Effects of Dietary Selenium Yeast Supplementation in Pregnant Cashmere Goats on the Development of Offspring Hair Follicles

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal dietary selenium yeast (SY) supplementation during pregnancy on the hair follicle development of kids. Sixty pregnant Hanshan white cashmere goats were randomly divided into the con group (fed with a basal diet) and the SY group (fed with a basal diet with 0.4 mg/kg SY). SY was supplemented during the pregnancy until the birth of the kids. The growth performance, cashmere performance, hair follicle characteristics, and serum antioxidant capacity of the kids were periodically determined. The results showed that the birth weight of the kids in the SY group was significantly higher than that in the con group (p < 0.05), and the average weight at 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months of age increased by 13.60%, 8.77%, 8.86%, and 3.90%, respectively (p > 0.05). The cashmere fineness at early birth was dramatically reduced with SY supplementation (p < 0.001), whereas cashmere length and production were significantly increased at 5 months of age (p < 0.05). Histology assays indicated that the primary hair follicles were fully developed at birth, and there was no significant difference in the number of primary hair follicles between the two groups (p > 0.05). The number of secondary hair follicles and the number and density of active secondary hair follicles in the SY group at 15 days were significantly higher than those in the con group (p < 0.05) and were increased by 11.18%, 6.18%, and 22.55% at 5 months of age, respectively (p > 0.05). The serum antioxidant capacity analysis revealed that the SY group had higher levels of T-AOC, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities and lower levels of MDA (p > 0.05). These results reveal that the maternal dietary supplementation of SY in gestation can promote the morphogenesis and maturation of secondary hair follicles and increase the number and density of secondary hair follicles by enhancing the body's antioxidant capacity, contributing to the improvement of cashmere quality and yield.

The transcriptomic and biochemical responses of blood clams (Tegillarca granosa) to prolonged intermittent hypoxia

The blood clam (Tegillarca granosa), a marine bivalve of ecological and economic significance, often encounters intermittent hypoxia in mudflats and aquatic environments. To study the response of blood clam foot to prolonged intermittent hypoxia, the clams were exposed to intermittent hypoxia conditions (0.5 mg/L dissolved oxygen, with a 12-h interval) for 31 days. Initially, transcriptomic analysis was performed, uncovering a total of 698 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 236 upregulated and 462 downregulated. These genes show enrichments in signaling pathways related to glucose metabolism, sugar synthesis and responses to oxidative stress. Furthermore, the activity of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and the levels of gpx1 mRNA showed gradual increases, reaching their peak on the 13th day of intermittent hypoxia exposure. This observation suggests an indirect protective role of GPx against oxidative stress. The results of this study make a significantly contribute to our broader comprehensive of the physiological, biochemical responses, and molecular reactions governing the organization of foot muscle tissue in marine bivalves exposed to prolonged intermittent hypoxic conditions.

Engineering of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks based on magnetic three-dimensional graphene as effective and reusable adsorbent to enhance the adsorption and removal of caffeine from tea samples

As more and more adverse health effects of caffeine are being discovered, decaffeinated drinks are receiving increasing attention. In this work, a magnetic imidazole zeolite backbone compounded with three-dimensional graphene was successfully synthesized as a solid adsorbent using a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique, which can rapidly and effectively adsorb caffeine from tea. Meanwhile, the structure and properties of caffeine in tea were investigated by various physicochemical characterization tools. The analytical data showed that Fe3O4@3DGA@ZIF-8 had a specific surface area of 162.9754 m2/g and an adsorption capacity of up to 19.57 mg/g with a maximum adsorption rate of 96.55%, which could be maintained with good adsorption repeated utilization three times. The adsorption isotherm and the adsorption kinetic better fit with the Langmuir model and the preudo-second order kinetic model, respectively. Therefore, Fe3O4@3DGA@ZIF-8 is a good magnetic adsorbent for the separation and the effective removal of caffeine from tea sample.

A model based on meta-analysis to evaluate poor prognosis of patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Background

Early identification of risk factors associated with poor prognosis in Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) patients is crucial to improving patient survival.

Method

Retrieve literature related to fatal risk factors in SFTS patients in the database, extract the risk factors and corresponding RRs and 95% CIs, and merge them. Statistically significant factors were included in the model, and stratified and assigned a corresponding score. Finally, a validation cohort from Yantai Qishan Hospital in 2021 was used to verify its predictive ability.

Result

A total of 24 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The model includes six risk factors: age, hemorrhagic manifestations, encephalopathy, Scr and BUN. The analysis of lasso regression and multivariate logistic regression shows that model score is an independent risk factor (OR = 1.032, 95% CI 1.002-1.063, p = 0.034). The model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.779 (95% CI 0.669-0.889, P<0.001). The validation cohort was divided into four risk groups with cut-off values. Compared with the low-medium risk group, the mortality rate of high-risk and very high-risk patients was more significant (RR =5.677, 95% CI 4.961-6.496, P<0.001).

Conclusion

The prediction model for the fatal outcome of SFTS patients has shown positive outcomes.Systematic review registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ (CRD42023453157).

Josephin domain containing 2 (JOSD2) promotes lung cancer by inhibiting LKB1 (Liver kinase B1) activity

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ranks as one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite the prominence and effectiveness of kinase-target therapies in NSCLC treatment, these drugs are suitable for and beneficial to a mere ~30% of NSCLC patients. Consequently, the need for novel strategies addressing NSCLC remains pressing. Deubiquitinases (DUBs), a group of diverse enzymes with well-defined catalytic sites that are frequently overactivated in cancers and associated with tumorigenesis and regarded as promising therapeutic targets. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which DUBs promote NSCLC remain poorly understood. Through a global analysis of the 97 DUBs' contribution to NSCLC survival possibilities using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we found that high expression of Josephin Domain-containing protein 2 (JOSD2) predicted the poor prognosis of patients. Depletion of JOSD2 significantly impeded NSCLC growth in both cell/patient-derived xenografts in vivo. Mechanically, we found that JOSD2 restricts the kinase activity of LKB1, an important tumor suppressor generally inactivated in NSCLC, by removing K6-linked polyubiquitination, an action vital for maintaining the integrity of the LKB1-STRAD-MO25 complex. Notably, we identified the first small-molecule inhibitor of JOSD2, and observed that its pharmacological inhibition significantly arrested NSCLC proliferation in vitro/in vivo. Our findings highlight the vital role of JOSD2 in hindering LKB1 activity, underscoring the therapeutic potential of targeting JOSD2 in NSCLC, especially in those with inactivated LKB1, and presenting its inhibitors as a promising strategy for NSCLC treatment.

Targeting IL-17A enhances imatinib efficacy in Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Dysregulated hematopoietic niches remodeled by leukemia cells lead to imbalances in immunological mediators that support leukemogenesis and drug resistance. Targeting immune niches may ameliorate disease progression and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance in Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-ALL (Ph+ B-ALL). Here, we show that T helper type 17 (Th17) cells and IL-17A expression are distinctively elevated in Ph+ B-ALL patients. IL-17A promotes the progression of Ph+ B-ALL. Mechanistically, IL-17A activates BCR-ABL, IL6/JAK/STAT3, and NF-kB signalling pathways in Ph+ B-ALL cells, resulting in robust cell proliferation and survival. In addition, IL-17A-activated Ph+ B-ALL cells secrete the chemokine CXCL16, which in turn promotes Th17 differentiation, attracts Th17 cells and forms a positive feedback loop supporting leukemia progression. These data demonstrate an involvement of Th17 cells in Ph+ B-ALL progression and suggest potential therapeutic options for Ph+ B-ALL with Th17-enriched niches.

Interference of gut-brain-gonad axis originating from triclocarban exposure to parent zebrafish induces offspring embryonic development abnormality by up-regulation of maternal circSGOL1

Triclocarban (TCC) is a widely used antibacterial ingredient possessing acute toxicity effects; however, its chronic toxicity and underlying molecular mechanisms remain uncertain. Herein, we demonstrated that chronic TCC exposure affects the growth and development of adult zebrafish through inducing an intestinal flora disorder in the gut. The imbalance of intestinal flora caused functional barriers within the intestinal-brain-gonadal axis. This resulted in a series of anomalous nerve and motor behaviors, and reproductive toxicity as reflected in pathological damage to parental gonads and F1-larval developmental malformations. Abnormal development of F1 larvae was attributed to apoptosis induced by the up-regulation of circSGOL1. This up-regulation affected the activity and localization of the hnRNP A1 protein, which then promoted overexpression of pro-apoptotic related genes that ultimately lead to apoptosis during early embryonic development. Overall, these novel findings systematically elucidated the TCC toxicity mechanism in parent-offspring dyads, and provide important theoretical guidance for early risk warning and control of chronic TCC toxicity.

High performance on-chip polarization beam splitter at visible wavelengths based on a silicon nitride small-sized ridge waveguide

Due to sensitive scaling of the wavelength and the visible-light absorption properties with the device dimension, traditional passive silicon photonic devices with asymmetric waveguide structures cannot achieve polarization control at the visible wavelengths. In this work, a simple and small polarization beam splitter (PBS) for a broad visible-light band, using a tailored silicon nitride (Si3N4) ridge waveguide, is presented, which is based on the distinct optical distribution of two fundamental orthogonal polarized modes in the ridge waveguide. The bending loss for different bending radii and the optical coupling properties of the fundamental modes for different Si3N4 ridge waveguide configurations are analyzed. A PBS composed of a bending ridge waveguide structure and a triple-waveguide directional coupler was fabricated on the Si3N4 thin film. The TM excitation of the device based on a bending ridge waveguide structure shows a polarization extinction ratio (PER) of ≥ 20 dB with 33 nm bandwidth (624-657 nm) and insertion loss (IL) ≤ 1 dB at the through port. The TE excitation of the device, based on a triple-waveguide directional coupler with coupling efficiency distinction between the TE0 and TM0 modes, shows a PER of ≥ 18 dB with 50 nm bandwidth (580-630 nm) and insertion loss (IL) ≤ 1 dB at the cross port. The on-chip Si3N4 PBS device is found to possess the highest known PER at a visible broadband range and small (43 µm) footprint. It should be useful for novel photonic circuit designs and further exploration of Si3N4 PBSs.

Homogeneous environmental selection mainly determines the denitrifying bacterial community in intensive aquaculture water

Nitrate reduction by napA (encodes periplasmic nitrate reductase) bacteria and nitrous oxide reduction by nosZ (encodes nitrous oxide reductase) bacteria play important roles in nitrogen cycling and removal in intensive aquaculture systems. This study investigated the diversity, dynamics, drivers, and assembly mechanisms of total bacteria as well as napA and nosZ denitrifiers in intensive shrimp aquaculture ponds over a 100-day period. Alpha diversity of the total bacterial community increased significantly over time. In contrast, the alpha diversity of napA and nosZ bacteria remained relatively stable throughout the aquaculture process. The community structure changed markedly across all groups over the culture period. Total nitrogen, phosphate, total phosphorus, and silicate were identified as significant drivers of the denitrifying bacterial communities. Network analysis revealed complex co-occurrence patterns between total, napA, and nosZ bacteria which fluctuated over time. A null model approach showed that, unlike the total community dominated by stochastic factors, napA and nosZ bacteria were primarily governed by deterministic processes. The level of determinism increased with nutrient loading, suggesting the denitrifying community can be manipulated by bioaugmentation. The dominant genus Ruegeria may be a promising candidate for introducing targeted denitrifiers into aquaculture systems to improve nitrogen removal. Overall, this study provides important ecological insights into aerobic and nitrous oxide-reducing denitrifiers in intensive aquaculture, supporting strategies to optimize microbial community structure and function.

The iron burden of cerebral microbleeds contributes to brain atrophy through the mediating effect of white matter hyperintensity

The goal of this work was to explore the total iron burden of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) using a semi-automatic quantitative susceptibility mapping and to establish its effect on brain atrophy through the mediating effect of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). A total of 95 community-dwelling people were enrolled. Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) combined with a dynamic programming algorithm (DPA) was used to measure the characteristics of 1309 CMBs. WMH were evaluated according to the Fazekas scale, and brain atrophy was assessed using a 2D linear measurement method. Histogram analysis was used to explore the distribution of CMBs susceptibility, volume, and total iron burden, while a correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between volume and susceptibility. Stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for CMBs and their contribution to brain atrophy. Mediation analysis was used to explore the interrelationship between CMBs and brain atrophy. We found that the frequency distribution of susceptibility of the CMBs was Gaussian in nature with a mean of 201 ppb and a standard deviation of 84 ppb; however, the volume and total iron burden of CMBs were more Rician in nature. A weak but significant correlation between the susceptibility and volume of CMBs was found (r = -0.113, P < 0.001). The periventricular WMH (PVWMH) was a risk factor for the presence of CMBs (number: β = 0.251, P = 0.014; volume: β = 0.237, P = 0.042; total iron burden: β = 0.238, P = 0.020) and was a risk factor for brain atrophy (third ventricle width: β = 0.325, P = 0.001; Evans's index: β = 0.323, P = 0.001). PVWMH had a significant mediating effect on the correlation between CMBs and brain atrophy. In conclusion, QSM along with the DPA can measure the total iron burden of CMBs. PVWMH might be a risk factor for CMBs and may mediate the effect of CMBs on brain atrophy.

Recovery of carbon from spent carbon cathode by alkaline and acid leaching and thermal treatment and exploration of its application in lithium-ion batteries

The spent carbon cathode (SCC) is a hazardous solid waste from aluminum production. It has an abundant carbon source and a unique graphitic carbon layer structure, making it a valuable waste for recycling. This paper uses alkaline and acid leaching methods to report a straightforward way of extracting recovered carbon (RC) from SCC as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The results show that alkaline and acid leaching conditions at 70 °C with 1 M NaOH and HCl solution individually in 6 h and a liquid-solid ratio of 20:1 can result in RC with up to 94.63% carbon content than 49.38% in SCC, exhibiting a typical graphite structure. SCC and RC materials are obtained after calcination at 400 °C in an inert atmosphere and used as anode materials (SCC-400 and RC-400). In this paper, The initial charging specific capacities are 490.0 mA h g-1, 195.4 mA h g-1, and 423.2 mA h g-1and initial coulombic efficiencies (ICE) are 67.8%, 78.9%, and 72.0% of RC-400, SCC, and SCC-400. RC-400 also shows excellent capacity retention and impedance values. This exciting finding provides a viable, non-hazardous, and resourceful method for treating and disposing of SCC from aluminum electrolysis.

A Remineralizing and Antibacterial Coating for Arresting Caries

Dental caries is a dynamic disease induced by the unbalance between demineralization of dental hard tissues caused by biofilm and remineralization of them; however, although various effective remineralization methods have been well documented, it is a challenge to reestablish the balance by enhancing remineralization alone while ignoring the antibacterial therapy. Therefore, the integration of remineralizing and antibacterial technologies offers a promising strategy to halt natural caries progression in clinical practice. Here, the conception of interrupting dental caries (IDC) was proposed based on the development of dual-functional coating with remineralizing and antibacterial properties. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) loaded octenidine (OCT) successfully to form a BSA-OCT composite. Subsequently, through fast amyloid-like aggregation, the phase-transited BSA-OCT (PTB-OCT) coating can be covered on teeth, resin composite, or sealant surfaces in 30 min by a simple smearing process. The PTB-OCT coating showed satisfactory effects in promoting the remineralization of demineralized enamel and dentin in vitro. Moreover, this coating also exerted significant acid-resistance stability and anti-biofilm properties. Equally importantly, this coating exhibited promising abilities in reducing the microleakage between the tooth and resin composite in vitro and preventing primary and secondary caries in vivo. In conclusion, this novel dual-functional PTB-OCT coating could reestablish the balance between demineralization and remineralization in the process of caries, thereby potentially preventing or arresting caries.

High Impact Resistance of 2D MXene with Multiple Fracture Modes

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) are promising nanomaterials due to their remarkable mechanical and electrical properties. However, the out-of-plane mechanical properties of MXene under impact loading remain unclear. Here, particular impact-resistant fracture behaviors and energy dissipation mechanisms of MXene were systemically investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Specifically, it was found that the specific penetration energy of MXene exceeds most conventional impact-resistant materials, such as aluminum and polycarbonate. Two kinds of novel energy dissipation mechanisms, including radial fracture and crushed fracture under different impact velocities, are revealed. In addition, the sandwiched atomic-layer structure of MXene can deflect cracks and restrain their propagation to some extent, enabling the cracked MXene to retain remarkable resistance. This work provides in-depth insights into the impact-resistance of MXene, laying a foundation for its future applications.

Detrended seasonal relationships and impact of climatic factors combined with spatiotemporal effect on the prevalence of human brucellosis

Human brucellosis (HB) is a seasonal and climate-affected infectious disease that is posing an increasing threat to public health and economy. However, most of the research on the seasonal relationships and impact of climatic factors on HB did not consider the secular trend and spatiotemporal effect related to the disease. We herein utilized long-term surveillance data on HB from 2008 to 2020 using sinusoidal models to explore detrended relationships between climatic factors and HB. In addition, we assessed the impact of such climatic factors on HB using a spatial panel data model combined with the spatiotemporal effect. HB peaked around mid-May. HB was significantly correlated with climatic factors with 1-5-month lag when the respective correlations reached the maximum across the different lag periods. Each 0.1 °C increase in temperature led to 0.5% decrease in the 5-month lag incidence of HB. We also observed a positive spatiotemporal effect on the disease. Our study provides a detailed and in-depth overview of seasonal relationships and impact of climatic factors on HB. In addition, it proposes a novel approach for exploring the seasonal relationships and quantifying the impacts of climatic factors on various infectious diseases.

Safety and Efficacy Analysis of Patients with Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (ES-SCLC) Treated with SHR-1316 Plus Chemotherapy and Sequential Chest Radiotherapy as First-Line Therapy from a Phase II Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

CAPSTONE-1, a phase 3 trial, showed that SHR-1316 (PD-L1 antibody) combined with standard first-line chemotherapy could prolong overall survival (OS) in patients (pts) with ES-SCLC. The CREST trial reported consolidative thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) of 30 Gy in 10 fractions provided a 10% 2-year OS benefit and more intensive TRT should be investigated in ES-SCLC. In the era of immunotherapy, the role of TRT also needs further exploration. Therefore, we designed this clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of SHR-1316 plus first-line chemotherapy followed by TRT combined with SHR-1316.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Key inclusion criteria were pts aged 18-75 years, with previously untreated histologically or cytologically confirmed ES-SCLC, and an ECOG performance status of 0-1. Eligible pts would receive 4∼6 cycles of SHR-1316 (20mg/kg, D1, q3w) combined with EP/EC (etoposide, 100mg/m2, D1-5, q3w and cisplatin, 75mg/m², D1-3, q3w or carboplatin, AUC = 5, D1, q3w), followed by SHR-1316 combined with TRT (≥3 Gy*10 f or ≥2 Gy*25 f, involved-field irradiation), and then the maintenance therapy with SHR-1316 until disease progression or intolerable adverse events (AEs). The main endpoints included ORR, PFS and safety.

RESULTS

From October 2020 to January 2023, 33 pts received SHR-1316 and sequential consolidative TRT. Among them, 19 pts received high-dose TRT (>3 Gy*10 f or ≥2 Gy*25 f) and 14 pts received low-dose TRT (≤3 Gy*10 f or<2 Gy*25 f). The median age was 62 (range: 38-73). Most pts were male (28, 84.8%), former smokers (22, 66.7%) with an ECOG performance status 1 (32, 97%). Ten (30.3%) pts were diagnosed with brain metastasis and 10 (30.3%) pts had liver metastasis at baseline. At the data cutoff date, 9 pts remained on treatment, the average number of treatment cycles was 9.2. 33 pts had at least one 1 post-treatment tumor assessment. The confirmed ORR and DCR were 90.9% (30/33) and 100% (33/33) in all pts, were 89.5% (17/19) and 100% (19/19) in high-dose TRT group, and were 92.9% (13/14) and 100% (14/14) in low-dose TRT group. The median PFS was 10.2(CI: 5.8∼14.7) months in all pts, was 7 (CI: 3.8∼10.2) months in high-dose TRT group and 10.4 (CI: 8.4∼12.3) months in low-dose TRT group. AEs occurred in 27 (81.8%) pts and grade 3 or 4 AEs occurred in 20 (60.6%) pts. The most common grade 3 or 4 AEs included neutropenia (15, 45.5%), leukopenia (8, 24.2%), lymphocytopenia (5, 15.2%), pneumonia (3, 9.1%), anemia (3, 9.1%) and thrombocytopenia (2, 6.1%).

CONCLUSION

SHR-1316 plus chemotherapy and sequential TRT as first-line therapy for ES-SCLC showed promising efficacy and acceptable safety. There is no significant difference between high-dose and low-dose TRT groups in terms of safety and efficacy according to current data.

Mitigation of Dosimetric Uncertainty in MRI-Based Proton Planning Using Spot-Scanning Proton Arc (SPArc) Technique

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

MRI-based synthetic CT (SCT) images created using generative adversarial network (GAN) have been demonstrated to be feasible for intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) planning. However, dose calculation accuracy can be uncertain in some regions within/near the target of head and neck patients due to the local CT number estimation error or sharp dose fall-off. This study investigated the feasibility of using the SPArc technique to mitigate such dosimetric uncertainty.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A GAN using a 3D U-net as the generator and a 6-layer 3D convolutional neural network as the discriminator was trained with T1-weighted MR-CT image pairs from 162 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (14 for validation). The generator was used to generate SCT images from MR images for 7 test patients. For each test patient, the CT image was used to create a SPArc plan and an IMPT plan with the same clinical objectives. The SPArc plans (control point frequency sampling, arc trajectory, etc.) were optimized using a previously developed iterative approach. The dose distributions of both SPArc plans and IMPT plans were re-calculated on the SCT images and compared to the one calculated on the CT images. The dosimetric uncertainty was quantified using the gamma index.

RESULTS

The 2%/2mm and 3%/3mm passing rates for SPArc plans were (96.9¡À2.7) % and (98.6¡À1.5) %, while the passing rates for IMPT plans were (94.0¡À3.9) % and (96.4+2.9) %. A significant reduction in dosimetric uncertainty was identified for SPArc plans (p ¡Ü0.021). Table 1 shows the passing rates for the 7 test individuals.

CONCLUSION

SPArc can mitigate the uncertainty of dose calculation in MRI-based proton planning. Further research needs to validate these findings on a larger patient cohort. The study paves the road map for using MRI for SPArc planning.

Different techniques reveal the difference of community structure and function of fungi from root and rhizosphere of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge

Fungi have essential functions in plant health and performance. However, the plant-associated functions of many cultured fungi have not been established in detail. Here, the fungal species diversity in Salvia miltiorrhiza roots and rhizosphere was assessed for the first time using culturomics and high-throughput sequencing. We present a comprehensive functional metagenomic analysis of these fungi and verified activity of cellulase and chitinase predicted in the metagenomic analysis. We first collected and cultured fungi from the root and rhizosphere of S. miltiorrhiza. We found 92 species across 37 families and five phyla, with Ascomycota being dominant. Many rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences could not be assigned to lower taxonomic levels. There were 19 genera of endophytic fungi and 37 genera of rhizosphere fungi. The culturomics approach had lower taxonomic diversity than high-throughput sequencing, but some fungi were only found in cultures. Structural analyses indicated that the dominant species differed in cultured and non-cultured samples at other levels, apart from the phylum level. Functional analysis mapped 223 carbohydrate enzyme families and 393 pathways in the CAZy and KEGG databases, respectively. The most abundant families were glycoside hydrolases and those involved in carbohydrate metabolism. As predicted by metagenomics, we experimentally verified cellulase and chitinase activity for 29 and 74 fungi, respectively. We provide the first evidence of biomass recycling by fungi that are associated with plants. Culturing is essential to reveal the hidden microbial community and critical functions in plant-microbe interactions.

Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Revealing the Role of IDO1 in HPV+ Cervical Cancer Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Its Implications in Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Persistent infection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is one major etiology of cervical cancer (CC). By now, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is approved for advanced CC patients, but the response rate was just about 10-20%, tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) might be one factor that affect the efficacy. The indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a metabolic immune checkpoint, is recently shown to have a correlation-ship with HPV carcinogenesis in CC, with unknown mechanism. This study, using the single cell transcriptomic single-cell sequencing and spatial transcription sequencing analysis/immunologic technology, aimed to exam the role of IDO1 expression in HPV+ CC TIME and explore the changes after radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Newly diagnosed advanced HPV- CC and HPV+ CC patients were tested for the tumor and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) heterogeneity and their changes after fractionated radiation therapy. Tumor tissues were collected, single cell suspension was made for Single-cell RNA sequencing (SCRNAseq) using the 10 × Genomics, while frozen tissue was embedded for spatial transcriptome sequencing (STRNAseq). Seurat 4.0 was used to cluster and annotate cell clusters and map SCRNAseq data to the STRNAseq data. The specific characters of cell clusters were computed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). SPOTLight and CellChat were used to analyze cell location and interaction respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 28631 cells were clustered into 31 cell subsets in HPV- CC and HPV+ CC tissues, including baseline (Pre HPV- CC and Pre HPV+ CC) and 3-week after radiotherapy (Post 3w HPV- CC and Post 3w HPV+CC). There were 10431 epithelial cells (Epi) in all these 4 tumor tissues, with heterogenous IDO1 expression, including IDO1-high Epi, IDO1-low Epi, and IDO1-neg Epi. Interestingly, more than 99% of Epi in Pre HPV- CC tissues were IDO1-neg cells, while more than 99% in Pre HPV+ CC tissue were IDO1-high. Furthermore, the proportion of IDO1-high Epi in Pre HPV+ CC patient dropped to 16.7% after radiotherapy, while the proportion of IDO1-low Epi rase to 63.3%. Using GSEA, the characters of IDO1-high Epi group was shown to have positive regulation of leukocyte chemotaxis and negative regulation of cell adhesion and differentiation. IDO1-high Epi cells also had the hallmark of interferon gamma response. These cells could mainly receive regulative information of interferon gamma pathway from exhausted CD8 T cells, which could affect the apoptosis of tumor cells.

CONCLUSION

This study comprehensively analyzed the immune suppressive role of IDO1-high Epi cells in HPV+ CC TIME at the single-cell transcriptional scale and explored their functional characters in CC radiotherapy. This would be able to provide more evidence to combine with radiotherapy and immunotherapy to improve patients' prognosis.

Radiation-Induced Nasopharyngeal Necrosis in Locally-Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients after Re-Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Re-radiotherapy (re-RT) is the main treatment for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (lrNPC) patients, and commonly led to radiation-induced nasopharyngeal (NP) necrosis, which was lethal but rare study has focused on it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cause and impact of radiation-induced NP necrosis in lrNPC patients who received re-RT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Totally 252 lrNPC patients who received re-RT between January 2013 and December 2020 were retrospectively collected. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) no NP necrosis before re-RT; (2) complete medical records, including treatment, clinical and dosimetric information; (3) conventional fractionated radiotherapy. All patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy ± chemotherapy. Radiation-induced NP necrosis was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging and/or electronic nasopharyngoscopy. Dosimetric factors of the planning target volume of primary tumor (PTVp) were extracted from the dose-volume histogram (DVH), which was rescaled to an equivalent dose of 2 Gy per fraction (EQD 2 Gy) using a linear quadratic model. Logistic regression was used to identify the independent prognostic factors for generating the nomogram.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up of 44.63 months (inter-quartile range [IQR], 27.70 - 69.20 months), 47.6% of patients (120/252) occurred radiation-induced NP necrosis, which mostly happened within 1 year post re-RT (median [IQR], 5.83 [3.37 - 11.57] months). The 3-year overall survival was 83.0% vs 39.7% (P<0.001) in lrNPC patients with or without radiation-induced NP necrosis. Except for the fractionated dose, other dosimetric factors of PTVp were not significantly different between two groups, including D98 (dose to 98% of PTVp), D50, D2 and homogeneity index (Table 1). Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that continuous variable age (HR [95% CI]: 1.04 [1.02 - 1.07], P = 0.003) and tumor volume (HR [95% CI]: 1.02 [1.01 - 1.03], P<0.001), and fractionated dose > 2.22 Gy (HR [95% CI]: 2.36 [1.32 - 4.21], P = 0.004) were independent factors in predicting radiation-induced NP necrosis, which yielded a C-index of 0.742 (95% CI, 0.682 - 0.803) for OS in the nomogram.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of radiation-induced NP necrosis was high in lrNPC patients who received re-RT. Patients with older age, larger tumor volume or receiving fractionated dose over 2.22 Gy were more easily to suffer NP necrosis, which need to explore novel treatment strategies to improve patients' survivals.

SCARB2 drives hepatocellular carcinoma tumor initiating cells via enhanced MYC transcriptional activity

CSCs (Cancer stem cells) with distinct metabolic features are considered to cause HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) initiation, metastasis and therapeutic resistance. Here, we perform a metabolic gene CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library screen in tumorspheres derived from HCC cells and find that deletion of SCARB2 suppresses the cancer stem cell-like properties of HCC cells. Knockout of Scarb2 in hepatocytes attenuates HCC initiation and progression in both MYC-driven and DEN (diethylnitrosamine)-induced HCC mouse models. Mechanistically, binding of SCARB2 with MYC promotes MYC acetylation by interfering with HDCA3-mediated MYC deacetylation on lysine 148 and subsequently enhances MYC transcriptional activity. Screening of a database of FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved drugs shows Polymyxin B displays high binding affinity for SCARB2 protein, disrupts the SCARB2-MYC interaction, decreases MYC activity, and reduces the tumor burden. Our study identifies SCARB2 as a functional driver of HCC and suggests Polymyxin B-based treatment as a targeted therapeutic option for HCC.

[Long-term quality of life in patients with BrownⅡ maxillary defect repaired by different methods]

Objective: To analyze the long-term quality of life of patients with Brown Ⅱ maxillary defect repaired by tissue flap or prosthesis. Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for maxillary malignant tumors in the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from 2014 to 2017 were selected to investigate the postoperative long-term (>5 years) quality of life using the fourth edition of the University of Washington quality of life questionnaire (UW-QOL). Mann Whitney U test was used to examine the differences between two groups. Results: In this study, 4 cases were lost to follow-up, 9 died, and a total of 46 valid questionnaires were collected, including 24 males and 22 females, aged 19-86 years. There were 26 cases of class Ⅱb/c and 20 cases of class Ⅱd. Tissue flap reconstruction was performed in 29 cases (tissue flap group) and prosthesis restoration in 17 cases (prosthesis group). The score of chewing QOL in the prosthesis group was higher than that in the tissue flap reconstruction group (Z=-2.787, P=0.005), but the scores of entertainment, swallowing, speech and emotion QOL in the former group were respectively lower than those in the latter group (Z=-3.185, -2.091, -2.556 and -1.996, respectively, all P values<0.05). In patients with Brown Ⅱb/c defect, the prosthesis repair could improve the chewing QOL score (Z=-2.830, P=0.005), but no statistically significant differences in other QOL scores between two groups. In patients with Brown Ⅱd defect, the tissue flap reconstruction could improve the scores of pain, entertainment, swallowing and speech QOL (Z=-2.741, -2.517, -2.320 and -2.843, respectively, all P values<0.05), and the average QOL score in tissue flap reconstruction group was also higher than that of the prosthesis group (Z=-2.276, P=0.023). Conclusion: For postoperative long-term quality of life, both prosthesis and tissue flap reconstruction can offer satisfactory results in patients with Brown Ⅱb/c defect, and patients with Brown Ⅱd defect repaired by tissue flap reconstruction have better speech and swallowing functions. Tissue flap reconstruction may bring more entertainment and emotional benefits.

The effect of aerobic dancing on physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic-a natural experiment

During the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the physical activity of older adults is at a lower level. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of aerobic dancing on physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 34 older adults who were assigned into an aerobic dancing group and a control group. Three dance sessions weekly for 60 ​min were scheduled for the aerobic dancing group for a total of 12 weeks. Physical fitness, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, cognitive function were assessed before and after the intervention. Baseline adjusted Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine whether outcome variables varied between groups at pre-test and post-test. Effect size (Cohen's d) was calculated to determine the differences between groups from baseline to post-test. After 12 weeks, we found that the aerobic dancing group showed significant improvement in memory (portrait memory: F ​= ​10.45, p ​= ​0.003, d ​= ​1.18). The Limit of Stability (LOS) parameters in the aerobic dancing group displayed a significant increase after the intervention (right angle: F ​= ​5.90, p ​= ​0.022, d ​= ​0.60; right-anterior angle: F ​= ​4.23, p ​= ​0.049, d ​= ​0.12). Some beneficial effects were found on flexibility, grip strength, balance and subjective well-being (sit and reach: F ​= ​0.25, p ​= ​0.62, d ​= ​-0.40; grip strength: F ​= ​3.38, p ​= ​0.08, d ​= ​0.89; one-legged standing with eyes closed: F ​= ​1.26, p ​= ​0.27, d ​= ​0.50) in the aerobic dancing group. Aerobic dancing training was effective in improving memory and balance ability in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. In the future, aerobic dancing is a promising tool to encourage physical activity in older adults.

[Clinical characteristics of patients with rheumatic diseases and abnormal liver function]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with rheumatic diseases and abnormal liver function, as well as determine the proportion and severity of liver function abnormalities. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Data were collected from patients registered in the Chinese Rheumatism Date Center from 2011 to 2021. The rheumatic diseases analyzed in this study were rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren syndrome (SS), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and gout. Patient data, including demographic characteristics [ such as age, sex, body mass index,(BMI), and smoking history], liver function test results [including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase(ALP), and total bilirubin], and use of anti-rheumatic immune drugs and liver-protective drugs, were collected and compared between groups with normal and abnormal liver functions. In addition, the proportions of abnormal liver function were compared between sex and age groups. Results: A total of 116 308 patients were included in this study, including 49 659 with RA, 17 597 with SLE, 9 039 with SS, 11 321 with AS, and 28 692 with gout. The lowest proportion of liver function abnormalities was observed in patients with RA[11.02% (5 470/49 659)], followed by those with SS[17.97% (1 624/9 039)] and AS [18.22% (2 063/11 321) ], whereas patients with SLE [21.14% (3 720/17 597) ] and gout [28.73% (8 242/28 692)] exhibited the highest proportion of these abnormalities. Elevated ALT, mostly classified as grade 1, was the most commonly noted liver function abnormality, whereas elevated ALP was the least common. Some patients who took liver-protective drugs had normal liver function, with the lowest percentage observed in patients with gout [7.45% (36/483) ] and ranging from 21.7% to 30.34% in patients with RA, SLE, SS, and AS. The proportion of liver function abnormalities was higher in males than in females for all disease types [RA: 13.8%(1 368/9 906) vs. 10.3%(4 102/39 753); SLE: 33.6% (479/1 424) vs. 20.0% (3 241/16 173); SS: 25.4%(111/437) vs. 17.6%(1 513/8 602); AS: 20.1%(1 629/8 119) vs. 13.6% (434/3 202); and gout: 29.3% (8 033/27 394) vs. 16.1% (209/1 298)]. In RA, SLE, and AS, the proportions of liver function abnormalities were similar across all age groups. In SS, the proportion of liver function abnormalities increased with age [<40 years: 14.9%(294/1 979); 40-59 years: 18.1%(858/4 741); ≥60 years: 20.4%(472/2 319)], whereas a reversal of this trend was observed in gout [<40 years: 34.9%(4 294/12 320); 40-59 years: 25.5%(2 905/11 398);≥60 years: 21.0%(1 042/4 971)]. Conclusions: The proportions of combined liver function abnormalities in patients with rheumatologic diseases were high, and the utilization rates of liver-protective drugs were low. It is necessary to pay more attention to monitoring patients' liver function, timely administer liver-protective drugs, and optimize liver-protective regimens during the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

Target-Driven Z-Scheme Heterojunction Formation for ppb H2S Detection from Exhaled Breath at Room Temperature

As a biomarker of periodontitis, sensitive and timely monitoring of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in exhaled breath at room temperature (RT) is important for the early intervention of oral diseases. However, the required high operation temperature to achieve high sensitivity is still a technical challenge for directly monitoring exhaled breath. In this study, by integrating metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into self-aligned TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTs), a chemiresistor gas sensor with outstanding sensitivity and selectivity was constructed for the detection of H2S at RT. The precise regulation of a Co(III)-based MOF CoBDC-NH2 (BDC-NH2 = 2-aminoterephthalic acid) not only induced more active surface for the preconcentration of the target gas but also caused a buildup of Z-scheme heterojunctions in the H2S atmosphere that induced an ultrahigh sensitivity at RT via 365 nm light-emitting diode irradiation. The response and recovery times decreased to ∼50 and ∼28%, respectively, when this system was exposed to UV light. The sensing chips based on the as-prepared TiO2/CoBDC-NH2 NTs exhibited the highest-ranking H2S sensing performance, i.e., a limit of detection of 1.3 ppb and excellent selectivity even to 100 times high concentration of interference gases, owing to the synergistic chemical environment provided by NH2-functionalized Co-MOFs and abundant photogenerated electrons provided by Z-scheme heterojunctions. This sensing chip was also used in a practical application for the timely monitoring of halitosis from direct exhaled breath. This study provides a reliable and sensitive design for clinically aiding the timely detection of H2S in a complex oral environment.