Association of circulating omentin level and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundMetabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is closely associated with omentin, a novel adipokine that plays a vital role in metabolic balance. The literature about the relationship between circulating omentin and MAFLD is conflicting. Therefore, this meta-analysis evaluated circulating omentin levels in patients with MAFLD compared with healthy controls to explore the role of omentin in MAFLD.MethodsThe literature search was performed up to April 8, 2022, using PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, CBM, Clinical Trials Database and Grey Literature Database. This meta-analysis pooled the statistics in Stata and presented the overall results using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsTwelve studies with 1624 individuals (927 cases and 697 controls) were included, and all of them were case-control studies. In addition, ten of twelve included studies were conducted on Asian participants. Patients with MAFLD had significantly lower circulating omentin levels than healthy controls (SMD=-0.950 [-1.724, -0.177], P=0.016). Subgroup analysis and meta-regression demonstrated that fasting blood glucose (FBG) might be the source of heterogeneity and was inversely associated with omentin levels (coefficient=-0.538, P=0.009). No significant publication bias existed (P>0.05), and outcomes were robust in the sensitivity analysis.ConclusionLower circulating omentin levels were associated with MAFLD, and FBG might be the source of heterogeneity. Since Asian studies accounted for a significant portion of the meta-analysis, the conclusion might be more applicable to the Asian population. By investigating the relationship between omentin and MAFLD, this meta-analysis laid the foundation for the development of diagnostic biomarkers and treatment targets.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022316369

Ion-dependent dynamics of DNA ejections for bacteriophage lambda

We study the control parameters that govern the dynamics of in vitro DNA ejection in bacteriophage lambda. Past work has demonstrated that bacteriophage DNA is highly pressurized; this pressure has been hypothesized to help drive DNA ejection. Ions influence this process by screening charges on DNA; however, a systematic variation of salt concentrations to explore these effects has not been undertaken. To study the nature of the forces driving DNA ejection, we performed in vitro measurements of DNA ejection in bulk and at the single-phage level. We present measurements on the dynamics of ejection and on the self-repulsion force driving ejection. We examine the role of ion concentration and identity in both measurements, and show that the charge of counter-ions is an important control parameter. These measurements show that the frictional force acting on the ejecting DNA is subtly dependent on ionic concentrations for a given amount of DNA in the capsid. We also present evidence that phage DNA forms loops during ejection; we confirm that this effect occurs using optical tweezers. We speculate this facilitates circularization of the genome in the cytoplasm.Comment: David Wu and David Van Valen contributed equally to this project. 28 pages (including supplemental information), 4 figure

Enhanced daytime secondary aerosol formation driven by gas-particle partitioning in downwind urban plumes

Anthropogenic emissions from city clusters can significantly enhance secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in the downwind regions, while the mechanism is poorly understood. To investigate the effect of pollutants within urban plumes on organic aerosol (OA) evolution, a field campaign was conducted at a downwind site of the Pearl River Delta region of China in the fall of 2019. A time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer coupled with a Filter Inlet for Gases and Aerosol (FIGAERO-CIMS) was used to probe the gas- and particle-phase molecular composition and thermograms of organic compounds. For air masses influenced by urban pollution, strong daytime SOA formation through gas-particle partitioning was observed, resulting in higher OA volatility. The obvious SOA enhancement was mainly attributed to the equilibrium partitioning of non-condensable (C * ≥ 100.5 μg m-3) organic vapors. We speculated that the elevated NOx concentration could suppress the formation of highly oxidized products, resulting in a smooth increase of condensable (C * < 100.5 μg m-3) organic vapors. Evidence showed that urban pollutants (NOx and VOCs) could enhance the oxidizing capacity, while the elevated VOCs was mainly responsible for promoting daytime SOA formation by increasing the RO2 production rate. Our results highlight the important role of urban anthropogenic pollutants in SOA control in the suburban region

Estimating the effective wavelength of the thermal band for accurate brightness temperature retrieval: Methods and comparison

Conference Name:2011 IEEE International Conference on Spatial Data Mining and Geographical Knowledge Services, ICSDM 2011 - In Conjunction with 8th Beijing International Workshop on Geographical Information Science, BJ-IWGIS 2011. Conference Address: Fuzhou, China. Time:June 29, 2011 - July 1, 2011.The Chinese Academy of Science (CAS); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); Inst. Geogr. Sci. Nat. Resour. Res. Chin. Acad. Sci. (CAS); Fuzhou University; University of CalabriaBrightness temperature (BT) obtained accurately from the at-sensor radiance observed by thermal remotely sensed imagery is primary but indispensable, especially for sensors provided with just one thermal channel. It is readily to estimate BT by using several empirical constants which were obtained and validated through pre-launch calibration, such as those for Landsat TM/ETM. Whereas, for some other sensors (e.g. HJ-1B and CBERS-02), of which the calibration results are always unacquirable to the general users. Nevertheless, previous studies indicated that the effective wavelength was a proper solution for this issue. But, the problem is how to estimate the effective wavelength for each specific thermal band, including that of Landsat TM/ETM, HJ-1B, CBERS-02 and ASTER B13/B14. In this paper, several possible methods were discussed and compared. According to the comparison analysis, an Iterative procedure gave a suitable effective wavelength through which the BT was able to be retrieved precisely. Then, the detailed discussions verified the possibility that using a suitable effective wavelength in BT retrieval procedure, particularly in the case of the pre-launch calibration results are not in hand. Finally, based on our findings, the empirical constants were calculated in order to obtain BT accurately and practicably from the thermal bands of HJ-1B and CBERS-02. ? 2011 IEEE

USP24-dependent stabilization of Runx2 recruits a p300/NCOA3 complex to transactivate ADAMTS genes and promote degeneration of intervertebral disc in chronic inflammation mice

Abstract Background Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) naturally occurs during the aging process. Its occurrence is closely related to chronic inflammation; however, the causal relationship between them is controversial. This study aimed to investigate if inflammation would promote IDD incidence and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods A chronic inflammation mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine proinflammatory cytokines in serum. Histological staining was used to evaluate the degeneration of IVDs. Immunoblots and RT-qPCR analyses were performed to measure protein and mRNA expression levels. Immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to determine the assembly of protein complex. Results We found that an inflammatory microenvironment activated p38 kinase, which phosphorylated the Runx2 transcription factor at the Ser28 site. The phosphorylated Runx2 (pRunx2) then recruited a deubiquitinase, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 24 (USP24), which stabilized pRunx2 and protected it from ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. The stabilized pRunx2 recruited histone acetyltransferase p300 and nuclear receptor coactivator 3 (NCOA3) to assemble a complex. This NCOA3-p300-pRunx2 complex then transactivated the expression of 13 ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif) genes, thereby promoting the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in intervertebral discs (IVDs) and causing IDD. Administration of either a p38 inhibitor (doramapimod), a NCOA3 inhibitor (bufalin), or a p300 inhibitor (EML425) significantly decreased the expression of the 13 ADAMTS genes and slowed the degeneration of IVDs. Conclusion In summary, our results demonstrate that USP24 protects pRunx2 from proteasomal degradation under chronic inflammation conditions, enabling pRunx2 to transactivate ADAMTS genes and degrade ECM. Our findings provide direct evidence that chronic inflammation triggers IDD and offer a therapeutic strategy for retarding IDD in patients with chronic inflammation

Septins 2, 7 and 9 and MAP4 colocalize along the axoneme in the primary cilium and control ciliary length

Septins are a large, evolutionarily conserved family of GTPases that form hetero-oligomers and interact with the actin-based cytoskeleton and microtubules. They are involved in scaffolding functions, and form diffusion barriers in budding yeast, the sperm flagellum and the base of primary cilia of kidney epithelial cells. We investigated the role of septins in the primary cilium of retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, and found that SEPT2 forms a 1:1:1 complex with SEPT7 and SEPT9 and that the three members of this complex colocalize along the length of the axoneme. Similar to observations in kidney epithelial cells, depletion of cilium-localized septins by siRNA-based approaches inhibited ciliogenesis. MAP4, which is a binding partner of SEPT2 and controls the accessibility of septins to microtubules, was also localized to the axoneme where it appeared to negatively regulate ciliary length. Taken together, our data provide new insights into the functions and regulation of septins and MAP4 in the organization of the primary cilium and microtubule-based activities in cells

Artificial intelligence-based analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte spatial distribution for colorectal cancer prognosis

Abstract. Background:. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology represented by deep learning has made remarkable achievements in digital pathology, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. The spatial distribution of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells within the tumor microenvironment has been demonstrated to have a significant impact on the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to investigate CD3CT (CD3+ T cells density in the core of the tumor [CT]) prognostic ability in patients with CRC by using AI technology. Methods:. The study involved the enrollment of 492 patients from two distinct medical centers, with 358 patients assigned to the training cohort and an additional 134 patients allocated to the validation cohort. To facilitate tissue segmentation and T-cells quantification in whole-slide images (WSIs), a fully automated workflow based on deep learning was devised. Upon the completion of tissue segmentation and subsequent cell segmentation, a comprehensive analysis was conducted. Results:. The evaluation of various positive T cell densities revealed comparable discriminatory ability between CD3CT and CD3-CD8 (the combination of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells density within the CT and invasive margin) in predicting mortality (C-index in training cohort: 0.65 vs. 0.64; validation cohort: 0.69 vs. 0.69). The CD3CT was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor, with high CD3CT density associated with increased overall survival (OS) in the training cohort (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12–0.38, P <0.001) and validation cohort (HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.05–0.92, P = 0.037). Conclusions:. We quantify the spatial distribution of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells within tissue regions in WSIs using AI technology. The CD3CT confirmed as a stage-independent predictor for OS in CRC patients. Moreover, CD3CT shows promise in simplifying the CD3-CD8 system and facilitating its practical application in clinical settings