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Peanut is one of the important oil crops. Its kernel quality directly affects its processing characteristics and is an important index for peanut quality evaluation. Establishing a high-throughput phenotyping model for peanut kernel quality and evaluating peanut kernel quality quickly and efficiently might significantly improve the efficiency of peanut breeding. In this study, the spectra of 175 peanut kernel samples (140 RIL populations derived from Yuhua 14 x LOP 215 and 35 other breeding lines) were collected by Antaris II Fourier Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy Analyzer (Thermo company), and the oil content, protein content, sugar content, and fatty acid content of seed kernel were determined by Soxhlet extraction method, Dumas nitrogen method, anthrone colorimetry, and gas chromatography, respectively. Partial least squares (PLS) was used to construct the near-infrared calibration models of oil content, protein content, sugar content and some fatty acid content of peanut kernel. 30 other peanut materials which were not involved in the modelling were selected to verify the model externally. The determination coefficients (R²) of the models were greater than 0.90, indicating that the models could be applied to the high-throughput prediction of peanut kernel quality traits. This study provides a detection platform for high-throughput phenotypic analysis of peanut kernel quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of cancers are needed to improve precision medicine. Circular RNAs act as important regulators in cancers at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. The circular RNA circMAN1A2 is highly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma according to our previous RNA sequencing data; however, the expression and functions of circMAN1A2 in cancers are still obscure. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the expression of circMAN1A2 in the sera of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and other malignant tumors and analyzed its correlations with clinical features and diagnostic values. The expression levels of circMAN1A2 were detected by quantitative real‐time PCR, and the correlations of clinical features with circMAN1A2 expression were analyzed by χ2 tests. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the clinical applications of circMAN1A2. The results showed that circMAN1A2 was upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, oral cancer, thyroid cancer, ovarian cancer, and lung cancer, with areas under the curves of 0.911, 0.779, 0.734, 0.694, and 0.645, respectively, indicating the good diagnostic value of circMAN1A2. Overall, our findings suggested that circMAN1A2 could be a serum biomarker for malignant tumors, providing important insights into diagnostic approaches for malignant tumors. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of circMAN1A2 in the pathogenesis of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Atherosclerosis is a major cause of coronary artery disease, which is characterized by cellular lipid accumulation. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme in lipid metabolism. Studies have shown that macrophage-derived LPL exhibits proatherogenic properties, and plays a major role in lipid accumulation in macrophages. Evidence suggests that oxidative stress can effectively enhance macrophage LPL production. Betulinic acid (BA) is a pentacyclic lupane triterpene with a potent antioxidant activity. In this study, we investigated whether BA affects the expression of macrophage LPL and how it regulates cellular lipid accumulation. Methods and results We revealed that BA downregulated H 2 O 2 -simulated macrophage LPL protein, mRNA levels and its activity in both concentration- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, BA decreased LPL-involved total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in macrophages. In addition, cellular lipid staining by Oil Red O showed that BA decreased cellular lipid droplet deposition. Next, we confirmed that pretreatment with BA decreased H 2 O 2 -induced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species in a concentration-dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that BA inhibited H 2 O 2 -induced membrane translocation of PKC, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and c-Fos. Finally, the induction of LPL production and activity by H 2 O 2 was abolished by BA, inhibition of PKC or ERK or depletion c-Fos, respectively. Conclusions BA, through its role of antioxidant activity, attenuated macrophage-derived LPL expression and activity induced by oxidative stress, and effectively reduced cellular lipid accumulation, likely through inhibition of the pathways involving PKC, ERK and c-Fos. These effects of BA may contribute to its mitigation of atherosclerosis and help develop BA as a therapeutic compound in treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Concerns raised by Dr. Sander Kersten in PubPeer pointed out that Figures 6.1B and 6.2B of this paper were different figures but the legends and Western blots were identical; the quantification was also seen to be different between the two figures. Shortly afterwards, the authors asked to publish a corrigendum for part B of Figure 6.1, including images of western blots and associated bar plots. Subsequently, the journal conducted an investigation and found evidence that there had been improper manipulation and duplication of images in Figures 2 E, 6.2 B, 5 A and and 6.2 D, as shown by the reuse of several western blot bands with approximately 180° rotation in each case. After raising the complaint with the authors, the corresponding author agreed that the paper should be retracted. The authors apologise to the readers of the journal., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.)

Apolipoprotein AI (apoA-I) is the major protein component of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and apoA-I can stabilize the structure of HDL. Whereas the amphipathic alpha-helix is the structural motif for apoA-I to complete the corresponding functionality. In the lipid-free state, the N-terminal of apoA-I molecule is a dynamic four-helix bundle structure, most amino acid residues of the C-terminal domain is the formation of a disordered structure, which is the initial domain that mediates bingding to phospholipid surface. Two molecules of apoA-I are arranged in an anti-parallel, double-belt conformation around the surface of the discoidal HDL particles. However, the apoA-I molecule forms a trefoil scaffold structure, which can adapt to the surface of spherical HDL particles. ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) can mediate phospholipid and cholesterol efflux from intracellular and interact with apoA-I to generate nascent HDL particles. Overall, apoA-I and HDL as an anti-atherosclerotic effect of primary target, we focus on the molecular structure of apoA-I, which determines the structure and function of different size of HDL particles, as well as the conformational changes after interaction with lipids, in order to learn more about the relationship of apolipoprotein and lipids metabolism against atherosclerosis.

Plasma cholesterol levels are the major risk factor for atherosclerosis (AS) and coronary heart disease (CHD). Biliary pathway to reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is the process that cholesterol in peripheral tissue and macrophages is transported to liver by lipoprotion, then secreted into the bile and finally excreted through feces. According to a large number of studies, there is nonbiliary pathway to RCT to clear excess cholesterol in the body, apart from the biliary pathway to RCT. This review focuses on the current views on the different pathways to RCT, and the regulation on the RCT of the relevant transports, lipoprotion, receptor and so on, aiming at providing new theoretical evidence and acting targets for the treatment of cholelithiasis and AS related disease.

Objective: To study the outcomes of very or extremely low birth weight (VLBW/ELBW) infants born between 2000 and 2008 in a single NICU and the medical factors associated with the termination of treatment in some infants., Methods: In this case control study, the clinical data of 148 VLBW/ELBW infants were retrospectively studied and the surviving infants were followed up. Both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the medical factors associated with terminating treatment in infants., Results: Twenty infants (13.5%) failed to respond to the therapy and died in the hospital. Three infants (2.0%) died after discharge. Nineteen infants (12.8%) did not receive treatment due to decision of the guardian and died. Thirty infants (20.3%) were not followed up after discharge. Seventy-six infants (51.4%) survived, including 47 healthy infants, 2 cases of congenital diseases and 27 cases with poor prognosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed there were 2 significant factors associated with terminating treatment: neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (P=0.030, OR=11.396, 95%CI 1.-102.701) and hospitalization periods (the year 2004-2006) (P=0.039, OR=9.869, 95%CI 1.118-87.140)., Conclusions: The survival status of VLBW and ELBW infants needs to be improved. It is important to decrease the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome for decreasing the proportion of terminating treatment in the infants.