OCTN1: A Widely Studied but Still Enigmatic Organic Cation Transporter Linked to Human Pathology and Drug Interactions

The Novel Organic Cation Transporter, OCTN1, is the first member of the OCTN subfamily; it belongs to the wider Solute Carrier family SLC22, which counts many members including cation and anion organic transporters. The tertiary structure has not been resolved for any cation organic transporter. The functional role of OCNT1 is still not well assessed despite the many functional studies so far conducted. The lack of a definitive identification of OCTN1 function can be attributed to the different experimental systems and methodologies adopted for studying each of the proposed ligands. Apart from the contradictory data, the international scientific community agrees on a role of OCTN1 in protecting cells and tissues from oxidative and/or inflammatory damage. Moreover, the involvement of this transporter in drug interactions and delivery has been well clarified, even though the exact profile of the transported/interacting molecules is still somehow confusing. Therefore, OCTN1 continues to be a hot topic in terms of its functional role and structure. This review focuses on the most recent advances on OCTN1 in terms of functional aspects, physiological roles, substrate specificity, drug interactions, tissue expression, and relationships with pathology.

SIRT7 is a prognostic biomarker in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma that is correlated with immune cell infiltration

Background: SIRT7 has been shown to be expressed in many cancer types, including kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), but its functional role in this oncogenic context remains to be firmly defined. This study was designed to explore correlations between SIRT7 and KIRC characteristics using the TCGA database. Methods: Relationships between SIRT7 expression and KIRC patient clinicopathological characteristics were assessed through Kruskal-Wallis tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and logistic regression analyses. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) values were used to assess the prognostic value of SIRT7 as a means of classifying KIRC patients. The functional role of SIRT7 in this cancer type was assessed through GO/KEGG enrichment analyses and immune cell infiltration analyses. Results: In KIRC patients, higher levels of SIRT7 expression were associated with Race, M stage, T stage (all P < 0.05). SIRT7 offered significant diagnostic value in ROC curve analyses (AUC = 0.912), and elevated SIRT7 levels were linked to worse patient overall survival (OS; P < 0.001). The expression of SIRT7 was independently related with KIRC patient OS (HR: 1.827; 95%CI: 1.346-2.481; P<0.001). In GO/KEGG analyses, SIRT7 was found to be associated with ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and nucleotide excision repair. Higher SIRT7 expression was related to the enhanced infiltration of certain immune cells.Conclusions: Increased SIRT7 expression was associated with a worse KIRC patient prognosis, and immune infiltrates, suggesting it may offer value as a prognostic biomarker for this cancer type.

Functional Role of Aramid Coated Separator for Dendrite Suppression in Lithium-Ion Batteries

The separator is an essential important key material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because it is in contact with the positive and negative electrodes and the electrolyte. Aramid coated separators (ACS) are widely used in automotive and consumer batteries as high-performance separators for LIBs with high safety and excellent lifetime characteristics. Although much effort has been made to improve the electrolyte composition, the lithium deposition on the surface of the graphite electrode at low temperature and the high charge rate is still an unsolved problem in LIBs. In this work, lithium metal is used as a counter electrode, and a separator was placed between lithium metal and graphite composite electrode. The lithium was deposited on the surface of the graphite composite electrode through the separator. Then, the functional role of ACS in the initial deposition process was investigated. The dendrite blocking effect of ACS was studied by the observation of dendrite growth and pulse cycle performance.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN URINE LEUKOCYTES AND THE TYPES OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION

Objective: This study aimed to determine the functional role of the urine leukocyte count on type of UTI. Material & Methods: This is a systematic review study with searches for articles from 2010-2020 through the PubMed, ProQuest, and EBSCO databases. The exclusion criteria in this study are patients using catheters (CAUTI), UTI patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and pediatric or infant patients. There were 1158 studies found and 3 studies synthesized. Results: There are 1130 patients studied. Age range from 18 to 89.1 years. Three studies showed that there was an association between the number of urinary leukocytes and the type of UTI (Tommaso Cai et al., p < 0.0001; and Alexander R. Levine et al., p < 0.001) and one study had no relationship. Conclusion: There is a relationship between the number of urinary leukocytes with the type of UTI. An increase in the number of urinary leukocytes above the normal limit is the sign of body’s immune response to eliminate uropathogens. The innate immune characteristic factors and the body’s immune response have an important role in causing symptoms in UTI patients.

Spatialization of Time in the Entorhinal-Hippocampal System

The functional role of the entorhinal-hippocampal system has been a long withstanding mystery. One key theory that has become most popular is that the entorhinal-hippocampal system represents space to facilitate navigation in one’s surroundings. In this Perspective article, I introduce a novel idea that undermines the inherent uniqueness of spatial information in favor of time driving entorhinal-hippocampal activity. Specifically, by spatializing events that occur in succession (i.e., across time), the entorhinal-hippocampal system is critical for all types of cognitive representations. I back up this argument with empirical evidence that hints at a role for the entorhinal-hippocampal system in non-spatial representation, and computational models of the logarithmic compression of time in the brain.

The Functional Role of Extracellular Matrix Proteins in Cancer

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is highly dynamic as it is constantly deposited, remodeled and degraded to maintain tissue homeostasis. ECM is a major structural component of the tumor microenvironment, and cancer development and progression require its extensive reorganization. Cancerized ECM is biochemically different in its composition and is stiffer compared to normal ECM. The abnormal ECM affects cancer progression by directly promoting cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation. The restructured extracellular matrix and its degradation fragments (matrikines) also modulate the signaling cascades mediated by the interaction with cell-surface receptors, deregulate the stromal cell behavior and lead to emergence of an oncogenic microenvironment. Here, we summarize the current state of understanding how the composition and structure of ECM changes during cancer progression. We also describe the functional role of key proteins, especially tenascin C and fibronectin, and signaling molecules involved in the formation of the tumor microenvironment, as well as the signaling pathways that they activate in cancer cells.