Association between PTPN1 polymorphisms and obesity-related phenotypes in European adolescents: influence of physical activity

Hypoglycemic Effects and Quality Marker Screening of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. at Different Growth Years

(1) Background: The effect of Dendrobium nobile Lindl. (D. nobile) on hyperglycemic syndrome has only been recently known for several years. Materials of D. nobile were always collected from the plants cultivated in various growth ages. However, regarding the efficacy of D. nobile on hyperglycemic syndrome, it was still unknown as to which cultivation age would be selected. On the other hand, with the lack of quality markers, it is difficult to control the quality of D. nobile to treat hyperglycemic syndrome. (2) Methods: The effects of D. nobile cultivated at year 1 and year 3 were checked on alloxan-induced diabetic mice while their body weight, diet, water intake, and urinary output were monitored. Moreover, levels of glycosylated serum protein and insulin were measured using Elisa kits. The constituents of D. nobile were identified and analyzed by using UPLC-Q/trap. Quality markers were screened out by integrating the data from UPLC-Q/trap into a network pharmacology model. (3) Results: The D. nobile cultivated at both year 1 and year 3 showed a significant effect on hyperglycemic syndrome at the high dosage level; however, regarding the significant level, D. nobile from year 1 showed the better effect. In D. nobile, most of the metabolites were identified as alkaloids and sesquiterpene glycosides. Alkaloids, represented by dendrobine, were enriched in D. nobile from year 1, while sesquiterpene glycosides were enriched in D. nobile from year 3. Twenty one metabolites were differentially expressed between D. nobile from year 1 and year 3. The aforementioned 21 metabolites were enriched to 34 therapeutic targets directly related to diabetes. (4) Conclusions: Regarding the therapy for hyperglycemic syndrome, D. nobile cultivated at year 1 was more recommended than that at year 3. Alkaloids were recommended to be used as markers to control the quality of D. nobile for hyperglycemic syndrome treatment.

Identification of Genes Related to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (ERS) in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Clinical Validation

Objective

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is key in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) incidence and progression. This study aims to identify potential ERS-related genes in COPD through bioinformatics analysis and clinical experiments.

Methods

We first obtained a COPD-related mRNA expression dataset (GSE38974) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The R software was then used to identify potential differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of COPD-related ERS (COPDERS). Subsequently, the identified DEGs were subjected to protein-protein interaction (PPI), correlation, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Following that, qRT-PCR was used to examine the RNA expression of six ERS-related DEGs in blood samples obtained from the COPD and control groups. The genes were also subjected to microRNA analysis. Finally, a correlation analysis was performed between the DEGs and key clinical indicators.

Results

Six ERS-related DEGs (five upregulated and one downregulated) were identified based on samples drawn from 23 COPD patients and nine healthy individuals enrolled in the study. Enrichment analysis revealed multiple ERS-related pathways. The qRT-PCR and mRNA microarray bioinformatics analysis results showed consistent STC2, APAF1, BAX, and PTPN1 expressions in the COPD and control groups. Additionally, hsa-miR-485-5p was identified through microRNA prediction and DEG analysis. A correlation analysis between key genes and clinical indicators in COPD patients demonstrated that STC2 was positively and negatively correlated with eosinophil count (EOS) and lymphocyte count (LYM), respectively. On the other hand, PTPN1 showed a strong correlation with pulmonary function indicators.

Conclusion

Four COPDERS-related key genes (STC2, APAF1, BAX, and PTPN1) were identified through bioinformatics analysis and clinical validation, and the expressions of some genes exhibited a significant correlation with the selected clinical indicators. Furthermore, hsa-miR-485-5p was identified as a potential key target in COPDERS, but its precise mechanism remains unclear.