Shining light on liquid-liquid phase separation in chronic liver disease.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), a phenomenon characterized by a membrane-free structure formed by weak multivalent interactions of intracellular biological macromolecules, has attracted wide attention in the study of chronic liver diseases in recent years. LLPS has multiple roles in the occurrence and development of chronic liver disease, including regulating virus replication, affecting lipid metabolism, regulating immune response, and participating in the regulation of gene expression. This article reviews the specific mechanism of LLPS in chronic liver disease, and discusses its potential application in drug development, immunotherapy, and gene therapy, providing new ideas for the treatment of chronic liver disease.

[Ningmitai Capsules alleviate CP/CPPS symptoms by regulating Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways].

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Ningmitai Capsules (NMT) on chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and its action mechanism.

Methods: We equally randomized fifteen 6－8 weeks old male Wistar rats into a sham operation, a model control and an NMT group, and established a CP/CPPS model in the rats by intra-prostatic injection of complete Freund adjuvant (CFA). We treated the rats in the sham operation and model control groups by injection of aseptic phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and 50 μl complete Freund adjuvant (CFA), respectively, into the ventral lobe of the prostate followed by gavage with purified water from the second day after surgery, and those in the NMT group with 50 μl CFA injected into the ventral lobe of the prostate followed by gavage with 3 ml NMT suspension at 400 mg/kg/d from the second day after surgery.

The Value of FeNO and Peripheral Blood Eosinophils in Assessing Airway Eosinophilic Inflammation in Patients With Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: To evaluate the clinical value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels and peripheral blood eosinophil (EOS) counts and percentages in assessing airway eosinophilic inflammation in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).

Methods: In total, 119 AECOPD patients were included in the study. Patients were divided based on the percentage of EOS in their sputum into the airway EOS inflammation group (29 patients) and the non-airway EOS inflammation group (90 patients).

Immunotherapy in central nervous system tumour.

Immunotherapy, defined as strategies that enhance host antitumor immunity by activating innate and adaptive immune responses, has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in hematologic malignancies. However, its application in solid tumours, particularly those affecting the central nervous system (CNS) such as gliomas, brain metastases, primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL), and medulloblastomas, has been considerably slower. Major barriers to immunotherapy in these contexts include the physical and functional constraints imposed by the blood-brain barrier, tumour immune evasion, immunosuppressive microenvironments, tumour heterogeneity, and therapeutic resistance.

[Standardization of refining process of Hongsheng Dan and change law of substances].

Hongsheng Dan, historically referred to as the "surgical sacred medicine", is at risk of losing its refining technology in contemporary times. This study aimed to preserve and innovate this traditional non-heritage refining technology. By utilizing the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) combined with the entropy weight method, this study established the hierarchical structure model of refining process of Hongsheng Dan and conducted a single factor experiment and an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment to optimize the refining method of Hongsheng Dan.

Dynamic chromatin accessibility landscape changes in cardiac fibrosis.

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by the activation and abnormal proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, which secrete excessive amounts of extracellular matrix proteins. Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility regulate the structural accessibility of chromatin DNA during transcription and replication. Chromatin accessibility influences gene expression by modulating the interactions between cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors.

Novel landscapes of N6-methyladenosine modification of mitochondrial oxidative stress in organ fibrosis.

Modern medicine increasingly focuses on the treatment and alleviation of diseases before they make substantial progress, and organ fibrosis has always been an important stage in the occurrence of substantial pathological changes in organs. The important characteristics of organ fibrosis are the excessive proliferation of myofibroblasts and the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, which are regulated by a variety of complex signaling pathways and cytokines. The process of fibrosis cannot be separated from the functional support of mitochondria.

Novel insights on post-translational modifications of nucleic acid methylation proteins in hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis is a pathologic state in which there is an excessive accumulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components within the liver parenchyma. It is an ongoing process that compromises the structure and functional performance of the liver tissue. Without treatment, it may progress to end-stage liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Preparation process and change law of substances of Hydrargyrum Chloratum Compositum].

To optimize the traditional refining process of Hydrargyrum Chloratum Compositum(HCC) and explore the change law of substances before and after refining, this study applied the hierarchical analysis method(AHP)-entropy weight method, using appearance, yield, and mercuric chloride content as evaluation indexes. The temperature and time of mild and strong fire were examined as single factors, and an L_9(3~4) orthogonal experiment was used to optimize the refining process. An infrared thermal imaging platform was set up to record the temperature changes on the surface of the tank, aiming to establish a standardized operating procedure for the refining process.

Metacommunity theory and its application in community ecology of nematodes.

The mechanism underlying community assembly is a core content in the fields of biogeography and community ecology. Understanding community assembly is of great significance for biodiversity conservation. The theory of metacommunity incorporates spatial dynamics into community ecology, elucidating how ecological processes drive community construction at local and regional scales.

Cirrhosis Promotes Cardiac Fibrosis Development by Inhibiting Notch1 in Cardiac Fibroblasts.

Cardiovascular disease risk is elevated in patients with cirrhosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Herein, we found that high levels of circulating transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 were associated with an increased risk of cardiomyopathy in cirrhosis patients.

Effect of Afzelin on 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid-Induced Colitis in Mice.

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of afzelin(AFZ)in treating Crohn's disease-like colitis.Methods A mouse model of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis was established to assess the effect of AFZ on experimental colitis .A Caco-2 cell model of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α-induced inflammation was established to evaluate the effects of AFZ on the intestinal barrier function,intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis,and mitochondrial function .

[Efficacy and Safety of Decitabine-Based Myeloablative Preconditioning Regimen for allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

Objective: To analyze the efficacy and safety of decitabine-based myeloablative preconditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Methods: The clinical characteristics and efficacy of 115 AML patients who underwent allo-HSCT at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from August 2018 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 37 patients treated with decitabine conditioning regimen (decitabine group) and 78 patients without decitabine conditioning regimen (non-decitabine group). The cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), overall survival (OS), leukemia-free survival (LFS), non-relapse mortality (NRM) and graft versus host disease (GVHD) were analyzed.

Hypoxia-induced PRMT1 methylates HIF2β to promote breast tumorigenesis via enhancing glycolytic gene transcription.

Hypoxia-induced metabolic reprogramming is closely linked to breast cancer progression. Through transcriptomic analysis, we identified PRMT1 as a direct target of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) under hypoxic conditions in breast cancer cells. In turn, PRMT1 enhances the expression of HIF1α-driven glycolytic genes.

Expression Level of Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein D1 in Gastric Cancer and Its Effect on Prognosis.

Objective To investigate the expression of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein D1 (SNRPD1) in the gastric cancer tissue and evaluate the predictive value of SNRPD1 expression level for the long-term prognosis of gastric cancer patients and the possible functioning mechanism of SNRPD1. Methods The UALCAN and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) were employed to analyze the expression level of SNRPD1 in pan-cancer and its relationship with the prognosis of gastric cancer.The clinical data of 109 patients who underwent radical surgery for gastric cancer from January 2014 to January 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University were retrospectively analyzed.

SLC31A1 loss depletes mitochondrial copper and promotes cardiac fibrosis.

Background And Aims: Metals serve as co-factors for a host of metalloenzymes involved in mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming. Modifications in metal homeostasis are linked to epigenetic mechanisms. However, the epigenetic mechanisms through which metal affects cardiac fibrosis (CF) remain poorly understood.

Novel epitranscriptomic and epigenetic therapeutic strategies and targets for ferroptosis in liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is characterized by an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are influenced by epitranscriptomic and epigenetic factors. Recent advancements in epigenetic and epitranscriptomic research have revealed new opportunities for therapeutic interventions, particularly through the regulation of ferroptosis, a type of programmed cell death that is specifically linked to iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. In the context of liver fibrosis, a progressive scarring process that can progress to cirrhosis and ultimately end-stage liver disease, targeting these regulatory mechanisms to modulate ferroptosis presents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Oxidative Stress and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition: The Impact of Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase L1 in Cigarette Smoke-Induced COPD.

Purpose: Cigarette smoke (CS) has been demonstrated to mediate oxidative stress (OS) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bronchial epithelial cells, thereby contributing to airway remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Studies have shown upregulation of Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), a deubiquitinating enzyme, in the airway epithelium of smokers. Many studies indicate that UCHL1's regulation of EMT and OS has a complex role in various cell types, including respiratory epithelium.

ent-Atisane Diterpenoids with Anti-Influenza Virus Activity from Mangrove Plant Excoecaria agallocha L.

Three new ent-atisane diterpenoids, named agallolides N‒P (1-3) together with nine known diterpenoids (4-12) were isolated from the stems and twigs of the mangrove plant, Excoecaria agallocha L. . Various techniques, including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, spectroscopic methods, C-NMR calculations, DP4+ probability analysis, and equivalent circulating density calculations were applied to determine their molecular structures.

Disrupted functional connectivity of the emotion regulation network in major depressive disorder and its association with symptom improvement: A multisite resting-state functional MRI study.

Background: The emotion regulation network (ERN) in the brain provides a framework for understanding the neuropathology of affective disorders. Although previous neuroimaging studies have investigated the neurobiological correlates of the ERN in major depressive disorder (MDD), whether patients with MDD exhibit abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns in the ERN and whether the abnormal FC in the ERN can serve as a therapeutic response signature remain unclear.

Methods: A large functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprising 709 patients with MDD and 725 healthy controls (HCs) recruited across five sites was analyzed.

V6 encoded by mulberry crinkle leaf virus is important for viral DNA replication.

Mulberry crinkle leaf virus (MCLV) is a representative species of the genus Mulcrilevirus in the family Geminiviridae. Here, we identified an additional V6 ORF which embedded within the V4 ORF in the MCLV virion-sense strand. The expression of V6 was confirmed by analyzing the promoter activity of V6 ORF upstream sequences and quantifying the viral DNA accumulation in V6-mutant MCLV-infected tomato plants.

Targeted mitochondrial function for cardiac fibrosis: An epigenetic perspective.

Mitochondria, commonly referred to as "energy factories"of cells, play a crucial role in the function and survival of cardiomyocytes. However, as research on cardiac fibrosis has advanced, mitochondrial dysfunction(including changes in energy metabolism, calcium ion imbalance, increased oxidative stress, and apoptosis)is now recognized as a significant pathophysiological pathway involved in cardiac remodeling and progression, which also negatively affects the function and structure of the heart. In recent years, research focusing on targeting mitochondria has gained significant attention, offering new approaches for treating cardiac fibrosis.