Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder whose major pathophysiological basis is demonstrated as placental insulin resistance (IR), while Smad4 always functions in the signal transduction of transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) pathway. Our study aims to figure out the role of Smad4 in an insulin resistance (IR) cellular model using placental trophoblast cell line. Importantly

MiR‐140‐5p is high expressed in normal fracture healing, but its specific role and mechanism in tissue‐to‐bone healing are rarely reported. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of miR‐140‐5p on tissue‐to‐bone healing. Clone formation experiment, flow cytometry, Alizarin Red S Staining and Oil Red O Staining were performed to investigate the biological characteristics of mouse embryonic bone

Despite vitamin D‐deficiency clinically presenting with myopathy, muscle weakness and atrophy, the mechanisms by which vitamin D exerts its homeostatic effects upon skeletal muscle remain to be fully established. Recent studies have shown that the receptor by which 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25[OH]2D3) exerts its biological actions (ie, the vitamin D receptor, VDR) elicits both genomic and non‐genomic

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is responsible for non‐shivering thermogenesis, with restricted expression in brown/beige adipocytes in humans and rodents. We have previously shown an unexpected expression of UCP1 in bovine skeletal muscles. This study evaluated factors affecting Ucp1 gene expression in cultured bovine myogenic cells. Myosatellite cells, which were isolated from the bovine musculus longissimus

Nrf2 mediates the antinociceptive activity of dexmedetomidine in an acute inflammatory visceral pain rat model by activating the NF‐κB sensor Following the publication of the Lan et al. (2020), the author would like to amend the ‘Animal treatment’ section of the Materials and Methods. The authors apologise for the mistake. The original text read as follows: 2.2 Animal treatment We randomly divided

The p53 tumour suppressor is considered one of the most critical genes in cancer biology. By upregulating apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and DNA damage repair in normal cells, p53 prevents the propagation of cells with tumorigenic potential; therefore, mutations in p53 are associated with carcinogenic transformation and can be accompanied by the accumulation of a novel gain‐of‐function oncogenic protein

COVID‐19 caused by SARS‐COV‐2 first appeared in the Wuhan City of China and began to spread rapidly among people. Rapid progression of the outbreak has led to a major global public health problem of a potentially fatal disease. On January 30, 2020, WHO declared the pandemic as the sixth public health emergency of the world. Upon this, the whole country has started to take the necessary precautions

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), formed by the partial reduction of oxygen, were for a long time considered to be a byproduct of cellular metabolism. Since, increase in cellular levels of ROS results in oxidative stress leading to damage of nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids resulting in numerous pathological conditions; ROS was considered a bane for aerobic species. Hence, the discovery of NADPH oxidases

Lixisenatide, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) receptor agonist, is used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It increases insulin (INS) secretion and can decrease INS resistance, improving metabolic disorders in this disease. However, its effects on metabolic disturbances in cancer‐bearing, which also exhibit decreased INS secretion and INS resistance, changes that may contribute

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common devastating condition that causes neuronal loss and dysfunction. Neuroinflammation takes cardinal roles in the pathogenesis of SCI, and nucleotide‐binding domain‐like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a mediator of inflammatory reactions occurring in SCI patients. The present study was designed to survey possible relation between thoracic segments whereby

Cardiovascular diseases are known to be the most fatal diseases worldwide. Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is at the centre of the pathology of the most common cardiovascular diseases. According to the World Health Organization estimates, ischaemic heart disease is the leading global cause of death, causing more than 9 million deaths in 2016. After cardiovascular events, thrombolysis, percutaneous

Tc85, as other members of trans‐sialidase family, is involved in Trypanosoma cruzi parasite adhesion to mammalian cells. Particularly, Tc85 acts through specific interactions with prokineticin receptor 2, a G‐protein coupled receptor involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes. In this manuscript, through biochemical analyses, we demonstrated that LamG, a Tc85 domain, physically interacts

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine carcinoma, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounting for 80%‐90% of thyroid cancers. Accumulating studies reported that mitochondria plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation. ALDH5A1, may function as an oncogene or tumour suppressor in various human cancers, and the role of ALDH5A1 in PTC is still unclear. The aim of this study

Cancer cell derived exosomes play important roles in cancer progression and modulation of the tumour microenvironment. This study aims to investigate the role of prokineticin receptor 1 (PKR1) positive exosomes on angiogenesis. In the present study, PKR1 expression in tumour samples from ovarian cancer patients were examined firstly. Then, two ovarian cancer cell lines, namely A2780 and HO‐8910 cells

It is reported that long intergenic non‐coding RNA 00662 (LINC00662) plays an oncogenic role in tumours. However, the mechanism of LINC00662 in regulating the progression and radiosensitivity of cervical cancer (CC) is not clear. In this study, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) was adopted to detect LINC00662 and miR‐497‐5p expressions in CC tissues and cells. The expression

Taurine upregulated gene 1 (Tug1) is a novel lncRNA that participates in growth, and the abnormal expression of Tug1 related to mouse islet cell dysfunction. A recent study revealed that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) related to the pathogenesis of diabetes. Here, we aimed to explore the role and mechanism of Tug1 in IUGR‐mediated islet dysfunction. We observed that newborn IUGR mice had lower

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) plays important roles in developmental of vertebrate animal central nervous system (CNS), and Gli is its downstream signal molecule. Shh signalling is essential for pattern formation, cell‐fate specification, axon guidance, proliferation, survival and differentiation of neurons in CNS development. The abnormal signalling pathway of Shh leads to the occurrence of many nervous system

Long‐term use of platinum‐based drugs can cause non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to develop extremely strong drug resistance. Increasing the drug dosage does not have better treatment effects and could lead to serious complications. High levels of drug resistance are considered to be characteristic of human tumours and are usually mediated by genes related to multidrug resistance. Multidrug resistance‐associated

Since the new coronavirus known as 2019‐nCoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS‐CoV‐2) has widely spread in Wuhan, China, with severe pneumonia, scientists and physicians have made remarkable efforts to use various options such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides, vaccines, small‐molecule drugs and interferon therapies to control, prevent or treatment infections of 2019‐nCoV. However

Altered DNA methylation upon ageing may result in many age‐related diseases such as osteoporosis. However, the changes in DNA methylation that occur in cortical bones, the major osteocytic areas, remain unknown. In our study, we extracted total DNA and RNA from the cortical bones of 6‐month‐old and 24‐month‐old mice and systematically analysed the differentially methylated regions (DMRs), differentially

Malignant phenotypes are leading causes of death in patients with breast cancer (BC). Previously, it has been proved that tubulin polymerization promoting protein 3 (TPPP3) participates in cell progressions in several human cancers. Little is known about the functions of TPPP3 in BC. Herein, we detected the expression of TPPP3 in 54 clinical BC tissues and two BC cell lines by immunohistochemistry

To establish a stable animal model of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS), as well as to explore whether Endocan and HGF/c‐Met signalling pathway participate in the regeneration of residual liver through hepatic stem cells after ALPPS procedure. C57BL/6J male mice weighing 18‐22 g were used in this study. The liver regeneration index was expressed as

Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury can lead to severe arrhythmia and aggravate myocardial damage. Exosomes are small‐membrane vesicles that play a protective role in myocardial I/R injury. This study aimed to explore the protective effects of ischaemic preconditioning (IPC)‐induced serum exosomes (IPC‐Exo) on myocardial I/R injury in rats and its underlying mechanism. Serum exosomes were extracted

Apoptosis‐inducing factor (AIF) is a mitochondrial flavoprotein involved in redox signalling and programmed cell death. The role of AIF has been well recognized in diabetes and obesity. However, the aspect of AIF deficiency in the development of hepatic steatosis and liver injury is unknown. Therefore, in the current study, Harlequin (Hq mutant) mouse with markedly reduced content of AIF was investigated

Cystine/glutamic acid reverse transporter (System Xc−), a member of the amino acid transporter family, consists of two subunits, light chain xCT and heavy chain 4F2hc. xCT is the cystine/glutamate antiporter solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), which promotes cystine uptake and glutathione biosynthetic, thus protecting against oxidative stress and ferroptosis. Studies have confirmed that xCT

Propofol, a generally used anaesthetic in patients care, has been proven to induce neurotoxicity. Studies have shown that miR‐363‐3p was closely related to neurological dysfunction, and the up‐regulated miR‐363‐3p was recognized to be participate in propofol‐induced neurotoxicity. However, the mechanisms and functions of miR‐363‐3p in propofol‐induced neurotoxicity remain rarely reported. The aim of

Inhibin, beta A (INHBA) is a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF‐β) family. The carcinogenic mechanisms of INHBA during the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. In the present study, we further elucidated the role of INHBA in CRC. We analysed the expression of INHBA in CRC and its relationship with patient prognosis using data from public databases. INHBA expression was

Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant tumors and causes the high mortality in cancer patients. Currently, there is no highly efficient therapy against glioblastoma. Therefore, searching for a new molecular target to anti‐glioblastoma therapy is urgent and necessary. In this study, we elucidated the role of Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1 ) in proliferation, migration and

Oocyte activation deficiency leads to female infertility. [Ca2+]i oscillations are required for mitochondrial energy supplement transition from the resting to the excited state, but the underlying mechanisms are still very little known. Three mitochondrial Ca2+ channels, Mitochondria Calcium Uniporter (MCU), Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger (NCLX) and Voltage‐dependent Ca2+ Channel (VDAC), were deactivated by inhibitors

The study aimed to investigate the role of exosomes derived from rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) in acute soft tissue injury and its related mechanisms. Exosomes were isolated from rBMSCs and characterized by Nanosight NS300 particle size analyser (NTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and western blot. Twenty four rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): control

LncRNA LINC‐PINT acts as an important regulator in the development of many cancers. The current study aimed to explore the role of LINC‐PINT in the progression of ovarian cancer (OC). LINC‐PINT expression level in different FIGO stages of OC and its adjacent tissues, normal HOSE and OC cell lines (A2780, SKOV3, OVCAR3 and HO‐8910) was determined by qRT‐PCR. Survival analysis on LINC‐PINT and OC patients

MicroRNAs can act as tumour suppressors or oncogenes by regulating cellular differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis, and the dysregulation of miRNA is involved in the occurrence and development of NSCLC. Here, we provided evidence that miR‐92b as an oncogene in NSCLC by targeting PTEN/AKT. We found that miR‐92b was up‐regulated in human NSCLC tissues and cell lines. MiR‐92b knockdown suppressed

Glaucoma is optic neuropathy that is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and axons. This condition will lead to visual impairment and bring glaucoma to become the second cause of blindness globally. Neuroprotection in glaucoma is needed to prevent the progression of optic neuropathy. In this study, we examined the effects of the superior colliculus (SC)

During the development of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), aberrant expression of autoantigen is a hallmark event. To explore the regulation of autoantigen tripartite motif containing 21 (Ro/SSA, TRIM21), microRNA profiling was performed in our previous study. In which, two TRIM21 ‐targeting microRNAs were identified, namely miR‐1207‐5p and miR‐4695‐3p. To further pursue their roles in the development

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is expressed ubiquitously in a variety of cell types including osteoblasts. HSP90 acts as a key driver of proteostasis under pathophysiological conditions. Here, we investigated the involvement of HSP90 in extracellular ATP‐stimulated interleukin (IL)‐6 synthesis and HSP90 downstream signalling in osteoblast‐like MC3T3‐E1 cells. In osteoblasts, extracellular ATP stimulates

The present study was to investigate the inhibitory effect and underlying mechanism of Tormentic acid (TA) on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HSC‐T6 cells were stimulated with Platelet‐derived growth factor‐BB (PDGF‐BB) and TA, and then cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammatory factor, and collagen‐related indicators were detected. In order to elucidate the potential mechanism, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and

Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of prevalent causes of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Long noncoding RNA is related to various cancers. Our study was conducted to explore the biological effects of LINC00240 on the tumorigenesis of GC and uncover its possible mechanisms. LINC00240 expression was determined in GC cell lines and samples through quantitative Real‐time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT‐PCR)

Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) are pluripotent cells that possess the ability to self‐renew and differentiate into three germ layers. Owing to these characteristics, mESCs act as important models for stem cell research and are being used in many clinical applications. Among the many cathepsins, cathepsin A (Ctsa), a serine protease, affects the function and properties of stem cells. However, studies

Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to cardiac remodelling and heart failure. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is considered a critical pathological phenomenon accompanying MI, but the pathogenesis mechanism remains to be explored. MicroRNAs (miRs), with the identity of negative regulator of gene expression, exist as an important contributor to apoptosis. During the experiment of this study, MI mice models were

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 22 nucleotides short, non‐coding and tissue‐specific single‐stranded RNA which modulates target gene expression. Presently, shreds of evidence confirmed that miRNAs play a key role in kidney pathophysiology. The objectives of the present review are to summarize new research data towards the latest developments in the potential use of miRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker for kidney

The study aimed to investigate the role of miR‐124‐3p and its potential molecular mechanism in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). The expression of miR‐124‐3p and mitogen‐activated protein kinase 4 (MAP2K4) in human thyroid follicular epithelial cell line (NTHY‐ORI3‐1) and human papillary thyroid carcinoma cell lines (SW1736, BCPAP, TPC‐1 and K1) was measured by RT‐qPCR. Cell proliferation was measured

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease which results in damage in neuronal cells. Insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 was previously reported to play a role of neuroprotection in some diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) can also regulate neuronal cells. However, the mechanisms underlying IGF‐1 and NO in PD still need to be elucidated. In present study, we explored the interaction between IGF‐1

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer, and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is a regulator of angiogenesis. To investigate the biological activities of TP in ICC, we established human cholangiocarcinoma RBE cell lines overexpressing TP or silencing TP. Overexpression of TP enhanced viability, suppressed apoptosis and increased tube formation in human umbilical

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are one of the most common forms of malignancies and still are the most important cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Autophagy is a conserved catabolic pathway involving lysosomal degradation and recycling of whole cellular components, which is essential for cellular homeostasis. For instance, it acts as a pivotal intracellular quality control and repair mechanism

For successful implantation, endometrial receptivity must be established. The high expression of CDC20 in many kinds of malignant tumours has been reported, and it is related to the occurrence and development of tumours. According to these functions, we think that CDC20 may also play important roles in the process of embryo implantation. To prove our hypothesis, we observed the distribution and expression

The current study investigated the role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in repairing senile bone marrow injury and the underlying mechanism. Adenoviral vectors expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used to label MSCs. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and xanthine oxidation (XTO) methods. The proportions

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent malignancy in men, and the identification of novel oncogenes is clinically valuable for early screening, prevention and treatment. Recently, the studies have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the development and progression of cancers including prostate cancer. The present study aims to identify a novel lncRNA that correlated

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common gynaecologic malignancies. Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (DMBT1) was considered as a tumour suppressor in multiple cancers, but there have been no systemic profiling studies of DMBT1 in OC until now. The aim of this study is to explore the role and the potential mechanism of DMBT1 in OC. mRNA levels and protein expressions of corresponding genes were

Overexpression of A‐kinase‐interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) has been reported in prostate and breast cancers. Nevertheless, the clinical potential of AKIP1 during the development of cervical cancer (CC) remains unclear. A series of experiments involving BdU, colony formation, wound healing and cell invasion assays were performed to determine cell proliferation, migration and invasion, respectively. Gene

LncRNA TUG1 has been rarely studied in ovarian cancer (OC), our objective was to explore the role of TUG1 in the regulation of malignant phenotypes of OC. Vectors of sh-TUG1, miR-186-5p and pcDNA-ZEB1 were, respectively, constructed and used to infect OC cells. MTT and transwell assays were applied for representing cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. Sphere formation experiment was used

SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains protein 1 (SHANK1) belongs to a family of postsynaptic scaffolding proteins. In this study, we found that SHANK1 was abnormally high expressed in colon cancer tissues compared to normal tissues. Colon cancer patients with low SHANK1 expression had better prognosis. Furthermore, the expression of SHANK1 was knocked down in human colon cancer cell lines HCT116

Pathologic changes such as renal tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis are common in chronic kidney disease (CKD), which in turn, leads to loss of renal function. The aims of present study were to screen critical genes with tubulointerstitial lesion in CKD by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Gene expression data including 169 tubulointerstitial samples of CKD and 21 controls

Growing data have recognized the significance of Response Gene to Complement (RGC)‐32 in numerous tumour developments. Notwithstanding, the functional role and underlying mechanism of it in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remain enigmatic. Here, to identify the impact of RGC‐32 in TSCC, its expression in multiple TSCC cells was measured and loss‐of‐function experiments in cell lines were performed

Vascular smooth muscle aging leads to diabetic complications such as cardiovascular and kidney diseases or diabetic foot. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of smooth muscle cell senescence in a high‐glucose (HG) environment is essential. The purpose of this study was to determine whether and how circRNA from human umbilical vein endothelial cell exosomes (HUVEC‐Exos) under HG conditions regulates

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is an important consequence of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). Astragaloside IV (AS‐IV) exerts multiple protective effects in diverse diseases. However, whether AS‐IV can attenuate CIH‐induced myocardial injury is unclear. In this study, rats exposed to CIH were established and treated with AS‐IV for 4 weeks. In vitro, H9C2 cardiomyocytes subjected to CIH

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with obesity may progress to non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Retinoic acid induced 16 (RAI16) plays an important role in cell apoptosis and is also a potential marker for HCC. Here we aimed to test the effect of RAI16 deficiency on liver pathology in high‐fat diet (HFD) fed mice. Wild type (WT) and RAI16

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent types of malignancies. Betulinic acid (BA) is a natural pentacyclic triterpene with a lupine structure. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no research study on the anti‐tumour and anti‐metastasis effect of BA on GC. In this study, we assessed the anti‐cancer effect of BA on human GC cells in vitro and in vivo. We first investigated the cytotoxicity

Previous studies have shown that cancer susceptibility candidate 5 (CASC5) plays important roles in several types of cancer. But its expression and clinical significance in human pan‐cancer remain largely unclear. In the present study, we comprehensively analysed the expression profile and prognostic values of CASC5 in pan‐cancer across 33 cancer types based on the online TCGA analysis databases. CASC5

Cervical cancer (CC) holds the second highest incidence and is the fourth dominating cause of cancer‐induced death in women. It has been widely accepted that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in pathological and physiological activities of CC. However, the research of lncRNAs is still in the initial stage. The biological function of lncRNA deoxyguanosine kinase antisense RNA 1 (DGUOK‐AS1)

Retinoblastoma (RB) is one of the most common primary intraocular malignancies in children. Emerging researches have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in a variety of cancers. As a novel circRNA, the function of circ_0000527 in RB remains unknown. In this work, expression level of circ_0000527 and miR-646 in RB tissues and cell lines were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase