Background Cross-species comparison of transcriptomes is important for elucidating evolutionary molecular mechanisms underpinning phenotypic variation between and within species, yet to date it has been essentially limited to model organisms with relatively small sample sizes. Results Here, we systematically analyze and compare 10,830 and 4866 publicly available RNA-seq samples in humans and cattle, respectively, representing 20 common tissues. Focusing on 17,315 orthologous genes, we demonstrate that mean/median gene expression, inter-individual variation of expression, expression quantitative trait loci, and gene co-expression networks are generally conserved between humans and cattle. By examining large-scale genome-wide association studies for 46 human traits (average n = 327,973) and 45 cattle traits (average n = 24,635), we reveal that the heritability of complex traits in both species is significantly more enriched in transcriptionally conserved than diverged genes across tissues. Conclusions In summary, our study provides a comprehensive comparison of transcriptomes between humans and cattle, which might help decipher the genetic and evolutionary basis of complex traits in both species.

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It has been found in recent years that Artesunate (Art), a water soluble derivative of arteannuin, mainly previously used for its anti-malarial activity, has some other effects, e.g. it could act as an anti-tumor agent by way of inducing cell apoptosis, antagonizing angiogenesis, reversing immunosuppression of tumor cells, etc. More and more attention is being paid to the anti-tumor effects of Art. Such progress is reviewed in this paper.

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ObjectiveWe analyzed the association between the triglyceride‐glucose index (TyG index) and incident endometrial carcinogenesis, aiming to determine whether the TyG index is a promising predictive biomarker for endometrial carcinoma (EC).MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between TyG index and EC incidence and progression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC), as well as the cut‐off value of the TyG index for EC incidence.ResultsThe TyG index was significantly higher in patients with EC or endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) than in those with normal endometrium (P < 0.001). A continuous rise was observed in the incidence of EC and EAH among the tertiles of the TyG index (P < 0.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the TyG index was associated with EC and EAH risk after adjusting for potential confounding factors (EAH: odds ratio [OR] 2.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–4.85, P = 0.005; EC: OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.60–4.41, P < 0.001). Moreover, high TyG index was positively associated with advanced pathological stage (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.32–3.47, P = 0.002) and poorer differentiation (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.36–4.72, P = 0.004).ConclusionThe TyG index might be a promising biomarker for endometrial carcinogenesis. Subjects with a higher TyG index should be aware of the risk of EC incidence and progression.