Gut microbiota in the association between obesity and kidney function decline: a metagenomics-based study in a rat model.

OBJECTIVES: Obesity can induce dysbiosis in the gut microbiota and is considered a separate risk factor for kidney function decline. Nonetheless, the precise function of intestinal microorganisms in facilitating the connection between obesity and kidney function decline remains uncertain. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the alterations in the gut microbiota composition that take place during obesity and their correlations with renal function utilizing a rat model. METHODS: For 20 weeks, 25 Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) or a normal-fat normal diet (ND). Physiological indices, peripheral plasma, kidney tissue, and colon contents were collected for comparison between groups. Metagenomic analysis of intestinal flora was performed. RESULTS: The HFD group demonstrated significantly increased levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen in the peripheral blood. Additionally, the HFD rats exhibited a significantly larger glomerular diameter compared to the ND group, accompanied by the presence of glomerulosclerosis, tubular vacuolar transformation, and other pathological changes in certain glomeruli. Metagenomics analysis revealed a notable rise in the prevalence of the Firmicutes phylum within the HFD group, primarily comprising the Rumenococcus genus. Functional analysis indicated that the gut microbiota in the HFD group primarily correlated with infectious diseases, signal transduction, and signaling molecules and interactions. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that the consumption of a HFD induces modifications in the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome in rats, which may serve as a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between obesity and the progression of kidney function decline.

Genetic association between membranous nephropathy and malignancies: a two-sample Mendelian randomisation study.

BACKGROUND: Various studies have reported that individuals with membranous nephropathy (MN) exhibit an elevated susceptibility to cancers. However, a causal relationship has not been clearly established. METHODS: We constructed a genetic score that predicts MN by utilizing genetic variants linked to this condition as instrumental variables. These genetic scores were then compared with lung, colon, breast, and prostate cancer risks by a two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis involving the following methods: MR-Egger, weighted median, inverse variance weighted, simple mode, and weighted mode. RESULTS: This study demonstrated a lack of empirical substantiation for a causal association between genetic variants in MN and the susceptibility to lung, colon, prostate, or breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Overall, we did not detect a causal link between MN and lung, colon, breast, or prostate cancer. Hence, additional research is imperative to elucidate the underlying factors contributing to the heightened occurrence of tumour in patients with MN.

Gut Microbiota Disorders in Obesity-Associated Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly seen in older men, can cause symptoms of discomfort, and may even need surgical intervention. Studies have shown the potential link between gut microbes and BPH, but the molecular association is not fully understood. METHODS: Four-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 16) were randomly allocated to normal control diet (ND, 10% fat) and high-fat diet-induced BPH (HFD, 45% fat) groups. Metagenomic analysis was used to examine the abundance and discrepancies in gut microbiota within the two groups after 24 weeks of feeding. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was conducted to assess the biological functions of the differentially expressed genes. RESULTS: Rats with HFD-induced obesity exhibited morphological abnormalities in their prostate tissues. Metagenomic analysis of the gut revealed that Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in the HFD group, whereas the ND group had a higher abundance of Spirochaetes. At the genus level, Ruminococcus spp exhibited greater abundance in the HFD group, whereas Treponema spp were more abundant in the ND group. KEGG analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling, PI3K-Akt signaling, estrogen-signaling, signalings associated with GABAergic synapses, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study indicated that there was a notable variation in the microbiota abundance within the intestinal tract of obese rats suffering from prostate hyperplasia. It is plausible that these differentially abundant bacteria played a role in the development of pathological alterations in the prostate through the facilitation of inflammatory responses; however, additional research is required to validate the findings.

A novel PDT: 5-aminolevulinic acid combined 450 nm blue laser photodynamic therapy significantly promotes cell death of HR-HPV infected cells.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and related diseases are clinical challenges. The efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) using red laser (630 ± 5 nm) is remarkable and safe. In this study, we aim to investigate the efficacy of ALA-450 nm PDT comparing with ALA-635 nm PDT. We detected cell proliferation and cell apoptosis through MTT assay and flow cytometry assay respectively. Flow cytometry assay determined the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Western blotting analysis investigated the protein expression. In vivo, immunohistochemical staining assay and TUNEL assay were performer to detect cell apoptosis. ALA-450 nm PDT inhibited the proliferation of End1 and HeLa cells, promoted cell apoptosis more effectively than ALA-635 nm PDT, and induced cell death probably through increasing the intracellular ROS generation and caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway. In vivo, ALA-450 nm PDT significantly inhibited tumour growth and activated cell apoptosis. The ALA-450 nm PDT had an advantage over ALA-635 nm PDT on inhibiting the proliferation of End1 and HeLa cells and inducing cell apoptosis. The ALA-450 nm PDT might be a promising therapeutic strategy for eradicating the HR-HPV infected cells and promoting the integration of diagnosis and treatment of HR-HPV related diseases.HighlightsWe combined 5-aminolevulinic acid with 450 nm blue laser using as a novel type of photodynamic therapy.The ALA-450 nm PDT had an advantage over ALA-635 nm PDT on inhibition of the proliferation of End1 and HeLa cells and inducing cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.The ALA-450 nm PDT may provide a novel alternative therapeutic option in patients with persistent HPV infection and promote the integration of diagnosis and treatment.

A novel 450-nm laser-mediated sinoporphyrin sodium-based photodynamic therapy induces autophagic cell death in gastric cancer through regulation of the ROS/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become an ideal and promising therapeutic method for fighting cancer, but its common application in clinical practice is prevented by the limitations of expensive devices in light sources and phototoxicity in photosensitizers. The aim of this study was to explore the antitumor efficiency of the novel 450-nm blue laser (BL) combined with sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS)-mediated PDT against human gastric cancer (GC) in vitro and in vivo, focusing on autophagy pathway. METHODS: Cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays in HGC27, MGC803, AGS, and GES-1 cells. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and western blotting. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Autophagy was determined by transmission electron microscopy and western blotting. The antitumor effect of BL-PDT in vivo was detected by a subcutaneous tumor model in nude mice. RESULTS: The novel 450-nm laser-mediated DVDMS-based PDT caused remarkable growth inhibition and apoptosis induction in GC cells in vitro by the production of excessive ROS. Autophagy flux was induced by BL-PDT in GC cells, as determined by LC3 conversion assay, LC3 turnover assay, and mRFP-GFP-LC3 puncta assay. Furthermore, autophagy induction was demonstrated to positively contribute to BL-PDT-induced apoptotic effects on GC cells. Mechanically, ROS/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was identified to involve in the regulation of BL-PDT-induced autophagy as determined by transcriptomic analysis and functional studies. Consistently, xenograft studies confirmed the significant antitumor effect of BL-PDT and its favorable safety in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The novel 450-nm laser-mediated DVDMS-based PDT may be a safe and effective approach against GC. Our results thus provide compelling evidence for the therapeutic application of BL-PDT in human GC.

Integrated Analysis and Identification of Critical RNA-Binding Proteins in Bladder Cancer.

RBPs in the development and progression of BC remains unclear. Here, we elucidated the role of RBPs in predicting the survival of patients with BC. Clinical information and RNA sequencing data of the training and validation cohorts were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases, respectively. Survival-related differentially expressed RBPs were identified using Cox regression analyses. A total of 113 upregulated and 54 downregulated RBPs were observed, with six showing prognostic values (AHNAK, MAP1B, LAMA2, P4HB, FASN, and GSDMB). In both the GSE32548 and GSE31684 datasets, patients with low-risk scores in survival-related six RBPs-based prognostic model showed longer overall survival than those with high-risk scores. AHNAK, MAP1B, P4HB, and FASN expression were significantly upregulated in both BC tissues and cell lines. BC tissues from high-risk group showed higher proportions of naive CD4+ T cells, M0 and M2 macrophages, and neutrophils and lower proportions of plasma cells, CD8+ T cells, and T-cell follicular helper compared to low-risk group. AHNAK knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of BC cells in vitro and inhibited the growth of subcutaneous tumors in vivo. We thus developed and functionally validated a novel six RBPs-based prognostic model for BC.

Systemic immune-inflammation index is a promising non-invasive biomarker for predicting the survival of urinary system cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has been reported in numerous studies to effectively predict the survival outcomes of urinary system cancers; however no agreement has been reached. This meta-analysis aimed to explore the prognostic significance of pre-treatment SII in tumours of the urinary system. METHODS: Relevant published articles were selected from Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to 30 August 2020. The hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed to estimate the associations of pre-treatment SII with overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) in urinary system cancers. RESULTS: 13 papers were included in our meta-analysis. From the combined data, we found that a high pre-treatment SII indicated a markedly worse OS (HR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.75-2.23; p < .001), PFS (HR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.32-3.26; p = .002), and CSS (HR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.73-3.35, p < .001). Additionally, patients with an elevated SII value might have undesirable pathological characteristics, including a large tumour size, a poor differentiation grade, and an advanced tumour stage (all p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-treatment SII could be used as a non-invasive and promising biomarker to indicate the prognosis of urinary system cancer patients.KEY MESSAGES:This meta-analysis evaluates the predictive value of systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) for patients with urinary system cancer.A high pre-treatment SII indicates a poor prognosis.SII can serve as a promising non-invasive biomarker to help clinicians assess the prognosis and develop treatment strategies for urinary system cancer patients.

Downregulation of Collagen COL4A6 Is Associated with Prostate Cancer Progression and Metastasis.

Aims: To determine the association between collagen type IV alpha 6 (COL4A6) expression levels and prostate cancer invasion and metastasis. Methods: We analyzed three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets through the GEO2R online tool to obtain the set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between malignant and nonmalignant prostate tissues, and further analyzed the COL4A6 gene's expression in databases. Western blot assays, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect COL4A6 gene expression. Wound healing assays and cell invasion transwell assays were performed to measure cell invasion and siRNA was used to knock down COL4A6 gene expression. Results: Through the use of bioinformatic tools we showed that the COL4A6 gene is one of the highly downregulated genes in prostate cancer; additionally, hypermethylation of the COL4A6 promoter in prostate cancer is correlated with lower expression levels. We also showed that downregulation of COL4A6, which activates the p-FAK/MMP-9 signaling pathway in prostate cancer cells, is associated with prostate cancer cell metastasis based on data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO databases. Finally, we found that the COL4A6 protein is localized extracellularly and its expression is positively correlated with disease-free survival of prostate cancer patients. Conclusion: Our results indicate that downregulation of COL4A6 may promote prostate cancer progression and invasion. Additionally, COL4A6 and its promoter methylation status could be valuable markers for prostate cancer prognoses.

Cloning of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus C-repeat-binding factor gene and its cold-induced tolerance in transgenic tobacco

C-repeat-binding factors (CBFs) are a type of important regulon in stress-related signal transduction pathways that control plant tolerance of abiotic stress. Ammopiptanthus mongolicus is the only evergreen broadleaf shrub in the northwest desert of China. The species shows strong resistance to environmental stress, especially to cold stress. An A. mongolicus CBF1 gene (AmCBF1) was cloned and transformed into tobacco. Expression of AmCBF1 could be detected in A. mongolicus shortly after exposure to low temperature of 4°C. Analysis on ratio of electrolytic leakage, soluble sugar content, free proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and peroxidase (POD) activity before and after cold treatment (4°C) for 24 h indicated AmCBF1 conferred higher cold tolerance to AmCBF1 transgenic tobacco compared with the wild type and empty vector transformed tobacco.