Two sides of the same coin: The roles of KLF6 in physiology and pathophysiology

The Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) family of proteins control several key biological processes that include proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, apoptosis and inflammation. Dysregulation of KLF functions have been shown to disrupt cellular homeostasis and contribute to disease development. KLF6 is a relevant example; a range of functional and expression assays suggested that the dysregulation of KLF6 contributes to the onset of cancer, inflammation-associated diseases as well as cardiovascular diseases. KLF6 expression is either suppressed or elevated depending on the disease, and this is largely due to alternative splicing events producing KLF6 isoforms with specialised functions. Hence, the aim of this review is to discuss the known aspects of KLF6 biology that covers the gene and protein architecture, gene regulation, post-translational modifications and functions of KLF6 in health and diseases. We put special emphasis on the equivocal roles of its full-length and spliced variants. We also deliberate on the therapeutic strategies of KLF6 and its associated signalling pathways. Finally, we provide compelling basic and clinical questions to enhance the knowledge and research on elucidating the roles of KLF6 in physiological and pathophysiological processes. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Quantitative HPLC Analysis of Gallic Acid in Benincasa hispida Prepared with Different Extraction Techniques (Analisis Kuantitatif HPLC terhadap Asid Galik dalam Benincasa hispida yang Disediakan dengan Pelbagai Teknik Pengekstrakan)

Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida, Bh) is traditionally claimed useful in treating asthma, cough, diabetes, haemoptysis and hemorrhages from internal organs, epilepsy, fever and balancing of the body heat. One of the major phenolic acids presented in Benincasa hispida is gallic acid, a phenolic compound which is linked with its ability in reducing Type II diabetes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different extraction techniques on the concentration of gallic acid in Bh. The Bh extracts were prepared with three different techniques namely; fresh extract (FE), low heating (LH) and drying and heating (DH). The gallic acid has been detected and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with UV-Vis detector. The amount of gallic acid detected in FE, LH and DH were 0.036, 0.050 and 0.272 mg/100 g, respectively. The limits of detection was 0.75 μg/mL while the limit of quantification and recovery were 2.50 μg/mL and 95.53%, respectively. In summary, HPLC technique coupled with UV detector systems able to quantify gallic acid in Bh extracts. The gallic acid were present at higher concentration in Bh extracted using drying and heating, followed by low heating and fresh extract methods. || Secara tradisi, kundur (Benincasa hispida, Bh) telah dipercayai berguna untuk merawati asma, batuk, diabetis, haemoptysis dan pendarahan daripada organ dalaman, kecelaruan fungsi otak, demam dan penyeimbangan suhu badan. Salah satu asid fenolik utama yang hadir dalam Benincasa hispida ialah asid galik, iaitu sebatian fenolik yang juga dikaitkan dengan keupayaannya mengubati penyakit diabetis Jenis II. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji kesan pengekstrakan berbeza terhadap kepekatan asid galik dalam Bh. Ekstrak Bh disediakan dengan tiga jenis teknik pengekstrakan yang berbeza iaitu pengekstrakan segar (FE), pemanasan suhu rendah (LH) dan pengeringan dan pemanasan (DH). Asid galik telah dikesan dan ditentukan menggunakan kreomatografi cecair berprestasi tinggi (HPLC) yang dilengkapi dengan pengesan cahaya nampak ultra ungu (UV-Vis). Jumlah asid galik yang dikesan dalam FE, LH dan DH masing-masing adalah 0.036, 0.050 dan 0.272 mg/100 g. Had pengesanan adalah 0.75 μg/mL manakala had penentuan dan peratus perolehan semula masing-masing adalah 2.50 μg/mL and 95.53%. Kesimpulannya, teknik HPLC yang dilengkapi pengesan sistem UV mampu menentukan kandungan asid galik dalam ekstrak Bh. Asid galik hadir pada kepekatan paling tinggi dalam Bh yang diekstrak menggunakan kaedah pengeringan dan pemanasan, diikuti dengan pemanasan suhu rendah dan pengekstrakan segar

Measurement of (anti)deuteron and (anti)proton production in DIS at HERA

The first observation of (anti)deuterons in deep inelastic scattering at HERA has been made with the ZEUS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 300--318 GeV using an integrated luminosity of 120 pb-1. The measurement was performed in the central rapidity region for transverse momentum per unit of mass in the range 0.3<p_T/M<0.7. The particle rates have been extracted and interpreted in terms of the coalescence model. The (anti)deuteron production yield is smaller than the (anti)proton yield by approximately three orders of magnitude, consistent with the world measurements.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, submitted to Nucl. Phys.

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV

Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80 GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters