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© FEMS 2020.Cyanobacteria are key organisms in the global ecosystem, useful models for studying metabolic and physiological processes conserved in photosynthetic organisms, and potential renewable platforms for production of chemicals. Characterising cyanobacterial metabolism and physiology is key to understanding their role in the environment and unlocking their potential for biotechnology applications.  Many aspects of cyanobacterial biology differ from heterotrophic bacteria. For example, most cyanobacteria incorporate a series of internal thylakoid membranes where both oxygenic photosynthesis and respiration occur, while CO2 fixation takes place in specialised compartments termed carboxysomes. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of our knowledge on cyanobacterial physiology and the pathways in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Synechocystis) involved in biosynthesis of sugar-based metabolites, amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, cofactors, vitamins, isoprenoids, pigments and cell wall components, in addition to the proteins involved in metabolite transport. While some pathways are conserved between model cyanobacteria, such as Synechocystis, and model heterotrophic bacteria like Escherichia coli, many enzymes and/or pathways involved in the biosynthesis of key metabolites in cyanobacteria have not been completely characterised. These include pathways required for biosynthesis of chorismate and membrane lipids, nucleotides, several amino acids, vitamins and cofactors, and isoprenoids such as plastoquinone, carotenoids, and tocopherols. Moreover, our understanding of photorespiration, lipopolysaccharide assembly and transport, and degradation of lipids, sucrose, most vitamins and amino acids, and heme, is incomplete. We discuss tools that may aid characterisation of cyanobacterial metabolism, notably CyanoSource, a barcoded library of targeted Synechocystis mutants, which will significantly accelerate characterisation of individual proteins. Copyright 2020 The Author(s).There is emerging evidence that an unhealthy dietary pattern may increase the risk of developing depression or anxiety, whereas a healthy dietary pattern may decrease it. This nascent research suggests that dietary interventions could help prevent, or be an alternative or adjunct therapy for, depression and anxiety. The relation, however, is complex, affected by many confounding variables, and is also likely to be bidirectional, with dietary choices being affected by stress and depression. This complexity is reflected in the data, with sometimes conflicting results among studies. As the research evolves, all characteristics of the relation need to be considered to ensure that we obtain a full understanding, which can potentially be translated into clinical practice. A parallel and fast-growing body of research shows that the gut microbiota is linked with the brain in a bidirectional relation, commonly termed the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Preclinical evidence suggests that this axis plays a key role in the regulation of brain function and behavior. In this review we discuss possible reasons for the conflicting results in diet-mood research, and present examples of areas of the diet-mood relation in which the gut microbiota is likely to be involved, potentially explaining some of the conflicting results from diet and depression studies. We argue that because diet is one of the most significant factors that affects human gut microbiota structure and function, nutritional intervention studies need to consider the gut microbiota as an essential piece of the puzzle. Copyright © The Author(s) 2020.Vaspin, visceral adipose tissue-derived serine protease inhibitor, is involved in the development of obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and energy metabolism. Our previous study showed vaspin expression and its regulation in the ovary; however, the role of this adipokine in ovarian cells has never been studied. Here, we studied in vitro the effect of vaspin on various kinase signaling pathways mitogen-activated kinase (MAP3/1), serine/threonine kinase (AKT), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) protein kinase AMP (PRKAA1), protein kinase A (PKA) and on expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB2) as well as on steroid synthesis by porcine ovarian cells. By Western blot, we found that vaspin (1 ng/ml), in a time-dependent manner, increased phosphorylation of MAP3/1, AKT, STAT3, PRKAA1 and PKA, while it decreased expression of NFKB2. We observed that vaspin, in a dose-dependent manner, increased basal steroid hormones secretion (progesterone and estradiol), mRNA and protein expression of steroid enzymes using real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively, and the mRNA of gonadotropins (FSHR, LHCGR) and steroids (PGR, ESR2) receptors. The stimulatory effect of vaspin on basal steroidogenesis was reversed when ovarian cells were cultured in the presence of a PKA pharmacological inhibitor (KT5720) and when GRP78 receptor was knocked down (siRNA). However, in the presence of insulin-like growth factor type 1 and gonadotropins, vaspin reduced steroidogenesis. Thus, vaspin, by activation of various signaling pathways and stimulation of basal steroid production via GRP78 receptor and PKA, could be a new regulator of porcine ovarian function. © The Author(s) 2020. Blasticidin S Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction.BACKGROUND India is home to the largest number of hypertensive individuals, and factors responsible for the incidence of hypertension are poorly understood. This study examines predictors of transition to different stages of hypertension - incidence of hypertension, incidence of prehypertension, and incidence of prehypertension to hypertension. METHODS Population based survey data from the Birbhum Population Project, located in West Bengal, India was used. A cohort of 8977 individuals (male 3934, female 5043), participated in the 2012-13 survey, and were followed up for resurvey in 2017-18. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC 7) guidelines were followed to define hypertension. Bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression analyses were conducted to attain the study objective. RESULTS The incidence of hypertension, prehypertension among males (7.9% and 45.3%, respectively) is higher than that among females (5.9% and 32.7%, respectively). However, the incidence of prehypertension to hypertension is lower among males (23.6%) than among females (33.6%). Among both sexes, with age, the incidence of hypertension, and incidence of prehypertension to hypertension appeared to increase, whereas incidence of prehypertension among females increased with age. Findings indicate a diverse gradient of socioeconomic, behavioral, and anthropometric characteristics influencing the incidence of different stages of hypertension. CONCLUSION With a focus on females and the richest individuals, this study proposes that an appropriate intervention be designed in keeping with the socioeconomic, behavioral gradient of incidence of different stages of hypertension. The role of anthropometric indicators in hypertension is proposed to be further studied for better population based screening. © American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email [email protected]/AIMS The paper aimed to investigate the effects of Stigmasterol on inflammatory factors, antioxidant capacity, and apoptotic signaling pathways in brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS The neurological deficits of the rats were analyzed and HE staining was performed. The cerebral infarct volume was calculated by means of TTC staining, and neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. At the same time, the contents of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, nitric oxide, and malondialdehyde in brain tissue were measured. The expression of the relevant protein was detected by means of Western blotting. RESULTS The results showed that the neurological deficit score and infarct area of the I/R rats in the soy sterol treatment group were significantly lower than those in the I/R group. Moreover, the levels of carbon monoxide and malondialdehyde in the soysterol group were significantly lower than those in the I/R group, and the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and NF-kappa B (p65) in the soysterol group were also significantly lower than those in the I/R group. The expression of Nrf2 (nucleus) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) increased significantly, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were increased. In addition, the stigmasterol treatment can inhibit apoptosis, down-regulate Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression, and up-regulate Bcl-Xl expression. CONCLUSION Stigmasterol protects the brain from brain I/R damage by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Copyright 2020 The Author(s).OBJECTIVE X inactivate-specific transcript (XIST) is an attractive long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) functioning as an indicator of various human tumors, including laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). This study was conducted to explore a novel regulatory network of lncRNA XIST in LSCC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of XIST, miR-125b-5p and TRIB2 in LSCC cells and tissues. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry and Transwell assays, separately. The relationship among XIST, miR-125b-5p and tribbles homolog 2 (TRIB2) was predicted by starBase v2.0 or TargetScan and confirmed by Dual-luciferase reporter assay. The TRIB2 protein expression was quantified by Western blot assay. Murine xenograft model was utilized to validate the role of XIST in vivo. RESULTS XIST was notably up-regulated in LSCC tissues and cells, and the high level of XIST was associated with the low survival rate of LSCC patients. XIST knockdown markedly repressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion and promoted the apoptosis of LSCC cells and the effects were antagonized by loss of miR-125b-5p. MiR-125b-5p was a target of XIST in LSCC cells, and it could bind to TRIB2 as well. Moreover, XIST-loss-induced downregulation of TRIB2 could be significantly reversed by miR-125b-5p knockdown. XIST promoted the growth of LSCC tumor in vivo. CONCLUSION LncRNA XIST promoted the malignance of LSCC cells partly through competitively binding to miR-125b-5p, which in turn increased TRIB2 expression. Copyright 2020 The Author(s).BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated some associations between dietary vitamin A intake and ovarian cancer risk with an inconsistent relationship. We therefore performed this study to further explore the association between them. METHODS Databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were retrieved up to September 1, 2019. Summarized relative risk (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Stata 14.0 software was used for data analysis. RESULTS Fifteen articles involving 4,882 cases and 443,179 participants were included in this meta-analysis. A positive association between dietary vitamin A intake and ovarian cancer risk was found (RR=0.816, 95%CI= 0.723-0.920, I2= 48.4%, Pfor heterogeneity= 0.019). Significant association was also found in case-control studies (RR=0.769, 95%CI= 0.655-0.902), but not in cohort studies. When we performed the analysis between ovarian cancer risk and geographic locations, we found an inverse association in North American populations (RR=0.825, 95%CI= 0.