BACKGROUND Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD),characterised by hepatic lipid accumulation,causes inflammation and oxidative stress accompanied by cell damage and fibrosis.Liver injury(LI)i...BACKGROUND Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD),characterised by hepatic lipid accumulation,causes inflammation and oxidative stress accompanied by cell damage and fibrosis.Liver injury(LI)is also frequently reported in patients hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),while preexisting MASLD increases the risk of LI and the development of COVID-19-associated cholangiopathy.Mechanisms of injury at the cellular level remain unclear,but it may be significant that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)which causes COVID-19,uses angiotensin-converting expression enzyme 2(ACE2),a key regulator of the‘anti-inflammatory’arm of the renin-angiotensin system,for viral attachment and host cell invasion.AIM To determine if hepatic ACE2 levels are altered during progression of MASLD and in patients who died with severe COVID-19.METHODS ACE2 protein levels and localisation,and histological fibrosis and lipid droplet accumulation as markers of MASLD were determined in formalin-fixed liver tissue sections across the MASLD pathological spectrum(isolated hepatocellular steatosis,metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis(MASH)+/-fibrosis,end-stage cirrhosis)and in post-mortem tissues from patients who had died with severe COVID-19,using ACE2 immunohistochemistry and haematoxylin and eosin and picrosirius red staining of total collagen and lipid droplet areas,followed by quantification using machine learning-based image pixel classifiers.RESULTS ACE2 staining is primarily intracellular and concentrated in the cytoplasm of centrilobular hepatocytes and apical membranes of bile duct cholangiocytes.Strikingly,ACE2 protein levels are elevated in non-fibrotic MASH compared to healthy controls but not in the progression to MASH with fibrosis and in cirrhosis.ACE2 protein levels and histological fibrosis are not associated,but ACE2 and liver lipid droplet content are significantly correlated across the MASLD spectrum.Hepatic ACE2 levels are also increased in COVID-19 patients,especially those showing evidence of LI,but are not correlated with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the liver.However,there is a clear association between the hepatic lipid droplet content and the presence of the virus,suggesting a possible functional link.CONCLUSION Hepatic ACE2 levels were elevated in nonfibrotic MASH and COVID-19 patients with LI,while lipid accumulation may promote intra-hepatic SARS-CoV-2 replication,accelerating MASLD progression and COVID-19-mediated liver damage.展开更多
The Cd puzzle implies that the phonon excitation of a spherical nucleus should be questioned and refuted.To understand the newly and experimentally discovered spherical-like γ-soft mode,the SU3-IBM was recently propo...The Cd puzzle implies that the phonon excitation of a spherical nucleus should be questioned and refuted.To understand the newly and experimentally discovered spherical-like γ-soft mode,the SU3-IBM was recently proposed In this study,the evolutions ofthe normal states in ^(108-120)Cd are investigated and compared with the experimental results.To better explain the nearly zero B(E2)values between the O_(2)^(+) and 2_(1)^(+) states,SU(3)higherorder interactions except for the SU(3)second-order and third-order Casimir operators are also considered in detail.We find that the results of theoretical fitting and experimental data agree well with simple parameter selection,and the spherical-like spectra truly exist.The deficiency may arise from the lack of configuration mixing.The realistic spectra characteristicsof thespherical-like spectrare found for ^(118,120)Cd,and the electricquadrupole moments of the 2_(1)^(+) state are predicted.The Q2_(1)^(+)anomaly in ^(108-116)Cd is also discussed.展开更多
CD38 is known to play roles in various inflammatory pathways.However,whether it has a protective or detrimental effect during bacterial septicemia remains disputed.Herein,this study aimed to determine the potential ef...CD38 is known to play roles in various inflammatory pathways.However,whether it has a protective or detrimental effect during bacterial septicemia remains disputed.Herein,this study aimed to determine the potential effect of CD38 on renal injury in septicemia.Escherichia coli(E.coli)was used to induce sepsis-associated renal injury in mice.WT and CD38-/-mice were stimulated with E.coli.After three hours,the serum was collected to detect renal function.Function mRNA expressions inflammatory cytokines in kidneys were quantified by real-time PCR.Hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to observe the histomorphology of kidney.The expression of TLR4,NF-κB,MAPK and cytokines were detected by Western Blot.Our results demonstrated that 3×10^(8) cfu/mL E.coli is the appropriate dose to induce sepsis mice model.Compared to WT sepsis mice,CD38-/-mice showed aggravated kidney injuries with impaired renal function,increased inflammation and apoptosis after E.coli stimulation.Interestingly,CD38 deficiency also led to elevated expression of TLR4 and increased phosphorylation of NF-κB p65/p105 and ERK1/2.To sum up,our results suggested that CD38 deficiency could aggravate E.coli-induced renal injury through activating ERK1/2-NF-κB signaling pathway.展开更多
基金Supported by University of Edinburgh Hepatology Laboratory Internal Fundingthe Liver Endowment Funds of the Edinburgh&Lothian Health Foundation.
文摘BACKGROUND Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD),characterised by hepatic lipid accumulation,causes inflammation and oxidative stress accompanied by cell damage and fibrosis.Liver injury(LI)is also frequently reported in patients hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),while preexisting MASLD increases the risk of LI and the development of COVID-19-associated cholangiopathy.Mechanisms of injury at the cellular level remain unclear,but it may be significant that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)which causes COVID-19,uses angiotensin-converting expression enzyme 2(ACE2),a key regulator of the‘anti-inflammatory’arm of the renin-angiotensin system,for viral attachment and host cell invasion.AIM To determine if hepatic ACE2 levels are altered during progression of MASLD and in patients who died with severe COVID-19.METHODS ACE2 protein levels and localisation,and histological fibrosis and lipid droplet accumulation as markers of MASLD were determined in formalin-fixed liver tissue sections across the MASLD pathological spectrum(isolated hepatocellular steatosis,metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis(MASH)+/-fibrosis,end-stage cirrhosis)and in post-mortem tissues from patients who had died with severe COVID-19,using ACE2 immunohistochemistry and haematoxylin and eosin and picrosirius red staining of total collagen and lipid droplet areas,followed by quantification using machine learning-based image pixel classifiers.RESULTS ACE2 staining is primarily intracellular and concentrated in the cytoplasm of centrilobular hepatocytes and apical membranes of bile duct cholangiocytes.Strikingly,ACE2 protein levels are elevated in non-fibrotic MASH compared to healthy controls but not in the progression to MASH with fibrosis and in cirrhosis.ACE2 protein levels and histological fibrosis are not associated,but ACE2 and liver lipid droplet content are significantly correlated across the MASLD spectrum.Hepatic ACE2 levels are also increased in COVID-19 patients,especially those showing evidence of LI,but are not correlated with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the liver.However,there is a clear association between the hepatic lipid droplet content and the presence of the virus,suggesting a possible functional link.CONCLUSION Hepatic ACE2 levels were elevated in nonfibrotic MASH and COVID-19 patients with LI,while lipid accumulation may promote intra-hepatic SARS-CoV-2 replication,accelerating MASLD progression and COVID-19-mediated liver damage.
基金Supported by the Educational Department of Jilin Province,China(JJKH20210526KJ)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(11875158)。
文摘The Cd puzzle implies that the phonon excitation of a spherical nucleus should be questioned and refuted.To understand the newly and experimentally discovered spherical-like γ-soft mode,the SU3-IBM was recently proposed In this study,the evolutions ofthe normal states in ^(108-120)Cd are investigated and compared with the experimental results.To better explain the nearly zero B(E2)values between the O_(2)^(+) and 2_(1)^(+) states,SU(3)higherorder interactions except for the SU(3)second-order and third-order Casimir operators are also considered in detail.We find that the results of theoretical fitting and experimental data agree well with simple parameter selection,and the spherical-like spectra truly exist.The deficiency may arise from the lack of configuration mixing.The realistic spectra characteristicsof thespherical-like spectrare found for ^(118,120)Cd,and the electricquadrupole moments of the 2_(1)^(+) state are predicted.The Q2_(1)^(+)anomaly in ^(108-116)Cd is also discussed.
基金supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (NSFC) grant numbers [31960165&81760288]
文摘CD38 is known to play roles in various inflammatory pathways.However,whether it has a protective or detrimental effect during bacterial septicemia remains disputed.Herein,this study aimed to determine the potential effect of CD38 on renal injury in septicemia.Escherichia coli(E.coli)was used to induce sepsis-associated renal injury in mice.WT and CD38-/-mice were stimulated with E.coli.After three hours,the serum was collected to detect renal function.Function mRNA expressions inflammatory cytokines in kidneys were quantified by real-time PCR.Hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to observe the histomorphology of kidney.The expression of TLR4,NF-κB,MAPK and cytokines were detected by Western Blot.Our results demonstrated that 3×10^(8) cfu/mL E.coli is the appropriate dose to induce sepsis mice model.Compared to WT sepsis mice,CD38-/-mice showed aggravated kidney injuries with impaired renal function,increased inflammation and apoptosis after E.coli stimulation.Interestingly,CD38 deficiency also led to elevated expression of TLR4 and increased phosphorylation of NF-κB p65/p105 and ERK1/2.To sum up,our results suggested that CD38 deficiency could aggravate E.coli-induced renal injury through activating ERK1/2-NF-κB signaling pathway.
