Adenylate kinase phosphate energy shuttle underlies energetic communication in flagellar axonemes.

The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species. Enzymatic shuttles, particularly adenylate kinase (AK) and creatine kinase (CK), are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP, showing distinct tissue- and species-specificity. Here, the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups, of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates. Both AK8 and AK9 were found to be indispensable to male reproduction after analysis of an infertile male cohort. Knockout mouse models showed that AK8 and AK9 were central to promoting sperm motility. Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry revealed that AK8 and AK9 interact with the radial spoke (RS) of the axoneme. Examination of various human and mouse sperm samples with substructural damage, including the presence of multiple RS subunits, showed that the head of radial spoke 3 acts as an adapter for AK9 in the flagellar axoneme. Using an ATP probe together with metabolomic analysis, it was found that AK8 and AK9 cooperatively regulated ATP transfer in the axoneme, and were concentrated at sites associated with energy consumption in the flagellum. These findings indicate a novel function for RS beyond its structural role, namely, the regulation of ATP transfer. In conclusion, the results expand the functional spectrum of AK proteins and suggest a fresh model regarding ATP transfer within mammalian flagella.

Endotracheal cuff undersizing diagnosed by computed tomography: Case report.

We herein report a case in which the trachea could be completely sealed only when the cuff pressure reached 100 cmH2O. An excessive cross-sectional area of the trachea is a rare phenomenon, but we believe that our case will be helpful for clinicians who encounter similar situations.

The Association Between RAPSN Methylation in Peripheral Blood and Early Stage Lung Cancer Detected in Case-Control Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Early detection is essential to improve the survival and life quality of lung cancer (LC) patients. Changes of peripheral blood DNA methylation could be associated with malignancy but were mostly studied in Caucasians. METHODS: Here, in a Chinese population, we performed mass spectrometry assays to investigate the association between very early stage LC and methylation levels of RAPSN in the peripheral blood by a case-control cohort using of 221 LC patients (93.2% LC at stage I) and 285 unrelated cancer free control individuals. RESULTS: The odds ratios (ORs) of all CpG sites were evaluated for their risk to LC using inter-quartile analyses by logistic regression. In general, we observed an association between very early LC and decreased methylation of RAPSN_CpG_1.15 and RAPSN_CpG_3.4 (referring to Q4, OR range from 1.64 to 1.81, p<0.05). Stratified by gender, while hypomethylation of RAPSN_CpG_1.15, RAPSN_CpG_3.4 and RAPSN_CpG_7.14 were associated with LC in males (referring to Q4, ORs range from 1.94 to 2.31, p<0.05), RAPSN_CpG_2 and RAPSN_CpG_5 showed significantly lower methylation in female LC patients comparing to controls (referring to Q4, ORs range from 2.49 to 3.60, p<0.05). The risk of RAPSN hypomethylation to LC was enhanced by aging, and typically for people older than 55 years (referring to Q4, ORs range from 2.17 to 3.61 in six out of all 10 analyzed CpG groups, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study reveals an association between RAPSN hypomethylation in peripheral blood and LC and suggests the occurrence of altered blood-based methylation at the early stage of cancer.

Serum iron levels are negatively correlated with serum triglycerides levels in female university students.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia is common among the general population, and its prevention is urgently needed particularly for the health of students. The purpose of our study was to explore the relationship between serum iron level and blood lipids. METHODS: A sample of 290 university students was collected in this cross-section study. The blood lipids and serum iron levels were determined. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between serum iron level and blood lipids. RESULTS: The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 8.8% among male students and 5.4% among female students. The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was7.2% among the total students. The results showed that serum iron level was negatively correlated with triglyceride (TG), but was positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)-cholesterol, and total cholesterol (TC) in female students. Female students with serum iron less than 15 mmol/L had higher levels of serum TG than female students with serum iron 15 mmol/L or above (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that lower serum iron levels may be a risk factor of high serum TG in female students. Supplementation of iron may be a strategy for prevention of high serum TG in female students.

Triclosan inhibits the activation of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts induced by lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Periodontitis is a highly prevalent, chronic, non-specific, and immunologically devastating disease of periodontal tissues, caused by microbial infection. This study aims to examine the efficacy and protective mechanism of triclosan (TCS), a bisphenolic, non-cationic component of oral care products, against periodontal inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide purified from Porphyromonas gingivalis (LPS-PG). TCS markedly downregulated interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, and IL-15 in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPDLFs) treated with LPS-PG. By using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach, 318 differentially expressed proteins (161 upregulated and 157 downregulated) were identified in TCS-pretreated HPDLFs. TCS upregulated HSPA5 and HSP90B1 but downregulated HSPA2. Besides, TCS upregulated miR-548i in HPDLFs, which downregulated IL-15. These results indicate that TCS attenuates the activation of HPDLFs and downregulates the inflammatory cytokines through various mechanisms, thus highlighting its protective role in periodontal inflammation.

Multislice spiral computed tomography signs of invasion of the renal capsule by renal cell carcinoma.

Capsular invasion is frequently detected in localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) specimens and is associated with a poor prognosis, but the pretreatment imaging features are poorly known. This study aimed to explore the positions and margin types of RCC and various computed tomography (CT) signs, as well as the correlations with the presence/absence of RCC invasion of the renal capsule.This was a retrospective study of 158 consecutive patients treated for pathologically confirmed RCC between January 2013 and December 2016 at the Nantong University Affiliated Hospital. The patients were divided into the capsule invasion and noninvasion groups. The CT signs were analyzed (position type, margin type, and CT findings in the perirenal fat).There were 92 (58.2%) men and 66 (41.8%) women; mean age was 59.1 ±â€Š12.8. Renal capsule invasion was confirmed in 45 cases. There was no difference in the position types between the 2 groups (all P > .05). The smooth margin was more common in the noninvasion group (53.1% vs 15.6%, P < .01). The deep lobulated type and the saw tooth sign were more common in the invasion group (57.8% vs 7.1%; and 40.0% vs 6.2%; both P < .01). The deep lobulated (OR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.21-3.39, P = .007) and saw tooth (OR = 1.036, 95%CI: 1.008-1.065, P = .011) signs were independently associated with renal capsule invasion.Smooth tumor margin suggests the absence of renal capsule invasion, while the deep lobulated and the saw tooth signs strongly suggest the presence of renal capsule invasion in patients with RCC.