A Novel Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 in Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization

This work forms part of the research themes contributing to the translational research portfolio of Barts and the London Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, which is supported and funded by the National Institute of Health Research

ReCGiP, a database of reproduction candidate genes in pigs based on bibliomics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reproduction in pigs is one of the most economically important traits. To improve the reproductive performances, numerous studies have focused on the identification of candidate genes. However, it is hard for one to read all literatures thoroughly to get information. So we have developed a database providing candidate genes for reproductive researches in pig by mining and processing existing biological literatures in human and pigs, named as ReCGiP.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>Based on text-mining and comparative genomics, ReCGiP presents diverse information of reproduction-relevant genes in human and pig. The genes were sorted by the degree of relevance with the reproduction topics and were visualized in a gene's co-occurrence network where two genes were connected if they were co-cited in a PubMed abstract. The 'hub' genes which had more 'neighbors' were thought to be have more important functions and could be identified by the user in their web browser. In addition, ReCGiP provided integrated GO annotation, OMIM and biological pathway information collected from the Internet. Both pig and human gene information can be found in the database, which is now available.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ReCGiP is a unique database providing information on reproduction related genes for pig. It can be used in the area of the molecular genetics, the genetic linkage map, and the breeding of the pig and other livestock. Moreover, it can be used as a reference for human reproduction research.</p

Two new ant species of the genus Leptogenys (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Hainan, China, with a key to the known Chinese species

Two new species of ponerine ants from Hainan Province, China, Leptogenys hainanensis sp. nov. and L. zhoui sp. nov., are delineated and depicted based on the worker caste. Leptogenys hainanensis sp. nov. belongs to the L. leleji species group, with mandibles elongate, slender and curved, lacking a distinct masticatory margin. On the other hand, L. zhoui sp. nov. belongs to the L. crassicornis species group, distinguished by its square head, smooth body, mandibles with a dentate masticatory margin, and short antennae. A key to workers for the known species of Leptogenys in China are provided and a map is provided for the newly described species

Effects of Socioeconomic Status, Parent–Child Relationship, and Learning Motivation on Reading Ability

Against the background of Chinese culture, we investigated the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s reading ability. Participants included 2294 middle-school students in grade 8. SES was measured by parents’ education level, parents’ occupational prestige, and family property, and children’s reading ability was estimated with item response theory. In addition, we adopted an 8-item parent–child relationship scale and a 22-item learning motivation scale that included four dimensions. We examined whether the parent–child relationship mediated the relationship between family SES and reading ability and whether this was moderated by learning motivation. The results indicated that the parent–child relationship played a mediating role in the relationship between SES and reading ability. This relationship was moderated by students’ learning motivation. The direct effects of SES on reading ability at high, medium, and low levels of learning motivation were 0.24, 0.32, and 0.40, respectively

Twinning-assisted dynamic adjustment of grain boundary mobility

Grain boundary (GB) plasticity dominates the mechanical behaviours of nanocrystalline materials. Under mechanical loading, GB configuration and its local deformation geometry change dynamically with the deformation; the dynamic variation of GB deformability, however, remains largely elusive, especially regarding its relation with the frequently-observed GB-associated deformation twins in nanocrystalline materials. Attention here is focused on the GB dynamics in metallic nanocrystals, by means of well-designed in situ nanomechanical testing integrated with molecular dynamics simulations. GBs with low mobility are found to dynamically adjust their configurations and local deformation geometries via crystallographic twinning, which instantly changes the GB dynamics and enhances the GB mobility. This selfadjust twin-assisted GB dynamics is found common in a wide range of face-centred cubic nanocrystalline metals under different deformation conditions. These findings enrich our understanding of GB-mediated plasticity, especially the dynamic behaviour of GBs, and bear practical implication for developing high performance nanocrystalline materials through interface engineering

Fixed CPAP at 10 cmH₂O May Replace Manual Titration in Moderate to Severe OSA Patients:A Preliminary Randomised Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patient compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is similar using manual-titrated pressure compared to auto-titration, although auto-titration pressures are usually 2-5 cmH 2O higher than manual pressure, indicating that CPAP moderately higher than the optimal pressure will not necessarily impair compliance. We try to find the tolerable highest CPAP which does not increase respiratory effort based on changes in lung volume, diaphragm electromyography (EMG) and breathing sensations in healthy volunteers and OSA patients to simplify pressure titration. METHODS: Part 1, 12 healthy subjects and 16 OSA patients were enrolled in the measurement of expiratory reserve volume, diaphragm EMG, and expiratory muscle EMG at different CPAP levels. Breathing difficulty during different CPAP levels was assessed using a customised questionnaire in 35 healthy subjects and 33 OSA patients. Part 2, a two-night randomised crossover double-blind trial using the tolerable highest CPAP (10 cmH 2O) based on the results derived from Part 1 and the manually titrated pressure was performed in 25 OSA patients. RESULTS: End expiratory lung volume increased significantly with increasing CPAP. In general, diaphragm EMG changed little when CPAP ≤ 10 cmH 2O. Expiratory muscle activity appeared when CPAP &gt; 12 cmH 2O. There was no significant difference in subjective sensation of breathing difficulty with CPAP ≤ 10 cmH 2O. Sleep structure, AHI, and patient preference with 10 cmH 2O CPAP were not different from those under titrated pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that most patients with moderate to severe OSA can be effectively treated with CPAP at an initial pressure of 10 cmH 2O without pressure titration. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04925466.</p

Recipient c-Kit Lineage Cells Repopulate Smooth Muscle Cells of Transplant Arteriosclerosis in Mouse Models:Stem Cells Repopulate Allograft Vessels

Rationale: Transplantation-accelerated arteriosclerosis is one of the major challenges for long-term survival of patients with solid organ transplantation. Although stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) have been implicated to participate in this process, the cells of origin and underlying mechanisms have not been fully defined.Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the role of c-Kit+ SPCs in allograft-induced neointima formation, and to explore the mechanisms underlying this process.Method and Results: Using an inducible lineage tracing mouse model, we performed allograft transplantation between different donor and recipient mice, as well as bone marrow transplantation experiments, demonstrating that c-Kit+ cells are progenitors of neointimal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and contribute to neointima formation in an allograft transplantation model. c-Kit-derived SMCsoriginate from non-bone marrow tissues of recipient mice, but not donor mice, while bone marrowderived c-Kit+ cells mainly generate CD45+ leucocytes. ACK2, which specifically binds and blocks c-Kit function, ameliorates allograft-induced arteriosclerosis. Stem cell factor (SCF) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) levels were significantly increased in blood and neointimal lesions afterallograft transplantation, by which SCF facilitated c-Kit+ SPC migration through the SCF/c-Kit axis and downstream activation of small GTPases, MEK/ERK/MLC and JNK/c-Jun signaling pathways, while TGF-β1 induces c-Kit+ SPC differentiation into SMCs via hexokinase1-dependent metabolicreprogramming and a possible downstream O-GlcNAcylation of myocardin and serum response factor.Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that recipient non-bone marrow-derived c-Kit+ SPCs partially contribute to vascular remodeling in an allograft transplantation model, in which the SCF/c-Kit axis is responsible for stem cell migration and hexokinase1-dependent metabolic reprogramming for SMC differentiation

Erythrocyte odd-chain fatty acids and the risk of cardiometabolic diseases: a prospective study and updated meta-analysis

Lay Summary: This study underscores the potential for odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs) 15:0 and 17:0 in cardiometabolic diseases, particularly in Asian populations where OCFAs were correlated with dietary fiber and fish besides dairy as indicated in Western populations with high dairy products. Clinically, these OCFAs could aid in risk stratification and dietary interventions, potentially guiding personalized nutrition to mitigate CMD risks. Key findings include the following:In Chinese with low dairy intake, our new evidence shows that OCFAs might serve as biomarkers of dietary fiber and fish intake besides dairy as indicated in Western studies with populations consumed high dairy products. Our findings suggest that erythrocyte 17:0 and/or 15:0 are associated with low risk of IHD and diabetes in the Asian population with varying dairy intake. OCFAs might serve as modifiable biomarkers for nutritional assessment, and their association with lower risk suggests their dietary sources are important to promote cardiometabolic health with diverse dietary sources. Meta-analysis supports the universal applicability of OCFAs as biomarkers, indicating their role in global health strategies. The modifiable features of OCFAs may offer a novel intervention strategy targeted raising their levels in high CMD risk population

FarmGTEx TWAS-server: An Interactive Web Server for Customized TWAS Analysis

Transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) is a powerful approach for investigating the molecular mechanisms linking genetic loci to complex phenotypes. However, the complexity of the TWAS analytical pipeline including the construction of gene expression reference panels, gene expression prediction, and association analysis using data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) poses challenges for genetic studies in many species. In this study, we provide the Farm Animal Genotype-Tissue Expression (FarmGTEx) TWAS-server, an interactive and user-friendly multispecies platform designed to streamline the translation of genetic findings across tissues and species. The server incorporates gene expression data from 49 human tissues (838 individuals), 34 pig tissues (5457 individuals), and 23 cattle tissues (4889 individuals), providing prediction models for 38,180 human genes, 21,037 pig genes, and 17,942 cattle genes. It supports genotype-based gene expression prediction, GWAS summary statistics imputation, customizable TWAS analysis, functional annotations, and result visualization. Additionally, we provide 479,203, 1208, and 657 tissue–gene–trait associations for 1129 humans traits, 41cattle traits, and 11 pigs traits, respectively. Utilizing the TWAS-server, we validated the association of the ABCD4 gene with pig teat numbers. Furthermore, we identified that pig backfat thickness may share genetic similarities with human diastolic blood pressure, sarcoidosis (Lofgren syndrome), and body mass index (BMI). The FarmGTEx TWAS-server offers a comprehensive and accessible platform for researchers to perform TWAS analyses across tissues and species. It is freely available at https://twas.farmgtex.org, with regular updates planned as the FarmGTEx project expands to include more species