Calcium and phosphorus digestibility in broilers as affected by varying phytate concentrations from corn

Dietary phytate P (PP) concentration impacts Ca and P digestibility in broilers. Research was conducted to determine the impact of increasing concentration of dietary PP, with and without phytase, on broiler standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of Ca and P. Digestible (Dig) Ca and P were calculated by multiplying SID and the analyzed dietary Ca and P concentrations. The experiment was a factorial arrangement of 2 phytase (0 and 1,000 U/kg) and 4 PP (0.16, 0.23, 0.29, and 0.34%) concentrations. Treatments were fed for 36 h from 20 to 22 d of age (4 b/pen, n ≥ 7 replicate pens/treatment). Different ratios of corn and corn germ were used to achieve the desired PP concentrations. A limestone with 800 µm geometric mean diameter was used as the sole Ca source to achieve 0.7% Ca in the final diets (96% Ca from limestone). An additional diet was fed that was N, Ca- and P-free, for the determination of endogenous losses of each nutrient. Distal ileal digesta were pooled from all birds in a pen. There were no interactions between PP and phytase on SID Ca or Dig Ca from limestone. Irrespective of phytase inclusion, increasing PP from 0.16 to 0.34% decreased SID Ca from 53.8 to 38.1% (P < 0.05). The SID Ca averaged 41.5 and 51.4% in diets containing 0 and 1000 U phytase/kg, respectively, across all PP concentrations (P < 0.05). Interactions were seen between PP and phytase on SID and Dig P (P < 0.05) with SID P of 31.1, 24.0, 20.1, and 16.3% for broilers fed 0.16, 0.23, 0.29, and 0.34% PP diets without phytase, respectively. When phytase was included at 1000 U/kg, SID P was 89.9, 87.5, 73.9 and 60.4% for diets containing 0.16, 0.23, 0.29 and 0.34% PP, respectively (P < 0.05). Overall, phytase improved SID Ca and P independent of PP concentration. However, with increasing PP concentration, both SID Ca and P were negatively affected.

Features and efficacy of triple-targeted therapy for patients with EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer with acquired BRAF alterations who are resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

BACKGROUND

The recommended first-line treatment for advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). BRAF alterations have been identified as resistance mechanisms. We aimed to identify features of and subsequent treatment strategies for such patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature review of NSCLC patients harboring acquired BRAF alterations. Additionally, BRAF-altered NSCLC patients who progressed from EGFR-TKIs at West China Hospital of Sichuan University were screened. Patient characteristics, treatment options, and outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 104 patients were included, 2 of whom came from our center. Seventy-five patients (72.1%) harbored BRAF mutations (57 class I mutations, 7 class II mutations, 9 class III mutations, and 2 non-class I-III mutations), and 29 (27.9%) harbored BRAF fusions. Eighteen patients received triple-targeted therapy, including prior EGFR-TKIs plus dabrafenib and trametinib, and 23 patients received other treatments. The median progression-free survival was significantly longer in patients receiving triple-targeted therapy than in those receiving other treatments (8.0 versus 2.5 months, P < 0.001). Similar findings were observed in patients with BRAF mutations (9.0 versus 2.8 months, P = 0.004), particularly in those with BRAF class I mutations (9.0 versus 2.5 months, P < 0.001). A potential benefit was also observed among patients with BRAF fusions (5.0 versus 2.0 months, P = 0.230). Twenty patients (48.8%) experienced adverse events. Dose reduction of RAF or MEK inhibitor was required in five patients (12.2%). Five patients (12.2%) permanently discontinued treatment (three on triple-targeted therapy; one on prior EGFR-TKI plus vemurafenib; one on prior EGFR-TKI plus trametinib).

CONCLUSIONS

BRAF alterations, specifically BRAF mutations and BRAF fusions, facilitate resistance to EGFR-TKIs. Triple-targeted therapy is effective and safe for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC with acquired BRAF alterations, mainly among patients with BRAF class I mutations and potentially in patients with BRAF fusions.

Styrene lung cancer risk assessment: an alternative evaluation of human lung cancer risk assuming mouse lung tumors are potentially human relevant and operating by a threshold-based non-genotoxic mode of action

Rodent inhalation studies indicate styrene is a mouse lung-specific carcinogen. Mode-of-action (MOA) analyses indicate that the lung tumors cannot be excluded as weakly quantitatively relevant to humans due to shared oxidative metabolites detected in rodents and humans. However, styrene also is not genotoxic following in vivo dosing. The objective of this review was to characterize occupational and general population cancer risks by conservatively assuming mouse lung tumors were relevant to humans but operating by a non-genotoxic MOA. Inhalation cancer values reference concentrations for respective occupational and general population exposures (RfCcar-occup and RfCcar-genpop) were derived from initial benchmark dose (BMD) modeling of mouse inhalation tumor dose-response data. An overall lowest BMDL10 of 4.7 ppm was modeled for lung tumors, which was further duration- and dose-adjusted by physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to derive RfCcar-occup/genpop values of 6.2 ppm and 0.8 ppm, respectively. With the exception of open-mold fiber reinforced composite workers not using personal protective equipment (PPE), the RfCcar-occup/genpop values are greater than typical occupational and general population human exposures, thus indicating styrene exposures represent a low potential for human lung cancer risk. Consistent with this conclusion, a review of styrene occupational epidemiology did not support a conclusion of an association between styrene exposure and lung cancer occurrence, and further supports a conclusion that the conservatively derived RfCcar-occup is lung cancer protective.

A hierarchically acidity-unlocking nanoSTING stimulant enables cascaded STING activation for potent innate and adaptive antitumor immunity

Rationale: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has been recognized as an indispensable strategy for advanced malignancies. Nevertheless, the enhancement of overall patient survival in NAC recipients has encountered challenges due to the limited sustainability of its efficacy and the inability to prevent postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis. Methods: We devise a hierarchically unlocking nanoSTING stimulant liposome (AUG) as a neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy agent in the debulking of tumors prior to surgery and prevention of postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis by simultaneously activating innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses. In the weakly acidic tumor microenvironment, the hydrazone bond within AUG is initially cleaved, leading to the release of a cyclic seven-membered ring containing tertiary amine that serve to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. Following this, AUG undergoes degradation within lysosomes, facilitating the release of doxorubicin and ultimately inducing immunogenic cell death along with leakage of double-stranded DNA into the cytoplasm. Results: The hierarchically acidity-unlocking pattern enables cascaded STING activation, achieving over 90% tumor growth inhibition in subcutaneous xenograft model and preventing 75% of mice from postsurgical metastasis or recurrence when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Conclusion: Our strategy highlights the potency of AUG as a neoadjuvant paradigm for presurgical tumor debulking and as a preventive measure against postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis.

A pooled analysis of trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer with brain metastases

BACKGROUND

This exploratory pooled analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) versus comparator treatment in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) with brain metastases (BMs) at baseline, categorized according to previous local treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

T-DXd data were pooled from DESTINY-Breast01/-02/-03. Comparator data, from patients receiving physician's choice therapy and trastuzumab emtansine, were pooled from DESTINY-Breast02 and -03, respectively. Baseline BM status was assessed according to US Food and Drug Administration criteria. The endpoints included intracranial objective response rate (ORR; complete or partial response in the brain) per blinded independent central review (BICR) by RECIST version 1.1, time to intracranial response, intracranial duration of response (DoR), central nervous system progression-free survival (CNS-PFS) by BICR, overall survival (OS), and safety.

RESULTS

A total of 148 patients who received T-DXd and 83 patients who received comparator treatment had BMs at baseline. In those treated with T-DXd, the intracranial ORR of patients with treated/stable and untreated/active BMs was 45.2% and 45.5%, respectively. The median (range) time to intracranial response was 2.8 months (1.1-13.9 months) and 1.5 months (1.2-13.7 months) in patients with treated/stable and untreated/active BMs, respectively. For those with treated/stable BMs, the median intracranial DoR was 12.3 [95% confidence interval (CI) 9.1-17.9] months, and for those with untreated/active BMs, it was 17.5 months (95% CI 13.6-31.6 months). The median CNS-PFS and OS were 12.3 months (95% CI 11.1-13.8 months) and not reached (95% CI 22.1 months-not estimable) in those with treated/stable BMs, and 18.5 months (95% CI 13.6-23.3 months) and 30.2 months (95% CI 21.3 months-not estimable) in those with untreated/active BMs, respectively. Drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events grade ≥3 were experienced by 43.2% of patients with BMs and 46.4% without BMs with T-DXd.

CONCLUSIONS

T-DXd demonstrated meaningful intracranial efficacy and clinical benefit in OS, with an acceptable and manageable safety profile in patients with HER2-positive mBC with treated/stable and untreated/active BMs.

Portable Acceleration of CMS Computing Workflows with Coprocessors as a Service

Computing demands for large scientific experiments, such as the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, will increase dramatically in the next decades. To complement the future performance increases of software running on central processing units (CPUs), explorations of coprocessor usage in data processing hold great potential and interest. Coprocessors are a class of computer processors that supplement CPUs, often improving the execution of certain functions due to architectural design choices. We explore the approach of Services for Optimized Network Inference on Coprocessors (SONIC) and study the deployment of this as-a-service approach in large-scale data processing. In the studies, we take a data processing workflow of the CMS experiment and run the main workflow on CPUs, while offloading several machine learning (ML) inference tasks onto either remote or local coprocessors, specifically graphics processing units (GPUs). With experiments performed at Google Cloud, the Purdue Tier-2 computing center, and combinations of the two, we demonstrate the acceleration of these ML algorithms individually on coprocessors and the corresponding throughput improvement for the entire workflow. This approach can be easily generalized to different types of coprocessors and deployed on local CPUs without decreasing the throughput performance. We emphasize that the SONIC approach enables high coprocessor usage and enables the portability to run workflows on different types of coprocessors.

Measurement of multijet azimuthal correlations and determination of the strong coupling in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te V

A measurement is presented of a ratio observable that provides a measure of the azimuthal correlations among jets with large transverse momentum p T . This observable is measured in multijet events over the range ofp T = 360 - 3170 Ge V based on data collected by the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13Te V , corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 134fb - 1 . The results are compared with predictions from Monte Carlo parton-shower event generator simulations, as well as with fixed-order perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD) predictions at next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy obtained with different parton distribution functions (PDFs) and corrected for nonperturbative and electroweak effects. Data and theory agree within uncertainties. From the comparison of the measured observable with the pQCD prediction obtained with the NNPDF3.1 NLO PDFs, the strong coupling at the Z boson mass scale isα S ( m Z ) = 0.1177 ± 0.0013 (exp) - 0.0073 + 0.0116 (theo) = 0 . 1177 - 0.0074 + 0.0117 , where the total uncertainty is dominated by the scale dependence of the fixed-order predictions. A test of the running of α S in theTe V region shows no deviation from the expected NLO pQCD behaviour.

[Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica improves synovial pannus in rats with collagen-induced arthritis through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Tujia medicine Toddalia asiatica alcohol extract (TAAE) for synovial pannus formation in rats with college-induced arthritis (CIA).

METHODS

Sixty male SD rats were randomized into normal control group, CIA model group, TGT group, 3 TAAE treatment groups at low, medium and high doses (n=10). Except for those in the normal control group, all the rats were subjected to CIA modeling using a secondary immunization method and treatment with saline, TGT or TAAE by gavage once daily for 35 days. The severity of arthritis was assessed using arthritis index (AI) score, and knee joint synovium pathologies were examined with HE staining. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were detected with ELISA; the protein expressions of PI3K, Akt, p-PI3K, p-Akt, VEGF, endostatin, HIF-1α, MMP1, MMP3, and MMP9 in knee joint synovial tissues were determined using Western blotting, and the mRNA expressions of TNF‑α, IL-6, IL-1β, VEGF, HIF-1α, PI3K, and Akt were detected with RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Treatment of CIA rat models with TAAE and TGT significantly alleviated paw swelling, lowered AI scores, and reduced knee joint pathology, neoangiogenesis, and serum levels of inflammatory factors. TAAE treatment obviously increased endostatin protein expression, downregulated p-PI3K, p-Akt, MMP1, MMP3, MMP9, VEGF, and HIF-1α proteins, and reduced TNF‑α, IL-6, IL-1β, PI3K, Akt, VEGF, and HIF-1α mRNA levels in the synovial tissues, and these changes were comparable between high-dose TAAE group and TGT group.

CONCLUSION

TAAE can improve joint symptoms and inhibit synovial pannus formation in CIA rats by regulating the expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF, endostatin, MMP1, MMP3, and MMP9 via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

[Causal relationship between sleep phenotype and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization study]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the causal relationship between sleep phenotype and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) using two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization.

METHODS

The exposure data including 8 sleep phenotypes used in this study were obtained from GWAS catalog, FinnGenR10 and MRCIEU GWAS. The outcome data for idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus were obtained from FinnGen R10. We used the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method to perform the principal analyses. Cochrane Q-statistics test was used to assess the heterogeneity and MR Egger‑intercept test performed to evaluate the pleiotropy for sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

IVW result showed that frequent daytime nap was associated with higher odds of iNPH (OR=3.3393, 95 CI% : 1.0646-10.4742, P=0.0270). Cochrane Q-statistics test and MR Egger‑intercept test showed that the MR analysis had no pleiotropy or heterogeneity (P > 0.05). The external validation reproduced this result (OR=2.5660, 95 CI% : 1.1680-5.6373, P=0.0189; OR=4.0424, 95 CI% : 1.5709-10.4024, P=0.0038). Reverse Mendelian randomization suggested that iNPH did not have significant impact on sleep phenotype.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of daytime naps is causally associated with iNPH, and reducing the frequency of weekly daytime naps can reduce the risk of iNPH in the elderly population.

[Analysis of the long-term prognosis of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt treatment for esophagogastric variceal hemorrhage concomitant with sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients]

Objective: To explore whether transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) can improve the prognosis of esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) combined with sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. A total of 464 cases with cirrhotic EGVB who received standard or TIPS treatment between January 2017 and December 2019 were selected. Regular follow-up was performed for the long-term after treatment. The primary outcome was transplantation-free survival. The secondary endpoints were rebleeding and overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). The obtained data were statistically analyzed. The t-test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare continuous variables between groups. The χ2 test, or Fisher's exact probability test, was used to compare categorical variables between groups. Results: The age of the included patients was 55.27±13.86 years, and 286 cases were male. There were 203 cases of combined sarcopenia and 261 cases of non-combined sarcopenia. The median follow-up period was 43 months. The two groups had no statistically significant difference in follow-up time. There was no statistically significant difference in transplant-free survival between the TIPS group and the standard treatment group in the overall cohort (HR=1.31, 95%CI: 0.97-1.78, P=0.08). The TIPS patient group with cirrhosis combined with sarcopenia had longer transplant-free survival (median survival: 47.76 vs. 52.45, χ2=4.09; HR=1.55, 95CI: 1.01~2.38, P=0.04). There was no statistically significant difference in transplant-free survival between the two kinds of treatments for patients without sarcopenia (HR=1.22, 95%CI: 0.78~1.88, P=0.39). Rebleeding time was prolonged in TIPS patients with or without sarcopenia combination (patients without combined sarcopenia: median rebleeding time: 39.48 vs. 53.61, χ2=18.68; R=2.47, 95CI: 1.67~3.65, P<0.01; patients with sarcopenia: median rebleeding time: 39.91 vs. 50.68, χ2=12.36; HR=2.20, 95CI: 1.42~3.40, P<0.01). TIPS patients had an increased 1-year OHE incidence rate compared to the standard treatment group (sarcopenia patients: 6.93% vs. 16.67%, χ2=3.87, P=0.049; patients without sarcopenia combination: 2.19% vs. 9.68%, χ2=8.85, P=0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the long-term OHE incidence rate between the two kinds of treatment groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: TIPS can significantly prolong transplant-free survival compared to standard treatment as a secondary prevention of EGVB concomitant with sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis. However, its advantage is not prominent for patients with cirrhosis in EGVB without sarcopenia.

Measurement of Energy Correlators inside Jets and Determination of the Strong Coupling α_{S}(m_{Z})

Energy correlators that describe energy-weighted distances between two or three particles in a hadronic jet are measured using an event sample of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.3  fb^{-1}. The measured distributions are consistent with the trends in the simulation that reveal two key features of the strong interaction: confinement and asymptotic freedom. By comparing the ratio of the measured three- and two-particle energy correlator distributions with theoretical calculations that resum collinear emissions at approximate next-to-next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy matched to a next-to-leading-order calculation, the strong coupling is determined at the Z boson mass: α_{S}(m_{Z})=0.1229_{-0.0050}^{+0.0040}, the most precise α_{S}(m_{Z}) value obtained using jet substructure observables.

Lie Detection Based on Acoustic Analysis

PURPOSE

Acoustic lie detection, prized for its covert nature and capability for remote processing, has spurred growing interest in acoustic features that can reliably aid in lie detection. In this study, the aim was to construct an acoustic polygraph based on a variety of phonetic and acoustic features rather than on electrodermal, cardiovascular, and respiratory values.

METHODS

Sixty-two participants from the University of Science and Technology of China, aged 18-30 years old, were involved in the mock crime experiment and were randomly assigned to the innocent and guilty groups. We collected 31 deceptive and truthful audios to analyze the performance of voice onset time (VOT) in lie detection.

RESULTS

Our findings revealed that VOT performed well in lie detection. Both the average sensitivity and specificity of the area under the curve are 0.888, and its lower and upper confidence limit are up to 0.803 and 0.973 respectively at the 95% confidence level. Although the other acoustic features had a lower reference value, they also provided a general trend in the judgment of lie detection.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that some acoustic features can be effectively used as aids to lie detection. Through a similar approach, we will explore more acoustic and phonetic features that contribute to detecting lies in the future.

Constraints on anomalous Higgs boson couplings from its production and decay using the WW channel in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV

A study of the anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson to vector bosons, including CP -violation effects, has been conducted using its production and decay in the WW channel. This analysis is performed on proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC during 2016-2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 138fb - 1 . The different-flavor dilepton ( e μ ) final state is analyzed, with dedicated categories targeting gluon fusion, electroweak vector boson fusion, and associated production with a W or Z boson. Kinematic information from associated jets is combined using matrix element techniques to increase the sensitivity to anomalous effects at the production vertex. A simultaneous measurement of four Higgs boson couplings to electroweak vector bosons is performed in the framework of a standard model effective field theory. All measurements are consistent with the expectations for the standard model Higgs boson and constraints are set on the fractional contribution of the anomalous couplings to the Higgs boson production cross section.

Observation of Strong Nuclear Suppression in Exclusive J/ψ Photoproduction in Au+Au Ultraperipheral Collisions at RHIC

We report a measurement of exclusive J/ψ and ψ(2s) photoproduction in Au+Au ultraperipheral collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV using the STAR detector. For the first time, (i) the ψ(2s) photoproduction in midrapidity at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider has been experimentally measured; (ii) nuclear suppression factors are measured for both the coherent and incoherent J/ψ production. At average photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 25.0 GeV, the coherent and incoherent J/ψ cross sections of Au nuclei are found to be 71±10% and 36±7%, respectively, of that of free protons. The stronger suppression observed in the incoherent production provides a new experimental handle to study the initial-state parton density in heavy nuclei. Data are compared with theoretical models quantitatively.

Observation of the antimatter hypernucleus H ¯ Λ ¯ 4

At the origin of the Universe, an asymmetry between the amount of created matter and antimatter led to the matter-dominated Universe as we know it today. The origins of this asymmetry remain unknown so far. High-energy nuclear collisions create conditions similar to the Universe microseconds after the Big Bang, with comparable amounts of matter and antimatter1-6. Much of the created antimatter escapes the rapidly expanding fireball without annihilating, making such collisions an effective experimental tool to create heavy antimatter nuclear objects and to study their properties7-14, hoping to shed some light on the existing questions on the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. Here we report the observation of the antimatter hypernucleusH ¯ Λ ¯ 4 , composed of aΛ ¯ , an antiproton and two antineutrons. The discovery was made through its two-body decay after production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider15,16. In total, 15.6 candidateH ¯ Λ ¯ 4 antimatter hypernuclei are obtained with an estimated background count of 6.4. The lifetimes of the antihypernucleiH ¯ Λ ¯ 3 andH ¯ Λ ¯ 4 are measured and compared with the lifetimes of their corresponding hypernuclei, testing the symmetry between matter and antimatter. Various production yield ratios among (anti)hypernuclei (hypernuclei and/or antihypernuclei) and (anti)nuclei (nuclei and/or antinuclei) are also measured and compared with theoretical model predictions, shedding light on their production mechanisms.

Periodontal Ligament Cell Apoptosis Activates Lepr+ Osteoprogenitors in Orthodontics

Alveolar bone (AB) remodeling, including formation and absorption, is the foundation of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). However, the sources and mechanisms underlying new bone formation remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to understand the potential mechanism of bone formation during OTM, focusing on the leptin receptor+ (Lepr+) osteogenitors and periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs). We demonstrated that Lepr+ cells activated by force-induced PDLC apoptosis served as distinct osteoprogenitors during orthodontic bone regeneration. We investigated bone formation both in vivo and in vitro. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis and lineage tracing demonstrated that Lepr represents a subcluster of stem cells that are activated and differentiate into osteoblasts during OTM. Targeted ablation of Lepr+ cells in a mouse model disrupted orthodontic force-guided bone regeneration. Furthermore, apoptosis and sequential fluorescent labeling assays revealed that the apoptosis of PDLCs preceded new bone deposition. We found that PDL stem cell-derived apoptotic vesicles activated Lepr+ cells in vitro. Following apoptosis inhibition, orthodontic force-activated osteoprogenitors and osteogenesis were significantly downregulated. Notably, we found that bone formation occurred on the compression side during OTM; this has been first reported here. To conclude, we found a potential mechanism of bone formation during OTM that may provide new insights into AB regeneration.

Novel Antimitotic Agent SP-1-39 Inhibits Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Effective management of head and neck cancer (HNC) poses a significant challenge in the field of oncology, due to its intricate pathophysiology and limited treatment options. The most common HNC malignancy is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). HNSCC treatment includes a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. While HNSCC is treatable if diagnosed early, this is often not the case and is considered incurable once in its late stages and metastatic disease has developed. Therapies are also limited once resistant disease has occurred. SP-1-39, a novel colchicine-binding site inhibitor (CBSI), has been recently reported for its potential efficacy in a variety of cancer cell lines including breast, melanoma, pancreatic, and prostate. SP-1-39 also shows abilities to overcome paclitaxel resistance in a paclitaxel-resistant prostate cancer xenograft model. To evaluate the potential of SP-1-39 as a new HNSCC treatment option, herein we systematically performed preclinical studies in HNSCC models using SP-1-39 and demonstrated that, in vitro, SP-1-39 inhibits the proliferation of 2 HNSCC cell lines with low nanomolar IC50 values (1.4 to 2.1 nM), induces HNSCC cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, interferes with migration of HNSCC cells, and leads to HNSCC cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. In vivo, SP-1-39 suppresses the primary tumor growth of a Detroit 562 subcutaneous xenograft mouse model in 6- to 8-wk-old, male NSG (NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ) mice, with no detectable cytotoxic effects at a low dose of 2.5 mg/kg. This efficacy of SP-1-39 is better when compared with the treatment using a reference chemotherapy drug, paclitaxel at 10 mg/kg. Collectively, these data demonstrate that SP-1-39 is a promising candidate for further development for more efficacious HNSCC treatment.

Microbial inoculum effects on the rumen epithelial transcriptome and rumen epimural metatranscriptome in calves

Manipulation of the rumen microbial ecosystem in early life may affect ruminal fermentation and enhance the productive performance of dairy cows. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dosing three different types of microbial inoculum on the rumen epithelium tissue (RE) transcriptome and the rumen epimural metatranscriptome (REM) in dairy calves. For this objective, 15 Holstein bull calves were enrolled in the study at birth and assigned to three different intraruminal inoculum treatments dosed orally once weekly from three to six weeks of age. The inoculum treatments were prepared from rumen contents collected from rumen fistulated lactating cows and were either autoclaved (control; ARF), processed by differential centrifugation to create the bacterial-enriched inoculum (BE), or through gravimetric separation to create the protozoal-enriched inoculum (PE). Calves were fed 2.5 L/d pasteurized waste milk 3x/d from 0 to 7 weeks of age and texturized starter until euthanasia at 9 weeks of age, when the RE tissues were collected for transcriptome and microbial metatranscriptome analyses, from four randomly selected calves from each treatment. The different types of inoculum altered the RE transcriptome and REM. Compared to ARF, 9 genes were upregulated in the RE of BE and 92 in PE, whereas between BE and PE there were 13 genes upregulated in BE and 114 in PE. Gene ontology analysis identified enriched GO terms in biological process category between PE and ARF, with no enrichment between BE and ARF. The RE functional signature showed different KEGG pathways related to BE and ARF, and no specific KEGG pathway for PE. We observed a lower alpha diversity index for RE microbiome in ARF (observed genera and Chao1 (p < 0.05)). Five microbial genera showed a significant correlation with the changes in host gene expression: Roseburia (25 genes), Entamoeba (two genes); Anaerosinus, Lachnospira, and Succiniclasticum were each related to one gene. sPLS-DA analysis showed that RE microbial communities differ among the treatments, although the taxonomic and functional microbial profiles show different distributions. Co-expression Differential Network Analysis indicated that both BE and PE had an impact on the abundance of KEGG modules related to acyl-CoA synthesis, type VI secretion, and methanogenesis, while PE had a significant impact on KEGGs related to ectoine biosynthesis and D-xylose transport. Our study indicated that artificial dosing with different microbial inocula in early life alters not only the RE transcriptome, but also affects the REM and its functions.

[Effect of preoperative oral ibuprofen on postoperative pain after dental implantation: a randomized controlled trial]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of preemptive analgesia with ibuprofen on postoperative pain following single posterior tooth implantation, aiming to provide a clinical reference for its application. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group trial was conducted. A total of 82 participants were included in the trial, meeting the eligibility criteria from April 2022 to April 2024 at the Capital Medical University School of Stomatology (40 cases), Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University (22 cases), Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University (20 cases). Participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to either the ibuprofen group or the control group, with each group comprising 41 individuals. Participants in the ibuprofen group received 300 mg of sustained-release ibuprofen capsules orally 15 min before surgery, while the control group received a placebo. Both groups received the same postoperative analgesic regimen for 3 days. Pain scores were assessed using the Numerical rating scale (NRS) at 30 min, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h postoperatively, and the additional use of analgesic medication was recorded from days 4 to 6 postoperatively. Results: A total of 82 participants were initially enrolled in the study, with 7 dropouts (4 from the control group and 3 from the ibuprofen group), resulting in 75 participants (37 in the control group and 38 in the ibuprofen group) completing the trial. There were no reports of adverse events such as nausea or vomiting among the participants. The ibuprofen group exhibited significantly lower pain scores at 4 h, 6 h and 8 h [1.0 (0.0, 2.0), 1.0 (0.0, 2.0), 1.5 (0.0, 3.0) ] postoperatively compared to the control group 4 h, 6 h and 8 h [2.0 (1.0, 3.0), 3.0 (1.5, 4.0), 2.0 (1.0, 4.0)] (Z=-1.99, P=0.047; Z=-3.01, P=0.003; Z=2.10, P=0.036). The proportions of patients requiring additional analgesic medication between days 4 and 6 post-surgery were 18.4% (7/38) in the ibuprofen group and 27.0% (10/37) in the control group, with no significant difference (χ2=0.79, P=0.373). The median additional medication usage postoperatively was [0.0 (0.0, 0.0) pills] in the ibuprofen group and [0.0 (0.0, 1.0) pills] in the control group, with no significant difference (Z=-0.78, P=0.439). Conclusions: Preemptive analgesia with ibuprofen effectively reduces postoperative pain following tooth implantation, representing a safe and effective perioperative pain management strategy.

Search for Z Z and Z H production in the b b ¯ b b ¯ final state using proton-proton collisions at s = 13 Te V

A search forZ Z andZ H production in theb b ¯ b b ¯ final state is presented, where H is the standard model (SM) Higgs boson. The search uses an event sample of proton-proton collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 133fb - 1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13Te V with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The analysis introduces several novel techniques for deriving and validating a multi-dimensional background model based on control samples in data. A multiclass multivariate classifier customized for theb b ¯ b b ¯ final state is developed to derive the background model and extract the signal. The data are found to be consistent, within uncertainties, with the SM predictions. The observed (expected) upper limits at 95% confidence level are found to be 3.8 (3.8) and 5.0 (2.9) times the SM prediction for theZ Z andZ H production cross sections, respectively.

Observation of the ϒ(3S) Meson and Suppression of ϒ States in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

The production of ϒ(2S) and ϒ(3S) mesons in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions is studied in their dimuon decay channel using the CMS detector at the LHC. The ϒ(3S) meson is observed for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions, with a significance above 5 standard deviations. The ratios of yields measured in Pb-Pb and pp collisions are reported for both the ϒ(2S) and ϒ(3S) mesons, as functions of transverse momentum and Pb-Pb collision centrality. These ratios, when appropriately scaled, are significantly less than unity, indicating a suppression of ϒ yields in Pb-Pb collisions. This suppression increases from peripheral to central Pb-Pb collisions. Furthermore, the suppression is stronger for ϒ(3S) mesons compared to ϒ(2S) mesons, extending the pattern of sequential suppression of quarkonium states in nuclear collisions previously seen for the J/ψ, ψ(2S), ϒ(1S), and ϒ(2S) mesons.

[Multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis genotype polymorphism of Bacillus anthracis in China]

Objective: To analyze the multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) genotype polymorphism of Bacillus (B.) anthracis and establish a MLVA genotype database of B. anthracis in China. Methods: B. anthracis strains isolated from different sources in China since 1947 were collected. Genotype identification was carried out using the MLVA15 genotyping protocol based on 15 variable number tandem repeat loci. The genotypes were uniformly numbered and named. The distribution characteristics of the MLVA genotypes of strains were analyzed. Software Bionumerics was used to construct clustering diagrams to analyze the genetic relationships. Results: The MLVA15 clustering analysis subdivided the isolates into 4 major groups and 91 genotypes, 54 of which were unique to China. The genotypes from MLVA15-CHN1 to MLVA15-CHN6 were widely distributed throughout China and in all eras, while other genotypes were restricted to certain regions or eras. Conclusions: This study established a MLVA genotype database of B. anthracis, which provides basis for the understanding of MLVA genetic polymorphisms and the control and molecular source tracing of the anthrax outbreaks in China.

Search for Narrow Trijet Resonances in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

The first search for singly produced narrow resonances decaying to three well-separated hadronic jets is presented. The search uses proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1} at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, collected at the CERN LHC. No significant deviations from the background predictions are observed between 1.75 and 9.00 TeV. The results provide the first mass limits on a right-handed boson Z_{R} decaying to three gluons and on an excited quark decaying via a vector boson to three quarks, as well as updated limits on a Kaluza-Klein gluon decaying via a radion to three gluons.

Association of noise exposure with lipid metabolism among Chinese adults: mediation role of obesity indices

PURPOSE

Noise exposure in the workplace has been linked to a number of health consequences. Our objectives were to explore the relationship between occupational noise and lipid metabolism and evaluate the possible mediating effect of obesity indices in those relationships with a cross-sectional study design.

METHODS

Cumulative noise exposure (CNE) was used to measure the level of noise exposure. Logistic regression models or generalized linear models were employed to evaluate the association of occupational noise and obesity with lipid metabolism markers. Cross-lagged analysis was conducted to explore temporal associations of obesity with lipid metabolism.

RESULTS

A total of 854 participants were included, with each one-unit increase in CNE, the values of total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased by 0.013 (95% confidence interval: 0.006, 0.020) and 0.009 (0.004, 0.014), as well as the prevalence of dyslipidemia increased by 1.030 (1.013, 1.048). Occupational noise and lipid metabolism markers were all positively associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), a Body Shape Index (ABSI) and a Body Shape Index and Body Roundness Index (BRI) (all P < 0.05). Moreover, BMI, WC, ABSI and BRI could mediate the associations of occupational noise with lipid metabolism; the proportions ranged from 21.51 to 24.45%, 23.84 to 30.14%, 4.86 to 5.94% and 25.59 to 28.23%, respectively (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates a positive association between occupational noise and abnormal lipid metabolism, and obesity may partly mediate the association. Our findings reinforce the need to take practical steps to reduce or even eliminate the health risks associated with occupational noise.