Inhibiting SHP2 reduces glycolysis, promotes microglial M1 polarization, and alleviates secondary inflammation following spinal cord injury in a mouse model

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202503000-00030/figure1/v/2024-06-17T092413Z/r/image-tiff Reducing the secondary inflammatory response, which is partly mediated by microglia, is a key focus in the treatment of spinal cord injury. Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2), encoded by PTPN11, is widely expressed in the human body and plays a role in inflammation through various mechanisms. Therefore, SHP2 is considered a potential target for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases. However, its role in secondary inflammation after spinal cord injury remains unclear. In this study, SHP2 was found to be abundantly expressed in microglia at the site of spinal cord injury. Inhibition of SHP2 expression using siRNA and SHP2 inhibitors attenuated the microglial inflammatory response in an in vitro lipopolysaccharide-induced model of inflammation. Notably, after treatment with SHP2 inhibitors, mice with spinal cord injury exhibited significantly improved hind limb locomotor function and reduced residual urine volume in the bladder. Subsequent in vitro experiments showed that, in microglia stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, inhibiting SHP2 expression promoted M2 polarization and inhibited M1 polarization. Finally, a co-culture experiment was conducted to assess the effect of microglia treated with SHP2 inhibitors on neuronal cells. The results demonstrated that inflammatory factors produced by microglia promoted neuronal apoptosis, while inhibiting SHP2 expression mitigated these effects. Collectively, our findings suggest that SHP2 enhances secondary inflammation and neuronal damage subsequent to spinal cord injury by modulating microglial phenotype. Therefore, inhibiting SHP2 alleviates the inflammatory response in mice with spinal cord injury and promotes functional recovery postinjury.

Sequencing the monoclonal antibody variable regions using multiple charge integration middle-down strategy and ultraviolet photodissociation

BACKGROUND

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become essential biopharmaceuticals for clinical targeted therapies due to their high specificity, affinity and low side effects. The specificity and affinity of mAb to targeting antigen are mainly dependent on the three complementarity determining regions (CDRs) with high variations in amino acid sequences. Therefore, mAb CDR sequencing is crucial for the characterization of therapeutic mAbs. Here, we developed a 193-nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) based multiple charge integration middle-down mass spectrometry (MCI-MDMS) strategy for mAb sequencing.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that the UVPD spectra of mAb subunit ions with different charge states exhibit high complementarity, and integration can result in higher sequence coverage compared to single charge states. Finally, over 95 % sequence coverage of two different mAbs has been achieved with full sequence coverage of CDRs, underscoring the great potential of this strategy in accurate sequencing of mAb variable regions. Compared with the conventional higher energy collisional dissociation (HCD) strategy of mAb subunit sequencing, the sequence coverage of CDRs at single UVPD subunit charge state has increased by an average of 30 %. In addition, almost complete sequence coverage of mAb ensures the accurate localization of mAb post-translational modifications (PTMs), including glycosylation of two different sites, C-terminal lysine truncation, and N-terminal cyclization of glutamine.

SIGNIFICANCE

The integration of MCI-MDMS and UVPD realizes high sequence coverage and reliable PTM determination of mAbs. This integrated strategy holds significant promise for accurate analysis of antibody-drug conjugates, polyclonal antibodies and unknown mAbs including sequences and PTMs, and providing a crucial tool for the discovery and development of therapeutic mAbs.

A multi-feature fusion graph attention network for decoding motor imagery intention in spinal cord injury patients

Objective.Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals exhibit temporal-frequency-spatial multi-domain feature, and due to the nonplanar nature of the brain surface, the electrode distributions follow non-Euclidean topology. To fully resolve the EEG signals, this study proposes a temporal-frequency-spatial multi-domain feature fusion graph attention network (GAT) for motor imagery (MI) intention recognition in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.Approach.The proposed model uses phase-locked value (PLV) to extract spatial phase connectivity information between EEG channels and continuous wavelet transform to extract valid EEG information in the time-frequency domain. It then models as a graph data structure containing multi-domain information. The gated recurrent unit and GAT learn EEG's dynamic temporal-spatial information. Finally, the fully connected layer outputs the MI intention recognition results.Main results.After 10 times 10-fold cross-validation, the proposed model can achieve an average accuracy of 95.82%. Furthermore, this study analyses the event-related desynchronization/event-related synchronization and PLV brain network to explore the brain activity of SCI patients during MI.Significance.This study confirms the potential of the proposed model in terms of EEG decoding performance and provides a reference for the mechanism of neural activity in SCI patients.

A chromosome-scale reference genome of the Banna miniature inbred pig

The Banna miniature inbred pig (BN) is an intensively inbred line for biomedical research and xenotransplantation due to its low individual variation and stable genetic background. Although it is originated from the Diannan miniature pig (DN), substantial genetic changes have actually occurred. However, the lack of a BN reference genome has limited studies on the complete genomic architecture and utilization as a biomedical model. Here, we present a high-quality genome for BN using PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing technologies, with a total length of 2.66 Gb, a scaffold N50 of 143.60 Mb, and 97.59% of the sequences anchored to chromosomes. Its BUSCO score is 96.30%, higher than porcine reference assembly and DN. The genome contains 48.49% of repeats, 19,756 protein-coding genes, and 7,207 non-coding RNAs according to our annotation. The OMArk score shows a proteome completeness and consistency of 99.58% and 93.62%, respectively. These findings indicate that the chromosome-scale genome of BN provides a valuable resource for studying the genetic basis of inbreeding, facilitating further research and clinical applications.

Revealing the distribution of synthetic musks in Chinese estuarine sediments driven by natural and anthropogenic factors

Synthetic musks (SMs) commonly used in personal care products can accumulate in the estuarine environment, but influencing factors on their distribution at large-scale region remain largely unexplored. Herein, surface sediment samples from 18 main estuaries of China and two river outlets in the Yangtze River Estuary were collected to discern the spatial and temporal variations of SMs. Moreover, fourteen influencing factors consisting of natural and anthropogenic parameters were scrutinized and their significance were analyzed by using Spearman's rank correlation and Random Forest. The widespread distribution of SMs were observed in Chinese estuarine sediments with the levels ranging from < reporting limit to 28 ng g-1 on a basis of dry weight (mean: 3.5 ng g-1). Predominated polycyclic musks shared similar sources both spatially and temporally. Positive correlation was found between SMs and total organic carbon in sediments, whereas the SM distribution was strongly influenced by regional anthropogenic activities. Regional population density was the primary influencing factor, followed by gross domestic product per unit area and wet deposition of particulate matters. A good correlation between SMs and water quality category indicated SMs could serve as an indicator for water quality. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the main influencing factors on SM distribution in estuarine sediments, aiming to better understand the distribution and fate of emerging organic chemicals in the estuarine environment.

Ferroptosis-associated alterations in diabetes following ischemic stroke: Insights from RNA sequencing

OBJECTIVE

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death associated with lipid peroxidation. Though diabetes worsens cerebral injury and clinical outcomes in stroke, it is poorly understood whether ferroptosis contributes to diabetes-exacerbated stroke. This study aimed to identify ferroptosis-associated differentially expressed genes in ischemic stroke under diabetic condition and then explore their roles using comprehensive bioinformatics analyses.

METHODS

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) model was established in male mice at 8-10 weeks of age by one intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (110 mg/kg). Ischemic stroke was induced by a transient 45-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion and evaluated three days thereafter. Ischemic brain cortex was dissected 24 h after the reperfusion and subjected to bulk tissue RNA sequencing followed by bioinformatics analysis and verification of key findings via quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS

Enlarged infarct size was seen in diabetic, as compared with non-diabetic mice, in conjunction with worsened neurological behaviors. Both body and spleen weights were reduced in diabetic as compared with non-diabetic mice. There was a trend for reduced survival rate in diabetic mice following the stroke. In RNA sequencing analysis, we identified 1299 differentially expressed genes in ischemic brain between diabetic and non-diabetic mice, with upregulation and downregulation for 732 and 567 genes, respectively. Among these genes, 27 genes were associated with ferroptosis. Further analysis reveals that solute carrier family 25 member 28(SLC25A28) and sterol carrier protein 2(SCP2) were the top genes associated with ferroptosis in diabetic mice following ischemic stroke. In several bioinformatics analyses, we found SLC25A28, one of the top ferroptosis-related genes, is involved in several metabolic and regulatory pathways as well as the regulatory complexity of microRNAs and circular RNAs, which demonstrates the potential role of SLC25A28 in diabetes-exacerbated stroke. Drug network analysis suggests SLC25A28 as a potential therapeutic target for ameliorating ischemic injury in diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our bulk RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses show that altered ferroptosis signaling pathway was associated with the exacerbation of experimental stroke injury under diabetic condition. Especially, additional investigation into the mechanisms of SLC25A28 and SCP2 in diabetes-exacerbated stroke will be explored in the future study.

Predicting plateau atmospheric ozone concentrations by a machine learning approach: A case study of a typical city on the southwestern plateau of China

Atmospheric ozone (O3) has been placed on the priority control pollutant list in China's 14th Five-Year Plan. Due to their unique meteorological conditions, plateau regions contain high concentrations of atmospheric O3. However, traditional experimental methods for determining O3 concentrations using automatic monitoring stations cannot predict O3 trends. In this study, two machine learning models (a nonlinear auto-regressive model with external inputs (NARX) and a temporal convolution network (TCN)) were developed to predict O3 concentrations in a plateau area in the Kunming region by considering the effects of meteorological parameters, air quality parameters, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The plateau O3 prediction accuracy of the machine learning models was found to be much higher than those of numerical models that served as a comparison. The O3 values predicted by the machine learning models closely matched the actual monitoring data. The temporal distribution of plateau O3 displayed a high all-day peak from February to May. A correlation analysis between O3 concentrations and feature parameters demonstrated that humidity is the feature with the highest absolute correlation (-0.72), and was negatively correlated with O3 concentrations during all test periods. VOCs and temperatures were also found to have high positive correlation coefficients with O3 during periods of significant O3 pollution. After negating the effects of meteorological parameters, the predicted O3 concentrations decreased significantly, whereas they increased in the absence of NOx. Although individual VOCs were found to greatly affect the O3 concentration, the total VOC (TVOC) concentration had a relatively small effect. The proposed machine learning model was demonstrated to predict plateau O3 concentrations and distinguish how different features affect O3 variations.

LINC01614 Accelerates CRC Progression via STAT1/LINC01614/miR-4443/PFKFB3-Mediated Aerobic Glycolysis

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an aggressive malignancy among malignant tumours, with a high incidence globally. LINC01614, a long non-coding RNA, has been identified as an essential regulator in multiple cancer types. However, its biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in CRC remain largely unknown.

METHODS

In this study, we employed RT-qPCR to assess the expression levels of LINC01614 in CRC samples. In vitro, glucose metabolism experiments were conducted to evaluate glucose metabolism in cells. The binding relationship between miR-4443, PFKFB3, and LINC01614 was confirmed through fluorescence reporter gene detection. The subcellular localization of LINC01614 in CRC cells was determined using FISH and subcellular fractionation experiments. Additionally, a mouse subcutaneous tumor model was established for in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

Our findings reveal that LINC01614 is upregulated in CRC tissues. Silencing of LINC01614 suppresses the malignant behaviors of CRC cells, including cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and aerobic glycolysis. Furthermore, we discovered that LINC01614 promotes the expression of PFKFB3. Additional experiments demonstrated that LINC01614 binds to miR-4443, leading to the upregulation of PFKFB3 expression. Further experiments confirmed that the LINC01614/miR-4443/PFKFB3 axis promotes CRC cell malignancy by enhancing aerobic glycolysis. Additionally, we found that STAT1 promotes the transcription of LINC01614.

CONCLUSION

These findings uncover a novel regulatory pathway wherein STAT1-induced LINC01614 enhances PFKFB3 expression by sponging miR-4443, thereby accelerating CRC development. This understanding may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for CRC treatment.

Salt Resistant PPy/MXene Flexible Waffle Type Fabric for Efficient Solar Evaporation and Water Purification Production

In recent years, with the development of solar seawater desalination technology, many solar evaporators are affected by precipitated salts during the evaporation process, which can reduce efficiency. In this work, flexible fabrics made of polypyrrole (PPy)/MXene are obtained by impregnating the prepared PPy ink onto waffle like fabrics. The combination of PPy and fabric greatly improves the water absorption and evaporation performance of the fabric. The average evaporation rate of this structure is 1.43 kg m-2 h-1, and the average evaporation efficiency under a single light source is 85.13%. After a 15-h testing cycle and a total of 8 cycles, lasting nearly 120 h, the performance of the device remained stable. The structural characteristics of waffle fabric, based on the Marangoni thermal effect, make it possible to suppress salt precipitation during evaporation, avoiding large salt particles covering the evaporation surface and reducing efficiency. This experiment successfully demonstrated long-term stable water evaporation, providing new ideas for the development of fabric evaporators.

Evaluation of pancreatic iodine uptake and related influential factors in multiphase dual-energy CT

OBJECTIVES

To establish normative values and identify potential factors influencing pancreatic iodine uptake using dual-energy CT (DECT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included participants without pancreatic diseases undergoing DECT at two institutions with different platforms. Their protocols both included arterial phase (AP), portal venous phase (PP), and equilibrium phase (EP), defined as 35 s-40 s, 60 s-70 s, and 150 s-180 s after injection of contrast agent, respectively. Both iodine concentration (IC) and normalised IC (NIC) were measured. Demographic features, local measurements of the pancreas and visceral fat area (VFA) were considered as potential factors influencing iodine uptake using multivariate linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 562 participants (median age 58 years [interquartile range: 47-67], with 282 men) were evaluated. The mean IC differed significantly between two institutions (all p < 0.001) across three contrast-enhanced phases, while the mean NIC showed no significant differences (all p > 0.05). The mean values of NIC were 0.22 at AP, 0.43 at PP and 0.45 at EP. NICAP was independently affected by VFA (β = 0.362, p < 0.001), smoking (β = -0.240, p = 0.001), and type-II diabetes (β = -0.449, p < 0.001); NICPP by VFA (β = -0.301, p = 0.017) and smoking (β = -0.291, p < 0.001); and NICEP by smoking (β = -0.154, p = 0.10) and alcohol consumption (β = -0.350, p < 0.001) with statistical power values over 0.81.

CONCLUSION

NIC values were consistent across institutions. Abdominal obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes are independent factors influencing pancreatic iodine uptake.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This study has provided reference normative values, influential factors and effective normalisation methods of pancreatic iodine uptake in multiphase dual-energy CT for future studies in this area as a new biological marker.

KEY POINTS

Evaluation of pancreatic iodine uptake measured by dual-energy CT is a promising method for future studies. Abdominal obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, and sex are independent factors influencing pancreatic iodine uptake. Utility of normalised iodine concentration is necessary to ensure the consistency across different institutions.

tRNA methyltransferase DNMT2 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and enhances Bortezomib resistance through inhibiting TNFSF10

The tRNA methyltransferase DNMT2 (TRDMT1) plays a crucial role in various biological functions; however, its role in cancer, particularly in liver cancer, remains incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrate that high DNMT2 expression is negatively correlated with prognosis in clinical liver cancer patients. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that DNMT2 promotes the proliferation, colony formation, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. We identified the pro-apoptotic gene TNFSF10 (TRAIL) as a downstream target of DNMT2, regulated by the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase FTO. Epigenetically, DNMT2 deletion increased FTO expression, leading to a reduction in m6A methylation levels. FTO upregulated TNFSF10 expression, significantly reducing the proliferation and metastasis of DNMT2-deficient hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Furthermore, DNMT2 deletion was shown to significantly upregulate chemokine expression in tumors. Finally, we demonstrated that the NF-κB inhibitor Bortezomib further enhances DNMT2 deletion-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. This study reveals DNMT2's role in liver cancer and presents a new therapeutic target for future treatments.

[Clinical features and genetic analysis of four cases of pediatric acute liver failure caused by NBAS gene variants]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and genetic features of pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) caused by neuroblastoma-amplified sequence (NBAS) gene variants and to investigate the correlation between clinical phenotypes and genotypes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and genetic test results of 4 pediatric patients with NBAS gene variants presenting primarily with PALF, who were admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from August 2015 to June 2023. A literature review was performed using the keywords "NBAS", "neuroblastoma amplified sequence", "SOPH", "short stature with optic nerve atrophy and Pelger-Huët anomaly", "liver failure", and "neuroblastoma amplified sequence" in both Chinese and English, searching the CNKI, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and PubMed databases for articles published from January 2015 to May 2024. The clinical features and genetic characteristics of domestic patients were summarized. Results: The age of first onset of PALF in the 4 patients ranged from 8 months to 3 years and 7 months. All patients developed PALF within 1-2 d after the onset of fever, with symptoms including vomiting, seizures, lethargy, or altered consciousness, accompanied by a sharp increase in transaminases, elevated bilirubin and blood ammonia, hyperlactatemia, and hepatomegaly. After antipyretic therapy, fluid supplementation, and other symptomatic supportive treatments, the PALF gradually improved in all patients, with 3 patients also exhibiting extrahepatic symptoms. Long-term follow-up showed that active temperature control and symptomatic management could reduce the recurrence of PALF. Genetic testing identified 8 NBAS gene variants sites, all confirmed as compound heterozygous mutations through family verification, including 4 missense mutations, 1 nonsense mutation, and 3 frameshift mutations. A literature review included 51 cases of domestic NBAS gene mutations, revealing that 98.0% (50/51) of patients had liver involvement, with 35 cases presenting as PALF. A total of 61 variant sites were identified, with c.3596G>A (45.1%, 23/51) being the most common hotspot mutation. Conclusions: NBAS gene mutations leading to PALF have distinct clinical and genetic characteristics, with a correlation between genotype and clinical phenotype. The c.3596G>A mutation is a hotspot variant in domestic patients and is strongly associated with the liver failure phenotype.

Novel chitosan/lignin hydrogel prepared by the Mannich reaction for Pb(II) and Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution

Green and high-performance biomass-based adsorbents have a good application prospect for the removal of heavy metals. At present, the preparation of chitosan/lignin biomass adsorbents mainly adopts dissolution-drying method, and the obtained adsorbents show relatively poor adsorption performance for heavy metals. To overcome this problem, a novel chitosan/lignin hydrogel (CSL) is prepared by a simple one-pot method through the Mannich reaction. Research findings show that the hydrogels present higher adsorption selectivity for Pb(II) and Cu(II) than other common heavy metals. Among them, the optimal hydrogel CSL1 shows unexpectedly ultrafast adsorption rate for Pb(II) and Cu(II) with equilibrium time of only 1 min and 2 min. Meanwhile, the maximum adsorption capacities of CSL1 for Pb(II) and Cu(II) are 139.86 and 98.71 mg·g-1, respectively. Compared with the reported adsorption materials related to chitosan or lignin, the CSL1 has the advantages of simple preparation process, considerable adsorption capacity, and short adsorption equilibrium time. Moreover, the adsorption mechanism is investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the results prove that the adsorption mechanism is chemical complexation. This work not only contributes to the advancement of hydrogel-based adsorbents, but also holds significant industrial potential for addressing water pollution issues and promoting sustainable development.

Docosahexaenoic acid protects against ischemic stroke in diabetic mice by inhibiting inflammatory responses and apoptosis

This study was to explore whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) protects against ischemic stroke in diabetic mice and its mechanisms. DHA was administered to mice and its effects on stroke outcomes in type 1 diabetes mellitus were assessed 24 h and 3 days post-reperfusion using RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, multiplex immunoassays, and western-blotting analysis. In diabetic mice, DHA administration post-ischemic stroke significantly reduced cerebral infarct size, brain edema, and neurological impairments. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated a notable decrease in the percentage of neutrophils in the ischemic brain, suggesting a mitigated inflammatory response. Western blotting assay revealed that pro-apoptotic protein Bax was reduced whereas anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was increased, indicating the attenuation of apoptosis. Additionally, RNA sequencing of brain tissue highlighted significant transcriptomic changes, with downregulation of genes for several inflammatory pathways such as NF-kappa B signaling and upregulation of genes for neuroprotective pathways such as neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction. Similar transcriptomic changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells indicated that DHA treatment resulted the systemic anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective response. DHA treatment mitigated cerebral ischemic injuries by dampening inflammatory responses and apoptosis in diabetic mice after ischemic stroke, highlighting its therapeutic potential for clinical management of stroke in diabetic patients.

Unveiling species diversity within early-diverging fungi from China III: Six new species and a new record of Gongronella (Cunninghamellaceae, Mucoromycota)

Gongronella had accommodated only two species for more than half a century and as many as 17 new species have been described in this genus since 2015. However, no systematic studies were conducted for this genus so far. The distribution, substrate and morphology of all known species in Gongronella are analysed herein. Meanwhile, with the support of phylogenetic and morphological evidence, six new species (G.abortosporangia sp. nov., G.apophysata sp. nov., G.bawanglingensis sp. nov., G.inconstans sp. nov., G.pingtangensis sp. nov. and G.reniformis sp. nov.) are proposed and G.pamphilae is recorded from China for the first time. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS+LSU+TEF+ACT+RPB1 and the results were basically the same as ITS+LSU. All species of Gongronella, except G.namwonensis from fresh water, were isolated from soil. The genus is distributed worldwide, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. A synoptic key is provided for a total of 24 species (18 species previously published and six species newly described herein), except for G.banzhaoae due to unavailable protologue, type and living culture. No morphologies were described when G.pamphilae was proposed. Thanks to the strains isolated in this study, G.pamphilae is included in the key and reported as a Chinese new record. This is the first comprehensive taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Gongronella.

Unveiling species diversity within early-diverging fungi from China II: Three new species of Absidia (Cunninghamellaceae, Mucoromycota) from Hainan Province

Absidia is distributed worldwide and primarily isolated from soil, feces, and decaying plants. The genus was initially classified into Absidiaceae and then Mucoraceae, and currently belongs to Cunninghamellaceae and is further divided into Absidia s.s., Lichtheimia, and Lentamyces. Three new species of Absidia s.s. are identified and described from soil in Hainan Province of China based on morphological characteristics, molecular data, and maximum growth temperatures as well. They are named based on distinct shapes of projections on columellae: A.crystalloides sp. nov. (crystal-like), A.pacifica sp. nov. (pacifier-like), A.pateriformis sp. nov. (bowling-like). In SSU-ITS-LSU-TEF-Act phylogram, the A.crystalloides is closely related to A.oblongispora and A.heterospora, the A.pacifica is a sister group with A.edaphica, and the A.pateriformis has a close relationship with A.jiangxiensis. This study enriches the species diversity of Absidia in China.

Cytokine profile of cerebrospinal fluid in pediatric patients with metastatic medulloblastoma

Background

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a malignant pediatric central nervous system tumor that is prone to leptomeningeal metastasis. Currently, apart from magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology, there are no reliable biomarkers for MB progression. Cytokines are key proteins in signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment and are closely related to tumor recurrence and progression. This study aimed to investigate the CSF cytokine profile in pediatric patients with MB to identify biomarkers of tumor progression and metastasis.

Methods

In total, 10 patients were recruited for this study. Five patients had nonmetastatic MB and five had metastatic MB. A cytokine antibody array was used to detect the expression of 120 cytokines in the CSF, and differentially expressed cytokines were screened by integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Results

Twenty-seven cytokines were upregulated in patients with MB compared to control individuals. Of these, eight were upregulated by > 1.5-fold (CCL2, BMP-4, beta-NGF, FGF-7, IL-12p40, eotaxin-2, M-CSF, and NT-4). Twelve cytokines were differentially expressed between patients with metastatic MB and nonmetastatic (nine cytokines were upregulated and three were downregulated). Among them, NAP-2, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 were upregulated by more than two-fold. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the upregulated cytokines were enriched mainly in "epithelial cell proliferation" and "chemotaxis," and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated the enrichment of the "MAPK," "PI3K-Akt," and "Ras" signaling pathways.

Conclusions

The present study investigated cytokine profiles in the CSF of pediatric patients with MB. Our results suggest that these differentially expressed cytokines may serve as novel markers for detecting MB, especially for assessing the risk of progression and metastasis.

Huperzine a ameliorates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress via α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Sepsis, characterized by high mortality rates, causes over 50 % of acute lung injury (ALI) cases, primarily due to the heightened susceptibility of the lungs during this condition. Suppression of the excessive inflammatory response is critical for improving the survival of patients with sepsis; nevertheless, no specific anti-sepsis drugs exist. Huperzine A (HupA) exhibits neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its underlying mechanisms and effects on sepsis-induced ALI have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated the potential of HupA for treating sepsis and explored its mechanism of action. To investigate the in vivo impacts of HupA, a murine model of sepsis was induced through cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in both wild-type (WT) and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) knockout mice. Our results showed that HupA ameliorates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by activating the α7nAChR. We used the CLP sepsis model in wild-type and α7nAChR -/- mice and found that HupA significantly increased the survival rate through α7nAChR, reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and oxidative stress, ameliorated histopathological lung injury, altered the circulating immune cell composition, regulated gut microbiota, and promoted short-chain fatty acid production through α7nAChR in vivo. Additionally, HupA inhibited Toll-like receptor NF-κB signaling by upregulating the α7nAChR/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3 pathways. Our data elucidate HupA's mechanism of action and support a "new use for an old drug" in treating sepsis. Our findings serve as a basis for further in vivo studies of this drug, followed by application to humans. Therefore, the findings have the potential to benefit patients with sepsis.

Unpuzzling spatio-vertical and multi-media patterns of aniline accelerators/antioxidants in an urban estuary

Aniline accelerators and antioxidants (AAs) are high-production-volume industrial additives that have recently attracted emerging concern given their ubiquity in environmental compartments and the associated (eco)toxic effects. Nonetheless, available information on the multi-media behavior of AAs and their transformation products (TPs) remains scarce. Therefore, we determined the residues of twenty-four AA(TP)s in paired dissolved phases (i.e., filtered water), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment samples collected from the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE), a highly urbanized estuary in the East China. The median total concentrations of targeted compounds were 0.73 ng/g dw, 34.4 ng/L, and 39.6 ng/L in sediments, surface and bottom water, respectively. Diphenylamine (DPA) was the most abundant congener in SPM, while 1,3-diphenylguanidine (DPG) and dicyclohexylamine (DChA) dominated in the dissolved phases and sediments. Various anthropogenic emissions and (a)biotic degradation may collectively shape the matrix-specific accumulation patterns and spatial trends of these compounds across the YRE. However, the vertical patterns of AA(TP)s were obscure, probably due to the estuarine hydrodynamics and/or the modest sample size. The SPM fractions of AA(TP)s in water (Ф: 7.9-100%) and the sediment sorption coefficients (KOC: 0.01-6.56) both positively correlated with their hydrophobicity as indicated by the octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW). Moreover, risk quotients implied moderate to high aquatic toxicity posed by several AA(TP)s at certain YRE sites. The estimated total annual fluxes of our analytes transported via water and sediments towards the East China Sea were 5.90-365.5 tons and 4.23-1,100 kg, respectively. This work provides a systematic investigation of multi-media processes and ecological risks of AA(TP)s in a highly-urbanized estuary, contributing to holistic comprehension of these emerging contaminants in estuarine environments.

Discovery of Bis-imidazolecarboxamide Derivatives as Novel, Potent, and Selective TNIK Inhibitors for the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK) has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of fibrosis-driven diseases. Utilizing a structure-based drug design workflow, we developed a series of potent TNIK inhibitors that modulate the conformation of the gatekeeper Met105 side chain and access the TNIK back pocket. The lead optimization efforts culminated in the discovery of the recently reported compound 4 (INS018_055), a novel TNIK inhibitor. This molecule demonstrated excellent activity in both enzymatic and cell-based assays, along with high selectivity in a kinome panel. Further, in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies revealed favorable in vitro and in vivo DMPK properties. Results from multiple cell-based and animal models proved that compound 4 exhibits considerable antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory efficacy. Currently, phase II clinical trials of compound 4 are underway for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Deep learning method for detecting fluorescence spots in cancer diagnostics via fluorescence in situ hybridization

Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) is a technique for macromolecule identification that utilizes the complementarity of DNA or DNA/RNA double strands. Probes, crafted from selected DNA strands tagged with fluorophore-coupled nucleotides, hybridize to complementary sequences within the cells and tissues under examination. These are subsequently visualized through fluorescence microscopy or imaging systems. However, the vast number of cells and disorganized nucleic acid sequences in FISH images present significant challenges. The manual processing and analysis of these images are not only time-consuming but also prone to human error due to visual fatigue. To overcome these challenges, we propose the integration of medical imaging with deep learning to develop an automated detection system for FISH images. This system features an algorithm capable of quickly detecting fluorescent spots and capturing their coordinates, which is crucial for evaluating cellular characteristics in cancer diagnosis. Traditional models struggle with the small size, low resolution, and noise prevalent in fluorescent points, leading to significant performance declines. This paper offers a detailed examination of these issues, providing insights into why traditional models falter. Comparative tests between the YOLO series models and our proposed method affirm the superior accuracy of our approach in identifying fluorescent dots in FISH images.

Methyl-β-cyclodextrin Enhances Tumor Cellular Uptake and Accumulation of α-Linolenic Acid-Paclitaxel Conjugate Nanoparticles

Improving nanomedicine uptake by tumor cells is key to achieving intracellular drug delivery. In this study, we found that methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) can significantly promote the intracellular accumulation of nanoparticulated α-linolenic acid-paclitaxel conjugates (ALA-PTX NPs) via enhanced clathrin-mediated endocytosis and limited degradation in lysosomes. Our in vitro results indicated that MβCD not only reduced the plasma membrane cholesterol content and increased plasma membrane fluidity, leading to ALA-PTX NPs being more easily incorporated into the plasma membrane, further enhancing membrane fluidity and making the plasma membrane more susceptible to tensile deformation, forming intracellular vesicles to enhance ALA-PTX NP cellular uptake, but also destroyed lysosomes and then limited ALA-PTX NPs' degradation in lysosomes. In HepG2 tumor-bearing mice, MβCD was also able to enhance the antitumor activity of ALA-PTX NPs in vivo. Moreover, we found that MβCD specifically promoted PUFA-paclitaxel conjugate NP cellular uptake. The cellular uptake of PTX liposome which shares an endocytosis pathway with ALA-PTX NPs could be enhanced by MβCD combined with ALA or ALA-PTX NPs. Therefore, we suggested that MβCD combined with polyunsaturated fatty acid-conjugation would be an effective strategy for improving intracellular delivery of nanoparticulated chemotherapeutic drugs used for combination administration to enhance antitumor efficiency.

Discrete Illumination-Based Compressed Ultrafast Photography for High-Fidelity Dynamic Imaging

Compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) can capture irreversible or difficult-to-repeat dynamic scenes at the imaging speed of more than one billion frames per second, which is obtained by compressive sensing-based image reconstruction from a compressed 2D image through the discretization of detector pixels. However, an excessively high data compression ratio in CUP severely degrades the image reconstruction quality, thereby restricting its ability to observe ultrafast dynamic scenes with complex spatial structures. To address this issue, a discrete illumination-based CUP (DI-CUP) with high fidelity is reported. In DI-CUP, the dynamic scenes are loaded into an ultrashort laser pulse train with controllable sub-pulse number and time interval, thus the data compression ratio, as well as the overlap between adjacent frames, is greatly decreased and flexibly controlled through the discretization of dynamic scenes based on laser pulse train illumination, and high-fidelity image reconstruction can be realized within the same observation time window. Furthermore, the superior performance of DI-CUP is verified by observing femtosecond laser-induced ablation dynamics and plasma channel evolution, which are hardly resolved in the spatial structures using conventional CUP. It is anticipated that DI-CUP will be widely and dependably used in the real-time observations of various ultrafast dynamics.

A systematic benchmark of copy number variation detection tools for high density SNP genotyping arrays

Copy Number Variations (CNVs) are crucial in various diseases, especially cancer, but detecting them accurately from SNP genotyping arrays remains challenging. Therefore, this study benchmarked five CNV detection tools-PennCNV, QuantiSNP, iPattern, EnsembleCNV, and R-GADA-using SNP array and WGS data from 2002 individuals of the DRAGEN re-analysis of the 1000 Genomes project. Results showed significant variability in tool performance. R-GADA had the highest recall but low precision, while PennCNV was the most reliable in terms of precision and F1 score. EnsembleCNV improved recall by combining multiple callers but increased false positives. Overall, current tools, including new methods, do not outperform PennCNV in precise CNV detection. Improved reference data and consensus on true positive CNV calls are necessary. This study provides valuable insights and scalable workflows for researchers selecting CNV detection methods in future studies.