Mutual Reinforcement Between Telomere Capping and Canonical Wnt Pathway Activity in the Intestinal Stem Cell Niche

Mice lacking telomerase (e.g. mTR-/-) for several generations develop dysfunctional telomeres and severe gastrointestinal pathology. Intestinal stem cell (ISC) abnormalities in late-generation mTR mice have been described, and we set out to characterize it in more detail. Expression profiling of mTR-/- crypts and an unbiased gene set enrichment analysis revealed broadly decreased expression of Wnt pathway genes in crypt epithelia and underlying stroma. We describe abnormalities in the Wnt-dependent intestinal stem cell (ISC) niche in these mice, including decreased expression of ISC marker genes Ascl2, Lgr5, and Sox9. The importance of these changes was revealed by rescue of crypt apoptosis along with Ascl2 and Sox9 expression upon treatment of mice with Wnt pathway agonists, as well as enhanced survival and Lgr5 expression in cultured mTR-/- intestinal crypts. Rescue was associated with reduced telomere-dysfunction induced foci (TIFs) and anaphase bridges, indicating improved telomere capping, which correlates with upregulation of Trf2 and Pot1a, encoding capping proteins in the shelterin complex. Similar gene expression changes, and rescue by Wnt pathway activation, were observed in human cells suffering from telomere dysfunction, including those derived from dyskeratosis congenita and Werner syndrome patients. These findings are independent of previously suggested connections between Wnt and the catalytic component of telomerase, TERT, and demonstrate a mutually reinforcing relationship between telomere capping and Wnt signaling, which may provide new approaches to diseases characterized by telomere dysfunction

Exploring the effect of AR filter on perceived brand image: The mediating role of realistic experience

Following its extensive application in study on consumers\u27 retail experience, AR (augmented reality) technology has been increasingly applied in social media, notably the AR filter service, which has been embraced by quite a few brands as a novel marketing tool, taking advantage of its entertaining value and dissemination effect to boost brands\u27 perceived image among consumers. However, there have been fewer studies that examine the effectiveness of brand-developed AR filter services in enhancing consumer perceptions of brand image in the context of social media. To bridge the research gap, the study, based on the S-O-R model, looked into the effect of consumers\u27 cognition of AR-filter features on the realism of their experience and thus their perceived brand image. The study was carried out via a questionnaire survey of users of AR filters developed by brand-developed in social media, with its findings having both academic and practical implications for this field

A MIXED PERMIAN–TRIASSIC BOUNDARY BRACHIOPOD FAUNA FROM GUIZHOU PROVINCE, SOUTH CHINA

Although many studies have been concerned with Changhsingian brachiopod faunas in South China, brachiopod faunas of the mixed nearshore clastic–carbonate facies have not been studied in detail. In this paper, a brachiopod fauna collected from the Changhsingian Wangjiazhai Formation and the Griesbachian Yelang Formation at the Liuzhi section (Guizhou Province, South China) is described. The Liuzhi section represents mixed clastic–carbonate facies and yields 30 species of 16 genera of brachiopod. Among the described and illustrated species, new morphological features of genera Peltichia, Prelissorhynchia and Spiriferellina are provided. Because of limited materials, four undetermined species instead of new species from these three genera are proposed. The Liuzhi brachiopod fauna from lower part of the Wangjiazhai Formation shares most genera with fauna of carbonate facies in South China, and the fauna from the upper part is similar to that from the Zhongzhai and Zhongying sections, representative shallow-water clastic facies sections in Guizhou Province. Consistent with the lithological feature of the Wangjiazhai Formation at the Liuzhi section, the Liuzhi brachiopod fauna shows similar changing pattern with fauna from sections of shallow-water clastic and carbonate facies, and all present a sudden decline of diversity prior to the Permian–Triassic boundary

Stretching Micro Metal Particles into Uniformly Dispersed and Sized Nanoparticles in Polymer.

There is a longstanding challenge to disperse metal nanoparticles uniformly in bulk polymers for widespread applications. Conventional scale-down techniques often are only able to shrink larger elements (such as microparticles and microfibers) into micro/nano-elements (i.e. nanoparticles and nanofibers) without much altering their relative spatial and size distributions. Here we show an unusual phenomenon that tin (Sn) microparticles with both poor size distribution and spatial dispersion were stretched into uniformly dispersed and sized Sn nanoparticles in polyethersulfone (PES) through a stack and draw technique in thermal drawing. It is believed that the capillary instability plays a crucial role during thermal drawing. This novel, inexpensive, and scalable method overcomes the longstanding challenge to produce bulk polymer-metal nanocomposites (PMNCs) with a uniform dispersion of metallic nano-elements

Application of Embryonic Stem Cells on Parkinson's Disease Therapy

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the ability to reproduce themselves for a long period and differentiate into specific morphological and functional cells. The ES cells are an important material in developmental biology, genomics, and transgenic methods, as well as in potential clinical applications, gene therapy and tissue engineering. The pluripotent ES cells will be a valuable source in the treatment of numerous functional degenerative pathologies including Parkinson's disease (PD), which is characterized by progressive and selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra. Thus, the most important for using ES cells in PD therapy is to direct their differentiation into dopaminergic phenotype to replace the degenerated cells. In this review, we summarize the neural differentiation directing protocol, transplantation results, and behavioral recovery of ES cells derived dopaminergic neurons in the therapeutic studies in PD animal models

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist versus basal insulin in type-2 diabetic patients: An efficacy and safety analysis

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist with that of basal insulin in type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: Type-2 diabetes patients who were insensitive to metformin were treated with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GP cohort, n = 115) or basal insulin (BI cohort, n = 152) with metformin. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level and body weight were determined, and adverse effects also recorded. Results: After 16 weeks of treatment, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist did not significantly reduce HbA1c levels (7.45 ± 2.11 % vs. 7.01 ± 2.01, p = 0.107). In contrast, basal insulin significantly reduced the levels of HbA1c (7.91 ± 2.98 % vs. 7.13 ± 2.22 %, p = 0.010, q = 3.852). Glucagon-likepeptide 1 receptor agonist reduced the body weight of patients (65.25 ± 7.55 kg vs. 62.16 ± 6.15 kg, p = 0.0008, q = 5.121), unlike basal insulin (63.71 ± 6.15 vs. 62.65 ± 6.76 kg, p = 0.154). Conclusion: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist and basal insulin + metformin produce identical effectiveness in the treatment of type-2 diabetic patients. Keywords: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, Glycemic control, Insulin, Metformin, Type-2 diabete

An Empirical Study Of It Development In The Banking Industry Of Taiwan

The focal point adopted in the present study is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and its adoption in Taiwan’s banking industry. Since the current challenge banks are facing is in implementing and supporting new technological solutions that will enable them to be more responsive and flexible to their clients, a quantitative research methodology was employed in the present study in an attempt to answer the following research question: What are the critical factors that explain the degree of success in the deployment of CRM systems in Taiwan’s banking industry? First, based on the findings from the previous studies, an exploratory study consisting of focus-group interviews was conducted to uncover the nature of the problems confronting the banks in adopting CRM. Second, based on the findings from this preliminary investigation, a quantitative analysis using survey and statistical methods was conducted to identify possible answers to the research question. The research done with the present study has uncovered a number of factors which can be used to guide companies for a successful CRM deployment. These factors include primacy of customer service, customizing CRM functions/modules, discovering customers’ needs, maintaining employee’s moral, conducting a decision support system. If the major goal of implementing a CRM system is to improve the overall CRM deployment, the management in Taiwan’s banking industry should then emphasize three of two factors: primacy of customer service and customizing CRM functions/modules