TORS

BACKGROUND: Myocardial work is a novel echocardiographic measure that offers detailed insights into cardiac mechanics. We sought to characterize cardiac function by myocardial work in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 757 patients with non-dialysis-dependent CKD and 174 age- and sex-matched controls. Echocardiographic pressure-strain loop analysis was performed to acquire the global work index (GWI). Linear regressions were performed to investigate the association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) to GWI...

BACKGROUND: For many years it has been postulated that the immune system controls the progress of multiple myeloma (MM). However, the phenotypes of T cells in MM remain to be elucidated. In this study, we compared the phenotypes of T cells, which were obtained from the peripheral blood, in MM patients with those in healthy donors (HD). The expression of CCR7, CD57, CD28, HLA-DR, CD38, CD45RA, and CD45RO were assessed on T cells from MM patients and HDs using multicolor flow cytometry (MFC)...

Caffeine is a natural compound that inhibits the major cellular signaling regulator TOR, leading to widespread effects including growth inhibition. S. cerevisiae yeast can adapt to tolerate high concentrations of caffeine in coffee and cacao fermentations and in experimental systems. While many factors affecting caffeine tolerance and TOR signaling have been identified, further characterization of their interactions and regulation remain to be studied. We used experimental evolution of S. cerevisiae to study the genetic contributions to caffeine tolerance in yeast, through a collaboration between high school students evolving yeast populations coupled with further research exploration in university labs...

OBJECTIVE: Supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) represents a major surgical challenge in organ-preserving treatment. Type I open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL I) is considered the most popular. To date, minimally-invasive approaches such as laser microsurgery and transoral robotic surgery (TORS) have gained increasing relevance. The aim of this narrative review is to obtain a descriptive comparison of functional and oncological outcomes from studies on patients with supraglottic SCC treated with OPHL I and TORS, respectively...

Microglial activation and polarization play a central role in poststroke inflammation and neuronal damage. Modulating microglial polarization from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory phenotype is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Polyphyllin I (PPI), a steroidal saponin, shows multiple bioactivities in various diseases, but the potential function of PPI in cerebral ischemia is not elucidated yet. In our study, the influence of PPI on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was evaluated...

SRSF1 is the founding member of the SR protein family. It is required-interchangeably with other SR proteins-for pre-mRNA splicing in vitro, and it regulates various alternative splicing events. Dysregulation of SRSF1 expression contributes to cancer and other pathologies. Here, we characterized SRSF1's interactome using proximity labeling and mass spectrometry. This approach yielded 190 proteins enriched in the SRSF1 samples, independently of the N- or C-terminal location of the biotin-labeling domain. The detected proteins reflect established functions of SRSF1 in pre-mRNA splicing and reveal additional connections to spliceosome proteins, in addition to other recently identified functions...

Melasma is a common condition of hyperpigmented facial skin. Picosecond lasers are reported to be effective for the treatment of melasma. We aimed to identify the most effective therapeutic mode and elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms of picosecond lasers for the treatment of melasma. Female Kunming mice with melasma-like conditions were treated using four different picosecond laser modes. Concurrently, in vitro experiments were conducted to assess changes in melanin and autophagy in mouse melanoma B16-F10 cells treated with these laser modes...

Arabidopsis Col-0 RPP2A and RPP2B confer recognition of Arabidopsis downy mildew (Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis [Hpa]) isolate Cala2, but the identity of the recognized ATR2Cala2 effector was unknown. To reveal ATR2Cala2 , an F2 population was generated from a cross between Hpa-Cala2 and Hpa-Noks1. We identified ATR2Cala2 as a non-canonical RxLR-type effector that carries a signal peptide, a dEER motif, and WY domains but no RxLR motif. Recognition of ATR2Cala2 and its effector function were verified by biolistic bombardment, ectopic expression and Hpa infection...

Organismal growth and lifespan are inextricably linked. Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling regulates protein production for growth and development, but if reduced, extends lifespan across species. Reduction in the enzyme RNA polymerase III, which transcribes tRNAs and 5S rRNA, also extends longevity. Here, we identify a temporal genetic relationship between TOR and Pol III in Caenorhabditis elegans , showing that they collaborate to regulate progeny production and lifespan. Interestingly, the lifespan interaction between Pol III and TOR is only revealed when TOR signaling is reduced, specifically in adulthood, demonstrating the importance of timing to control TOR regulated developmental versus adult programs...

Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and costly complication following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Development of a refined thrombophilic screening panel will better equip clinicians to identify patients at high-est risk for developing VTEs. In this pilot study, 62 high-risk TJA recipients who had developed pulmonary emboli (PE) within 90-days of surgery were eligible to participate. Of these patients, 14 were enrolled and subsequently adminis-tered a pre-determined panel of 18 hematologic tests with the aim of identifying markers that are consistently elevated or deficient in patients developing PE...

According to the pathophysiological mechanisms linking particulate matter (PM2.5 ) exposure and cardiovascular diseases, PM2.5 may directly translocate into the blood stream and remote target organs and thereby induce cardiovascular effects. The toxicity of PM2.5 is known to induce oxidative stress in pulmonary tissue, but its impact on the redox state in heart (distant organ) is unknown and how it modulates the cardiac response to ischemia reperfusion (IR) remains unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the toxic effect of PM2...

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate changes in lumbar lordosis (LL) and its association to changes in patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) after decompressive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND: Few studies have addressed change in LL after decompression surgery for LSS in relation to outcomes. METHOD: Pre- and postoperative data from 310 patients having standing x-ray both before and 2 years after surgery were included...

BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional ultrathin Ti3 C2 (MXene) nanosheets have gained significant attention in various biomedical applications. Although previous studies have described the accumulation and associated damage of Ti3 C2 nanosheets in the testes and placenta. However, it is currently unclear whether Ti3 C2 nanosheets can be translocated to the ovaries and cause ovarian damage, thereby impairing ovarian functions. RESULTS: We established a mouse model with different doses (1...

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a common autoimmune skin disease. Capsaicin has been found to exert a positive effect on vitiligo treatment, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are also confirmed to be an ideal cell type. This study aimed to explore the influence of capsaicin combined with stem cells on the treatment of vitiligo and to confirm the molecular mechanism of capsaicin combined with stem cells in treating vitiligo. METHODS AND RESULTS: PIG3V cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected using CCK-8 and TUNEL assays, MitoSOX Red fluorescence staining was used to measure the mitochondrial ROS level, and JC-1 staining was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential...

BACKGROUND: Ochratoxin A (OTA), a globally abundant and extremely hazardous pollutant, is a significant source of contamination in aquafeeds and is responsible for severe food pollution. The developmental toxicity of OTA and the potential relieving strategy of natural products remain unclear. This study screened the substance curcumin (Cur), which had the best effect in alleviating OTA inhibition of myoblast proliferation, from 96 natural products and investigated its effect and mechanism in reducing OTA myotoxicity in vivo and in vitro...

Prostate cancer, accounting for 375,304 deaths in 2020, is the second most prevalent cancer in men worldwide. While many treatments exist for prostate cancer, novel therapeutic agents with higher efficacy are needed to target aggressive and hormone-resistant forms of prostate cancer, while sparing healthy cells. Plant-derived chemotherapy drugs such as docetaxel and paclitaxel have been established to treat cancers including prostate cancer. Carnosic acid (CA), a phenolic diterpene found in the herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has been shown to have anticancer properties but its effects in prostate cancer and its mechanisms of action have not been examined...

Linoleic acid (LA), an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), is obtained from the maternal diet during pregnancy, and is essential for normal fetal growth and development. A maternal high-LA (HLA) diet alters maternal and offspring fatty acids, maternal leptin and male/female ratio at embryonic (E) day 20 (E20). We investigated the effects of an HLA diet on embryonic offspring renal branching morphogenesis, leptin signalling, megalin signalling and angiogenesis gene expression. Female Wistar Kyoto rats were fed low-LA (LLA; 1...

mTOR is a central regulator of cell growth and metabolism in response to mitogenic and nutrient signals. Notably, mTOR is not only found in the cytoplasm but also in the nucleus. This review highlights direct involvement of nuclear mTOR in regulating transcription factors, orchestrating epigenetic modifications, and facilitating chromatin remodeling. These effects intricately modulate gene expression programs associated with growth and metabolic processes. Furthermore, the review underscores the importance of nuclear mTOR in mediating the interplay between metabolism and epigenetic modifications...

In mammals, hearing loss is irreversible due to the lack of the regenerative capacity of the auditory epithelium. However, stem/progenitor cells in mammalian cochleae may be a therapeutic target for hearing regeneration. The ubiquitin proteasome system plays an important role in cochlear development and maintenance. In this study, we investigated the role of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) in the process of the transdifferentiation of auditory supporting cells (SCs) into hair cells (HCs). The expression of UCHL1 gradually decreased as HCs developed and was restricted to inner pillar cells and third-row Deiters' cells between P2 and P7, suggesting that UCHL1-expressing cells are similar to the cells with Lgr5-positive progenitors...

The templated enzymatic incorporation of adenosine and its analogs, including m6 A, th A and tz A into RNA transcripts, has been explored. Enforced transcription initiation with excess free nucleosides and the native triphosphates generates 5'-end modified transcripts, which can be 5'-phosphorylated and ligated to provide full length, singly modified RNA oligomers. To explore structural integrity, functionality and utility of the resulting non-canonical purine-containing RNA constructs, a MazF RNA hairpin substrate has been synthesized and analyzed for its susceptibility to this endonuclease...