High pulse pressure is associated with an increased risk of diabetes in females but not in males: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence suggests a close relationship between metabolic disturbance and increased arterial stiffness. However, whether there is an association between pulse pressure (PP) and diabetes and how this association might be impacted by sex is not clear.

METHODS

A total of 209,635 adult Chinese individuals > 20 years old across 32 sites and 11 cities in China (Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Changzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, Nantong) were included in the study; participants were free of diabetes at baseline. In the present study, we analyzed the relationship between PP at baseline and incident diabetes using the Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 2.99 years, a total of 3971 participants (2885 men and 1086 women) developed diabetes, and the incidence was 6.3 per 1000 person-years. With each 10 mmHg increase in PP, the multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) for incident diabetes was 1.117 (1.061, 1.176) in females and 0.981 (0.951, 1.012) in males. Using the lowest quartile of PP as the reference category, the hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) of the highest quartile of PP for incident diabetes was 1.494 (1.225, 1.822) in females and 0.939 (0.843, 1.045) in males. Smooth plots revealed a significant difference between males and females in the HRs for new-onset diabetes according to PP.

CONCLUSION

Higher PP was related to future diabetes development in females but not in males and further research is needed to explore the mechanism.

Microalgae oil from Schizochytrium sp. alleviates obesity and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice

Omega-3 PUFAs rich in fish oil are believed to prevent obesity by improving lipid metabolism and regulating gut microbiota. Microalgae oil is considered as an alternative source of omega-3 PUFAs owing to diminishing fish resources. Schizochytrium microalgae oil (SMO), with a high DHA proportion, is a promising source for commercial DHA production. However, its weight-loss and gut microbiota-regulating properties are not well studied. Here we compared the obesity reducing effects of SMO, commercial fish oil (FO) and a weight-loss drug, Orlistat (OL), in a high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity mouse model. We found that SMO is comparable to commercial FO and OL with regard to weight loss, and it even exhibits the weight-loss effects earlier than FO and OL. It can efficiently inhibit the expression of lipogenesis-related genes and induce the expression of lipolysis-related genes. Moreover, SMO has different gut microbiota modulating effects from those of FO and OL. It does not influence the diversity of bacterial community, but does increase the abundance of several beneficial SCFAs-producing bacteria and inhibits obesity-promoting Desulfovibrio and several pathogens. We also found that SMO recovers the HFD-disturbed metabolic capability of gut microbiota. It can increase the abundance of several metabolism-related pathways, such as those of amino acids, SCFAs and bile acid, and decrease the level of the LPS biosynthesis pathway, which probably contributes to an improvement of lipid metabolism and restoration of the colonic mucosal barrier impaired by HFD. Our data suggest that SMO can be used as a superior dietary supplement for alleviating obesity.

Silica nanoparticles aggravated the metabolic associated fatty liver disease through disturbed amino acid and lipid metabolisms-mediated oxidative stress

The metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a public health challenge, leading to a global increase in chronic liver disease. The respiratory exposure of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) has revealed to induce hepatotoxicity. However, its role in the pathogenesis and progression of MAFLD was severely under-studied. In this context, the hepatic impacts of SiNPs were investigated in vivo and in vitro through using ApoE^-/- mice and free fatty acid (FFA)-treated L02 hepatocytes. Histopathological examinations and biochemical analysis showed SiNPs exposure via intratracheal instillation aggravated hepatic steatosis, lipid vacuolation, inflammatory infiltration and even collagen deposition in ApoE^-/- mice, companied with increased hepatic ALT, AST and LDH levels. The enhanced fatty acid synthesis and inhibited fatty acid β-oxidation and lipid efflux may account for the increased hepatic TC/TG by SiNPs. Consistently, SiNPs induced lipid deposition and elevated TC in FFA-treated L02 cells. Further, the activation of hepatic oxidative stress was detected in vivo and in vitro, as evidenced by ROS accumulation, elevated MDA, declined GSH/GSSG and down-regulated Nrf2 signaling. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was also triggered in response to SiNPs-induced lipid accumulation, as reflecting by the remarkable ER expansion and increased BIP expression. More importantly, an UPLC-MS-based metabolomics analysis revealed that SiNPs disturbed the hepatic metabolic profile in ApoE^-/- mice, prominently on amino acids and lipid metabolisms. In particular, the identified differential metabolites were strongly correlated to the activation of oxidative stress and ensuing hepatic TC/TG accumulation and liver injuries, contributing to the progression of liver diseases. Taken together, our study showed SiNPs promoted hepatic steatosis and liver damage, resulting in the aggravation of MAFLD progression. More importantly, the disturbed amino acids and lipid metabolisms-mediated oxidative stress was a key contributor to this phenomenon from a metabolic perspective.

Evaluation of the hepatoprotective effect of naringenin loaded nanoparticles against acetaminophen overdose toxicity

Acute liver injury is a common clinical disease, which easily leads to liver failure and endangers life, seriously threatening human health. Naringenin is a natural flavonoid that holds therapeutic potential against various liver injuries; however it has poor water solubility and bioavailability. In this study, we aimed to develop naringenin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (NGNPs) and to evaluate their hepatoprotective effect and underlying mechanisms against acetaminophen overdose toxicity. In vitro data indicated that NGNPs significantly increased the drug solubility and also more effectively protected the hepatocyte cells from oxidative damage during hydrogen peroxide exposure or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. In vivo results confirmed that NGNPs showed an enhanced accumulation in the liver tissue. In the murine model of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity, NGNPs could effectively alleviate the progression of acute liver injury by reducing drug overdose-induced levels of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in hepatocytes. In conclusion, NGNPs has strong hepatoprotective effects against acetaminophen induced acute liver injury.

Biomimetic Antidote Nanoparticles: a Novel Strategy for Chronic Heavy Metal Poisoning

Chronic lead poisoning has become a major factor in global public health. Chelation therapy is usually used to manage lead poisoning. Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is a widely used heavy metal chelation agent. However, DMSA has the characteristics of poor water solubility, low oral bioavailability, and short half-life, which limit its clinical application. Herein, a long-cycle slow-release nanodrug delivery system was constructed. We successfully coated the red blood cell membrane (RBCM) onto the surface of dimercaptosuccinic acid polylactic acid glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) nanoparticles (RBCM-DMSA-NPs), which have a long cycle and detoxification capabilities. The NPs were characterized and observed by particle size meters and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the particle size of RBCM-DMSA-NPs was approximately 146.66 ± 2.41 nm, and the zeta potential was - 15.34 ± 1.60 mV. The homogeneous spherical shape and clear core-shell structure of the bionic nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. In the animal tests, the area under the administration time curve of RBCM-DMSA-NPs was 156.52 ± 2.63 (mg/L·h), which was 5.21-fold and 2.36-fold that of free DMSA and DMSA-NPs, respectively. Furthermore, the median survival of the RBCM-DMSA-NP treatment group (47 days) was 3.61-fold, 1.32-fold, and 1.16-fold for the lead poisoning group, free DMSA, and DMSA-NP groups, respectively. The RBCM-DMSA-NP treatment significantly extended the cycle time of the drug in the body and improved the survival rate of mice with chronic lead poisoning. Histological analyses showed that RBCM-DMSA-NPs did not cause significant systemic toxicity. These results indicated that RBCM-DMSA-NPs could be a potential candidate for long-term chronic lead exposure treatment.

[Impact of different obesity patterns on coronary microvascular function in male patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease]

Objective: This study sought to investigate the impact of different obesity patterns on coronary microvascular function in male patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of male patients diagnosed with suspected coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between December 2015 and August 2021. All patients underwent the one-day rest and stress ¹³N-ammonia positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging. Overall obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m² and abdominal obesity was defined by waist circumference ≥90 cm. Hyperemic myocardial blood flow (MBF)<2.3 ml·min^-1·g^-1 or coronary flow reserve (CFR)<2.5 were referred as CMD. All patients were grouped based on their BMI and waist circumference. MBF, CFR, the incidence of CMD, hemodynamic parameters, and cardiac function were compared among the groups. Results: A total of 136 patients were included. According to BMI and waist circumference, patients were categorized into 3 groups: control group (n=45), simple abdominal obesity group (n=53) and compound obesity group (n=38). Resting MBF did not differ between groups (F=0.02,P=0.994). Compared with the control group, hyperemic MBF was significantly lower in the simple abdominal obesity and compound obesity groups ((2.82±0.64) ml·min^-1·g^-1, (2.44±0.85) ml·min^-1·g^-1 and (2.49±0.71) ml·min^-1·g^-1, both P<0.05, respectively). Hyperemic MBF was comparable among the groups of patients with obesity (P=0.772). CFR was significantly lower in the simle abdominal obesity group compared with the control group (2.87±0.99 vs. 3.32±0.62,P=0.012). Compared with the control group, CFR tended to be lower in the compound obesity group (3.02±0.91 vs. 3.32±0.62,P=0.117). The incidence of CMD was significantly higher in both the simple abdominal obesity and compound obesity groups than in the control group (62.3%, 52.6% vs. 22.2%, both P<0.01, respectively). Waist circumference was an independent risk factor for male CMD (OR=1.057, 95%CI: 1.013-1.103, P=0.011). Conclusions: In male patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease, abdominal obesity is associated with decreased coronary microvascular function. Male patients with simple abdominal obesity face the highest risk of CMD.

Porous hydroxyapatite scaffold orchestrated with bioactive coatings for rapid bone repair

Current bioceramic scaffolds for critical-size bone defects are still facing various challenges such as the poor capability of self-resorption, vascularization and osteogenesis. Herein, a composite scaffold (HOD) is fabricated by integrating bioactive coatings of konjac glucomannan (KGM) and deferoxamine (DFO) into porous hydroxyapatite scaffold (HA), where KGM coating induces the self-resorption of HOD after implanting and DFO promoted the vascularization at the defected bone. Porous HA scaffolds with 200-400 μm of pore sizes were prepared and these bioactive coatings were successfully deposited on the scaffold, which was confirmed by SEM. MC3T3-E1 cells could be tightly attached to the pore wall of HOD and the obvious osteogenic differentiation was clearly displayed after 14 days of co-culture. Besides, HOD displayed the potential of promoting the vascularization of HUVECs. Importantly, the accelerated degradation of HOD was observed in a macrophage-associated acidic medium, which led to the self-resorption of HOD in vivo. Micro-CT images showed that HOD was gradually replaced by newly formed bone, achieving a balance between the new bone formation and the scaffold degradation. The rapid bone repairing of the femoral defects in rats was displayed for HOD in comparison to the HA scaffold. Moreover, the therapeutic mechanism of HOD was highly associated with promoted osteogenesis and vascularization. Collectively, the porous ceramic scaffold orchestrated with bioactive coatings may be a promising strategy for repairing of the large bone defect.

Comparative genomics of Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus, including the description of four novel species: Myxococcus guangdongensis sp. nov., Myxococcus qinghaiensis sp. nov., Myxococcus dinghuensis sp. nov., and Pyxidicoccus xibeiensis sp. nov

Myxobacteria are recognized for fascinating social behaviors and producing diverse extracellular active substances. Isolating novel myxobacteria is of great interest in the exploitation of new antibiotics and extracellular enzymes. Herein, four novel strains were isolated from Dinghu Mountain Biosphere Reserve, Guangdong province, and Qinghai virgin forest soils, Qinghai province, China. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and genomic sequences indicated that the four strains belong to the genera Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus, sharing the highly similarities of 16S rRNA gene with the genera Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus (99.3-99.6%, respectively). The four strains had average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of 82.8-94.5%, digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of 22.2-56.6%, average amino acid identity (AAI) values of 75.8-79.1% and percentage of conserved protein (POCP) values of 66.4-74.9% to members of the genera Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus. Based on phylogenetic analyses, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and comparative genomic analyses, we propose four novel species of the genera Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus and further supported the two genera above represented the same genus. Description of the four novel species is Myxococcus guangdongensis sp. nov. (K38C18041901T = GDMCC 1.2320T = JCM 39260T), Myxococcus qinghaiensis sp. nov. (QH3KD-4-1T = GDMCC 1.2316T = JCM 39262T), Myxococcus dinghuensis sp. nov. (K15C18031901T = GDMCC 1.2319T = JCM 39259T), and Pyxidicoccus xibeiensis sp. nov. (QH1ED-7-1T = GDMCC 1.2315T = JCM 39261T), respectively. Furthermore, comparative genomics of all 15 species of the genera Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus revealed extensive genetic diversity. Core genomes enriched more genes associated with housekeeping functional classes while accessory genomes enriched more genes related to environmental interactions, indicating the former is relatively indispensable compared to signaling pathway genes. The 15 species of Myxococcus and Pyxidicoccus also exhibited great gene diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs), especially related to glycosyl transferases (GT2 and GT4), glycoside hydrolases (GH13 and GH23), non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), and Type I polyketide synthase (PKS)/NRPS hybrids.

Strong band renormalization and emergent ferromagnetism induced by electron-antiferromagnetic-magnon coupling

The interactions between electrons and antiferromagnetic magnons (AFMMs) are important for a large class of correlated materials. For example, they are the most plausible pairing glues in high-temperature superconductors, such as cuprates and iron-based superconductors. However, unlike electron-phonon interactions (EPIs), clear-cut observations regarding how electron-AFMM interactions (EAIs) affect the band structure are still lacking. Consequently, critical information on the EAIs, such as its strength and doping dependence, remains elusive. Here we directly observe that EAIs induce a kink structure in the band dispersion of Ba_1-xK_xMn₂As₂, and subsequently unveil several key characteristics of EAIs. We found that the coupling constant of EAIs can be as large as 5.4, and it shows strong doping dependence and temperature dependence, all in stark contrast to the behaviors of EPIs. The colossal renormalization of electron bands by EAIs enhances the density of states at Fermi energy, which is likely driving the emergent ferromagnetic state in Ba_1-xK_xMn₂As₂ through a Stoner-like mechanism with mixed itinerant-local character. Our results expand the current knowledge of EAIs, which may facilitate the further understanding of many correlated materials where EAIs play a critical role.

Stroke prevention of thoracoscopic left atrial appendage clipping in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation at high risk of stroke and bleeding: study protocol for a non-randomised controlled clinical trial

INTRODUCTION

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is a high-risk factor for ischaemic stroke. The 2016 European Society of Cardiology Atrial Fibrillation Management guidelines recommend oral anticoagulants (OACs) to prevent stroke in men with CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores ≥2 and women ≥3. However, in patients with a high risk of stroke and a high risk of bleeding (HAS-BLED (Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile international normalized ratio, Elderly (> 65 years), Drugs/alcohol concomitantly) score≥3), OAC had a higher risk of bleeding. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is non-inferior to OAC as a means of preventing stroke in several studies. As a minimally invasive intervention to prevent stroke, transthoracic LAAC (TS-LAAC) has a high successful closure rate, but there is a lack of literature reports directly comparing it with OAC. Our research compares TS-LAAC with novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and provides an appropriate programme for stroke prevention in a specific population.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a non-randomised controlled trial study protocol, and we will conduct this study from April 2022 to April 2025. The study included 186 patients with confirmed NVAF, 93 of whom completed thoracoscopic LAAC, and the control group treated with NOACs. The primary outcome was the incidence of stroke and systemic embolism, as well as the composite endpoint events (stroke, systemic embolism, myocardial infarction, bleeding, cardiovascular death, etc). Secondary outcomes were ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, any bleeding events, death from cardiovascular causes, death from all causes, residual root rate in the surgery group, device-related thrombosis in the surgery group, changes in blood pressure, cardiac chamber size changes, etc. Each subject completed at least 1 year of follow-up.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China (approval number: KY2022-013-02). The results from this study will be disseminated through manuscript publications and national/international conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2200058109.

Extracellular vesicles produced by human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells can prevent arterial stenosis in mice via autophagy regulation

Intravascular transplantation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) demonstrated a significant therapeutic effect in the treatment of restenosis by the paracrine function of extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, the risk of tumorigenicity and poor cell survival limits its clinical applications. In this study, we for the first time applied a highly efficient and robust three-dimensional (3D) protocol for hiPSC differentiation into endothelial cells (ECs) with subsequent isolation of EVs from the derived hiPSC-EC (ECs differentiated from hiPSCs), and validated their therapeutic effect in intimal hyperplasia (IH) models. We found that intravenously (iv) injected EVs could accumulate on the carotid artery endothelium and significantly alleviate the intimal thickening induced by the carotid artery ligation. To elucidate the mechanism of this endothelial protection, we performed miRNA expression profiling and found out that among the most conserved endothelial miRNAs, miR-126 was the most abundant in hiPSC-EC-produced EVs (hiPSC-EC-EV). MiR-126 depletion from hiPSC-EC-EV can hinder its protective effect on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in an inflammatory process. A variety of functional in vitro studies revealed that miR-126 was able to prevent endothelial apoptosis after inflammatory stimulation, as well as promote EC migration and tube formation through autophagy upregulation. The latter was supported by in vivo studies demonstrating that treatment with hiPSC-EC-EV can upregulate autophagy in mouse carotid artery ECs, thereby preventing IH and modulating vascular homeostasis via remodeling of the vascular intima. Our findings suggest a regulatory mechanism for the therapeutic effect on arterial restenosis by autophagy regulation, and provide a potential strategy for clinical treatment of the disease.

The two-component system CpxA/CpxR is critical for full virulence in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a major bacterial porcine respiratory tract pathogen causing pig pleuropneumonia, has resulted in high economic losses worldwide. The mutation of the two-component system CpxAR strongly impacted the virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae, but the underlying regulatory mechanism remained unclear. Here, we found that CpxAR positively regulated the cpxDCBA gene cluster involved in polysaccharide capsule export. A capsular layer was confirmed in wild-type cells by transmission electron microscopy, whereas cpxAR and cpxD mutants were non-capsulated. The mutants for polysaccharide capsule export gene cpxD exhibited non-capsulated and were strongly impaired in virulence for mice, indicating a major role of CPS export system in virulence. We then demonstrated that CpxR directly regulated the transcription of the CPS export gene cluster cpxDCBA. Taken together, our data suggested that CpxAR is a key modulator of capsule export that facilitates A. pleuropneumoniae survival in the host.

In situ hydrogel capturing nitric oxide microbubbles accelerates the healing of diabetic foot

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a devastating complication in diabetes patients, imposing a high risk of amputation and economic burden on patients. Sustained inflammation and angiogenesis hindrance are thought to be two key drivers of the pathogenesis of such ulcers. Nitric oxide (NO) has been proven to accelerate the healing of acute or chronic wounds by modulating inflammation and angiogenesis. However, the use of gas-based therapeutics is difficult for skin wounds. Herein, therapeutic NO gas was first prepared as stable microbubbles, followed by incorporation into a cold Poloxamer-407 (P₄₀₇) solution. Exposed to the DFU wound, the cold P₄₀₇ solution would rapidly be transformed into a semisolid hydrogel under body temperature and accordingly capture NO microbubbles. The NO microbubble-captured hydrogel (PNO) was expected to accelerate wound healing in diabetic feet. The NO microbubbles had an average diameter of 0.8 ± 0.4 μm, and most of which were captured by the in situ P₄₀₇ hydrogel. Moreover, the NO microbubbles were evenly distributed inside the hydrogel and kept for a longer time. In addition, the gelling temperature of 30% (w/v) P₄₀₇ polymer (21 °C) was adjusted to 31 °C for the PNO gel, which was near the temperature of the skin surface. Rheologic studies showed that the PNO gel had mechanical strength comparable with that of the P₄₀₇ hydrogel. The cold PNO solution was conveniently sprayed or smeared on the wound of DFU and rapidly gelled. In vivo studies showed that PNO remarkably accelerated wound healing in rats with DFU. Moreover, the sustained inflammation at the DFU wound was largely reversed by PNO, as reflected by the decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and the increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-22 and IL-13). Meanwhile, angiogenesis was significantly promoted by PNO, resulting in rich blood perfusion at the DFU wounds. The therapeutic mechanism of PNO was highly associated with polarizing macrophages and maintaining the homeostasis of the extracellular matrix. Collectively, PNO gel may be a promising vehicle of therapeutic NO gas for DFU treatment.

Parachryseolinea silvisoli gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from forest soil, and reclassification of Chryseolinea flava as Pseudochryseolinea flava gen. nov., comb. nov

A lemon-chiffon strain, designated QH1ED-6-2^T, was isolated from a soil sample collected from Qinghai Virgin Forests, Qinghai Province, PR China. The strain was Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile by gliding. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain QH1ED-6-2^T belongs to the family Fulvivirgaceae, and has the highest similarity values of 93.6-92.0 % to Ohtaekwangia koreensis CCUG 58939^T, Ohtaekwangia kribbensis CCUG 58938^T, Chryseolinea flava SDU1-6^T and Chryseolinea serpens DSM 24574^T, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids included iso-C_15 : 0, C_16 : 1  ω5c, iso-C_17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. The predominant respiratory quinone was menaquinone-7. The average amino acid identity values and percentages of conserved proteins between QH1ED-6-2^T and its closely related genera were 66.4-69.6 % and 58.9-64.9 %, respectively, which are interspersed in the intra-genera cutoff values. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values were 17.6-19.2 %. The draft genome size of strain QH1ED-6-2^T was 7.98 Mbp with a DNA G+C content of 51.4 mol%. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic data, genomic DNA G+C content, as well as AAI, POCP and dDDH results, strain QH1ED-6-2^T represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Fulvivirgaceae, for which the name Parachryseolinea silvisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is QH1ED-6-2^T (=GDMCC 1.2318^T=JCM 35041^T). We also propose the reclassification of Chryseolinea flava as Pseudochryseolinea flava gen. nov., comb. nov. (type strain SDU1-6^T=CGMCC 1.13492^T=JCM 32520^T).

Roles of focal adhesion proteins in skeleton and diseases

The skeletal system, which contains bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and other elements, plays a wide variety of roles in body shaping, support and movement, protection of internal organs, production of blood cells and regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism. The prevalence of skeletal diseases and disorders, such as osteoporosis and bone fracture, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and intervertebral disc degeneration, increases with age, causing pain and loss of mobility and creating a huge social and economic burden globally. Focal adhesions (FAs) are macromolecular assemblies that are composed of the extracellular matrix (ECM), integrins, intracellular cytoskeleton and other proteins, including kindlin, talin, vinculin, paxillin, pinch, Src, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and integrin-linked protein kinase (ILK) and other proteins. FA acts as a mechanical linkage connecting the ECM and cytoskeleton and plays a key role in mediating cell-environment communications and modulates important processes, such as cell attachment, spreading, migration, differentiation and mechanotransduction, in different cells in skeletal system by impacting distinct outside-in and inside-out signaling pathways. This review aims to integrate the up-to-date knowledge of the roles of FA proteins in the health and disease of skeletal system and focuses on the specific molecular mechanisms and underlying therapeutic targets for skeletal diseases.

Carbidopa suppresses estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer via AhR-mediated proteasomal degradation of ERα

Estrogen receptor-α (ERα) promotes breast cancer, and ER-positive cancer accounts for ~ 80% of breast cancers. This subtype responds positively to hormone/endocrine therapies involving either inhibition of estrogen synthesis or blockade of estrogen action. Carbidopa, a drug used to potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of L-DOPA in Parkinson's disease, is an agonist for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Pharmacotherapy in Parkinson's disease decreases the risk for cancers, including breast cancer. The effects of carbidopa on ER-positive breast cancer were evaluated in cell culture and in mouse xenografts. The assays included cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration/invasion, subcellular localization of AhR, proteasomal degradation, and tumor growth in xenografts. Carbidopa decreased proliferation and migration of ER-positive human breast cancer cells in vitro with no significant effect on ER-negative breast cancer cells. Treatment of ER-positive cells with carbidopa promoted nuclear localization of AhR and expression of AhR target genes; it also decreased cellular levels of ERα via proteasomal degradation in an AhR-dependent manner. In vivo, carbidopa suppressed the growth of ER-positive breast cancer cells in mouse xenografts; this was associated with increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation. Carbidopa has therapeutic potential for ER-positive breast cancer either as a single agent or in combination with other standard chemotherapies.

An intelligent monitoring system of diseases and pests on rice canopy

Accurate and timely surveys of rice diseases and pests are important to control them and prevent the reduction of rice yields. The current manual survey method of rice diseases and pests is time-consuming, laborious, highly subjective and difficult to trace historical data. To address these issues, we developed an intelligent monitoring system for detecting and identifying the disease and pest lesions on the rice canopy. The system mainly includes a network camera, an intelligent detection model of diseases and pests on rice canopy, a web client and a server. Each camera of the system can collect rice images in about 310 m² of paddy fields. An improved model YOLO-Diseases and Pests Detection (YOLO-DPD) was proposed to detect three lesions of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, Chilo suppressalis, and Ustilaginoidea virens on rice canopy. The residual feature augmentation method was used to narrow the semantic gap between different scale features of rice disease and pest images. The convolution block attention module was added into the backbone network to enhance the regional disease and pest features for suppressing the background noises. Our experiments demonstrated that the improved model YOLO-DPD could detect three species of disease and pest lesions on rice canopy at different image scales with an average precision of 92.24, 87.35 and 90.74%, respectively, and a mean average precision of 90.11%. Compared to RetinaNet, Faster R-CNN and Yolov4 models, the mean average precision of YOLO-DPD increased by 18.20, 6.98, 6.10%, respectively. The average detection time of each image is 47 ms. Our system has the advantages of unattended operation, high detection precision, objective results, and data traceability.

[Observation Analyses of Aerosol Size Distribution Properties from February to March, 2019 in Tianjin Urban Area]

The aerosol size distribution is an important physical parameter reflecting the source, formation process, and pollution characteristics of aerosol particles. In order to study the properties of aerosol number concentration and size distributions in the Tianjin urban area,the aerosol number concentration and size distributions ranging from 10-600 nm were detected using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) during February and March, 2019. The results showed that in the Tianjin urban area, the aerosol number concentration,surface area concentration. and volume concentration in the size range of 10-600 nm were 22188.22 cm^-3, 1581.08 μm²·cm^-3, and 70.76 μm³·cm^-3,respectively, in late winter and early spring. The aerosol number concentration,surface area concentration, and volume concentration spectrum were all unimodally distributed,and the peak value sizes were 109.40, 269.00, and 429.40 nm. The number concentrations of the nucleation mode (10-20 nm),Aitken mode (20-100 nm), and accumulation mode (100-600 nm) aerosols accounted for 1.40%, 52.44%, and 46.16% of the total number concentration. The diurnal variation in aerosol number concentration showed three peaks (06:00-08:00, 12:00-14:00, and 18:00-20:00) on work days and two peaks (07:00-08:00 and 19:00-21:00) on weekends. The peaks appeared 1-2 hours later on weekends,and the increment of aerosol number concentration was attributed to vehicle exhaust emissions. Meteorological factors had a significant influence on the aerosol size distribution in Tianjin; aerosol number concentration values were high in east and southwest wind. On non-precipitation days,the aerosol number size distribution moved to larger size ranges with the increment of relative humidity (RH); as the RH increased from <20% to 50%-60%,the size peak increased from 50 nm to 131 nm. The precipitation removed 100-200 nm aerosol particles discernibly,which resulted in the size peak decreasing to 98 nm.

[Clinicopathological characteristics related to Miller/Payne grading system of breast carcinoma after neoadjuvant therapy and establishment of novel prediction models]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between clinicopathological features and Miller/Payne (MP) grading system of breast carcinoma after neoadjuvant treatment and to establish novel prediction models. Methods: A total of 1 053 cases of invasive breast carcinoma NOS that undertaken neoadjuvant treatment according to Guidelines of CSCO for Breast Cancer were selected at the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute from September 2016 to September 2019, and the clinical, pathologic data, MP grading and immunohistochemical staining were evaluated. Statistical analysis was conducted using R software. Several novel computer models on prediction of MP grading were established and validated. Results: Among 1 053 patients who accepted neoadjuvant treatment, 316 patients (316/1 053, 30%) were evaluated as MP5 postoperatively, and 737 patients (737/1 053, 70%) did not meet MP5 level. MP5 had significant association with histological grade, ER and PR expression, HER2 status, Ki-67 index and molecular classification (P<0.05). Univariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses further showed that the above clinicopathological features were also independent influencing factors of MP5 grade; five-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate the performance of the models, and the sensitivity and specificity of different models were obtained. Conclusions: MP grading of invasive breast carcinoma NOS after neoadjuvant treatment is associated with high histological grade, negative ER and PR expression, HER2 positivity, high Ki-67 index and molecular classification, which are independent influence factors. GBM model recommended through comparison can provide some help for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Fungal Communities Are More Sensitive to the Simulated Environmental Changes than Bacterial Communities in a Subtropical Forest: the Single and Interactive Effects of Nitrogen Addition and Precipitation Seasonality Change

Increased nitrogen deposition (N factor) and changes in precipitation patterns (W factor) can greatly impact soil microbial communities in tropical/subtropical forests. Although knowledge about the effects of a single factor on soil microbial communities is growing rapidly, little is understood about the interactive effects of these two environmental change factors. In this study, we investigated the responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to the short-term simulated environmental changes (nitrogen addition, precipitation seasonality change, and their combination) in a subtropical forest in South China. The interaction between N and W factors was detected significant for affecting some soil physicochemical properties (such as pH, soil water, and NO₃^- contents). Fungi were more susceptible to treatment than bacteria in a variety of community traits (alpha, beta diversity, and network topological features). The N and W factors act antagonistically to affect fungal alpha diversity, and the interaction effect was detected significant for the dry season. The topological features of the meta-community (containing both bacteria and fungi) network overrode the alpha and beta diversity of bacterial or fungal communities in explaining the variation of soil enzyme activities. The associations between Ascomycota fungi and Gammaproteobacteria or Alphaproteobacteria might be important in mediating the inter-kingdom interactions. In summary, our results suggested that fungal communities were more sensitive to N and W factors (and their interaction) than bacterial communities, and the treatments' effects were more prominent in the dry season, which may have great consequences in soil processes and ecosystem functions in subtropical forests.

Amorphous silica nanoparticles caused lung injury through the induction of epithelial apoptosis via ROS/Ca2+/DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission signaling

The adverse effects of amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) exposure on the respiratory system were increasingly recognized, however, its potential pathogenesis still remains not fully elucidated. So, this study aimed to explore its effects on pulmonary injury, and to investigate related mechanisms. Histological investigations illustrated SiNPs triggered the lung injury, mainly manifested as alveolar structure destruction, collagen deposition, and mitochondrial ultrastructural injury. In particular, SiNPs greatly enhanced pulmonary ROS and TUNEL positive rate in lungs, both of which were positively correlated with lung impairments. Further, the underlying mechanisms were investigated in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE). Consistent with the in vivo findings, SiNPs caused the impairments on mitochondrial structure, as well as the activation of ROS generation and oxidative injury. Upon SiNPs stimuli, mitochondrial respiration was greatly inhibited, while Ca2+ overload in cytosol and mitochondria owing to ER calcium release was noticed, resulting in mitochondrial-dependent epithelial apoptosis. More importantly, mitochondrial dynamics was imbalanced toward a fission type, as evidenced by upregulated DRP1 and its phosphorylation at Ser616 (DRP1s616), while downregulated DRP1s637, and also MFN1, MFN2. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the activation of ROS/Ca2+ signaling promoted DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission by SiNPs, forming a vicious cycle, and ultimately contributing to apoptosis in 16HBE. In summary, our results disclosed SiNPs caused pulmonary injury through the induction of epithelial apoptosis via a ROS/Ca2+/DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission axis.

[Effect of exosome derived from ovarian cancer cell on the differentiation of fibroblast]

Objective: To study the effects of exosome secreted by ovarian cancer (OC) cell on the differentiation and metastasis of normal fibroblasts (NFs). Methods: NFs were collected from patients who underwent hysteromyoma resection in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from May to December 2019. Exosome was extracted from the culture supernatant of SKOV3 cells by using ultra-high-speed centrifugation. The NFs were co-cultured with condition medium (CM), exosome of SKOV3 (SKOV3-exo) and control medium. The expression levels of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. The metastatic ability of NFs was detected by Transwell array. Results: Under the transmission electron microscope, the extracellular vesicles extracted from the culture supernatant of SKOV3 were 30-100 nm in diameter with cup holder-like bilayer membrane structure, and the protein expression levels of TSG101 and HSP27 in exosomes (1.00±0.05 and 1.12±0.13) were higher than those of ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells (0.22±0.21 and 0.36±0.14, respectively, P<0.05). PKH67 fluorescently labeled exosomes could be taken up by NFs. The expression levels of α-SMA and FAP mRNA in CM group(2.91±0.15 and 3.21±0.33)and SKOV3-exo group (3.50±0.21 and 4.63±0.24, respectively) were higher than that in blank group (1.00±0.06 and 1.00±0.13, P<0.05). The protein expression levels of α-SMA and FAP in CM group and SKOV3-exo group (0.89±0.11 and 1.25±0.09, 0.81±0.09 and 1.20±0.12) were higher than those in the blank group (0.12±0.31 and 0.11±0.19, respectively, P<0.05). The migrated numbers of cells in the CM group and SKOV3-exo group [(215.01±14.80) and (389.72±19.43), respectively] were higher than that in the blank group [(113.73±4.70), P<0.05]. Conclusion: The exosome secreted by SKOV3 cells can be taken up by NFs, which makes it to differentiate into cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and significantly enhances its metastatic ability, indicating that OC cells may promote the transformation of normal ovarian mesenchymal fibroblasts to CAFs through exosome pathways, and then promote the development of ovarian cancer.

Vibrational courtship disruption of Nilaparvata lugens using artificial disruptive signals

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål; Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is a piercing-sucking pest that causes serious damage to rice plants by sucking the phloem sap from the plants and transmitting viruses. During courtship, the BPH vibrates its abdomen to produce signals that are transmitted to rice plants through its legs. Male BPHs search, locate, and mate with female BPHs after they exchange courtship signals with each other. Currently, spraying chemical pesticides is still the primary method for controlling BPH populations in paddy fields, although this approach has led to severe environmental pollution. A physical control method based on BPH courtship disruption to reduce the mating rate is a promising strategy for cutting environmental pollution. To acquire effective courtship disruptive signals, we developed a vibration signal recording, monitoring, and playback system for BPHs. Using this system, BPH courtship signals and male competition signals were collected and analyzed to obtain their frequency spectra. Results show that the mean main vibration frequency of female courtship signals is 234 Hz and the mean pulse rate is 23 Hz. The mean main vibration and pulse frequencies of the male courtship signals are 255 Hz and 82 Hz, respectively. Besides, the mean main vibration frequency of the male competition signal is 281 Hz. Seven different forms and frequencies of artificial signals were played back to male BPHs, then the courtship and behavioral responses of male BPHs were analyzed. Results indicate that a pure tone of 225 Hz prevents the males from recognizing female courtship signals. The male reply rate fell from 95.6 to 33.3% and the mean reply delay time increased from 5.3 s to 9.1 s. The reply rates of the other six artificial signals ranged from 42.9 to 83.7%, and the mean reply delays were between 5.0 s and 9.3 s. Therefore, the courtship behavior of BPHs can be disrupted by using specific artificial disruptive signals.

Immune-Protective Formulations and Process Strategies for Improved Survival and Function of Transplanted Islets

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by the immune system attacking and destroying insulin-producing β cells in the pancreas. Islet transplantation is becoming one of the most promising therapies for T1D patients. However, its clinical use is limited by substantial cell loss after islet infusion, closely related to immune reactions, including instant blood-mediated inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and direct autoimmune attack. Especially the grafted islets are not only exposed to allogeneic immune rejection after transplantation but are also subjected to an autoimmune process that caused the original disease. Due to the development and convergence of expertise in biomaterials, nanotechnology, and immunology, protective strategies are being investigated to address this issue, including exploring novel immune protective agents, encapsulating islets with biomaterials, and searching for alternative implantation sites, or co-transplantation with functional cells. These methods have significantly increased the survival rate and function of the transplanted islets. However, most studies are still limited to animal experiments and need further studies. In this review, we introduced the immunological challenges for islet graft and summarized the recent developments in immune-protective strategies to improve the outcomes of islet transplantation.

Microvirga terricola sp. nov. and Microvirga solisilvae sp. nov, isolated from forest soil

Two Gram-staining-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped strains, designated c23x22^T and sex2^T, were isolated from forest soil collected from Chebaling National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province and Limu Mountain National Forest Park in Hainan Province, P. R. China, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that they belonged to the genus Microvirga, and strain c23 x22^T was most closely related to 'Microvirga alba' KCTC 72385, while strain sex2^T showed close relationship with Microvirga guangxiensis CGMCC 1.7666^T. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strains c23 x22^T and sex2^T and their close relatives, 'M. alba' KCTC 72385 and M. guangxiensis CGMCC 1.7666^T, were all below the threshold values for species delimitation. The predominant quinones of the two novel strains were ubiquinone 10, and the major fatty acids contained C_19:0 cyclo ω8c and summed feature 8 (C_18:1 ω7c and/or C_18:1 ω6c). Their predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. The phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses clearly supported that strains c23 x 22^T and sex2^T represent two novel species of the genus Microvirga, for which the name Microvirga terricola sp. nov. (type strain c23 x 22^T = GDMCC 1.1700^T = KCTC 62432^T) and Microvirga solisilvae sp. nov. (type strain sex2^T = GDMCC 1.1651^T = KACC 21311^T) are proposed, respectively.