FENGMEI QIAN^1,2, PEIYAO REN², LI ZHAO², DANNA ZHENG², WENFANG HE³, JUAN JIN^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1853-1867, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029353

Abstract Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication of diabetes with rising prevalence worldwide. We aimed to explore the anti-DN mechanisms of the compound celastrol derived from the medicinal plant Tripterygium wilfordii. Methods: Celastrol-related targets were obtained from Herbal Ingredients’ Targets (HIT) and GeneCards databases. DN-related targets were retrieved from GeneCards, DisGeNET, and Therapeutic Targets Database (TTD). A Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using ClusterProfiler. The cytoHubba plugin was used to select… More > Graphic Abstract

AN-SOO JANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1703-1708, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028975

Abstract Exposure to air pollutants such as PM₁₀, PM_2.5, PM_0.1, O₃, CO, NO₂, and SO₂, and biological pollutants are important factors causing the evolution and furtherance of obstructive lung diseases (OLD), including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Asthma is the most frequent chronic inflammatory airway disease, characterized by breathlessness, wheezing, chest tightness, and cough, together with the presence of exaggerated expiratory airflow fluctuation that varies over time. COPD is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, expectoration, and/or exacerbations due to abnormalities of the airways and/or alveoli that cause persistent, often progressive, airflow… More >

YAN ZHENG^1,2, SIHUI MA^3,4,*, KATSUHIKO SUZUKI⁴, HISANORI KATO³, HUIJUAN JIA^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1897-1906, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027632

Abstract Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety inflict significant burdens on individuals and society. Commonly prescribed treatments often involve cognitive therapy and medications. However, for patients resistant to these conventional methods, alternative therapies like the Ketogenic Diet (KD) offer a promising avenue. KD and its key metabolite, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), have been hypothesized to alleviate mental disorders through anti-inflammatory actions, a crucial pathway in the pathophysiology of depression. This mini-review examines 15 clinical trials exploring the influence of KD and BHB on inflammation and their potential roles in managing mental disorders. Both human and animal studies were scrutinized to elucidate possible… More >

XIAOFENG LI¹, JINYANG ZHENG², JINFENG ZHU³, XIN HUANG⁴, HUANHUAN ZHU⁵, BINGDI CHEN^6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1771-1781, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028343

Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are neoplastic cells that are detached from primary tumors and enter circulation. Enumeration and characterization of CTCs are of significance in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring. CTC survival in the bloodstream is a limiting step for the development of metastases in distant organs. Recent technological advances, especially in single-cell molecular analyses have uncovered heterogeneous CTC survival mechanisms. Undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), increasing stem cell-like properties, and forming cell clusters enable CTCs to adapt to the harsh microenvironment of the circulation. Expressing and releasing several immunosuppressive molecules help CTCs escape from anti-cancer immune mechanisms. This review… More >

Athena George¹, Bejoy Abraham², Neetha George³, Linu Shine³, Sivakumar Ramachandran^4,*

Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 2097-2118, 2023, DOI:10.32604/csse.2023.039262

Abstract Neurodegeneration is the gradual deterioration and eventual death of brain cells, leading to progressive loss of structure and function of neurons in the brain and nervous system. Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple system atrophy, and multiple sclerosis, are characterized by progressive deterioration of brain function, resulting in symptoms such as memory impairment, movement difficulties, and cognitive decline. Early diagnosis of these conditions is crucial to slowing down cell degeneration and reducing the severity of the diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used by neurologists for diagnosing brain abnormalities. The majority of the research… More >

José Adrian Perez-Robles, Carlos Alberto Lecona-Guzmán^*, Víctor Manuel Ruíz-Valdiviezo, Joaquín Adolfo Montes-Molina^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.9, pp. 2503-2518, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.029784

Abstract The objective to this work was to evaluate the enzymatic activity in the culture of Solanum lycopersicum L. infected with Fusarium oxysporum after the combined application of Beauveria bassiana and plant extracts. Solanum lycopersicum plantlets were transplanted 15 days after the emergency. Five days after transplanting, Beauveria bassiana spores were applied at a concentration of 1 × 10⁷ spores mL⁻¹ onto soil (along with A. indica (N) and P. auritum (H) leaf extracts) where S. lycopersicum plants were planted. Eight days after transplanting, spores of F. oxysporum strain were applied at a concentration of 1 × 10⁶ spores mL⁻¹ to… More >

Amnart Boonloi^a, Withada Jedsadaratanachai^b,*

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol.11, pp. 1-16, 2018, DOI:10.5098/hmt.11.29

Abstract Numerical predictions on flow and heat transfer in a square channel heat exchanger placed with V-baffle are examined. The gap spacing between the V-baffle and channel wall is varied for all baffle heights. The laminar regime with Re = 100 – 1000 is considered. The numerical model for the square channel heat exchanger placed with V-baffle is validated. The preliminary result reveals that the computational domain has reliability to predict flow and heat transfer in the channel. The mechanisms on flow and heat transfer in the heat exchanger channel are illustrated at the numerical result section. The thermal performance analysis… More >

Mohammad Reza Boorboori, Haiyang Zhang^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.8, pp. 2261-2281, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.029486

Abstract Environmental stresses caused by climate change have severely affected agriculture in the present century; Salinity and drought have challenged most forecasts for increased agricultural production in the past few decades, therefore, different methods that reduce the effect of these stresses on plants have attracted scientists’ attention. The effect of beneficial soil microorganisms on soil health and increasing plants’ resistance to stresses is one of the solutions that researchers have paid attention to. This study investigated how Trichoderma species can be affected by the molecular and morphophysiological mechanisms of plants and improve their salt and drought resistance. This study also studied… More >

LEI ZHANG^*, YUAN ZHANG, HUIJUAN GAO, XIN LI, PEIFENG LI^*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 449-462, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029062

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant form of glioma and is difficult to diagnose, leading to high mortality rates. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are noncoding RNAs with a covalently closed loop structure. CircRNAs are involved in various pathological processes and have been revealed to be important regulators of GBM pathogenesis. CircRNAs exert their biological effects by 4 different mechanisms: serving as sponges of microRNAs (miRNAs), serving as sponges of RNA binding proteins (RBPs), modulating parental gene transcription, and encoding functional proteins. Among the 4 mechanisms, sponging miRNAs is predominant. Their good stability, broad distribution and high specificity make circRNAs promising biomarkers… More > Graphic Abstract

JINFANG HU^1,#, JIANGEN AO^2,#, LONGSHENG FU^1,#, YAOQI WU¹, FENG SHAO³, TIANTIAN XU¹, MINGJIN JIANG⁴, SHAOFENG XIONG¹, YANNI LV^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1611-1622, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028684

Abstract Background: The attenuation function of Dalbergia odorifera leaves on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is little known. The candidate targets for the Chinese herb were extracted from brain tissues through the high-affinity chromatography. The molecular mechanism of D. odorifera leaves on cerebral I/R was investigated. Methods: Serial affinity chromatography based on D. odorifera leaves extract (DLE) affinity matrices were applied to find specific binding proteins in the brain tissues implemented on C57BL/6 mice by intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion for 1 h and reperfusion for 24 h. Specific binding proteins were subjected to mass-spectrometry to search for the differentially expressed proteins between… More >