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Background: Anxiety is a common preoperative symptom in children with simple congenital heart disease (SCHD). Music therapy shows potential as a non-drug intervention. However, it is unclear how it impacts the level of cooperation during the induction of anesthesia and preoperative anxiety, as well as the factors that influence its effectiveness. Therefore, we will conduct a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of music therapy on the level of cooperation during anesthesia induction and preoperative anxiety in children with SCHD. Methods: Electronic searches will be conducted through various databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, and CNKI to gather randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the impact of music therapy on the level of cooperation during anesthesia induction and preoperative anxiety among children with SCHD. Two evaluators will independently review the literature, extract information, and assess the risk of bias in the included studies. Afterwards, data analysis will be conducted using Stata 14.0 software and Revman 5.4 software. The results will be based on random-effects models. The reliability and quality of evidence will be evaluated by using the Grading of Recommendations, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Heterogeneity will be examined by subgroup analysis stratified by age, gender ratio, type of surgery, drop-out rate, measurement tools, and country of origin. We will assess potential publication bias using funnel plot symmetrical and Begg's ang Egger's regression tests. Discussion: Given the multiple advantages that may be associated with music therapy, this therapy may be a desirable alternative to existing therapies for preoperative cooperation and anxiety issues in children with SCHD. We hope that this systematic review will guide clinical decision-making for future efforts related to coping with preoperative fit and anxiety in children with SCHD. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023445313. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023445313. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive histological subtype of breast cancer and is characterized by poor outcomes and a lack of specific-targeted therapies. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) acts as the key cytokine in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the metastasis of TNBC. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the TGF-β signaling pathway remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified that the USP1/WDR48 complex could effectively enhance TGF-β-mediated EMT and migration of TNBC cells. Furthermore, lower phosphorylation of Smad2/3, Erk, Jnk, and p38 was noted on the suppression of the expression of endogenous USP1 or WDR48. Moreover, the USP1-WDR48 complex was found to downregulate the polyubiquitination of TAK1 and mediate its in vitro stability. Therefore, our findings have shed a light on the novel role of the USP1/WDR48 complex in promoting TGF-β-induced EMT and migration in TNBC via in vitro stabilization of TAK1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arachidonic acid (ARA, 5, 8, 11, 14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid) is a relevant ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, which plays essential roles in human immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. It is widely used in medicine, cosmetics, nutrition, and other fields. Traditionally, ARA is obtained from animal tissues. However, due to the limitation and unsustainability of existing resources, microorganisms are a potential alternative resource for ARA production. In this regard, major efforts have been made on algae and filamentous fungi, among which Mortierella alpina is the most effective strain for industrial ARA production. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in enhancing M. alpina production by optimization of culture medium and fermentation process and genetic modification. In addition, we provided perspectives in synthetic biology methods and technologies to further increase ARA production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in tumor progression and are aberrantly expressed in various cancers. However, the functional roles of lncRNAs in breast cancer remain largely unknown. Methods: Based on public databases and integrating bioinformatics analyses, the overexpression of lncRNA BCRT1 in breast cancer tissues was detected and further validated in a cohort of breast cancer tissues. The effects of lncRNA BCRT1 on proliferation, migration, invasion and macrophage polarization were determined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were carried out to reveal the interaction between lncRNA BCRT1, miR-1303, and PTBP3. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and RT-PCR were used to evaluate the regulatory effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) on lncRNA BCRT1. Results: LncRNA BCRT1 was significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues, which was correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. LncRNA BCRT1 knockdown remarkably suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, lncRNA BCRT1 could competitively bind with miR-1303 to prevent the degradation of its target gene PTBP3, which acts as a tumor-promoter in breast cancer. LncRNA BCRT1 overexpression could promote M2 polarization of macrophages, mediated by exosomes, which further accelerated breast cancer progression. Furthermore, lncRNA BCRT1 was upregulated in response to hypoxia, which was attributed to the binding of HIF-1α to HREs in the lncRNA BCRT1 promoter. Conclusions: Collectively, these results reveal a novel HIF-1α/lncRNA BCRT1/miR-1303/PTBP3 pathway for breast cancer progression and suggest that lncRNA BCRT1 might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The distant metastasis was the most predictive characters of poor prognosis for triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC). We aimed to evaluate the correlation between patient characters and preferential distant metastatic sites (DMS) and its effects on prognosis. Methods: Using the 2010‐2014 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) data, patients with TNBC were classified into eight histologic subtypes. Patient characters were compared using a chi‐squared test. Logistic regression was used for identification of predictive factors. The log‐rank testing was utilized with disease‐specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) as the primary outcomes. Results: A total of 23 270 patients with TNBC were involved, including 1544 patients with distant metastatic cancer. Bone metastasis was diagnosed in 559 cases, brain metastasis in 124 cases, liver metastasis found in 369 cases and lung metastasis in 492 cases. Histologic subtypes including metaplastic breast carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma showed significant differences in preferential DMS compared with invasive ductal carcinoma. Furthermore, we found different histologic subtypes with specific DMS showed various prognosis. We also evaluated different DMS of specific histologic subtypes showed different prognosis. Conclusion: Certain histologic subtypes of breast cancer are associated with preferential DMS and prognosis; this knowledge may help to further understand the mechanism of breast cancer metastasis and to monitor the prognosis of patients with TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huaier, as known as Trametes robiniophila Murr, is a traditional Chinese medicine. Various studies have demonstrated that Huaier could inhibit cancer progression and improve the prognosis of patients. In the present study, we comprehensively screened the expression profiles of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in Huaier-treated breast cancer cells. Using bioinformatic analysis, hub genes were identified and functionally annotated. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis was applied to construct the molecular network influenced by Huaier. Linc00339 was then found to play a critical role in Huaier-mediated cancer suppression. To validate the effects of linc00339 and identify the downstream targets, we performed in vitro and in vivo experiments. Finally, we identified that Huaier could inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells through modulating linc00339/miR-4656/CSNK2B signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A trait-improved Chlorella mutant was created by heavy-ion irradiation mutagenesis. • Chlorella K05 converts low-price sweet sorghum juice into value-added proteins. • The mutant K05 is a promising source of nutritional proteins for functional food. Abstract To improve the economic viability of Chlorella as feedstock for food commodities, a serial of concentrations of low-cost sweet sorghum juice (SSJ), alternative to glucose, were used for the fermentation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. A high biomass and protein production (8.91 g L−1 biomass and 4.52 g L−1 protein) was revealed with 20% SSJ. To further increase productivity, heavy-ion irradiation-mediated mutagenesis was employed to create mutants where a strain K05, with desired phenotypes (increased biomass and protein production in pilot-scale fermentation), was screened. Compared with the parental strain, the production of biomass, proteins, and chlorophylls of mutant K05 increased by 11.6%, 31.8%, and 7.6%, respectively. Production capacities under industrial scale (two-ton) further pinpoint the stability and scalability of mutant K05. These results suggest that advances in cultivation techniques coupled with artificial strain improvement will further promote microalgae as an attractive platform of functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in a number of biological processes; however, further study is still warranted to comprehensively reveal their functions. In this study, we showed that the lncRNA in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway 1 (LINP1) was related to breast cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and chemoresistance. Loss- and gain-of function studies were used to assess the role of LINP1 in promoting breast cancer progression. LINP1 knockdown mitigated breast cancer cell growth by inducing G1-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. LINP1 also promoted breast cancer cell metastasis and influenced the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related markers. We identified p53 as a regulator of LINP1, and LINP1 overexpression could restore the metastatic effects of p53. Furthermore, LINP1 was upregulated in doxorubicin- and 5-fluorouracil-resistant cells and induced chemoresistance. We also observed that LINP1 enrichment played a critical functional role in chemoresistance by inhibiting chemotherapeutics-induced apoptosis. Moreover, LINP1 in tumors was associated with lower overall survival and disease-free survival. In conclusion, LINP1 may serve as a potential oncogene and chemoresistance-related regulator of breast cancer cells, suggesting that LINP1 might be a potent therapeutic target and might reduce chemoresistance in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aurantiochytrium sp. (Thraustochytriaceae, Stramenopiles) is a highly promising polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) resource due to its high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) production. The reducing agent NADPH is essential for the production of PUFA and other fatty acids, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is one of the most important enzymes for NADPH regeneration in Aurantiochytrium . To investigate whether PUFA production could be enhanced by stimulating G6PDH, a recombinant strain, termed SD116::G6PDH, was constructed by overexpressing G6PDH in Aurantiochytrium sp. SD116. Although decreased cell growth and fatty acid production were observed, G6PDH overexpression changed the fatty acid profile and enhanced the proportion of PUFA in lipids by 10.6%. These results confirmed the positive effect of G6PDH activity on PUFA production and suggested that the manipulation of NADPH production is a promising strategy for increasing PUFA production in Aurantiochytrium . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the bioaccumulation of Pb2+ and its effects on growth, morphology and pigment contents of Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis. The specimen cultured in Zarrouk liquid medium was treated with various initial metal concentrations (0, 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 μg mL−1). The growth of S. platensis was adversely affected by Pb2+ at high concentrations (30, 50 and 100 μg mL−1). However, at low concentrations (5 μg mL−1), Pb2+ could stimulate its growth slightly. The pigment contents (chlorophyll α and β carotene) were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. The highest reductions (67% and 53% respectively in chlorophyll α and β carotene) were observed in 100 μg mL−1 treatment group. The LC50 (96 h) of Pb2+ was measured as 75.34 μg mL−1. Apart from a few cases of filament breakages at elevated concentrations (50 and 100 μg mL−1), morphological abnormalities are not specific. Metal bioaccumulation increased with Pb2+ concentrations, but decreased with exposure time. The maximum accumulated amount was 188 mg g−1 dry weight. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) reached to a peak at day 2, followed by a gradual reduction for all the exposure concentrations. S. platensis is able to tolerate considerably high Pb2+ concentrations. Consequently it can be used as a potential species to remove heavy metal from contaminated waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Corn protein hydrolysates were prepared by varying enzyme hydrolysis approaches. • Fischer ratios of hydrolysates were increased by activated carbon adsorption. • Fischer ratios depended on peptidomes of varying protein hydrolysates. • Fischer ratios depended on selective removal of sequences by activated carbon. • Peptides with high Fischer ratios were obtained by certain three-enzyme hydrolysis. Enzyme hydrolysis of corn gluten meal (CGM) is a promising process to prepare oligopeptides with high Fischer ratios (HFOPs). However, the relationship between Fischer ratios and enzyme hydrolysis approaches remains poorly understood. In this study, peptidomes of varying corn protein hydrolysates (CPHs) before and after activated carbon adsorption were profiled and analyzed according to sequence composition and chain length. Fischer ratios of HFOPs depended on sequences in CPHs by differing enzyme hydrolysis approaches, especially branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)-aromatic amino acid (AAA)-containing-oligopeptides. Activated carbon adsorption increased BCAA-containing-oligopeptide contents and decreased oligopeptide contents including AAAs, preferring BCAA-AAA-containing-oligopeptides with long chain length. Employing a three-enzyme hydrolysis approach, HFOPs were obtained with a yield of 49%, comprising 90% of dipeptides and tripeptides and possessing additional bioactivities. This work revealed the mechanism of HFOP production depending on the release and selective removal of oligopeptides and confirmed CGM was a promising alternative for value-added HFOP production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aurantiochytrium , a unicellular eukaryotic marine microalga, is receiving considerable research attention because of its great potential in lipid and biodiesel production. To enhance the saturated fatty acid (SFA) and biodiesel production in Aurantiochytrium , we first aimed to improve tricarboxylate transportation-related NADPH generation by overexpressing the malic enzyme (ME)-encoding gene. The SFA yield of the resultant recombinant strain, termed SD116::ME, reached 6.42 g L−1. Subsequently, by feeding 30 mM malic acid at the late logarithmic phase, the SFA yield was further increased to 8.65 g L−1, which was an increase of >105% compared to the yield in the wild type. Moreover, the enhanced activities of ME and malic acid dehydrogenase led to an improvement in tricarboxylate transportation-related NADPH generation, which is essential for biodiesel production. This is the first report indicating a possibility for large-scale biodiesel production by regulating the NADPH generation system in Aurantiochytrium. Unlabelled Image • Aurantiochytrium could be developed as a candidate for biodiesel production. • Saturated fatty acid yield reached 8.65 g L−1 in Aurantiochytrium sp. SD116::ME. • Malic enzyme gene was successfully overexpressed in Aurantiochytrium sp. SD116::ME. • Biodiesel production was improved by enhancing the tricarboxylate transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]