Scorpion in Combination with Gypsum: Novel Antidiabetic Activities in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice by Up-Regulating Pancreatic PPARγ and PDX-1 Expressions

The management of diabetes without any side effects remains a challenge in medicine. In this study, antidiabetic activity and the mechanism of action of scorpion combined with gypsum (SG) were investigated. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice were orally administrated with scorpion (200 mg kg−1 per day) in combination with gypsum (200 mg kg−1 per day) for 5 weeks. SG treatment resulted in decreased body weight, blood glucose and lipid levels, and increased serum and pancreatic insulin levels in diabetic mice. Furthermore, SG significantly increased the number and volume of beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans and promoted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 expressions in pancreatic tissues. However, scorpion or gypsum alone had no significant effect in this animal model. Metformin showed a slight or moderate effect in this diabetic model, but this effect was weak compared with that of SG. Taken together, SG showed a new antidiabetic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. This effect may possibly be involved in enhancing beta-cell regeneration and promoting insulin secretion by targeting PPARγ and PDX-1. Moreover, this new effect of SG offers a promising step toward the treatment of diabetic patients with beta-cell failure as a complementary and alternative medicine

The Impact of Branch Prediction on Control Structures for Dynamic Dispatch in Java

Dynamic dispatch, or late binding of function calls, is a salient feature of object-oriented programming languages like C++ and Java. The target of a dispatched call changes according to the type of the object receiving the call. Due to inheritance the exact type is unknown at compile time, and therefore dispatch must occur in general at run time, implying a cost to the use of object-oriented programming languages. In previous work, we measured the performance of various equivalent non-object-oriented control structures to determine if dispatch cost can be reduced by translation. Measurements on a variety of virtual machines and hardware platforms show that alternative control structures are useful for a low number of expected types (low degrees of polymorphism). However, the gains differ substantially for different type patterns, even when the number of types is constant. The difference is likely to be caused by a processor's branch predictor, which guess the outcome of branches involved in dynamic dispatch . In this paper, we simulate branch predictors of Athlon and Pentium in order to validate this insight. The results show that branch prediction accuracy is indeed responsible. For successful optimization it is therefore not sufficient to guess the number of types occurring in a call. The type pattern should also be taken into account

Research progress on GlnR-mediated regulation in Actinomycetes

This review constitutes a summary of current knowledge on GlnR, a global regulator, that assumes a critical function in the regulation of nitrogen metabolism of Actinomycetes. In cross-regulation with other regulators, GlnR was also shown to play a role in the regulation of carbon and phosphate metabolisms as well as of secondary metabolism. A description of the structure of the GlnR protein and of its binding sites in various genes promoters regions is also provided. This review thus provides a global understanding of the critical function played by GlnR in the regulation of primary and secondary metabolism in Actinomycetes

MiR-143 enhances adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells through targeting the coding region of mouse pleiotrophin

AbstractAdipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes is a complex process regulated by various factors including miRNAs and cytokines. MiR-143 is a well known miRNA that enhances adipogenesis. Pleiotrophin (PTN), a heparin-binding growth factor, plays a negative role in adipogenesis. In this investigation, we demonstrate that PTN is a target gene of miR-143 during adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MiR-143 down regulates PTN expression through interaction with a target site of miR-143 in the coding region of mouse PTN. The rare codons upstream of the target site regulate miR143-induced translational knockdown of PTN, which provides more insight into the mechanism of adipogenic differentiation

MiRNA-Directed Regulation of VEGF and Other Angiogenic Factors under Hypoxia

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 20–24 nt non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression primarily through post-transcriptional repression or mRNA degradation in a sequence-specific manner. The roles of miRNAs are just beginning to be understood, but the study of miRNA function has been limited by poor understanding of the general principles of gene regulation by miRNAs. Here we used CNE cells from a human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line as a cellular system to investigate miRNA-directed regulation of VEGF and other angiogenic factors under hypoxia, and to explore the principles of gene regulation by miRNAs. Through computational analysis, 96 miRNAs were predicted as putative regulators of VEGF. But when we analyzed the miRNA expression profile of CNE and four other VEGF-expressing cell lines, we found that only some of these miRNAs could be involved in VEGF regulation, and that VEGF may be regulated by different miRNAs that were differentially chosen from 96 putative regulatory miRNAs of VEGF in different cells. Some of these miRNAs also co-regulate other angiogenic factors (differential regulation and co-regulation principle). We also found that VEGF was regulated by multiple miRNAs using different combinations, including both coordinate and competitive interactions. The coordinate principle states that miRNAs with independent binding sites in a gene can produce coordinate action to increase the repressive effect of miRNAs on this gene. By contrast, the competitive principle states when multiple miRNAs compete with each other for a common binding site, or when a functional miRNA competes with a false positive miRNA for the same binding site, the repressive effects of miRNAs may be decreased. Through the competitive principle, false positive miRNAs, which cannot directly repress gene expression, can sometimes play a role in miRNA-mediated gene regulation. The competitive principle, differential regulation, multi-miRNA binding sites, and false positive miRNAs might be useful strategies in the avoidance of unwanted cross-action among genes targeted by miRNAs with multiple targets

Global Infectious Diseases in August of 2022: Monthly Analysis

Infectious diseases have greatly affected the development of human history, owing to their unpredictable zoonotic characteristics. The recording of infectious diseases epidemic data provides information on disease transmission trends, and enables research on the risk of penitential epidemics and the mechanisms of transmission of infectious diseases. Recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of confirmed and fatal cases of COVID-19 since it became a pandemic in late 2019. Monkeypox also has potential for global transmission, because the World Health Organization (WHO) [ 1 ] reported cases of MPXV in at least 12 Countries that are not endemic for monkeypox virus. Africa and Southeast Asia appear to be the main regions where mosquito-borne diseases are epidemic, possibly because of the rainy weather in these regions in the past month. Tracking disease incidence and epidemic tendency remains imperative in these areas, although most infectious diseases appear to be dispersed and transmitted in only several areas at the moment

Global Infectious Diseases in September 2022: Monthly Analysis

The threat of infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms to both human health and the economy is enormous. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global pandemic. In contrast to many other infectious diseases, monkeypox spreads rapidly and cannot be ignored. Collection of data on contagious diseases can provide quantitative evidence to support effective pandemic control strategies. Global data on predominant infectious diseases collected in the past several weeks and a summary of their epidemiology are presented herein

Global Infectious Diseases in December 2022: Monthly Analysis

The emergence and reoccurrence of infectious diseases constitute a significant threat to human health. Data for this paper were mainly obtained from official websites, such as the WHO and national CDC websites. The report summarizes and analyzes information on infectious diseases for early outbreak monitoring from 24 November to 23 December 2022. Monkeypox cases declined in December 2022 with few deaths, while cholera infections have increased in African regions and war-torn countries. Most sub-Saharan countries are affected by insect-borne diseases, such as dengue, Lassa, and chikungunya fever

Global Infectious Diseases in October 2022: Monthly Analysis

Infectious diseases continue to pose a major threat to worldwide public health. Infections by Coronavirus Disease 2019 have eased but continue to negatively affect international economic development. The situation of other infectious diseases, such as monkeypox and mosquito-borne diseases, became stable in October. Monitoring epidemic situation of infectious diseases can provide rapid insight into global transmission trends and assist in predicting epidemic situations. Visualizations and analyses summarizing the past few weeks of global data on major infectious diseases are provided

Global Infectious Diseases in February 2023: Monthly Analysis

Public health security in human societies is placed under enormous strain by infectious disease epidemics. According to the WHO, COVID-19 and Mpox remain on the list of PHEICs, whereas cholera, dengue, and other contagious diseases remain endemic in several countries and regions. Data on prevalent infectious diseases have been collected worldwide in recent weeks, and may provide new ideas for international collaboration in public health