A critical role for hepatic protein arginine methyltransferase 1 isoform 2 in glycemic control

Appropriate control of hepatic gluconeogenesis is essential for the organismal survival upon prolonged fasting and maintaining systemic homeostasis under metabolic stress. Here, we show protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), a key enzyme that catalyzes the protein arginine methylation process, particularly the isoform encoded by Prmt1 variant 2 (PRMT1V2), is critical in regulating gluconeogenesis in the liver. Liver‐specific deletion of Prmt1 reduced gluconeogenic capacity in cultured hepatocytes and in the liver. Prmt1v2 was expressed at a higher level compared to Prmt1v1 in hepatic tissue and cells. Gain‐of‐function of PRMT1V2 clearly activated the gluconeogenic program in hepatocytes via interactions with PGC1α, a key transcriptional coactivator regulating gluconeogenesis, enhancing its activity via arginine methylation, while no effects of PRMT1V1 were observed. Similar stimulatory effects of PRMT1V2 in controlling gluconeogenesis were observed in human HepG2 cells. PRMT1, specifically PRMT1V2, was stabilized in fasted liver and hepatocytes treated with glucagon, in a PGC1α‐dependent manner. PRMT1, particularly Prmt1v2, was significantly induced in the liver of streptozocin‐induced type 1 diabetes and high fat diet‐induced type 2 diabetes mouse models and liver‐specific Prmt1 deficiency drastically ameliorated diabetic hyperglycemia. These findings reveal that PRMT1 modulates gluconeogenesis and mediates glucose homeostasis under physiological and pathological conditions, suggesting that deeper understanding how PRMT1 contributes to the coordinated efforts in glycemic control may ultimately present novel therapeutic strategies that counteracts hyperglycemia in disease settings.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/10/fsb221018-sup-0005-FigS5.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/9/fsb221018-sup-0001-FigS1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/8/fsb221018-sup-0003-FigS3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/7/fsb221018-sup-0008-FigS8.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/6/fsb221018-sup-0002-FigS2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/5/fsb221018_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/4/fsb221018.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/3/fsb221018-sup-0007-FigS7.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/2/fsb221018-sup-0006-FigS6.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163465/1/fsb221018-sup-0004-FigS4.pd

Contrasting plant–microbe interrelations on soil Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and pyrene degradation by three dicotyledonous plant species

Plants and associated microbial communities can actively participate in the biodegradation of organic pollution. Potexperiments were conducted to explore the plant–microbe interrelations on Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and pyrene degradation in a soil culture system. Three dicotyledonous plant species, Ceylon spinach (Gynuracusimbua (D. Don) S. Moore), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and Shuidong mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Coss.var. foliosa Bailey), were cultivated for 45 days in DEHP and pyrene co-contaminated soils using three initial content levels: 0 (T0), 20 (T20) and 50 mg kg−1 (T50) with no plants (NP) as control. The results demonstrated that Shuidong mustard biomass and sunflower biomass had significantly positive correlations with the removal rate of DEHP (P < .05), respectively, while Ceylon spinach biomass has no significant correlation with the removal rate of DEHP. Shuidong mustard–actinomycetes and Ceylon spinach–actinomycetes accelerated the removal rate of pyrene, and sunflower–gram-positive bacteria could also enhance the removal rate of pyrene. Our results suggest that a better understanding of plant–microbe interrelations could be exploited to enhance the phytoremediation of organic co-contaminated soils

Cartografia e memoria: alcuni argomenti in favore del nozionismo nella didattica della geografia

Insegnando geografia alla Facoltà di Lettere, accade spesso d’imbattersi in alcuni esilaranti e deprimenti errori (figli di un’imperitura rivoluzione culturale che da decenni combatte il nozionismo) dai quali possono derivare utili informazioni. Lo studente che, innanzi ad una carta muta del Polo Nord, matura il dubbio che possa trattarsi del Polo Sud, in prima battuta genera depressione e ilarità; in un secondo momento, tuttavia, induce a riflettere sull’esistenza di una singolare memoria selettiva che fa ricordare (pur vagamente) il reticolato di una proiezione polare e non il disegno della Terra (richiamando alla mente i racconti di Oliver Sacks). Insieme ad altri esempi, questo fa riflettere sulla funzione e sull’influenza della cartografia nella formazione geografica degli studenti, imponendo il dovere di cercare una via per porre ordine nella farraginosa selva di ricordi, così da trasformare la tanto vituperata “nozione” nella più nobile “memoria”

From Crystal Structures of RgIA4 in Complex with Ac-AChBP to Molecular Determinants of Its High Potency of &alpha;9&alpha;10 nAChR

&alpha;9-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been shown to play critical roles in neuropathic pain. The &alpha;-conotoxin (&alpha;-CTx) RgIA and its analog RgIA4 were identified as the most selective inhibitor of &alpha;9&alpha;10 nAChR. However, the mechanism of their selectivity toward &alpha;9&alpha;10 nAChR remains elusive. Here, we reported the co-crystal structure of RgIA and RgIA4 in complex with Aplysia californica acetylcholine binding protein (Ac-AChBP) at resolution of 2.6 &Aring;, respectively. Based on the structure of the complexes, together with molecular dynamic simulation (MD-simulation), we suggested the key residues of &alpha;9&alpha;10 nAChR in determining its high affinity for RgIA/RgIA4. This is the first time the complex between pain-related conotoxins and Ac-AChBP was reported and the complementary side of &alpha;9 subunit in binding of the antagonists shown. These results provide realistic template for the design of new therapeutic in neuropathic pain

Invasive acupuncture for gastroparesis after thoracic or abdominal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating postsurgical gastroparesis syndrome (PGS) after thoracic or abdominal surgery.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Twelve databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline (Ovid) (from 1946), Web of Science, EBSCO, Scopus, Open Grey, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP) and China Biology Medicine disc (CBM)) and three registration websites (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), ClinicalTrials.gov, and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR)) were searched from the inception to September 2022, and citations of the included literature were screened.Eligibility criteria All randomised controlled trials addressing invasive acupuncture for PGS.Data extraction and synthesis Key information on the included studies was extracted by two reviewers independently. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% CI was used for categorical data, and mean difference with 95% CI for continuous data. The quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Outcomes were conducted with trial sequential analysis (TSA).Results Fifteen studies with 759 patients met the inclusion criteria. Subgroup analyses revealed that compared with the drug group, the drug and acupuncture group had a greater positive effect on the total effective rate (TER) (nine trials, n=427; RR=1.20; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.32; P-heterogeneity=0.20, I2=28%, p=0.0004) and the recovery rate (RCR) (six trials, n = 294; RR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.30 to 1.98; P-heterogeneity=0.29, I2=19%, p&lt;0.0001) of PGS after abdominal surgery. However, acupuncture showed no significant advantages in terms of the TER after thoracic surgery (one trial, p=0.13) or thoracic/abdominal surgery-related PGS (two trials, n = 115; RR=1.18; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.57; P-heterogeneity=0.08, I2=67%, p=0.24) and the RCR after thoracic/abdominal surgery (two trials, n=115; RR=1.40; 95% CI 0.97 to 2.01; P-heterogeneity=0.96, I2=0%, p=0.07). The quality of evidence for TER and RCR was moderate certainty. Only one study reported an acupuncture-related adverse event, in the form of mild local subcutaneous haemorrhage and pain that recovered spontaneously. TSA indicated that outcomes reached a necessary effect size except for clinical symptom score.Conclusion Based on subgroup analysis, compared with the drug treatment, acupuncture combined drug has significant advantages in the treatment of PGS associated with abdominal surgery, but not with thoracic surgery.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022299189

Catheter ablation for treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Background There is a little evidence for the effects of catheter ablation (CA) on hard endpoints in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF). Methods PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling patients with AF and HF who were assigned to CA, rate control or medical rhythm control groups. This meta-analysis was performed by using random-effect models. Results Seven RCTs enrolling 856 participants were included in this meta-analysis. CA reduced the risks of all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR] 0.52, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.76), HF readmission (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.66) and the composite of all-cause mortality and HF readmission (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.66) when compared with control. But there was no significant difference in cerebrovascular accident (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.36) between two groups. Compared with control, CA was associated with improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (mean difference [MD] 7.57, 95% CI 3.72 to 11.41), left ventricular end systolic volume (MD -14.51, 95% CI -26.84 to − 2.07), and left ventricular end diastolic volume (MD -3.78, 95% CI -18.51 to 10.96). Patients undergoing CA exhibited increased peak oxygen consumption (MD 3.16, 95% CI 1.09 to 5.23), longer 6-min walk test distance (MD 26.67, 95% CI 12.07 to 41.27), and reduced Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores (MD -9.49, 95% CI -14.64 to − 4.34) than those in control group. Compared with control, CA was associated with improved New York Heart Association class (MD -0.74, 95% CI -0.83 to − 0.64) and lower B-type natriuretic peptide levels (MD -105.96, 95% CI -230.56 to 19.64). Conclusions CA was associated with improved survival, morphologic changes, functional capacity and quality of life relative to control. CA should be considered in patients with AF and HF

Adsorption and controlled release performances of flavor compounds by rice bran insoluble dietary fiber improved through steam explosion method

In this study, steam explosion was employed as a modification process for rice bran insoluble dietary fiber (RBIDF) to improve the flavor adsorption and controlled release capacities of RBIDF. Results showed that the flavor adsorption ability of RBIDF was effectively improved due to the unfolding structure, increased specific surface area and pore volume and exposure of more functional groups after steam explosion treatment. The mechanism of the flavor adsorption behavior of modified RBIDF was preliminarily explored using adsorption kinetics and isotherms combined with SEM and DSC analysis. Results showed that the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model yielded the best fit to the adsorption data, indicating monolayer adsorption of flavor onto the modified RBIDF, and the adsorption was mainly driven by chemisorption process. The flavor release profile of modified RBIDF was investigated by HS-SPME/GC-MS and E-nose. After long-time storage, the flavor compounds were retained at a higher concentration in the modified RBIDF compared with the untreated RBIDF, indicating that the steam explosion treatment prolonged the retention time and enhanced the retention and controlled release capacities of RBIDF for flavor compounds. This study provides indications for potential applications of steam explosion-modified RBIDF as a novel flavor delivery system and functional ingredient

synthesisofsapo35molecularsieveanditscatalyticpropertiesinthemethanoltoolefinsreaction

以六亚甲基亚胺为模板剂,采用水热法合成了不同硅含量的磷酸硅铝分子筛SAPO-35,并利用X射线衍射、X射线荧光光谱、扫描电镜、固体核磁、X射线光电子能谱和N2吸附-脱附等方法对样品进行了表征.研究了不同硅含量的SAPO-35分子筛在甲醇转化制烯烃反应中的催化行为,同时对比分析了具有相近硅含量的SAPO-35和SAPO-34分子筛在甲醇转化反应过程中积炭物种随反应时间的演变特征,尝试将分子筛结构和其积炭失活行为进行了关联