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technologist and breeders to identify the suitable barley varieties to be used in breeding programs, to obtain barley with required β-glucan contents, targeted for specific end uses.The notion of stigma and its influence on the understanding of dementia has commonly been recognized as a great challenge to seeking healthcare services for South Asians in England. The aim of this commentary is to examine how Muslims view, understand and tackle dementia stigma in the context of revivalist Islam, especially among Bangladeshi Muslims within their British communities. This article reflects on the interrelationship between dementia and revivalist Islam among Bangladeshi family caregivers and addresses the question of how revivalist Islam is a significant source of understanding dementia and tackling stigma. Bangladeshi caregivers show a practical attitude toward dementia which is generally acknowledged as a medical symptom, and for which family caregivers voluntarily seek healthcare support. This piece highlights underlying principles of caregivers religious beliefs in the acceptance of dementia as a disease, and in help-seeking which is influenced by Qur’anic verses and Prophetic traditions. Bangladeshi caregivers’ religious beliefs intertwine with their knowledge, perception, and attitudes toward caregiving for their relatives with dementia. Revivalist Islam offers family caregivers an opportunity to explore their inner wisdom through the challenging journey of caregiving for their family members with dementia.Human calcitonin (hCT) is a 32-residue peptide hormone that can aggregate into amyloid fibrils and cause cellular toxicity. In this study, we investigated the inhibition effects of a group of polyphenolic molecules on hCT amyloid formation. Selleckchem INCB084550 Our results suggest that the gallate moiety in epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a well-recognized amyloid inhibitor, is not critical for its inhibition activity of the hCT amyloid formation. Our results demonstrate that the flavonoid compounds such as myricetin, quercetin, and baicalein that contain vicinal hydroxyl groups on the phenyl ring effectively prevent hCT fibrillization. This structural feature can also be applied to non-flavonoid polyphenolic inhibitors. Moreover, our results indicate a plausible mechanistic role of these vicinal hydroxyl groups which might include the oxidation to form a quinone and the subsequent Schiff base formation with the lysine or histidine residues of hCT. This may further disrupt the crucial electrostatic and aromatic interactions involved in the process of hCT amyloid fibril formation. The inhibition activity of the polyphenolic compounds against hCT fibril formation may likely be attributed to a combination of factors such as Schiff base formation, aromatic stacking, and hydrogen bonding interactions.Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Inflammatory responses are increased in patients with OSA, meanwhile, inflammation is also associated with adverse outcomes in HOCM. Hypothesis To investigate the association between severity of OSA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with HOCM. Methods Three hundred and ninteen patients with HOCM who underwent sleep evaluations at Fuwai Hospital were retrospectively included between February 2010 and December 2018. Data from baseline clinical characteristics and polysomnography studies were collected. Results OSA was present in 168 (52.7%). Patients with OSA were older, more likely to be male, had a higher body mass index and more clinical comorbidities. Patients with OSA had enlarged left ventricular diameter and similar left ventricular outflow tract obstruction compared with those without. In multivariate logistic analysis, apnea-hypopnea index (OR, 1.024; 95% CI, 1.005-1.044; P = .014), oxygen desaturation index (OR, 1.025; 95% CI, 1.004-1.046; P = .018) and lowest oxygen saturation (OR, 0.951; 95% CI, 0.915-0.989; P = .011) were independently associated with high risk hs-CRP (>3 mg/L) after adjusting for confounders. In addition, decreasing lowest oxygen saturation (β = -.159, P = .004) was also independently correlated with increasing hs-CRP concentrations in multivariate linear analysis after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions Severity of OSA was independently associated with elevated hs-CRP levels in patients with HOCM. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of treating OSA on hs-CRP as well as clinical outcomes in these patients.Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in the formation of primordial germ cells (PGCs); however, the identity of the key lncRNAs and the molecular mechanisms responsible for the formation of PGCs remain unknown. Here, we identify a key candidate lncRNA (lncRNA PGC transcript-1, LncPGCAT-1) via RNA sequencing of embryonic stem cells, PGCs, and Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Functional experiments confirmed that LncPGCAT-1 positively regulated the formation of PGCs by elevating the expression of Cvh and C-kit while downregulating the pluripotency(Nanog) in vitro and in vivo; PAS staining of genital ridges in vivo also showed that interference with LncPGCAT-1 can significantly reduce the number of PGCs in genital ridges, while overexpression of LncPGCAT-1 had the opposite result. The result of luciferase reporter assay combined with CHIP-qPCR showed that the expression of LncPGCAT-1 was promoted by the transcription factor P53 and high levels of H3K4me2. Mechanistically, the luciferase reporter assay confirmed that mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) was the target gene of LncPGCAT-1 and gga-mir-1591. In the ceRNA system, high levels of N6 methylation of LncPGCAT-1 enhanced the adsorption capacity of LncPGCAT-1 for gga-mir-1591. Adsorption of gga-mir-1591 activated the MAPK1/ERK signaling cascade by relieving the gga-mir-1591-dependent inhibition of MAPK1 expression. Moreover, LncPGCAT-1 interacted with interleukin enhancer binding factor 3 (ILF3) to regulate the ubiquitination of P53 and phosphorylation of JNK. Interaction with ILF3 resulted in positive self-feedback regulation of LncPGCAT-1 and activation of JNK signaling, ultimately promoting PGC formation. Altogether, the study expands our knowledge of the function and molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in PGC development.