Ghrelin Attenuates the Osteoblastic Differentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells through the ERK Pathway

Vascular calcification results from osteoblastic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular events. Ghrelin is a newly discovered bioactive peptide that acts as a natural endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagog receptor (GHSR). Several studies have identified the protective effects of ghrelin on the cardiovascular system, however research on the effects and mechanisms of ghrelin on vascular calcification is still quite rare. In this study, we determined the effect of ghrelin on osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs and investigated the mechanism involved using the two universally accepted calcifying models of calcifying vascular smooth muscle cells (CVSMCs) and beta-glycerophosphate (beta-GP)-induced VSMCs. Our data demonstrated that ghrelin inhibits osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization of VSMCs due to decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, Runx2 expression, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression and calcium content. Further study demonstrated that ghrelin exerted this suppression effect via an extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK)-dependent pathway and that the suppression effect of ghrelin was time dependent and dose dependent. Furthermore, inhibition of the growth hormone secretagog receptor (GHSR), the ghrelin receptor, by siRNA significantly reversed the activation of ERK by ghrelin. In conclusion, our study suggests that ghrelin may inhibit osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs through the GHSR/ERK pathway

Measurement of the cross section of e+e−→Ξ−Ξˉ+e^+e^-\rightarrow\Xi^{-}\bar\Xi^{+} at center-of-mass energies between 3.510 and 4.843 GeV

Using $e^+e^-$ collision data corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 12.9 $fb^{-1}$ collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the exclusive Born cross sections and the effective form factors of the reaction $e^+e^-\rightarrow\Xi^{-}\bar\Xi^{+}$ are measured via the single baryon-tag method at 23 center-of-mass energies between 3.510 and 4.843 GeV. Evidence for the decay $\psi(3770)\rightarrow\Xi^{-}\bar\Xi^{+}$ is observed with a significance of 4.5$\sigma$ by analyzing the measured cross sections together with earlier BESIII results. For the other charmonium(-like) states $\psi(4040)$, $\psi(4160)$, $Y(4230)$, $Y(4360)$, $\psi(4415)$, and $Y(4660)$, no significant signal of their decay to $\Xi^-\bar \Xi^+$ is found. For these states, upper limits of the products of the branching fraction and the electronic partial width at the 90% confidence level are provided.Comment: 18 pages, 10 pages, 4 table

First Observation of a Three-Resonance Structure in e+e−→e^+e^-\rightarrow{non-open} Charm Hadrons

We report the measurement of the cross sections for $e^+e^-$$\rightarrow${nOCH} (nOCH stands for non-open charm hadrons) with improved precision at center-of-mass energies from 3.645 to 3.871 GeV. We observe for the first time a three-resonance structure in the energy-dependent lineshape of the cross sections, which are $\mathcal R(3760)$, $\mathcal R(3780)$ and $\mathcal R(3810)$ with significances of $9.4\sigma$, $15.7\sigma$, and $9.8\sigma$, respectively. The $\mathcal R(3810)$ is observed for the first time. We found two solutions in analysis of the cross sections. For solution I [solution II], we measure the mass, the total width and the product of electronic width and nOCH decay branching fraction to be $(3805.8 \pm 1.1 \pm 2.7)$ [$(3805.8 \pm 1.1 \pm 2.7)$] MeV/$c^2$, $(11.6 \pm 2.6 \pm 1.9)$ [$(11.5 \pm 2.5 \pm 1.8)$] MeV, and $(10.8\pm 3.2\pm 2.3)$ [$(11.0\pm 2.9\pm 2.4)$] eV for the $\mathcal R(3810)$, respectively. In addition, we measure the branching fractions ${\mathcal B}({\mathcal R}(3760)$$\rightarrow${nOCH}$)=(24.5 \pm 13.4 \pm 27.4)\% [(6.8 \pm 5.4 \pm 7.6)\%]$ for the first time, and ${\mathcal B}(\mathcal R(3780)$$\rightarrow${nOCH}$)=(11.6 \pm 5.8 \pm 7.8)\% [(10.3 \pm 4.5 \pm 6.9)\%]$. Moreover, we determine the open-charm (OC) branching fraction ${\mathcal B}({\mathcal R}$$(3760)\rightarrow${OC}$)=(75.5 \pm 13.4 \pm 27.4)\% [(93.2 \pm 5.4 \pm 7.6)\%]$, which supports the interpretation of $\mathcal R(3760)$ as an OC pair molecular state, but contained a simple four-quark state component. The first uncertainties are from fits to the cross sections, and the second are systematic

Amplitude analysis and branching fraction measurement of the decay D+→KS0π+π0π0D^{+} \to K_S^0\pi^+\pi^0\pi^0

Using 2.93 $\rm{fb}^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy 3.773\,GeV, we perform the first amplitude analysis of the decay $D^+\to K_S^0\pi^+\pi^0\pi^0$ and determine the relative magnitudes and phases of different intermediate processes. The absolute branching fraction of $D^+\to K_S^0\pi^+\pi^0\pi^0$ is measured to be $(2.888\pm0.058_{\rm stat.}\pm0.069_{\rm syst.})\%$. The dominant intermediate processes are $D^+\to K_S^0a_1(1260)^+(\to \rho^+\pi^0)$ and $D^+\to \bar{K}^{*0}\rho^+$, with branching fractions of $(8.66\pm1.04_{\rm stat.}\pm1.39_{\rm syst.})\!\times \!10^{-3}$ and $(9.70\pm0.81_{\rm stat.}\pm0.53_{\rm syst.})\!\times \!10^{-3}$, respectively

Study of the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decays Ds+→K+K+π−D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^- and Ds+→K+K+π−π0D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^-\pi^0

Based on 7.33 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV with the BESIII detector, the experimental studies of the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decays $D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^-$ and $D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^-\pi^0$ are reported. We determine the absolute branching fraction of $D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^-$ to be (${1.23^{+0.28}_{-0.25}}({\rm stat})\pm0.06({\rm syst})$) $\times 10^{-4}$. No significant signal of $D^+_s\to K^+K^+\pi^-\pi^0$ is observed and the upper limit on its decay branching fraction at 90\% confidence level is set to be $1.7\times10^{-4}$.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

Search for a scalar partner of the X(3872)X(3872) via ψ(3770)\psi(3770) decays into γηη′\gamma\eta\eta' and γπ+π−J/ψ\gamma\pi^{+}\pi^{-}J/\psi

Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb$^{-1}$ collected at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773~GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we search for a scalar partner of the $X(3872)$, denoted as $X(3700)$, via $\psi(3770)\to \gamma\eta\eta'$ and $\gamma\pi^{+}\pi^{-}J/\psi$ processes. No significant signals are observed and the upper limits of the product branching fractions ${\cal B}(\psi(3770)\to\gamma X(3700))\cdot {\cal B}(X(3700)\to \eta\eta')$ and ${\cal B}(\psi(3770)\to\gamma X(3700))\cdot {\cal B}(X(3700)\to\pi^{+}\pi^{-}J/\psi)$ are determined at the 90\% confidence level, for the narrow $X(3700)$ with a mass ranging from 3710 to 3740 MeV/$c^2$, which are from 0.8 to 1.8 $(\times 10^{-5})$ and 0.9 to 3.4 $(\times 10^{-5})$, respectively

Measurement of branching fractions of Λc+\Lambda_{c}^{+} decays to Σ+K+K−\Sigma^{+} K^{+} K^{-}, Σ+ϕ\Sigma^{+}\phi and Σ+K+π−(π0)\Sigma^{+} K^{+} \pi^{-}(\pi^{0})

Based on 4.5 fb$^{-1}$ data taken at seven center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.600 to 4.699 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, we measure the branching fractions of $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+}+hadrons$ relative to $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow \Sigma^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$. Combining with the world average branching fraction of $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow \Sigma^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$, their branching fractions are measured to be $(0.377\pm0.042\pm0.018\pm0.021)\%$ for $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+} K^{+} K^{-}$, $(0.200\pm0.023\pm0.010\pm0.011)\%$ for $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+} K^{+} \pi^{-}$, $(0.414\pm0.080\pm0.029\pm0.023)\%$ for $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+}\phi$ and $(0.197\pm0.036\pm0.008\pm0.011)\%$ for $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+}K^{+} K^{-}$(non-$\phi$). In all the above results, the first uncertainties are statistical, the second are systematic and the third are from external input of the branching fraction of $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow \Sigma^+ \pi^+ \pi^-$. Since no signal for $\Lambda_{c}^{+}\rightarrow\Sigma^{+} K^{+} \pi^{-}\pi^{0}$ is observed, the upper limit of its branching fraction is determined to be 0.11\% at the 90$\%$ confidence level

A coupled-channel analysis of the X(3872)X(3872) lineshape with BESIII data

We perform a study of the $X(3872)$ lineshape using the data samples of $e^+e^-\to\gamma X(3872)$, $X(3872)\to D^0\bar{D}^0 \pi^0$ and $\pi^+\pi^- J/\psi$ collected with the BESIII detector. The effects of the coupled-channels and the off-shell $D^{*0}$ are included in the parameterization of the lineshape. The lineshape mass parameter is obtained to be $M_{X}=(3871.63\pm 0.13^{+0.06}_{-0.05})$ MeV. Two poles are found on the first and second Riemann sheets corresponding to the $D^{*0}\bar{D}^0$ branch cut. The pole location on the first sheet is much closer to the $D^{*0}\bar{D}^0$ threshold than the other, and is determined to be $7.04\pm0.15^{+0.07}_{-0.08}$ MeV above the $D^0\bar{D}^0\pi^0$ threshold with an imaginary part $-0.19\pm0.08^{+0.14}_{-0.19}$ MeV