Enhanced Sensitivity of A549 Cells to Doxorubicin with WS2 and WSe2 Nanosheets via the Induction of Autophagy

The excellent physicochemical properties of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDCs) such as WS2 and WSe2 provide potential benefits for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, photothermal therapy, and bioimaging. WS2 and WSe2 have recently been used as chemosensitizers; however, the detailed molecular basis underlying WS2- and WSe2-induced sensitization remains elusive. Our recent findings showed that 2D TMDCs with different thicknesses and different element compositions induced autophagy in normal human bronchial epithelial cells and mouse alveolar macrophages at sublethal concentrations. Here, we explored the mechanism by which WS2 and WSe2 act as sensitizers to increase lung cancer cell susceptibility to chemotherapeutic agents. The results showed that WS2 and WSe2 enhanced autophagy flux in A549 lung cancer cells at sublethal concentrations without causing significant cell death. Through the autophagy-specific RT2 Profiler PCR Array, we identified the genes significantly affected by WS2 and WSe2 treatment. Furthermore, the key genes that play central roles in regulating autophagy were identified by constructing a molecular interaction network. A mechanism investigation uncovered that WS2 and WSe2 activated autophagy-related signaling pathways by interacting with different cell surface proteins or cytoplasmic proteins. By utilizing this mechanism, the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin was enhanced by WS2 and WSe2 pre-treatment in A549 lung cancer cells. This study revealed a feature of WS2 and WSe2 in cancer therapy, in which they eliminate the resistance of A549 lung cancer cells against doxorubicin, at least partially, by inducing autophagy.

The value of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Rationale and objectives

To establish a diagnostic model based on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical characteristics for diagnosing extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA).

Materials and methods

From April 2014 to September 2021, consecutive patients with extrahepatic bile duct lesions who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI within 1 month before pathological examination were retrospectively enrolled. Two radiologists blinded to clinicopathological information independently evaluated MR images. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant clinicoradiological features associated with eCCA, which were subsequently incorporated into a diagnostic model. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve.

Results

A total of 182 patients (mean age, 60.8 ± 10.0 years, 117 men) were included, 144 (79 %) of whom had pathologically confirmed eCCA. Diffusion restriction (odds ratio [OR], 8.32; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 2.88, 25.82; P < 0.001), indistinct outer margin (OR, 4.01; 95 % CI: 1.40, 11.84; P = 0.010), cholelithiasis (OR, 0.34; 95 % CI: 0.12, 1.00; P = 0.049), serum ln(carbohydrate antigen 125) (OR, 4.95; 95 % CI: 1.61, 18.55; P = 0.010), and serum ln(direct bilirubin) (OR, 1.82; 95 % CI: 1.29, 2.63; P < 0.001) were independently associated with eCCA. Incorporating the above 5 variables, a diagnostic model achieved an AUC of 0.912 (95 % CI: 0.859, 0.965), with well-fitted calibration curve (P = 0.815) and good clinical utility. Additionally, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the model were 83.33 %, 86.84 %, and 84.07 %, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed model integrating two MRI features (i.e., indistinct outer margin and diffusion restriction) and three clinical characteristics (i.e., cholelithiasis, lnCA125 and lnDBIL) enabled accurate diagnosis of eCCA. This tool holds the potential to facilitate an early diagnosis and thereby allow timely treatment interventions and improved clinical outcomes for patients with eCCA.

Observation of WZγ Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of WZγ production and a measurement of its cross section using 140.1±1.2  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The WZγ production cross section, with both the W and Z bosons decaying leptonically, pp→WZγ→ℓ^{'}^{±}νℓ^{+}ℓ^{-}γ (ℓ^{(^{'})}=e, μ), is measured in a fiducial phase-space region defined such that the leptons and the photon have high transverse momentum and the photon is isolated. The cross section is found to be 2.01±0.30(stat)±0.16(syst)  fb. The corresponding standard model predicted cross section calculated at next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics and at leading order in the electroweak coupling constant is 1.50±0.06  fb. The observed significance of the WZγ signal is 6.3σ, compared with an expected significance of 5.0σ.

Chemical Nose Strategy with Metabolic Labeling and "Antibiotic-Responsive Spectrum" Enables Accurate and Rapid Pathogen Identification

The worldwide antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dilemma urgently requires rapid and accurate pathogen phenotype discrimination and antibiotic resistance identification. The conventional protocols are either time-consuming or depend on expensive instrumentations. Herein, we demonstrate a metabolic-labeling-assisted chemical nose strategy for phenotyping classification and antibiotic resistance identification of pathogens based on the "antibiotic-responsive spectrum" of different pathogens. d-Amino acids with click handles were metabolically incorporated into the cell wall of pathogens for further clicking with dibenzocyclooctyne-functionalized upconversion nanoparticles (DBCO-UCNPs) in the presence/absence of six types of antibiotics, which generates seven-channel sensing responses. With the assistance of machine learning algorithms, eight types of pathogens, including three types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, can be well classified and discriminated in terms of microbial taxonomies, Gram phenotypes, and antibiotic resistance. The present metabolic-labeling-assisted strategy exhibits good anti-interference capability and improved discrimination ability rooted in the unique sensing mechanism. Sensitive identification of pathogens with 100% accuracy from artificial urinary tract infection samples at a concentration as low as 105 CFU/mL was achieved. Pathogens outside of the training set can also be discriminated well. This clearly demonstrated the potential of the present strategy in the identification of unknown pathogens in clinical samples.

Chinese Women's Concept of Childbirth Based on the Social Media Topic "What Does Childbirth Mean to a Woman": Content and Thematic Analysis

BACKGROUND

In recent years, women's fertility desire has attracted increasing attention in China.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to detect attitudes toward giving birth among young female users on Douban, a very popular Chinese social media platform.

METHODS

A total of 2634 valid posts from 2489 users discussing the topic "What does childbirth mean to a woman" on Douban were crawled and retained for analysis. We utilized content and thematic analysis methods to capture users' concepts of childbirth.

RESULTS

The findings reveal that a significant majority of users conveyed generally neutral (1060/2634, 40.24%) or negative (1051/2634, 39.90%) attitudes toward childbirth, while only about one-fifth of users expressed positive (523/2634, 19.86%) sentiments. Notably, posts with negative attitudes garnered more replies and likes, and the proportion of posts expressing negativity exhibited fluctuations over time. Health risk (339/2634, 12.87%) emerged as the most frequently cited aspect of childbirth cost, with subjective happiness and the fulfillment of mental needs identified as primary benefits. Surprisingly, only a minimal number of posts (10/2634, 0.38%) touched upon the traditional objective benefits of raising children for old-age care. Thematic analysis results suggest that discussions about fertility on social media platforms might contribute to an exaggerated perception of health risks among women. Additionally, a lack of knowledge about childbirth was observed, partially attributable to longstanding neglect and avoidance of communication on these matters, likely influenced by traditional cultural biases. Moreover, there is a prevailing assumption that women should naturally sacrifice themselves for childbirth and childcare, influenced by the idealization of the female figure. Consequently, women may harbor hesitations about having a baby, fearing the potential loss of their own identity in the process.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate a shift in the perception of childbirth among modern Chinese women over time, influenced by their increasing social status and the pursuit of self-realization. Implementing strategies such as public education on the health risks associated with pregnancy and delivery, safeguarding women's rights, and creating a supportive environment for mothers may enhance women's willingness to undergo childbirth.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.2196/preprints.50468.

Integrative Multianalytical Model Based on Novel Plasma Protein Biomarkers for Distinguishing Lung Adenocarcinoma and Benign Pulmonary Nodules

Given the pressing clinical problem of making a decision in diagnosis for subjects with pulmonary nodules, we aimed to discover novel plasma protein biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and benign pulmonary nodules (BPNs) and then develop an integrative multianalytical model to guide the clinical management of LUAD and BPN patients. Through label-free quantitative plasma proteomic analysis (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD046731), 12 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in LUAD and BPN were screened. The diagnostic abilities of DEPs were validated in two independent validation cohorts. The results showed that the levels of three candidate proteins (PRDX2, PON1, and APOC3) were lower in the plasma of LUAD than in BPN. The three candidate proteins were combined with three promising computed tomography indicators (spiculation, vascular notch sign, and lobulation) and three traditional markers (CEA, CA125, and CYFRA21-1) to construct an integrative multianalytical model, which was effective in distinguishing LUAD from BPN, with an AUC of 0.904, a sensitivity of 81.44%, and a specificity of 90.14%. Moreover, the model possessed impressive diagnostic performance between early LUADs and BPNs, with the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 0.868, 65.63%, 90.14%, and 82.52%, respectively. This model may be a useful auxiliary diagnostic tool for LUAD and BPN by achieving a better balance of sensitivity and specificity.

Amide proton transfer imaging in rats after heatstroke

Metabolic acidosis is the most common acid-base change following heatstroke. This study aimed to evaluate the internal environment changes caused by heatstroke using amide proton transfer (APT) imaging. Nineteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group (CTRL, n  = 7) and the heatstroke group (HS, n  = 12). All the rats underwent a 7.0-T MRI, which included T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and APT imaging. Subsequently, the surviving HS group rats repeated the same magnetic resonance scanning after 25 days and were designated as the follow-up group (FU, n  = 7). APT values were measured in the hippocampus, thalamus, and corpus callosum. The APT values of the three groups were statistically analyzed and found in the hippocampus (CTRL vs. HS, P  = 0.011; CTRL vs. FU, P  = 0.078; HS vs. FU, P  = 0.484; η ² = 0.276), left thalamus (CTRL vs. HS, P  = 0.004; CTRL vs. FU, P  = 0.014; HS vs. FU, P  = 0.822; η ² = 0.331), right thalamus (CTRL vs. HS, P  = 0.003; CTRL vs. FU, P  = 0.015; HS vs. FU P  = 0.769; η ² = 0.336), and corpus callosum (CTRL vs. HS, P  < 0.001; CTRL vs. FU, P  = 0.005; HS vs. FU, P  = 0.523; η ² = 0.437). APT imaging can be a viable and practical tool for diagnosing heatstroke and monitoring its progression.

The important role of whole-process computed tomography guidance for percutaneous gastrostomy in esophageal cancer patients who are unsuitable for or have had unsuccessful attempts with endoscopic and fluoroscopic gastrostomy

PURPOSE

To explore the value of clinical application with the whole process computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous gastrostomy in esophageal tumor patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A consecutive series of 32 esophageal tumor patients in whom endoscopic gastrostomy or fluoroscopy guided gastrostomy were considered too dangerous or impossible due to the esophagus complete obstruction, complicate esophageal mediastinal fistula, esophageal trachea fistula or severe heart disease. All of the 32 patients were included in this study from 2 medical center and underwent the gastrostomy under whole process CT guided.

RESULTS

All of the gastrostomy procedure was finished successfully under whole process CT guided and the technical success rate was 100%. The average time for each operation was 27 min. No serious complications occurred and the minor complications occurred in 3 patients, including local infection, severe hyperplasia of granulation tissue and tube dislodgment. There were no procedure related deaths.

CONCLUSION

The technical success rate of whole process CT guided percutaneous gastrostomy is high and the complication is low. This technique can be used feasible and effectively in some special patients.

Sociodemographic correlates with prevalence of comorbidities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a study from a Chinese National Survey

Background

An increase in the prevalence of comorbidities has been reported in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, contemporary estimates of the overall prevalence of the sociodemographic correlates of COPD comorbidities are scarce and inconsistent in China. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sociodemographic correlates of comorbidities in patients with COPD across China.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. We used data from the Enjoying Breathing Program between May 2020 and April 2022. Participants with COPD from 17 provinces (or equivalent) were included. Comorbidity clusters were stratified based on the number of comorbidities per person. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to determine the sociodemographic associations of patients with COPD with specific clusters of comorbidities after adjusting for age, sex, and other prespecified covariates. Tetrachoric correlation analyses were performed to determine the associations between specific comorbidities.

Findings

A total of 3913 participants with COPD were included, of whom 1744 (44.7%) had at least one comorbidity; 25.4% had one comorbid disease, 12.9% had two, and 6.4% had three or more concurrent diseases. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (17.8%), asthma (9.9%), bronchiectasis (8.2%), diabetes (8.2%), and coronary artery disease (7.7%). In the logistic regression models adjusted for a broad set of factors, patients with COPD residing in the east region of China and having health insurance experienced a decreased likelihood of comorbidities (from OR = 0.70 [95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.93] to OR = 0.50 [95% CI, 0.25-0.99]). However, patients over 80 years had increased risk (OR 1.43 [95% CI 1.01-2.03]), as did those in all Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) grade categories (grade 1: OR = 1.30 [95% CI, 1.02-1.65]; grade 2: OR = 1.39 [95% CI, 1.07-1.8]; grade 3: OR = 1.67 [95% CI, 1.23-2.26]; and grade 4: OR = 1.81 [95% CI, 1.00-3.28]) and in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2 classification (OR = 1.30 [95% CI, 1.03-1.65]) relative to their respective references. The associations observed in these subgroups were consistent regardless of the number of comorbidities per person. Tetrachoric correlations demonstrated negative associations in pairwise comparisons of the top five comorbidities, ranging from -0.03 to -0.31 (p < 0.001 in all groups).

Interpretation

In China, comorbidities are highly prevalent among patients with COPD, with older age, higher mMRC grade, and lung function decline being the major risk factors. Studies with larger sample sizes are required to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying COPD comorbidities.

Funding

This study was funded by CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS) (2021-I2M-1-049 and 2022-I2M-C&T-B-107).

Simple and rapid determination of triclabendazole and its metabolites in bovine and goat muscle tissue

Triclabendazole (TCB) is widely used for prevention and treatment of parasitic infections in animals. Improper use can result in drug residues in animal tissues and cause health problems to humans through consumption. A simple and reliable analytical method for the determination of TCB and its metabolites in bovine and goat muscle using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and validated. Analytes were extracted using acetonitrile and purified using enhanced matrix removal cartridge. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a BEH Shield RP18 column. The analytes were detected in positive-mode electrospray ionization mass spectrometry using multiple reaction monitoring. Average recoveries of 96.1%-105.6% with coefficients of variation of 1.9%-8.4% were obtained at fortification levels of 0.5, 2.5, 25, and 50 μg/kg for TCB and 5.0, 25, 250, and 500 μg/kg for its metabolites (triclabendazole sulfoxide, triclabendazole sulfone, and keto-TCB). A good linear regression was obtained with the mixed standard solutions in the range of 0.05-20 μg/L for TCB and 0.5-200 μg/L for its metabolites. The limit of quantification and limit of detection ranged from 0.05 to 0.75 μg/kg and from 0.1 to 1.5 μg/kg, respectively. Moreover, this method was successfully applied to 33 real samples.

Impaired pulp healing associated with underlying disorders in the dental pulp of rats with type 2 diabetes

Background/purpose

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), characterized by hyperglycemia, is a systematic disease affecting structure and healing ability in various tissues. This study aimed to investigate whether T2DM could impair the dental pulp healing and cause underlying pathological changes in the dental pulp before an injury occurred.

Materials and methods

Goto-Kakizaki rats were used as T2DM model animals and performed with direct pulp capping procedures on the first maxillary molars. The molars at 1, 2, 4 weeks after operation and non-injured molars were examined using hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining, and Masson's trichrome staining. The fresh dental pulp of maxillary incisors was collected for transmission electron microscopy and glucose content evaluation.

Results

The T2DM rats showed deficient reparative dentin formation compared with the healthy rats. Before the occurrence of an injury, underlying pathological changes of major components in the pulp tissue were observed in T2DM rats, including vasculopathy; collagen abnormalities; decreased proliferation, decreased odontogenetic differentiation and damaged ultrastructure of dental pulp cells. High glucose content and advanced glycation end products accumulation were further found in the pulp tissue in T2DM rats.

Conclusion

T2DM can impede pulp healing process in rats, which is associated with underlying pathological changes in the non-injured pulp caused by the advanced glycation end products accumulation under high-glucose conditions.

Extracellular contrast agent-enhanced MRI is as effective as gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI for predicting microvascular invasion in HCC

PURPOSE

To compare the performances of gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI (EOB-MRI) and extracellular contrast agent-enhanced MRI (ECA-MRI) for predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) in HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From November 2009 to December 2021, consecutive HCC patients who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI were retrospectively enrolled into either an ECA-MRI or EOB-MRI cohort. In the ECA-MRI cohort, a preoperative MVI score was constructed in the training dataset using a logistic regression model that evaluated pathological type. In a propensity score-matched testing dataset of the ECA-MRI cohort, the MVI score was validated and compared with a previously proposed EOB-MRI-based MVI score calculated in the EOB-MRI cohort. Time-to-early recurrence survival was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method with the log-rank test.

RESULTS

A total of 536 patients were included (478 men; 53 years, interquartile range, 46-62 years), 322 (60.1 %) with pathologically confirmed MVI. Based on the training dataset, independent variables associated with MVI included serum alpha-fetoprotein > 400 ng/ml (odds ratio [OR] = 2.3), infiltrative appearance (OR = 4.9), internal artery (OR = 2.5) and nodule-in-nodule architecture (OR = 2.4), which were incorporated into the ECA-MRI-based MVI score. The testing dataset AUC of the ECA-MRI score was 0.720, which was comparable to that of the EOB-MRI-based MVI score (AUC = 0.721; P =.99). Patients from either the ECA-MRI or the EOB-MRI cohort with model-predicted MVI had significantly shorter time-to-early recurrence than those without MVI (P <.001).

CONCLUSION

Based on the preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein and three MRI features, ECA-MRI demonstrated comparable performance to EOB-MRI for predicting MVI in HCC.

Critical Values of Daily Sedentary Time and Its Longitudinal Association with Mild Cognitive Impairment Considering APOE ε4: A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Long sedentary time and physical inactivity are negatively related to cognition, but the cut-off value remains unclear, and apolipoprotein E polymorphism ε4 (APOE ε4) is a known genetic risk factor of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

OBJECTIVES

To explore longitudinal association of sedentary time and MCI, and to identify a cutoff value that increases the risk of developing MCI, taking into account APOE ε4 stratification and its interactions.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Population-based study.

PARTICIPANTS

We included 4932 older adults from Tianjin Elderly Nutrition and Cognition (TENC) cohort study recruited from March 2018 to June 2021 with 3.11 years of median follow-up time.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome was newly diagnosed MCI, which was diagnosed by a modified version of the Petersen's criteria. The information of sedentary time (hours/day) and physical activity (MET-h/week) were obtained by questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard regression models and restricted spline curve were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 4932 participants were included (mean [SD] age, 67.85 [4.96] years; 2627 female [53.3%] and 2305 male [46.7%]), 740 newly onset MCI patients were identified. Longer sedentary time was associated with higher risk of MCI for all participants (HR:1.069, 95%CI: 1.034, 1.105), especially in APOE ε4 non-carriers (HR:1.083, 95%CI: 1.045, 1.123) whether adjusted potential confounders. Sedentary time had synergistic interactions with APOE ε4 (β:1.503, 95%CI: 1.163, 1.942) and physical activities (β: 1.495, 95%CI: 1.210, 1.846). Restricted spline curve showed a cut-off value of 3.03 hours/day.

CONCLUSIONS

Long sedentary time (≥3.03 hours/day) could increase MCI risk, especially in APOE ε4 non-carriers, people with higher PA, aged 65 and above.

Evaluating the clinical performance of SDC2/NDRG4 methylation for colorectal cancer detection

Purpose: The performance and clinical accuracy of combined SDC2/NDRG4 methylation were evaluated in diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced adenoma. Methods: A total of 2333 participants were enrolled to assess the sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers in diagnosing CRC in a multicenter clinical trial through feces DNA methylation tests. Results: SDC2/NDRG4 methylation showed excellent performance for CRC detection in biomarker research and the real world. Its sensitivity for detecting CRC, early CRC and advanced adenoma were 92.06%, 91.45% and 62.61%, respectively. Its specificity was 94.29%, with a total coincidence rate of 88.28%. When interference samples were included, the specificity was still good (82.61%). Therefore, the SDC2/NDRG4 methylation test showed excellent performance in detecting CRC and advanced adenoma under clinical application.

Bibliometric Analysis of Stem Cells in Ischemic Stroke (2001-2022): Trends, Hotspots and Prospects

Background: Ischemic stroke is a common cerebrovascular accident with a high risk of neurological deficits. Stem cell therapy has progressively attracted the interest of scientists and clinicians due to the benefits of promoting neural regeneration and regulating the microenvironment surrounding the lesion after ischemic stroke. Our study aimed to evaluate the development trends and research hotspots in the field of stem cells and ischemic stroke. Materials and methods: Publications related to stem cells and ischemic stroke were retrieved from the Web of Science from 2001 to 2022. Data analysis and mapping were performed using VOSviewer, Citespace and ImageGP. Results: In total, 1932 papers were included in the analysis. Publications have steadily increased over the past 22 years. China has contributed the maximum number of publications, whereas the USA ranked first in the total number of citations and was considered the center of the international collaboration network. University of South Florida, Henry Ford Hospital, and Oakland University were the most influential institutions. Stroke, Brain Research, and Neural Regeneration Research were the most productive journals. The research in this field was primarily focused on the effects of stem cells on neurogenesis, inflammation, and angiogenesis following ischemic stroke, as well as their therapeutic potential for the disease. In addition, neural stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells are the most commonly utilized stem cells. The topics related to miRNA, extracellular vesicles, exosomes, mesenchymal stem cells, neuroinflammation, and autophagy are current research hotspots. Conclusion: Our bibliometric study provides a novel perspective on the research trends in the field of stem cells and ischemic stroke. The outcome of this study may benefit scientists to identify research hotspots and development directions, thereby advancing the application of stem cell-based therapy for ischemic stroke.

Deciphering the genetic basis of resistome and virulome diversity among multidrug-resistant Mycoplasma hominis

Mycoplasma hominis, a commensal bacterium that commonly inhabits the genital tract, leading to infections in both the genitourinary and extragenital regions. However, the antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic mechanisms of M. hominis isolated from extra-urogenital cystic abscess is largely unknown. This study reports the genomic epidemiological characteristics of a M. hominis isolate recovered from a pelvic abscess sample in China. Genomic DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. De novo assembly was performed and in silico analysis was accomplished by multiple bioinformatics tools. For phylogenomic analysis, publicly available M. hominis genomes were retrieved from NCBI GenBank database. Whole genome sequencing data showed that the genome size of M. hominis MH4246 was calculated as 679,746 bp, with 558 protein-coding sequences and a G + C content of 26.9%. M. hominis MH4246 is resistant to fluoroquinolones and macrolides, harboring mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) (GyrA S153L, ParC S91I and ParE V417I) and 23S rRNA gene (G280A, C1500T, T1548C and T2218C). Multiple virulence determinants, such as tuf, hlyA, vaa, oppA, MHO_0730 and alr genes, were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the closest relative of M. hominis MH4246 was the strain MH-1 recovered from China, which differed by 3490 SNPs. Overall, this study contributes to the comprehension of genomic characteristics, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and the mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of this pathogen.

Prophylactic versus Preemptive modified donor lymphocyte infusion for high-risk acute leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a multicenter retrospective study

Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been widely used in preventing post-transplant relapse. We conducted this study to compare the superiority of prophylactic modified DLI (pro-DLI) and preemptive modified DLI (pre-DLI) in patients with high-risk relapse features acute leukemia. Pro-DLI was performed in 95 patients, whereas the pre-DLI cohort included 176 patients. In the pre-DLI cohort, 42 patients relapsed without chance for pre-DLI while 95 patients remained CR without detectable minimal residual disease (MRD). Thirty-nine patients in the pre-DLI cohort became minimal MRD positive/mixed chimerism and received pre-DLI. Pro-DLI cohort had higher 3-year progression-free-survival (PFS) (63.4%vs.53.0%, P = 0.026) and overall survival (OS) (65.2% vs. 57.0%, P = 0.14) compared to the pre-DLI cohort. The 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 25.3% in the pro-DLI cohort which was significantly lower than 36.7% in the pre-DLI cohort (P = 0.02). The cumulative incidence of grade III-IV aGVHD, cGVHD and non-relapse mortality were comparable between cohorts. Multivariable analysis demonstrated strong protective effect of pro-DLI on OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.63, P = 0.04), PFS (HR = 0.54, P = 0.005) and CIR (HR = 0.50, P = 0.005). In high-risk patients with acute leukemia, early scheduled pro-DLI rather than pre-DLI after detectable MRD would reduce post-transplant relapse and improve long-term survival.

Forsythiaside A exhibits anti-migration and anti-inflammation effects in rheumatoid arthritis in vitro model

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a kind of systemic autoimmune disease, and the joint inflammation and cartilage destruction are the major features. Some traditional Chinese medicine have been discovered to exhibit regulatory roles in the treatment of RA. Forsythiaside A (FA) as an active ingredient isolated from forsythia suspensa has been discovered to participate into the regulation of some diseases through improving inflammation. However, the regulatory effects of FA on the progression of RA keep indistinct.

METHODS

IL-1β treatment (10 ng/mL) in MH7A cells was built to mimic RA in vitro (cell) model. The cell viability was examined through CCK-8 assay. The cell proliferation was detected through Edu assay. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 were evaluated through ELISA. The protein expressions were measured through western blot. The cell apoptosis was assessed through flow cytometry. The cell migration and invasion abilities were tested through Transwell assay.

RESULTS

In this study, it was revealed that the cell proliferation was strengthened after IL-1β treatment (p < .001), but this effect was reversed after FA treatment in a dose-increasing manner (p < .05). Furthermore, FA suppressed inflammation in IL-1β-triggered MH7A cells through attenuating the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 (p < .05). The cell apoptosis was lessened after IL-1β treatment (p < .001), but this effect was rescued after FA treatment (p < .05). Besides, the cell migration and invasion abilities were both increased after IL-1β treatment (p < .001), but these changes were offset after FA treatment (p < .05). Eventually, FA retarded the JAK/STAT pathway through reducing p-JAK/JAK and p-STAT/STAT levels (p < .01).

CONCLUSION

Our study manifested that FA exhibited anti-migration and anti-inflammation effects in RA in vitro model (IL-1β-triggered MH7A cells) through regulating the JAK/STAT pathway. This work hinted that FA can be an effective drug for RA treatment.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species promote mitochondrial damage in high glucose-induced dysfunction and apoptosis of human dental pulp cells

Background/purpose

High glucose (HG)-induced aberrant proliferation, apoptosis and odontoblastic differentiation of dental pulp cells (DPCs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of impaired diabetic pulp healing; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and mitochondria in HG-induced dysfunction and apoptosis of DPCs.

Materials and methods

Human DPCs (hDPCs) were cultured in a low-glucose, high-glucose, mannitol, and MitoTEMPO medium in vitro. Methylthiazol tetrazolium assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and scratch-wound assay were used to analyze cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red S staining were used to evaluate cell differentiation. DCF-DA staining, MitoSOX staining, MitoTracker Red staining, JC-1 staining, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) kit assay were performed to investigate total ROS and mtROS generation, mitochondrial density, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and ATP synthesis, respectively. Quantitative PCR assay was performed to detect the mRNA expression of mitochondrial biogenesis- and dynamics-related markers. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure.

Results

HG augmented the production of total ROS and mtROS, and triggered mitochondrial damage in hDPCs, as reflected by decreased mitochondrial density, depolarized MMP, reduced ATP synthesis, altered mRNA expression of mitochondrial biogenesis- and dynamics-related markers, and abnormal mitochondrial ultrastructure. Supplementation of MitoTEMPO alleviated the mitochondrial damage and reversed the aberrant proliferation, apoptosis, migration and odontoblastic differentiation of HG-stimulated hDPCs.

Conclusion

HG triggers mitochondrial damage via augmenting mtROS generation, resulting in the inhibited proliferation, migration, and odontoblastic differentiation of hDPCs and enhanced their apoptosis.

When is the best time and grade to start ruxolitinib in corticosteroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host-disease: A multi-center research

OBJECTIVE

Ruxolitinib was recently approved to treat corticosteroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). However, it is unknown as to whether starting ruxolitinib at a lower versus higher acute GvHD grade or earlier versus later affected outcomes. This study identified the impact of starting acute GvHD grade and start time after declaring corticosteroid resistance and the effect on complete and overall response rates to ruxolitinib therapy.

METHODS

Retrospective, observational multi-center study. We divided cohorts into starting ruxolitinib ≤ 7 days (N = 45) versus at > 7 days after declaring corticosteroid resistance (N = 24).

RESULTS

In ≤ 7 days cohort complete response (CR) rates at day 28 were 69% (54, 81%) versus 25% (11, 47%; p = .001) in > 7 days cohort, and overall response (OR) rates were 91% (78, 96%) versus 80% (48, 92%; p = .25).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that starting ruxolitinib in ≤ 7 days of declaring corticosteroid failure regardless of G vHD grade improves complete response rate but not OR rates. Starting ruxolitinib at grade I and within 7 days may get a more significant response.

Combined Measurement of the Higgs Boson Mass from the H→γγ and H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ Decay Channels with the ATLAS Detector Using sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV pp Collision Data

A measurement of the mass of the Higgs boson combining the H→ZZ^{*}→4ℓ and H→γγ decay channels is presented. The result is based on 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS detector during LHC run 2 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV combined with the run 1 ATLAS mass measurement, performed at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding a Higgs boson mass of 125.11±0.09(stat)±0.06(syst)=125.11±0.11  GeV. This corresponds to a 0.09% precision achieved on this fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics.

The effects of esketamine on blood pressure and hypotension incidence during induction of bariatric surgery: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of obesity is high. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for severe obesity; however, the induction phase of anesthesia in these patients poses a risk of hypotension. Esketamine, known for its sympathetic nervous system stimulation, may stabilize blood pressure during induction. This study aimed to investigate the effects of esketamine on blood pressure in bariatric surgery patients.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial included 145 patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive esketamine or a control intervention during induction. Blood pressure and other vital signs were measured and compared between the 2 groups using statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Administration of esketamine increased blood pressure before intubation (T2). The incidence of hypotension was lower in the esketamine group at multiple time points during induction. Postoperatively, the esketamine group exhibited lower pain scores at 24 hours and a reduced need for rescue analgesics.

CONCLUSION

A single dose of 0.2 mg/kg esketamine during the induction phase of bariatric surgery can improve blood pressure stability and decrease the incidence of hypotension. Furthermore, it is associated with reduced postoperative pain. Future studies could explore the effects of higher esketamine doses and validate these findings in a larger and more diverse patient population.

Search for Dark Photons in Rare Z Boson Decays with the ATLAS Detector

A search for events with a dark photon produced in association with a dark Higgs boson via rare decays of the standard model Z boson is presented, using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dark boson decays into a pair of dark photons, and at least two of the three dark photons must each decay into a pair of electrons or muons, resulting in at least two same-flavor opposite-charge lepton pairs in the final state. The data are found to be consistent with the background prediction, and upper limits are set on the dark photon's coupling to the dark Higgs boson times the kinetic mixing between the standard model photon and the dark photon, α_{D}ϵ^{2}, in the dark photon mass range of [5, 40] GeV except for the ϒ mass window [8.8, 11.1] GeV. This search explores new parameter space not previously excluded by other experiments.

Identification and verification of three autophagy-related genes as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of psoriasis

Psoriasis vulgaris is the most common form of the four clinical types. However, early diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris is difficult due to the lack of effective biomarkers. The aim of this study was to screen potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of psoriasis. In our study, we downloaded the original data from GSE30999 and GSE41664, and the autophagy-related genes list from human autophagy database to identify differentially expressed autophagy-related genes (DERAGs) by R software. Then Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for DERAGs. DERAGs were validated by the other four databases (GSE13355, GSE14905, GSE6710, and GSE55201) to screen biomarkers with high diagnostic value for the early diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris. Finally, DERAGs were verified in our clinical blood samples by ELISA. A total of 12 DERAGs were identified between 123 paired non-lesional and lesional skin samples from patients with psoriasis vulgaris. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis indicated the TORC2 complex was more enriched and the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway was mostly enriched. Three autophagy-related genes (BIRC5, NAMPT and BCL2) were identified through bioinformatics analysis and verified by ELISA in clinical blood samples. And these genes showed high diagnostic value for the early diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris. We identified three autophagy-related genes (BIRC5, NAMPT and BCL2) with high diagnostic value for the early diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris through bioinformatics analysis and clinical samples. Therefore, we proposed that BIRC5, NAMPT and BCL2 may be as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris. In addition, BIRC5, NAMPT and BCL2 may affect the development of psoriasis by regulating autophagy.

Synergistic photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption boost arsenic removal by in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 and nitrogen deficiency C3N4 heterojunction

The efficient removal of arsenic from wastewater is still a challenge. In this paper, a heterojunction consisting of in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 and nitrogen deficiency g-C3N4 (C/TiO2@ND-C3N4) has been constructed, which can completely oxidize As(III) (10,000 μg/L, 40 mL) to As(V) within 12 min under visible light and simultaneously adsorb total As (95.0%) with the pseudo-secondary kinetic equation, superior than in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 (75.0%) and nitrogen deficiency g-C3N4 (50.5%). The good photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption performances of C/TiO2@ND-C3N4 on As(III) removal can be attributed to the successful synthesis of heterojunction. On one hand, the building of C-O-Ti interfacial chemical bonds enable rapid electron transfer and improve the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation. On the other hand, the decreased As(V) adsorption energy resulted from the synthesized heterojunction boost the adsorption capability of As(V), which was completed by the generation of O-As bonds with oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of TiO2 and hydrogen bonds with high content pyrrole nitrogen derived from ND-C3N4, respectively. The results manifest that the preparation of bifunctional materials with both photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption properties provides a new strategy to achieve the removal of As.

Combined effect of ozone and household air pollution on COPD in people aged less than 50 years old

OBJECTIVES

Air pollution has been suggested as an important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, evidence of interactive effects on COPD between different factors was sparse, especially for young adults. We aimed to assess the combined effects of ambient ozone (O3) and household air pollution on COPD in young individuals.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based study of residents aged 15-50 years in the low-income and middle-income regions of western China. We used multivariable logistic regression models to examine the associations between long-term ozone exposure and COPD in young individuals.

RESULTS

A total of 6537 young cases were identified among the participants, with a COPD prevalence rate of 7.8 (95% CI 7.2% to 8.5%), and most young COPD individuals were asymptomatic. Exposure to household air pollution was associated with COPD in young patients after adjustment for other confounding factors (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.37). We also found positive associations of COPD with O3 per IQR increase of 20 ppb (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.59 to 2.32). The individual effects of household air pollution and O3 were 1.68 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.46) and 1.55 (95% CI 0.99 to 2.43), respectively, while their joint effect was 3.28 (95% CI 2.35 to 4.69) with the relative excess risk due to interaction of 1.05 (95% CI 0.33 to 1.78).

CONCLUSIONS

This study concludes that exposure to ambient O3 and household air pollution might be important risk factors for COPD among young adults, and simultaneous exposure to high levels of the two pollutants may intensify their individual effects.

Quality evaluation of Keteling capsules based on fingerprinting, multicomponent quantification, and quantitative prediction

The Keteling capsule (KC) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) made from the dried extract of Ficus microphylla and an appropriate amount of chlorpheniramine maleate. It is widely used to treat cough and relieve asthma. Despite its extensive usage, a rapid and comprehensive quality evaluation strategy for KC remains a challenge. This study introduces an electrochemical fingerprint analysis technique, in addition to the commonly employed HPLC fingerprints, for efficient and convenient quality evaluation. Moreover, a cost-effective, rapid, and accurate multi-component quantification technique known as the "Multi-markers assay by the monolinear method (MAML)" and the "FT-IR quantitative model" were explored. The HPLC fingerprints were evaluated using a systematically quantified fingerprint method, while the electrochemical fingerprints, based on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillation reaction principle, were effectively analyzed and characterized using oxidation induction times and oscillation lifetimes. Multi-component quantitative analysis was carried out through the MAML and FT-IR quantitative models. The HPLC fingerprint successfully classified the 22 samples into eight grades with excellent discrimination. Active ingredient content analysis was achieved using reliable parameters obtained from electrochemical fingerprinting. The no significant difference in the quantitative results proves the accuracy of the MAML method. Additionally, successful FT-IR quantitative prediction models were developed for chlorogenic acid, isovitexin, and chlorpheniramine maleate. This study offers a dependable and effective approach for enhancing the quality control of KC, and it can provide new insights for improving the quality analysis methods in the field of TCM.

[Association between hair trace element and all-cause death in elderly people in Hainan]

Objective: To explore the association between hair trace element and all-cause death in the elderly in Hainan Province. Methods: The subjects of the study were elderly people from China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study, a total of 163 elderly were included. The association between hair trace element level and all-cause death was analyzed by using Cox proportional risk regression model. Results: After fully adjusting the covariates, the multiple Cox proportional hazards regression analyses showed that selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), strontium (Sr) concentrations in hair were significantly associated with all-cause mortality, the hazard ratio (HR) were 0.72 (95%CI: 0.54-0.98, P=0.035), 1.50 (95%CI: 1.07-2.11, P=0.020) and 0.54 (95%CI: 0.37-0.79, P=0.001), respectively. Subgroup and cross analysis showed that hair copper (Cu) were significant association with death in the people with anemia, the HR were 1.81 (95%CI: 1.13-2.88, P=0.013). And, hair Mn interacted with anemia, the HR was 0.46 (95%CI: 0.22-0.94, P=0.033). Conclusions: Se, Mn and Sr concentrations in hair were associated with the elevated risk for all-cause death in the elderly in Hainan. Se, Mn and Sr concentrations in hair can be used as a reference index for the prediction of the death risk of long-lived elderly in community, suggesting that the daily diet of elderly people are rich and diverse, in order to maintain normal and balanced trace element content in the body.

[Analysis of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary coagulation factor Ⅻ deficiency due to compound heterozygous variants of F12 gene]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical phenotypes and genetic variants of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary coagulation factor Ⅻ (FⅫ) deficiency.

METHODS

A pedigree presented at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University on December 24,2021 was selected as the study subject. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and coagulation factor Ⅻ activity (FⅫ:C) were determine by a clotting method, and FⅫ antigen was detected with an ELISA assay. Following the extraction of genomic DNA, all exons and flanking regions of the F12 gene were subjected to Sanger sequencing. Clustalx-2.1-win, PROVEAN and Swiss-PDB Viewer software was used to analyze the conservation of amino acids at the variant sites, impact of of the variants on the amino acid substitutions and the protein structure.

RESULTS

The APTT of the proband has prolonged to 70.2 s. Her FⅫ:C and FⅫ:Ag have decreased to 12% and 13%, respectively. DNA sequencing revealed that the proband has harbored c.346G>A (p.Gly97Ser) and c.1583C>A (p.Ser509Tyr) heterozygous compound missense variants in exons 5 and 13 of the F12 gene, respectively. Her father and sister were heterozygous carriers for the c.346G>A (p.Gly97Ser) variant, whilst her mother and brother were heterozygous for the c.1583C>A (p.Ser509Tyr) variant.

CONCLUSION

The c.346G>A (p.Gly97Ser) and c.1583C>A (p.Ser509Tyr) compound heterozygous variants of the F12 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of hereditary coagulation FⅫ deficiency in this pedigree.

Microencapsulated Sodium Butyrate Alleviates Immune Injury and Intestinal Problems Caused by Clostridium Perfringens through Gut Microbiota

Microencapsulated sodium butyrate (MS-SB) is an effective sodium butyrate additive which can reduce the release of sodium butyrate (SB) in the fore gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we assess the protective effects and mechanisms of MS-SB in Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens)-challenged broilers. Broiler chickens were pre-treated with SB or MS-SB for 56 days and then challenged with C. perfringens three times. Our results indicate that the addition of MS-SB or SB before C. perfringens infection significantly decreased the thymus index (p < 0.05). Serum IgA, IgY, and IgM concentrations were significantly increased (p < 0.05), while pro-inflammatory IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) under MS-SB or SB supplementation. Compared with SB, MS-SB presented a stronger performance, with higher IgA content, as well as a lower IL-1β level when normal or C. perfringens-challenged. While C. perfringens challenge significantly decreased the villus height (p < 0.05), MS-SB or SB administration significantly increased the villus height and villus height/crypt depth (V/C ratio) (p < 0.05). Varying degrees of SB or MS-SB increased the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during C. perfringens challenge, where MS-SB presented a stronger performance, as evidenced by the higher content of isovaleric acid and valeric acid. Microbial analysis demonstrated that both SB or MS-SB addition and C. perfringens infection increase variation in the microbiota community. The results also indicate that the proportions of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Clostridia, Ruminococcaceae, Alistipes, and Clostridia were significantly higher in the MS-SB addition group while, at same time, C. perfringens infection increased the abundance of Bacteroides and Alistipes. In summary, dietary supplementation with SB or MS-SB improves the immune status and morphology of intestinal villi, increases the production of VFAs, and modulates cecal microbiota in chickens challenged with C. perfringens. Moreover, MS-SB was more effective than SB with the same supplemental amount.

Intestinal Symptoms Among Children aged 2-7 Years with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 13 Cities of China

BACKGROUND

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial, pervasive, neurodevelopmental disorder, of which intestinal symptoms collectively represent one of the most common comorbidities.

METHODS

In this study, 1,222 children with ASD and 1,206 typically developing (TD) children aged 2-7 years were enrolled from 13 cities in China. Physical measurement and basic information questionnaires were conducted in ASD and TD children. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were used to evaluate the clinical symptoms of children with ASD. The six-item Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI) was used to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal symptoms in two groups.

RESULTS

The detection rates of constipation, stool odor, and total intestinal symptoms in ASD children were significantly higher than those in TD children (40.098% vs. 25.622%, 17.021% vs. 9.287%, and 53.601% vs. 41.294%, respectively). Autistic children presenting with intestinal comorbidity had significantly higher scores on the ABC, SRS, CARS, and multiple subscales than autistic children without intestinal symptoms, suggesting that intestinal comorbidity may exacerbates the core symptoms of ASD children.

CONCLUSION

Intestinal dysfunction was significantly more common in autistic than in TD children. This dysfunction may aggravate the core symptoms of children with ASD.

Design, Synthesis, and Cellular Imaging Application of a Fluorescent Probe Based on Fluoride Ion-Induced Cyclization of Phenothiazine Derivatives

Fluoride is both necessary and potentially harmful in excessive amounts, making its detection crucial. Fluorescent probes provide a sensitive and selective means for this purpose. In this study, we developed and synthesized a fluorescent probe for LDT using phenothiazine derivatives and aryl vinyl nitrile. Initially non-fluorescent, the probe undergoes a Si-O bond breakage in the presence of fluoride ions, resulting in the formation of a larger conjugated system and subsequent fluorescence emission. The probe exhibits superior selectivity and sensitivity towards fluoride ions, with a detection limit of 0.35 µM. Moreover, cellular imaging experiments demonstrated the probe's effectiveness in recognizing fluoride ions within HepG2 cells.

Validation of COPD Population Screener Questionnaire in Chinese Population: A National Multicenter Study

INTRODUCTION

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and underdiagnosed worldwide. The validity and reliability of COPD Population Screening (COPD-PS) questionnaire are not properly known in a large-sample Chinese population.

METHODS

This is a national multicenter prospective study that enrolled 1,824 outpatients from 12 hospital sites in China. Scores of the Chinese version of COPD-PS questionnaire, demographic data, and clinical information were collected. The validity and the test-retest reliability were evaluated.

RESULTS

1,824 participants were involved in this study, and 404 (22.1%) were diagnosed with COPD. The overall area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) for COPD-PS questionnaire was 0.761 (95% CI: 0.734-0.787). A cut-off point of 4 was recommended, corresponding to a sensitivity of 74.50% and a specificity of 64.37%. The COPD-PS questionnaire showed an overall Pearson's correlation of 0.88.

CONCLUSIONS

The COPD-PS questionnaire can be used in screening COPD patients from the general Chinese population with respiratory symptoms.

Targeting nucleolin improves sensitivity to chemotherapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

PURPOSE

Most patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are treated with chemotherapy as primary care. Although the treatment response is usually positive, resistance and relapse often occur via unknown mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with chemotherapy resistance in ALL. Here, we present clinical and experimental evidence that overexpression of nucleolin (NCL), a multifunctional nucleolar protein, is linked to drug resistance in ALL.

METHODS

NCL mRNA and protein levels were compared between cell lines and patient samples using qRT-PCR and immunoblotting. NCL mRNA levels were compared between patients of different disease stages from our clinic patients' specimens and publicly available ALL patient datasets. Cells and patient-derived xenograft mouse experiments were performed to assess the effect of NCL inhibition on ALL chemotherapy effectiveness.

RESULTS

Analysis of patient specimens, and publicly available RNA-sequencing datasets revealed a strong correlation between the abundance of NCL and disease relapse or poor survival in B-ALL. Altering NCL expression results in changes in drug sensitivity in ALL cell lines. High levels of NCL upregulated components of the ATP-binding cassette transporters via activation of the ERK pathway, resulting in a decrease in drug accumulation inside the cells. Targeting NCL with AS1411, an NCL-binding oligonucleotide aptamer, significantly increased the sensitivity of ALL cell lines and cells/patient-derived ALL xenograft mice to chemotherapeutic drugs and prolonged mouse survival.

CONCLUSION

Our results highlight NCL as a prognostic marker in B-ALL and a potential therapeutic target to combat chemotherapy resistance in ALL.

LncRNA HOX transcript antisense RNA mediates hyperglycemic-induced injury in the renal tubular epithelial cell via the miR-126-5pAkt axis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the involvement of HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) in the injury of renal tubular epithelial cells induced by high glucose. Results: In high glucose-induced HK-2 cells, the expression of HOTAIR was upregulated, resulting in suppressed cell proliferation. Meanwhile, HOTAIR upregulates the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved caspase-3, while downregulating the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that HOTAIR could target miR-126-5p. Additionally, it was found that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway serves as a downstream target of miR-126-5p. Knockdown of HOTAIR relieved apoptosis, whereas further inhibition of miR-126-5p led to apoptosis in HK-2 cells. Conclusions: HOTAIR plays a regulatory role in mediating high glucose-induced injuries in HK-2 cells, specifically affecting apoptosis and cell viability, via the miR-126-5p/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

PEX13 is a potential immunotherapeutic indicator and prognostic biomarker for various tumors including PAAD

The peroxisome serves a significant role in the occurrence and development of cancers. Specifically, the peroxisomal biogenesis factor 13 (PEX13) is crucial to the occurrence of peroxisomes. However, the biological function of PEX13 in cancers remains unclear. To address this, various portals and databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas Program, The Genotype-Tissue Expression project, the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2, cBioPortal, the Genomic Identification of Significant Targets In Cancer 2.0, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource 2, SangerBox, LinkedOmics, DAVID and STRING were applied to extract and analyze PEX13 data in tumors. The correlations between PEX13 and prognosis, genetic alterations, PEX13-related gene enrichment analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), protein interaction, long non-coding (lnc)RNA/circular (circ)RNA-micro (mi)RNA network and tumor immunity were explored in various tumors. The lncRNA-miRNA-PEX13 and circRNA-miRNA-PEX13 regulatory networks were identified via miRabel, miRDB, TargetScan and ENCORI portals and Cytoscape tool. In vitro assays were applied to verify the biological functions of PEX13 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) cells. The findings revealed that PEX13 is upregulated in various tumors and high PEX13 mRNA expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with multiple cancers. Genetic alterations in PEX13 such as amplification, mutation and deep deletion have been found in multiple cancers. PEX13-related genes were associated with T cell receptor, signaling pathway and hippo signaling pathway through 'biological process' subontology of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. Through WGCNA analysis, it was discovered that PEX13 hub genes were mainly enriched in the Rap1, ErbB and AMPK signaling pathways in PAAD. Immune analysis showed that PEX13 was significantly related to tumor infiltration immune cells, immune checkpoint genes, microsatellite instability, TMB and tumor purity in a variety of tumors. Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, Transwell and colony formation assays displayed that PEX13 knockdown could suppress PAAD cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation in vitro, respectively. Overall, PEX13 is a potential predictor of immunotherapeutic and prognostic biomarkers in various malignant tumors, including ACC, KICH, LGG, LIHC and PAAD.

Effects of rTMS combined with rPMS on stroke patients with arm paralysis after contralateral seventh cervical nerve transfer: a case-series

OBJECTIVE

We conducted this study to evaluate the effect of rTMS combined with rPMS on stroke patients with arm paralysis after CSCNTS.

METHODS

A case-series of four stroke patients with arm paralysis, ages ranging from 39 to 51 years, that underwent CSCNTS was conducted. Patients were treated with 10 HZ rTMS on the contralesional primary motor cortex combined with 20 HZ rPMS on groups of elbow and wrist muscles for 15 days.

RESULTS

The muscle tone of elbow flexor muscle (EFM), elbow extensor muscle (EEM), wrist flexor muscle (WFM) and flexor digitorum (FD) reduced immediately after operation followed by increasing gradually. After rehabilitation, the muscle tone of EEM and EFM reduced by 14% and 11%, respectively. There was a 13% and 45% change ratio in WFM and FD. The numeric rating scale (mean = 5.75 ± 1.71) was significantly lower (mean = 3.25 ± 1.90, t = 8.66, p = .00). Grip and pinch strength (mean = 23.65 ± 4.91; mean = 4.9 ± 0.59) were significantly higher (mean = 34.63 ± 5.23, t = -61.07, p = .00; mean = 7.1 ± 0.73, t = -13.91, p = .00).

CONCLUSIONS

The rehabilitation of stroke patients with arm paralysis after CSCNTS is a long, complicated process which includes great change of neuropathic pain, muscle tone, and muscle strength. In order to enhance the neural connection between the contralesional hemisphere and the hemiplegic limb, alleviate postoperative complications, as well as accelerate the rehabilitation process, we can consider to use rTMS combined with rPMS.

Global burden and inequality of autism spectrum disorders: Based on data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study

It is unclear whether the health equity of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has changed in different years, regions, and gender. The aims of this study were to provide a comprehensive description of the ASDs burden and provide evidence for improvement in health policies regarding ASDs inequality. This study is a population-based cross-sectional study based on the Global Burden of Disease datasets 1990-2019. We collected detailed information on ASDs between 1990 and 2019 in 204 countries worldwide, derived from the Global Burden of Disease study in 2019. Burden was calculated in terms of the incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs). Concentration curves and concentration indices were used to summarize the degree of income-related inequality in the burden of ASDs. The overall age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) and age-standardized YLDs rate (ASYR) of ASDs was 9.3 (95 %UI 7.7-11.1), 369.4 (95 %UI 305.9-441.2), 56.3 (95 %UI 36.8-81.5) per 100,000 people, respectively. The ASIR, ASPR and ASYR of ASDs affected three times as many males as females. The changing trends of age-standardized rates of ASDs showed that the ASIR of ASDs a slow growing trend globally. However, the ASPR and ASYR of ASDs showed a slow decreasing trend globally. All the concentration curves were below the line of equality and statistically significant. There was no significant difference in the age-standardized rate for different years in socio-demographic index-related inequality happened over 29 years (p > 0.05). The global burden of ASDs has remained higher in males and pro-rich, the income-related inequality tended not to change between 1990 and 2019.

Engineered Antiviral Sensor Targets Infected Mosquitoes

Escalating vector disease burdens pose significant global health risks, as such innovative tools for targeting mosquitoes are critical. CRISPR-Cas technologies have played a crucial role in developing powerful tools for genome manipulation in various eukaryotic organisms. Although considerable efforts have focused on utilizing class II type II CRISPR-Cas9 systems for DNA targeting, these modalities are unable to target RNA molecules, limiting their utility against RNA viruses. Recently, the Cas13 family has emerged as an efficient tool for RNA targeting; however, the application of this technique in mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti, has yet to be fully realized. In this study, we engineered an antiviral strategy termed REAPER (vRNA Expression Activates Poisonous Effector Ribonuclease) that leverages the programmable RNA-targeting capabilities of CRISPR-Cas13 and its potent collateral activity. REAPER remains concealed within the mosquito until an infectious blood meal is uptaken. Upon target viral RNA infection, REAPER activates, triggering programmed destruction of its target arbovirus such as chikungunya. Consequently, Cas13-mediated RNA targeting significantly reduces viral replication and viral prevalence of infection, and its promiscuous collateral activity can even kill infected mosquitoes within a few days. This innovative REAPER technology adds to an arsenal of effective molecular genetic tools to combat mosquito virus transmission.

Multitrait meta-analyses identify potential candidate genes for growth-related traits in Holstein heifers

Understanding the underlying pleiotropic relationships among growth and body size traits is important for refining breeding strategies in dairy cattle for optimal body size and growth rate. Therefore, we performed single-trait GWAS for monthly-recorded body weight (BW), hip height, body length, and chest girth from birth to 12 mo of age in Holstein animals, followed by stepwise multiple regression of independent or lowly-linked markers from GWAS loci using conditional and joint association analyses (COJO). Subsequently, we conducted a multitrait meta-analysis to detect pleiotropic markers. Based on the single-trait GWAS, we identified 170 significant SNPs, in which 59 of them remained significant after the COJO analyses. The most significant SNP, located at BTA7:3,676,741, explained 2.93% of the total phenotypic variance for BW6 (BW at 6 mo of age). We identified 17 SNPs with potential pleiotropic effects based on the multitrait meta-analyses, which resulted in 3 additional SNPs in comparison to those detected based on the single-trait GWAS. The identified quantitative trait loci regions overlap with genes known to influence human growth-related traits. According to positional and functional analyses, we proposed HMGA2, HNF4G, MED13L, BHLHE40, FRZB, DMP1, TRIB3, and GATAD2A as important candidate genes influencing the studied traits. The combination of single-trait GWAS and meta-analyses of GWAS results improved the efficiency of detecting associated SNPs, and provided new insights into the genetic mechanisms of growth and development in Holstein cattle.

Malnutrition significantly affected centenarian prognoses: A prospective study with 5-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

The world is currently facing a much-needed conundrum, and population aging has become an important worldwide problem. Appropriate nutritional intervention could prolong survival time and reduce mortality rate. However, scarce study has involved the effects of nutrition on survival time in centenarians and evaluated the malnutrition with prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in relation to healthy aging. This prospective study was designed to investigate the effects of malnutrition through PNI assessment on mortality rate and survival time with 5-year follow-up in Chinese centenarians.

METHODS

A household survey was conducted on the centenarians in 18 cities and counties of Hainan province, and malnutrition was evaluated by PNI as an effective tool in 423 centenarians followed up for 5-year.

RESULTS

Prevalence of malnutrition was 19.4%. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower and malnutrition was significantly more in the dead group than those in the survival group (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that BMI [Hazard ratio (HR): 0.913; 95%CI: 0.854-0.977] negatively affected mortality rate, whereas malnutrition (HR: 2.630; 95%CI:1.474-4.695) positively affected mortality rate in centenarians (all P < 0.05). When BMI was <18.5 kg/m2, malnutrition (HR: 4.401; 95%CI: 1.948-9.943) also positively affected mortality rate (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This prospective study with 5-year follow-up demonstrated that malnutrition had positive effect on mortality rate, especially when BMI was lower than 18.5 kg/m2, in Chinese centenarians. In order to reduce mortality rate and prolong survival time, it is essential to pay attention to malnutrition in elderly population.

Dermatophagoides farinae microRNAs released to external environments via exosomes regulate inflammation-related gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells

Background

Dermatophagoides farinae (DFA) is an important species of house dust mites (HDMs) that causes allergic diseases. Previous studies have focused on allergens with protein components to explain the allergic effect of HDMs; however, there is little knowledge on the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the allergic effect of HDMs. This study aimed to unravel the new mechanism of dust mite sensitization from the perspective of cross-species transport of extracellular vesicles-encapsulated miRNAs from HDMs.

Methods

Small RNA (sRNA) sequencing was performed to detect miRNAs expression profiles from DFA, DFA-derived exosomes and DFA culture supernatants. A quantitative fluorescent real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was used to detect miRNAs expression in dust specimens. BEAS-2B cells endocytosed exosomes were modeled in vitro to detect miRNAs from DFA and the expression of related inflammatory factors. Representative dfa-miR-276-3p and dfa-novel-miR2 were transfected into BEAS-2B cells, and then differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by RNA sequencing. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) terms enrichment analyses were performed on the first 300 nodes of DEGs.

Results

sRNA sequencing identified 42 conserved miRNAs and 66 novel miRNAs in DFA, DFA-derived exosomes, and DFA culture supernatants. A homology analysis was performed on the top 18 conserved miRNAs with high expression levels. The presence of dust mites and miRNAs from HDMs in living environment were also validated. Following uptake of DFA-derived exosomes by BEAS-2B cells, exosomes transported miRNAs from DFA to target cells and produced pro-inflammatory effects in corresponding cells. RNA sequencing identified DEGs in dfa-miR-276-3p and dfa-novel-miR2 transfected BEAS-2B cells. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed the role of exosomes with cross-species transporting of DFA miRNAs in inflammatory signaling pathways, such as JAK-STAT signaling pathway, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and IL-6-mediated signaling pathway.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate the miRNAs expression profiles in DFA for the first time. The DFA miRNAs are delivered into living environments via exosomes, and engulfed by human bronchial epithelial cells, and cross-species regulation may contribute to inflammation-related processes.

5-aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy for a refractory severe kerion: A case report

Kerion is a subtype of tinea capitis with a severe inflammatory response, requiring early diagnosis to prevent secondary bacterial infection, folliculitis and permanent alopecia. Oral antifungal drugs are considered the first-line treatment for tinea capitis; however, drugs therapy is challenged by the long treatment duration, side effects, and drug resistance. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been widely used to treat dermatomycosis and has shown significant efficacy in recent years. We report the case of a girl who presented with refractory severe kerion following unregulated treatment and insensitivity to itraconazole; however,she was cured with 5-aminolevulinic acid-PDT. The case showed that PDT is a potentially promising alternative treatment for cutaneous fungal infections.

Assigning mutational signatures to individual samples and individual somatic mutations with SigProfilerAssignment

MOTIVATION

Analysis of mutational signatures is a powerful approach for understanding the mutagenic processes that have shaped the evolution of a cancer genome. To evaluate the mutational signatures operative in a cancer genome, one first needs to quantify their activities by estimating the number of mutations imprinted by each signature.

RESULTS

Here we present SigProfilerAssignment, a desktop and an online computational framework for assigning all types of mutational signatures to individual samples. SigProfilerAssignment is the first tool that allows both analysis of copy-number signatures and probabilistic assignment of signatures to individual somatic mutations. As its computational engine, the tool uses a custom implementation of the forward stagewise algorithm for sparse regression and nonnegative least squares for numerical optimization. Analysis of 2700 synthetic cancer genomes with and without noise demonstrates that SigProfilerAssignment outperforms four commonly used approaches for assigning mutational signatures.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

SigProfilerAssignment is available under the BSD 2-clause license at https://github.com/AlexandrovLab/SigProfilerAssignment with a web implementation at https://cancer.sanger.ac.uk/signatures/assignment/.

MetaboliteCOVID: A manually curated database of metabolite markers for COVID-19

In the realm of unraveling COVID-19's intricacies, numerous metabolomic investigations have been conducted to discern the unique metabolic traits exhibited within infected patients. These endeavors have yielded a substantial reservoir of potential data pertaining to metabolic biomarkers linked to the virus. Despite these strides, a comprehensive and meticulously structured database housing these crucial biomarkers remains absent. In this study, we developed MetaboliteCOVID, a manually curated database of COVID-19-related metabolite markers. The database currently comprises 665 manually selected entries of significantly altered metabolites associated with early diagnosis, disease severity, prognosis, and drug response in COVID-19, encompassing 337 metabolites. Additionally, the database offers a user-friendly interface, containing abundant information for querying, browsing, and analyzing COVID-19-related abnormal metabolites in different body fluids. In summary, we believe that this database will effectively facilitate research on the functions and mechanisms of COVID-19-related metabolic biomarkers, thereby advancing both basic and clinical research on COVID-19. MetaboliteCOVID is free available at: https://cellknowledge.com.cn/MetaboliteCOVID.

Identification, biogenesis, and function prediction of a novel circRNA_3238 of chicken

With the development of high-throughput sequencing, circular RNA has come into people's vision and attracted more and more attention. Many studies have found that circular RNA plays an important role in a variety of biological processes and the occurrence and development of diseases. According to the previous sequencing results, circRNA_3238 was differentially expressed in ALV-J infected group and the non-infected group was selected for subsequent verification and analysis. We found that circRNA_3238 is a stable, circular transcript, which mainly exists in the cytoplasm. And it is widely expressed in various tissues of chickens, and highly expressed in lung, lymph, and bursa of fabricius. Bioinformatics results show that circRNA_3238 and the predicted target genes enriched MAPK signaling pathway, Notch signaling pathway, and other pathways related to disease or immune, revealing circRNA_3238 may indirectly regulate the process of ALV-J infection by regulating target genes.

LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 activates EGFR signaling to promote cervical cancer progression by preventing FUS-mediated degradation of ABHD11 mRNA

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological cancers with high metastasis, poor prognosis and conventional chemotherapy. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ABHD11 antisense RNA 1 (ABHD11-AS1) plays a vital role in tumorigenesis and is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Especially for cervical cancer, the functions and mechanisms of ABHD11-AS1 are still undetermined. In this study, we explored the role and underlying mechanism of ABHD11-AS1 in cervical cancer. We found that ABHD11-AS1 is highly expressed in cervical cancer tissue. The roles of ABHD11-AS1 and EGFR have investigated the loss of function analysis and cell movability in SiHa and Hela cells. Knockdown of ABHD11-AS1 and EGFR significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis of SiHa and Hela cells by up-regulating p21 and Bax and down-regulating cyclin D1, Bcl2, MMP9, and Vimentin. ABHD11-AS1 knockdown could decrease the expression of EGFR. In addition, ABHD11-AS1 could regulate the EGFR signaling pathway, including p-EGFR, p-AKT, and p-ERK. Spearman's correlation analysis and cell experiments demonstrated that ABHD11 was highly expressed in tumor tissue and partially offset the effect of shABHD11-AS1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SiHa and Hela cells. Then, RNA pulldown was used to ascertain the mechanisms of ABHD11-AS1 and FUS. ABHD11-AS1 inhibited ABHD11 mRNA degradation by bounding to FUS. A subcutaneous xenograft of SiHa cells was established to investigate the effect of ABHD11-AS1 in tumor tissue. Knockdown of ABDH11-AS1 inhibited tumor growth and decreased the tumor volume. ABHD11-AS1 knockdown inhibited the expression of Ki67 and Vimentin and up-regulated the expression of Tunel. Our data indicated that ABHD11-AS1 promoted cervical cancer progression by activating EGFR signaling, preventing FUS-mediated degradation of ABHD11 mRNA. Our findings provide novel insights into the potential role of lncRNA in cervical cancer therapy.