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mascRNA is a small cytoplasmic RNA derived from the lncRNAMALAT1. After being processed by the tRNA processing enzymes RNase P and RNase Z, mascRNA undergoes CCA addition like tRNAs and folds into a tRNA‐like cloverleaf structure. While MALAT1 functions in multiple cellular processes, the role of mascRNA was largely unknown. Here, we show that mascRNA binds directly to the multi‐tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) component glutaminyl‐tRNA synthetase (QARS). mascRNA promotes global protein translation and cell proliferation by positively regulating QARS protein levels. Our results uncover a role of mascRNA that is independent of MALAT1, but could be part of the molecular mechanism of MALAT1's function in cancer, and provide a paradigm for understanding tRNA‐like structures in mammalian cells. Synopsis: tRNA‐like noncoding RNA mascRNA increases the cytosolic protein levels of multi‐tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) component glutaminyl‐tRNA synthetase (QARS) by interacting with it and promoting its stability, thereby upregulating global protein translation. mascRNA interacts specifically with QARS in the cytosol.Binding of mascRNA increases QARS stability and protein levels.Increasing QARS protein levels by mascRNA results in an upregulation of global protein translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Water management is a critical issue to be solved efficiently for an air-breathing direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC). The cell performance decreases sharply once the water flooding occurs. In this paper, a novel strategy of water removal is proposed by incorporating a functional self-made expanded metal mesh, which can be used as the cathode flow field in a DMFC. Experiments show that water can be directly discharged in the form of water film or water line from the water outlet to the bottom underneath the expanded mesh. The water management can be further improved by using absorbent cottons, suitable feed rates and an upright texture direction of the metal mesh. Results also show that only a few mesh openings are blocked by water when the tested device tilts from 60° to 120°. In a real DMFC, the expanded mesh displays an excellent ability in water removal compared to the traditional perforated flow fields. The cathode water only gathers at the bottom and covers very few mesh openings. This new method helps efficiently avoid the issue of water flooding at the cathode using the expanded mesh. Highlights • Forced under-rib water removal by using metal mesh is proposed and validated. • Evolvement process of water passage is visually observed. • Improved methods for water management are investigated. • Generated water only gathers at the bottom and covers just a few mesh openings. • The issue of water flooding at the cathode is efficiently avoided in a real DMFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) play key roles in the regulation of growth and survival of various cancers. This study aimed to investigate expression of SDHB and PDK1 in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) tissues and analyzed the association of SDHB and PDK1 expression with the clinical significance and potential prognostic implication of rNPC. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of SDHB and PDK1 in tissues in primary NPC (pNPC) and rNPC patients. Our results revealed that expression of SDHB in rNPC was significantly lower than that in pNPC, while the expression of PDK1 was higher compared to pNPC. The expression levels of SDHB and PDK1 were associated with T stage, N stage, clinical stage, and metastasis of rNPC. Survival analysis showed that patients with low SDHB expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time than those with high SDHB expression. Patients with high PDK1 expression had a shorter survival time than patients with low PDK1 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SDHB and PDK1 was an independent predictor for the survival of patients with rNPC. Our results demonstrated that down-regulation of SDHB and up-regulation of PDK1 may be novel biomarkers for predicting advanced tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis in rNPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schwannoma is a relatively uncommon benign tumour of the soft tissues. We present a rare case of 10 tumours localised to the ulnar nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the potential mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) for vascular dementia (VD) using tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics technology., Methods: Among 80 male SPF SD rats, 78 rats which met the selection criteria through the Morris water maze test were selected and randomly divided into a sham surgery group (18 rats) and a surgery group (60 rats). VD model was established by four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) method in the surgery group, and 36 rats with successful modeling were randomly assigned to a model group (18 rats) and an EA group (18 rats). Each group was further divided into three subgroups based on intervention duration, with each subgroup containing 6 rats. Seven days after model establishment, the EA group received EA intervention at left and right "Sishencong" (EX-HN 1) and bilateral "Fengchi" (GB 20), with continuous wave at a frequency of 2 Hz and current intensity of 1 mA, daily for 30 min, with subgroups receiving EA for 7, 14, or 21 d respectively. Cognitive function before and after interventions was assessed using Morris water maze. Proteomic analysis was conducted on the optimal EA subgroup and corresponding sham surgery and model subgroups, identifying differentially expressed proteins and analyzing them through bioinformatics. Differentially expressed target proteins was performed using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) and Western blot techniques., Results: Compared to the sham surgery group, the model group exhibited prolonged escape latency and reduced number of platform crossings ( P <0.01); compared with model group, the EA group showed reductions in escape latency and increased platform crossings after 7, 14, and 21 days of intervention ( P <0.01, P <0.05). Compared to the 7 and 14-day intervention, the rats in the EA group of 21-day intervention showed the most significant improvements in reductions of escape latency and increased platform crossings ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and was selected for further proteomic, PRM analyses, and Western blot validation. Compared to the sham surgery group, the model group displayed 71 differentially expressed proteins, with 50 up-regulated and 21 down-regulated proteins; compared to the model group, the EA group had 54 differentially expressed proteins, with 30 up-regulated and 24 down-regulated proteins. Functional enrichment and clustering analyses indicated that these proteins were primarily associated with cellular processes, metabolic processes, phagocytosis recognition, immune response, and regulation of extracellular matrix, etc. Enrichment was observed in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and neurotrophic factors signaling pathways, involving glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2 (Map2k2), with PRM and Western blot findings consistent with the proteomic results. Which meant that compared with the model group, the protein expression of GSK3β and Map2k2 of hippocampus was increased in the EA group ( P <0.01, P <0.05)., Conclusion: EA at "Sishencong" (EX-HN 1) and "Fengchi" (GB 20) could improve cognitive function in VD rats, with the mechanism involving multiple targets and pathways, potentially related to GSK3β, Map2k2 proteins, and the mTOR and neurotrophic factor signaling pathways.

Soil salinization poses a mounting global ecological and environmental threat. The identification of genes responsible for negative regulation of salt tolerance and their utilization in crop improvement through gene editing technologies emerges as a swift strategy for the effective utilization of saline-alkali lands. One efficient mechanism of plant salt tolerance is maintaining the proper intracellular K + /Na + ratio. The Shaker K + channels play a crucial role in potassium absorption, transport, and intracellular potassium homeostasis in plant cells. Here, the study presents the first genome-wide identification of Shaker K + channels in Nicotiana tabacum L., along with a detailed bioinformatic analysis of the 20 identified members. Transcriptome analysis revealed a significant up-regulation of NtSKOR1B , an outwardly-rectifying member predominantly expressed in the root tissue of tobacco seedlings, in response to salt stress. This finding was then confirmed by GUS staining of ProNtSKOR1B::GUS transgenic lines and RT-qPCR analysis. Subsequently, NtSKOR1B knockout mutants ( ntskor1 ) were then generated and subjected to salt conditions. It was found that ntskor1 mutants exhibit enhanced salt tolerance, characterized by increased biomass, higher K + content and elevated K + /Na + ratios in both leaf and root tissues, compared to wild-type plants. These results indicate that NtSKOR1B knockout inhibits K + efflux in root and leaf tissues of tobacco seedlings under salt stress, thereby maintaining higher K + /Na + ratios within the cells. Thus, our study identifies NtSKOR1B as a negative regulator of salt tolerance in tobacco seedlings., Competing Interests: Author YW is employed by China Tobacco Shandong Industrial. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yuan, Nong, Hunpatin, Shi, Su, Xu, Wang, Zhang, Ning, Liu and Wang.)

Obesity has been recognized as a low-grade, chronic inflammatory disease that leads to an increase in obesity-associated disorders, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), fatty liver diseases and cancer. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an effective drug for T2D, and it not only has glucose-regulating effects but also has anti-inflammatory effects in obesity. In our previous study, we designed a novel GLP-1 analogue, (E X -4) 2 -Fc, which has been shown to reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance in vivo. In this study, we observed that (E X -4) 2 -Fc also has anti-inflammatory functions in adipose tissue. After the treatment of diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice with (E X -4) 2 -Fc, we found that the inflammatory response in adipose tissue was significantly attenuated. (Ex-4) 2 -Fc can reduce obesity-associated proinflammatory cytokine levels and macrophage numbers in DIO mice. In addition, (E X -4) 2 -Fc treatment resulted in proinflammatory M1-type macrophages beginning to transform into anti-inflammatory M2-type macrophages. The inflammatory mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were altered in adipose tissue after (E X -4) 2 -Fc treatment. Leptin has been proven to be closely related to immunity, and we demonstrated that the effect of (E X -4) 2 -Fc on adipocyte inflammation was related to leptin. The data suggested that (E X -4) 2 -Fc could modulate the inflammatory response by inhibiting the expression of leptin in adipose tissue., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) play key roles in the regulation of growth and survival of various cancers. This study aimed to investigate expression of SDHB and PDK1 in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) tissues and analyzed the association of SDHB and PDK1 expression with the clinical significance and potential prognostic implication of rNPC. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of SDHB and PDK1 in tissues in primary NPC (pNPC) and rNPC patients. Our results revealed that expression of SDHB in rNPC was significantly lower than that in pNPC, while the expression of PDK1 was higher compared to pNPC. The expression levels of SDHB and PDK1 were associated with T stage, N stage, clinical stage, and metastasis of rNPC. Survival analysis showed that patients with low SDHB expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time than those with high SDHB expression. Patients with high PDK1 expression had a shorter survival time than patients with low PDK1 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SDHB and PDK1 was an independent predictor for the survival of patients with rNPC. Our results demonstrated that down-regulation of SDHB and up-regulation of PDK1 may be novel biomarkers for predicting advanced tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis in rNPC patients.

Purpose: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized with frequent mutations of SETD2 gene and our purpose was to explore targeted therapy for this entity., Methods: By bioinformatic investigation of two major databases, the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we identified the selective PI3Kβ inhibitors TGX221 and AZD6482 as selective inhibitors for ccRCC with SETD2 mutations, with AZD6482 additionally targeting PIK3CA and CDK6 mutations., Results: Further investigation on AZD6482 profile revealed that mutations in RB1, KRAS, NRAS and APC contributed in drug resistance. Changes in both AZD6482-sensitive and -resistant gene sets showed limited impact on prognosis. Western blotting showed AZD6482 did not induce changes in a panel of major downstream effectors of AKT, but substantially increased PMS2 level. AZD6482 also selectively inhibited migration, invasiveness, and colony formation of ccRCC cells with SETD2 mutations. Integrative network analysis revealed complex interactions between these genes except SETD2., Conclusion: AZD6482 is a novel inhibitor with high selectivity for ccRCC SETD2 mutations. Increased activity of PI3K/AKT/PMS2 could play a role in SETD2 mutated ccRCC.

In the title compound, C(16)H(14)ClN, the conformation of the five-membered ring approximates to an envelope with a C atom as the flap. The dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 78.71 (9)°.