Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 317 in total

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  1. Liang Z, Shi J, Wang C, Li J, Liang D, Yong EL, et al.
    Appl Environ Microbiol, 2020 11 10;86(23).
    PMID: 32948522 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01920-20
    Pretreatment of waste-activated sludge (WAS) is an effective way to destabilize sludge floc structure and release organic matter for improving sludge digestion efficiency. Nonetheless, information on the impact of WAS pretreatment on digestion sludge microbiomes, as well as mechanistic insights into how sludge pretreatment improves digestion performance, remains elusive. In this study, a genome-centric metagenomic approach was employed to investigate the digestion sludge microbiome in four sludge digesters with different types of feeding sludge: WAS pretreated with 0.25 mol/liter alkaline/acid (APAD), WAS pretreated with 0.8 mol/liter alkaline/acid (HS-APAD), thermally pretreated WAS (thermal-AD), and fresh WAS (control-AD). We retrieved 254 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) to identify the key functional populations involved in the methanogenic digestion process. These MAGs span 28 phyla, including 69 yet-to-be-cultivated lineages, and 30 novel lineages were characterized with metabolic potential associated with hydrolysis and fermentation. Interestingly, functional populations involving carbohydrate digestion were enriched in APAD and HS-APAD, while lineages related to protein and lipid fermentation were enriched in thermal-AD, corroborating the idea that different substrates are released from alkaline/acid and thermal pretreatments. Among the major functional populations (i.e., fermenters, syntrophic acetogens, and methanogens), significant correlations between genome sizes and abundance of the fermenters were observed, particularly in APAD and HS-APAD, which had improved digestion performance.IMPORTANCE Wastewater treatment generates large amounts of waste-activated sludge (WAS), which consists mainly of recalcitrant microbial cells and particulate organic matter. Though WAS pretreatment is an effective way to release sludge organic matter for subsequent digestion, detailed information on the impact of the sludge pretreatment on the digestion sludge microbiome remains scarce. Our study provides unprecedented genome-centric metagenomic insights into how WAS pretreatments change the digestion sludge microbiomes, as well as their metabolic networks. Moreover, digestion sludge microbiomes could be a unique source for exploring microbial dark matter. These results may inform future optimization of methanogenic sludge digestion and resource recovery.
  2. Gu C, Liang Y, Li J, Shao H, Jiang Y, Zhou X, et al.
    iScience, 2021 Dec 17;24(12):103439.
    PMID: 34988389 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103439
    The highest plateau on Earth, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, contains thousands of lakes with broad salinity and diverse and unique microbial communities. However, little is known about their co-occurring viruses. Herein, we identify 4,560 viral Operational Taxonomic Units (vOTUs) from six viromes of three saline lakes on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with less than 1% that could be classified. Most of the predicted vOTUs were associated with the dominant bacterial and archaeal phyla. Virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes suggest that viruses influence microbial metabolisms of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and lipid; the antibiotic resistance mediation; and their salinity adaption. The six viromes clustered together with the ice core viromes and bathypelagic ocean viromes and might represent a new viral habitat. This study has revealed the unique characteristics and potential ecological roles of DNA viromes in the lakes of the highest plateau and established a foundation for the recognition of the viral roles in plateau lake ecosystems.
  3. Hong W, Li J, Laughton CA, Yap LF, Paterson IC, Wang H
    J Mol Graph Model, 2014 Jun;51:193-202.
    PMID: 24937176 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2014.05.010
    Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) catalyse the methylation of arginine residues of target proteins. PRMTs utilise S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) as the methyl group donor, leading to S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH) and monomethylarginine (mMA). A combination of homology modelling, molecular docking, Active Site Pressurisation, molecular dynamic simulations and MM-PBSA free energy calculations is used to investigate the binding poses of three PRMT1 inhibitors (ligands 1-3), which target both SAM and substrate arginine binding sites by containing a guanidine group joined by short linkers with the SAM derivative. It was assumed initially that the adenine moieties of the inhibitors would bind in sub-site 1 (PHE44, GLU137, VAL136 and GLU108), the guanidine side chain would occupy sub-site 2 (GLU 161, TYR160, TYR156 and TRP302), with the amino acid side chain occupying sub-site 3 (GLU152, ARG62, GLY86 and ASP84; pose 1). However, the SAH homocysteine moiety does not fully occupy sub-site 3, suggesting another binding pose may exist (pose 2), whereby the adenine moiety binds in sub-site 1, the guanidine side chain occupies sub-site 3, and the amino acid side chain occupies sub-site 2. Our results indicate that ligand 1 (pose 1 or 2), ligand 2 (pose 2) and ligand 3 (pose 1) are the predominant binding poses and we demonstrate for the first time that sub-site 3 contains a large space that could be exploited in the future to develop novel inhibitors with higher binding affinities.
  4. Hong W, Li J, Chang Z, Tan X, Yang H, Ouyang Y, et al.
    J Antibiot (Tokyo), 2017 Jul;70(7):832-844.
    PMID: 28465626 DOI: 10.1038/ja.2017.55
    The emergence of drug resistance in bacterial pathogens is a growing clinical problem that poses difficult challenges in patient management. To exacerbate this problem, there is currently a serious lack of antibacterial agents that are designed to target extremely drug-resistant bacterial strains. Here we describe the design, synthesis and antibacterial testing of a series of 40 novel indole core derivatives, which are predicated by molecular modeling to be potential glycosyltransferase inhibitors. Twenty of these derivatives were found to show in vitro inhibition of Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Four of these strains showed additional activity against Gram-negative bacteria, including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae, imipenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii, and against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra. These four compounds are candidates for developing into broad-spectrum anti-infective agents.
  5. Wu H, Sun Y, Wong WL, Cui J, Li J, You X, et al.
    Eur J Med Chem, 2020 Mar 01;189:112042.
    PMID: 31958737 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112042
    Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays an important role in regulating epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the TGF-β signaling pathway is a potential target for therapeutic intervention in the development of many diseases, such as fibrosis and cancer. Most currently available inhibitors of TGF-β signaling function as TGF-β receptor I (TβR-I) kinase inhibitors, however, such kinase inhibitors often lack specificity. In the present study, we targeted the extracellular protein binding domain of the TGF-β receptor II (TβR-II) to interfere with the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between TGF-β and its receptors. One compound, CJJ300, inhibited TGF-β signaling by disrupting the formation of the TGF-β-TβR-I-TβR-II signaling complex. Treatment of A549 cells with CJJ300 resulted in the inhibition of downstream signaling events such as the phosphorylation of key factors along the TGF-β pathway and the induction of EMT markers. Concomitant with these effects, CJJ300 significantly inhibited cell migration. The present study describes for the first time a designed molecule that can regulate TGF-β-induced signaling and EMT by interfering with the PPIs required for the formation of the TGF-β signaling complex. Therefore, CJJ300 can be an important lead compound with which to study TGF-β signaling and to design more potent TGF-β signaling antagonists.
  6. Zhu Y, Hu Z, Lv X, Huang R, Gu X, Zhang C, et al.
    Transbound Emerg Dis, 2022 Jul;69(4):1782-1793.
    PMID: 33993639 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14155
    Since 2010, several duck Tembusu viruses (DTMUVs) have been isolated from infected ducks in China, and these virus strains have undergone extensive variation over the years. Although the infection rate is high, the mortality rate is usually relatively low-~5%-30%; however, since fall 2019, an infectious disease similar to DTMUV infection but with a high mortality rate of ~50% in goslings has been prevalent in Anhui Province, China. The present study identified a new Tembusu virus, designated DTMUV/Goose/China/2019/AQ-19 (AQ-19), that is believed to be responsible for the noticeably high mortality in goslings. To investigate the genetic variation of this strain, its entire genome was sequenced and analysed for specific variations, and goslings and mice were challenged with the isolated virus to investigate its pathogenicity. The AQ-19 genome shared only 94.3%-96.9% and 90.9% nucleotide identity with other Chinese and Malaysian DTMUVs, respectively; however, AQ-19 has high homology with Thailand DTMUVs (97.2%-98.1% nucleotide identity). Phylogenetic analysis of the E gene revealed that AQ-19 and most of Thailand DTMUVs form a branch separate from any of the previously reported DTMUV strains in China. After the challenge, some goslings and mice showed typical clinical signs of DTMUV, particularly severe neurological dysfunction. AQ-19 has high virulence in goslings and mice, resulting in 60% and 70% mortality through intramuscular and intracerebral routes, respectively. Pathological examination revealed severe histological lesions in the brain and liver of the infected goslings and mice. Taken together, these results demonstrated the emergence of a novel Tembusu virus with high virulence circulating in goslings in China for the first time, and our findings highlight the high genetic diversity of DTMUVs in China. Further study of the pathogenicity and host range of this novel Tembusu virus is particularly important.
  7. Sirunyan AM, CMS Collaboration, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Bergauer T, Dragicevic M, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2021;81(1):13.
    PMID: 33493254 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-08739-5
    A search for dark matter particles is performed using events with a Z boson candidate and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 Te , collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb - 1 . The search uses the decay channels Z → e e and Z → μ μ . No significant excess of events is observed over the background expected from the standard model. Limits are set on dark matter particle production in the context of simplified models with vector, axial-vector, scalar, and pseudoscalar mediators, as well as on a two-Higgs-doublet model with an additional pseudoscalar mediator. In addition, limits are provided for spin-dependent and spin-independent scattering cross sections and are compared to those from direct-detection experiments. The results are also interpreted in the context of models of invisible Higgs boson decays, unparticles, and large extra dimensions.
  8. CMS Collaboration, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Andrejkovic JW, Bergauer T, et al.
    Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2021;81(6):488.
    PMID: 34727143 DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09200-x
    Production cross sections of the Higgs boson are measured in the H → Z Z → 4 ℓ ( ℓ = e , μ ) decay channel. A data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV , collected by the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb - 1 is used. The signal strength modifier μ , defined as the ratio of the Higgs boson production rate in the 4 ℓ channel to the standard model (SM) expectation, is measured to be μ = 0.94 ± 0.07 (stat) - 0.08 + 0.09 (syst) at a fixed value of m H = 125.38 GeV . The signal strength modifiers for the individual Higgs boson production modes are also reported. The inclusive fiducial cross section for the H → 4 ℓ process is measured to be 2 . 84 - 0.22 + 0.23 (stat) - 0.21 + 0.26 (syst) fb , which is compatible with the SM prediction of 2.84 ± 0.15 fb for the same fiducial region. Differential cross sections as a function of the transverse momentum and rapidity of the Higgs boson, the number of associated jets, and the transverse momentum of the leading associated jet are measured. A new set of cross section measurements in mutually exclusive categories targeted to identify production mechanisms and kinematical features of the events is presented. The results are in agreement with the SM predictions.
  9. Deris ZZ, Akter J, Sivanesan S, Roberts KD, Thompson PE, Nation RL, et al.
    J Antibiot (Tokyo), 2014 Feb;67(2):147-51.
    PMID: 24169795 DOI: 10.1038/ja.2013.111
    Polymyxin B and colistin were examined for their ability to inhibit the type II NADH-quinone oxidoreductases (NDH-2) of three species of Gram-negative bacteria. Polymyxin B and colistin inhibited the NDH-2 activity in preparations from all of the isolates in a concentration-dependent manner. The mechanism of NDH-2 inhibition by polymyxin B was investigated in detail with Escherichia coli inner membrane preparations and conformed to a mixed inhibition model with respect to ubiquinone-1 and a non-competitive inhibition model with respect to NADH. These suggest that the inhibition of vital respiratory enzymes in the bacterial inner membrane represents one of the secondary modes of action for polymyxins.
  10. Klionsky DJ, Abdel-Aziz AK, Abdelfatah S, Abdellatif M, Abdoli A, Abel S, et al.
    Autophagy, 2021 Jan;17(1):1-382.
    PMID: 33634751 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1797280
    In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.
  11. Huang Y, Xu Y, Li J, Xu W, Zhang G, Cheng Z, et al.
    Environ Sci Technol, 2013;47(23):13395-403.
    PMID: 24251554 DOI: 10.1021/es403138p
    Nineteen pairs of gaseous and surface seawater samples were collected along the cruise from Malaysia to the south of Bay of Bengal passing by Sri Lanka between April 12 and May 4, 2011 on the Chinese research vessel Shiyan I to investigate the latest OCP pollution status over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Significant decrease of α-HCH and γ-HCH was found in the air and dissolved water phase owing to global restriction for decades. Substantially high levels of p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, trans-chlordane (TC), and cis-chlordane (CC) were observed in the water samples collected near Sri Lanka, indicating fresh continental riverine input of these compounds. Fugacity fractions suggest equilibrium of α-HCH at most sampling sites, while net volatilization for DDT isomers, TC and CC in most cases. Enantiomer fractions (EFs) of α-HCH and o,p'-DDT in the air and water samples were determined to trace the source of these compounds in the air. Racemic or close to racemic composition was found for atmospheric α-HCH and o,p'-DDT, while significant depletion of (+) enantiomer was found in the water phase, especially for o,p'-DDT (EFs = 0.310 ± 0.178). 24% of α-HCH in the lower air over the open sea of the equatorial Indian Ocean is estimated to be volatilized from local seawater, indicating that long-range transport is the main source.
  12. Mariapun S, Ho WK, Kang PC, Li J, Lindström S, Yip CH, et al.
    Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2016 Feb;25(2):327-33.
    PMID: 26677210 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-0746
    Mammographic density is an established risk factor for breast cancer and has a strong heritable component. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for mammographic density conducted in women of European descent have identified several genetic associations, but none of the studies have been tested in Asians. We sought to investigate whether these genetic loci, and loci associated with breast cancer risk and breast size, are associated with mammographic density in an Asian cohort.
  13. Mariapun S, Li J, Yip CH, Taib NA, Teo SH
    PLoS One, 2015;10(2):e0117568.
    PMID: 25659139 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117568
    BACKGROUND: Mammographic density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and is highly variable, but, to date, few studies have examined density in Asian women, particularly those in low and middle-income Asian countries where genetic and lifestyle determinants may be significantly different.
    METHODS: A total of 1,240 women who attended an opportunistic mammogram screening programme were eligible for analysis. Mammographic density was estimated using a fully-automated thresholding method and differences across ethnic groups were examined using linear regression in 205 randomly selected Chinese women, 138 Malay and 199 Indian women.
    RESULTS: Percent density was significantly higher in Chinese women (28.5%; 95% CI 27.0%, 30.0%) compared to Malay (24.2%; 95% CI 22.5%, 26.0%) and Indian (24.3%; 95% CI 22.8%, 25.7%) women (p<0.001), after adjustment for age, BMI, menopausal status, parity and age at first full term pregnancy. Correspondingly, adjusted nondense area was significantly lower in Chinese (72.2cm2; 95% CI 67.9cm2, 76.5cm2) women compared to Malay (92.1cm2; 95% CI 86.9cm2, 97.2cm2) and Indian (97.7cm2; 95% CI 93.4cm2, 101.9cm2) women (p<0.001), but dense area did not differ across the three ethnic groups.
    CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that higher percent density and lower nondense area reflect the higher incidence of breast cancer in Chinese compared to Malay and Indian women in Malaysia. Known lifestyle determinants of mammographic density do not fully account for the ethnic variations observed in mammographic density in this Asian cohort.
  14. Ho WK, Tai MC, Dennis J, Shu X, Li J, Ho PJ, et al.
    Genet Med, 2022 Mar;24(3):586-600.
    PMID: 34906514 DOI: 10.1016/j.gim.2021.11.008
    PURPOSE: Non-European populations are under-represented in genetics studies, hindering clinical implementation of breast cancer polygenic risk scores (PRSs). We aimed to develop PRSs using the largest available studies of Asian ancestry and to assess the transferability of PRS across ethnic subgroups.

    METHODS: The development data set comprised 138,309 women from 17 case-control studies. PRSs were generated using a clumping and thresholding method, lasso penalized regression, an Empirical Bayes approach, a Bayesian polygenic prediction approach, or linear combinations of multiple PRSs. These PRSs were evaluated in 89,898 women from 3 prospective studies (1592 incident cases).

    RESULTS: The best performing PRS (genome-wide set of single-nucleotide variations [formerly single-nucleotide polymorphism]) had a hazard ratio per unit SD of 1.62 (95% CI = 1.46-1.80) and an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.635 (95% CI = 0.622-0.649). Combined Asian and European PRSs (333 single-nucleotide variations) had a hazard ratio per SD of 1.53 (95% CI = 1.37-1.71) and an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.621 (95% CI = 0.608-0.635). The distribution of the latter PRS was different across ethnic subgroups, confirming the importance of population-specific calibration for valid estimation of breast cancer risk.

    CONCLUSION: PRSs developed in this study, from association data from multiple ancestries, can enhance risk stratification for women of Asian ancestry.

  15. Ang BH, Ho WK, Wijaya E, Kwan PY, Ng PS, Yoon SY, et al.
    J Clin Oncol, 2022 May 10;40(14):1542-1551.
    PMID: 35143328 DOI: 10.1200/JCO.21.01647
    PURPOSE: With the development of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors for treatment of patients with cancer with an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, there is an urgent need to ensure that there are appropriate strategies for identifying mutation carriers while balancing the increased demand for and cost of cancer genetics services. To date, the majority of mutation prediction tools have been developed in women of European descent where the age and cancer-subtype distributions are different from that in Asian women.

    METHODS: In this study, we built a new model (Asian Risk Calculator) for estimating the likelihood of carrying a pathogenic variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, using germline BRCA genetic testing results in a cross-sectional population-based study of 8,162 Asian patients with breast cancer. We compared the model performance to existing mutation prediction models. The models were evaluated for discrimination and calibration.

    RESULTS: Asian Risk Calculator included age of diagnosis, ethnicity, bilateral breast cancer, tumor biomarkers, and family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer as predictors. The inclusion of tumor grade improved significantly the model performance. The full model was calibrated (Hosmer-Lemeshow P value = .614) and discriminated well between BRCA and non-BRCA pathogenic variant carriers (area under receiver operating curve, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.84). Addition of grade to the existing clinical genetic testing criteria targeting patients with breast cancer age younger than 45 years reduced the proportion of patients referred for genetic counseling and testing from 37% to 33% (P value = .003), thereby improving the overall efficacy.

    CONCLUSION: Population-specific customization of mutation prediction models and clinical genetic testing criteria improved the accuracy of BRCA mutation prediction in Asian patients.

  16. Ho WK, Hassan NT, Yoon SY, Yang X, Lim JMC, Binte Ishak ND, et al.
    Lancet Reg Health West Pac, 2024 Mar;44:101017.
    PMID: 38333895 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101017
    BACKGROUND: Clinical management of Asian BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants (PV) carriers remains challenging due to imprecise age-specific breast (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risks estimates. We aimed to refine these estimates using six multi-ethnic studies in Asia.

    METHODS: Data were collected on 271 BRCA1 and 301 BRCA2 families from Malaysia and Singapore, ascertained through population/hospital-based case-series (88%) and genetic clinics (12%). Age-specific cancer risks were estimated using a modified segregation analysis method, adjusted for ascertainment.

    FINDINGS: BC and OC relative risks (RRs) varied across age groups for both BRCA1 and BRCA2. The age-specific RR estimates were similar across ethnicities and country of residence. For BRCA1 carriers of Malay, Indian and Chinese ancestry born between 1950 and 1959 in Malaysia, the cumulative risk (95% CI) of BC by age 80 was 40% (36%-44%), 49% (44%-53%) and 55% (51%-60%), respectively. The corresponding estimates for BRCA2 were 29% (26-32%), 36% (33%-40%) and 42% (38%-45%). The corresponding cumulative BC risks for Singapore residents from the same birth cohort, where the underlying population cancer incidences are higher compared to Malaysia, were higher, varying by ancestry group between 57 and 61% for BRCA1, and between 43 and 47% for BRCA2 carriers. The cumulative risk of OC by age 80 was 31% (27-36%) for BRCA1 and 12% (10%-15%) for BRCA2 carriers in Malaysia born between 1950 and 1959; and 42% (34-50%) for BRCA1 and 20% (14-27%) for BRCA2 carriers of the same birth cohort in Singapore. There was evidence of increased BC and OC risks for women from >1960 birth cohorts (p-value = 3.6 × 10-5 for BRCA1 and 0.018 for BRCA2).

    INTERPRETATION: The absolute age-specific cancer risks of Asian carriers vary depending on the underlying population-specific cancer incidences, and hence should be customised to allow for more accurate cancer risk management.

    FUNDING: Wellcome Trust [grant no: v203477/Z/16/Z]; CRUK (PPRPGM-Nov20∖100002).

  17. Mariapun S, Ho WK, Eriksson M, Tai MC, Mohd Taib NA, Yip CH, et al.
    Breast Cancer Res Treat, 2023 Sep;201(2):237-245.
    PMID: 37338730 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-023-06984-2
    PURPOSE: Mammographic density (MD), after accounting for age and body mass index (BMI), is a strong heritable risk factor for breast cancer. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 64 SNPs in 55 independent loci associated with MD in women of European ancestry. Their associations with MD in Asian women, however, are largely unknown.

    METHOD: Using linear regression adjusting for age, BMI, and ancestry-informative principal components, we evaluated the associations of previously reported MD-associated SNPs with MD in a multi-ethnic cohort of Asian ancestry. Area and volumetric mammographic densities were determined using STRATUS (N = 2450) and Volpara™ (N = 2257). We also assessed the associations of these SNPs with breast cancer risk in an Asian population of 14,570 cases and 80,870 controls.

    RESULTS: Of the 61 SNPs available in our data, 21 were associated with MD at a nominal threshold of P value  0.05, 29 variants showed consistent directions of association as those previously reported. We found that nine of the 21 MD-associated SNPs in this study were also associated with breast cancer risk in Asian women (P 

  18. Li L, Shuai L, Sun J, Li C, Yi P, Zhou Z, et al.
    Food Sci Nutr, 2020 Feb;8(2):1284-1294.
    PMID: 32148834 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1417
    Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is respiratory climacteric fruit that ripens and decomposes quickly following their harvest. 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is known to affect the ripening of fruit, delaying the decay of mango stored under ambient conditions. The objective of this study was to clarify the role of 1-MCP in the regulation of ethylene biosynthesis and ethylene receptor gene expression in mango. 1-MCP significantly inhibited the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) content. The activity of ACC oxidase (ACO) increased on days 6, 8, and 10 of storage, whereas delayed ACC synthase (ACS) activity increased after day 4. The two homologous ethylene receptor genes, ETR1 and ERS1 (i.e., MiETR1 and MiERS1), were obtained and deposited in GenBank® (National Center for Biotechnology Information-National Institutes of Health [NCBI-NIH]) (KY002681 and KY002682). The MiETR1 coding sequence was 2,220 bp and encoded 739 amino acids (aa). The MiERS1 coding sequence was 1,890 bp and encoded 629 aa, similar to ERS1 in other fruit. The tertiary structures of MiETR1 and MiERS1 were also predicted. MiERS1 lacks a receiver domain and shares a low homology with MiETR1 (44%). The expression of MiETR1 and MiERS1 mRNA was upregulated as the storage duration extended and reached the peak expression on day 6. Treatment with 1-MCP significantly reduced the expression of MiETR1 on days 4, 6, and 10 and inhibited the expression of MiETR1 on days 2, 4, 6, and 10. These results indicated that MiETR1 and MiERS1 had important functions in ethylene signal transduction. Treatment with 1-MCP might effectively prevent the biosynthesis of ethylene, as well as ethylene-induced ripening and senescence. This study presents an innovative method for prolonging the storage life of mango after their harvest through the regulation of MiETR1 and MiERS1 expression.
  19. Wen Y, Zhan Y, Chen T, Li J, Long Q, Zheng F, et al.
    Mol Neurobiol, 2024 Jan 20.
    PMID: 38244148 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-03958-3
    Aurantii Fructus Immaturus total flavonoids (AFIF) is the main effective fraction extracted from AFI, which has a good effect on promoting gastrointestinal motility. This study aimed to investigate AFIF which regulates miR-5100 to improve constipation symptoms in mice by targeting Frizzled-2 (Fzd2) to alleviate interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) calcium ion balance and autophagy apoptosis. The constipated mouse model was induced by an antibiotic suspension, and then treated with AFIF. RNA-seq sequencing, luciferase assay, immunofluorescence staining, transmission electron microscopy, ELISA, flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Western blot were applied in this study. The results showed that AFIF improved constipation symptoms in antibiotic-induced constipated mice, and decreased the autophagy-related protein Beclin1 levels and the LC3-II/I ratio in ICCs. miR-5100 and its target gene Fzd2 were screened as key miRNAs and regulator associated with autophagy. Downregulation of miR-5100 caused increased expression of Fzd2, decreased proliferation activity of ICCs, increased apoptotic cells, and enhanced calcium ion release and autophagy signals. After AFIF treatment, miR-5100 expression was upregulated and Fzd2 was downregulated, while autophagy-related protein levels and calcium ion concentration decreased. Furthermore, AFIF increased the levels of SP, 5-HT, and VIP, and increased the expression of PGP9.5, Sy, and Cx43, which alleviated constipation by improving the integrity of the enteric nervous system network. In conclusion, AFIF could attenuate constipation symptoms by upregulating the expression of miR-5100 and targeting inhibition of Fzd2, alleviating calcium overload and autophagic death of ICCs, regulating the content of neurotransmitters, and enhancing the integrity of the enteric nervous system network.
  20. Zhang Y, Li J, Xie Y, Wu D, Ong J, Marley G, et al.
    Nat Med, 2023 Sep;29(9):2241-2247.
    PMID: 37640859 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02519-w
    Pay-it-forward incentives involve having a person receive a free test with community-generated messages and then asking if those who received a free test would like to donate money to support others to receive free testing. Here we undertook a two-arm cluster-randomized trial to evaluate pay-it-forward incentives with active community participation to promote hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among men who have sex with men in China. Men randomized to the pay-it-forward arm received free HBV and HCV testing and were offered a chance to pay-it-forward by donating money to support the testing of another anonymous person. Each participant paid for their HCV and HBV test at 7.7 USD per test in the standard-of-care arm. The primary outcome was the proportion of men who tested for HBV and HCV. Between 28 March and 6 November 2021, 32 groups (10 men per group) of men were randomized to the pay-it-forward (n = 160, 16 clusters) and standard-of-care (n = 162, 16 clusters) arms, respectively. HBV and HCV rapid testing were higher in the pay-it-forward arm (59.4%) than in the standard-of-care arm (25.3%) (proportion difference 35.2%, 95% confidence interval 24.1-46.3%). No adverse events were reported. The community-led pay-it-forward incentives improved HBV and HCV testing among men who have sex with men. Clinical Trial registration: ChiCTR 2100046140.
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