AbDPP: Target-oriented antibody design with pretraining and prior biological structure knowledge.

Antibodies represent a crucial class of complex protein therapeutics and are essential in the treatment of a wide range of human diseases. Traditional antibody discovery methods, such as hybridoma and phage display technologies, suffer from limitations including inefficiency and a restricted exploration of the immense space of potential antibodies. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel method for generating antibody sequences using deep learning algorithms called AbDPP (target-oriented antibody design with pretraining and prior biological knowledge). AbDPP integrates a pretrained model for antibodies with biological region information, enabling the effective use of vast antibody sequence data and intricate biological system understanding to generate sequences. To target specific antigens, AbDPP incorporates an antibody property evaluation model, which is further optimized based on evaluation results to generate more focused sequences. The efficacy of AbDPP was assessed through multiple experiments, evaluating its ability to generate amino acids, improve neutralization and binding, maintain sequence consistency, and improve sequence diversity. Results demonstrated that AbDPP outperformed other methods in terms of the performance and quality of generated sequences, showcasing its potential to enhance antibody design and screening efficiency. In summary, this study contributes to the field by offering an innovative deep learning-based method for antibody generation, addressing some limitations of traditional approaches, and underscoring the importance of integrating a specific antibody pretrained model and the biological properties of antibodies in generating novel sequences. The code and documentation underlying this article are freely available at https://github.com/zlfyj/AbDPP.

Exercise training decreases lactylation and prevents myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting YTHDF2.

Exercise improves cardiac function and metabolism. Although long-term exercise leads to circulating and micro-environmental metabolic changes, the effect of exercise on protein post-translational lactylation modifications as well as its functional relevance is unclear. Here, we report that lactate can regulate cardiomyocyte changes by improving protein lactylation levels and elevating intracellular N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein YTHDF2. The intrinsic disorder region of YTHDF2 but not the RNA m6A-binding activity is indispensable for its regulatory function in influencing cardiomyocyte cell size changes and oxygen glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R)-stimulated apoptosis via upregulating Ras GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1 (G3BP1). Downregulation of YTHDF2 is required for exercise-induced physiological cardiac hypertrophy. Moreover, myocardial YTHDF2 inhibition alleviated ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute injury and pathological remodeling. Our results here link lactate and lactylation modifications with RNA m6A reader YTHDF2 and highlight the physiological importance of this innovative post-transcriptional intrinsic regulation mechanism of cardiomyocyte responses to exercise. Decreasing lactylation or inhibiting YTHDF2/G3BP1 might represent a promising therapeutic strategy for cardiac diseases.

Analysis of the chain mediation effect between intergenerational support and mental health of older adults in urban China: a structural equation model.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed investigate the impact of intergenerational support on the mental health of older adults in urban China. It also sought to evaluate the chain mediation effect of attitudes toward younger people and willingness to interact with younger people within a non-familial context between intergenerational support and mental health. METHODS: Data were derived from a community survey that adopted quota sampling in mainland China in 2022 (N = 780). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, and the bootstrap technique was used to test the mediation effect. RESULTS: A significant positive association was found between intergenerational support and the mental health of older adults in urban China (B = 0.852, 95% confidence interval CI [0.157,1.617]). Intergenerational support had a specific indirect effect on mental health through older adults' attitudes toward younger people within a non-familial context (B = 0.665, 95% CI [0.443,1.046]). There was a chain mediation effect (B = 0.126, 95% CI [0.069,0.224]) in relation to attitudes toward younger people and the willingness to interact with younger people between intergenerational support and mental health. Mediation accounted for 44.44% of the total effects in the model. CONCLUSION: These findings help identify modifiable factors that can improve the mental health of older adults. In line with the proposed serial multiple mediation model, this study provides theoretical and practical insights concerning the synergistic effect of intergenerational support at the family level and intergenerational interaction at the community level. Policy and social service implications are also discussed.

Mir-30d Regulates Cardiac Remodeling by Intracellular and Paracrine Signaling.

RATIONALE: Previous translational studies implicate plasma extracellular microRNA-30d (miR-30d) as a biomarker in left ventricular remodeling and clinical outcome in heart failure (HF) patients, although precise mechanisms remain obscure. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of miR-30d-mediated cardioprotection in HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: In rat and mouse models of ischemic HF, we show that miR-30d gain of function (genetic, lentivirus, or agomiR-mediated) improves cardiac function, decreases myocardial fibrosis, and attenuates cardiomyocyte (CM) apoptosis. Genetic or locked nucleic acid-based knock-down of miR-30d expression potentiates pathological left ventricular remodeling, with increased dysfunction, fibrosis, and cardiomyocyte death. RNA sequencing of in vitro miR-30d gain and loss of function, together with bioinformatic prediction and experimental validation in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts, were used to identify and validate direct targets of miR-30d. miR-30d expression is selectively enriched in cardiomyocytes, induced by hypoxic stress and is acutely protective, targeting MAP4K4 (mitogen-associate protein kinase 4) to ameliorate apoptosis. Moreover, miR-30d is secreted primarily in extracellular vesicles by cardiomyocytes and inhibits fibroblast proliferation and activation by directly targeting integrin α5 in the acute phase via paracrine signaling to cardiac fibroblasts. In the chronic phase of ischemic remodeling, lower expression of miR-30d in the heart and plasma extracellular vesicles is associated with adverse remodeling in rodent models and human subjects and is linked to whole-blood expression of genes implicated in fibrosis and inflammation, consistent with observations in model systems. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide the mechanistic underpinning for the cardioprotective association of miR-30d in human HF. More broadly, our findings support an emerging paradigm involving intercellular communication of extracellular vesicle-contained miRNAs (microRNAs) to transregulate distinct signaling pathways across cell types. Functionally validated RNA biomarkers and their signaling networks may warrant further investigation as novel therapeutic targets in HF.

LncRNA TUG1 Exacerbates Myocardial Fibrosis in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating the microRNA-145a-5p/Cfl2 Axis.

ABSTRACT: Nowadays, there is limited prevention and treatment for myocardial fibrosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Our study aimed to depict the mechanism of the lncRNA TUG1/miR-145a-5p/Cfl2 axis in DCM and to provide a molecular basis for the study of this disease. Male C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin to establish DCM mouse models. The expression levels of lncRNA TUG1, miR-145a-5p, and Cfl2 in myocardial tissues of mice were tested by RT-qPCR or Western blot. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. The contents of Ang-II, TNF-α, and IL-1ß were measured using ELISA. The histopathological observation was performed by HE staining and Masson staining. The expression levels of myocardial fibrosis-related genes COL1A1, MMP2, and FN1 were determined by RT-qPCR. In addition, bioinformatics website, RIP assay, pull-down assay, and luciferase activity assay were conducted to verify the relationships of lncRNA TUG1, miR-145a-5p, and Cfl2. In the DCM mouse model, lncRNA TUG1 and Cfl2 expression levels were upregulated and miR-145a-5p expression was downregulated. Downregulation of lncRNA TUG1 improved cardiac function and myocardial fibrosis; decreased COL1A1, MMP2, and FN1 expression levels; as well as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and Ang-II contents in myocardial tissues of DCM mice. Upregulation of miR-145a-5p showed the same trend as downregulation of lncRNA TUG1. In addition, upregulating miR-145a-5p reversed the promotion roles of lncRNA TUG1 on myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice, and upregulating Cfl2 compromised the improvement effect of downregulated lncRNA TUG1 on myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice. Mechanistically, there was a binding site between lncRNA TUG1 and miR-145a-5p, and miR-145a-5p had a targeting relationship with Cfl2. This study highlights that lncRNA TUG1 sponges miR-145a-5p to aggravate myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice by promoting Cfl2.

Long-Term Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Age-Related Cataracts among Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from Two National Cohort Studies.

Cataract is one key cause of visual disability and blindness. Ambient particulate matter is more likely to increase cataract risk due to eye continuous exposure to the environment. However, less is known about whether long-term exposure to particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is related to age-related cataracts. We conducted a population-based study among 22,298 adults from two multicenter cohort studies [China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS)]. The associations between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts were analyzed by Cox proportional hazard regression models, which were also stratified according to demographic characteristics. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) model was used to explore the dose-response relationships between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts. The population attributable fraction (PAF) was calculated to assess the burden of age-related cataracts that can be attributed to PM2.5. In the final analysis, 1897 participants reported age-related cataracts during follow-up. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with age-related cataracts, with HRs of 1.165 (1.130, 1.201), 1.138 (1.103, 1.173), and 1.091 (1.057, 1.126) for per 10 µg/m3 increase at one-, two-, and three-year before the end of follow-up, respectively. Furthermore, associations between PM2.5 and age-related cataracts were also demonstrated in RCS models. The PAF of age-related cataracts to PM2.5 in the total participants was 24.63%. Our research found that long-term exposure to PM2.5 may increase the risk of age-related cataracts, and age-related cataracts should be considered as an important public health issue due to air pollution.

Extracellular Vesicles and Vascular Inflammation.

Vascular inflammation is the most common pathological feature in the pathogenesis of human disease. It is a complex immune process involved with many different types of cells including platelet, monocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, and others. It is widely accepted that both innate and adaptive immune responses are important for the initiation and progression of vascular inflammation. The cell-cell interaction constitutes an important aspect of those immune responses in the vascular inflammation. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer-sized double-layer lipid membrane vesicles released from most types of cells. They have been proved to play critical roles in intercellular communication in the occurrence and development of multisystem diseases. With the advancement of basal medical science, the biological roles of EVs in vascular inflammation have been clearer today. In this chapter, we will summarize the advance progress of extracellular vesicles in regulating vascular inflammation and its potential application in the clinical.

Activation of the Calcium Receptor by Calcimimetic Agents Is Preserved Despite Modest Attenuating Effects of Hyperphosphatemia.

BACKGROUND: Phosphorus levels in the range seen clinically among patients undergoing dialysis have been reported to attenuate calcium receptor activation and modify parathyroid hormone (PTH) release from isolated parathyroid glands in vitro. Some clinicians and providers of dialysis thus have suggested that calcimimetic agents are ineffective and should not be used to manage secondary hyperparathyroidism among those undergoing dialysis when serum phosphorus concentrations exceed certain threshold levels. METHODS: To determine whether hyperphosphatemia diminishes the therapeutic response to calcimimetic agents, we used data from large clinical trials to analyze the effects of etelcalcetide and cinacalcet to lower plasma PTH levels in individuals on hemodialysis who had secondary hyperparathyroidism and varying degrees of hyperphosphatemia. RESULTS: Plasma PTH levels declined progressively during 26 weeks of treatment with either etelcalcetide or cinacalcet without regard to the degree of hyperphosphatemia at baseline. However, with each calcimimetic agent, the decreases in PTH from baseline were less at each interval of follow-up during the trials among participants with serum phosphorus levels above one of three prespecified threshold values compared with those with serum phosphorus levels below these thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: These in vivo findings are the first in humans to support the idea that hyperphosphatemia attenuates calcium receptor activation by calcium ions and by calcimimetic agents. The effect of hyperphosphatemia on the responsiveness to calcimimetic agents appears relatively modest, however, and unlikely to be significant therapeutically. The efficacy of treatment with calcimimetic agents for lowering plasma PTH levels among those with secondary hyperparathyroidism remains robust despite substantial elevations in serum phosphorus.

The dephosphorylation of FADD at S191 induces an excessive expansion of TCRαß+ IELs in the intestinal mucosa.

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) play a crucial role in host defence against pathogens in the intestinal mucosa. The development of intestinal IELs is distinct from peripheral T lymphocytes and remains elusive. Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) is important for T cell development in the thymus. Here we describe a novel function of FADD in the IEL development. FADD (S191A), a mouse FADD mutant at Ser191 to Ala mimicking constitutively unphosphorylated FADD, promoted a rapid expansion of TCRαß+ IELs, not TCRγδ+ IELs. Mechanism investigation indicated that the dephosphorylation of FADD was required for cell activation mainly in TCRαß+ CD8+ T cells. Consistently, FADD (S191A) as dephosphorylated FADD led to a high NF-κB activation in the TCR-dependent cell expansion. In addition, The FADD (S191A)-induced abnormal IEL populations resulted in the increased incidence and severity of colitis in mice. In summary, FADD signalling is involved in the intestinal IEL development and might be a regulator for intestinal mucosal homeostasis.

Third-generation sequencing and metabolome analysis reveal candidate genes and metabolites with altered levels in albino jackfruit seedlings.

BACKGROUND: Most plants rely on photosynthesis; therefore, albinism in plants with leaves that are white instead of green causes slow growth, dwarfing, and even death. Although albinism has been characterized in annual model plants, little is known about albino trees. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is an important tropical fruit tree species. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the differential growth and development between albino jackfruit mutants and green seedlings, we analyzed root, stem, and leaf tissues by combining PacBio single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing, high-throughput RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), and metabolomic analysis. RESULTS: We identified 8,202 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 225 genes encoding transcription factors (TFs), from 82,572 full-length transcripts. We also identified 298 significantly changed metabolites (SCMs) in albino A. heterophyllus seedlings from a set of 692 metabolites in A. heterophyllus seedlings. Pathway analysis revealed that these DEGs were highly enriched in metabolic pathways such as 'photosynthesis', 'carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms', 'glycolysis/gluconeogenesis', and 'TCA cycle'. Analysis of the metabolites revealed 76 SCMs associated with metabolic pathways in the albino mutants, including L-aspartic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and fumaric acid. We selected 225 differentially expressed TF genes, 333 differentially expressed metabolic pathway genes, and 76 SCMs to construct two correlation networks. Analysis of the TF-DEG network suggested that basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) and MYB-related TFs regulate the expression of genes involved in carbon fixation and energy metabolism to affect light responses or photomorphogenesis and normal growth. Further analysis of the DEG-SCM correlation network and the photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway suggested that NAD-ME2 (encoding a malic enzyme) and L-aspartic acid jointly inhibit carbon fixation in the albino mutants, resulting in reduced photosynthetic efficiency and inhibited plant growth. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminarily screening identified candidate genes and metabolites specifically affected in albino A. heterophyllus seedlings, laying the foundation for further study of the regulatory mechanism of carbon fixation during photosynthesis and energy metabolism. In addition, our findings elucidate the way genes and metabolites respond in albino trees.

Negative correlation between endoglin levels and coronary atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common cardiovascular disease, and abnormal blood lipid metabolism is an important risk factor. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and its receptor (TGF-ßR) can inhibit the release of inflammatory factors through the SMAD pathway-mediated immune response, thereby suppressing the progression of CAD. Endoglin (TGF-ßRIII), a TGF-ßR family homologous receptor protein, is directly involved in the immunoregulatory process, but the exact mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to clarify the pathophysiological effects of endoglin on the development of atherosclerosis and to explore the mechanism of the signalling pathway. METHODS: We downloaded the GEO dataset to perform a functional analysis of SMAD family activity and TGF-ß receptor protein expression in the monocyte expression profiles of patients with familial hyperlipidaemia (FH). The effect of endoglin on endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis was examined by disrupting the endoglin gene in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and validated by western blotting. The related genes and pathways regulated by endoglin were obtained by analysing the sequencing data. RESULTS: Research has shown that interference with endoglin can promote the proliferation and migration and significantly inhibit the apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells. Interference with endoglin particularly encourages the expression of VEGFB in vascular endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: The endoglin gene in vascular endothelial cells regulates the PI3K-Akt, Wnt, TNF, and cellular metabolism pathways by activating the SMAD pathway. RAB26, MR1, CCL2, SLC29A4, IBTK, VEGFB, and GOLGA8B play critical roles. Endoglin interacts closely with 11 proteins such as CCL2 and SEPRINE1, which participate in the vital pathway of plaque formation. Interference with endoglin can alter the course of coronary atherosclerosis.

Fe3O4@M nanoparticles for MRI-targeted detection in the early lesions of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis can lead to most cardiovascular diseases. Although some biomimetic nanomaterials coated by macrophage membranes have been reported in previous studies of atherosclerosis, to our knowledge, no studies regarding the detection of early lesions of atherosclerosis (foam cells) using such a strategy have yet been reported. In the present study, Fe3O4 biomimetic nanoparticles coated with a macrophage membrane (Fe3O4@M) were prepared to investigate the imaging effect on the early lesions of atherosclerosis (foam cells). The results showed that the Fe3O4@M particles are spheres with average diameters of approximately 300 nm. T1 and T2 relaxation values showed that the ratio of r2 to r1 was 26.09. The protein content accounted for approximately 27% of the total weight in Fe3O4@M, and Fe3O4@M nanoparticles exhibited high biosafety. Further testing showed that Fe3O4@M effectively targets early atherosclerotic lesions by the specific recognition of integrin α4ß1 to VCAM-1. Taken together, Fe3O4@M is a promising contrast agent for the diagnosis of early stage atherosclerosis.

Third-generation sequencing found LncRNA associated with heat shock protein response to heat stress in Populus qiongdaoensis seedlings.

BACKGROUND: As air temperatures increase globally, more and more plants are exposed to heat-stress conditions. Although many studies have explored regulation networks in plants with the aim of improving their heat-stress tolerance, only few have revealed them in trees. Here, individuals of Populus qiongdaoensis seedlings, which grows naturally in tropical areas, exposed to heat at 40 °C and the non-coding regulation networks were explored using the PacBio RSII and the Illumina sequencing platform. RESULTS: In total, we obtained 88,161 full-length transcripts representing 39,343 genes using 5,498,988 long reads and 350,026,252 clean reads, and also 216 microRNAs (miRNAs) via 95,794,107 reads. We then identified 928 putative long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), consisting of 828 sense lncRNAs (89.22%), 34 long intergenic non-coding RNAs (3.66%), 16 antisense (1.72%), and 50 sense intronic lncRNAs (5.39%). Under the dual criteria of |log2fold-change| ≥ 1 and P-value < 0.05, 1690 genes, 25 lncRNAs, and 15 miRNAs were found differentially expressed under the heat stress treatment. Furthermore, 563 and 595 mRNAs were detected as target genes of 14 differently expressed miRNAs and 26 differentially expressed lncRNAs. Functional annotation analysis of these target genes demonstrated they were related to cell membrane stability, plant hormone signal transduction, antioxidation, and aldarate metabolism. Lastly, we uncovered a key interaction network of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs that consisted of miR1444d, miR482a.1, miR530a, lncHSP18.2, HSP18.1, and HSP18.2. Expression level analysis showed that miRNAs in the network were up-regulated, while mRNAs and lncRNA were down-regulated, and also found that lncHSP18.2 may cis-regulate HSP18.2. CONCLUSIONS: Functional enrichment analysis of target genes of miRNAs and lncRNAs indicated that miRNAs and lncRNAs play an important role in the response to heat stress P. qiongdaoensis. Lastly, by investigating the miRNA-lncRNA-mRNA network of this species, we revealed that miRNAs may negatively regulate both lncRNAs and mRNAs in tree responses to heat stress, and found that lncHSP18.2 may cis-regulate HSP18.2.

Phenotypic and molecular marker analysis uncovers the genetic diversity of the grass Stenotaphrum secundatum.

BACKGROUND: Stenotaphrum secundatum is an important grass with a rich variety of accessions and great potential for development as an economically valuable crop. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of S. secundatum, limiting its application and development as a crop. Here, to provide a theoretical basis for further conservation, utilization, and classification of S. secundatum germplasm resources, we used phenotypic and molecular markers (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs; sequence-related amplified polymorphism, SRAP; inter-simple sequence repeat, ISSR) to analyze the genetic diversity of 49 S. secundatum accessions. RESULTS: Based on seven types of phenotypic data, the 49 S. secundatum accessions could be divided into three classes with great variation. We identified 1,280,873 SNPs in the 49 accessions, among which 66.22% were transition SNPs and 33.78% were transversion SNPs. Among these, C/T was the most common (19.12%) and G/C the least common (3.68%). Using 28 SRAP primers, 267 polymorphic bands were detected from the 273 bands amplified. In addition, 27 ISSR markers generated 527 amplification bands, all of which were polymorphic. Both marker types revealed a high level of genetic diversity, with ISSR markers showing a higher percentage of polymorphic loci (100%) than SRAP markers (97.8%). The genetic diversity of the accessions based on SRAP markers (h = 0.47, I = 0.66) and ISSR markers (h = 0.45, I = 0.64) supports the notion that the S. secundatum accessions are highly diverse. S. secundatum could be divided into three classes based on the evaluated molecular markers. CONCLUSIONS: Phenotypic and molecular marker analysis using SNP, SRAP, and ISSR markers revealed great genetic variation among S. secundatum accessions, which were consistently divided into three classes. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the genetic diversity and classification of S. secundatum. Our results indicate that SNP, SRAP and ISSR markers are reliable and effective for analyzing genetic diversity in S. secundatum. The SNPs identified in this study could be used to distinguish S. secundatum accessions.

Cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Cathelicidins are a major group of natural antimicrobial peptides which play essential roles in regulating host defense and immunity. In addition to the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, recent studies have reported the involvement of cathelicidins in cardiovascular diseases by regulating inflammatory response and microvascular dysfunction. However, the role of cathelicidins in myocardial apoptosis upon cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains largely unknown. METHODS: CRAMP (cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide) levels were measured in the heart and serum from I/R mice and in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes treated with oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGDR). Human serum cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (LL-37) levels were measured in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. The role of CRAMP in myocardial apoptosis upon I/R injury was investigated in mice injected with the CRAMP peptide and in CRAMP knockout (KO) mice, as well as in OGDR-treated cardiomyocytes. RESULTS: We observed reduced CRAMP level in both heart and serum samples from I/R mice and in OGDR-treated cardiomyocytes, as well as reduced LL-37 level in MI patients. Knockdown of CRAMP enhanced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and CRAMP KO mice displayed increased infarct size and myocardial apoptosis. In contrast, the CRAMP peptide reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and I/R injury. The CRAMP peptide inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis by activation of Akt and ERK1/2 and phosphorylation and nuclear export of FoxO3a. c-Jun was identified as a negative regulator of the CRAMP gene. Moreover, lower level of serum LL-37/neutrophil ratio was associated with readmission and/or death in MI patients during 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: CRAMP protects against cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac I/R injury via activation of Akt and ERK and phosphorylation and nuclear export of FoxO3a. Increasing LL-37 might be a novel therapy for cardiac ischemic injury.

Correction to: Exercise-induced circulating extracellular vesicles protect against cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

The Impact of Cell Phone Support on Psychosocial Outcomes for Youth Living with HIV Nonadherent to Antiretroviral Therapy.

Mobile health interventions to promote adherence to antiretroviral therapy among adolescents and young adults living with HIV represent a promising strategy. This pilot study (N = 37) evaluated the psychosocial impacts of an efficacious adherence intervention, cell phone support (CPS). Participants receiving CPS reported significant decreases in perceived stress, depression, and illicit substance use, and increases in self-efficacy during at least one study assessment period, in comparison to participants receiving usual care. Future research using a larger sample should test for mediators of treatment efficacy to further characterize how cell phone interventions impact adherence.

Circular RNAs in Organ Fibrosis.

Fibrosis refers to a process involving the accumulation of extracellular matrix components. It could happen in chronic organ injury or during the recovery of acute organ injury. The severity of fibrosis interferes with the function of the organ involved. Numerous studies have been carried out to explore the mechanism of fibrosis, including parenchyma injury, fibrillar ECM accumulation, fibroblast activation, microvasculature rarefaction, and a mononuclear infiltrate. Unfortunately, its underlying mechanism is at largely unknown. The studying of noncoding RNAs has provided novel insight for circRNA-miRNA-mRNA in learning disease progress. Emerging evidence has shown that circRNA is related to fibrosis activity and could potentially be a monitoring factor for fibrosis or, more excitingly, could be a target for treatment. In this chapter, we will first present the basic mechanism of organ fibrosis. Then we will focus on the recent studies about how circRNA dysregulation contributes to organ fibrosis. Finally, the advantages and potential challenges of circRNA-based therapeutics for the treatment of fibroproliferative diseases will be discussed.

Cardiac cell proliferation is not necessary for exercise-induced cardiac growth but required for its protection against ischaemia/reperfusion injury.

The adult heart retains a limited ability to regenerate in response to injury. Although exercise can reduce cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, the relative contribution of cardiac cell proliferation including newly formed cardiomyocytes remains unclear. A 4-week swimming murine model was utilized to induce cardiac physiological growth. Simultaneously, the antineoplastic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which acts during the S phase of the cell cycle, was given to mice via intraperitoneal injections. Using EdU and Ki-67 immunolabelling, we showed that exercise-induced cardiac cell proliferation was blunted by 5-FU. In addition, the growth of heart in size and weight upon exercise was unaltered, probably due to the fact that exercise-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was not influenced by 5-FU as demonstrated by wheat germ agglutinin staining. Meanwhile, the markers for pathological hypertrophy, including ANP and BNP, were not changed by either exercise or 5-FU, indicating that physiological growth still developed in the presence of 5-FU. Furthermore, we showed that CITED4, a key regulator for cardiomyocyte proliferation, was blocked by 5-FU. Meanwhile, C/EBPß, a transcription factor responsible for both cellular proliferation and hypertrophy, was not altered by treatment with 5-FU. Importantly, the effects of exercise in reducing cardiac I/R injury could be abolished when cardiac cell proliferation was attenuated in mice treated with 5-FU. In conclusion, cardiac cell proliferation is not necessary for exercise-induced cardiac physiological growth, but it is required for exercise-associated protection against I/R injury.

Cytomegalovirus Urinary Shedding in HIV-infected Pregnant Women and Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) urinary shedding in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was evaluated to determine whether it poses an increased risk for congenital CMV infection (cCMV). METHODS: A subset of mother-infant pairs enrolled in the perinatal NICHD HPTN 040 study (distinguished by no antiretroviral use before labor) was evaluated. Maternal and infant urines were tested by qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for CMV DNA with quantitative RT-PCR performed on positive specimens. RESULTS: Urine specimens were available for 260 women with 85.4% from the Americas and 14.6% from South Africa. Twenty-four women (9.2%) had detectable CMV viruria by qualitative PCR. Maternal CMV viruria was not associated with mean CD4 cell counts or HIV viral load but was associated with younger maternal age (P = .02). Overall, 10 of 260 infants (3.8%) had cCMV. Women with detectable peripartum CMV viruria were more likely to have infants with cCMV than those without: 20.8% (5/24) versus 2.1% (5/236), (P = .0001). Women with CMV viruria had significantly higher rates of HIV perinatal transmission (29.2% vs. 8.1%, P = .002). They were 5 times (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 5.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-16.8) and nearly 30 times (aOR, 29.7; 95% CI, 5.4-164.2) more likely to transmit HIV and CMV to their infants, respectively. Maternal gonorrhea (aOR, 19.5; 95% CI, 2.5-151.3) and higher maternal HIV log10 viral load (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.3-6.3) were also significant risk factors for cCMV. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of HIV-infected pregnant women not on antiretrovirals, urinary CMV shedding was a significant risk factor for CMV and HIV transmission to infants. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00099359.