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1.
Hyperhidrosis as the initial symptom in FUS mutation-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case report and comprehensive literature review.
Chen, X, Luo, J, Zheng, W, Huang, Q, Du, C, Yuan, H, Xiao, F
Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology. 2024;(4):1523-1527
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is now recognized to involve autonomic dysfunction. The burden of autonomic dysfunction is an important factor in the quality of life and prognosis of ALS patients. This article presents the clinical characteristics of a young female ALS patient with a fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene mutation and notable hyperhidrosis. METHOD Detailed clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, and comprehensive examinations such as electrophysiological assessment, neuro-ultrasound, genetic testing, and relevant blood tests were conducted. RESULT A 24-year-old female experienced progressive weakness in both lower limbs for over 5 months, along with excessive sweating on both palms and feet. A positive skin iodine-starch test was observed. Electromyography revealed extensive neurogenic damage and prolonged sympathetic skin response (SSR) latency in both lower limbs. Full exon gene sequencing showed a heterozygous mutation c.1574C>T (p.Pro525Leu) in the FUS gene. CONCLUSION The pathogenesis of ALS remains unclear at present. This case underscores the presence of autonomic nervous symptoms in ALS associated with FUS mutation and highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment intervention to enhance patient prognosis.
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2.
2H-Thiopyran-2-thione sulfine, a compound for converting H2S to HSOH/H2S2 and increasing intracellular sulfane sulfur levels.
Cui, Q, Shieh, M, Pan, TW, Nishimura, A, Matsunaga, T, Kelly, SS, Xu, S, Jung, M, Ogata, S, Morita, M, et al
Nature communications. 2024;(1):2453
Abstract
Reactive sulfane sulfur species such as persulfides (RSSH) and H2S2 are important redox regulators and closely linked to H2S signaling. However, the study of these species is still challenging due to their instability, high reactivity, and the lack of suitable donors to produce them. Herein we report a unique compound, 2H-thiopyran-2-thione sulfine (TTS), which can specifically convert H2S to HSOH, and then to H2S2 in the presence of excess H2S. Meanwhile, the reaction product 2H-thiopyran-2-thione (TT) can be oxidized to reform TTS by biological oxidants. The reaction mechanism of TTS is studied experimentally and computationally. TTS can be conjugated to proteins to achieve specific delivery, and the combination of TTS and H2S leads to highly efficient protein persulfidation. When TTS is applied in conjunction with established H2S donors, the corresponding donors of H2S2 (or its equivalents) are obtained. Cell-based studies reveal that TTS can effectively increase intracellular sulfane sulfur levels and compensate for certain aspects of sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQR) deficiency. These properties make TTS a conceptually new strategy for the design of donors of reactive sulfane sulfur species.
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3.
Antiviral Effects and Mechanisms of Green Tea Catechins on Influenza: A Perception on Combating Symptoms from COVID-19.
Man, GCW, Zheng, X, Hung, SW, Chan, LKY, Zhang, T, Chen, X, Chu, KO, Huen, ICY, Lui, DWY, Wong, AD, et al
Current topics in medicinal chemistry. 2024;(1):60-73
Abstract
Over the centuries, influenza and its associated epidemics have been a serious public health problem. Although vaccination and medications (such as neuraminidase inhibitors) are the mainstay of pharmacological approaches to prevent and treat influenza, however, frequent mutations in the influenza genome often result in treatment failure and resistance to standard medications which limit their effectiveness. In recent years, green tea catechins have been evaluated as potential anti-influenza agents. Herein, in this review, we highlighted the effects and mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant ingredient in green tea, against different influenza viral infections, and their clinical benefits toward prevention and treatment. In addition, as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) causes the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, our review also delineates the current perspective on SARS-CoV-2 and future insights as to the potential application of EGCG on suppressing the flu-like symptoms caused by COVID-19.
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4.
Emerging role of ferroptosis in diabetic retinopathy: a review.
Wang, R, Rao, S, Zhong, Z, Xiao, K, Chen, X, Sun, X
Journal of drug targeting. 2024;:1-11
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant complication of diabetes and the primary cause of blindness among working age adults globally. The development of DR is accompanied by oxidative stress, characterised by an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a compromised antioxidant system. Clinical interventions aimed at mitigating oxidative stress through ROS scavenging or elimination are currently available. Nevertheless, these treatments merely provide limited management over the advanced stage of the illness. Ferroptosis is a distinctive form of cell death induced by oxidative stress, which is characterised by irondependent phospholipid peroxidation. PURPOSE This review aims to synthesise recent experimental evidence to examine the involvement of ferroptosis in the pathological processes of DR, as well as to explicate the regulatory pathways governing oxidative stress and ferroptosis in retina. METHODS We systematically reviewed literature available up to 2023. RESULTS This review included 12 studies investigating the involvement of ferroptosis in DR.
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5.
Recent development of carrier materials in anthocyanins encapsulation applications: A comprehensive literature review.
Fu, Z, Ju, H, Xu, GS, Wu, YC, Chen, X, Li, HJ
Food chemistry. 2024;:138104
Abstract
Anthocyanins are natural polyphenols belonging to the flavonoid family that possess a variety of putative health benefits when consumed in a balanced diet. However, applications of anthocyanins in, for example, functional foods are limited due to poor stability, degradation, and low transmembrane efficiency. To maintain bioactivities of anthocyanins and optimize their use, various carrier materials have been developed. Here, we reviewed the uses of the different carrier materials (organic/inorganic, micro/nano) for anthocyanin encapsulation and delivery over the past five years. The performance of different materials and interactions between anthocyanins and these materials are described. Lastly, we give our perspective on the future development trend of anthocyanin encapsulation strategies.
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6.
Physical exercise plays a role in rebalancing the bile acids of enterohepatic axis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Zhang, M, Xiao, B, Chen, X, Ou, B, Wang, S
Acta physiologica (Oxford, England). 2024;(1):e14065
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered as one of the most common diseases of lipid metabolism disorders, which is closely related to bile acids disorders and gut microbiota disorders. Bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, and processed by gut microbiota in intestinal tract, and participate in metabolic regulation through the enterohepatic circulation. Bile acids not only promote the consumption and absorption of intestinal fat but also play an important role in biological metabolic signaling network, affecting fat metabolism and glucose metabolism. Studies have demonstrated that exercise plays an important role in regulating the composition and function of bile acid pool in enterohepatic axis, which maintains the homeostasis of the enterohepatic circulation and the health of the host gut microbiota. Exercise has been recommended by several health guidelines as the first-line intervention for patients with NAFLD. Can exercise alter bile acids through the microbiota in the enterohepatic axis? If so, regulating bile acids through exercise may be a promising treatment strategy for NAFLD. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this potential connection are largely unknown. Therefore, in this review, we tried to review the relationship among NAFLD, physical exercise, bile acids, and gut microbiota through the existing data and literature, highlighting the role of physical exercise in rebalancing bile acid and microbial dysbiosis.
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7.
Genus Helleborus: a comprehensive review of phytochemistry, pharmacology and clinical applications.
Li, S, Chen, X, Tang, J, Zhang, D, Jiang, Y, Zhang, H, Song, X, Wang, W, Li, Y
Natural product research. 2024;:1-17
Abstract
The genus Helleborus belongs to the Ranunculaceae family, distributed in southeastern Europe and western Asia. In folk medicine, it is commonly used as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicine for rheumatoid arthritis and bruises. Through reviewing recent articles, it was found that two hundred and twenty-six compounds have been isolated and identified from the genus Helleborus. These compounds include steroids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, lignans, anthraquinones, phenolics and others. Among them, the main chemical constituents are steroids. Pharmacological studies show Helleborus has anti-cancer, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-hyperglycaemic, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This article reviews the botany, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects and clinical applications of the genus Helleborus. Hopefully, it will provide a reference for in-depth research and exploitation of the genus Helleborus.
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8.
Targeting gut microbial nitrogen recycling and cellular uptake of ammonium to improve bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma.
Zhu, Y, Jian, X, Chen, S, An, G, Jiang, D, Yang, Q, Zhang, J, Hu, J, Qiu, Y, Feng, X, et al
Cell metabolism. 2024;(1):159-175.e8
Abstract
The gut microbiome has been found to play a crucial role in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), which is still considered incurable due to drug resistance. In previous studies, we demonstrated that intestinal nitrogen-recycling bacteria are enriched in patients with MM. However, their role in MM relapse remains unclear. This study highlights the specific enrichment of Citrobacter freundii (C. freundii) in patients with relapsed MM. Through fecal microbial transplantation experiments, we demonstrate that C. freundii plays a critical role in inducing drug resistance in MM by increasing levels of circulating ammonium. The ammonium enters MM cells through the transmembrane channel protein SLC12A2, promoting chromosomal instability and drug resistance by stabilizing the NEK2 protein. We show that furosemide sodium, a loop diuretic, downregulates SLC12A2, thereby inhibiting ammonium uptake by MM cells and improving progression-free survival and curative effect scores. These findings provide new therapeutic targets and strategies for the intervention of MM progression and drug resistance.
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9.
Climate-resilient crops: Lessons from xerophytes.
Chen, X, Zhao, C, Yun, P, Yu, M, Zhou, M, Chen, ZH, Shabala, S
The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology. 2024;(6):1815-1835
Abstract
Developing climate-resilient crops is critical for future food security and sustainable agriculture under current climate scenarios. Of specific importance are drought and soil salinity. Tolerance traits to these stresses are highly complex, and the progress in improving crop tolerance is too slow to cope with the growing demand in food production unless a major paradigm shift in crop breeding occurs. In this work, we combined bioinformatics and physiological approaches to compare some of the key traits that may differentiate between xerophytes (naturally drought-tolerant plants) and mesophytes (to which the majority of the crops belong). We show that both xerophytes and salt-tolerant mesophytes have a much larger number of copies in key gene families conferring some of the key traits related to plant osmotic adjustment, abscisic acid (ABA) sensing and signalling, and stomata development. We show that drought and salt-tolerant species have (i) higher reliance on Na for osmotic adjustment via more diversified and efficient operation of Na+ /H+ tonoplast exchangers (NHXs) and vacuolar H+ - pyrophosphatase (VPPases); (ii) fewer and faster stomata; (iii) intrinsically lower ABA content; (iv) altered structure of pyrabactin resistance/pyrabactin resistance-like (PYR/PYL) ABA receptors; and (v) higher number of gene copies for protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) and sucrose non-fermenting 1 (SNF1)-related protein kinase 2/open stomata 1 (SnRK2/OST1) ABA signalling components. We also show that the past trends in crop breeding for Na+ exclusion to improve salinity stress tolerance are counterproductive and compromise their drought tolerance. Incorporating these genetic insights into breeding practices could pave the way for more drought-tolerant and salt-resistant crops, securing agricultural yields in an era of climate unpredictability.
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10.
Influence of a diet and/or exercise intervention on long-term mortality and vascular complications in people with impaired glucose tolerance: Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Outcome study.
Yu, L, Wang, J, Gong, Q, An, Y, Chen, F, Chen, Y, Chen, X, He, S, Qian, X, Chen, B, et al
Diabetes, obesity & metabolism. 2024;(4):1188-1196
Abstract
AIM: We aimed to investigate the long-term influence of a diet and/or exercise intervention on long-term mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. METHODS The Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study had 576 participants with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) randomized to diet-only, exercise-only and diet-plus-exercise intervention group and control group. The participants underwent lifestyle interventions for 6 years. The subsequent Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Outcome Study was a prospective cohort study to follow-up the participants for up to 24 years after the end of 6-year intervention. In total, 540 participants completed the follow-up, while 36 subjects lost in follow-up. Cox proportional hazards analysis was applied to assess the influence of lifestyle interventions on targeted outcomes. RESULTS Compared with controls, the diet-only intervention in people with IGT was significantly associated with a reduced risk of all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.61-0.97)], CVD death [HR 0.67, 95% CI (0.46-0.97)] and CVD events [HR 0.72, 95% CI (0.54-0.96)]. The diet-plus-exercise intervention was significantly associated with a decreased risk of all-cause death [HR 0.64, 95% CI (0.48-0.84)], CVD death [HR 0.54, 95% CI (0.30-0.97)] and CVD events [HR 0.68, 95% CI (0.52-0.90)]. Unexpectedly, the exercise-only intervention was not significantly associated with the reduction of any of these outcomes, although there was a consistent trend towards reduction. CONCLUSIONS A diet-only intervention and a diet-plus-exercise intervention in people with IGT were significantly associated with a reduced risk of all-cause death, CVD death and CVD events, while an exercise-only intervention was not. It suggests that diet-related interventions may have a potentially more reliable influence on long-term vascular complications and mortality.