Growth and Optical Properties of Large-Sized NaVO2(IO3)2(H2O) Crystals for Second-Harmonic Generation Applications

Large-sized crystals of the quaternary iodate NaVO₂(IO₃)₂(H₂O) (NVIO) with centimeter-scale dimensions (23 mm × 18 mm × 6 mm as a representative) have been successfully grown by the top-seeded hydrothermal method. Linear optical properties have been measured, including the optical transmission spectrum and refractive index. The NVIO crystal possesses an optical window with high transmittance (above 80%) over the range of 500-1410 nm and exhibits strong optical anisotropy with large birefringence Δn (n_z - n_x) of 0.1522 at 1064 nm and 0.1720 at 532 nm. Based on the measured refractive indices, the phase-matching conditions for second-harmonic generation (SHG) have been calculated, and SHG devices have further been fabricated along the calculated type I and type II phase-matching directions of (θ = 39.0°, φ = 3.8°) and (θ =53.8°, φ = 1.3°). Laser experiments of extra-cavity frequency doubling have been performed on these NVIO devices. It has been confirmed that the effective SHG conversion from 1064 to 532 nm could be achieved with an energy conversion efficiency of 8.1%. Our work demonstrates that large-sized NVIO crystals are promising in the frequency-doubling application.

Knowledge Graph: Applications in Tracing the Source of Large-Scale Outbreak - Beijing Municipality, China, 2020-2021

Introduction

Tracing transmission paths and identifying infection sources have been effective in curbing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, when facing a large-scale outbreak, this is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive, and resources for infection source tracing become limited. In this study, we aimed to use knowledge graph (KG) technology to automatically infer transmission paths and infection sources.

Methods

We constructed a KG model to automatically extract epidemiological information and contact relationships from case reports. We then used an inference engine to identify transmission paths and infection sources. To test the model's performance, we used data from two COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing.

Results

The KG model performed well for both outbreaks. In the first outbreak, 20 infection relationships were identified manually, while 42 relationships were determined using the KG model. In the second outbreak, 32 relationships were identified manually and 31 relationships were determined using the KG model. All discrepancies and omissions were reasonable.

Discussion

The KG model is a promising tool for predicting and controlling future COVID-19 epidemic waves and other infectious disease pandemics. By automatically inferring the source of infection, limited resources can be used efficiently to detect potential risks, allowing for rapid outbreak control.

HbA1c variability is associated with adverse outcomes in heart failure patients with and without diabetes

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Glycemic control is an important clinical issue in the management of patients with heart failure (HF). Variability of Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has been proven to be a predictor of cardiovascular events. However, previous studies mainly focused on general population and patients with coronary artery disease, while less is known about the effect of long-term HbA1c variability on clinical outcomes in HF patients.

Purpose

To evaluate the association of HbA1c variability and the risk of all-cause mortality and rehospitalization in patients with HF irrespective of their diabetic status.

Methods

By using the data from the well-validated Clinical Data Analysis Reporting System (CDARS), HF patients from 2003-2020 who had more than 3 times HbA1c measurements after the diagnosis of HF were included (N=65950, mean age was 66.5±12.0 years and 39409 (52.9%) were male). Average successive variability (ASV) ( average absolute difference between successive values), standard deviation (SD) of HbA1c were calculated. Hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalization were estimated using competing risk regression with Cox proportional-hazard model.

Results

During a median follow-up of 7.2 years, 52446 (79.5%) patients developed HF rehospitalization and 34508 (52.3%) died. After adjusting for confounders, each unit change of HbA1c ASV or SD was significantly associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality, as well as higher risk of HF-rehospitalization (Figure 1). Among the study population, 48673 (73.8%) was diabetic while the remaining 17277 (26.2%) were non-diabetic. Interestingly, HbA1c variability had a stronger impact to non-diabetic compared to diabetic patients (P for interaction <0.001) in predicting all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalization (Table 1).

Conclusion

In patients with HF, a greater HbA1c variability was associated with an increased risk of HF rehospitalization and all-cause mortality. Such effect was stronger in non-diabetic compared with diabetic. HbA1c variability, irrespective of baseline diabetic status, should be evaluated in HF patients for better risk-stratification.

[Correlation between intestinal and respiratory flora and their metabolites in a rat pneumoconiosis model]

Objective: Differential flora and differential metabolites shared by the intestinal and respiratory tracts of rats were screened to analyze the possible role of changes in intestinal flora and metabolites in the progression of pneumoconiosis in rats. Methods: In April 2020, 18 SD rats were randomly divided into three groups (control group, coal mine dust group and silica group, 6 in each group) , rats in the coal mine dust group and silica group were perfused with 1 ml of 50 mg/ml coal mine well dust suspension and silica suspension by nontracheal exposure, respectively. While rats in the control group were perfused with an equal dose of sterilized normal saline. Twenty four weeks after dust staining, rat feces, throat swabs, and lung lavages were collected. 16SrDNA gene sequencing and UHPLC-QTOF-MS untargeted metabolomics were used to analyze the flora and metabolites in feces, throat swabs and lung lavage fluid of rats in each group, to screen for shared differential flora and shared differential metabolites in intestinal and respiratory tract, and the correlation analysis between the differential flora and metabolites was performed using Spearman's statistics. Results: Compared with the control group, a total of 9 species shared differential flora between intestinal and respiratory tract were screened at phylum level, and a total of 9 species shared differential genus between intestinal and respiratory tract were screened at genus level in the coal mine dust group, mainly Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, etc. Compared with the control group, a total of 9 shared differential flora were screened at the phylum level, and a total of 5 shared differential genus were screened at the genus level in the silica group, mainly Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Allobactera, Mucilaginibacter, etc. Compared with the control group, a total of 7 shared differential metabolites were screened for up-regulation of Stigmatellin, Linalool oxide and Isoleucine-leucine in both intestinal and respiratory tract in the coal mine dust group. Compared with the control group , a total of 19 shared differential metabolites werescreened in the silica group, of which Diethanolamine, 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid, Isoleucine-leucine, Sphingosine, Palmitic acid, D-sphinganine, 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine, and 1-Stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycerol 3-phosphocholine were up-regulated in both the intestinal and respiratory tract. Conclusion: There is a translocation of intestinal and respiratory flora in pneumoconiosis rats, and rats have an imbalance of lipid metabolism during the progression of pneumoconiosis.

Unimolecular micelles from star-shaped block polymers by photocontrolled BIT-RDRP for PTT/PDT synergistic therapy

Unimolecular micelles (UIMs) exhibit promising potential in the precise diagnosis and accurate treatment of tumor tissues, a pressing problem in the field of medical treatment, because of their perfect stability in the complex and variable microenvironment. In this study, porphyrin-based four-armed star-shaped block polymers with narrow molar mass dispersity (Đ = 1.34) were facilely prepared by photocontrolled bromine-iodine transformation reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (BIT-RDRP). A photothermal conversion dye, ketocyanine, was covalently linked onto the PEG and then introduced into the polymers through a "grafting onto" strategy to obtain polymeric nanomaterial, THPP-4PMMA-b-4P(PEGMA-co-APMA)@NIR-800, with dual PTT/PDT function. The resulting polymers could form monodispersed UIMs in the water below critical aggregation concentration, meanwhile maintaining the capacities of singlet oxygen release and photothermal conversion. Importantly, the UIMs displayed excellent biocompatibility while exerting superior PTT and/or PDT therapeutic effects under the irradiation of specific wavelengths of light, according to in vitro cellular experiments, which is expected to become a new hot spot for cancer therapy and anti-tumor research. Overall, stable and powerful UIMs with dual PTT/PDT function is provided, which are expected to be competitive candidates in cancer therapy.

Capture-bonding Super Assembly of Nanoscale Dispersed Bimetal on Uniform CeO2 Nanorod for the Toluene Oxidation

Elimination of VOCs by catalytic oxidation is an important technology. Here, a general synergistic capture-bonding superassembly strategy was proposed to obtain the nanoscale dispersed 5.8% PtFe₃ -CeO₂ catalyst, which showed a high toluene oxidation activity (T₁₀₀ =226 °C), excellent catalytic stability (125 h, >99.5%) and a good water resistance ability (70 h, >99.5%). Through the detailed XPS analysis, oxygen cycle experiment, hydrogen reduction experiment, and in-situ DRIFT experiment, we could deduce that PtFe₃ -CeO₂ had two reaction pathways. The surface adsorbed oxygen resulting from PtFe₃ nanoparticles played a dominant role, due to the fast cycling between the surface adsorbed oxygen and oxygen vacancy. In contrast, the lattice oxygen resulting from CeO₂ nanorods played an important role due to the relationship between the toluene oxidation activity and the metal-oxygen bonding energy. Furthermore, DFT simulation verified Pt sites were the dominant reaction active sites during this reaction.

Enhancing the Antitumor Immunity of T Cells by Engineering the Lipid-Regulatory Site of the TCR/CD3 Complex

The engagement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) by a specific peptide-MHC ligand initiates transmembrane signaling to induce T-cell activation, a key step in most adaptive immune responses. Previous studies have indicated that TCR signaling is tightly regulated by cholesterol and its sulfate metabolite, cholesterol sulfate (CS), on the membrane. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which CS modulates TCR signaling through a conformational change of CD3 subunits. We found that the negatively charged CS interacted with the positively charged cytoplasmic domain of CD3ε (CD3εCD) to enhance its binding to the cell membrane and induce a stable secondary structure. This secondary structure suppressed the release of CD3εCD from the membrane in the presence of Ca2+, which in turn inhibited TCR phosphorylation and signaling. When a point mutation (I/A) was introduced to the intracellular immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (YxxI-x6-8-YxxL) of CD3ε subunit, it reduced the stability of the secondary structure and regained sensitivity to Ca2+, which abolished CS-mediated inhibition and enhanced the signaling of the TCR complex. Notably, the I/A mutation could be applied to both murine and human TCR-T cell therapy to improve the antitumor efficacy. Our study reveals insights into the regulatory mechanism of TCR signaling and provides a strategy to functionally engineer the TCR/CD3 complex for T cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

The role of TNF-α in the fate regulation and functional reprogramming of mesenchymal stem cells in an inflammatory microenvironment

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent stem cells with multidirectional differentiation potential and strong immunomodulatory capacity. MSCs have been widely used in the treatment of injured, inflammatory, and immune-related diseases. Resting MSCs lack differentiation and immunomodulatory ability. Instead, they rely on microenvironmental factors to: 1) stimulate and regulate their expression of specific cell growth factors, chemokines, immunomodulatory factors, or receptors; or 2) direct their differentiation into specific tissue cells, which ultimately perform tissue regeneration and repair and immunomodulatory functions. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is central to the creation of an inflammatory microenvironment. TNF-α regulates the fate and functional reprogramming of MSCs, either alone or in combination with a variety of other inflammatory factors. TNF-α can exert opposing effects on MSCs, from inducing MSC apoptosis to enhancing their anti-tumor capacity. In addition, the immunomodulation and osteogenic differentiation capacities of MSCs, as well as their exosome or microvesicle components vary significantly with TNF-α stimulating concentration, time of administration, or its use in combination with or without other factors. Therefore, this review discusses the impact of TNF-α on the fate and functional reprogramming of MSCs in the inflammatory microenvironment, to provide new directions for improving the immunomodulatory and tissue repair functions of MSCs and enhance their therapeutic potential.

How are patterned movements stored in working memory?

Introduction

In this study, the change detection paradigm was used to study the working memory of patterned movements and the relationship of this type of memory with the visuospatial sketchpad in three experiments.

Methods

Experiment 1 measured participants' working memory capacity for patterned movements and explored the influence of stimulus type with indicators such as response time and accuracy rate. Experiments 2 and 3 explored the relationship between patterned movements and the visual and spatial subsystems, respectively.

Results

The results of Experiment 1 indicated that individuals can store 3-4 patterned movements in working memory; however, a change in stimulus format or an increase in memory load may decrease the speed and efficiency of working memory processing. The results of Experiment 2 showed that working memory and visual working memory are independent when processing patterned movements. The results of Experiment 3 showed that the working memory of patterned movements was affected by spatial working memory.

Discussion

Changes in stimulus type and memory load exerted different effects on the working memory capacity of participants. These results provide behavioral evidence that the storage of patterned movement information is independent of the visual subsystem but requires the spatial subsystem of the visuospatial sketchpad.

Therapeutic applications of hydrogen sulfide and novel donors for cerebral ischemic stroke: a narrative review

Ischemic stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is obstructed and it is associated with numerous complex mechanisms, such as activated apoptosis genes, oxidative stress and reaction of inflammation, which finally result in neurological deficits. Several gases have been proved to have neuroprotective roles, even the classic gases that are thought to be toxic such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). H₂S is the third identified endogenous gas signaling molecule following carbon monoxide and nitric oxide. H₂S plays a significant role in stroke. Inhalation of H₂S can attenuate cerebral infarct volume and promote neurological function in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion to reduce ischemic stroke-induced injury in vivo and in vitro as a result. Therefore, H₂S can be clinically used to reduce ischemic stroke-induced injury. This review introduces the toxic mechanisms and effects of H₂S on cerebral ischemic stroke

The delta subunit of the GABAA receptor is necessary for the GPT2-promoted breast cancer metastasis

Objectives: Glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT2) catalyzes the reversible transamination between alanine and α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) to generate pyruvate and glutamate during cellular glutamine catabolism. The glutamate could be further converted to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). However, the role of GPT2 in tumor metastasis remains unclear. Methods: The wound healing and transwell assays were carried out to analyze breast cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro. Gene ontology analysis was utilized following RNA-sequencing to discover the associated molecule function. The mass spectrometry analysis following phosphoprotein enrichment was performed to discover the associated transcription factors. Most importantly, both the tail vein model and Mammary gland conditional Gpt2^-/- spontaneous tumor mouse models were used to evaluate the effect of GPT2 on breast cancer metastasis in vivo. Results: GPT2 overexpression increases the content of GABA and promotes breast cancer metastasis by activating GABA_A receptors. The delta subunit GABRD is necessary for the GPT2/GABA-induced breast cancer metastasis in xenograft and transgenic mouse models. Gpt2 knockout reduces the lung metastasis of the genetic Gpt2^-/- breast cancer in mice and prolongs the overall survival of tumor burden mice. Mechanistically, GPT2-induced GABA_A receptor activation increases Ca²⁺ influx by turning on its associated calcium channel, and the surged intracellular calcium triggers the PKC-CREB pathway activation. The activated transcription factor CREB accelerates breast cancer metastasis by upregulating metastasis-related gene expressions, such as PODXL, MMP3, and MMP9. Conclusion: In summary, this study demonstrates that GPT2 promotes breast cancer metastasis through up-regulated GABA activation of GABA_AR-PKC-CREB signaling, suggesting it is a potential target for breast cancer therapy.

Resveratrol inhibits Toxoplasma gondii-induced lung injury, inflammatory cascade and evidences of its mechanism of action

BACKGROUND

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan that can infect host to cause toxoplasmosis. We have previously reported that resveratrol (RSV) has protective effects against liver damage in T. gondii infected mice. However, the effect of RSV on lung injury caused by T. gondii infection and its mechanism of action remain unclear.

PURPOSE

In this work, we studied the protective effects of RSV on lung injury caused by T. gondii infection and explored the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Molecular docking and localized surface plasmon resonance assay were used to detect the molecular interactions between RSV and target proteins. In vitro, the anti-T. gondii effects and potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of RSV were investigated by quantitative competitive-PCR, RT-PCR, ELISA, Western blotting and immunofluorescence using RAW 264.7 cells infected with tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain. In vivo, the effects of RSV on lung injury caused by T. gondii infection were assessed by observing pathological changes and the expression of inflammatory factors of lung.

RESULTS

RSV inhibited T. gondii loads and T. gondii-derived heat shock protein 70 (T.g.HSP70) expression in RAW 264.7 cells and lung tissues. Moreover, RSV interacts with T.g.HSP70 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), respectively, and interferes with the interaction between T.g.HSP70 and TLR4. It also inhibited the overproduction of inducible nitric oxide synthase, TNF-α and high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1) by down-regulating TLR4/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, which is consistent with the effect of TLR4 inhibitor CLI-095. In vivo, RSV improved the pathological lung damage produced by T. gondii infection, as well as decreased the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and the release of HMGB1 and TNF-α.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that RSV can inhibit the proliferation of T. gondii and T.g.HSP70 expression both in vitro and in vivo. RSV can inhibit excessive inflammatory response by intervening T.g.HSP70 and HMGB1 mediated TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway activation, thereby ameliorating lung injury caused by T. gondii infection. The present study provides new data that may be useful for the development of RSV as a new agent for the treatment of lung damage caused by T. gondii infection.

Thermo-Sensitive Hydrogels for Forward-Osmosis with NIR Light-Induced Freshwater Recovery

We report a near-infrared light-responsive hydrogel material consisting of two parts of monomer, ionic liquid monomer (TVBP) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), whose crosslinker is a diacrylate containing poly(propylene glycol), all three...

ANGPTL2 Deletion Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by Isoflurane in Aged Mice through Modulating MAPK Pathway

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a well-known complication after surgery with cognitive impairments. Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) has been found to be associated with inflammation. However, the role of ANGPTL2 in inflammation of POCD is unclear. Here, mice were subjected into isoflurane anesthesia. It was demonstrated that isoflurane increased ANGPTL2 expression and promoted pathological change in brain tissues. However, downregulation of ANGPTL2 alleviated the pathological change and elevated learning and memory abilities, improving isoflurane-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice. In addition, isoflurane-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation were repressed via ANGPTL2 knockdown in mice. Downregulation of ANGPTL2 was also verified to suppress isoflurane-induced microglial activation, evidenced by a decrease of Iba1 and CD86 expressions and an increase of CD206 expression. Further, the isoflurane-induced MAPK signaling pathway was repressed through downregulation of ANGPTL2 in mice. In conclusion, this study proved that downregulation of ANGPTL2 attenuated isoflurane-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction in mice via modulating the MAPK pathway, which provided a new therapeutic target for POCD.

Facile Grafting Modification of Main-Chain-Type Semi-fluorinated Alternating Fluoropolymers via Simultaneous CuAAC Reaction and ATRP in One Pot at Ambient Temperature

Grafting modification is a useful strategy to endow new functions to fluoropolymers with fluorinated backbone and expand their potential application fields. Herein, we reported a facile method to synthesize graft...

Type IV collagen-derived angiogenesis inhibitor: canstatin low expressing in brain-invasive meningiomas using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

PURPOSE

Brain invasion in meningiomas is considered an indicator of more aggressive behavior and worse prognosis. But the precise definition and the prognostic role of brain invasion remains unsolved duo to lacking a standardized workflow of surgical sampling and the histopathological detection. Searching for molecular biomarker expression correlating with brain invasion, could contribute to establish a molecular pathological diagnosis without problems of subjective interobserver variation and deeply understand the mechanism of brain invasion and develop innovative therapeutic strategies.

METHODS

We utilized liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to quantify protein abundances between non-invasive meningiomas (n = 21) and brain-invasive meningiomas (n = 21) spanning World Health Organization grades I and III. After proteomic discrepancies were analyzed, the 14 most up-regulated or down-regulated proteins were recorded. Immunohistochemical staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein and most likely brain invasion-related proteins was performed in both groups.

RESULTS

A total of 6498 unique proteins were identified in non-invasive and brain-invasive meningiomas. Canstatin expression in the non-invasive group was 2.1-fold that of the brain-invasive group. The immunohistochemical staining showed canstatin expressed in both groups, and the non-invasive group showed stronger staining for canstatin in the tumor mass (p = 0.0132) than the brain-invasive group, which showed moderate intensity.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated the low expression of canstatin in meningiomas with brain invasion, a finding that provide a basis for understanding the mechanism of brain invasion of meningiomas and may contribute to establish molecular pathological diagnosis and identify novel therapeutic targets for personalized care.

Exosomes Derived from AT2R-Overexpressing BMSC Prevent Restenosis After Carotid Artery Injury by Attenuating the Injury-Induced Neointimal Hyperplasia

Restenosis is a severe complication after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty which limits the long-term efficacy of the intervention. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of exosomes derived from AT2R-overexpressing bone mesenchymal stem cells on the prevention of restenosis after carotid artery injury. Our data showed that AT2R-EXO promoted the proliferation and migration of vascular endothelial cells and maintained the ratio of eNOS/iNOS. On the contrary, AT2R-EXO inhibited the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells. In vivo study proved that AT2R-Exo were more effectively accumulated in the injured carotid artery than EXO and Vehicle-EXO controls. AT2R-EXO treatment could improve blood flow of the injured carotid artery site more effectively. Further analysis revealed that AT2REXO prevents restenosis after carotid artery injury by attenuating the injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia. Our study provides a novel and more efficient exosome for the treatment of restenosis diseases after intervention.

Axin1 participates in blood-brain barrier protection during experimental ischemic stroke via phosphorylation at Thr485 in rats

Axin1 takes an important part in a variety of signaling pathway, such as MEKK1, GSK3β, and β-catenin, and plays a variety of physiological functions; but its effects on the brain-blood barrier (BBB) and stroke remain unclear. To explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of Axin1 on the BBB in ischemic stroke, Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) were subjected to oxygen/glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to imitate ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We found that Axin1 was upregulated in HBMEC after OGD without reoxygenation, and downregulated in the injured hemisphere after MCAO without reperfusion. Tight junction (TJ) proteins were upregulated both in HBMEC after OGD without reoxygenation and in ischemic penumbra of the injured hemisphere in rats after MCAO without reperfusion. TJ proteins were downregulated after MCAO/R in rats. Overexpression of Axin1 upregulated the levels of TJ proteins, which alleviated BBB permeability, reduced infarction volume, and ultimately improved neurological behavioral indicators after I/R injury. Furthermore, inhibiting phosphorylation of Axin1 at Thr485 notably increased the expression of Snail and decreased the expression of TJ proteins. Our findings demonstrate that Axin1 participates in BBB protection and improvement of neurological functions during ischemic stroke by regulating TJ proteins. Axin1 may serve as a potential novel candidate to protect BBB and relieve brain injury.

Altered brain spontaneous and synchronization activity in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: A resting-state functional MRI study

AIMS

This study aimed to explore the clinical features and spontaneous brain activity among patients with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and to investigate the relationship among these characteristics.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study using cognitive assessments and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to evaluate the cognitive function and brain activities of healthy controls (HCs) and patients with LADA. Functional connectivity (FC) analysis was performed on the brain regions that showed significantly different activation in regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis between the two groups. Furthermore, a linear regression model was conducted for the association between metabolism and cognition.

RESULTS

This study enrolled patients with LADA (and age-, sex-, and education-matched HCs). Patients with LADA had worse cognitive status at the general level and poorer memory than controls. Rs-fMRI analysis among patients with LADA showed decreased ReHo values in the right occipital lobe and temporal lobe and decreased seed-based FC in the right parietal lobe compared to those of controls. The seed-based FC values in the right parietal lobe were positively associated with word fluency and processing speed in patients with LADA. Furthermore, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was negatively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores in patients with LADA.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with LADA had worse cognitive function and decreased spontaneous brain activity in the temporal lobe and occipital lobe compared to controls. Moreover, glycolipid metabolism was closely related to brain structure and function in patients with LADA.

The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of miR-140-3p in BMSCs-Exosomes on Osteoarthritis

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Articular cartilage injury is a common disease in daily life, with a high incidence. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of miRNA-140-3p in bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-derived exosomes under hypoxia on inflammatory articular chondrocytes. MATERIAL AND METHODS To simulate the pathological status of arthritis, rat chondrocytes were used to establish the osteoarthritis (OA) model by IL-1β (10 μg/ml) as a modulating in vitro, and exosomes were isolated by differential ultra-high speed centrifugation. The cell counting kit-8, wound healing and flow cytometry assays were utilized to assess proliferation, migration and apoptosis of chondrocytes, respectively. Lipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of chondrocytes were detected by oil red O staining and toluidine blue staining individually. The expressions of miR-140-3p and chondrocyte-specific gene mRNA were investigated using qRT-PCR. Western blot was applied to assess chondrocyte associated proteins and BMSC-Exo surface protein markers, and immunohistochemistry was adopted to detect the staining of collagen I and II. RESULTS Under scanning electronic microscope, the shape of exosomes was almost round. Exosome treatment prominently impaired the inhibition of chondrocytes' proliferative and migrative ability by IL-1β. It was found hypoxia had a more marked impact on proliferation, expression of collagen II and apoptosis in OA chondrocytes than normoxia, as well as a stronger effect on weakening adipose differentiation and enhancing chondrogenic differentiation in inflammatory chondrocytes. Furthermore, incubation with BMSC-Exo overexpressing miR-140-3p can remarkably increase the survival rate and migration in inflammatory chondrocytes. In addition, overexpression of miR-140-3p was found to enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of inflammatory chondrocytes. Furthermore, we found that the healing effect of exosomes on inflammatory chondrocytes under hypoxic conditions was produced by a rise in miR-140-3p expression within them and that hypoxia-mediated upregulation of miR-140-3p expression occurred through HIF-1α. CONCLUSIONS Under hypoxia, BMSC-Exo enhanced the chondrogenic phenotype, increased the viability of inflammatory chondrocytes. The overexpression of miR-140-3p in BMSC-Exo is beneficial to protect joints and delaying the pathogenesis in OA. Key words: HIF-1α, apoptosis, lipogenic differentiation, chondrogenic differentiation.

Prediction Model of New Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common complications of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. Possible risk factors related to new-onset AF (NOAF) in ACS patients have been reported in some studies, and several prediction models have been established. However, the predictive power of these models was modest and lacked independent validation. The aim of this study is to define risk factors of NOAF in patients with ACS during hospitalization and to develop a prediction model and nomogram for individual risk prediction.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort studies were conducted. A total of 1535 eligible ACS patients from one hospital were recruited for model development. External validation was performed using an external cohort of 1635 ACS patients from another hospital. The prediction model was created using multivariable logistic regression and validated in an external cohort. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility of the model were evaluated, and a nomogram was constructed. A subgroup analysis was performed for unstable angina (UA) patients.

RESULTS

During hospitalization, the incidence of NOAF was 8.21% and 6.12% in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Age, admission heart rate, left atrial diameter, right atrial diameter, heart failure, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level, less statin use, and no percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were independent predictors of NOAF. The AUC was 0.891 (95% CI: 0.863-0.920) and 0.839 (95% CI: 0.796-0.883) for the training and validation cohort, respectively, and the model passed the calibration test (P > 0.05). The clinical utility evaluation shows that the model has a clinical net benefit within a certain range of the threshold probability.

CONCLUSION

A model with strong predictive power was constructed for predicting the risk of NOAF in patients with ACS during hospitalization. It might help with the identification of ACS patients at risk and early intervention of NOAF during hospitalization.

Salt-Assisted Selective Growth of H-phase Monolayer VSe2 with Apparent Hole Transport Behavior

Vanadium diselenide (VSe₂) exhibits versatile electronic and magnetic properties in the trigonal prismatic (H-) and octahedral (T-) phases. Compared to the metallic T-phase, the H-phase with a tunable semiconductor property is predicted to be a ferrovalley material with spontaneous valley polarization. Herein we report an epitaxial growth of the monolayer 2D VSe₂ on a mica substrate via the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by introducing salt in the precursor. Our first-principles calculations suggest that the monolayer H-phase VSe₂ with a large lateral size is thermodynamically favorable. The honeycomb-like structure and the broken symmetry are directly observed by spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and confirmed by giant second harmonic generation (SHG) intensity. The p-type transport behavior is further evidenced by the temperature-dependent resistance and field-effect device study. The present work introduces a new phase-stable 2D transition metal dichalcogenide, opening the prospect of novel electronic and spintronics device design.

Ureterolithiasis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Patients Treated with Single-Use Ureteroscope: A Case Report

BACKGROUND The number of HIV-positive patients is increasing worldwide. Such patients with upper urinary tract stones have been treated primarily with flexible ureteroscopy. CASE REPORT Two patients with HIV and upper urinary tract stones were treated with a single-use digital flexible ureteroscope between July 2021 and January 2022. Both cases were treated by transurethral ureteroscope lithotripsy with a Guangzhou Redpine single-use digital flexible ureteroscope. This is also the first reported case of using a disposable ureteral flexible scope to manage a patient with upper urinary tract stones in combination with HIV. The holmium laser power was set to 0.2-0.6j/20-50 Hz for fragmentation and 1.0-1.5j/10-20 Hz for the dusting of the stones. Renal stones larger than 1 cm were dusted to around 1 cm first, and then a lithotripsy basket was used to remove them. The f5 Polaris Ultra ureteral stent was implanted during the procedure. The operations went smoothly. Four weeks after surgery, CT scans revealed a 4 mm stone remnant in one case, and the ureteral stent was removed in both cases. After 3 months, a kidney, ureter, and bladder X-ray revealed no stones remaining in the case that had earlier shown a 4 mm stone residual. In both cases, the stone composition was made up of calcium oxalate monohydrate and calcium oxalate dihydrate stones. CONCLUSIONS A single-use flexible ureteroscope has a proven clinical benefit in treating HIV-combined upper urinary tract stones. After the operations, there were no urinary infections, bleeding, or other complications in either patient.

Extended p_{3/2} Neutron Orbital and the N=32 Shell Closure in ^{52}Ca

The one-neutron knockout from ^{52}Ca in inverse kinematics onto a proton target was performed at ∼230  MeV/nucleon combined with prompt γ spectroscopy. Exclusive quasifree scattering cross sections to bound states in ^{51}Ca and the momentum distributions corresponding to the removal of 1f_{7/2} and 2p_{3/2} neutrons were measured. The cross sections, interpreted within the distorted-wave impulse approximation reaction framework, are consistent with a shell closure at the neutron number N=32, found as strong as at N=28 and N=34 in Ca isotopes from the same observables. The analysis of the momentum distributions leads to a difference of the root-mean-square radii of the neutron 1f_{7/2} and 2p_{3/2} orbitals of 0.61(23) fm, in agreement with the modified-shell-model prediction of 0.7 fm suggesting that the large root-mean-square radius of the 2p_{3/2} orbital in neutron-rich Ca isotopes is responsible for the unexpected linear increase of the charge radius with the neutron number.

Bandwidth Optimization of MEMS Accelerometers in Fluid Medium Environment

There is a constraint between the dynamic range and the bandwidth of MEMS accelerometers. When the input acceleration is comparatively large, the squeeze film damping will increase dramatically with the increase in the oscillation amplitude, resulting in a decrease in bandwidth. Conventional models still lack a complete vibration response analysis in large amplitude ratios and cannot offer a suitable guide in the optimization of such devices. In this paper, the vibration response analysis of the sensing unit of an accelerometer in large amplitude ratios is first completed. Then, the optimal design of the sensing unit is proposed to solve the contradiction between the dynamic range and the bandwidth of the accelerometer. Finally, the results of the vibration experiment prove that the maximum bandwidth can be achieved with 0~10g external acceleration, which shows the effectiveness of the design guide. The new vibration analysis with the complete model of squeeze film damping is applicable to all sensitive structures based on vibration, not limited to the MEMS accelerometer studied in this thesis. The bandwidth optimal scheme also provides a strong reference for similar structures with large oscillation amplitude ratios.

Development and validation of a novel nomogram predicting pseudohypoxia type pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas

PURPOSE

Pseudohypoxia type (PHT) pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are more likely to metastasize and have a poor prognosis. However, application of genetic tests has many restrictions. The study aims to establish a novel nomogram for predicting the risk of PHT PPGLs.

METHODS

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 242 patients with pathology confirmed PPGLs in one tertiary care center in China in 2010-2021. Clinical and biochemical characteristics were collected. Next-generation sequencing was performed in all PPGLs patients for detection of mutation. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to select risk factors for constructing the nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the discrimination of the nomogram and the calibration curve was performed.

RESULTS

Four variables including age ≤ 35 years, hypertension, 24 h urinary output of urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) ≥ 100 umol/24 h and urinary 17-ketosteroide (17 KS) ≤ 50 umol/24 h levels were independently associated with PHT PPGLs in the logistic regression analysis and were included in the nomogram. The nomogram showed a good discrimination performance with AUC of 0.829 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.767-0.891] in the training set and 0.797 (95%CI, 0.659-0.935) in the validation set, respectively. The calibration curve showed a bias-corrected AUC of 0.809 vs. 0.795, and a Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) test yielded a p value of 0.801 vs. 0.885, indicating the nomogram's good ability to distinguish PHT PPGLs from non-PHT PPGLs.

CONCLUSION

Our study has proposed a novel nomogram for individualized prediction of the PHT PPGLs, which may make contributions to guide the patients' personalized management, follow-up, and treatment.

[Retrospective analysis and a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of lung cancer concomitant with interstitial lung disease]

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and prognosis of lung cancer concomitant with interstitial lung disease (LC-ILD), and to understand the current status of knowledge of LC-ILD by physicians in the departments related to the treatment of the disease. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of in-hospitalized pathology identified lung cancer (LC) patients who were admitted to our hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. After reviewing their chest CT imagings and pathological reports, 70 patients who were concomitant with interstitial lung disease (ILD) were enrolled in our study. On the other hand, a cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire was conducted in LC-ILD management doctors who came from 29 provincial hospitals. The perceptions of demographic features, LC characteristics and management, ILD characteristics and management, and the prognosis of LC-ILD were investigated. Results: Among the 70 enrolled LC-ILD cases, there were 52 males, and the mean age was (64.3±7.63) years (ranged from 49 years to 84 years). There were 51 patients who were older than 59 years. The most common pathological pattern of LC was adenocarcinoma. Most of them were diagnosed with LC and ILD simultaneously, and they were usually treated with chemotherapy while unresectable. There were 11 patients (15.7%) with positive EGFR or ALK mutation. Forty-five patients (64.3%) died during the follow-up, and 33 were died from LC progression. There were no significant differences between the surgical group and non-surgical group on age, pathological patterns, EGFR or ALK mutation. However, LC-ILD patients in the surgical group were diagnosed with earlier TNM classification and with better prognosis. A total of 1 014 doctors answered the questionnaire completely. In the feedback, patients aged 60 years and older (785 doctors/77.4%), and male patients (720 doctors/71%) were the predominant LC-ILD patients. Adenocarcinoma (390 doctors/38.5%), adenocarcinoma or squamous-cell cancer (SCC) (182 doctors/17.9%), and SCC (151 doctors/14.9%) were considered as the common pathological patterns of LC-ILD patients. In most doctors' feedback, the EGFR or ALK mutation was not common for LC-ILD: low (646 doctors/63.7%) or hardly (306 doctors/30.5%) positive mutation. The diagnosis of ILD was earlier than LC (506 doctors/49.9%) or there was no identified precedence of LC and ILD diagnosis (208 doctors/20.5%). Most of the doctors (693 doctors/68.3%) agreed that the vital factor for surgery or not was the severity of ILD for LC-ILD patients. There were great divergences on the treatment protocol both for the advanced LC and ILD. The patients with LC-ILD were died mostly from LC progression and ILD exacerbation (542 doctors/53.5%), followed by ILD exacerbation (237 doctors/23.4%) or LC progression (226 doctors/22.3%). Conclusions: The elderly male patients were predisposed to LC-ILD, and adenocarcinoma was the common pathological pattern. The LC-ILD patients with non-advanced LC who were performed with surgery had better prognosis. However, it is recommended to consider whether to perform surgery in combination with the severity of the ILD.

Leader-Following Consensus of Heterogeneous Linear Multiagent Systems With Communication Time-Delays via Adaptive Distributed Observers

This article investigates the leader-following consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multiagent systems under switching and directed topologies. It is assumed that the communication between agents suffers from time-varying delays and only the neighboring agents of the leader are able to get access to the information of the leader agent, including its agent matrices. A key technical lemma on the input to state stability of time-delayed systems is first established with which the main results of this article can be obtained. An adaptive distributed observer, taking into consideration of communication time delays, is proposed for each follower to estimate the leader's system matrices and its state. Then, a distributed controller based on this adaptive observer is developed. We show that the resulting closed-loop multiagent system achieves the leader-following output consensus. Two examples are finally given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

A Phase IB Trial of Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells in Combination with Sintilimab, Monoclonal Antibody Against Programmed Cell Death-1, plus Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Can the Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor further improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients? What are the adverse reactions of this combination therapy? But these problems are not clear. Therefore, we conducted a phase 1b trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous CIK cells therapy combined with Sintilimab, antibody against programmed cell death-1, plus chemotherapy in untreated, advanced NSCLC patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with stage IIIB/IIIC/IV NSCLC received Sintilimab, platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, and CIK cells every 3 weeks for 4 cycles, then maintenance treatment with Sintilimab in squamous and with Sintilimab plus pemetrexed in non-squamous NSCLC until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or 2 years. The primary endpoints were safety and objective response rate (ORR).

RESULTS

Thirty-four patients received the treatment. 94.1% of patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). Grade 3 or greater TRAEs occurred in 64.7% of patients. One (2.9%) patient died of grade 5 immune-related pneumonia. The ORR and DCR were 82.4% (95% CI, 65.5%-93.2%) and 100.0% (95% CI, 89.7%-100.0%), respectively. Objective responses were evaluated in 14 of 15 non-squamous patients (93.3%; 95% CI, 68.1%-99.8%) and in 14 of 19 squamous patients (73.7%; 95% CI, 48.8%-90.9%). Median PFS was 19.3 months (95% CI, 8.3 months to not available).

CONCLUSION

Autologous CIK cells immunotherapy in combination with Sintilimab plus chemotherapy was well tolerable and showed encouraging efficacy in patients with previously untreated, advanced NSCLC (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03987867).

SOCS7/HuR/FOXM1 signaling axis inhibited high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma progression

Background

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is clinically dominant and accounts for ~ 80% deaths in all types of ovarian cancer. The delayed diagnosis, rapid development, and wide dissemination of HGSOC collectively contribute to its high mortality rate and poor prognosis in the patients. Suppressors of cytokine signaling 7 (SOCS7) can regulate cytokine signaling and participate in cell cycle arrest and regulation of cell proliferation, which might also be involved in carcinogenesis. Here, we designated to investigate the functions and mechanisms of SOCS7 in HGSOC.

Methods

The clinical correlation between SOCS7 and HGSOC was examined by both bioinformatics and analysis of tissue samples in patients. Gain/Loss-of-function examinations were carried out to assess the effectiveness of SOCS7 in cell viability, cell cycle, and tumor growth of HGSOC. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms were explored by identifying the downstream proteins and their interactions via proteomics analysis and immunoprecipitation.

Results

The expression of SOCS7, which was decreased in HGSOC tissues, was correlated with the clinical pathologic characteristics and overall survival of HGSOC patients. SOCS7 acted as a HGSOC suppressor by inhibiting cancer cell viability and tumor growth in vivo. The anti-HGSOC mechanism involves SOCS7’s regulatory effect on HuR by mediating its ubiquitination, the regulation of FOXM1 mRNA by HuR, as well as the interplays among these three clinically relevant factors.

Conclusions

The SOCS7 correlates with HGSOC and suppresses its tumorigenesis through regulating HuR and FOXM1, which also suggests that SOCS7 is a prospective biomarker for the clinical management of ovarian cancer, especially HGSOC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02395-1.

Cross talk between glucose metabolism and immunosuppression in IFN-γ–primed mesenchymal stem cells

This study reveals a novel relationship between mesenchymal stem cell immunomodulation and metabolism and provides a new strategy to improve their therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory diseases.

The immunosuppressive function “licensed” by IFN-γ is a vital attribute of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanism and impact of metabolic reprogramming on MSC immunomodulatory plasticity remain unclear. Here, we explored the mechanism by which glucose metabolism affects the immunomodulatory reprogramming of MSCs “licensed” by IFN-γ. Our data showed that glucose metabolism regulates the immunosuppressive function of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) challenged by IFN-γ through the Janus kinase–signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway. Furthermore, ATP facilitated the cross talk between glucose metabolism and the JAK-STAT system, which stimulates the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STATs, as well as the expression of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase and programmed cell death-1 ligand. Moreover, ATP synergistically enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of IFN-γ–primed hUC-MSCs against acute pneumonia in mice. These results indicate a novel cross talk between the immunosuppressive function, glucose metabolism, and mitochondrial oxidation and provide a novel targeting strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacies of hUC-MSCs.

GAN-based deep learning framework of network reconstruction

Inferring the topology of a network from network dynamics is a significant problem with both theoretical research significance and practical value. This paper considers how to reconstruct the network topology according to the continuous-time data on the network. Inspired by the generative adversarial network(GAN), we design a deep learning framework based on network continuous-time data. The framework predicts the edge connection probability between network nodes by learning the correlation between network node state vectors. To verify the accuracy and adaptability of our method, we conducted extensive experiments on scale-free networks and small-world networks at different network scales using three different dynamics: heat diffusion dynamics, mutualistic interaction dynamics, and gene regulation dynamics. Experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms the other five traditional correlation indices, which demonstrates that our method can reconstruct the topology of different scale networks well under different network dynamics.

[An interpretation of the British Association for the Study of the Liver practice guideline for the evaluation and treatment of hepatolenticular degeneration]

Hepatolenticular degeneration is common among rare diseases. China has a higher incidence rate than Western countries, and it is increasing year by year. The disease is easy to overlook and misdiagnose due to its complexity and non-specific clinical manifestations. Therefore, the British Association for the Study of the Liver has recently issued practice guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of hepatolenticular degeneration in order to aid clinicians in improving the clinical decision-making process regarding diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up management. Herein is a brief introduction and interpretation of the content of the guideline, with aim of facilitating its application in clinical practice.

Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon from Biomass with Efficient Toluene Adsorption and Superior Catalytic Performance

The chemical composition and surface groups of the carbon support affect the adsorption capacity of toluene. To investigate the effect of catalyst substrate on the catalytic performance, two different plant biomasses, banana peel and sugarcane peel, were used as carbon precursors to prepare porous carbon catalyst supports (Cba, Csu, respectively) by a chemical activation method. After decorating PtCo₃ nanoparticles onto both carbon supports (Cba, Csu), the PtCo₃-su catalyst demonstrated better catalytic performance for toluene oxidation (T₁₀₀ = 237 °C) at a high space velocity of 12,000 h^-1. The Csu support possessed a stronger adsorption capacity of toluene (542 mg g^-1), resulting from the synergistic effect of micropore volume and nitrogen-containing functional groups, which led to the PtCo₃-su catalyst exhibiting a better catalytic performance. Moreover, the PtCo₃-su catalyst also showed excellent stability, good water resistance properties, and high recyclability, which can be used as a promising candidate for practical toluene catalytic combustion.

Faster Macular Vessel Density Loss in More Advanced Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Eyes

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to characterize and compare the longitudinal changes of macular vessel density (VD) in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) eyes across different disease stages.

METHODS

This is a sub-analysis of a prospective cohort study. A total of 103 eyes (53 eyes in the mild stage, 50 eyes in the moderate-to-advanced stage) of 75 POAG patients followed for more than 1 year with at least 2 qualified optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography (OCTA) images were included. The rates of macular VD change were determined by linear regression and compared using the generalized linear mixed models between groups. Mixed effect models were used to evaluate the demographic and ocular parameters associated with the VD loss rate.

RESULTS

With a mean follow-up time of 2.36 years, the rates of macular VD change were significantly different from zero in both groups. The rates of macular VD loss were significantly faster in moderate-to-advanced-stage group than in mild-stage group in whole image (-2.46%/year vs. -1.47%/year, p = 0.002);, superior hemifield (-2.42%/year vs. -1.30%/year, p = 0.001); parafovea (-2.35%/year vs. -1.26, p = 0.001); superior (-2.20%/year vs. -1.01%/year, p = 0.002), nasal (-2.41%/year vs. -1.04%/year, p = 0.001), inferior (-2.46%/year vs. -1.43%/year, p = 0.018), and temporal sectors (-2.32%/year vs. -1.58%/year, p = 0.012). Baseline mean deviation and OCT parameters were associated with the rates of macular VD loss.

CONCLUSIONS

OCTA measurements could detect vascular deterioration over time in POAG eyes at different stages. The rates of macular VD loss were significantly faster in more advanced POAG eyes.

Clinical feasibility of deep learning-based automatic head CBCT image segmentation and landmark detection in computer-aided surgical simulation for orthognathic surgery

The purpose of this ambispective study was to investigate whether deep learning-based automatic segmentation and landmark detection, the SkullEngine, could be used for orthognathic surgical planning. Sixty-one sets of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were automatically inferred for midface, mandible, upper and lower teeth, and 68 landmarks. The experimental group included automatic segmentation and landmarks, while the control group included manual ones that were previously used to plan orthognathic surgery. The qualitative analysis of segmentation showed that all of the automatic results could be used for computer-aided surgical simulation. Among these, 98.4% of midface, 70.5% of mandible, 98.4% of upper teeth, and 93.4% of lower teeth could be directly used without manual revision. The Dice similarity coefficient was 96% and the average symmetric surface distance was 0.1 mm for all four structures. With SkullEngine, it took 4 minutes to complete the automatic segmentation and an additional 10 minutes for a manual touchup. The results also showed the overall mean difference between the two groups was 2.3 mm for the midface and 2.4 mm for the mandible. In summary, the authors believe that automatic segmentation using SkullEngine is ready for daily practice. However, the accuracy of automatic landmark digitization needs to be improved.

Exosomes from Adipose Stem Cells Promote Diabetic Wound Healing through the eHSP90/LRP1/AKT Axis

Oxidative damage is a critical cause of diabetic wounds. Exosomes from various stem cells could promote wound repair. Here, we investigated the potential mechanism by which exosomes from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC-EXOs) promote diabetic wound healing through the modulation of oxidative stress. We found that ADSC-EXOs could promote proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Furthermore, ADSC-EXOs reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in these cells and protected them against hypoxic and oxidative stress damage. Finally, the local injection of ADSC-EXOs at wound sites significantly increased collagen deposition and neovascularization while reducing ROS levels and cell death; thus, it led to accelerated diabetic wound closure. The mechanism underlying ADSC-EXO functions involved heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) expressed on the cell surface; these functions could be inhibited by an anti-HSP90 antibody. Exosomal HSP90 could bind to the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) receptor on the recipient cell membrane, leading to activation of the downstream AKT signaling pathway. Knockdown of LRP1 and inhibition of the AKT signaling pathway by LY294002 in fibroblasts was sufficient to impair the beneficial effect of ADSC-EXOs. In summary, ADSC-EXOs significantly accelerated diabetic wound closure through an exosomal HSP90/LRP1/AKT signaling pathway.

[Recent progress of aptasensors for tumor exosome-associated protein detection]

Exosomes are phospholipid bilayer membrane-enclosed vesicles released from cells with diameters of 30-150 nm, exosomes can directly reflect the physiological and functional state of secretory cells, participate in material transport and information communication between cells, which are of great significance as biomarkers for early tumor diagnosis and treatment evaluation. There are many detection methods for exosomes, among which aptasensor technology with the properties of low price and easy operation, fast response, high sensitivity, remarkable specificity helps tumor patients to find, diagnose and treat early, improve the survival rate, and provide important basis for the evaluation of the prognosis. There are seven types of common aptasensors: fluorescent, electrochemical, colorimetric, luminescence, lateral flow strips, surface-enhanced Raman scattering and surface plasmon resonance sensors. Different aptasensors have different characteristics, this article focuses on the research progress of several common aptasensor for tumor exosomes detection.

Hepatitis B virus promotes hepatocellular carcinoma development by activating GP73 to repress the innate immune response

Background

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic infection in the clinic. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely linked to HBV infection. Serum Golgi protein 73 (GP73) increases during HBV infection. However, the role of GP73 during HBV infection and the occurrence of HBV-related HCC is still poorly understood.

Methods

The underlying role of HBV-induced GP73 in regulating HCC development was investigated in this study. GP73 expression in HBV-related clinical HCC tissues and in HBV-infected hepatoma cells and primary human hepatocytes was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, ELISAs, Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Tumorigenicity of GP73 overexpressed cells was detected by flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, xenograft nude mouse analyses and sphere formation assays. The effects of GP73 and HBV infection on host innate immune responses in hepatocytes were further investigated by Western blotting and qRT-PCR analysis.

Results

Initially, we confirmed that HBV-positive HCC tissues had significantly higher expression of GP73. Ectopic expression of the HBV gene could induce GP73 expression in primary human hepatocytes and hepatoma cells in vitro. In addition, we discovered that GP73 promotes HCC in both normal liver cells and hepatoma cells. We also found that ectopic expression of HBV genes increases GP73 expression, suppressing the host's innate immune responses in hepatocytes.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that HBV facilitates HCC development by activating GP73 to repress the host's innate immune response. This study adds to our understanding of the pathogenesis of HBV infection-induced HCC. The findings also provide preclinical support for GP73 as a potential HCC prevention or treatment target.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13027-022-00462-y.

Demethylation and reactivation of the fibrosis-suppressor gene Rasal1 is initiated by R-loop formation which facilitates recruitment of TET3 and GADD45g

Background

Silencing of fibrosis suppressor genes through DNA methylation has been shown to contribute to fibrosis progression in the heart and in other organs. Growth Arrest and DNA Damage 45-(GADD45) and Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) proteins are involved in active DNA demethylation, but how they are recruited to the promoter of fibrosis suppressor genes has not yet been understood.

Purpose

To identify the mechanisms involved in site-specific demethylation of the promoter region of the cardiac fibrosis suppressor gene Rasal1.

Methods

We previously identified lncRNA Gm15749 located within the Rasal1 promoter region. Using DRIP qRT-PCR, we demonstrated an enrichment of R-loops at the Rasal1 promoter in non-fibrotic mouse cardiac fibroblasts. Such enrichment of R-loops was lost upon TGF-beta-treatment in activated “fibrotic” fibroblasts, and also upon Gm15749 knockdown in untreated non-fibrotic fibroblasts. ChIP qRT-PCR further revealed binding of GADD45g to the Rasal1 promoter and Co-IP experiments confirmed a physical interaction of TET3 and GADD45g.

Results

Studying the RAS Protein Activator Like 1 (Rasal1), which has been shown to be silenced in fibrosis of the heart due to promoter hypermethylation, we find that the lncRNA Gm15749 within the promoter region of Rasal1 is protective by forming an R-loop at the Rasal1 promoter. Gm15749 mediates the recruitment and binding of GADD45g, which then triggers the demethylation process by recruiting TET3 specifically to the Rasal1 promoter region. During cardiac fibrosis, all three factors; Gm15749, TET3, and GADD45g are significantly downregulated and the protection of Rasal1 is lost due to the failure of the formation of the demethylation complex.

Conclusions

Our results suggest a complex involving an R-loop forming lncRNA termed Gm15749, which interacts with the demethylation complex consisting of GADD45g and TET3 to perform site-specific demethylation at the Rasal1 promoter. Such R-loop formation may counteract fibrogenesis through reactivation of fibrosis-suppressor genes silenced by hypermethylation.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.