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With the rapid development of e-commerce, both gray products and counterfeit products are particularly serious in the luxury industry. This paper develops an analytical framework to investigate the interaction among the gray market, the counterfeit market and the authorised market, and examines how luxury manufacturers should manage unfair competition from gray products and/or counterfeit products. First, regardless of the existence of counterfeit products, the manufacturer can benefit from gray products when the status utility is moderate. Second, counterfeit products may benefit the manufacturer, depending on the availability of gray products and the physical resemblance of counterfeit products. Third, gray product may benefit the counterfeiter while counterfeit product always harms the gray marketer. Finally, we reveal that gray products can help luxury manufacturers fight against counterfeit products. In particular, gray products can reduce the demand for counterfeit products and even drive counterfeit products out of the market when the physical resemblance of counterfeit products is sufficiently low. Our findings provide several new managerial insights for luxury manufacturers and gray marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study investigated the association of economic status with metabolic index control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods: In total, 37 454 T2DM patients from 10 National Metabolic Management Centers in China were recruited and categorized into two groups: a high‐gross domestic product (GDP) group (n = 23 993) and a low‐GDP group (n = 13 461). Sociodemographic characteristics, medical histories, and lifestyle factors were recorded. Logistic regression and interaction analysis were performed to evaluate the association of economic status and healthy lifestyle with metabolic control. Results: Compared to the low‐GDP group, there were fewer patients with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels ≥7% in the high‐GDP group. Fewer patients with a high GDP had an abnormal metabolic state (HbA1c ≥ 7%, blood pressure [BP] ≥130/80 mm Hg, total cholesterol [TCH] ≥4.5 mmol/L or body mass index [BMI] ≥24 kg/m2). The risks of developing HbA1c ≥ 7% (odds ratios [OR] = 0.545 [95% CI: 0.515–0.577], p <.001), BP ≥ 130/80 mm Hg (OR = 0.808 [95% CI: 0.770–0.849], p <.001), BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 (OR = 0.840 [95% CI: 0.799–0.884], p <.001), and an abnormal metabolic state (OR = 0.533 [95% CI: 0.444–0.636], p <.001) were significantly lower in the high‐GDP group even after adjustment for confounding factors. Younger participants; those with a family history of diabetes, normal weight, and a physical activity level up to standard; and those who did not drink alcohol in the high‐GDP group were predisposed to better glycemic levels. Conclusions: T2DM patients in economically developed regions had better metabolic control, especially glycemic control. A healthy lifestyle had an additive effect on achieving glycemic goals, even among high‐GDP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Obesity paradox" occurs in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients when body mass index (BMI) is applied to define obesity. We examined the association of visceral fat area (VFA) as an obesity measurement with arterial stiffness in seven ideal cardiovascular health metrics (ICVHMs). Methods: A total of 29 048 patients were included in the analysis from June 2017 to April 2021 in 10 sites of National Metabolic Management Centers. ICVHMs were modified from the recommendations of the American Heart Association. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) ≥ 1400 cm/s was employed to evaluate increased arterial stiffness. Multivariate regression models were used to compare the different effects of BMI and VFA on arterial stiffness. Results: Lower VFA was more strongly associated with low BaPWV than lower BMI when other ICVHMs were included (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.85 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80–0.90] vs OR 1.08 [95% CI, 1.00–1.17]). Multivariable‐adjusted ORs for arterial stiffness were highest in patients with the VAT area VFA in the range of 150‐200 cm2 (adjusted OR, 1.26 [95% CI 1.12–1.41]). Compared with participants with VAT VFA < 100 cm2, among participants with higher VAT VFA, the OR for arterial stiffness decreased gradually from 1.89 (95% CI, 1.73–2.07) in patients who had ≤1 ICVHM to 0.39 (95% CI, 0.25–0.62) in patients who had ≥5 ICVHMs. Conclusion: In patients with T2DM, using VAT for anthropometric measures of obesity, VFA was more relevant to cardiovascular risk than BMI in the seven ICVHMs. For anthropometric measures of obesity in the ICVHMs to describe cardiovascular risk VFA would be more optimal than BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a highly promising therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, owing to its ability to selectively target tumor cells for cell death while [...]

HemK2 is a highly conserved methyltransferase, but the identification of its genuine substrates has been controversial, and its biological importance in higher organisms remains unclear. We elucidate the role of HemK2 in the methylation of eukaryotic Release Factor 1 (eRF1), a process that is essential for female germline development in Drosophila melanogaster. Knockdown of hemK2 in the germline cells (hemK2-GLKD) induces apoptosis, accompanied by a pronounced decrease in both eRF1 methylation and protein synthesis. Overexpression of a methylation-deficient eRF1 variant recapitulates the defects observed in hemK2-GLKD, suggesting that eRF1 is a primary methylation target of HemK2. Furthermore, hemK2-GLKD leads to a significant reduction in mRNA levels in germline cell. These defects in oogenesis and protein synthesis can be partially restored by inhibiting the No-Go Decay pathway. In addition, hemK2 knockdown is associated with increased disome formation, suggesting that disruptions in eRF1 methylation may provoke ribosomal stalling, which subsequently activates translation-coupled mRNA surveillance mechanisms that degrade actively translated mRNAs. We propose that HemK2-mediated methylation of eRF1 is crucial for ensuring efficient protein production and mRNA stability, which are vital for the generation of high-quality eggs., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

High expression of Fightless I (FLII) is associated to multiple tumors. Based on our previous study that FLII might be involved in the nuclear export, we assessed the possible interaction of FLII with the nuclear envelop associating proteins Importin β and Nup88. We first constructed GST-FLII, GST-LRR recombinant plasmids and transformed them into the Rosetta strain to produce GST-FLII, GST-LRR fusion protein. After purification of these proteins, GST-pull down, as well as co-immunoprecipitation, were used to test the interaction of FLII with Importin β and Nup88. FLII interacted with Importin β and Nup88, and FLII LRR domain is responsible for these interactions. Thus, FLII may play a role in nuclear export through interaction with Importin β and Nup88.