Antigenicity and Safety Evaluation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 7-2 Screened to Reduce α-Casein Antigen

α-Casein (α-CN) is considered the main allergen in bovine milk. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation can hydrolyze milk protein and therefore reduce the antigenicity. In this paper, a LAB reducing the antigenicity of casein, identified as LactiplantibacillusPlantarum 7-2 (L. plantarum 7-2), was primarily identified by screening for protein hydrolysis ability using a method involving the determination of released free amino acid with further selection for the ideal antigenicity-reducing capability by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In order to verify the capability of L. plantarum 7-2 in inhibiting antigenicity, the standard milk proteins α-LA, β-LG, α-CN, β-CN and κ-CN were cultured with L. plantarum 7-2 for 18 h; The results of SDS-PAGE show that all the bands corresponding to the full length tested proteins became unclear or completely disappeared indicating that these proteins were hydrolyzed by L. plantarum 7-2. Correspondingly, the antigenicities of α-CN and β-LG were significantly reduced. L. plantarum 7-2 demonstrated negative hemolysis and nitrate reductase capabilities and was sensitive to the commonly used antibiotics ampicillin clindamycin tetracycline chloramphenicol, and erythromycin, demonstrating that L. plantarum 7-2 could be used in dairy product fermentation to reduce the antigenicity of milk protein.

Exopolysaccharide Produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-12 Alleviates Intestinal Inflammation and Colon Cancer Symptoms by Modulating the Gut Microbiome and Metabolites of C57BL/6 Mice Treated by Azoxymethane/Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt

Exopolysaccharide produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-12 (LPEPS) exhibited the anti-proliferating effect on human colon cancer cell line HT-29 in vitro. The purpose of the study was to determine the alleviating effects of LPEPS on colon cancer development of the C57BL/6 mice treated by azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium salt (AOM/DSS). The C57BL/6 mice treated by AOM/DSS were orally administered LPEPS daily for 85 days. The results showed that LPEPS oral administration enhanced colon tight-junction protein expression and ameliorated colon shortening and tumor burden of the AOM/DSS treated mice. Furthermore, LPEPS oral administration significantly reduced pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-1β levels and increased anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 level in the serum of the AOM/DSS-treated mice. LPEPS oral administration reversed the alterations of gut flora in AOM/DSS-treated mice, as evidenced by the increasing of the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, Muribaculaceae, Burkholderiaceae, and norank_o__Rhodospirillales and the decreasing of the abundance of Firmicutes, Desulfovibrionaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Helicobacteraceae. The fecal metabolites of the AOM/DSS-treated mice were altered by LPEPS oral administration, involving lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Together, these results suggested that LPEPS oral administration alleviated AOM/DSS-induced colon cancer symptoms of the C57BL/6 mice by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites, enhancing intestine barrier, inhibiting NF-κB pathway, and activating caspase cascade.

Photocatalytic H2O Overall Splitting into H2 Bubbles by Single Atomic Sulfur Vacancy CdS with Spin Polarization Electric Field

Low efficient transfer of photogenerated charge carriers to redox sites along with high surface reaction barrier is a bottleneck problem of photocatalytic H₂O overall splitting. Here, in the absence of cocatalysts, H₂O overall splitting has been achieved by single-atomic S vacancy hexagonal CdS with a spin polarization electric field (PEF). Theoretical and experimental results confirm that single-atomic S vacancy-induced spin PEF with opposite direction to the Coulomb field accelerates charge carrier transport dynamics from the bulk phase to surface-redox sites. By systematically tuning the spin PEF intensity with single-atomic S vacancy content, common pristine CdS is converted to a photocatalyst that can efficiently complete H₂O overall splitting by releasing a great number of H₂ bubbles under natural solar light. This work solves the bottleneck of solar energy conversion in essence by single atom vacancy engineering, which will promote significant photocatalytic performance enhancement for commercialization.

Effect of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HM-22 on immunoregulation and intestinal microbiota in α-lactalbumin-induced allergic mice

Milk protein is one of the eight major allergens, and α-lactalbumin (α-LA) is one of the major allergens of bovine milk protein. Our previous studies found that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HM-22 (L. plantarum HM-22) showed a good gastrointestinal survival rate and intestinal colonization. To investigate the effect of L. plantarum HM-22 on intestinal inflammation and intestinal microbiota in α-LA-induced allergic mice, in this study, L. plantarum HM-22 at low and high doses was intragastrically administered to α-LA-induced allergic mice for 5 weeks. The results showed that L. plantarum HM-22 significantly relieved the weight loss and organ index of α-LA-induced allergic mice (p < 0.05). L. plantarum HM-22 increased the levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in the serum of α-LA-induced allergic mice and decreased the levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and the proinflammatory factor interleukin-4 (IL-4) (p < 0.05). The crypt structure of the colon tissues of α-LA-induced allergic mice changed, goblet cells decreased, and the phenomenon of a large number of inflammatory corpuscles that appeared was improved and alleviated with the intervention of L. plantarum HM-22 by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Western blot analysis showed that L. plantarum HM-22 significantly increased the expression of occludin and claudin-1 in the colon of α-LA-induced allergic mice and decreased the expression of the inflammatory proteins p65 and IκBα (p < 0.05). The intestinal microbiota of mice in each group was determined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and the results showed that intervention with L. plantarum HM-22 improved the intestinal microbes of α-LA-induced allergic mice. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed the correlation between intestinal microbiota changes and the α-LA-induced allergy-related index. This study provides a theoretical basis for probiotics to prevent allergies by changing the intestinal microbiota.

Silencing LINC01116 suppresses the development of lung adenocarcinoma via the AKT signaling pathway

Background

A growing body of evidence has proven that long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are important epigenetic regulators that play crucial parts in the pathogenesis of human cancers. Previous studies have shown that long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 01116 (LINC01116) is a carcinogen in several carcinomas; however, its function in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been clarified. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of LINC01116 in LUAD.

Methods

The relative expression levels of LINC01116 in LUAD cell lines and tissues were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed using patient information from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. LUAD proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were measured by performing cell counting kit‐8, colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and flow cytometric assays. A xenograft animal experiment was performed to investigate the effect of LINC01116 in vivo. Protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway‐related protein expressions were tested by Western blot assay.

Results

LINC01116 expression was upregulated in LUAD cells and tissues. The loss‐of‐function experiments on LUAD cells revealed that silencing LINC01116 expression could decrease cell viability both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, silencing LINC01116 inhibited LUAD cell invasion and migration and induced cell apoptosis. Mechanically, silencing LINC01116 significantly decreased p‐AKT protein levels, and an AKT pathway stimulator could rescue the suppressive effects of small interfering LINC011116‐specific RNAs on LUAD development.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that silencing LINC01116 suppresses the development of LUAD via the AKT signaling pathway.

Graphitic C2N3: An Allotrope of g-C3N4 Containing Active Azide Pentagons as Metal-Free Photocatalyst for Abundant H2 Bubble Evolution

A g-C₃N₄ allotrope, a curved leaf-like graphitic C₂N₃ (g-C₂N₃) with an intrinsic spontaneous polarization electric field (ISPEF), has been constructed for efficient solar energy conversion into H₂ energy via photocatalytic H₂O splitting. The curved leaf-like π-delocalization g-C₂N₃ was composed of aromatic azide pentagons and normal triazine hexagons obtained by cycloaddition between -C≡N groups from dicyandiamide polymerization and azide from the heat-treated polypyrrole fibers. Under light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), photo-generated charges are driven to separate efficiently and transfer from bulk to active sites of the surface under ISPEF that is opposite to the Coulomb field. Consequently, without any cocatalyst, g-C₃N₄ allotrope demonstrates a very high H₂-production activity of 14.9 mmol g^-1 h^-1 accompanied by a lot of H₂ bubbles, which is 2.6 times of g-C₃N₄ loading with Pt. In comparison with the reported metal-free photocatalysts or those supported with noble metals, g-C₃N₄ allotrope (i.e., leaf-like g-C₂N₃) is confirmed to be the best metal-free photocatalyst for H₂O splitting into H₂ fuel so far. The contructed leaf-like g-C₂N₃ with SPEF supplies a suitable platform for solar energy conversion into H₂ fuel, which actively contributes to clean energy production.

Long Noncoding RNA FGD5-AS1 Knockdown Decrease Viability, Migration, and Invasion of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells by Regulating the MicroRNA-944/MACC1 Axis

Objective:

Long noncoding RNA FGD5 antisense RNA 1 (FGD5-AS1) participates in the regulation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully revealed. This study aimed to determine the regulatory mechanism of FGD5-AS1 on the viability, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells.

Methods:

QRT-PCR was performed to measure the expression of FGD5-AS1, microRNA-944 (miR-944), and MACC1 in NSCLC. The correlation between FGD5-AS1 and clinicopathological features of NSCLC patients was analyzed. The viability of NSCLC cells were detected using MTT assay, and the migration and invasion were measured by transwell assay. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to demonstrate the interactions among FGD5-AS1, miR-944, and MACC1. Furthermore, exosomes were isolated from NSCLC cells and identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and western blot. Then, the macrophages treated with exosomes were co-cultured with NSCLC cells to assess the effect of exosomes containing lower FGD5-AS1 level on NSCLC.

Results:

The expression of FGD5-AS1 and MACC1 was increased in NSCLC, but miR-944 expression was decreased. FGD5-AS1 expression had significantly correlation with TNM stage and metastasis in NSCLC patients. FGD5-AS1 knockdown decreased the viability, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Additionally, FGD5-AS1 and MACC1 were both targeted by miR-944 with the complementary binding sites at 3’ UTR. In the feedback experiments, miR-944 inhibition or MACC1 overexpression reversed the reduction effect of FGD5-AS1 knockdown on the tumorigenesis of NSCLC. Moreover, silencing of FGD5-AS1 suppressed macrophages M2 polarization, and eliminated the promoting effects of exosomes mediated macrophages on NSCLC cell migration and invasion.

Conclusions:

FGD5-AS1 knockdown attenuated viability, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells by regulating the miR-944/MACC1 axis, providing a new therapeutic target for NSCLC.

[Efficacy and safety of Kangbingdu granules in the treatment of influenza: a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, positive-drug parallel control multicenter clinical trial]

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety of Kangbingdu granules (KBD) in the treatment of influenza. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and positive-drug parallel control trial was conducted in 27 Grade ⅢA hospitals in China and the subjects were randomly assigned to the KBD test group or the oseltamivir phosphate capsule control group at a ratio of 1∶1. 200 subjects were planned to be enrolled in each group. The experimental group was given KBD (18g each time, 3 times a day) and oseltamivir phosphate simulator orally, while the control group was given oseltamivir phosphate capsule (75 mg each time, twice a day) and KBD simulator orally for 5 days. The primary efficacy indicators included the remission time of major clinical symptoms and the time of complete defervescence. The secondary efficacy indicators included dosage of acetaminophen, the change of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score and the remission time of other important clinical symptoms. The efficacy of KBD in the test group and Oseltamivir phosphate control group were compared. Adverse events or adverse reactions were observed at the same time to evaluate the safety of KBD Granules. Results: A total of 393 subjects from 27 Grade ⅢA hospitals in China were enrolled. The experimental group included 195 subjects and 191 subjects (97.95%) completed the trial, While the control group included 198 subjects and 195 subjects (98.48%) completed the trial. There was no significant difference in the shedding rate and rejection rate between the two groups (P>0.05). In the Full Analysis Set (FAS), the mean age of the experimental group was (34.9±14.4) years old, with 83 males (42.78%). The mean age of the control group was (33.3±13.5) years old, with 78 males (39.59%). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in demographic data, physical examination, viral pathogen detection, total score of TCM syndromes and scores of each symptom at baseline (P>0.05). In the FAS, the remission time M (Q₁, Q₃) of major clinical symptoms was 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) days in the experimental group and 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) days in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The time M (Q₁, Q₃) of complete defervescence was 34.0 (20.3, 49.0) hours in the experimental group and 36.5 (19.6, 48.8) hours in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). KBD granules had the same effect as Oseltamivir phosphate capsule (P>0.05) in terms of acetaminophen dosage, TCM syndrome effect and disappearance rate of most important clinical symptoms. Meanwhile, the disappearance rate of dizziness and chest distress on day 3 in the KBD granules group was better than that of oseltamivir phosphate capsule (P<0.05). Conclusion: KBD granules have the same efficacy as Oseltamivir Phosphate capsule in the treatment of influenza and the drug safety is good.

Cloning, expression, and bioinformatics analysis and characterization of a β-galactosidase from Bacillus coagulans T242

The activities of β-galactosidases from bacteria and molds are affected by temperature, pH, and other factors in the processing of dairy products, limiting their application, so it is necessary to find alternative lactases. In this study, the β-galactosidase gene from Bacillus coagulans T242 was cloned, co-expressed with a molecular chaperone in Escherichia coli BL21, and subjected to bioinformatic and kinetic analyses and lactase characterization. The results show that the enzyme is a novel thermostable neutral lactase with optimum hydrolytic activity at pH 6.8 and 50°C. The thermal stability and increased lactose hydrolysis activity of β-galactosidase in the presence of Ca²⁺ indicated its potential application in the dairy industry.

[A prospective multi-center clinical investigation of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China]

Objective: To investigate the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary cryptococcosis in respiratory medicine and improve the understanding of the clinical characteristics of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China. Methods: A prospective multi-center open cohort study was designed to screen for pulmonary cryptococcosis in the general wards and intensive care units of the Department of Respiratory Diseases in 22 hospitals. The HIV-negative patients with positive cryptococcal etiological diagnosis based on smear culture, antigen detection and histopathology were enrolled in the study. The clinical data of enrolled patients were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 457 cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were enrolled, among which 3.28% (15/457) were disseminated infections. The case fatality rate was 0.88% (4/457). The majority of the cases were diagnosed by histopathological examinations (74.40%, 340/457) and cryptococcus antigen detection (37.64%, 172/457). Patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis accounted for 2.04‰ (457/223 748) of the total hospitalized patients in the Department of Respiratory Diseases during the same period, and the ratio was the highest in south and east China. Meanwhile, 70.24% (321/457) of the patients had no underlying diseases, while 87.75% (401/457) were found to have immunocompetent status. Cough and expectoration were the most common clinical symptoms in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis. However, 25.16% (115/457) of the patients had no clinical symptom or physical signs. In terms of imaging features on pulmonary CT, multiple pulmonary lesions were more common than isolated lesions, and there were more subpleural lesions than perihilar or medial lesions. Morphologically, most of the lesions were middle-sized nodules (1-5 cm) or small-sized nodules (3 mm to 1 cm). The sensitivity of serum cryptococcus antigen test was 71.99% (203/282). Moreover, antigen-positive patients differed from antigen-negative patients in terms of basic immune status, clinical symptoms, imaging features and infection types. Meanwhile, immunocompromised patients differed from immunocompetent patients in terms of clinical symptoms, physical signs, infection-related inflammation indicator levels, imaging features, serum cryptococcus antigen positive rate and prognosis. Conclusions: The majority of cases of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China had no underlying disease or immunocompromised status, and the overrall prognosis was favorable. However, early diagnosis of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis remains challenging due to the complicated manifestations of the disease.

Janus 2D titanium nitride halide TiNX0.5Y0.5 (X, Y = F, Cl, or Br, and X ≠ Y) monolayers with giant out-of-plane piezoelectricity and high carrier mobility

We have proposed a series of Janus 2D titanium nitride halide TiNX_0.5Y_0.5 (X, Y = F, Cl, or Br, and X ≠ Y) monolayers, which have considerable out-of-plane piezoelectricity and high carrier mobility.

Computational prediction of a novel 1D InSeI nanochain with high stability and promising wide-bandgap properties

Low-dimensional materials have aroused widespread interest for their novel and fascinating properties. Based on first-principles calculations, we predict the one-dimensional (1D) InSeI nanochains with van der Waals (vdW) interchain interactions, which could be exfoliated mechanically and kept at steady states at room temperature. Compared with bulk InSeI, the single nanochain InSeI has a larger direct bandgap of 3.15 eV. Its calculated carrier mobility is as high as 54.17 and 27.49 cm2 V-1 s-1 for holes and electrons, respectively, comparable with those of other 1D materials. In addition, a direct-to-indirect bandgap transition is implemented under a small applied strain (∼6%). More importantly, the nanochains are found to be promising candidates for optoelectronic devices since they possess a high absorption coefficient of ∼105 cm-1 in the ultraviolet region. The results thus pave a novel avenue for the applications of InSeI nanochains with excellent thermal stability in nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices.

First-principles investigation on the transport properties of quaternary CoFeRGa (R = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Nb) Heusler compounds

The Heusler alloys CoFeRGa (R = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Nb) have similar chemical compositions, but exhibit remarkably distinct electronic structures, magnetism and transport properties. These structures cover an extensive range of spin gapless semiconductors, half-metals, semiconductors and metals with either ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, antiferromagnetic, or nonmagnetic states. The Heusler alloys have three types of structures, namely, type-I, type-II, and type-III. By means of first-principles calculation combined with the Boltzmann equation within the consideration of spin-freedom, we explore the transport feature of the most stable structure (type-I). In addition, we provide evidence that all the considered materials are mechanically and dynamically stable, possessing high strength and toughness to resist compression and tensile strain. Moreover, the distinct electronic (metallic, insulating, and half-metallic) properties and magnetic behaviors originate mainly from a cooperative electron transfer and electronic structures have been verified by our calculation. Finally, we found that the tunable electronic structure with varied atomic numbers has significant influence on the spin-Seebeck effect. Correspondingly, the calculated spin-Seebeck coefficient of CoFeCrGa is -60.29 μV K-1 at 300 K, which is larger than that of other quaternary Heusler compounds. Our results provide a band-engineering platform to design Heusler structures with different electronic behaviors in isomorphic compounds, which provide the way for accelerating the pre-screening of materials to advance and for using the quaternary Heusler compounds for potential applications in spin caloritronic devices.

Absence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen of a COVID-19 patient cohort

Background

Since SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was first identified in December 2019, the novel coronavirus‐induced pneumonia COVID‐19 spread rapidly and triggered a global pandemic. Recent bioinformatics evidence suggested that angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2—the main cell entry target of SARS‐CoV‐2—was predominantly enriched in spermatogonia, Leydig and Sertoli cells, which suggests the potential vulnerability of the male reproductive system to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Objectives

To identify SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in seminal plasma and to determine semen characteristics from male patients in the acute and recovery phases of infection.

Methods

From February 26 to April 2, 2020, 23 male patients with COVID‐19 were recruited. The clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and chest computed tomography scans of all patients were recorded in detail. We also investigated semen characteristics and the viral RNA load in semen from these patients in the acute and recovery phases of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection using approved methods.

Results

The age range of the 23 patients was 20‐62 years. All patients tested negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in semen specimens. Among them, the virus had been cleared in 11 patients, as they tested negative. The remaining 12 patients tested negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in semen samples, but were positive in sputum and fecal specimens. The median interval from diagnosis to providing semen samples was 32 days, when total sperm counts, total motile sperm counts, and sperm morphology of the patients were within normal ranges.

Discussion and Conclusion

In this cohort of patients with a recent infection or recovering from COVID‐19, there was no SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA detected in semen samples, which indicates the unlikely possibility of sexual transmission through semen at about 1 month after first detection.

Role of pulmonary function and FeNO detection in early screening of patients with ACO

Measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a quantitative and non-invasive approach to examine airway inflammation, which is a powerful aid in diagnosing chronic disorders of airways like asthma. Diagnostic value of FeNO and relevant indices on pulmonary function in the patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was evaluated. A total of 164 patients [58 asthma, 49 COPD and 57 asthma-COPD overlap (ACO)] were randomly recruited. FeNO, pulmonary ventilation function, and bronchial diastolic function were performed. Eight indicators including FeNO, vital capacity percentage (VC%), forced vital capacity percentage (FVC%), forced expiratory volume in one second percentage (FEV1%), forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity percentage (FEV1/FVC%), maximum independent ventilation volume percentage (MVV%), the increased percentage of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test, the increased absolute value of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test were examined. Significant difference in VC%, FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, MVV%, the increased absolute value of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test and FeNO were significantly different between patients with asthma and patients with COPD (P<0.05). There were significant differences of VC%, FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, MVV% and the increased percentage of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test in cases of patients with asthma compared to ACO patients (P<0.05). There was no statistical significance on VC%, FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, MVV% between COPD patients and ACO patients (P>0.05). However, more importantly, the increased percentage of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test, the increased absolute value of FEV1 after bronchial diastolic test and the alterations on FeNO were found significantly different in ACO group compared with COPD alone (P<0.05). We compared the results from pulmonary ventilation function, bronchial diastolic function examination as well as FeNO detection among 3 groups of asthma, COPD and ACO. The examination of pulmonary ventilation function and bronchial diastolic function combined with FeNO detection is helpful in the early screening of ACO.

Clinical effect of bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy and CalliSpheres drug-eluting beads in patients with stage II-IV lung cancer: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

CalliSpheres are drug-eluting beads used for tumor artery embolization, with clinical benefits in a number of cancer types. The aim of the study was to examine the clinical benefits and complications of patients with stage II-IV lung cancer treated with CalliSpheres drug-eluting beads for embolization versus conventional vascular interventional treatment.

METHODS

This was a prospective cohort study conducted from August 2018 to May 2019. The patients were grouped according to traditional bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy (infusion group) or bronchial arterial chemoembolization with CalliSpheres drug-eluting beads loaded with adriamycin (CallisSphere group). Short-term effects, serum tumor markers, and adverse reactions during follow-up were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

There were 60 participants enrolled into the study with 30 in each group including 54 men and six women, 42-78 years of age. In the CalliSphere group, compared with the infusion group, the disease control rate was 93.3% versus 73.3% (P = 0.080) and the objective remission rate (ORR) was 86.7% versus 60.0% (P = 0.039); the three- and six-month progression-free survival (PFS) and six-month overall survival (OS) were better in the CalliSphere group (three-month PFS: 96.7% vs. 73.3%, P = 0.026; six-month PFS: 87.5% vs. 57.1%, P = 0.045; six-month OS: 87.5% vs. 52.7%, P = 0.024); after treatment, the tumor markers in the CalliSphere group were lower (CEA: P < 0.001; CYFRA21-1: P = 0.014). There were no differences in adverse reactions between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical effect of bronchial arterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads on lung cancer is probably significant and could improve the short-term response, PFS, and OS in patients with stage IIIV lung cancer, without increasing severe adverse reactions.

KEY POINTS

SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS OF THE STUDY: The clinical effect of bronchial arterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads on lung cancer is probably significant and could improve the short-term response, PFS, and OS in patients with stage II-IV lung cancer, without increasing severe adverse reactions.

WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS

The ORR, PFS, OS was better in the CalliSphere group than that of infusion group; CEA and CYFRA21-1 were significant lower in CalliSphere group.

Antibiofilm Activity of Lactobacillus plantarum 12 Exopolysaccharides against Shigella flexneri

In developing countries, Shigella flexneri is the most common enteric pathogen causing bacillary dysentery. Biofilm formation by S. flexneri can cause the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, which poses serious threats to food safety and human health. In this study, the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum 12 exopolysaccharides (L-EPSs) and S. flexneri exopolysaccharides (S-EPSs) on S. flexneri CMCC51574 biofilm formation were investigated. The results showed that L-EPS could decrease polysaccharide production in the extracellular polymeric matrix of S. flexneri and inhibit biofilm formation by S. flexneri L-EPS could decrease the minimum biofilm elimination concentration (MBEC) of antibiotics against S. flexneri biofilm and inhibit S. flexneri adhesion to and invasion into HT-29 cell monolayers, which might be ascribed to S. flexneri biofilm disturbance by L-EPS. In contrast, S-EPS exhibited the opposite effects compared to L-EPS. The monosaccharide composition analysis showed that L-EPS was composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, galactosamine, glucose, galactose, and xylose, with the molar ratio of 32.26:0.99:1.79:5.63:0.05:4.07, while S-EPS was composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, galactosamine, glucose, and galactose, with the molar ratio of 25.43:2.28:7.13:5.35. L-EPS was separated into the neutral polysaccharide L-EPS 1-1 and the acidic polysaccharide L-EPS 2-1 by ion-exchange chromatography and gel chromatography. L-EPS 2-1 exerted higher antibiofilm activity than L-EPS 1-1. The antibiofilm activity of L-EPS might be associated with its structure.IMPORTANCES. flexneri is a widespread foodborne pathogen causing food contamination and responsible for food poisoning outbreaks related to various foods in developing countries. Not only has biofilm formation by S. flexneri been difficult to eliminate, but it has also increased the drug resistance of the strain. In the present study, it was demonstrated that L-EPSs secreted by Lactobacillus plantrum 12 could inhibit S. flexneri biofilm formation on, adhesion to, and invasion into HT-29 cells. Also, L-EPSs could decrease the minimum biofilm elimination concentration (MBEC) of the antibiotics used against S. flexneri biofilm. Therefore, L-EPSs were shown to be bioactive macromolecules with the potential ability to act against S. flexneri infections.

Mechanistic insight of predictive biomarkers for antitumor PD‑1/PD‑L1 blockade: A paradigm shift towards immunome evaluation (Review)

Checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy has exhibited unprecedented success in the treatment of advanced-stage cancer in recent years. Several therapeutic antibodies targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1) have received regulatory approvals for the treatment of multiple malignancies, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, kidney cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, a substantial proportion of patients still do not benefit from these agents, let alone the risk of immune-associated toxicities and financial burden. Therefore, it is imperative to identify valid predictive biomarkers which can help optimize the selection of patients. In this review, a mechanism-based interpretation of tumor PD-L1 expression and other candidate biomarkers of response to antitumor PD-1/PD-L1 blockade was provided, particularly for the tumor microenvironment-derived ‘immunomes’, and the challenges faced in their clinical use was addressed. Directions for future biomarker development and the potential of combined biomarker strategies were also proposed.

Low-Energy Facets on CdS Allomorph Junctions with Optimal Phase Ratio to Boost Charge Directional Transfer for Photocatalytic H2 Fuel Evolution

Low-energy facets on CdS allomorph junctions with optimal phase ratio are designed to boost charge directional transfer for photocatalytic H₂ fuel evolution. Fermi energy level difference between low-energy facets as driving force promotes electrons directional transfer to hexagonal CdS(102) facet and holes to cubic CdS(111) facet. The optimal allomorphs CdS presents superior photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 32.95 mmol g^-1 h^-1 with release in a large amount of visible H₂ bubbles, which is much higher than single-phase CdS with high-energy facets and even supports noble metal photocatalysts. This scientific perspective on low-energy facets of allomorph junctions with optimal phase ratio breaks the long-held view of pursuing high-energy crystal surfaces, which will break the understanding on surface structure crystal facet engineering of photocatalytic materials.

Role of the Bronchodilator Test Defined by the Forced Vital Capacity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Phenotyping

Purpose

In clinical practice, some chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experienced a remarkable increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) after bronchodilator administration, whereas forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) remains substantially unchanged. We assume this may relate to airway inflammatory type. We aim to analyze the clinical characteristics and explore the usefulness of the bronchodilator test, especially FVC, in this new COPD phenotype.

Patients and Methods

A total of 346 COPD patients with exacerbation who underwent bronchodilator tests, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements and blood eosinophil counts were analyzed. The characteristics, FeNO levels, and blood eosinophil counts were compared between patients with and without significant bronchodilator responsiveness in terms of FVC.

Results

Patients with significant FVC responsiveness displayed poorer lung function and higher FeNO levels compared with those without considerable FVC responsiveness (Z= −5.042 to −0.375, p=0.000–0.022). There is a discernible linear relationship between FeNO levels and FVC responsiveness to bronchodilator use (r=0.251, P=0.001). The application of bronchodilator responsiveness of FVC for detecting high FeNO levels in COPD patients exhibited relatively high sensitivity (61.8%) and specificity (86.7%).

Conclusion

We demonstrated that COPD patients with significant FVC responsiveness had higher FeNO levels than non-responders and established a simple method for detecting high FeNO values. FVC responders may be identified as a separate group of COPD patients.

InTeI: a novel wide-bandgap 2D material with desirable stability and highly anisotropic carrier mobility

Recently, stable 2D wide-bandgap semiconductors with excellent electronic and photoelectronic properties have attracted much scientific and technological interest. In this study, we predict a novel InTeI monolayer which has a wide bandgap of 2.735 eV and a anisotropic electron mobility as high as 12 137.80 cm² V^-1 s^-1 based on first-principles calculations. With an exfoliating energy lower than that of monolayer phosphorene, it is feasible to synthesize the 2D InTeI monolayer through mechanical exfoliation from their 3D bulk crystals. Remarkably, the monolayer InTeI achieves the indirect-to-direct bandgap transition under a small in-plane uniaxial strain, while a quasi-direct bandgap can be achieved in the InTeI nanosheets with elevated thickness. The InTeI monolayer and nanosheets have suitable band alignments in the visible-light excitation region. In addition, our theoretical simulations determine that 2D InTeI materials exhibit more excellent oxidation resistance than black phosphorene. The results not only identify a novel class of 2D wide-bandgap semiconductors but also demonstrate their potential applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.

Glycyrrhizin suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition by inhibiting high-mobility group box1 via the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway in lung epithelial cells

Background

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in fibrosis, chronic inflammation, tumor metastasis, etc. Glycyrrhizin, an active component extracted from licorice plant, has been reported to treat a variety of inflammatory reactions through inhibiting high-mobility group box1 (HMGB1), which has been suggested to be a significant mediator in EMT process. However, whether glycyrrhizin affects the EMT process or not remains unclear.

Methods

Human alveolar epithelial cell line A549 and normal human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B were treated with extrinsic TGF-β1 to induce EMT. Elisa was used to detect HMGB1 concentrations in cell supernatant. RNA interference and lentivirus infection experiments were performed to investigate the involvement of HMGB1 in EMT process. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the viability of A549 and BEAS-2B cells treated with glycyrrhizin. Finally, the effects of glycyrrhizin on EMT changes, as well as the underlying mechanisms, were evaluated via Western blot, immunofluorescence and transwell assays.

Results

Our results showed that HMGB1 expression was increased by TGF-β1, and knockdown of HMGB1 expression reversed TGF-β1-induced EMT in A549 and BEAS-2B cells. Ectopic HMGB1 expression or TGF-β1 treatment caused a significant increase in HMGB1 release. Notably, we found that glycyrrhizin treatment effectively suppressed TGF-β1-induced EMT process by inhibiting HMGB1. Also, glycyrrhizin significantly inhibited the migration of both A549 and BEAS-2B cells promoted by TGF-β1. Mechanistically, HMGB1 overexpression could activate Smad2/3 signaling in A549 and BEAS-2B cells. Glycyrrhizin significantly blocked the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 stimulated either by TGF-β1 or by ectopic HMGB1 in A549 and BEAS-2B cells.

Conclusions

HMGB1 is a vital mediator of EMT changes induced by TGF-β1 in lung epithelial cells. Importantly, glycyrrhizin can effectively block Smad2/3 signaling pathway through inhibiting HMGB1, thereby suppressing the EMT progress.