JIYU WANG^1,2, HUIXIA LI^1,2, DEYUAN ZHOU^1,2, LIHONG BAI^1,2, KEJING TANG^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.4, pp. 623-637, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.030420

Abstract Background: For patients with lung cancer, timely identification of new lung lesions as infectious or non-infectious, and accurate identification of pathogens is very important in improving OS of patients. As a new auxiliary examination, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is believed to be more accurate in diagnosing infectious diseases in patients without underlying diseases, compared with conventional microbial tests (CMTs). We designed this study to find out whether mNGS has better performance in distinguishing infectious and non-infectious diseases in lung cancer patients using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Materials and Methods: This study was a real-world retrospective review based on electronic medical… More >

YANG LI^1,2, JIAN LIU^1,3,*, YUEDI HU^1,2, CHENGZHI CONG^1,2, YIMING CHEN^1,2, QIAO ZHOU^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.1, pp. 9-19, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.045862

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease whose main features include chronic synovial inflammation, bone destruction, and joint degeneration. Neutrophils are often considered to be the first responders to inflammation and are a key presence in the inflammatory milieu of RA. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a meshwork of DNA-histone complexes and proteins released by activated neutrophils, are widely involved in the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases, especially RA, in addition to playing a key role in the neutrophil innate immune response. NETs have been found to be an important source of citrullinated autoantigen antibodies and inflammatory factor release, which can… More > Graphic Abstract

FATEMEH HEIDARI^1,2, REIHANEH SEYEDEBRAHIMI^1,2, PIAO YANG³, MOHSEN ESLAMI FARSANI^1,2, SHIMA ABABZADEH^2,4, NASER KALHOR⁵, HAMED MANOOCHEHRI⁶, MOHSEN SHEYKHHASAN^7,*, MARYAM AZIMZADEH^8,9,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2597-2608, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.043351

Abstract Exosomes are small vesicles that carry molecules from one cell to another. They have many features that make them interesting for research, such as their stability, low immunogenicity, size of the nanoscale, toxicity, and selective delivery. Exosomes can also interact with viruses in diverse ways. Emerging research highlights the significant role of exosomes in viral infections, particularly in the context of diseases like COVID-19, HIV, HBV and HCV. Understanding the intricate interplay between exosomes and the human immune system holds great promise for the development of effective antiviral therapies. An important aspect is gaining clarity on how exosomes influence the… More >

JIE DUAN, AIDONG GU^*, WEI CHEN, CHANGHAO CHEN, FANGNAN SONG, FAXI CHEN, FANGFANG JIANG, HUIWEN XING

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2609-2615, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.042472

Abstract Objective: This study aims to analyze the clinical significance and mechanism of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC). Methods: The expression of NRF2 and GPX4 in peripheral blood of patients with PHC was determined to analyze the diagnostic value of the two combined for PHC. The prognostic significance of NRF2 and GPX4 was evaluated by 3-year follow-up. Human liver epithelial cells THLE-2 and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2 were purchased, and the expression of NRF2 and GPX4 in the cells was determined. NRF2 and GPX4 aberrant expression vectors were… More > Graphic Abstract

PRIYADHARSHINI THANJAVUR SRIRAMAMOORTHI^1,2, GAYATHRI GOPAL^1,2, SHIBI MURALIDAR^1,2, SAI RAMANAN ESWARAN^1,2, DANUSH NARAYAN PANNEERSELVAM^1,2, BHUVANESWARAN MEIYANATHAN^1,2, SRICHANDRASEKAR THUTHIKKADU INDHUPRAKASH^1,2, SENTHIL VISAGA AMBI^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.11, pp. 2335-2350, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029379

Abstract The novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) is spreading worldwide and threatening people greatly. The routes by which SARS-CoV-2 causes lung injury have grown to be a major concern in the scientific community since patients with new Coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) have a high likelihood of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in severe cases. The mortality rate of COVID-19 has increased over the period due to rapid spread, and it becomes crucial to understand the disease epidemiology, pathogenic mechanisms, and suitable treatment strategies. ARDS is a respiratory disorder and is one of the clinical manifestations observed in patients… More > Graphic Abstract

XUNAN ZHAO^#, EMMANUEL MAGO^#, DAN WENG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2151-2162, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030570

Abstract Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening pulmonary disease typically caused by microbial infections, trauma, inhalation of harmful gases, and other factors. It is characterized by an inflammation in the lungs and increased alveolar permeability, leading to pulmonary edema and consequently, a low oxygen supply or hypoxemia. ARDS is responsible for 1 in 10 admissions to intensive care units, and the mortality rate for patients with severe ARDS is as high as 46%. Extensive efforts have been devoted to investigating the pathological mechanisms of ARDS to develop new effective clinical strategies. Recent studies have reported that receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase… More > Graphic Abstract

MINGCAI ZHANG, TANNER CAMPBELL, SPENCER FALCON, JINXI WANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2125-2132, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030161

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of joint disease, is characterized clinically by joint pain, stiffness, and deformity. OA is now considered a whole joint disease; however, the breakdown of the articular cartilage remains the major hallmark of the disease. Current treatments targeting OA symptoms have a limited impact on impeding or reversing the OA progression. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying OA development is a critical barrier to progress in OA therapy. Recent studies by the current authors’ group and others have revealed that the nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 (NFAT1), a member of the NFAT… More > Graphic Abstract

Yuanyuan Li^1,#, Jinze Mu^2,#, Qingliang Li¹, Huabing Liu³, Xuefeng Yuan^2,*, Deya Wang^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.7, pp. 2079-2085, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.028237

Abstract Infection of plum bark necrosis stem pitting associated virus (PBNSPaV) has been reported in many Prunus species in several countries, causing significant economic losses. The very small proteins encoded by plant viruses are often overlooked due to their short sequences and uncertain significance. However, numerous studies have indicated that they might play important roles in the pathogenesis of virus infection. The role of small hydrophobic protein P6, encoded by the open reading frame 2 of PBNSPaV, has not been well explored. In this study, we amplified the P6 fragment from a PBNSPaV isolate by RT-PCR using specific primers and found… More >

Yeyao Du^1,#, Ye Zhang^2,#, Yang Song¹, Zhuo Zhang¹, Sujie Fan¹, Hanzhu Zhang¹, Piwu Wang^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.6, pp. 1907-1920, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.027607

Abstract Soybean (Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.) annual leguminous crop is cultivated all over the world. The occurrence of diseases has a great impact on the yield and quality of soybean. In this study, based on the RNA-seq of soybean variety M18, a complete CDS (Coding sequence) GmPR1L of the pathogenesis-related protein 1 family was obtained, which has the ability to resist fungal diseases. The overexpression vector and interference expression vector were transferred into tobacco NC89, and the resistance of transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) to Botrytis cinerea infection was identified. The results show that: Compared with the control, the activities of… More >

QIAO ZHOU^1,2,3, JIAN LIU^2,4, LING XIN⁴, YANYAN FANG^2,4, LEI WAN^2,4, DAN HUANG^2,4, JINCHEN GUO¹, JIANTING WEN^2,4

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 761-772, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026698

Abstract The pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA) is multifactorial, with the primary risk factors being obesity, age, environmental variables, and genetic predisposition. The available evidence suggests that genetic diversity does not adequately account for all clinical characteristics and heterogeneity of OA. Genetics has emerged as a nascent and crucial area of research in OA. The epigenetic module presents a potential link between genetic and environmental risk factors and the susceptibility and pathogenesis of OA. As a critical epigenetic alteration, DNA methylation has been shown to have an important role in the etiology of OA and is a viable biomarker for predicting disease… More >