The role of the CXCR6/CXCL16 axis in the pathogenesis of fibrotic disease.

CXC chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6), a seven-transmembrane domain G-protein-coupled receptor, plays a pivotal regulatory role in inflammation and tissue damage through its interaction with CXC chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16). This axis is implicated in the pathogenesis of various fibrotic diseases and correlates with clinical parameters that indicate disease severity, activity, and prognosis in organ fibrosis, including afflictions of the liver, kidney, lung, cardiovascular system, skin, and intestines. Soluble CXCL16 (sCXCL16) serves as a chemokine, facilitating the migration and recruitment of CXCR6-expressing cells, while membrane-bound CXCL16 (mCXCL16) functions as a transmembrane protein with adhesion properties, facilitating intercellular interactions by binding to CXCR6. The CXCR6/CXCL16 axis is established to regulate the cycle of damage and repair during chronic inflammation, either through modulating immune cell-mediated intercellular communication or by independently influencing fibroblast homing, proliferation, and activation, with each pathway potentially culminating in the onset and progression of fibrotic diseases. However, clinically exploiting the targeting of the CXCR6/CXCL16 axis requires further elucidation of the intricate chemokine interactions within fibrosis pathogenesis. This review explores the biology of CXCR6/CXCL16, its multifaceted effects contributing to fibrosis in various organs, and the prospective clinical implications of these insights.

Ancient DNA from Tubo Kingdom-related tombs in northeastern Tibetan Plateau revealed their genetic affinity to both Tibeto-Burman and Altaic populations.

The rise of the Tubo Kingdom is considered as the key period for the formation of modern groups on the Tibetan Plateau. The ethnic origin of the residents of the Tubo Kingdom is quite complex, and their genetic structure remains unclear. The tombs of the Tubo Kingdom period in Dulan County, Qinghai Province, dating back to the seventh century, are considered to be the remains left by Tubo conquerors or the Tuyuhun people dominated by the Tubo Kingdom. The human remains of these tombs are ideal materials for studying the population dynamics in the Tubo Kingdom. In this paper, we analyzed the genome-wide data of eight remains from these tombs by shotgun sequencing and multiplex PCR panels and compared the results with data of available ancient and modern populations across East Asia. Genetic continuity between ancient Dulan people with ancient Xianbei tribes in Northeast Asia, ancient settlers on the Tibetan Plateau, and modern Tibeto-Burman populations was found. Surprisingly, one out of eight individuals showed typical genetic features of populations from Central Asia. In summary, the genetic diversity of ancient Dulan people and their affiliations with other populations provide an example of the complex origin of the residents in the Tubo Kingdom and their long-distance connection with populations in a vast geographic region across ancient Asia.

The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia confuse Craib 1914, an economically valuable oil crop.

Camellia confuse Craib 1914 is an industrially valuable oil crop from southern China for which little genetic information is available. Here, we found that its complete chloroplast genome is a circular sequence (156,905 bp) with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 67,724 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 18,400 bp, and two inverted repeats (IRs). In total, 130 genes were identified, including 86 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNAs, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. confusa is close to C. meiocarpa. These results provide valuable information for accelerating research on the evolution of camellias.

[The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on dysfunction of bilateral posterior cingulate cortex after sleep deprivation: a preliminary study].

Objective: To investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the disturbance of brain network dysfunction after sleep deprivation (SD). Methods: The experimental design of self-control was used in the study. All 16 subjects received 2 times of 24 h SD with an interval of 3 weeks. After the first normal sleep, 24 h SD and transcranial electrical stimulation (true or false stimulation) intervention (the current magnitude of true and false stimulation was 1 mA, and the action time was 20 min and 2 s, respectively. The intervention experiment lasted for 20 min. ) and the resting magnetic resonance imaging data were collected after the second transcranial electrical stimulation (sham or true stimulation). The resting fMRI data were collected as baseline before SD, the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex in the default mode network was selected as the seed point, and the functional connectivity between the seed points and the whole brain was calculated. Results: Compared with the rest wakefulness, the functional connectivity among bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral thalamus and hippocampus was increased (P＜0. 01), but connected with the right precuneus, bilateral insula was decreased after 24 h SD (P＜0. 01). Compared with the sham tDCS group, the functional connectivity between left posterior cingulate cortex seed point and right precuneus of tDCS group was increased (P＜0. 01); but decreased with the bilateral thalamus, insula and right cerebral cortex (P＜0. 01). There was a decrease in the functional connectivity among the right posterior cingulate cortex and the bilateral thalamus, right insula, and cerebral cortex(P＜0. 01). Conclusion: 24-hours sleep deprivation can cause functional connection disorder of bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus, and transcranial electrical stimulation can improve the functional connection disorder after sleep deprivation to some extent.

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by Different Surgical Methods and Its Risk Factors.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of different surgical methods on postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing abdominal surgery, determine the risk factors of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) by logistic regression, and investigate these risk factors through different surgical methods. A total of 70 patients undergoing selective abdominal surgery were selected into this study. The age of these patients ranged within 32 to 85 years. The cognitive function of these patients was assessed by the mini-mental state examination at one day before the operation, and at the first and seventh day after the operation. The temperature of the tympanic membrane, PETCO2 values, visual analogue scale scores, educational level, and operation time were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze related factors of POCD. The incidence rate of perioperative hypothermia in groups O and L were 31.2 and 10.5 per cent, respectively; and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference in visual analogue scale scores at the first and seventh day after the operation between these two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The incidence of POCD in group O was significantly higher than that in group L at the first and seventh day after the operation (P < 0.05). According to logistic regression results, it was found that age, perioperative hypothermia, and postoperative pain were risk factors of POCD. The difference in POCD for the patients undergoing abdominal surgery through different surgical methods was statistically significant, and this was closely correlated to perioperative hypothermia and postoperative pain.

[Spectroscopic Study on a Direct-Current Driving Plasma Jet in Argon at Atmospheric Pressure].

With a discharge device in a hollow-needle and plate electrode configurations, an atmospheric pressure uniform plasma plume is generated by DC voltage excitation in the ambient air with argon as working gas. The plasma plume is a pulsed discharge despite a direct current voltage is applied through measurements by optical and electrical methods. In order to explain the formation mechanism of the pulse, spatially resolved signals emitted from the plume were detected. It was found that the plasma plume denoted as the luminous layer propagates (a plasma bullet) from the hollow needle to the plate electrode except for the corona discharge in the vicinity of the hollow needle tip. Optical emission spectroscopy is used to investigate the excited electron temperature of the plasma plume as a function of the applied voltage or the spatial distribution of the excited electron temperature. The results show that the excited electron temperature (about 3 eV) increases with increasing applied voltage. Moreover, it increases with the increasing distance along the gas flow under constant voltage.

[Investigation on the Spectral Characteristics of a Plasma Jet in Atmospheric Argon Glow Discharge].

Plasma jet is a kind of important plasma source at atmospheric pressure. In recent years, it becomes an important hot topic in the field of low temperature plasma. In this paper, using a tungsten needle and a tungsten wire mesh, a direct-current excited jet is developed to operate in argon at atmospheric pressure. In the atmospheric pressure argon, the plasma jet can produce a stable plasma plume. By using the method of emission spectroscopy, the parameters of the plasma plume are investigated. The discharge emits dazzling white light from the area between the tungsten needle electrode and the wire mesh electrode. A plasma plume with a flame shape appears outside the tungsten wire mesh electrode. For a constant value of voltage (U = 13.5 kV), the length of the plasma plume increases with the gas flow rate. For a constant value of the gas flow rate(10 L · min⁻¹), the length of the plasma plume increases with the voltage. The voltage is inversely proportional to the current under the constant gas flow rate. In other words, the voltage decreases with the discharge current, which indicates that a glow discharge is formed in the plasma jet. Optical emission spectrum in 300 to 800 nm is collected from the direct-current excited plasma jet. By Boltzmann plot method, the excited electron temperature of the plasma plume is investigated as a function of the applied voltage or the gas flow rate. Results show that the excited electron temperature increases with decreasing applied voltage under the constant gas flow. Moreover, it increases with decreasing the gas flow under the constant voltage. Based on the discharge theory, these experimental phenomena are explained qualitatively. These results are of great importance to the development of atmospheric pressure uniform discharge plasma source and its application in industrial field.

Overexpression of long non-coding RNA UCA1 predicts a poor prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to have important regulatory roles in cancer biology, and the lncRNA UCA1 is upregulated in several cancers such as bladder cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer, however, the contributions of UCA1 to esophageal cancer remain largely unknown. METHODS: Expression levels of lncRNA UCA1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and esophageal cancer cell lines were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and its association with overall survival of patients was analyzed by statistical analysis. Small interfering RNA was used to suppress UCA1 expression in esophageal cancer cell line. In vitro assays were conducted to further explore its underlying roles in tumor progression. RESULTS: The relative level of UCA1 was significantly higher in ESCC tissues compared to the adjacent non-tumor tissues, and remarkably higher expression of UCA1 was found in esophageal cancer cell lines compared with the immortalized esophageal epithelial cell line NE1. The ESCC patients with higher UCA1 expression had an advanced clinical stage and a poorer prognosis than those with lower expression. In vitro assays, our data indicated that downregulation of UCA1 decrease cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. CONCLUSIONS: lncRNA UCA1 might be considered as a novel molecule involved in ESCC progression, which provides a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Functional analyses of a flavonol synthase-like gene from Camellia nitidissima reveal its roles in flavonoid metabolism during floral pigmentation.

The flavonoids metabolic pathway plays central roles in floral coloration, in which anthocyanins and flavonols are derived from common precursors, dihydroflavonols. Flavonol synthase (FLS) catalyses dihydroflavonols into flavonols, which presents a key branch of anthocyanins biosynthesis. The yellow flower of Camellia nitidissima Chi. is a unique feature within the genus Camellia, which makes it a precious resource for breeding yellow camellia varieties. In this work, we characterized the secondary metabolites of pigments during floral development of C. nitidissima and revealed that accumulation of flavonols correlates with floral coloration. We first isolated CnFLS1 and showed that it is a FLS of C. nitidissima by gene family analysis. Second, expression analysis during floral development and different floral organs indicated that the expression level of CnFLS1 was regulated by developmental cues, which was in agreement with the accumulating pattern of flavonols. Furthermore, over-expression of CnFLS1 in Nicotiana tabacum altered floral colour into white or light yellow, and metabolic analysis showed significant increasing of flavonols and reducing of anthocyanins in transgenic plants. Our work suggested CnFLS1 plays critical roles in yellow colour pigmentation and is potentially a key point of genetic engineering toward colour modification in Camellia.

[Population structure and spatial distribution pattern of Camellia azalea in E' huangzhang Nature Reserve of Guangdong, China].

This paper studied the structures of basal diameter, height and canopy width of Camellia azalea population in E' huangzhang Nature Reserve of Guangdong. The spatial distribution patterns and dynamics of the population were measured by applying aggregate indices including disperse coefficient, negative binomial distribution, Cassie index, clumping index, mean crowding, patch index and Green index. The results showed that in the natural distribution region, the population was mainly composed of adult trees, and was in declining due to seriously lack of seedlings. The structures of diameter, height and canopy width were not identical among different plots. In the plots, the spatial distribution pattern of C. azalea population showed clump or random, and changed from clump to random with the development of the population.

[The secondary growth in plant and its molecular regulation].

The secondary growth is a significant biological activity for plant development, and the secondary xylem (i.e. wood) plays an important role for human life. The secondary growth includes several consecutive processes such as vascular tissue differentiation, secondary cell wall deposition, lignification, PCD and heart wood formation. Considerable evidence indicated that auxin is the major signal involved in several aspects of the ontogeny of the vascular system. At the same time, a suite of putative transcription factors such as MYB, NAC, AP2/EREBP, homeobox and MADS have been implicated in the regulation of the secondary growth. The candidate genes in the signaling and transcriptional regulation which have been identified will assist future investigations to unravel the molecular mechanisms of secondary growth. The important aspect in secondary growth and the identification of regulatory genes were reviewed here.

Ultradian rhythms and the nutritional importance of caecotrophy in captive Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii).

Ingestion of soft faeces derived from caecal contents, caecotrophy, in herbivorous small mammals is considered an adaptation to the metabolic disadvantage of small body size, especially when feeding on diets of low quality. We investigated daily activity patterns in captive Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii), including feeding, locomotion, caecotrophy, and defaecation, by continuous 24 h visual observation; and estimated the contribution of soft faeces ingestion (caecotrophy) to intake of protein and energy. Brandt's voles ingested 68.8 +/- 7.4 fecal pellets per day, averaging 17 +/- 2% of total faeces produced. The amount of faeces ingested did not differ between female and male voles or between night and day time. All animals showed average 3 h ultradian cycles in behaviour during the course of the day and night. The contributions of caecotrophy to the dietary intake of crude protein and metabolizable energy were estimated respectively as 9 and 8% on a high-protein, easily digested commercial rabbit pellet diet. However, the importance of caecotrophy to the field voles is likely to be higher on a natural diet of lower nutrient density. The rhythm of caecotrophy in voles depended mainly on the rhythm of the colonic separation mechanism in the proximal colon and passage in the distal colon, and may be regulated by feeding and other activity rhythms. Ultradian rhythms in caecotrophy helped to minimise potential conflicts in utilizing the gut, especially in balancing the caecal fermentation and salvaging nutrients contained in caecal bacteria.