Single-cell sequencing analysis revealed that WDR72 was a novel cancer stem cells related gene in gastric cancer

Background

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are pivotal in tumor resistance to chemotherapy and gastric cancer's rapid proliferation and metastasis. We aimed to explore the CSCs-related genes in gastric cancer epithelial cells.

Methods

The mRNA expression profile and single-cell sequencing data of gastric cancer were downloaded from the public database.

Results

We identified WDR72 as a CSCs-related gene in gastric cancer epithelial cells. WDR72 was highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues, and high expression of WDR72 was associated with inferior prognosis of patients. WDR72 expression had a significant negative correlation with the infiltration of CD8 + T cells and activated memory CD4 + T cells. PD-L1 expression was significantly reduced in gastric cancer patients with high WDR72 expression. WDR72 was correlated with IC50 of multiple small-molecule drugs.

Conclusion

We identified a novel CSCs-related gene in gastric cancer epithelial cells, WDR72, which was highly expressed in patients with high stemness scores.

[Clinical analysis of adverse reactions in patients with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treated with delamanid-containing regimen]

Objective: To explore the characteristics of adverse drug reactions during the 24-week therapy with delamanid-containing regimen for patients with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR/RR-PTB). Methods: The prospective multicenter study was conducted from June 2020 to June 2023. A total of 608 eligible patients with MDR/RR-PTB were enrolled in 26 tuberculosis medical institutions in China including 364 males and 79 females, aged 39.6(19.0-68.0) years. Patients were treated with chemotherapy regimens containing delamanid. Patients were closely supervised during treatment of medication, and all adverse reactions occurring during treatment were monitored and recorded. The clinical characteristics of adverse reactions were evaluated by descriptive analysis. Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors of QTcF interval prolongation (QT corrected with Fridericia's formula). Results: Of the 608 patients enrolled in this study, 325 patients (53.5%) reported 710 adverse events within 24 weeks of treatment. The top 6 most common complications were hematological abnormalities (143 patients, 23.5%), QT prolongation (114 patients, 18.8%), liver toxicity (85 patients, 14.0%), gastrointestinal reaction (41 patients, 6.7%), peripheral neuropathy (25 patients, 4.1%) and mental disorders (21 patients, 3.5%). The prolongation of QT interval mostly occurred in the 12th week after the first dose of medication. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 21 patients (3.5%). There were 7 patients (1.2%) with mental disorders, including 2 patients (0.3%) with severe mental disorders. Conclusions: The safety of dalamanid-based regimen in the staged treatment of MDR/RR-PTB patients was generally good, and the incidence of adverse reactions was similar to that reported in foreign studies. This study found that the incidence of QT interval prolongation in Chinese patients was higher than that reported overseas, suggesting that the monitoring of electrocardiogram should be strengthened when using drugs containing delamanid that may cause QT interval prolongation.

Assessment of spatiotemporal risks for nationwide groundwater nitrate contamination

National assessments of groundwater contamination risks are crucial for sustaining high-quality groundwater supplies. However, traditional methods often treat groundwater contamination risk as a steady-state indicator without considering spatiotemporal variation in risk, both geographically and over time, caused by anthropogenic and climatic factors. In this work, XGBoost, a tree-based algorithm, was applied to comprehensively analyze the drivers of groundwater contamination from nitrate, using data on 13 physical features (as used by the index-based ranking method DRASTIC) and 30 anthropogenic features from 1985 to 2010 in the contiguous United States (CONUS). The results indicate that physical features controlling the transport processes, particularly those affecting contaminant travel time from land surface to groundwater (depth to water table and transmissivity), were the dominant factors for nitrate contamination in groundwater. This was followed by features representing the potential nitrogen loading. Positive correlations between most features and the nitrogen loading time (year) were found, suggesting their growing influence on contamination risk. Based on the drivers identified for nitrate concentrations exceeding 10 mg/L in groundwater and their varying temporal contributions, this study proposes a reformulated index-based method for contamination risk assessment. With this method, an overall accuracy of around 70 % was achieved based on the validation data set. The predicted high-risk areas are mainly intensive irrigation regions, such as the High Plains, northern Midwest, and Central Valley. This new approach contributes to a more accurate and effective assessment of the contamination risks of groundwater on a regional and national scale under temporally varying environmental conditions.

Magnetic resonance imaging based on radiomics for differentiating T1-category nasopharyngeal carcinoma from nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia: a multicenter study

PURPOSE

To investigate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on radiomics using T2-weighted imaging fat suppression (T2WI-FS) and contrast enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1WI) sequences in differentiating T1-category nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (NPH).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study enrolled 614 patients (training dataset: n = 390, internal validation dataset: n = 98, and external validation dataset: n = 126) of T1-category NPC and NPH. Three feature selection methods were used, including analysis of variance, recursive feature elimination, and relief. The logistic regression classifier was performed to construct the radiomics signatures of T2WI-FS, CE-T1WI, and T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI to differentiate T1-category NPC from NPH. The performance of the optimal radiomics signature (T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI) was compared with those of three radiologists in the internal and external validation datasets.

RESULTS

Twelve, 15, and 15 radiomics features were selected from T2WI-FS, CE-T1WI, and T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI to develop the three radiomics signatures, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) values for radiomics signatures of T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI and CE-T1WI were significantly higher than that of T2WI-FS (AUCs = 0.940, 0.935, and 0.905, respectively) for distinguishing T1-category NPC and NPH in the training dataset (Ps all < 0.05). In the internal and external validation datasets, the radiomics signatures based on T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI and CE-T1WI outperformed T2WI-FS with no significant difference (AUCs = 0.938, 0.925, and 0.874 for internal validation dataset and 0.932, 0.918, and 0.882 for external validation dataset; Ps > 0.05). The radiomics signature of T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI significantly performed better than three radiologists in the internal and external validation datasets.

CONCLUSION

The MRI-based radiomics signature is meaningful in differentiating T1-category NPC from NPH and potentially helps clinicians select suitable therapy strategies.

Exploring the interplay between circadian rhythms and prostate cancer: insights into androgen receptor signaling and therapeutic opportunities

Circadian rhythm disruption is closely related to increased incidence of prostate cancer. Incorporating circadian rhythms into the study of prostate cancer pathogenesis can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the causes of cancer and offer new options for precise treatment. Therefore, this article comprehensively summarizes the epidemiology of prostate cancer, expounds the contradictory relationship between circadian rhythm disorders and prostate cancer risk, and elucidates the relationship between circadian rhythm regulators and the incidence of prostate cancer. Importantly, this article also focuses on the correlation between circadian rhythms and androgen receptor signaling pathways, as well as the applicability of time therapy in prostate cancer. This may prove significant in enhancing the clinical treatment of prostate cancer.

Genetic variation modulates susceptibility to aberrant DNA hypomethylation and imprint deregulation in naïve pluripotent stem cells

Naïve pluripotent stem cells (nPSC) frequently undergo pathological and not readily reversible loss of DNA methylation marks at imprinted gene loci. This abnormality poses a hurdle for using pluripotent cell lines in biomedical applications and underscores the need to identify the causes of imprint instability in these cells. We show that nPSCs from inbred mouse strains exhibit pronounced strain-specific susceptibility to locus-specific deregulation of imprinting marks during reprogramming to pluripotency and upon culture with MAP kinase inhibitors, a common approach to maintain naïve pluripotency. Analysis of genetically highly diverse nPSCs from the Diversity Outbred (DO) stock confirms that genetic variation is a major determinant of epigenome stability in pluripotent cells. We leverage the variable DNA hypomethylation in DO lines to identify several trans-acting quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that determine epigenome stability at either specific target loci or genome-wide. Candidate factors encoded by two multi-target QTLs on chromosomes 4 and 17 suggest specific transcriptional regulators that contribute to DNA methylation maintenance in nPSCs. We propose that genetic variants represent candidate biomarkers to identify pluripotent cell lines with desirable properties and might serve as entry points for the targeted engineering of nPSCs with stable epigenomes.

Highlights

Naïve pluripotent stem cells from distinct inbred mouse strains exhibit variable DNA methylation levels at imprinted gene loci.The vulnerability of pluripotent stem cells to loss of genomic imprinting caused by MAP kinase inhibition strongly differs between inbred mouse strains.Genetically diverse pluripotent stem cell lines from Diversity Outbred mouse stock allow the identification of quantitative trait loci controlling DNA methylation stability.Genetic variants may serve as biomarkers to identify naïve pluripotent stem cell lines that are epigenetically stable in specific culture conditions.

Modality-dependent distortion effects of temporal frequency on time perception

Time perception has been known to depend on the temporal frequency of the stimulus. Previously, the effect of temporal frequency modulation was assumed to be monotonically lengthening or shortening. However, this study shows that temporal frequency affects time perception in a non-monotonic and modality-dependent manner. Four experiments investigated the time distortion effects induced by modulation of temporal frequency across auditory and visual modalities. Critically, the temporal frequency was parametrically manipulated across four levels (steady stimulus, 10-, 20-, and 30/40-Hz intermittent auditory/visual stimulus). Experiment 1, 2, and 3 consistently showed that a 10-Hz auditory stimulus was perceived as shorter than a steady auditory stimulus. Meanwhile, as the temporal frequency increased, the perceived duration of the intermittent auditory stimulus was lengthened. A 40-Hz auditory stimulus was perceived as longer than a 10- Hz auditory stimulus, but did not differ significantly from a steady one. Experiment 4 showed that, for the visual modality, a 10-Hz visual stimulus was perceived as longer than a steady stimulus, and the perceived duration was lengthened as temporal frequency increased. This study demonstrated that within the scope of the temporal frequencies examined in this study, there were differential distortion effects observed across sensory modalities.

Tumor Stroma Content Regulates Penetration and Efficacy of Tumor-targeting Bacteria

Bacteria-based cancer therapy (BBCT) strains grow selectively in primary tumors and metastases, colonize solid tumors independent of genetics, and kill cells resistant to standard molecular therapy. Clinical trials of BBCT in solid tumors have not reported any survival advantage yet, partly due to the limited bacterial colonization. Collagen, abundant in primary and metastatic solid tumors, has a well-known role in hindering intratumoral penetration of therapeutics. Nevertheless, the effect of collagen content on the intratumoral penetration and antitumor efficacy of BBCT is rarely unexplored. We hypothesized that the presence of collagen limits the penetration and, thereby, the antitumor effects of tumor-selective Salmonella. Typhimurium VNP20009 cheY+. We tested our hypothesis in low and high collagen content tumor spheroid models of triple-negative murine breast cancer. We found that high collagen content significantly hinders bacteria transport in tumors, reducing bacteria penetration and distribution by ~7-fold. The higher penetration of bacteria in low collagen-content tumors led to an overwhelming antitumor effect (~73% increase in cell death), whereas only a 28% increase in cell death was seen in the high collagen-content tumors. Our mathematical modeling of intratumoral bacterial colonization delineates the role of growth and diffusivity, suggesting an order of magnitude lower diffusivity in the high collagen-content tumors dominates the observed outcomes. Finally, our single-cell resolution analysis reveals a strong spatial correlation between bacterial spatial localization and collagen content, further corroborating that collagen acts as a barrier to bacterial penetration despite S. Typhimurium VNP20009 cheY+ motility. Understanding the effect of collagen on BBCT performance could lead to engineering more efficacious BBCT strains capable of overcoming this barrier to colonization of primary tumors and metastases.

Patterns of neural activity in response to threatening faces are predictive of autistic traits: modulatory effects of oxytocin receptor genotype

Autistic individuals generally demonstrate impaired emotion recognition but it is unclear whether effects are emotion-specific or influenced by oxytocin receptor (OXTR) genotype. Here we implemented a dimensional approach using an implicit emotion recognition task together with functional MRI in a large cohort of neurotypical adult participants (N = 255, male = 131, aged 17-29 years) to establish associations between autistic traits and neural and behavioral responses to specific face emotions, together with modulatory effects of OXTR genotype. A searchlight-based multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed an extensive network of frontal, basal ganglia, cingulate and limbic regions exhibiting significant predictability for autistic traits from patterns of responses to angry relative to neutral expression faces. Functional connectivity analyses revealed a genotype interaction (OXTR SNPs rs2254298, rs2268491) for coupling between the orbitofrontal cortex and mid-cingulate during angry expression processing, with a negative association between coupling and autistic traits in the risk-allele group and a positive one in the non-risk allele group. Overall, results indicate extensive emotion-specific associations primarily between patterns of neural responses to angry faces and autistic traits in regions processing motivation, reward and salience but not in early visual processing. Functional connections between these identified regions were not only associated with autistic traits but also influenced by OXTR genotype. Thus, altered patterns of neural responses to threatening faces may be a potential biomarker for autistic symptoms although modulatory influences of OXTR genotype need to be taken into account.

Lacidophilin tablets alleviate constipation through regulation of intestinal microflora by promoting the colonization of Akkermansia sps

Constipation is a major health problem worldwide that requires effective and safe treatment options. Increasing evidence indicates that disturbances in gut microbiota may be a risk factor for constipation. Administration of lacidophilin tablets shows promising therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease owing to their immunomodulatory properties and regulation of the gut microbiota. The focus of this study was on investigating the ability of lacidophilin tablets to relieve constipation by modulating the gut microbiome. Rats with loperamide hydrochloride induced constipation were treated with lacidophilin tablets via intragastric administration for ten days. The laxative effect of lacidophilin tablets was then evaluated by investigating the regulation of intestinal microflora and the possible underlying molecular mechanism. Our results reveal that treatment with lacidophilin tablets increased the intestinal advancement rate, fecal moisture content, and colonic AQP3 protein expression. It also improved colonic microflora structure in the colonic contents of model rats mainly by increasing Akkermansia muciniphila and decreasing Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. Transcriptome analysis indicated that treatment with lacidophilin tablets maintains the immune response in the intestine and promotes recovery of the intestinal mechanical barrier in the constipation model. Our study shows that lacidophilin tablets improve constipation, possibly by promoting Akkermansia colonization and by modulating the intestinal immune response.

Clearance of β-amyloid and synapses by the optogenetic depolarization of microglia is complement selective

Microglia actively monitor the neighboring brain microenvironments and constantly contact synapses with their unique ramified processes. In neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), microglia undergo morphological and functional alterations. Whether the direct manipulation of microglia can selectively or concurrently modulate synaptic function and the response to disease-associated factors remains elusive. Here, we employ optogenetic methods to stimulate microglia in vitro and in vivo. Membrane depolarization rapidly changes microglia morphology and leads to enhanced phagocytosis. We found that the optogenetic stimulation of microglia can efficiently promote β-amyloid (Aβ) clearance in the brain parenchyma, but it can also enhance synapse elimination. Importantly, the inhibition of C1q selectively prevents synapse loss induced by microglia depolarization but does not affect Aβ clearance. Our data reveal independent microglia-mediated phagocytosis pathways toward Aβ and synapses. Our results also shed light on a synergistic strategy of depolarizing microglia and inhibiting complement functions for the clearance of Aβ while sparing synapses.

A wireless battery-free eye modulation patch for high myopia therapy

The proper axial length of the eye is crucial for achieving emmetropia. In this study, we present a wireless battery-free eye modulation patch designed to correct high myopia and prevent relapse. The patch consists of piezoelectric transducers, an electrochemical micro-actuator, a drug microneedle array, μ-LEDs, a flexible circuit, and biocompatible encapsulation. The system can be wirelessly powered and controlled using external ultrasound. The electrochemical micro-actuator plays a key role in precisely shortening the axial length by driving the posterior sclera inward. This ensures accurate scene imaging on the retina for myopia eye. The drug microneedle array delivers riboflavin to the posterior sclera, and μ-LEDs' blue light induces collagen cross-linking, reinforcing sclera strength. In vivo experiments demonstrate that the patch successfully reduces the rabbit eye's axial length by ~1217 μm and increases sclera strength by 387%. The system operates effectively within the body without the need for batteries. Here, we show that the patch offers a promising avenue for clinically treating high myopia.

A prefrontal-thalamic circuit encodes social information for social recognition

Social recognition encompasses encoding social information and distinguishing unfamiliar from familiar individuals to form social relationships. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a role in social behavior, how identity information is processed and by which route it is communicated in the brain remains unclear. Here we report that a ventral midline thalamic area, nucleus reuniens (Re) that has reciprocal connections with the mPFC, is critical for social recognition in male mice. In vivo single-unit recordings and decoding analysis reveal that neural populations in both mPFC and Re represent different social stimuli, however, mPFC coding capacity is stronger. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inhibitions of Re impair the mPFC-Re neural synchronization and the mPFC social coding. Projection pathway-specific inhibitions by optogenetics reveal that the reciprocal connectivity between the mPFC and the Re is necessary for social recognition. These results reveal an mPFC-thalamic circuit for social information processing.

A global meta-analysis of yield-scaled N2 O emissions and its mitigation efforts for maize, wheat, and rice

Maintaining or even increasing crop yields while reducing nitrous oxide (N2 O) emissions is necessary to reconcile food security and climate change, while the metric of yield-scaled N2 O emission (i.e., N2 O emissions per unit of crop yield) is at present poorly understood. Here we conducted a global meta-analysis with more than 6000 observations to explore the variation patterns and controlling factors of yield-scaled N2 O emissions for maize, wheat and rice and associated potential mitigation options. Our results showed that the average yield-scaled N2 O emissions across all available data followed the order wheat (322 g N Mg-1 , with the 95% confidence interval [CI]: 301-346) > maize (211 g N Mg-1 , CI: 198-225) > rice (153 g N Mg-1 , CI: 144-163). Yield-scaled N2 O emissions for individual crops were generally higher in tropical or subtropical zones than in temperate zones, and also showed a trend towards lower intensities from low to high latitudes. This global variation was better explained by climatic and edaphic factors than by N fertilizer management, while their combined effect predicted more than 70% of the variance. Furthermore, our analysis showed a significant decrease in yield-scaled N2 O emissions with increasing N use efficiency or in N2 O emissions for production systems with cereal yields >10 Mg ha-1 (maize), 6.6 Mg ha-1 (wheat) or 6.8 Mg ha-1 (rice), respectively. This highlights that N use efficiency indicators can be used as valuable proxies for reconciling trade-offs between crop production and N2 O mitigation. For all three major staple crops, reducing N fertilization by up to 30%, optimizing the timing and placement of fertilizer application or using enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers significantly reduced yield-scaled N2 O emissions at similar or even higher cereal yields. Our data-driven assessment provides some key guidance for developing effective and targeted mitigation and adaptation strategies for the sustainable intensification of cereal production.

Meta-Analysis of Normal Reference Values for Right and Left Ventricular Quantification by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) reference values are relied upon to accurately diagnose left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) pathologies. To date, reference values have been derived from modest sample sizes with limited patient diversity and attention to 1 but not both commonly used tracing techniques for papillary muscles and trabeculations. We sought to overcome these limitations by meta-analyzing normal reference values for CMR parameters stemming from multiple countries, vendors, analysts, and patient populations.

METHODS

We comprehensively extracted published and unpublished data from studies reporting CMR parameters in healthy adults. A steady-state free-precession short-axis stack at 1.5T or 3T was used to trace either counting the papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV volume or mass. We used a novel Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis model to derive the pooled lower and upper reference values for each CMR parameter. Our model accounted for the expected differences between tracing techniques by including informative prior distributions from a large external data set.

RESULTS

A total of 254 studies from 25 different countries were systematically reviewed, representing 12 812 healthy adults, of which 52 were meta-analyzed. For LV parameters counting papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV volume, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: LV ejection fraction of 52% to 73% and 54% to 75%, LV end-diastolic volume index of 60 to 109 and 56 to 96 mL/m2, LV end-systolic volume index of 18 to 45 and 16 to 38 mL/m2, and LV mass index of 41 to 76 and 33 to 57 g/m2. For LV parameters counting papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV mass, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: LV ejection fraction of 57% to 74% and 57% to 75%, LV end-diastolic volume index of 60 to 97 and 55 to 88 mL/m2, LV end-systolic volume index of 18 to 37 and 15 to 34 mL/m2, and LV mass index of 50 to 83 and 38 to 65 g/m2. For RV parameters, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: RV ejection fraction of 47% to 68% and 49% to 71%, RV end-diastolic volume index of 64 to 115 and 57 to 99 mL/m2, RV end-systolic volume index of 23 to 52 and 18 to 42 mL/m2, and RV mass index of 14 to 29 and 13 to 25 g/m2.

CONCLUSIONS

Our Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis provides normative reference values for CMR parameters of LV and RV size, systolic function, and mass, encompassing both tracing techniques across a diverse multinational sample of healthy men and women.

Nuciferine prevents obesity by activating brown adipose tissue

Increasing evidence suggests that brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an important role in obesity and related diseases. Increasing the amount or activity of BAT could prevent obesity. Therefore, a safe and effective method of activating BAT is urgently required. Here, we evaluated the potential effects of lotus leaf extract (LLE) on BAT function. We found that LLE substantially increased UCP1 mRNA and protein levels as well as thermogenic protein expression in primary brown adipocytes. Additionally, LLE treatment reduced diet-induced obesity and improved glucose homeostasis owing to BAT activation and increased energy expenditure. We found that nuciferine, an active ingredient of LLE, could dose-dependently activate BAT in vitro and in vivo, alleviate diet-induced obesity, and improve glucose homeostasis by increasing energy expenditure. Mechanistically, we found that nuciferine induced PPARG coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1-α) expression, which is a key gene involved in mitochondrial biogenesis promoter activity, by directly binding to RXRA. Furthermore, RXRA knockdown abolished expression of the nuciferine-induced mitochondrial and thermogenesis-related gene in primary brown adipocytes. In summary, we found that LLE and nuciferine have a notable effect on BAT activation and highlight the potential applications of the main component of LLE in preventing obesity and treating metabolic disorders.

Association between Cerebrospinal Fluid sTREM2 Levels and Depression: The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Study

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies demonstrated a significant protective effect of elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sTREM2 levels on brain structure and cognitive decline. Nonetheless, the role of sTREM2 in the depression progression remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between CSF sTREM2 levels and longitudinal trajectories of depression.

METHODS

Data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Study were used. CSF sTREM2 levels and depression were measured using an ELISA-based assay and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), respectively. Linear mixed-effect models were employed to assess the relationships between CSF sTREM2 levels and GDS scores.

RESULTS

A total of 1,017 participants were enrolled at baseline, with a mean follow-up time of 4.65 years. Baseline CSF sTREM2 levels were negatively correlated with GDS scores (β=-0.21, P=0.022) after adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, APOE ε4 carrier status, TREM2 rare variant carrier status, marital status, smoking, and clinical cognitive status.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggested that a higher level of CSF sTREM2 was associated with a lower risk of depression.

Cytomegalovirus Infection and Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Evidence on the association of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is scarce and the results are inconsistent.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of CMV infection with the risk of AD.

METHODS

Observational studies on the relationship between CMV infection and AD were identified from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library until September 30, 2022. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Random-effect meta-analysis was performed using a generic inverse-variance method, followed by sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses based on study designs, regions, adjustments, and population types.

RESULTS

Our search yielded 870 articles, of which 200 were duplicates and 663 did not meet the inclusion criteria, and finally yielded seven studies with 6,772 participants. No strong evidence was observed in the summary analysis for the association of CMV infection and risk of AD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88, 2.03, I2 =69.9%). However, subgroup analysis showed that an increased risk of AD was detected in East Asians (OR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.63, 3.50, I2 = 0.00%), cohort studies (OR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.35, 2.94, I2 = 28.20%), and studies with confounder adjustment (OR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.52, 2.77, I2 = 0.00%).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis provides evidence to support the heterogeneity of the associations between CMV infection and AD. Future studies with larger sample sizes and multi-ethnic populations are necessary.

Overexpression of the Ginkgo biloba dihydroflavonol 4-reductase gene GbDFR6 results in the self-incompatibility-like phenotypes in transgenic tobacco

Although flavonoids play multiple roles in plant growth and development, the involvement in plant self-incompatibility (SI) have not been reported. In this research, the fertility of transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing the Ginkgo biloba dihydroflavonol 4-reductase gene, GbDFR6, were investigated. To explore the possible physiological defects leading to the failure of embryo development in transgenic tobacco plants, functions of pistils and pollen grains were examined. Transgenic pistils pollinated with pollen grains from another tobacco plants (either transgenic or wild-type), developed full of well-developed seeds. In contrast, in self-pollinated transgenic tobacco plants, pollen-tube growth was arrested in the upper part of the style, and small abnormal seeds developed without fertilization. Although the mechanism remains unclear, our research may provide a valuable method to create SI tobacco plants for breeding.

Identification of epileptic networks with graph convolutional network incorporating oscillatory activities and evoked synaptic responses

Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) offers unique neural data from in-depth brain structures with fine temporal resolutions to better investigate the origin of epileptic brain activities. Although oscillatory patterns from different frequency bands and functional connectivity computed from the SEEG datasets are employed to study the epileptic zones, direct electrical stimulation-evoked electrophysiological recordings of synaptic responses, namely cortical-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs), from the same SEEG electrodes are not explored for the localization of epileptic zones. Here we proposed a two-stream model with unsupervised learning and graph convolutional network tailored to the SEEG and CCEP datasets in individual patients to perform localization of epileptic zones. We compared our localization results with the clinically marked electrode sites determined for surgical resections. Our model had good classification capability when compared to other state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, based on our prediction results we performed group-level brain-area mapping analysis for temporal, frontal and parietal epilepsy patients and found that epileptic and non-epileptic brain networks were distinct in patients with different types of focal epilepsy. Our unsupervised data-driven model provides personalized localization analysis for the epileptic zones. The epileptic and non-epileptic brain areas disclosed by the prediction model provide novel insights into the network-level pathological characteristics of epilepsy.

Pretreatment dual-energy CT for predicting early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the predictive performance of pretreatment dual-energy CT (DECT) for early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 56 NPC patients who underwent pretreatment DECT scans with posttreatment follow-up were enrolled. The DECT-derived normalised iodine concentration (nIC), effective atomic number (Zeff), 40-180 keV (20 keV interval), and Mix-0.3 value of the tumour lesions were measured to predict the early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The Mann‒Whitney U test, ROC analysis, Kaplan‒Meier method with log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model were performed to evaluate the predictive performance of DECT parameters, respectively.

RESULTS

Among all DECT-derived parameters, ROC analysis showed the predictive performances of nIC and Zeff values for early objective response to induction chemotherapy (AUCs of 0.803 and 0.826), locoregional failure-free survival (AUCs of 0.786 and 0.767), progression-free survival (AUCs of 0.856 and 0.731) and overall survival (AUCs of 0.765 and 0.799) in NPC patients, respectively (all p < 0.05). Moreover, multivariate analysis showed that a high nIC value was an independent predictor of poor survival in NPC. In addition, survival analysis indicated that NPC patients with higher nIC values in primary tumours tend to have lower 5-year locoregional failure-free survival, progression-free survival and overall survival rates than those with lower nIC values.

CONCLUSIONS

DECT-derived nIC and Zeff values can predict early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in NPC; in particular, a high nIC value is an independent predictive factor of poor survival in NPC.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Preoperative dual-energy computed tomography may provide predictive value for early response and survival outcomes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and facilitate their clinical management.

KEY POINTS

• Pretreatment dual-energy computed tomography helps to predict early response to therapy and survival in NPC. • NIC and Zeff values derived from dual-energy computed tomography can predict early objective response to induction chemotherapy and survival in NPC. • A high nIC value is an independent predictive factor of poor survival in NPC.

Abnormal Topological Organization of White Matter Structural Networks in Normal Tension Glaucoma Revealed via Diffusion Tensor Tractography

BACKGROUND

Normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is considered a neurodegenerative disease with glaucomatous damage extending to diffuse brain areas. Therefore, this study aims to explore the abnormalities in the NTG structural network to help in the early diagnosis and course evaluation of NTG.

METHODS

The structural networks of 46 NTG patients and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were constructed using diffusion tensor imaging, followed by graph theory analysis and correlation analysis of small-world properties with glaucoma clinical indicators. In addition, the network-based statistical analysis (NBS) method was used to compare structural network connectivity differences between NTG patients and healthy controls.

RESULTS

Structural brain networks in both NTG and NC groups exhibited small-world properties. However, the small-world index in the severe NTG group was reduced and correlated with a mean deviation of the visual field (MDVF) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. When compared to healthy controls, degree centrality and nodal efficiency in visual brain areas were significantly decreased, and betweenness centrality and nodal local efficiency in both visual and nonvisual brain areas were also significantly altered in NTG patients (all p < 0.05, FDR corrected). Furthermore, NTG patients exhibited increased structural connectivity in the occipitotemporal area, with the left fusiform gyrus (FFG.L) as the hub (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

NTG exhibited altered global properties and local properties of visual and cognitive-emotional brain areas, with enhanced structural connections within the occipitotemporal area. Moreover, the disrupted small-world properties of white matter might be imaging biomarkers for assessing NTG progression.

Long-term satellite observations show continuous increase of vegetation growth enhancement in urban environment

Urbanization shows continuous expansion and development, ushering in the co-evolution of urban environments and vegetation over time. Recent remote sensing-based studies have discovered prevalent vegetation growth enhancement in urban environments. However, whether there is a temporal evolution of the growth enhancement remains unknown and unexplored. Here we expanded the existing framework for assessing the long-term impact of urbanization on vegetation greenness (enhanced vegetation index, EVI) using long time series of remote sensing images and applied it in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan province in China. Results showed that vegetation growth experienced widespread enhancement from 2000 to 2017, and increased 1.8 times from 2000 to 2017, suggesting strong continuous adaptive capability of vegetation to urban conditions. Although the overall impact of urbanization was negative due to the replacement of vegetated surfaces, the growth enhancement nevertheless offset or compensated the direct loss of vegetated cover during urbanization in the magnitude of 28 % in 2000 to 44 % in 2017. Our study also revealed large spatial heterogeneity in vegetation growth response among various districts at different urbanization levels and found an emergent trend under the observed spatial heterogeneity toward an asymptotic maximum with urbanization, showing EVI converges to 0.22 in highly urbanized areas. We further found that the positive effect of urbanization on vegetation growth is a function of urbanization intensity and time, which implies that the effect of the urban environment on vegetation can be simulated and predicted, and can be verified in more cities in the future. Our study is the first to successfully quantify long-term spatial patterns on the co-evolution of urbanization and vegetation, providing a new understanding of the continuous adaptive responses of vegetation growth to urbanization and shedding light on predicting biological responses to future environmental change.

Advances in Phytochemistry and Modern Pharmacology of Saposhnikovia Divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk

Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk (S. divaricata, Fangfeng) is a herb in the Apiaceae family, and its root has been used since the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.). Chromones and coumarins are the pharmacologically active substances in S. divaricata. Modern phytochemical and pharmacological studies have demonstrated their antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anticoagulant activities. Technological and analytical strategy theory advancements have yielded novel results; however, most investigations have been limited to the main active substances-chromones and coumarins. Hence, we reviewed studies related to the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of S. divaricata, analyzed the developing trends and challenges, and proposed that research should focus on components' synergistic effects. We also suggested that, the structure-effect relationship should be prioritized in advanced research.