No abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are long, non-coding RNAs that result from the non-canonical splicing of linear premRNAs. However, the characteristics and the critical role of circRNA in co-/post-transcriptional regulation were not well recognized until the "microRNA sponge" function of circRNA is discovered. Recent studies have mainly been devoted to the function of the circular RNA sponge for miR-7 (ciRS-7) and sex-determining region Y (SRY) by targeting microRNA-7 (miR-7) and microRNA-138 (miR-138), respectively. In this review, we illustrate the specific role of circRNAs in a wide variety of cancers and in regulating the biological behavior of cancers via miR-7 or miR-138 regulation. Furthermore, circRNA, together with its gene silencing ability, also shows its potential in RNA interference (RNAi) therapy by binding to target RNAs, which provides a novel perspective in cancer treatment. Thus, this review concerns the biogenesis, biological function, oncogenesis, progression and possible therapies for cancer involving circRNAs.

Administration of probiotics results in additional benefit in inducing remission of patients with UC. VSL#3 are beneficial for maintaining remission in patients with pouchitis. And, probiotics can provide the similar effect as 5-aminosalicylic acid on maintaining remission of UC, although no additional adverse events presented.

SUMMARY BackgroundRecent evidence found probiotics could inhibit Helicobacter pylori colonization from both in vitro and in vivo studies.

Mitophagy is a vital form of autophagy for selective removal of dysfunctional or redundant mitochondria. Accumulating evidence implicates elimination of dysfunctional mitochondria as a powerful means employed by autophagy to keep the immune system in check. The process of mitophagy may restrict inflammatory cytokine secretion and directly regulate mitochondrial antigen presentation and immune cell homeostasis. In this review, we describe distinctive pathways of mammalian mitophagy and highlight recent advances relevant to its function in immunity. In addition, we further discuss the direct and indirect evidence linking mitophagy to inflammation and autoimmunity underlying the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

Background. Laboratory data suggests a reduction of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii) is confirmed both in fecal samples in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Numerous observational studies have suspected dysbiosis, an imbalance between protective and harmful bacteria to be relevant to the etiology and pathogenesis of IBD. Methods. Medline, EMBASE, Pubmed, and others. were searched by 2 independent reviewers. Of 48 abstracts reviewed, 11 studies met our inclusion criteria (subject N = 1180). Meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.2. Results. The bacterial count of F. prausnitzii in IBD patients was significantly lower (6.7888 ± 1.8875) log10 CFU/g feces than healthy controls (7.5791 ± 1.5812) log10 CFU/g feces; P < 0.0001. The Standardization Mean Difference of F. prausnitzii in IBD patients was −0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.07–−0.80). Subgroup analyses revealed a trend toward a greater effect for CD (SMD: −1.13, 95% CI: −1.32–−0.94) when compared to UC (SMD: −0.78, 95% CI: −0.97–−0.60). Conclusions. The abundance of F. prausnitzii was decreased in IBD patients compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, the reduction of F. prausnitzii and misbalance of the intestinal microbiota are particularly higher in CD patients with ileal involvement.

MC is a common disease process. Female gender, increased age, and the use of PPIs and SSRIs are associated with a significantly increased risk of developing MC. Further work is needed to evaluate reported data from developing countries and to elucidate the biologic mechanisms behind the risk factors for MC.

In this study, the kinetics of the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel PH101) to levulinic (LA) and formic (FA) acids was investigated in a batch reactor over the following range of conditions: C, hydrochloric acid concentrations of 0.309-0.927 M (11.3-33.8 g/l), cellulose concentrations of 49.8-149 mM (8.06-24.1 g/l), and residence times of 0-50 min. The maximum LA yield of around 60% of theoretical was achieved for an initial cellulose concentration of 99.6 mM, acid concentration 0.927 M, and 180-200 C. A mathematical model and its analytical solution were developed to predict conversion of cellulose to LA and FA through glucose and hydroxymethyl-2-furfural based on an irreversible pseudo-first order reaction. Rate analysis of each reaction indicated that the rate-controlling step shifted from LA formation initially to HMF formation later.