Search Results (17,777)

As a fruit and vegetable crop, the ornamental pepper is not just highly ornamental but also rich in nutritional value. The quality of ornamental pepper fruits is given in their contents of capsaicin, vitamin C (VC), flavonoids and total phenols. The study concentrated on the accumulation of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in different tissues of 18 peppers during fruit growth and development. The results showed that the pericarp and placenta contained significantly higher levels of capsaicin than dihydrocapsaicin. Additionally, the placenta contained significantly higher levels of both capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin compared to the pericarp. The content of capsaicin was in the range of 0-6.7915 mg·g⁻¹, the range of dihydrocapsaicin content was 0–5.329 mg·g⁻¹. Interestingly, we found that the pericarp is rich in VC (5.4506 mg·g⁻¹) and the placenta is high in flavonoids (4.8203 mg·g⁻¹) and total phenols (119.63 mg·g⁻¹). The capsaicin is the most important component using the correlation analysis and principal component analysis. The qPCR results substantiated that the expression of genes in the placenta was significantly higher than that in the pericarp and that the expression of genes in green ripening stage was higher than that in red ripening stage. This study could be utilized to select the best ripening stages and tissues to harvest peppers according to the use of the pepper and to the needs of producers. It not only provides a reference for quality improvement and processing for consumers and market but also provides a theoretical basis for high-quality pepper breeding. Full article

The limited self-repair capacity of articular cartilage is a challenge for healing injuries. While mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising approach for tissue regeneration, the criteria for selecting a suitable cell source remain undefined. To propose a molecular criterion, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) with a Hox-negative expression pattern and bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs), which actively express Hox genes, were differentiated towards chondrocytes in 3D pellets, employing a two-step protocol. The MSCs’ response to preconditioning by cobalt chloride (CoCl₂), a hypoxia-mimicking agent, was explored in an assessment of the chondrogenic differentiation’s efficiency using morphological, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and biochemical experiments. The preconditioned DPSC pellets exhibited significantly elevated levels of collagen II and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and reduced levels of the hypertrophic marker collagen X. No significant effect on GAGs production was observed in the preconditioned BMSC pellets, but collagen II and collagen X levels were elevated. While preconditioning did not modify the ALP specific activity in either cell type, it was notably lower in the DPSCs differentiated pellets compared to their BMSCs counterparts. These results could be interpreted as demonstrating the higher plasticity of DPSCs compared to BMSCs, suggesting the contribution of their unique molecular characteristics, including their negative Hox expression pattern, to promote a chondrogenic differentiation potential. Consequently, DPSCs could be considered compelling candidates for future cartilage cell therapy. Full article

On the human face, the lips are one of the most important anatomical elements, both morphologically and functionally. Morphologically, they have a significant impact on aesthetics, and abnormal lip morphology causes sociopsychological problems. Functionally, they play a crucial role in breathing, articulation, feeding, and swallowing. An apparatus that can accurately and easily measure the elastic modulus of perioral tissues in clinical tests was developed, and its measurement sensitivity was evaluated. The apparatus is basically a uniaxial compression apparatus consisting of a force sensor and a displacement sensor. The displacement sensor works by enhancing the restoring force due to the deformation of soft materials. Using the apparatus, the force and the displacement were measured for polyurethane elastomers with various levels of softness, which are a model material of human tissues. The stress measured by the developed apparatus increased in proportion to Young’s modulus, and was measured by the compression apparatus at the whole region of Young’s modulus, indicating that the relation can be used for calibration. Clinical tests using the developed apparatus revealed that Young’s moduli for upper lip, left cheek, and right cheek were evaluated to be 45, 4.0, and 9.9 kPa, respectively. In this paper, the advantages of this apparatus and the interpretation of the data obtained are discussed from the perspective of orthodontics. Full article

Drought stress significantly affects the growth, development, and yield of cotton, triggering the response of multiple genes. Among them, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is one of the important antioxidant enzymes in the metabolism of reactive oxygen species in plants, and APX enhances the ability of plants to resist oxidation, thus increasing plant stress tolerance. Therefore, enhancing the activity of APX in cells is crucial to improving plant stress resistance. Previous studies have isolated differentially expressed proteins under drought stress (GhAPX7) in drought-resistant (KK1543) and drought-sensitive (XLZ26) plants. Thus, this study analyzed the expression patterns of GhAPX7 in different cotton tissues to verify the drought resistance function of GhAPX7 and explore its regulatory pathways. GhAPX7 had the highest expression in cotton leaves, which significantly increased under drought stress, suggesting that GhAPX7 is essential for improving antioxidant capacity and enzyme activities in cotton. GhAPX7 silencing indirectly affects pronounced leaf yellowing and wilting in drought-resistant and drought-sensitive plants under drought stress. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly increased and chlorophyll and proline content and APX enzyme activity were generally decreased in silenced plants compared to the control. This result indicates that GhAPX7 may improve drought resistance by influencing the contents of MDA, chlorophyll, proline, and APX enzyme activity through increased expression levels. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the drought-related differentially expressed genes between the control and treated groups enriched plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling, and plant–pathogen interaction pathways. Therefore, the decreased expression of GhAPX7 significantly affects the expression levels of genes in these three pathways, reducing drought resistance in plants. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of GhAPX7 and its role in drought resistance and lays a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanisms of response to drought stress in cotton. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the 3-year radiographic outcomes of periodontal intrabony defects treated with non-surgical subgingival therapy (NST), assessing radiographic bone gain (RBG) through experimental digital software, named “Bone Defect Analysis (BDA)”. Methods: The study included 17 intrabony defects in 14 patients. BDA software (version 1) was used on radiographs to calculate RBG (in %) and variations in defect angle (in °) between baseline (T0) and 3-year follow-up (T1). Soft tissue conditions were registered, reporting bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). Defects were analyzed according to angles less (group A) or greater (group B) than 30°. Results: Nine and eight defects were, respectively, analyzed in groups A and B. Three years after treatment, an average RBG of 12.28% was found overall, with 13.25% and 10.11% for groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.28). Clinically, a mean CAL of 6.05 mm at T1 (from 10.94 mm at T0) was found, with 6.88 mm and 5.12 mm in groups A and B, respectively (p = 0.07). Conclusions: BDA software demonstrated predictability in the evaluation of bone variations after NST, revealing better clinical findings for intrabony defects with an initial smaller angle. Full article

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks among the most prevalent malignancies affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells significantly influences the prognosis and progression of tumor patients. Methods: This study establishes a CRC immune risk model based on CD8⁺ T cell-related genes. CD8⁺ T cell-related genes were identified through Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), and the enriched gene sets were annotated via Gene Ontology (GO) and Reactome pathway analysis. Employing machine learning methods, including the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm and Random Forest (RF), we identified nine genes associated with CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration. The infiltration levels of immune cells in CRC tissues were assessed using the ssGSEA algorithm. Results: These genes provide a foundation for constructing a prognostic model. The TCGA-CRC sample model’s prediction scores were categorized, and the prediction models were validated through Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier curve analysis. Notably, although CRC tissues with higher risk scores exhibited elevated levels of CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration, they also demonstrated heightened expression of immune checkpoint genes. Furthermore, comparison of microsatellite instability (MSI) and gene mutations across the immune subgroups revealed notable gene variations, particularly with APC, TP53, and TNNT1 showing higher mutation frequencies. Finally, the predictive model’s efficacy was corroborated through the use of Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE), Immune Profiling Score (IPS), and immune escape-related molecular markers. The predictive model was validated through an external cohort of CRC and the Bladder Cancer Immunotherapy Cohort. CLRN3 expression levels in tumor and adjacent normal tissues were assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that CLRN3 knockdown significantly attenuated the malignant biological behavior of CRC cells, while overexpression had the opposite effect. Conclusions: This study presents a novel prognostic model for CRC, providing a framework for enhancing the survival rates of CRC patients by targeting CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration. Full article

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are well known for their oncogenic or anti-oncogenic roles in cancer development. AGAP2-AS1, a new lncRNA, has been extensively demonstrated as an oncogenic lncRNA in various cancers. Abundant experimental results have proved the aberrantly high level of AGAP2-AS1 in a great number of malignancies, such as glioma, colorectal, lung, ovarian, prostate, breast, cholangiocarcinoma, bladder, colon and pancreatic cancers. Importantly, the biological functions of AGAP2-AS1 have been extensively demonstrated. It could promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. Simultaneously, the clinical significances of AGAP2-AS1 were also illustrated. AGAP2-AS1 was exceptionally overexpressed in various cancer tissues. Clinical studies disclosed that the abnormal overexpression of AGAP2-AS1 was tightly connected with overall survival (OS), lymph nodes metastasis (LNM), clinical stage, tumor infiltration, high histological grade (HG), serous subtype and PFI times. However, to date, the biological actions and clinical significances of AGAP2-AS1 have not been systematically reviewed in human cancers. In the present review, the authors overviewed the biological actions, potential mechanisms and clinical features of AGAP2-AS1 according to the previous studies. In summary, AGAP2-AS1, as a vital oncogenic gene, is a promising biomarker and potential target for carcinoma prognosis and therapy. Full article

Microgravity exposure induces a cephalad fluid shift and an overall reduction in physical activity levels which can lead to cardiovascular deconditioning in the absence of countermeasures. Future spaceflight missions will expose crew to extended periods of microgravity among other stressors, the effects of which on cardiovascular health are not fully known. In this study, we determined cardiac responses to extended microgravity exposure using the rat hindlimb unloading (HU) model. We hypothesized that exposure to prolonged simulated microgravity and subsequent recovery would lead to increased oxidative damage and altered expression of genes involved in the oxidative response. To test this hypothesis, we examined hearts of male (three and nine months of age) and female (3 months of age) Long–Evans rats that underwent HU for various durations up to 90 days and reambulated up to 90 days post-HU. Results indicate sex-dependent changes in oxidative damage marker 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and antioxidant gene expression in left ventricular tissue. Three-month-old females displayed elevated 8-OHdG levels after 14 days of HU while age-matched males did not. In nine-month-old males, there were no differences in 8-OHdG levels between HU and normally loaded control males at any of the timepoints tested following HU. RNAseq analysis of left ventricular tissue from nine-month-old males after 14 days of HU revealed upregulation of pathways involved in pro-inflammatory signaling, immune cell activation and differential expression of genes associated with cardiovascular disease progression. Taken together, these findings provide a rationale for targeting antioxidant and immune pathways and that sex differences should be taken into account in the development of countermeasures to maintain cardiovascular health in space. Full article

Adipose tissue is a dynamic regulatory organ that has profound effects on the overall health of patients. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in human adipose tissues are extensive and multifactorial, including large variability in cellular sizes, lipid content, inflammation, extracellular matrix components, mechanics, and cytokines secreted. Given the high human variability, and since much of what is known about adipose tissue is from animal models, we sought to establish correlations and patterns between biological, mechanical, and epidemiological properties of human adipose tissues. To do this, twenty-six independent variables were cataloged for twenty patients, which included patient demographics and factors that drive health, obesity, and fibrosis. A factorial analysis for mixed data (FAMD) was used to analyze patterns in the dataset (with BMI > 25), and a correlation matrix was used to identify interactions between quantitative variables. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and actin alpha 2, smooth muscle (ACTA2) gene expression were the highest loadings in the first two dimensions of the FAMD. The number of adipocytes was also a key driver of patient-related differences, where a decrease in the density of adipocytes was associated with aging. Aging was also correlated with a decrease in overall lipid percentage of subcutaneous tissue, with lipid deposition being favored extracellularly, an increase in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1), and an increase in M1 macrophage polarization. An important finding was that self-identified race contributed to variance between patients in this study, where Black patients had significantly lower gene expression levels of TGFβ1 and ACTA2. This finding supports the urgent need to account for patient ancestry in biomedical research to develop better therapeutic strategies for all patients. Another important finding was that TGFβ induced factor homeobox 1 (TGIF1), an understudied signaling molecule, which is highly correlated with leptin signaling, was correlated with metabolic inflammation. Furthermore, this study draws attention to what we define as “extracellular lipid droplets”, which were consistently found in collagen-rich regions of the obese adipose tissues evaluated here. Reduced levels of TGIF1 were correlated with higher numbers of extracellular lipid droplets and an inability to suppress fibrotic changes in adipose tissue. Finally, this study indicated that M1 and M2 macrophage markers were correlated with each other and leptin in patients with a BMI > 25. This finding supports growing evidence that macrophage polarization in obesity involves a complex, interconnecting network system rather than a full switch in activation patterns from M2 to M1 with increasing body mass. Overall, this study reinforces key findings in animal studies and identifies important areas for future research, where human and animal studies are divergent. Understanding key drivers of human patient variability is required to unravel the complex metabolic health of unique patients. Full article

Oxidative stress is a major source of ROS-mediated damage to macromolecules, tissues, and the whole body. It is an important marker in the severe picture of pathological conditions. The discovery of free radicals in biological systems gives a “start” to studying various pathological processes related to the development and progression of many diseases. From this moment on, the enrichment of knowledge about the participation of free radicals and free-radical processes in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and endocrine diseases, inflammatory conditions, and infections, including COVID-19, is increasing exponentially. Excessive inflammatory responses and abnormal reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels may disrupt mitochondrial dynamics, increasing the risk of cell damage. In addition, low serum albumin levels and changes in the normal physiological balance between reduced and oxidized albumin can be a serious prerequisite for impaired antioxidant capacity of the body, worsening the condition in patients. This review presents the interrelationship between oxidative stress, inflammation, and low albumin levels, which are hallmarks of COVID-19. Full article

Background and Objectives: We aimed to ascertain the predictive power of the left atrial coupling index (LACI) in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study including 100 subjects between 18 and 65 years of age with ESRD and not on dialysis treatment. Patients were divided into groups with and without HFpEF. The LACI was defined as the ratio of the left atrial volume index (LAVI) to the a′ wave in tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Statistical analyses were performed, including univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Results: The mean age of the participants was 47 ± 13.3 years. Individuals with HFpEF exhibited a higher LACI. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that the predictive capacity of the LACI for HFpEF was considerably higher than that of the LAVI and other echocardiographic parameters. Conclusions: Higher LACI levels were consistently related to the presence of HFpEF in ESRD patients. The LACI can be easily obtained in daily practice using conventional Doppler echocardiographic measurements during left atrial functional assessments. Full article

Nanoplastics (NPs) cause serious contamination of drinking water and potential damage to human health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NPs with different particle sizes and concentrations on the reproductive function of male mice. In this study, free drinking water exposure was used to expose male BALB/C mice to PS-NPs (20 nm, 200 nm, and 1000 nm) at 0.1 mg/L, 1 mg/L, and 5 mg/L for 4 months. The male reproductive function of the mice was assessed after NPs exposure, and fecal and blood samples were collected for macrogenomics and metabolomics. The results showed that PS-NPs resulted in mice with reduced testicular organ coefficients, decreased sperm quality, altered testicular tissue structure, disturbed sex hormone levels, and abnormal levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress. Furthermore, this study found that NP exposure affected the alteration of gut communities and metabolic pathways related to male reproduction, such as Clostridium and glutathione metabolism. Importantly, we found an effect of NP particle size on reproductive function. In the future, more attention should be paid to the smaller particle sizes of NPs. Full article

The endometrium is crucial for the perpetuation of human species. It is a complex and dynamic tissue lining the inner wall of the uterus, regulated throughout a woman’s life based on estrogen and progesterone fluctuations. During each menstrual cycle, this multicellular tissue undergoes cyclical changes, including regeneration, differentiation in order to allow egg implantation and embryo development, or shedding of the functional layer in the absence of pregnancy. The biology of the endometrium relies on paracrine interactions between epithelial and stromal cells involving complex signaling pathways that are modulated by the variations of estrogen and progesterone levels across the menstrual cycle. Understanding the complexity of estrogen and progesterone receptor signaling will help elucidate the mechanisms underlying normal reproductive physiology and provide fundamental knowledge contributing to a better understanding of the consequences of hormonal imbalances on gynecological conditions and tumorigenesis. In this narrative review, we delve into the physiology of the endometrium, encompassing the complex signaling pathways of estrogen and progesterone. Full article

Castration is commonly used to reduce stink during boar production. In porcine adipose tissue, castration reduces androgen levels resulting in metabolic disorders and excessive fat deposition. However, the underlying detailed mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we constructed porcine preadipocyte models with and without androgen by adding testosterone exogenously. The fluorescence intensity of lipid droplet (LD) staining and the fatty acid synthetase (FASN) mRNA levels were lower in the testosterone-treated cells than in the untreated control cells. In contrast, the mRNA levels of adipose triglycerides lipase (ATGL) and androgen receptor (AR) were higher than in the testosterone-treated cells than in the control cells. Subsequently, transcriptomic sequencing of porcine preadipocytes incubated with and without testosterone showed that the mRNA expression levels of very long-chain fatty acid elongase 3 (ELOVL3), a key enzyme involved in fatty acids synthesis and metabolism, were high in control cells. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of ELOVL3 reduced LD accumulation and the mRNA levels of FASN and increased the mRNA levels of ATGL. Next, we conducted dual-luciferase reporter assays using wild-type and mutant ELOVL3 promoter reporters, which showed that the ELOVL3 promoter contained an androgen response element (ARE); furthermore, its transcription was negatively regulated by AR overexpression. In conclusion, our study reveals that testosterone inhibits fat deposition in porcine preadipocytes by suppressing ELOVL3 expression. Moreover, our study provides a theoretical basis for further studies on the mechanisms of fat deposition caused by castration. Full article

Ethylene-Responsive Factor (ERF) is a key element found in the middle and lower reaches of the ethylene signal transduction pathway. It is widely distributed in plants and plays important roles in plant growth and development, hormone signal transduction, and various stress processes. Although there is research on AP/ERF family members, research on AP2/ERF in Osmanthus fragrans is lacking. Thus, in this work, AP2/ERF in O. fragrans was extensively and comprehensively analyzed. A total of 298 genes encoding OfAP2/ERF proteins with complete AP2/ERF domains were identified. Based on the number of AP2/ERF domains and the similarity among amino acid sequences between AP2/ERF proteins from A. thaliana and O. fragrans, the 298 putative OfAP2/ERF proteins were divided into four different families, including AP2 (45), ERF (247), RAV (5), and SOLOIST (1). In addition, the exon–intron structure characteristics of these putative OfAP2/ERF genes and the conserved protein motifs of their encoded OfAP2/ERF proteins were analyzed, and the results were found to be consistent with those of the population classification. A tissue-specific analysis showed the spatiotemporal expression of OfAP2/ERF in the stems and leaves of O. fragrans at different developmental stages. Specifically, 21 genes were not expressed in any tissue, while high levels of expression were found for 25 OfAP2/ERF genes in several tissues, 60 genes in the roots, 34 genes in the stems, 37 genes in young leaves, 34 genes in old leaves, 32 genes in the early flowering stage, 18 genes in the full flowering stage, and 37 genes in the late flowering stage. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments showed that OfERF110a and OfERF110b had the highest expression levels at the full-bloom stage (S4), and this gradually decreased with the senescence of petals. The expression of OfERF119c decreased first and then increased, while the expression levels of OfERF4c and OfERF5a increased constantly. This indicated that these genes may play roles in flower senescence and the ethylene response. In the subsequent subcellular localization experiments, we found that ERF1-4 was localized in the nucleus, indicating that it was expressed in the nucleus. In yeast self-activation experiments, we found that OfERF112, OfERF228, and OfERF23 had self-activation activity. Overall, these results suggest that OfERFs may have the function of regulating petal senescence in O. fragrans. Full article