CCR2/CCR5 antagonist cenicriviroc reduces colonic inflammation and fibrosis in experimental colitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cenicriviroc (CVC) is a CCR2/CCR5 antagonist that has been shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. Our study evaluated its efficacy in colitis. METHODS: Mouse models of DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis were established. The efficacy of CVC in colitis was assessed by disease activity index (DAI) scores, histological assessment of inflammation and fibrosis, and expression assays of key molecules. In in vitro experiments, HT29 cell line was exposed to TNFα to study inflammatory signaling in intestinal epithelial cells. CCD-18Co colonic myofibroblasts and human primary colonic fibroblasts were activated by TGFß1 to mimic fibroblast activation. RESULTS: In HT29 cells, CVC significantly reduced mRNA expression of CCL5 (P < 0.01) but had no effect on CCL2. Furthermore, CVC reduced downstream CX3CL1 (P < 0.01) and TNFα (P < 0.05) expression, thereby inhibiting inflammatory progression. In acute colitis mice, CVC significantly reduced DAI scores and serum TNFα levels (P < 0.05) and attenuated colonic inflammation as shown by HE staining. Meanwhile, CVC had no adverse effects on the liver, heart, and kidney of mice. On the other hand, in cellular models of chronic colitis, CVC decreased the expression of fibrosis markers, including FN, CTGF, α-SMA, and MMP9, and inhibited TGFß1-induced fibrotic activation (P < 0.01). In addition, CVC attenuated colonic fibrosis in chronic colitis mice. Moreover, CVC significantly promoted autophagy, which contributed to its regulation of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: CVC significantly inhibited inflammation through CCL5/CCR5 signaling without damaging vital organs and suppressed fibrotic activation in chronic colitis, suggesting its great potential to relieve colonic inflammation and fibrosis.

GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5, two HD-ZIP III transcription factors, play a regulatory role in cotton fiber secondary cell wall biosynthesis.

KEY MESSAGE: GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5 regulated secondary cell wall formation and played an important role in fiber development. Cotton serves as an important source of natural fiber, and the biosynthesis of the secondary cell wall plays a pivotal role in determining cotton fiber quality. Nevertheless, the intricacies of this mechanism in cotton fiber remain insufficiently elucidated. This study investigates the functional roles of GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5, two HD-ZIP III transcription factors, in secondary cell wall biosynthesis in cotton fibers. Both GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5 were found to be localized in the nucleus with transcriptional activation activity. Ectopic overexpression of GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5 in Arabidopsis resulted in changed xylem differentiation, secondary cell wall deposition, and expression of genes related to the secondary cell wall. Silencing of GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5 in cotton led to enhanced fiber length, reduced cell wall thickness, cellulose contents and expression of secondary cell wall-related genes. Moreover, GhHB14_D10's direct interaction with GhREV_D5, and transcriptional regulation of cellulose biosynthesis genes GhCesA4-4 and GhCesA7-2 revealed their collaborative roles in secondary cell wall during cotton fiber development. Overall, these results shed light on the roles of GhHB14_D10 and GhREV_D5 in secondary cell wall biosynthesis, offering a strategy for the genetic improvement of cotton fiber quality.

Biglycan promotes hepatic fibrosis through activating heat shock protein 47.

BACKGROUND: Biglycan (BGN) is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan that participates in the production of excess extracellular matrix (ECM) and is related to fibrosis in many organs. However, the role of BGN in liver fibrosis remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of BGN in liver fibrosis. METHODS: Human liver samples, Bgn-/0 (BGN KO) mice and a human LX-2 hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) model were applied for the study of experimental fibrosis. GEO data and single-cell RNA-seq data of human liver tissue were analysed as a bioinformatic approach. Coimmunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting and qRT-PCR were conducted to identify the regulatory effects of BGN on heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) expression and liver fibrosis. RESULTS: We observed that hepatic BGN expression was significantly increased in patients with fibrosis and in a mouse model of liver fibrosis. Genetic deletion of BGN disrupted TGF-ß1 pathway signalling and alleviated liver fibrosis in mice administered carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ). siRNA-mediated knockdown of BGN significantly reduced TGF-ß1-induced ECM deposition and fibroblastic activation in LX-2 cells. Mechanistically, BGN directly interacted with and positively regulated the collagen synthesis chaperon protein HSP47. Rescue experiments showed that BGN promoted hepatic fibrosis by regulating ECM deposition and HSC activation by positively regulating HSP47. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that BGN promotes hepatic fibrosis by regulating ECM deposition and HSC activation through an HSP47-dependent mechanism. BGN may be a new biomarker of hepatic fibrosis and a novel target for disease prevention and treatment.

Vitamin D receptor inhibits EMT via regulation of the epithelial mitochondrial function in intestinal fibrosis.

We previously showed that the vitamin D receptor (VDR) plays a crucial role in acute inflammatory bowel disease and that intestinal fibrosis is a common complication of Crohn's disease (CD). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important hallmark of fibrogenesis through which epithelial cells lose their epithelial phenotype and transform into mesenchymal cells. It is known that the VDR plays an essential role in epithelial integrity and mitochondrial function, but its role in intestinal fibrosis remains unknown. Here, we investigated whether the VDR is involved in epithelial mitochondrial dysfunction that results in EMT in intestinal fibrosis. Using human CD samples, intestine-specific VDR-KO mice, and fibroblast cellular models, we showed that the expression of the VDR was significantly lower in intestinal stenotic areas than in nonstenotic areas in patients with chronic CD. Genetic deletion of the VDR in the intestinal epithelium exacerbated intestinal fibrosis in mice administered with dextran sulfate sodium or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, two experimental colitis inducers. In addition, we found that vitamin D dietary intervention regulated intestinal fibrosis by modulating the intestinal expression of the VDR. Mechanistically, knocking down the VDR in both CCD-18Co cells and human primary colonic fibroblasts promoted fibroblast activation, whereas VDR overexpression or VDR agonist administration inhibited fibroblast activation. Further analysis illustrated that the VDR inhibited EMT in the HT29 cell model and that mitochondrial dysfunction mediated epithelial integrity and barrier function in VDR-deficient epithelial cells. Together, our data for the first time demonstrate that VDR activation alleviates intestinal fibrosis by inhibiting fibroblast activation and epithelial mitochondria-mediated EMT.

The role of ZNF143 overexpression in rat liver cell proliferation.

BACKGROUND: Zinc finger protein 143(ZNF143), a member of the Krüppel C2H2-type zinc finger protein family, is strongly associated with cell cycle regulation and cancer development. A recent study suggested that ZNF143 plays as a transcriptional activator that promotes hepatocellular cancer (HCC) cell proliferation and cell cycle transition. However, the exact biological role of ZNF143 in liver regeneration and normal liver cell proliferation has not yet been investigated. METHODS: In our study, we constructed a stable rat liver cell line (BRL-3A) overexpressing ZNF143 and then integrated RNA-seq and Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) data to identify the mechanism underlying differential gene expression. RESULTS: Our results show that ZNF143 expression is upregulated during the proliferation phase of liver regeneration after 2/3 partial hepatectomy (PH). The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, EdU staining and RNA-seq data analyses revealed that ZNF143 overexpression (OE) significantly inhibited BRL-3A cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. We then performed CUT&Tag assays and found that approximately 10% of ZNF143-binding sites (BSs) were significantly changed genome-wide by ZNF143 OE. However, CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) binding to chromatin was not affected. Interestingly, the integration analysis of RNA-seq and CUT&Tag data showed that some of genes affected by ZNF143 differential BSs are in the center of each gene regulation module. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses indicated that these genes are critical in the maintenance of cell identity. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the expression level of ZNF143 in the liver is important for the maintenance of cell identity. ZNF143 plays different roles in HCC and normal liver cells and may be considered as a potential therapeutic target in liver disease.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Chronic Liver Disease.

Mitochondria are generally considered the powerhouse of the cell, a small subcellular organelle that produces most of the cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In addition, mitochondria are involved in various biological functions, such as biosynthesis, lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, cell signal transduction, and apoptosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction is manifested in different aspects, like increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis disorder, abnormal mitophagy, as well as changes in mitochondrial morphology and structure. Mitochondrial dysfunction is related to the occurrence and development of various chronic liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury (DILI), alcoholic fatty liver (AFL), and non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL). In this review, we summarize and discuss the role and mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction in chronic liver disease, focusing on and discussing some of the latest studies on mitochondria and chronic liver disease.

The DEAD-box helicase DDX3x ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via mTORC1 signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp)-box helicase family member DDX3x has been proven to involve in hepatic lipid disruption during HCV infection. However, the role of DDX3x in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), in which lipid homeostasis is severely disrupted, remains unclear. Here, we aimed to illustrate the potential role of DDX3x in NAFLD. METHODS: DDX3x protein levels were evaluated in NAFLD patients and NAFLD models via immunohistochemistry or western blotting. In vivo ubiquitin assay was performed to identify the ubiquitination levels of DDX3x in the progression of steatosis. DDX3x protein levels in mice livers were manipulated by adeno-associated virus-containing DDX3x short hairpin RNA or DDX3x overexpression plasmid. Hepatic or serum triglyceride and total cholesterol were evaluated and hepatic steatosis was confirmed by haematoxylin and eosin staining and oil red o staining. Western blotting was performed to identify the underlying mechanisms of DDX3x involving in the progression of NAFLD. RESULTS: DDX3x protein levels were significantly decreased in NAFLD patients and NAFLD models. DDX3x protein might be degraded via ubiquitin-proteasome system in the progression of steatosis. Knockdown of hepatic DDX3x exacerbated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis in mice, while overexpression of hepatic DDX3x alleviated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis in mice. Further explorative experiments revealed that knockdown of DDX3x could lead to the overactivation of mTORC1 signalling pathway which exacerbates NAFLD. CONCLUSIONS: DDX3x involved in the progression of NAFLD via affecting the mTORC1 signalling pathway. DDX3x might be a potential target for NAFLD treatment.

Vitamin D receptor targets hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α and mediates protective effects of vitamin D in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Epidemiological studies have suggested a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, the underlying mechanisms have remained unclear. Here, using both clinical samples and experimental rodent models along with several biochemical approaches, we explored the specific effects and mechanisms of vitamin D deficiency in NAFLD pathology. Serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in individuals with NAFLD and in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice than in healthy controls and chow-fed mice, respectively. Vitamin D supplementation ameliorated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice. Hepatic expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR) was up-regulated in three models of NAFLD, including HFD-fed mice, methionine/choline-deficient diet (MCD)-fed mice, and genetically obese (ob/ob) mice. Liver-specific VDR deletion significantly exacerbated HFD- or MCD-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance and also diminished the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation on NAFLD. Mechanistic experiments revealed that VDR interacted with hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 α (HNF4α) and that overexpression of HNF4α improved HFD-induced NAFLD and metabolic abnormalities in liver-specific VDR-knockout mice. These results suggest that vitamin D ameliorates NAFLD and metabolic abnormalities by activating hepatic VDR, leading to its interaction with HNF4α. Our findings highlight a potential value of using vitamin D for preventing and managing NAFLD by targeting VDR.

Deficiency in the anti-apoptotic protein DJ-1 promotes intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and aggravates inflammatory bowel disease via p53.

Parkinson disease autosomal recessive, early onset 7 (PARK7 or DJ-1) is involved in multiple physiological processes and exerts anti-apoptotic effects on multiple cell types. Increased intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) apoptosis and excessive activation of the p53 signaling pathway is a hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). However, whether DJ-1 plays a role in colitis is unclear. To determine whether DJ-1 deficiency is involved in the p53 activation that results in IEC apoptosis in colitis, here we performed immunostaining, real-time PCR, and immunoblotting analyses to assess DJ-1 expression in human UC and CD samples. In the inflamed intestines of individuals with IBD, DJ-1 expression was decreased and negatively correlated with p53 expression. DJ-1 deficiency significantly aggravated colitis, evidenced by increased intestinal inflammation and exacerbated IEC apoptosis. Moreover, DJ-1 directly interacted with p53, and reduced DJ-1 levels increased p53 levels both in vivo and in vitro and were associated with decreased p53 degradation via the lysosomal pathway. We also induced experimental colitis with dextran sulfate sodium in mice and found that compared with DJ-1-/- mice, DJ-1-/-p53-/- mice have reduced apoptosis and inflammation and increased epithelial barrier integrity. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of p53 relieved inflammation in the DJ-1-/- mice. In conclusion, reduced DJ-1 expression promotes inflammation and IEC apoptosis via p53 in colitis, suggesting that the modulation of DJ-1 expression may be a potential therapeutic strategy for managing colitis.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 ameliorates lipid accumulation and inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) is recently proved to be associated with glucose regulation and insulin resistance. However, little is known about its direct impact on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aims to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of IGFBP1 in NAFLD. METHODS: We first measured the expression level of IGFBP1 in NAFLD patients, mice, and cells. Then in in vivo study, C57BL/6 mice were fed with a methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks to establish the model of NAFLD. And for the last 2 weeks, the mice were injected intraperitoneally with vehicle or recombinant mouse IGFBP1 0.015 mg/kg/d. The L02 cells were treated with free fatty acids (FFA) or palmitate acids (PA) and recombinant IGFBP1 for 48 h. Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) inhibitor and small interfering RNA were used to explore the potential interactions between IGFBP1 and integrin ß1 (ITGB1). RESULTS: The expression of IGFBP1 was increased in NAFLD patients, mice, and cells. IGFBP1 treatment significantly ameliorated lipid accumulation and hepatic injury in MCD-fed mice. IGFBP1 downregulated hepatic lipogenesis and upregulated lipid ß-oxidation. In addition, IGFBP1 attenuated the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signaling pathways. In vitro, we proved that IGFBP1 relieved FFA-induced lipid accumulation via interacting with ITGB1 and alleviated inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB and ERK signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: IGFBP1 treatment significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis by interacting with ITGB1 and suppressed inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB and ERK signaling pathways. Therefore, IGFBP1 might be a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD.

Pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur sodium in cats following a single intravenous and subcutaneous injection.

Ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic, is being extensively used by pet doctors in China. In the current study, the detection method was developed for ceftiofur and its metabolites, desfuroylceftiofur (DCE) and desfuroylceftiofur conjugates (DCEC), in feline plasma. Then, the pharmacokinetics studies were performed following one single intravenous and subcutaneous injection of ceftiofur sodium in cats both at 5 mg/kg body weight (BW) (calculated as pure ceftiofur). Ceftiofur, DCE, and DCEC were extracted from plasma samples, then derivatized and further quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations versus time data were subjected to noncompartmental analysis to obtain the pharmacokinetics parameters. The terminal half-life (t1/2λz ) was calculated as 11.29 ± 1.09 and 10.69 ± 1.31 hr following intravenous and subcutaneous injections, respectively. After intravenous treatment, the total body clearance (Cl) and volume of distribution at steady-state (VSS ) were determined as 14.14 ± 1.09 ml hr-1  kg-1 and 241.71 ± 22.40 ml/kg, respectively. After subcutaneous injection, the peak concentration (Cmax ; 14.99 ± 2.29 µg/ml) was observed at 4.17 ± 0.41 hr, and the absorption half-life (t1/2ka ) and absolute bioavailability (F) were calculated as 2.83 ± 0.46 hr and 82.95%±9.59%, respectively. The pharmacokinetic profiles of ceftiofur sodium and its related metabolites demonstrated their relatively slow, however, good absorption after subcutaneous administration, poor distribution, and slow elimination in cats. Based on the time of drug concentration above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (T>MIC) calculated in the current study, an intravenous or subcutaneous dose at 5 mg/kg BW of ceftiofur sodium once daily is predicted to be effective for treating feline bacteria with a MIC value of ≤4.0 µg/ml.

Deficiency in epithelium RAD50 aggravates UC via IL-6-mediated JAK1/2-STAT3 signaling and promotes development of colitis-associated cancer in mice.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the most important risk factors for developing colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Persistent DNA damage increases CAC risk and has been observed in patients with UC. We aimed to identify the regulatory role of RAD50, a DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) sensor, in UC progression to CAC. METHODS: DSBs and RAD50 expression in IBD and CAC cell and mouse models were assessed. Mice with intestinal epithelial RAD50 deletion (RAD50IEC-KO) were used to examine the role of RAD50 in colitis and CAC. RESULTS: Along with the increased γ-H2AX expression in colitis and CAC models, RAD50 expression reduced in human IBD and CAC as well as in mouse models. Furthermore, RAD50IEC-KO sensitizes mice to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute and chronic experimental colitis. RNA-seq analyses revealed that RAD50 activated the cytokine-cytokine receptor response, which was amplified through the JAK-STAT pathway. RAD50 directly interacts with STAT3 and subsequently inhibits its phosphorylation, which may disrupt the IL-6-JAK1/2-STAT3-IL-6 feed-forward loop. Pharmacological STAT3 inhibition relieves colitis in RAD50IEC-KO mice. Severe DSBs, increased cell proliferation, and extended inflammatory response were identified in RAD50-deficienct cells, which promoted azoxymethane (AOM)-DSS-induced colon tumor development in RAD50IEC-KO mice. CONCLUSION: RAD50 exerts anti-IL-6-related inflammatory effects in colitis and suppresses CAC. Increasing RAD50 level in colon tissues may be promising for treating patients with UC and CAC.

Berberine ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-induced bone loss by inhibiting ferroptosis.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may contribute to osteoporosis. Berberine is a traditional Chinese medicine and was recently shown to be beneficial in NAFLD. However, little is known about its impact on bone loss induced by NAFLD. AIM: We aimed to explore the role of berberine in bone loss and determine its underlying mechanisms in NAFLD. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat high-fructose high-glucose diet (HFFGD) for 16 weeks to establish a NAFLD mouse model. The mice were administered berberine (300 mg/kg/d) by gavage, and fatty liver levels and bone loss indicators were tested. RESULTS: Berberine significantly improved HFFGD-induced weight gain, hepatic lipid accumulation and increases in serum liver enzymes, thereby alleviating NAFLD. Berberine increased trabecular number (Tb. N), trabecular thickness (Tb. Th), bone volume to tissue volume ratio (BV/TV), and decreased trabecular separation (Tb. Sp) and restored bone loss in NAFLD. Mechanistically, berberine significantly inhibited ferroptosis and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), and transferrin (TF) levels and increased ferritin heavy chain (FTH) levels in the femurs of HFFGD-fed mice. Moreover, berberine also activated the solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11)/glutathione (GSH)/glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Berberine significantly ameliorates bone loss induced by NAFLD by activating the SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 signaling pathway and inhibiting ferroptosis. Therefore, berberine may serve as a therapeutic agent for NAFLD-induced bone loss.

Prospective therapeutics for intestinal and hepatic fibrosis.

Currently, there are no effective therapies for intestinal and hepatic fibrosis representing a considerable unmet need. Breakthroughs in pathogenesis have accelerated the development of anti-fibrotic therapeutics in recent years. Particularly, with the development of nanotechnology, the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract and inaccessible microenvironment of fibrotic lesions seem to be no longer considered a great barrier to the use of anti-fibrotic drugs. In this review, we comprehensively summarize recent preclinical and clinical studies on intestinal and hepatic fibrosis. It is found that the targets for preclinical studies on intestinal fibrosis is varied, which could be divided into molecular, cellular, and tissues level, although little clinical trials are ongoing. Liver fibrosis clinical trials have focused on improving metabolic disorders, preventing the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells, promoting the degradation of collagen, and reducing inflammation and cell death. At the preclinical stage, the therapeutic strategies have focused on drug targets and delivery systems. At last, promising remedies to the current challenges are based on multi-modal synergistic and targeted delivery therapies through mesenchymal stem cells, nanotechnology, and gut-liver axis providing useful insights into anti-fibrotic strategies for clinical use.

Role of PDLIM1 in hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis progression.

Liver fibrosis is caused by chronic hepatic injury and may lead to cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. When hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are activated by liver injury, they transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellular matrix proteins that generate the fibrous scar. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to find safe and effective drugs for HSCs activation treatment to prevent liver against fibrosis. Here, we reported that PDZ and LIM domain protein 1 (PDLIM1), a highly conserved cytoskeleton organization regulator, was significantly up-regulated in fibrotic liver tissues and TGF-ß-treated HSC-T6 cells. Through transcriptome analysis, we found that knockdown of PDLIM1 resulted in a significant downregulation of genes related to inflammation and immune-related pathways in HSC-T6 cells. Moreover, PDLIM1 knockdown significantly inhibited the activation of HSC-T6 cells and the trans-differentiation of HSC-T6 cells into myofibroblasts. Mechanistically, PDLIM1 is involved in the regulation of TGF-ß-mediated signaling pathways in HSCs activation. Thus, targeting PDLIM1 may provide an alternative method to suppress HSCs activation during liver injury. CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), a master regulator of genome architecture, is upregulated during HSCs activation. PDLIM1 knockdown also indirectly reduced CTCF protein expression, however, CTCF binding to chromatin was not significantly altered by CUT&Tag analysis. We speculate that CTCF may cooperate with PDLIM1 to activate HSCs in other ways. Our results suggest that PDLIM1 can accelerate the activation of HSCs and liver fibrosis progression and could be a potential biomarker for monitoring response to anti-fibrotic therapy.

Predicting Intrinsic and Extrinsic Goal Contents Pursuit on Social Media.

Goal contents pursuit reflects the motivational personality and can be an excellent indicator to predict individuals' life satisfaction and daily behaviors. However, due to the expense and subjective bias of questionnaires, it is challenging to obtain individual data and explore the effects of goal contents pursuit in conventional studies. Social media provides individuals with a communication context that can be used as a proxy to infer personality based on a massive of media footprints information. This study obtained 456 Weibo active users' self-reports of goal contents pursuit scale and their online behaviors that is established to train a competent machine learning model, which then successfully identifies the classification of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. From the perspective of Weibo users' features (i.e., basic, interactive, linguistic, and emotional features), the systematic comparison shows the significant differences in the pursuit level of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. This study advances the methodology of employing machine learning and online data to objectively delineate individual goal contents pursuit and paves the way to explore a massive number of individuals' personalities and behaviors.

Evaluation of the Prognostic Value of Long Noncoding RNAs in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the most common type of lung cancer accounting for 40% to 51%. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a significant role in the invasion, migration, and proliferation of lung cancer tissue cells. However, systematic identification of lncRNA signatures and evaluation of the prognostic value for LUSC are still an urgent problem. In this work, LUSC RNA-seq data were collected from TCGA database, and the limma R package was used to screen differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs). In total, 216 DElncRNAs were identified between the LUSC and normal samples. lncRNAs associated with prognosis were calculated using univariate Cox regression analysis. The overall survival (OS) prognostic model containing 10 lncRNAs and the disease-free survival (DFS) prognostic model consisting of 11 lncRNAs were constructed using a machine learning-based algorithm, systematic LASSO-Cox regression analysis. We found that the survival rate of samples in the high-risk group was lower than that in the low-risk group. Results of ROC curves showed that both the OS and DFS risk score had better prognostic effects than the clinical characteristics, including age, stage, gender, and TNM. Two lncRNAs (LINC00519 and FAM83A-AS1) that were commonly identified as prognostic factors in both models could be further investigated for their clinical significance and therapeutic value. In conclusion, we constructed lncRNA prognostic models with considerable prognostic effect for both OS and DFS of LUSC.

Structural Elucidation, Modification, and Structure-Activity Relationship of Polysaccharides in Chinese Herbs: A Review.

Chinese herbal polysaccharides (CHPs) are natural polymers composed of monosaccharides, which are widely found in Chinese herbs and work as one of the important active ingredients. Its biological activity is attributed to its complex chemical structure with diverse spatial conformations. However, the structural elucidation is the foundation but a bottleneck problem because the majority of CHPs are heteropolysaccharides with more complex structures. Similarly, the studies on the relationship between structure and function of CHPs are even more scarce. Therefore, this review summarizes the structure-activity relationship of CHPs. Meanwhile, we reviewed the structural elucidation strategies and some new progress especially in the advanced structural analysis methods. The characteristics and applicable scopes of various methods are compared to provide reference for selecting the most efficient method and developing new hyphenated techniques. Additionally, the principle structural modification methods of CHPs and their effects on activity are summarized. The shortcomings, potential breakthroughs, and developing directions of the study of CHPs are discussed. We hope to provide a reference for further research and promote the application of CHPs.

Construction of a Two-Gene Immunogenomic-Related Prognostic Signature in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Lung cancer has the highest tumor incidence in China. Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the most common type, accounting for 40-51% of primary lung cancers. LUSC is slow in growth and late in metastasis. Immune-related genes (IRGs) and immune infiltrating cells play a vital role in the clinical outcomes of LUSC. It is important to systematically study its immune gene map to help the prognosis of cancer patients. In this study, we combined the prognostic landscape and expression status of IRGs downloaded from the TCGA and InnatedDB databases and systematically analyzed the prognostic information of LUSC patients to obtain IRGs. After systematically exploring the survival analysis, prognosis-related genes were found, and the PPI network revealed that a total of 11 genes were hub genes. A two-gene prognosis risk model was established by multivariate Cox analysis. Two IRGs were closely correlated with the prognosis of LUSC. Based on these two genes, a new independent prognostic risk model was established, and this model was further verified in the GEO database. Moreover, the risk score of the model was correlated with sex, survival status, and lymphatic metastasis in LUSC patients, and the predictive risk of the prognostic risk model was significantly positively correlated with five kinds of immune cells (CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells). This study comprehensively analyzed immunogenomics and presented immune-related prognostic biomarkers for LUSC.

The regulation effect of GLUT9/SLC2A9 on intrahepatic uric acid level and metabolic associated fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. The important role of urid acid (UA) in MAFLD has been widely investigated. Our previous studies unveiled the elevation of serum UA levels independently predicts an increased risk of incident MAFLD. However, the role of intrahepatic UA in MAFLD has not been investigated yet. Glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) is a key transporter that mediates the uptake of UA in hepatocytes. METHODS: In this study, we first explored the clinical association between GLUT9 polymorphism and MAFLD. Blood samples of 247 male Chinese (127 were MAFLD patients) were collected and tested for the blood UA levels and genotype of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of GLUT9 (rs1014290). Next, Glut9 hepatic-specific knockout mice (Glut9Hep-ko) were generated to investigate the role of hepatic GLUT9 in MAFLD in male mice. RESULTS: We found that the GA/AA genotypes (rs1014290) were associated with elevated serum UA levels in MAFLD patients. Meanwhile, we found that Glut9Hep-ko mice displayed lower intrahepatic UA levels, down-regulated lipogenesis genes expressions, and attenuated MAFLD symptoms after 12 weeks of high-fat diet feeding, compared with Glut9Fl/Fl littermates. However, Glut9Hep-ko mice and wild-type littermates showed no significant difference on hepatic fatty acid oxidation or inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that GLUT9 polymorphism was significantly associated with MAFLD, and hepatic-specific knockout of Glut9 significantly decreased intrahepatic contents and ameliorated diet-induced MAFLD in mice.