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Atherosclerosis (AS), characterized by cholesterol overloaded-macrophages accumulation and plaque formation in blood vessels, is the major cause of cardiovascular disease. Transactive response DNA-binding protein∼43 kDa (TDP43) has recently been identified as an independent driver of neurodegenerative diseases through triggering inflammatory response. This study investigated whether TDP43 is involved in AS development, especially in macrophages-mediated-foam cell formation and inflammatory responses.

Transactive response DNA-binding protein∼43 kDa expressions in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-treated macrophages and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) were detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and immunofluorescence. Gene gain or loss of function was used to investigate the effects of TDP43 on macrophages-mediated lipid untake and inflammation with ELISA, protein immunoprecipitation, RT-PCR, Western blot, alerosis progression by promoting inflammation and lipid uptake of macrophages, suggesting TDP43 as a potential target for developing atherosclerotic drug.

Transactive response DNA-binding protein∼43 kDa exacerbates atherosclerosis progression by promoting inflammation and lipid uptake of macrophages, suggesting TDP43 as a potential target for developing atherosclerotic drug.Iron overload, a high risk factor for many diseases, is seen in almost all human chronic and common diseases. Iron chelating agents are often used for treatment but, at present, most of these have a narrow scope of application, obvious side effects, and other disadvantages. Recent studies have shown that flavonoids can affect iron status, reduce iron deposition, and inhibit the lipid peroxidation process caused by iron overload. Therefore, flavonoids with iron chelating and antioxidant activities may become potential complementary therapies. In this study, we not only reviewed the research progress of iron overload and the regulation mechanism of flavonoids, but also studied the structural basis and potential mechanism of their function. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of flavonoids as plant iron chelating agents are discussed to provide a foundation for the prevention and treatment of iron homeostasis disorders using flavonoids.Direct neuronal reprogramming is an innovative new technology that involves the conversion of somatic cells to induced neurons (iNs) without passing through a pluripotent state. The capacity to make new neurons in the brain, which previously was not achievable, has created great excitement in the field as it has opened the door for the potential treatment of incurable neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries such as stroke. These neurological disorders are associated with frank neuronal loss, and as new neurons are not made in most of the adult brain, treatment options are limited. Developmental biologists have paved the way for the field of direct neuronal reprogramming by identifying both intrinsic cues, primarily transcription factors (TFs) and miRNAs, and extrinsic cues, including growth factors and other signaling molecules, that induce neurogenesis and specify neuronal subtype identities in the embryonic brain. The striking observation that postmitotic, terminally differentiated somatic cells can be converted to iNs by mis-expression of TFs or miRNAs involved in neural lineage development, and/or by exposure to growth factors or small molecule cocktails that recapitulate the signaling environment of the developing brain, has opened the door to the rapid expansion of new neuronal reprogramming methodologies. Furthermore, the more recent applications of neuronal lineage conversion strategies that target resident glial cells in situ has expanded the clinical potential of direct neuronal reprogramming techniques. Herein, we present an overview of the history, accomplishments, and therapeutic potential of direct neuronal reprogramming as revealed over the last two decades.Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the tumor types with sensitivity to ferroptosis, and immunotherapy has emerged as a standard pillar for metastatic ccRCC treatment, while it remains largely obscure whether ferroptosis influences the tumor immune microenvironment in ccRCC. Based on available data in The Cancer Genome Atlas, divergent expression profiles of ferroptosis regulators were noted in ccRCC and normal tissues, and we also found that the ferroptosis regulators correlated with the PD-L1 expression. Two independent subtypes were determined by consensus clustering analysis according to the expression level of ferroptosis regulators in ccRCC. Cluster 1 showed lower histological tumor stage and grade, more favorable prognosis, and higher PD-L1 expression compared to cluster 2. CIBERSORT analysis revealed that cluster 2 harbored higher infiltrated levels of CD8+ T cell, Tregs, and T follicular helper cell, while cluster 1 more correlated with the monocyte, M1 macrophage, and M2 macrophage. Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that the ERBB signaling and JAK_STAT signaling pathways were significantly enriched in cluster 1. We subsequently identified CARS as the potentially key immune infiltration-related ferroptosis regulator, whose high expression showed dismal prognosis and was positively correlated with PD-L1 expression in ccRCC. We also verified the upregulation of CARS in ccRCC tissues and cell lines via qRT-PCR method. Additionally, a pan-cancer analysis demonstrated that CARS closely related to the expression of immune checkpoint-related genes (especially PD-L1) and an unfavorable prognosis in diverse cancer types. In summary, our study suggested the crucial role of ferroptosis in immune infiltration of ccRCC, and CARS is a potentially novel prognostic biomarker and potential target for cancer immunotherapy.Previous studies have confirmed that the gap junction protein Connexin26 (Cx26) is specifically expressed in human skin tissue. Cx26 can transmit radiation-induced damage signals. However, no study has yet reported whether Cx26 expression affects the radiosensitivity of human skin squamous cancer cells or the mechanism by which this occurs. In this study, we found that human skin squamous cell carcinoma cells (A431 cells) expressed significantly more Cx26 and were more sensitive to radiation compared to normal human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). AOA hemihydrochloride cell line Knockdown of Cx26 in A431 cells (A431Cx26-/-) decreased radiosensitivity relative to control cells and altered the expression of key proteins in the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. These results demonstrate that Cx26 expression might play an important role in mediating radiation damage in A431 cells and could serve as a potential target for clinical radiotherapy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.