RAN PAN^1,#, JIAYAN MAO^2,#, YUELIANG ZHENG³, WEI CHEN², JUNPING GUO^1,*, LIJUN WANG^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.3, pp. 431-441, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.046484 - 15 March 2024

Abstract Background: Sepsis, a type of systemic disease, can impact nearly all organs, tissues and cells. Among them, endothelial cells are amongst the first to be affected and respond to the insult. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of microRNA-30a-5p (miR-30a-5p) on human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) treated with lipolysaccharide (LPS). Methods: An in vitro model of sepsis was established in HPMECs with the use of LPS. Transfecting with different tools (mimetic and inhibitor) to modify miR-30a-5p expression. Cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis were detected by the CCK-8 assay, the EdU kit and fluorescence… More >

Lingyu Liang¹, Xiangyu Zhao^1,*, Wenqi Huang¹, Liming Sun^2,3, Ziyao Wang³, Yaosen Zhan²

Energy Engineering, Vol.120, No.12, pp. 2839-2856, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ee.2023.042042 - 29 November 2023

Abstract The N-1 criterion is a critical factor for ensuring the reliable and resilient operation of electric power distribution networks. However, the increasing complexity of distribution networks and the associated growth in data size have created a significant challenge for distribution network planners. To address this issue, we propose a fast N-1 verification procedure for urban distribution networks that combines CIM file data analysis with MILP-based mathematical modeling. Our proposed method leverages the principles of CIM file analysis for distribution network N-1 analysis. We develop a mathematical model of distribution networks based on CIM data and… More >

KANWAL REHMAN¹, AMMARA AFZAAL², MUHAMMAD SAJID HAMID AKASH^2,*, MUHAMMAD IMRAN^3,4, MOHAMMED A. ASSIRI^3,4

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 809-823, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025850 - 08 March 2023

Abstract The cytokine channel’s mechanism for self-regulation involves the application of antagonistic cytokines that are synthesized to connect to the receptors and release soluble cytokine receptors. The very first receptor antagonist of cytokine that was naturally present was interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra). The IL-1Ra protein forms are disinfected from supernatants of cultured monocytes on stacked IgG. The family of IL-1 consists of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-1Ra. Human monocytes regulate the production of IL-Ra. IL-Ra takes part in normal physiological functions by using specific antibodies, and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. IL-Ra is synthesized in the tissues More >

YONGDAE YOON^1,#, SOONJAE HWANG^1,2,#, FATEMA TUJ SAIMA^3,#, MOON YOUNG KIM^1,3,4, SOON KOO BAIK^1,3,4,*, YOUNG WOO EOM^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 669-676, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025365 - 03 January 2023

Abstract Background: Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are closely involved in the initiation, perpetuation, and resolution of liver fibrosis. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are positively correlated with the transition from liver injury to fibrogenesis and contribute to HSC pathophysiology in liver fibrosis. Methods: In this study, we investigated the effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β on the proliferation and signaling pathways involved in fibrogenesis in LX-2 cells, an HSC cell line, using western blotting and cell proliferation assays. Results: IL-1β increased the proliferation rate and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression of LX-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Within… More >

Shengjin Yu, Huiming Lv, Jinhui Zhang, He Zhang, Weiwei Ju, Yu Jiang^*, Lijuan Lin^*

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.3, pp. 539-551, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.024882 - 19 September 2022

Abstract Background: Although heparanase/syndecan-1 axis is involved in malignant progression of many cancers, its significance in liver cancer is not well understood. In this study, we explored the value of heparanase/syndecan-1 axis expression in liver cancer and the intervention mechanisms that target this axis by inhibiting the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Materials and Methods: We conducted tissue microarray analysis that included 90 primary liver cancer and their corresponding adjacent samples to evaluate the expression of heparanase and syndecan-1 and their correlation with clinicopathologic characteristics. RNA interference and western blot assays were performed to analyze the effect of… More >

MAGDALENA RUDZIŃSKA-RADECKA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1893-1901, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019724 - 22 April 2022

Abstract Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most common and aggressive malignancy subtype of renal neoplasm that arises from proximal convoluted tubules. It is characterized by poor clinical outcomes and high mortality of patients due to the lack of specific biomarkers for varying stages of the disease and no effective treatment. Proteases are associated with the development of several malignant tumors in humans by their ability to degrade extracellular matrices, facilitating metastasis. Herein, differentially expressed genes in KIRC cases compared to healthy kidneys were screened out from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA)… More >

LIANHUAN MA¹, SHOUPENG LIU², XIAOWEN ZHEN¹, WEIWEI QIAO¹, LINA MA¹, XIAOMIN ZHANG^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1911-1916, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019277 - 22 April 2022

Abstract This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Astaxanthin (AST) in rats with diabetes mellitus (DM) induced by streptozotocin. SD rats were divided into control group (n = 5, only received normal saline), DM group (n = 8) and AST + DM group (n = 8; AST: 50 mg/kg/day). DM rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg). Blood glucose level and body weight were determined at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8, respectively. At week 8, kidney function was determined, together with expression of P53 and dynamin-related protein-1 More >

RAGHDA A. SOLIMAN¹, RANA A. YOUNESS^1,2,*, TAMER M. MANIE³, EMAD KHALLAF⁴, MOHAMED EL-SHAZLY¹, MONA ABDELMOHSEN⁵, HEBA HANDOUSSA¹, MOHAMED Z. GAD^6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 769-783, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016636 - 18 November 2021

Abstract Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) immunotherapy has recently shown promising approach. However, some TNBC patients presented with resistance. One of the reasons was attributed to the excessive release of cytokines at the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). Fine regulation of these cytokines’ levels via non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) might alleviate the immune quiescent nature of TME at TNBC tumors. However, the extrapolation of ncRNAs as therapeutic tools is highly challenging. Therefore, disentanglement the nature for the isolation of natural compounds that could modulate the ncRNAs and their respective… More >

Liping Wang, Mingjie Zhang, Xi Chen, Yachang Pang, Jiaqi Liu, Zhuoming Xu^*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 87-97, 2022, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2022.018452 - 26 October 2021

Abstract Background: Reversibility of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is closely related to the treatment options for and prognosis of children with congenital heart disease. Objective: We combined patient-specific clinical features including diagnosis, age and echocardiographic results, and biomarkers of pulmonary vascular dysfunction to explore the noninvasive methods that can be used to accurately evaluate the reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease (PH-CHD). Methods: Based on the preoperative systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP), 70 CHD patients were divided into normal, PH-CHD suspected, and confirmed groups. Additionally, biomarkers of circulating endothelial cells (CECs), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and endothelial nitric oxide… More >

HAZAEL RAMIRO CEJA-GALVEZ¹, ERANDIS DHENI TORRES-SÁNCHEZ¹, JUAN HERIBERTO TORRES-JASSO², EMMANUEL REYESURIBE¹, JOEL SALAZAR-FLORES^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.5, pp. 1241-1250, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015771 - 12 July 2021

Abstract Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) is an enzyme that hydrolyzes organophosphate pesticides. The presence of polymorphisms in PON-1 (L55M and Q192R) decreases its enzyme activity and increases the risk of central nervous system (CNS) toxicity in occupationally exposed farmers, leading to chronic degenerative diseases and death. We studied 103 farmers in the region of Cienega Jalisco, Mexico, which were exposed mainly to organophosphate pesticides. We used serum and plasma samples to assay PON-1 activity and perform polymorphism analysis (L55M and Q192R) using qPCR and TaqMan probes, respectively. For both polymorphisms, there was high percentage of heterozygosity (55 LL… More >