Serum TGF-β1 as a Biomarker for Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background

Abnormal expression of serum TGF-β1 was found in patients with diabetic nephropathy. However, the association of TGF-β1 with the risk of diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether such an association exists.

Methods

We searched the Chinese VIP, Wangfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases for relevant studies and extracted all eligible data. Stata12 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results

Nine reports met our criteria and were used for data extraction. There were 264 patients and 227 healthy controls from qualified reports in this meta-analysis. The results suggested that serum TGF-β1 levels were significantly up-regulated in patients with diabetic nephropathy; the instrumental variable was 3.94 (95% confidence interval 3.20–4.68, p<0.01).

Conclusions

Meta-analysis suggested that elevated serum TGF-β level in patients with diabetes is associated with a high risk of nephropathy. Further studies are required to validate these observations.     

高温胁迫对葡萄幼树叶绿素荧光特性和抗氧化酶活性的影响

为了探讨短期和长期高温处理后葡萄生理应答反应,本研究在人工气候室环境中模拟夏季高温发生时间段(10:00~16:00)对一年生盆栽葡萄‘夏黑’进行25°C、35°C、45°C温度处理,测定处理6 h时(短期)和150 h时(长期)功能叶片的叶绿素荧光动力学及抗氧化酶活性。结果显示:在35°C处理6 h时‘夏黑’叶片ΨEo、ΦEo、ETo/RC显著上升;45°C处理6 h时‘夏黑’各荧光参数表现出显著性差异,而在150 h时主要荧光参数恢复至原初水平;高温处理下‘夏黑’的叶绿素含量和SOD酶活增长趋势较不明显;35°C/45°C处理均导致抗氧化酶活性POD和CAT以及过氧化物产物MDA(丙二醇)表现出较强的增长趋势。综上可知,短期高温处理(6 h)‘夏黑’叶片PSII活性遭到破坏,但是长期高温处理(150 h)‘夏黑’的PSII活性得到恢复,推测‘夏黑’有较强高温逆境适应能力;高温逆境打破‘夏黑’氧化还原平衡,MDA含量增加。这些结果对于了解葡萄在高温胁迫下的耐受能力具有参考价值。     

Investigation on the interaction of letrozole with herring sperm DNA through spectroscopic and modeling methods

The interaction of letrozole, an efficient and safe aromatase inhibitor, with herring sperm DNA (hsDNA) was investigated in vitro through spectroscopy analysis and molecular modeling to elucidate the binding mechanism of anticancer drugs and DNA. The binding constant and the number of binding sites were 2.13 × 10⁴ M^?1 and 1.09, respectively, at 298 K. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS) exhibited negative values, which indicated that binding was spontaneous and Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bond were the main interaction forces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and other spectroscopy analysis methods illustrated that letrozole could intercalate into the phosphate backbone of hsDNA and interact with the nitrogenous bases. Consistent with the experimental findings, molecular modeling results demonstrated that the interaction was dominated by intercalation and hydrogen bonding. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The insights of Let‐7 miRNAs in oncogenesis and stem cell potency

The ability of the classic tumour‐suppressive let‐7 family to inhibit carcinogenesis, tumour progression, recurrence and pluripotency of cancer stem cells has generated significant interest in the field of cancer research. Through suppressing and degrading downstream‐targeted mRNAs, let‐7 affected most aspects of cell biology. It is perplexing how let‐7 affects oncogenesis, as the large influx of new miRNAs and other kinds of non‐coding RNAs are continuously defined. In this review, we delineate the complex functions of let‐7 and discuss the future direction of let‐7 research.     

L‐type voltage‐gated calcium channels in stem cells and tissue engineering

L‐type voltage‐gated calcium ion channels (L‐VGCCs) have been demonstrated to be the mediator of several significant intracellular activities in excitable cells, such as neurons, chromaffin cells and myocytes. Recently, an increasing number of studies have investigated the function of L‐VGCCs in non‐excitable cells, particularly stem cells. However, there appear to be no systematic reviews of the relationship between L‐VGCCs and stem cells, and filling this gap is prescient considering the contribution of L‐VGCCs to the proliferation and differentiation of several types of stem cells. This review will discuss the possible involvement of L‐VGCCs in stem cells, mainly focusing on osteogenesis mediated by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different tissues and neurogenesis mediated by neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). Additionally, advanced applications that use these channels as the target for tissue engineering, which may offer the hope of tissue regeneration in the future, will also be explored.     

在矿山废弃地上发展可再生能源的潜力——以辽宁省为例

在国内外碳减排压力和我国能源结构调整需求下,我国可再生能源的开发压力较大.矿山具有丰富的废弃土地,发展可再生能源的潜力巨大,在矿山废弃地上开发可再生能源对我国的能源战略具有重要意义.本研究以辽宁省矿山废弃地为例,提出矿山废弃地的生物质能与太阳能发展预案,估算辽宁省矿山废弃地的可再生能源发展潜力.结果表明:辽宁省1227.6 km2的矿山废弃地面积发展可再生能源的潜力较大,不同预案的潜力差异显著.预案1以光伏发电最大化为目标模式,总计可发电量为79.4 TWh,折标煤量32.1 Mt,碳减排量为79.1Mt CO2.预案2以生物质能源利用最大化为目标模式,光伏与生物质能总的发电量可达到31.2~33.1 TWh,折标煤量12.7~13.4 Mt,碳减排量为31.1~33.0 Mt CO2.预案3以矿山能源综合利用最大化为目标并兼顾生态修复的发展模式,光伏与生物质能总的发电量可达到62.3~63.7 TWh,折标煤量25.1~25.7 Mt,碳减排量为62.1~63.5 Mt CO2.3种预案的发电量在31.2~79.4 TWh,占辽宁省2016年总电力消费量的15.3%~38.9%,折标煤量12.7~32.1 Mt,碳减排量为31.1~79.1 Mt CO2.本研究对在矿山废弃地上发展可再生能源潜力及其替代化石能源能力的评估,对于碳减排、能源结构的调整以及矿山废弃地的生态修复具有重要的研究意义.     

非洲猪瘟研究进展

非洲猪瘟是由非洲猪瘟病毒感染家猪或野猪后引发的一种急性、烈性传染病,主要通过病猪及其周围环境传播,蜱是中间宿主。1921年该病首次暴发于非洲肯尼亚,2018年8月传入我国,目前已有24个省级行政区发生疫情。非洲猪瘟病毒主要经呼吸道和消化道进入猪体内,感染靶细胞主要是单核-巨噬细胞,目前受体还不明确。非洲猪瘟病毒是单分子双链DNA病毒,长度为170~190kb,编码150~200种蛋白,包括多种免疫调控蛋白,可以抵抗机体免疫。非洲猪瘟病毒疫苗研究较多,包括灭活疫苗、减毒疫苗、亚单位疫苗和基因疫苗等,但迄今这些疫苗都不能保护家猪免受非洲猪瘟病毒感染。今后需要对非洲猪瘟病毒及其发病机制做详细系统的研究,为开发有效防治方案提供资料。