Int J Med Sci
-
Background: Although associations between low protein diet (LPD) and changes of gut microbiota have been reported; however, systematic discernment of the effects of LPD on diet-microbiome-host interaction in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is lacking. Methods: We searched PUBMED and EMBASE for articles published on changes of gut microbiota associated with implementation of LPD in CKD patients until July 2021. Independent researchers extracted data and assessed risks of bias. ⋯ Other clinical (sodium, potassium, phosphate, albumin, fasting sugar, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein and hemoglobin) and anthropometric estimates (body mass index, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure) did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that the effects of LPD on the microbiota were observed predominantly at the families and species levels but minimal on microbial diversity or richness. In the absence of global compositional microbiota shifts, the species-level changes appear insufficient to alter metabolic or clinical outputs.
-
Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) may be the key factor in the pathology of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As a major driver in triggering CRS in patients with COVID-19, interleukin-6 (IL-6) appears to be a promising target for therapeutics. The results of inhibiting both trans- and classical- signaling with marketed IL-6 inhibitors (tocilizumab, siltuximab and sarilumab) in severe COVID-19 patients are effective based on several small studies and case reports thus far. In this review, we described the evidence of the IL-6 response in patients with COVID-19, clarified the pathogenesis of the role of IL-6-mediated CRS in severe COVID-19, and highlighted the rationale for the use of anti-IL-6 agents and key information regarding the potential features of these IL-6 inhibitors in COVID-19 patients.
-
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel endogenous non-coding RNAs that play a critical role during cellular signal transduction, gene transcription and translation. With the rapid advancement of bioinformatics analysis tools and high-throughput RNA sequencing, numerous circRNAs with important biological features have been identified. They function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) of microRNAs and as such exhibit the potential to act as biomarkers for stem cell differentiation. ⋯ The present review summarizes the molecular characteristics, biogenesis and mechanisms of newly identified circRNAs in the differentiation of stem cells. In conclusion, circRNAs regulate the stem cells differentiation via their ambient binding efficacy to modulate miRNA expression, as well as related gene translation. We believe that this review will provide reference guidance for future studies on stem cell differentiation.
-
Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD) is a multifactorial pathological process associated with low back pain (LBP). The pathogenesis is complicated, and the main pathological changes are IVD cell apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Apoptotic cell loss leads to ECM degradation, which plays an essential role in IDD pathogenesis. ⋯ Preliminary animal and cell experiments show that targeting apoptotic pathway genes or drug inhibition can effectively inhibit IVD cell apoptosis and slow IDD progression. Targeted apoptotic pathway inhibition may be an effective strategy to alleviate IDD at the gene level. This manuscript provides new insights and ideas for IDD therapy.
-
Cervical cancer is one of the fourth most common gynecological malignancies and has been identified as the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded sequences of noncoding RNAs that are approximately 22-24 nucleotides in length. ⋯ Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genes may alter miRNA expression and maturation and have been associated with various cancers. This review mainly focuses on the roles of SNPs in miRNA genes in the development of cervical cancer and summarizes the research progress of miRNA SNPs in cervical cancer and their molecular regulation mechanisms.