Gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of humans and animals, which can synthesize various metabolic products that affect human health either positively or negatively, upon interaction with the host. Gut bacteria could metabolize indigestible carbohydrates like cellulose, hemicelluloses, resistant starch, pectin, oligosaccharides and lignin into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as acetic, propionic and butyric acids. The microbiota can also perform an essential role in vitamin synthesis such as biotin, thiamine, cobalamin, riboflavin, nicotine and pantothenic acids, as well as vitamin B and K. Observational findings achieved during......2023-10-23

Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease and affects 2-3% of the global population.It is characterized by well-demarcated, erythematous plaques covered by silvery-white scales, typically occurring in a symmetric distribution involving the elbows, knees, trunk and scalp. Individuals with psoriasis are at an increased risk of developing other chronic and serious health diseases. These comorbid diseases include psoriatic arthritis, metabolic syndrome or components of the syndrome, cardiovascular disorders, and several other diseases such as anxiety and depression, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Crohn’s disease, and lymphoma. At present, the treatment options for psoriasis include ......2023-10-19

Research into rejuvenation and life extension with the aim of developing relevant therapies is undergoing a renaissance.One such approach has been to leverage the four Yamanaka reprogramming factors to counteract the in vivo signs of aging and increase the lifespan of mice with a premature-aging disease. The concern, however, is that epigenetic reprogramming and its impact on rejuvenation could be notably attenuated or even lost in fully aged tissues owing to profound changes in the epigenome of old cells, persistent chronic inflammation, profound tissue fibrosis and other age-related debilitating conditions. Senescent cells as one of the key drivers of aging-induced tissue deteriorati......2023-10-16

The liver is an essential organ for maintaining normal life activities of the human body, because it not only regulates the metabolism of many nutrients and chemical drugs, but also has many functions such as synthesizing and decomposing proteins, regulating systemic blood volume, excluding body toxins, and regulating immunity. Based on the different etiologies and pathogenesis, liver diseases are classified as acute liver injury, viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the changes of living environment and the irregularity of life habits, the number of patients with liver diseas......2023-10-11

Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth most common cancer globally and has the sixth worst prognosis because of its aggressiveness and poor survival. The worldwide incidence of EC has been increasing over the past 3 decades, with some variation in the two main histological subtypes. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is still the more common type of EC globally, with 79% of all SCC cases occurring in Asia . However, Western industrialized nations have experienced a rapid increase of esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC). EAC typically has a better overall median survival than ESCC, particularly in early stage disease. Despite countless improvements in diagnostic and treatment techniques over the pas......2023-09-25

Protein degradation is an emerging strategy to treat diseases, especially proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). PROTACs are heterobifunctional molecules that comprise a ligand targeting the protein of interest (POI), an element that recruits E3 ligases, and a linker connecting the above two moieties. Among them, the linker plays a critical role in bridging these two moieties. While many traditional linkers, including PEG, linear aliphatic chains, and more rigid (piperazine-type) linkers, have been studied, designing effective linkers remains challenging. Recently, DNA has been engineered to form DNA frameworks, such as DNA tetrahedra, octahedra, and icosahedra, with well-controlled......2023-09-21