Effects of peer relationship and peer presence on giving and repaying in preschoolers' triad interactions.

This study aimed to assess social preferences in dynamic interpersonal interactions among preschool children and to examine the effects of peer relationship (friend vs. stranger) and peer presence (peer presence vs. peer absence) on giving and repaying. Ninety-nine children participated in a triad game, which consisted of two mixed-dictator games. The allocations from a proposer in the first dictator game were evaluated as giving, and the allocations from two respondents in the second dictator game were evaluated as repaying friends and strangers. The results indicated that children did not have any specific social preferences for friends in giving and repaying but had altruistic and fair preferences for giving to strangers, and strangers had egoistic preferences in repaying. Furthermore, children allocated more to strangers than to friends and allocated more in peer presence. Besides, friends positively reciprocated to proposers in peer absence and repaid less in peer presence. However, strangers consistently repaid less regardless of whether peers were present or not. These results provide more evidence for the assumption of weak ties in giving and demonstrate the strength of strong ties in repaying. These findings enhance our understanding of the interplay of childhood interactions in the development of early relationships.

MicroRNA-126a-5p Exerts Neuroprotective Effects on Ischemic Stroke via Targeting NADPH Oxidase 2.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a destructive cerebrovascular disorder related to oxidative stress; NOX2 is a major source for ROS production; and miR-126a-5p is involved in several diseases, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm. We investigated the role of miR-126a-5p in regulating NOX2 in ischemic stroke. METHODS: MiR-126a-5p and NOX2 were examined in the brains of rats subjected to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) by RT-PCR and Western blot. MiR-126a-5p agomir was delivered to examine the effects of miR-126a-5p on I/R injury. The neurological deficit, infarct volume, and brain water content were evaluated. NOX activity, ROS production, and MDA and SOD levels were detected to assess oxidative stress. H&E staining was used to examine cell state. Apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL, caspase-3 activity, and cleaved-caspase-3 protein level. The relationship between miR-126a-5p and NOX2 was analyzed by bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assay. MiR-126a-5p mimic, miR-126a-5p inhibitor, or pcDNA-NOX2 were transfected in SH-SY5Y cells to further assess the effects of miR-126a-5p on OGD/R-induced cells injury. RESULTS: NOX2 was upregulated and miR-126a-5p was down-regulated in the brains of I/R rats. MiR-126a-5p agomir obviously reduced the neurological deficit, infarct volume, brain water content, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in I/R rats. MiR-126a-5p targeted NOX2 directly and regulated NOX2 negatively. Moreover, miR-126a-5p mimic elevated cell viability and inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis in OGD/R-treated SH-SY5Y cells, while miR-126a-5p inhibitor had the opposite effects. NOX2 overexpression antagonized the protective effects of miR-126a-5p mimic on OGD/R-induced cell injury. CONCLUSION: MiR-126a-5p is a novel potential target for ischemic stroke therapy due to its protection against cerebral I/R injury via directly targeting NOX2.

Screening and preliminary validation of T lymphocyte immunoregulation­associated long non­coding RNAs in diabetic foot ulcers.

The present study aimed to investigate the existence of immunoregulation­associated long non­coding (lnc)RNAs mediated by T lymphocytes in the wound surfaces of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). The wound skin tissues of patients receiving debridement for trauma or DFUs associated with infection were obtained. Dermatological histological changes were observed by pathological staining, and T lymphocyte subsets and inflammation­associated cytokines were identified. Gene chip technology was used to screen for lncRNAs regulated by immune cells. The wound skin structure in the control group was revealed to be complete, and the inflammatory response was not marked. However, the wound skin structure in the ulcer group was disordered and exhibited a notable inflammatory response. Compared with the control group, expression levels of cluster of differentiation (CD)3 and CD8 in the wound surface tissues of the ulcer group were significantly increased, while the expression levels of interleukin (IL)­1ß, IL­2, IL­10, interferon­Î³ and tumor necrosis factor­α were significantly upregulated. A target regulatory association was identified between downregulated lncRNA­ENST00000411554 and upregulated mitogen­activated protein kinase (MAPK)1 in DFU tissues, and a negative correlation was detected between this RNA and protein. The present results suggested that an immune functional disorder of T lymphocytes may be closely associated with the development of DFUs. Furthermore, activation of the MAPK signal transduction pathway mediated by the lncRNA­ENST00000411554/MAPK1 axis may affect the DFU immune regulatory imbalance.