Open Life Sciences最新文献

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease. During the diagnostic process, the patient's autoimmune antibodies are routinely examined. Approximately 20% of PBC patients have positive anti-centromere antibody (ACA). We evaluated the clinical characteristics of ACA-positive and ACA-negative PBC patients to explain the differences in disease progression between these two groups. Retrospective data from 961 PBC patients at Beijing Youan Hospital from 2010 to 2019 were gathered and separated into two groups based on ACA positivity. We collected and evaluated clinical laboratory indices, gastroscopy findings, and liver function assessments. In addition, 60 liver biopsies were available for comparison between the 2 groups. Pathologists staged the histological findings using the Ludwig staging criteria and Nakanuma staging and grading. Immunohistochemical staining was also performed on liver biopsies to examine the expression of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) in the tissue. A synthesis of clinical indicators in the large cohort showed that alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, IgG, white blood cell, and platelet were significantly lower in the ACA-positive group, indicating that the overall status of liver injury was more moderate in the ACA-positive group. Additionally, ACA-positive patients in the non-cirrhotic group were more likely to present with gastroesophageal varices related to portal hypertension. Finally, analysis of pathologic findings showed that parameters were mostly comparable in the two groups, but CK7 differed and was more significantly lower in the ACA-positive group in albumin-bilirubin grade 2 and 3 patients. In summary, we characterized and compared the clinical features of ACA-positive and ACA-negative PBC patients, corroborating previous studies on the relationship between ACA positivity and portal hypertension cross-sectionally. It suggested that gastroesophageal varices might happen in the earlier course of PBC natural progression in the ACA-positive group.

Recent studies have reported that electroacupuncture (EA) can treat osteoporosis, but most of which were based on the "kidney governing bones" theory. However, the ancient Chinese medical textbook Huangdi Neijing pointed out that "Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang" correlates with bone diseases, including osteoporosis, although the therapeutic regimens were lost after the Tang Dynasty. Here, we explored whether EA at GB points improves osteoporosis and its underlying mechanism. We constructed ovariectomized mice and treated them with EA at GB30 (Huantiao), GB34 (Yanglingquan), and GB39 (Xuanzhong) acupoints. EA treatment significantly improved bone parameters in osteoporotic mice, as evidenced by micro-computed tomography and histological assessment. Additionally, EA treatment elevated the serum levels of estradiol and SOD that were downregulated in osteoporotic mice. Transcriptome and qPCR results verified that EA treatment upregulated the expression of genes associated with bone formation. Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed differential enrichment of the PI3K-Akt pathway. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that estradiol partially counteracted a reduction in p-AKT expression induced by hydrogen peroxide. These findings indicate that EA treatment increases serum estradiol levels in mice, thus inhibiting osteoporosis induced by oxidative stress. This effect is achieved by activating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

The aim of this study was to study the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) on glutathione (GSH) metabolism in human ovarian cancer cells induced by phosphoramide mustard (PM). The experiment was divided into five groups, namely, the blank group (ovarian cancer cells), the control group (ovarian cancer cells + HUC-MSCs), the model group (ovarian cancer cells + PM), the treatment group (ovarian cancer cells + PM + HUC-MSCs), and the inhibitor group (ovarian cancer cells + PM + HUC-MSCs + extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase inhibitor PD98059). The apoptosis rate of ovarian cancer cells was detected by flow cytometry. Intracellular levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH, γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protein imprinting and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), p-ERK heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein levels. First, the apoptosis rate in the model group was increased compared with that of the blank group. The levels of γ-GCS, p-ERK, HO-1, and Nrf-2 decreased, while the levels of malondialdehyde, GSSG, and ROS increased. Second, compared with the model group, the apoptosis rate in the treatment group decreased. GSH, γ-GCS, p-ERK, HO-1, and Nrf2 levels increased. Malondialdehyde, GSSG, and ROS levels decreased. Third, after the administration of ERK inhibitor, the apoptosis rate of cells increased. GSH, p-ERK, and HO-1 levels decreased. GSSG and ROS levels increased (P < 0.05), and γ-GCS level had a downward trend compared with the treatment group. To conclude, HUC-MSCs may regulate the ERK-Nrf2-HO-1 pathway to increase γ-GCS expression and GSH production, reduce ROS level and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells, and improve antioxidant capacity.

Multispectral devices have a huge potential to be utilized in biological, ecological, and agricultural studies, providing valuable information on plant structure and chemical composition. The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and sensitivity of the affordable leaf spectrometer PolyPen (PP) in comparison with the highly sensitive analytical device FieldSpec-4. Measurements at the leaf level were realized on a collection of 24 diverse field-grown wheat (Triticum sp. L.) genotypes in several growth phases during the regular growing season, focusing on whole spectral curves and a set of 41 spectral reflectance indices. As expected, the sensitive analytical device showed a higher capacity to capture genotypic variability and the ability to distinguish seasonal changes compared to a low-cost multispectral device. Nevertheless, the analysis of the data provided by low-cost sensors provided a group of parameters with good sensitivity, including reasonable correlations between the records of the two devices (r > 0.80). Based on the large obtained datasets, we can conclude that the application of a low-cost PP leaf spectrometer in plant and crop studies can be efficient, but the selection of parameters is crucial. Thus, the present study provides valuable information for users of affordable leaf spectrometers in fundamental and applied plant science.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a challenging malignancy characterized by intricate biology and clinical characteristics. Despite advancements in treatment strategies, the molecular mechanisms underlying ccRCC initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance remain elusive. Inflammasomes, multi-protein complexes involved in innate immunity and inflammation, have emerged as potential regulators in cancers. However, their involvement and mechanisms in ccRCC remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation into the expression patterns and clinical significance of inflammasome complexes in ccRCC. We found the perturbation of inflammasome complexes genes was related to patient's prognosis and other clinical characteristics. By developing an Inflammasome Complexes (IFC) score and identifying IFC subtypes with distinct clinical characteristics and oncogenic roles, our study suggested that inflammasome activation could impact tumorigenesis and modulate the tumor immune landscape, particularly its positive correlations with immunosuppressive macrophages. Furthermore, our study revealed the potential of inflammasome complex genes as predictive markers for patient responses to various anti-tumor drugs, including Osimertinib, Ulixertinib, Telomerase Inhibitor IX, and GSK2578215A. These findings have significant clinical implications and offer opportunities for guiding treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes of ccRCC.

As a gateway for gas exchange, pores regulate the transport of air and water in carbon assimilation, respiration, and transpiration to quickly adapt to environmental changes. Therefore, the study of stomatal movement characteristics of plants is helpful to strengthen the understanding of the mechanism of plant response to multi-environmental stress, and can improve the function of plant resistance to stresses. The stomatal movement of Arabidopsis leaves was observed by staining the stomata with rhodamine 6G, but this method has not been reported in other plant leaf stomata studies. Taking cassava as an example, the correlation between cassava stomatal movement and cassava response to stress was observed by using and improving the staining method. Rhodamine 6G is a biological stain widely used in cell biology and molecular biology. It was found that 1 μM rhodamine 6G could stain the stomata of cassava without affecting stomatal movement (n = 109, p < 0.05). In addition, we proposed that stomata fixed with 4% concentration of formaldehyde after staining were closest to the stomatal morphology of cassava epidermis, so as to observe stomatal movement under different environmental stresses more accurately. Previous methods of measuring stomatal pore size by autofluorescence of cell wall needs to fix the cells for 6 h, but Rhodamine staining can only be observed in 2 min, which greatly improves the experimental efficiency. Compared with the traditional exfoliation method (e.g., Arabidopsis), this method can reduce the damage of the leaves and observe the stomata of the whole leaves more completely, so that the experimental results are more complete. In addition, the method enables continuous leaf processing and observation. Using this method, we further compared four different cassava varieties (i.e., KU50, SC16, SC8, and SC205) and found that there are differences in stomatal density (SD) among cassava varieties, and the difference in the SD directly affects the stress resistance of cassava (n = 107, p < 0.001). This finding has important implications for studying the mechanism of plant response to environmental stress through stomata.

Lonicera japonica is a well-known medicinal plant, and the Damaohua cultivar is one of the oldest known honeysuckle cultivars in China. The 155,151 bp chloroplast genome of this cultivar was obtained through Illumina sequencing. The genome includes a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb; 23,789 bp each), a large single-copy region (88,924 bp), and a small single-copy (SSC) region (18,649 bp). In total, 127 unique genes were identified: 80 protein-coding, 39 tRNA, and 8 rRNA genes. Only ycf3 contained two introns. Eighty-nine large repetitive sequences and 54 simple sequence repeats were detected. Fifty potential RNA editing sites were predicted. Adaptive evolution analysis revealed that infA, matK, petB, petD, rbcL, rpl16, rpl2, rps3, ycf1, and ycf2 were positively selected, possibly reflecting the specific environmental adaptations of this cultivar. Sequence alignment and analysis revealed several candidate fragments for Lonicera species identification, such as the intergenic regions rpoB-petN, rbcL-accD, and psaA-ycf3. The IR region boundary and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the L. japonica cv. Damaohua chloroplast genome was most closely related to the L. japonica genome, but there were five distinct differences between the two. There are four sites with high variability between L. japonica and L. japonica cv. Damaohua with nucleotide variability (Pi) greater than 0.002, including rps2-rpoC2, atpB-rbcL, ycf1, and ycf1-trnN GUU. The differences between L. japonica and L. japonica cv. Damaohua were further confirmed by the single nucleotide polymorphism sites between these two species. Therefore, this study revealed that the chloroplast genome can serve as a universal super barcode for plant identification, which can identify differences and help distinguish Lonicera japonica from related species. An understanding of Lonicera japonica cv. Damaohua chloroplast genomics and a comparative analysis of Lonicera species will provide a scientific basis for breeding, species identification, systematic evolution analysis, and chloroplast genetic engineering research on medicinal honeysuckle plants.

Plant diversity in southern Yemen is crucial for maintaining rangeland ecosystem functions. This diversity contributes to the resilience of local pastoral communities, by providing essential forage and resources. However, high stocking density has led to the overuse of palatable species, resulting in increased competition for forage. This study evaluates the nutritional value of 25 indigenous forage species from the natural rangelands of Lahij Governorate. Significant variations were observed among the Forage species, with moisture content ranging from 4 to 39.6%, crude protein from 5.5 to 21.4%, non-fiber carbohydrates from 31.8 to 66.4%, crude fiber from 8.3 to 42.65%, and ash content from 9.2 to 34.6%. Clitoria ternatea, Lycium barbarum, Senegalia mellifera, Vigna sinensis, Albizia lebbeck, and Acacia trees with crude protein content higher than 16% showed substantial potential as livestock feed due to their favorable proximate compositions. Incorporating these high-potential species into regular livestock diets could significantly enhance the sustainability and productivity of pastoral systems in southern Yemen, addressing the current fodder shortage.

Copper (Cu) is considered one of the major heavy metal pollutants in agriculture, leading to reductions in crop yield. To reveal the molecular mechanisms of resistance to copper stress in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings, transcriptome analysis was conducted on the hybrid variety Zhengdan 958 exposed to 0 (control), 5, and 10 mM Cu stress using RNA-seq. In total, 619, 2,685, and 1,790 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified compared to 5 mM versus 0 mM Cu, 10 mM versus 0 mM Cu, and 10 mM versus 5 mM Cu, respectively. Functional categorization of DEGs according to Gene Ontology revealed that heme binding, defense response, and multiorganism processes were significantly enriched under copper stress. Additionally, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis suggested that the copper stress response is mediated by pathways involving phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and glutathione metabolism, among others. The transcriptome data demonstrated that metabolite biosynthesis and glutathione metabolism play key roles in the response of maize seedlings to copper stress, and these findings provide valuable information for enhancing copper resistance in maize.

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) associated with autoantibodies against γ-aminobutyric acid-B receptor (GABA_BR-AE) is frequently identified in middle-aged and elderly males. The disease is characterized by seizures, mental, and behavioral abnormalities, as well as recent memory decline. Anti-GABA_BR antibody-associated encephalitis, presenting with syncope as the first symptom is rare. Here we report a case of AE with syncope as the first symptom. A 55-year-old male presented to the emergency department with transient loss of consciousness, initially diagnosed as syncope. As the disease progressed, the patient exhibited seizures, abnormal mental behavior, and cognitive impairment. Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with right lung small cell lung cancer. The initial atypical symptoms and the lack of clear imaging features of GABA_BR encephalitis hinder early diagnosis. This case highlights the importance of screening for the underlying etiology of syncope in middle-aged and elderly patients.