MicroRNA and exosome: Key players in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known as one of important autoimmune disorders which can lead to joint pain and damage throughout body. Given that internal (ie, genetic and epigenetic alterations) and external factors (ie, lifestyle changes, age, hormones, smoking, stress, and obesity) involved in RA pathogenesis. Increasing evidence indicated that cellular and molecular alterations play critical roles in the initiation and progression of RA. Among various targets and molecular signaling pathways, microRNAs (miRNAs) and their regulatory networks have key roles in the RA pathogenesis. It has been showed that deregulation of many miRNAs involved in different stages of RA. Hence, identification of miRNAs and their signaling pathways in RA, could contribute to new knowledge which help to better treatment of patients with RA. Besides miRNAs, exosomes have been emerged as key messengers in RA pathogenesis. Exsosomes are nanocarriers which could be released from various cells and lead to changing of behaviors recipient cells via targeting their cargos (eg, proteins, messenger RNAs, miRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, DNAs). Here, we summarized several miRNAs involved in RA pathogenesis. Moreover, we highlighted the roles of exosomes in RA pathogenesis.     

The Effects of Resveratrol,Metformin, Cold and Strength Training on the Level of Perilipin 5 in the Heart,Skeletal Muscle and Brown Adipose Tissues in Mouse

The high accumulation of lipid droplets in the cell is related to metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Perilipin 5 (Plin5), plays an important role in triglyceride hydrolysis in the lipid droplets. In this study, this protein has been evaluated in different tissues and conditions in mice. Fifty male mice were divided into 5 groups and treated for 45 days with Resveratrol, Metformin, strength training, and 4?°C cold. Brown adipose tissue (BAT), gastrocnemius skeletal muscle and heart were isolated for RNA extraction. The Plin5 gene expression was evaluated, using Real-Time PCR, and the plin5 was analyzed at the protein level, using western blot. In BAT, Resveratrol significantly reduced the plin5 protein level and gene expression (p?<?0.05). In heart tissue, Resveratrol and strength training, decreased (p?<?0.05) the plin5 expression, but Metformin increased the gene expression (p?<?0.05). In skeletal muscle, resveratrol, strength training, cold and Metformin significantly increased the plin5 expression at the gene and protein level (p?<?0.05). In BAT, Resveratrol has a greater effect in decreasing lipid deposits, compared with the strength training and cold; thus, it can play a better role in preventing lipid accumulation. In heart tissue, Resveratrol probably decreases insulin resistance, due to the increased expression of plin5 in skeletal muscle.     

Numerical simulation of wave propagation in a realistic model of the human external ear

In this study, a numerical investigation is performed to evaluate the effects of high-pressure sinusoidal and blast wave's propagation around and inside of a human external ear. A series of computed tomography images are used to reconstruct a realistic three-dimensional (3D) model of a human ear canal and the auricle. The airflow field is then computed by solving the governing differential equations in the time domain using a computational fluid dynamics software. An unsteady algorithm is used to obtain the high-pressure wave propagation throughout the ear canal which is validated against the available analytical and numerical data in literature. The effects of frequency, wave shape, and the auricle on pressure distribution are then evaluated and discussed. The results clearly indicate that the frequency plays a key role on pressure distribution within the ear canal. At 4 kHz frequency, the pressure magnitude is much more amplified within the ear canal than the frequencies of 2 and 6 kHz, for the incident wave angle of 90° investigated in this study, attributable to the ‘4-kHz notch’ in patients with noise-induced hearing loss. According to the results, the pressure distribution patterns at the ear canal are very similar for both sinusoidal pressure waveform with the frequency of 2 kHz and blast wave. The ratio of the peak pressure value at the eardrum to that at the canal entrance increases from about 8% to 30% as the peak pressure value of the blast wave increases from 5 to 100 kPa for the incident wave angle of 90° investigated in this study. Furthermore, incorporation of the auricle to the ear canal model is associated with centerline pressure magnitudes of about 50% and 7% more than those of the ear canal model without the auricle throughout the ear canal for sinusoidal and blast waves, respectively, without any significant effect on pressure distribution pattern along the ear canal for the incident wave angle of 90° investigated in this study.     

The interaction of high and low-risk human papillomavirus genotypes increases the risk of developing genital warts: A population-based cohort study

Cervical cancer is among the most common type of cancers in women and is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Genital warts are also reported to be linked with HPV infection types 11 and 6. In turn, clinical characteristics and morphological features of warts may be useful in the prediction of prognosis and in making treatment decisions. Thus, we have investigated the association of high and low-risk HPVs genotype with genital wart risk, as well as pathological and cytological information in cases recruited from a population-based cohort study of 1380 patients. Patients infected with HPV genotype 6 or 11 had an increased risk of having warts, with OR of 2.34 (95% CI: 0.955-5.737, P = 0.06). Also, this association was enhanced in the presence of high plus low-risk HPV for having genital wart (OR: 2.814; 95%: 1.208-6.55, P = 0.017) and cases having high-risk HPV (OR: 2.329; 95% CI: 1.029-5.269, P = 0.042). Moreover, we observed patients with genital warts having CIN2/3, indicating the importance of informing the physician to the patient to prevent more severe lesions. Our data demonstrated that patients with both low/high-risk HPV types had an increased risk of developing genital warts and persistent infection with HPV was a necessary precursor for the increase in cervical lesions.     

Unmanned Aerial Survey of Fallen Trees in a Deciduous Broadleaved Forest in Eastern Japan

Since fallen trees are a key factor in biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling, information about their spatial distribution is of use in determining species distribution and nutrient and carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. Ground-based surveys are both time consuming and labour intensive. Remote-sensing technology can reduce these costs. Here, we used high-spatial-resolution aerial photographs (0.5–1.0 cm per pixel) taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to survey fallen trees in a deciduous broadleaved forest in eastern Japan. In nine sub-plots we found a total of 44 fallen trees by ground survey. From the aerial photographs, we identified 80% to 90% of fallen trees that were >30 cm in diameter or >10 m in length, but missed many that were narrower or shorter. This failure may be due to the similarity of fallen trees to trunks and branches of standing trees or masking by standing trees. Views of the same point from different angles may improve the detection rate because they would provide more opportunity to detect fallen trees hidden by standing trees. Our results suggest that UAV surveys will make it possible to monitor the spatial and temporal variations in forest structure and function at lower cost.     

The ability of mouse nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells to differentiate into primordial germ cells

Nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (ntESCs) show stem cell characteristics such as pluripotency but cause no immunological disorders. Although ntESCs are able to differentiate into somatic cells, the ability of ntESCs to differentiate into primordial germ cells (PGCs) has not been examined. In this work, we examined the capacity of mouse ntESCs to differentiate into PGCs in vitro. ntESCs aggregated to form embryoid bodies (EB) in EB culture medium supplemented with bone morphogenetic protein 4(BMP4) as the differentiation factor. The expression level of specific PGC genes was compared at days 4 and 8 using real time PCR. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining were used to detect Mvh as a specific PGC marker. ntESCs expressed particular genes related to different stages of PGC development. Flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining confirmed the presence of Mvh protein in a small number of cells. There were significant differences between cells that differentiated into PGCs in the group treated with Bmp4 compared to non-treated cells. These findings indicate that ntESCs can differentiate into putative PGCs. Improvement of ntESC differentiation into PGCs may be a reliable means of producing mature germ cells.     

Impact of soil stockpiling on ericoid mycorrhizal colonization and growth of velvetleaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) and Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)

Soil stockpiling is a common practice prior to the reclamation of surface mines. In this study, velvetleaf blueberry and Labrador tea plants were grown from seed in fresh soil, stockpiled soil (1 year), and autoclaved stockpiled soil (1 year) obtained from the Canadian boreal forest. After 7 months of growth, the root colonization intensity with ericoid mycorrhizal (ERM) fungi in both plants growing in stockpiled soil was lower compared to plants growing in the fresh soil. The diversity of ERM fungal species in roots also decreased due to soil stockpiling and Pezoloma ericae was absent from the plants growing in stockpiled soil. Changes in the ERM root colonization in plants growing in stockpiled soil were accompanied by decreases in root and shoot dry weights. Leaf chlorophyll, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations of velvetleaf blueberry were higher in fresh soil compared to 1‐year stockpiled soil. Plants grown in the autoclaved stockpiled soil became colonized by the thermotolerant ERM fungus Leohumicola verrucosa and showed higher root and shoot biomass compared to the nonautoclaved stockpiled soil. The results point to the importance of ERM fungi for growth of ericaceous plants, even under favorable environmental conditions and adequate fertilization, and suggest that reduced ERM colonization intensity and ERM fungal diversity in roots likely contributed to the negative effects of soil stockpiling on growth of velvetleaf blueberry and Labrador tea.