux process, we prepared Ni-NiO nanocomposites that are face-centered cubic (fcc). By tuning the precursor concentration, we controlled the Ni content in the Ni-NiO nanocomposites. We found that both the interface of Ni and NiO crystal lattices and the weight fraction of Ni have significant impacts on their magnetic properties. There is increase of saturation magnetization and decrease of coercivity (HC) with the increase of the Ni weight fraction. Large exchange bias (HE) and enhanced HC are observed at 5 K, which are due to the creation of heterojunctions at the interfaces of ferromagnetic Ni and antiferromagnetic NiO. After optimization, it is observed that the Ni-NiO nanocomposites with an Ni content of 2.6% show an HC and HE of 1068 and 350 Oe, respectively.

Local airway anesthesia attenuates hemodynamic responses to intubation and extubation in hypertensive surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of topical ropivacaine anesthesia on hemodynamic responses during intubation and extubation of hypertensive patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred fifty patients with hypertension ASA II-III were scheduled for noncardiac operations. Patients were divided into 3 groups: a control group receiving 5 ml saline, and 2 groups receiving topical anesthesia with 100 mg lidocaine or 37.5 mg ropivacaine. Hemodynamic responses, including blood pressure and heart rate (HR), were recorded at baseline (T0), before intubation (T1), during tracheal intubation (T2), 2 min after intubation (T3), upon eye opening on verbal commands (T4), during tracheal extubation (T5), and 2 min after extubation (T6). Patients were injected with urapidil 5 mg during intubation and extubation if their systolic blood pressure (SBP) was ≥160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was ³90 mmHg, and esmolol 10 mg when HR was ≥90 bpm. RESULTS: During extubation, the total dosages of urapidil and esmolol were significantly higher in the saline than in the lidocaine or ropivacaine groups, and were significantly lower in the ropivacaine than in the lidocaine group. At T2, SBP, SBP, MAP, and HR were lower in the lidocaine and ropivacaine groups than in the saline group, but the differences were not significant. From T4 to T6, SBP, DBP, MAP, and HR were significantly lower in the ropivacaine group than in the other 2 groups (P<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: Topical lidocaine and ropivacaine anesthesia can effectively reduce hemodynamic responses during intubation, with ropivacaine better at inhibiting hemodynamic changes at emergence in hypertensive patients.

Comparative analysis of the short and medium-term efficacy of the Da Vinci robot versus laparoscopic total mesangectomy for rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery technique has been widely used in laparoscopic mesangectomy for rectal cancer. However, the short-term efficacy of these procedures compared to traditional laparoscopic surgery remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the short- and medium-term efficacy of Da Vinci robot and laparoscopic surgery in total mesangectomy (TME) for rectal cancer, so as to provide guidance and reference for clinical practice. AIM: To investigate the safety and long-term efficacy of robotic and laparoscopic total mesorectal resection for the treatment of rectal cancer. METHODS: The clinicopathologic data of 240 patients who underwent TME for rectal cancer in the Anorectal Department of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from August 2018 to March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 112 patients underwent laparoscopic TME (L-TME) group, and 128 patients underwent robotic TME (R-TME) group. The intraoperative, postoperative, and follow-up conditions of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The conversion rate of the L-TME group was greater than that of the R-TME group (5.4% vs 0.8%, χ 2 = 4.417, P = 0.036). The complication rate of the L-TME group was greater than that of the R-TME group (32.1% vs 17.2%, χ 2 = 7.290, P = 0.007). The percentage of positive annular margins in the L-TME group was greater than that in the R-TME group (7.1% vs 1.6%, χ 2 = 4.658, P = 0.031). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate of the L-TME group were lower than those of the R-TME group (74.1% vs 85.2%, χ 2 = 4.962, P = 0.026; 81.3% vs 91.4%, χ 2 = 5.494, P = 0.019); in patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III DFS rate and OS rate in the L-TME group were significantly lower than those in the R-TME group (52.5% vs 76.1%, χ 2 = 5.799, P = 0.016; 65.0% vs 84.8%, χ 2 = 4.787, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Compared with the L-TME group, the R-TME group had a better tumor prognosis and was more favorable for patients with rectal cancer, especially for patients with stage III rectal cancer.

[Secular trends in cesarean delivery and cesarean delivery on maternal request among multiparous women who delivered a full-term singleton in Southern China during 1993-2005].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the secular trends of cesarean delivery and cesarean delivery on maternal request(CDMR) among multiparous women who delivered a full-term singleton in Southern China during 1993-2005. METHODS: The Perinatal Healthcare Surveillance System was established in 21 cities/ counties of 2 Chinese Southern provinces since 1993. A total of 191 058 multiparous women were monitored during 1993-2005. Chi-square tests were performed to assess the linear trends in the prevalence of cesarean delivery and CDMR. RESULTS: During the 13-years period, 56 968 cesarean deliveries and 10 134 CDMRs were identified. The prevalence rates of cesarean delivery during 1993-1995, 1996-2000 and 2001-2005 were 13.1%, 28.3% and 50.4%( χ(2)trend=17 829.0,P<0.001 ); the prevalence rates of CDMR were 0.6%, 3.8%, and 12.9%(χ(2)trend=7 729.0,P<0.001). The cesarean delivery rate during 2001-2005 were 97.5% for women with previous cesarean section and 40.3% for women without previous cesarean section; the CDMR rate of women without previous cesarean section was 14.4%, accounting for 35.9% of the primary cesarean deliveries. CONCLUSION: The prevalence rates of cesarean delivery and CDMR among multiparous women in Southern China increased dramatically during 1993-2005; CDMR was a non-negligible component of the primary cesarean deliveries for multiparous women.

Long noncoding RNA Pvt1 promotes the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells by sponging microRNA-214 and targeting c-Jun following peripheral nerve injury.

Research has shown that long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of a variety of biological processes, including peripheral nerve regeneration, in part by acting as competing endogenous RNAs. c-Jun plays a key role in the repair of peripheral nerve injury. However, the precise underlying mechanism of c-Jun remains unclear. In this study, we performed microarray and bioinformatics analysis of mouse crush-injured sciatic nerves and found that the lncRNA Pvt1 was overexpressed in Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury. Mechanistic studies revealed that Pvt1 increased c-Jun expression through sponging miRNA-214. We overexpressed Pvt1 in Schwann cells cultured in vitro and found that the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells were enhanced, and overexpression of miRNA-214 counteracted the effects of Pvt1 overexpression on Schwann cell proliferation and migration. We conducted in vivo analyses and injected Schwann cells overexpressing Pvt1 into injured sciatic nerves of mice. Schwann cells overexpressing Pvt1 enhanced the regeneration of injured sciatic nerves following peripheral nerve injury and the locomotor function of mice was improved. Our findings reveal the role of lncRNAs in the repair of peripheral nerve injury and highlight lncRNA Pvt1 as a novel potential treatment target for peripheral nerve injury.

Oit3, a promising hallmark gene for targeting liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) play a pivotal role in maintaining liver homeostasis and influencing the pathological processes of various liver diseases. However, neither LSEC-specific hallmark genes nor a LSEC promoter-driven Cre mouse line has been introduced before, which largely restricts the study of liver diseases with vascular disorders. To explore LSEC-specific hallmark genes, we compared the top 50 marker genes between liver endothelial cells (ECs) and liver capillary ECs and identified 18 overlapping genes. After excluding globally expressed genes and those with low expression percentages, we narrowed our focus to two final candidates: Oit3 and Dnase1l3. Through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and analysis of the NCBI database, we confirmed the extrahepatic expression of Dnase1l3. The paired-cell sequencing data further demonstrated that Oit3 was predominantly expressed in the midlobular liver ECs. Subsequently, we constructed inducible Oit3-CreERT2 transgenic mice, which were further crossed with ROSA26-tdTomato mice. Microscopy validated that the established Oit3-CreERT2-tdTomato mice exhibited significant fluorescence in the liver rather than in other organs. The staining analysis confirmed the colocalization of tdTomato and EC markers. Ex-vivo experiments further confirmed that isolated tdTomato+ cells exhibited well-differentiated fenestrae and highly expressed EC markers, confirming their identity as LSECs. Overall, Oit3 is a promising hallmark gene for tracing LSECs. The establishment of Oit3-CreERT2-tdTomato mice provides a valuable model for studying the complexities of LSECs in liver diseases.

Age-related liver endothelial zonation triggers steatohepatitis by inactivating pericentral endothelium-derived C-kit.

Aging leads to systemic metabolic disorders, including steatosis. Here we show that liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC) senescence accelerates liver sinusoid capillarization and promotes steatosis by reprogramming liver endothelial zonation and inactivating pericentral endothelium-derived C-kit, which is a type III receptor tyrosine kinase. Specifically, inhibition of endothelial C-kit triggers cellular senescence, perturbing LSEC homeostasis in male mice. During diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development, Kit deletion worsens hepatic steatosis and exacerbates NASH-associated fibrosis and inflammation. Mechanistically, C-kit transcriptionally inhibits chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor (CXCR)4 via CCAAT enhancer-binding protein α (CEBPA). Blocking CXCR4 signaling abolishes LSEC-macrophage-neutrophil cross-talk and leads to the recovery of C-kit-deficient mice with NASH. Of therapeutic relevance, infusing C-kit-expressing LSECs into aged mice or mice with diet-induced NASH counteracts age-associated senescence and steatosis and improves the symptoms of diet-induced NASH by restoring metabolic homeostasis of the pericentral liver endothelium. Our work provides an alternative approach that could be useful for treating aging- and diet-induced NASH.