Prevalence of urinary tract cancer in the Spanish cohort of the IDENTIFY study

INTRODUCTION

Malignant tumors of the urinary tract are associated with high morbidity and mortality, and their prevalence can vary worldwide. Recently, the IDENTIFY study has published results on the prevalence of urinary tract cancer at a global level. This study evaluates the prevalence of cancer within the Spanish cohort of the IDENTIFY study to determine whether the published results can be extrapolated to our population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

An analysis of the data from the Spanish cohort of patients in the IDENTIFY study was performed. This is a prospective cohort of patients referred to secondary care with suspected cancer, predominantly due to hematuria. Patients were recruited between December 2017 and December 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 706 patients from 9 Spanish centers were analyzed. Of these, 277 (39.2%) were diagnosed with cancer: 259 (36.7%) bladder cancer, 10 (1.4%) upper tract urothelial carcinoma, 9 (1.2%) renal cancer and 5 (0.7%) prostate cancer. Increasing age (OR 1.05 (95% CI 1.03-1.06; P < 0.001)), visible hematuria (VH) OR 2.19 (95% CI 1.13-4.24; P = 0.02)) and smoking (ex-smokers: OR 2.11(95% CI 1.30-3.40; P = 0.002); smokers: OR 2.36 (95% CI 1.40-3.95; P = 0.001)) were associated with higher probability of bladder cancer.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the risk of bladder cancer in patients with VH and smoking habits. Bladder cancer presented the highest prevalence; higher than the prevalence reported in previous series and presented in the IDENTIFY study. Future work should evaluate other associated factors that allow us to create cancer prediction models to improve the detection of cancer in our patients.

Exploring the functional role of tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with high morbidity and mortality globally. tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) have emerged as potential targets for cancer treatment. However, the specific impact of tsRNAs on HCC remains undiscovered. In this study, we aimed to investigate the biological significance of tsRNAs in HCC. First, we screened the differentially expressed tsRNAs in HCC tissues and normal tissues adjacent to the tumor (NAT) using high-throughput sequencing and the results showed that tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 was more highly expressed in HCC tissues than NATs. Agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE), nuclear-cytoplasmic separation assays and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were employed to assess the characterization of tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9. The relationship between the expression of tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 and clinicopathological parameters was evaluated and we found that it was positively associated with tumor size. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay, colony formation assay and EdU staining assay were employed to investigate the role of tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 in the proliferation of HCC cells. Additionally, transwell assays demonstrated that overexpression of tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 could accelerate cell migration capability. Taken together, tRF-39-8HM2OSRNLNKSEKH9 was highly expressed in HCC cells, serum and tissues, and it may play an oncogenic role in HCC cells through interacting with downstream mRNA targets.

Distinct microbiota assembly and functional patterns in disease-resistant and susceptible varieties of tobacco

The plant microbiota is believed to be an accessory genome that extends plant functions, forming holobionts together with the host plant. Plant disease resistance, therefore, is inextricably linked with plant microbiota, which play important roles in plant growth and health. To explore the relationship between plant microbiota and disease resistance, we investigated the tobacco microbiome of two varieties with contrasting disease-resistance levels to bacterial wilt and black shank diseases. Comparative microbiome analysis indicated that the resistant variety assembled a distinct microbiota with higher network complexity and diversity. While Pseudomonas and Ensifer, which contain biocontrol and beneficial members, were enriched in the rhizosphere of the resistant variety, Ralstonia, a genus including the known causative pathogen, was enriched in the susceptible variety. Metagenome sequencing revealed that biocontrol functions, such as hydrogen cyanide synthase, pyochelin biosynthesis, and arthrofactin-type cyclic lipopeptide synthetase, were more abundant in the resistant variety. Further analysis indicated that contigs encoding the corresponding genes were mostly assigned to Pseudomonas. Among all the metagenome-assembled genomes, positive selection was suggested in the genome assigned to Pseudomonas only in the rhizosphere of the resistant variety. The search of biosynthetic gene clusters in the Pseudomonas genome revealed a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, the compound of which was brabantamide A, with known antimicrobial activity. Collectively, our study suggests that the plant microbiota might be involved in microbe-mediated disease resistance. Particularly, our results highlight Pseudomonas in the rhizosphere of the disease-resistant variety as a promising biocontrol candidate. Our study may facilitate further screening of bacterial isolates and the targeted design of microbial communities.

J24335 exerts neuroprotective effects against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions in PC12 cells and mice

Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disease and disrupts the lives of people aged >60 years. Meanwhile, single-target drugs becoming inapplicable as PD pathogenesis diversifies. Mitochondrial dysfunction and neurotoxicity have been shown to be relevant to the pathogenesis of PD. The novel synthetic compound J24335 (11-Hydroxy-1-(8-methoxy-5-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-2-yl)undecan-1-one oxime), which has been researched similarly to J2326, has the potential to be a multi-targeted drug and alleviate these lesions. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism of action and potential neuroprotective function of J24335 against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in mice, and in PC12 cell models. The key target of action of J24335 was also screened. MTT assay, LDH assay, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, LC-MS, OCR and ECAR detection, and Western Blot analysis were performed to characterize the neuroprotective effects of J24335 on PC12 cells and its potential mechanism. Behavioral tests and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate behavioral changes and brain lesions in mice. Moreover, bioinformatics was employed to assess the drug-likeness of J24335 and screen its potential targets. J24335 attenuated the degradation of mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced glucose metabolism and mitochondrial biosynthesis to ameliorate 6-OHDA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Animal behavioral tests demonstrated that J24335 markedly improved motor function and loss of TH-positive neurons and dopaminergic nerve fibers, and contributed to an increase in the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in brain tissue. The activation of both the CREB/PGC-1α/NRF-1/TFAM and PKA/Akt/GSK-3β pathways was a major contributor to the neuroprotective effects of J24335. Furthermore, bioinformatics predictions revealed that J24335 is a low toxicity and highly BBB permeable compound targeting 8 key genes (SRC, EGFR, ERBB2, SYK, MAPK14, LYN, NTRK1 and PTPN1). Molecular docking suggested a strong and stable binding between J24335 and the 8 core targets. Taken together, our results indicated that J24335, as a multi-targeted neuroprotective agent with promising therapeutic potential for PD, could protect against 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity via two potential pathways in mice and PC12 cells.

[The effect of Ba Duan Jin on the balance of community-dwelling older adults: a cluster randomized control trial]

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test. Results: A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95%CI: 2.23-3.88) points (P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95%CI: 4.03-5.37) points (P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement (P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions: This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

MAIVeSS: streamlined selection of antigenically matched, high-yield viruses for seasonal influenza vaccine production

Vaccines are the main pharmaceutical intervention used against the global public health threat posed by influenza viruses. Timely selection of optimal seed viruses with matched antigenicity between vaccine antigen and circulating viruses and with high yield underscore vaccine efficacy and supply, respectively. Current methods for selecting influenza seed vaccines are labor intensive and time-consuming. Here, we report the Machine-learning Assisted Influenza VaccinE Strain Selection framework, MAIVeSS, that enables streamlined selection of naturally circulating, antigenically matched, and high-yield influenza vaccine strains directly from clinical samples by using molecular signatures of antigenicity and yield to support optimal candidate vaccine virus selection. We apply our framework on publicly available sequences to select A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine candidates and experimentally confirm that these candidates have optimal antigenicity and growth in cells and eggs. Our framework can potentially reduce the optimal vaccine candidate selection time from months to days and thus facilitate timely supply of seasonal vaccines.

Discovering Social Determinant of Health Risk Factors for Perinatal Morbidity Through Real World Data

Gestational diabetes and preterm birth are perinatal morbidities that significantly impact women and infants' health. While clinical factors like cesarean delivery, multiple gestation, preeclampsia, and hypertensive disorder are associated with these conditions, it is increasingly recognized that social determinants of health play a crucial role. This study aims to measure the associations between the social vulnerability index (SVI) and these perinatal morbidities using multivariate logistic regression models. The results indicate that factors across all four themes in SVI are significantly associated with these conditions. These findings suggest that interventions targeting these areas are needed to achieve better reproductive health.

Selective interference of liking and beauty judgements on affective working memory and visual working memory

Aesthetic processing has profound implications for everyday life. Although liking and beauty judgements are outcomes of aesthetic processing and derive from a common hedonic value, there may be some differences in how they engage working memory. This study used maintenance and aesthetic judgement tasks to examine whether liking and beauty judgements make different demands on domain-specific working memory resources. Sixty participants (30 males) were instructed to rate picture for liking or beauty while maintaining the subjective affect or brightness of the presented pictures. Results indicated that liking judgements selectively impaired participants' performance in the affect maintenance task, and beauty judgements selectively impaired their performance in the brightness maintenance task. In addition, maintaining affect and brightness feelings in the mind increased image ratings on beauty but not on liking. Our findings provide evidence that liking judgements draw more on affective working memory resources than beauty judgements, and beauty judgements draw more on visual working memory resources than liking judgements.

Coupling the measures of pollution source control and water replenishment to improve water quality in the catchment scale of Qianshan River Basin

With the development of the economy, the problem of urban black odorous water bodies has become increasingly significant, having a serious impact on the environment. As important means of remediating aquatic environments, pollution source control and water replenishment are of great significance in improving water quality. This study takes the Qianshan River Basin in Zhuhai City as its study area to simulate their effects on the improvement of water quality. A coupled model of water quantity and quality in Qianshan River Basin was constructed using MIKE11to analyze the water quality compliance rate, with sewage interception rates of 85%, 90%, and 95%, and to investigate the effect of pollution source control on the improvement of the aquatic environment. Using different sewage interception rates, the amount of water replenishment was calculated in order to meet water quality standards, the water replenishment scheme was determined via river-specific and time-specific methods, and the model was used to analyze the replenishment effect of the scheme. The results show that increasing the sewage interception rate can significantly improve the COD compliance rate, and improve the NH3-N and TP compliance rate; however, the enhancement effect is not sufficiently significant. When a sewage interception rate of 95% is implemented, there are still five rivers with a low NH3-N compliance rate, and six rivers with low a TP compliance rate. Comparing the water replenishment effect under different sewage interception rates of 85% and 95%, the water replenishment program alongside a sewage interception rate of 95% can effectively improve the aquatic environment and the water quality essentially meets the standard under different rainfall conditions; this demonstrates that the program presented herein can be used as the aquatic environment remediation program of choice for the Qianshan River Basin.

Targeted therapies of inflammatory diseases with intracellularly gelated macrophages in mice and rats

Membrane-camouflaged nanomedicines often suffer from reduced efficacy caused by membrane protein disintegration and spatial disorder caused by separation and reassembly of membrane fragments during the coating process. Here we show that intracellularly gelated macrophages (GMs) preserve cell membrane structures, including protein content, integration and fluidity, as well as the membrane lipid order. Consequently, in our testing GMs act as cellular sponges to efficiently neutralize various inflammatory cytokines via receptor-ligand interactions, and serve as immune cell-like carriers to selectively bind inflammatory cells in culture medium, even under a flow condition. In a rat model of collagen-induced arthritis, GMs alleviate the joint injury, and suppress the overall arthritis severity. Upon intravenous injection, GMs efficiently accumulate in the inflammatory lungs of acute pneumonia mice for anti-inflammatory therapy. Conveniently, GMs are amenable to lyophilization and can be stored at ambient temperatures for at least 1 month without loss of integrity and bio-activity. This intracellular gelation technology provides a universal platform for targeted inflammation neutralization treatment.

IAR4 mutation enhances cadmium toxicity by disturbing auxin homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic to plants, but the targets and modes of toxicity remain unclear. We isolated a Cd-hypersensitive mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, Cd-induced short root 2 (cdsr2), in the background of the phytochelatin synthase-defective mutant cad1-3. Both cdsr2 and cdsr2 cad1-3 displayed shorter roots and were more sensitive to Cd than their respective wild type. Using genomic resequencing and complementation, IAR4 was identified as the causal gene, which encodes a putative mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α subunit. cdsr2 showed decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase activity and NADH content, but markedly increased concentrations of pyruvate and alanine in roots. Both Cd stress and IAR4 mutation decreased auxin level in the root tips, and the effect was additive. A higher growth temperature rescued the phenotypes in cdsr2. Exogenous alanine inhibited root growth and decreased auxin level in the wild type. Cadmium stress suppressed the expression of genes involved in auxin biosynthesis, hydrolysis of auxin-conjugates and auxin polar transport. Our results suggest that auxin homeostasis is a key target of Cd toxicity, which is aggravated by IAR4 mutation due to decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Decreased auxin level in cdsr2 is likely caused by increased auxin-alanine conjugation and decreased energy status in roots.

Triethylenediamine cobalt complex encapsulated in a metal-organic framework cage to prepare a cobalt single-atom catalyst with a high Co-N4 density for an efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Transition metal single atom catalysts (TM SACs) are the most promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and metal-air batteries. However, the low density of M-Nx active sites seriously hinders further improvement of the ORR electrocatalytic activity. Here, a strategy for encapsulating nitrogen-rich guest molecules (triethylenediamine cobalt complex, [Co(en)3]3+) was proposed to construct a high-performance cobalt single-atom catalyst (Co-encapsulated SAC/NC). With this strategy, the guest molecules are encapsulated into metal-organic framework (MOF) cages as an additional cobalt source to boost cobalt loading, while abundant nitrogen from guest molecules contributes to the formation of Co-N4 active sites. Remarkably, the resulting Co-encapsulated SAC/NC has a high cobalt loading amount of 4.03 wt%, and spherical aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM) has confirmed that most cobalt exists in a single-atom state. As a result, the Co-encapsulated SAC/NC exhibits excellent ORR catalytic performance with a half-wave potential of 0.88 V. Furthermore, Zn-air batteries employing Co-encapsulated SAC/NC as air cathode show high peak power density and excellent cycling stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that adjacent active sites have different rate-determining steps and lower reaction energy barriers than a single active site.

RBM12 regulates the progression of hepatocellular cancer via miR-497-5p/CPNE1 Axis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), also called hepatocellular cancer, has emerged as a highly prevalent malignancy globally. By binding to specific RNA via one or more spherical RNA Domains (RBDs) or RNA Motifs (RBMs), RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) can affect RNA modification, splicing, localization, translation, and stability.

METHODS

This paper builds on previous research by further investigating the impact of RBM12 on LC progression. In order to determine the effect of RBM12 expression on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular cancer, we first investigated its expression in liver cancer cells (LCC) and tissues. The effect of RBM12 on the malignant biological behavior of LCC was subsequently detected using cytological experiments. To explore the upstream mechanism affecting RBM12, we predicted the miRNA targeting RBM12. According to the database, miR-497-5p was the best candidate gene. The double Luciferase reporter gene experiment was executed to validate the bounding of miR-497-5p with RBM12.

RESULTS

According to the cytological experiments, a high RBM12 expression promoted the propagation, migration, and invasion of LCC and impeded liver cancer cell apoptosis. By secreting TGF-β1, RBM12 could induce the EMT process. The miR-497-5p expression is suppressed in hepatocellular cancer. As shown by the CCK8, plate cloning, Transwell, EDU, and other experiments, miR-497-5p suppressed RBM12 expression and tumor growth. The double Luciferase reporter gene system was utilized to verify the combination of miR-497-5p and RBM12. The CPNE1 is a downstream gene regulated by RBM12. A high CPNE1 expression was exhibited in LCC and tissues. The CPNE1 is essential in the process where RBM12 promotes the incidence and progression of liver cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

By elucidating the exact molecular mechanism through which RBM12 promotes the initiation and progression of LC, thus, the current investigation provides some reference for the clinical management of LC.

Supramolecularly Engineered Conjugate of Bacteria and Cell Membrane-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles for Enhanced Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy of Tumors

Although various ferroptosis inducers including magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3 O4 ) and iron-organic frameworks have been applied in cancer treatment, the mild immunogenicity, low targeting efficiency to the tumor, and poor tissue penetration have limited the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a supramolecularly engineered conjugate between living bacteria (facultative anaerobic Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009, VNP) and cancer cell membranes-coated Fe3 O4 nanoparticles is developed for improving targeted delivery of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles into the tumor tissue and for synergistic ferroptosis and immunotherapy of tumor. The enhanced ferroptosis induced by both Fe3 O4 nanoparticles and the loaded ferroptosis inducing agent (sulfasalazine (SAS)) effectively inhibits tumor growth and generates immune response via immunogenic cell death (ICD). The colonization of VNP in tumors also induces adaptive immune responses and further promotes ferroptosis. Fundamentally, the supramolecular conjugate of VNP and cell membranes-coated Fe3 O4 can potentiate the therapeutic capability of each other through mutually magnifying the ferroptosis and immunotherapy, resulting in significantly enhanced antitumor effects.

Bacterial genome size and gene functional diversity negatively correlate with taxonomic diversity along a pH gradient

Bacterial gene repertoires reflect adaptive strategies, contribute to ecosystem functioning and are limited by genome size. However, gene functional diversity does not necessarily correlate with taxonomic diversity because average genome size may vary by community. Here, we analyse gene functional diversity (by shotgun metagenomics) and taxonomic diversity (by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) to investigate soil bacterial communities along a natural pH gradient in 12 tropical, subtropical, and temperate forests. We find that bacterial average genome size and gene functional diversity decrease, whereas taxonomic diversity increases, as soil pH rises from acid to neutral; as a result, bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity are negatively correlated. The gene repertoire of acid-adapted oligotrophs is enriched in functions of signal transduction, cell motility, secretion system, and degradation of complex compounds, while that of neutral pH-adapted copiotrophs is enriched in functions of energy metabolism and membrane transport. Our results indicate that a mismatch between taxonomic and functional diversity can arise when environmental factors (such as pH) select for adaptive strategies that affect genome size distributions.

On central focusing for contrast optimization in direct electron ptychography of thick samples

Ptychography provides high dose efficiency images that can reveal light elements next to heavy atoms. However, despite ptychography having an otherwise single signed contrast transfer function, contrast reversals can occur when the projected potential becomes strong for both direct and iterative inversion ptychography methods. It has recently been shown that these reversals can often be counteracted in direct ptychography methods by adapting the focus. Here we provide an explanation of why the best contrast is often found with the probe focused to the middle of the sample. The phase contribution due to defocus at each sample slice above and below the central plane in this configuration effectively cancels out, which can prevent contrast reversals when dynamical scattering effects are not overly strong. In addition we show that the convergence angle can be an important consideration for removal of contrast reversals in relatively thin samples.

Melatonin alleviates early brain injury by inhibiting the NRF2-mediated ferroptosis pathway after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Ferroptosis is a novel form of cell death that plays a critical role in the pathological and physiological processes of early brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Melatonin, as the most potent endogenous antioxidant, has shown strong protective effects against pathological changes following subarachnoid hemorrhage, but its impact on ferroptosis induced by subarachnoid hemorrhage remains unexplored. In our study, we established a subarachnoid hemorrhage model in male SD rats. We found that subarachnoid hemorrhage induced changes in ferroptosis-related indicators such as lipid peroxidation and iron metabolism, while intraperitoneal injection of melatonin (40 mg/kg) effectively ameliorated these changes to a certain degree. Moreover, in a subset of rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage who received pre-treatment via intravenous injection of the melatonin receptor antagonist Luzindole (1 mg/kg) and 4P-PDOT (1 mg/kg), we found that the protective effect of melatonin against subarachnoid hemorrhage includes inhibition of lipid peroxidation and reduction of iron accumulation depended on melatonin receptor 1B (MT2). Furthermore, our study demonstrated that melatonin inhibited neuronal ferroptosis by activating the NRF2 signaling pathway, as evidenced by in vivo inhibition of NRF2. In summary, melatonin acts through MT2 and activates NRF2 and downstream genes such as HO-1/NQO1 to inhibit ferroptosis in subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced neuronal injury, thereby improving neurological function in rats. These results suggest that melatonin is a promising therapeutic target for subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Negative valence encoding in the lateral entorhinal cortex during aversive olfactory learning

Olfactory learning is widely regarded as a substrate for animal survival. The exact brain areas involved in olfactory learning and how they function at various stages during learning remain elusive. Here, we investigate the role of the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) and the posterior piriform cortex (PPC), two important olfactory areas, in aversive olfactory learning. We find that the LEC is involved in the acquisition of negative odor value during olfactory fear conditioning, whereas the PPC is involved in the memory-retrieval phase. Furthermore, inhibition of LEC CaMKIIα+ neurons affects fear encoding, fear memory recall, and PPC responses to a conditioned odor. These findings provide direct evidence for the involvement of LEC CaMKIIα+ neurons in negative valence encoding.

Cytoplasm Hydrogelation-Mediated Cardiomyocyte Sponge Alleviated Coxsackievirus B3 Infection

Viral myocarditis (VMC), commonly caused by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection, lacks specific treatments and leads to serious heart conditions. Current treatments, such as IFNα and ribavirin, show limited effectiveness. Herein, rather than inhibiting virus replication, this study introduces a novel cardiomyocyte sponge, intracellular gelated cardiomyocytes (GCs), to trap and neutralize CVB3 via a receptor-ligand interaction, such as CAR and CD55. By maintaining cellular morphology, GCs serve as sponges for CVB3, inhibiting infection. In vitro results revealed that GCs could inhibit CVB3 infection on HeLa cells. In vivo, GCs exhibited a strong immune escape ability and effectively inhibited CVB3-induced viral myocarditis with a high safety profile. The most significant implication of this study is to develop a universal antivirus infection strategy via intracellular gelation of the host cell, which can be employed not only for treating defined pathogenic viruses but also for a rapid response to infection outbreaks caused by mutable and unknown viruses.

Chrysosplenol D can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer by inducing reactive oxygen species and autophagy

OBJECTIVE

To uncover the effects of chrysosplenol D (CHD) on the progression of prostate cancer in vitro as well as in mice.

METHODS

DU145 and PC-3 cells were treated with increasing doses of CHD for 24, 48, or 72 h. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were conducted to confirm the effects of CHD on cell viability. Flow cytometry (FCM) and immunostaining assays showed the effects of CHD on cell apoptosis and oxidative stress. Immunoblot was performed to detect the effects of CHD on autophagy. Besides, tumor growth assays were conducted to confirm the role of CHD in tumor growth in mice. GraphPad 6.0 was used for statistical analysis. All data were represented as mean ± SD. p < .05 and the significant difference was indicated by an asterisk.

RESULTS

CHD suppressed the viability of prostate cancer cells in CCK-8 assays, decreased colony number in colony formation assays, and induced cell apoptosis in FCM and immunostaining assays. CHD also restrained the oxidative stress with a decreased 2'-7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate staining intensity. CHD restrained the autophagy of prostate cancer cells, as well as suppressed tumor growth in mice.

CONCLUSION

CHD could serve as a drug for prostate cancer.

A Digital-Twin Framework for Predicting the Remaining Useful Life of Piezoelectric Vibration Sensors with Sensitivity Degradation Modeling

Piezoelectric vibration sensors (PVSs) are widely applied to vibration detection in aerospace engines due to their small size, high sensitivity, and high-temperature resistance. The precise prediction of their remaining useful life (RUL) under high temperatures is crucial for their maintenance. Notably, digital twins (DTs) provide enormous data from both physical structures and virtual models, which have potential in RUL predictions. Therefore, this work establishes a DT framework containing six modules for sensitivity degradation detection and assessment on the foundation of a five-dimensional DT model. In line with the sensitivity degradation mechanism at high temperatures, a DT-based RUL prediction was performed. Specifically, the PVS sensitivity degradation was described by the Wiener-Arrhenius accelerated degradation model based on the acceleration factor constant principle. Next, an error correction method for the degradation model was proposed using real-time data. Moreover, parameter updates were conducted using a Bayesian method, based on which the RUL was predicted using the first hitting time. Extensive experiments on distinguishing PVS samples demonstrate that our model achieves satisfying performance, which significantly reduces the prediction error to 8 h. A case study was also conducted to provide high RUL prediction accuracy, which further validates the effectiveness of our model in practical use.

Microalgae Microneedle Supplies Oxygen for Antiphotoaging Treatment

UV exposure often triggers photoaging of the skin. Pharmacological treatment suffers from severe side effects as well as poor efficacy because of insufficient skin penetration. Dissolved oxygen has been previously shown to reverse photoaged skin; however, the treatment is often limited by the availability of equipment (e.g., high-pressure oxygen). Poor oxygen diffusion into the skin has also limited its therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we developed a microneedle patch to deliver living microalgae to the deeper layers of the skin for efficient oxygenation and reversal of photoaging. The continuous release of oxygen from microalgae in the skin through photosynthesis reversed the inflammatory microenvironment and reduced reactive oxygen species levels in the photodamaged skin, leading to collagen regeneration and reduced wrinkles. This study provides not only a means for highly efficient skin oxygenation and reversal of photoaging but also an important theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of photoaging.

Peptide aptamer-based time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay for CHIKV diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Dengue virus (DENV) have similar clinical symptoms, which often induce misdiagnoses. Therefore, an antigen detection diagnostic system that can clearly identify these two viruses is desirable.

METHODS

In this study, we developed a novel peptide with high affinity and specificity to CHIKV, and further constructed peptide aptamer-based TRFIA assay to efficiently detect CHIKV. Peptide aptamer B2 (ITPQSSTTEAEL) and B3 (DTQGSNWI) were obtained through computer-aided design and selected as CHIKV-specific peptide aptamers based on their high binding affinity, strong hydrogen bonding, and RMSD of molecular docking. Then, a sandwich-Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) was successfully constructed for the detection of the interaction between peptide aptamers and viruses.

RESULTS

When using B2 as the detection element, highly specific detection of CHIKV E2 was achieved with detection limits of 8.5 ng/ml in PBS solution. Variation coefficient between inter-assay showed the disturbances received from the detection of clinical fluid specimens (including serum and urine), were also within acceptable limits. The detection limits for 10-fold dilution serum and urine were 57.8 ng/mL and 147.3 ng/mL, respectively. The fluorescent signal intensity exhibited a good linear correlation with E2 protein concentration in the range of 0-1000 ng/mL, indicating the potential for quantitative detection of E2 protein.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that the construction of peptide aptamers with high affinity and specificity provides an excellent method for rapid diagnostic element screening, and the developed peptide aptamer B2 contributed to better detection of CHIKV viral particles compared to traditional antibodies.

Domain and range of the CIECAM16 forward transformation

The domain and range of the CIECAM16 forward transformation was numerically determined and visualized for CIE standard illuminants, using a linear programming approach that provides the gamuts and colour solids for optimum colours. The effect of the surround, adapting luminance, and luminance of the background on the range of the CIECAM16 forward transformation were individually analyzed, showing that their ranges increased when the surround changed from dark to dim or average, the adapting luminance increased, or the luminance of the background decreased. The proposed methodology for the determination and visualization of the domain and range of the CIECAM16 forward transformation can be used for any illuminant, as well as for CIECAM02, CAM16, CAM02-UCS and CAM16-UCS. The findings of this paper not only solve the long-term unresolved domain and range problems of the CIE colour appearance models, but also find applications in cross-media colour reproduction. Furthermore, it was also found that some non-CIE colours are inside the International Color Consortium Profile Connection Space (ICC PCS), and some CIE colours are not included in that space.

AKR1C1 overexpression leads to lenvatinib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Lenvatinib is an orally administered drug that works as a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It has been approved as a first-line drug after sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is currently known about its treatment, targets, and possible resistance in HCC.

Methods

The proliferation of HCC cells was evaluated using colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU), wound healing, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), and xenograft tumor assays. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was utilized to comprehensively examine variations in highly metastatic human liver cancer cells (MHCC-97H) cells (treated with various doses of lenvatinib) at the transcriptomic level. Protein interactions and functions were predicted using Cytoscape-generated networks and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, while the proportions of 22 immune cell types were examined with CIBERSORT. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C1 (AKR1C1) expression was verified by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or immunohistochemistry in HCC cells and liver tissues. Micro ribonucleic acid (miRNAs) were predicted using online tools and potential drugs were screened using the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database.

Results

Lenvatinib inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells. The obtained results suggested that an elevated level of AKR1C1 expression was observed in lenvatinib-resistant (LR) cell lines and HCC tissues, whereas low AKR1C1 expression inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells. Circulating microRNA 4644 (miR-4644) was predicted to serve as a promising biomarker for the early diagnosis of lenvatinib resistance. Online data analysis of LR cells showed significant differences in the immune microenvironment and drug sensitivity compared with their parental counterparts.

Conclusions

Taken together, AKR1C1 may serve as a candidate therapeutic target for LR liver cancer patients.

Synthesis of Bacteria-mimetic Gold Nanoparticles for Phagocytosis by Immune Cells

Cell-based carrier exhibits inherent advantages as the next generation of drug delivery system, namely high biocompatibility and physiological function. Current cell-based carriers are constructed via direct payload internalization or conjugation between cell and payload. However, the cells involved in these strategies must be firstly extracted from the body and the cell-based carrier must be prepared in vitro. Herein, we synthesize bacteria-mimetic gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for the construction of cell-based carrier in mice. Both β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-modified GNPs and adamantane (ADA)-modified GNPs are coated by E. coli outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). The E. coli OMVs induce the phagocytosis of GNPs by circulating immune cells, leading to intracellular degradation of OMVs and subsequent supramolecular self-assembly of GNPs driven by β-CD-ADA host-guest interactions. In vivo construction of cell-based carrier based on bacteria-mimetic GNPs avoids the immunogenicity induced by allogeneic cells and restriction by the number of separated cells. Due to the inflammatory tropism, endogenous immune cells carry the intracellular GNP aggregates to the tumor tissues in vivo. Graphical overview Collect the outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) of E. coli by gradient centrifugation (a) and coat on gold nanoparticles (GNP) surface (b) to prepare OMV-coated cyclodextrin (CD)-GNPs and OMV-coated adamantane (ADA)-GNPs (c) via ultrasonic method.

[Establishment of induced pluripotent stem cell model of Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome mutated in TREX1]

To establish and identify induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) with TREX1 gene 667G>A mutation, and obtain a specific induced pluripotent stem cell model for Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS-iPSCs). A 3-year-old male child with Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome was admitted to Zhongshan People's Hospital in December 2020. After obtaining the informed consent of the patient's family members, 5 ml peripheral blood samples from the patient were collected, and mononuclear cells were isolated. Then,the peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) were transduced with OCT3/4, SOX2, c-Myc and Klf4 by using Sendai virus, and PBMCs were reprogrammed into iPSCs. The pluripotency and differentiation ability of the cells were identified by cellular morphological analysis, real-time PCR, alkaline phosphatase staining (AP), immunofluorescence, teratoma formation experiments in mice. The results showed that the induced pluripotent stem cell line of Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome was successfully constructed and showed typical embryonic stem-like morphology after stable passage, RT-PCR showed mRNA expression of stem cell markers, AP staining was positive, OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, SSEA4, TRA-1-81 and TRA-1-60 pluripotency marker proteins were strongly expressed. In vivo teratoma formation experiments showed that iPSCs differentiate into the ectoderm (neural tube like tissue), mesoderm (vascular wall tissue) and endoderm (glandular tissue). Karyotype analysis also confirmed that iPSCs still maintained the original karyotype (46, XY). In conclusion, induced pluripotent stem cell line for Aicardi-Goutières syndrome was successfully established using Sendai virus, which provided an important model platform for studying the pathogenesis of the disease and for drug screening.

Intracellular hydrogelation of macrophage conjugated probiotics for hitchhiking delivery and combined treatment of colitis

Immune cell membrane coated nanomedicine was developed to neutralize cytokines via receptor-ligand interaction, which showed potential for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, cell membrane isolation and re-assembly process involved protein loss and spatial disorder, which reduced the sequestration efficiency towards cytokines. In addition, oral administration of probiotics was accepted for IBD treatment via gut microbiota modulation, but most probiotics showed weak adhesion to intestine mucosa and were quickly expelled from gastrointestinal tract. Herein, an intracellular hydrogelation technology was proposed to construct gelated peritoneal macrophage (GPM) with intact membrane structure, resulting from the avoidance of membrane isolation and re-assembly process. GPM efficiently neutralized multiple cytokines in vitro and in vivo to ameliorate inflammatory Caco-2 ​cells and colitis rats by regulating oxidative stress, inflammation level and intestinal barrier repair. Moreover, the probiotics (Nissle1917, EcN) were easily attached on GPM surface through specific recognition, to construct GPM-EcN conjugate for GPM hitchhiking delivery to colitis tissue. Conjugation process of GPM and EcN showed no damage on bacterial physiological function. Due to the chemical attachment on inflammatory cells, GPM carried the attached EcN hand-in-hand to accumulate in the colitis tissue of IBD rat, and enhanced intestine retention time of EcN in comparison to free EcN, which improved bacterial diversity, and shifted the microbiota community and acid metabolites to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. This study transferred the hydrogel synthesis from in vitro to intracellular cytoplasm, and came to a new insight of conjugating strategy of GPM and probiotics for hitchhiking delivery and combined anti-IBD treatment.

[Construction and evaluation of a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis treated with cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy]

Objectives: To construct a nomogram incorporating important prognostic factors for predicting the overall survival of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), the aim being to accurately predict such patients' survival rates. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Relevant clinical and follow-up data of patients with colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases treated by CRS + HIPEC in the Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from 2007 January to 2020 December were collected and subjected to Cox proportional regression analysis. All included patients had been diagnosed with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer and had no detectable distant metastases to other sites. Patients who had undergone emergency surgery because of obstruction or bleeding, or had other malignant diseases, or could not tolerate treatment because of severe comorbidities of the heart, lungs, liver or kidneys, or had been lost to follow-up, were excluded. Factors studied included: (1) basic clinicopathological characteristics; (2) details of CRS+HIPEC procedures; (3) overall survival rates; and (4) independent factors that influenced overall survival; the aim being to identify independent prognostic factors and use them to construct and validate a nomogram. The evaluation criteria used in this study were as follows. (1) Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores were used to quantitatively assess the quality of life of the study patients. The lower the score, the worse the patient's condition. (2) A peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was calculated by dividing the abdominal cavity into 13 regions, the highest score for each region being three points. The lower the score, the greater is the value of treatment. (3) Completeness of cytoreduction score (CC), where CC-0 and CC-1 denote complete eradication of tumor cells and CC-2 and CC-3 incomplete reduction of tumor cells. (4) To validate and evaluate the nomogram model, the internal validation cohort was bootstrapped 1000 times from the original data. The accuracy of prediction of the nomogram was evaluated with the consistency coefficient (C-index), and a C-index of 0.70-0.90 suggest that prediction by the model was accurate. Calibration curves were constructed to assess the conformity of predictions: the closer the predicted risk to the standard curve, the better the conformity. Results: The study cohort comprised 240 patients with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer who had undergone CRS+HIPEC. There were 104 women and 136 men of median age 52 years (10-79 years) and with a median preoperative KPS score of 90 points. There were 116 patients (48.3%) with PCI≤20 and 124 (51.7%) with PCI>20. Preoperative tumor markers were abnormal in 175 patients (72.9%) and normal in 38 (15.8%). HIPEC lasted 30 minutes in seven patients (2.9%), 60 minutes in 190 (79.2%), 90 minutes in 37 (15.4%), and 120 minutes in six (2.5%). There were 142 patients (59.2%) with CC scores 0-1 and 98 (40.8%) with CC scores 2-3. The incidence of Grade III to V adverse events was 21.7% (52/240). The median follow-up time is 15.3 (0.4-128.7) months. The median overall survival was 18.7 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 65.8%, 37.2% and 25.7%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that KPS score, preoperative tumor markers, CC score, and duration of HIPEC were independent prognostic factors. In the nomogram constructed with the above four variables, the predicted and actual values in the calibration curves for 1, 2 and 3-year survival rates were in good agreement, the C-index being 0.70 (95% CI: 0.65-0.75). Conclusions: Our nomogram, which was constructed with KPS score, preoperative tumor markers, CC score, and duration of HIPEC, accurately predicts the survival probability of patients with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer treated with cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Characteristic and fate determination of adipose precursors during adipose tissue remodeling

Adipose tissues are essential for actively regulating systemic energy balance, glucose homeostasis, immune responses, reproduction, and longevity. Adipocytes maintain dynamic metabolic needs and possess heterogeneity in energy storage and supply. Overexpansion of adipose tissue, especially the visceral type, is a high risk for diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Changes in adipocytes, hypertrophy or hyperplasia, contribute to the remodeling of obese adipose tissues, accompanied by abundant immune cell accumulation, decreased angiogenesis, and aberrant extracellular matrix deposition. The process and mechanism of adipogenesis are well known, however, adipose precursors and their fate decision are only being defined with recent information available to decipher how adipose tissues generate, maintain, and remodel. Here, we discuss the key findings that identify adipose precursors phenotypically, with special emphasis on the intrinsic and extrinsic signals in instructing and regulating the fate of adipose precursors under pathophysiological conditions. We hope that the information in this review lead to novel therapeutic strategies to combat obesity and related metabolic diseases.

Dispersal changes soil bacterial interactions with fungal wood decomposition

Although microbes are the major agent of wood decomposition - a key component of the carbon cycle - the degree to which microbial community dynamics affect this process is unclear. One key knowledge gap is the extent to which stochastic variation in community assembly, e.g. due to historical contingency, can substantively affect decomposition rates. To close this knowledge gap, we manipulated the pool of microbes dispersing into laboratory microcosms using rainwater sampled across a transition zone between two vegetation types with distinct microbial communities. Because the laboratory microcosms were initially identical this allowed us to isolate the effect of changing microbial dispersal directly on community structure, biogeochemical cycles and wood decomposition. Dispersal significantly affected soil fungal and bacterial community composition and diversity, resulting in distinct patterns of soil nitrogen reduction and wood mass loss. Correlation analysis showed that the relationship among soil fungal and bacterial community, soil nitrogen reduction and wood mass loss were tightly connected. These results give empirical support to the notion that dispersal can structure the soil microbial community and through it ecosystem functions. Future biogeochemical models including the links between soil microbial community and wood decomposition may improve their precision in predicting wood decomposition.

Chemotaxis-guided Self-propelled Macrophage Motor for Targeted Treatment of Acute Pneumonia

Immune cells exhibit great potential as carriers of nanomedicine, attributed to their high tolerance to internalized nanomaterials and targeted accumulation in inflammatory tissues. However, the premature efflux of internalized nanomedicine during systemic delivery and slow infiltration into inflammatory tissues have limited their translational applications. Herein, a motorized cell platform as a nanomedicine carrier for highly efficient accumulation and infiltration in the inflammatory lungs and effective treatment of acute pneumonia are reported. β-Cyclodextrin and adamantane respectively modified manganese dioxide nanoparticles are intracellularly self-assembled into large aggregates mediated via host-guest interactions, to effectively inhibit the efflux of nanoparticles, catalytically consume/deplete H₂ O₂ to alleviate inflammation, and generate O₂ to propel macrophage movement for rapid tissue infiltration. With curcumin loaded into MnO₂ nanoparticles, macrophages carry the intracellular nano-assemblies rapidly into the inflammatory lungs via chemotaxis-guided, self-propelled movement, for effective treatment of acute pneumonia via immunoregulation induced by curcumin and the aggregates.

Drug-free tumor therapy via spermine-responsive intracellular biomineralization

Chemotherapy based on molecular drugs remains the most frequently used approach for the therapy of tumors, however their poor specificity, severe side effects and tumor resistance often seriously hinder their applications. It is therefore desirable to develop a new, alternative therapeutic strategy for tumor treatment without chemotherapeutic drugs or any therapeutic molecules. Herein, we report a drug-free tumor therapy approach involving spermine (SPM)-responsive intracellular biomineralization in tumor cells. In this work, we designed calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) nanoparticles capped with folic acid and supramolecular peptides, which could target tumor cells and rapidly self-aggregate into micron-sized CaCO₃ aggregates in SPM-overexpressed tumor cells. Due to the extended intracellular retention, CaCO₃ aggregates could induce intracellular biomineralization and Ca²⁺ overload of tumor cell, leading to mitochondrial damage and cellular apoptosis, resulting in effective inhibition of tumor growth without serious side effects otherwise seen in conventional chemotherapy.

Bacteria-mimetic nanomedicine for targeted eradication of intracellular MRSA

Drug-resistant infections caused by intracellular bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which are often hidden inside macrophages, pose a significant threat to human health. Various nanomedicines have been developed to combat intracellular MRSA; however, their poor uptake and fast clearance from macrophages often result in insufficient enrichment of antibacterial agents intracellularly, leading to low antibacterial efficacy. Here, we developed bacterial membrane-coated mesoporous SiO₂ nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with vancomycin (Van), a classic antibiotic. These nanoparticles can be specifically recognized and internalized by macrophages and self-aggregated into micron-sized MSN clusters based on cucurbit[7]uril-adamantane host-guest interactions, allowing for slow clearance and extended retention in infected macrophages. The acid-triggered, sustainable release of Van from MSN aggregates effectively killed MRSA in infected macrophages and significantly alleviated inflammation caused by intracellular bacterial infections both in vitro and in vivo. This work not only provides a practical solution to effectively treat drug-resistant intracellular infections but also offers new insights for the design and development of antibacterial nanomaterials.

Coupled improvements on hydrodynamics and water quality by flowing water in towns with lakes

With the worsening environmental problems in the plain river network, flowing water has become important because of its obvious improvement effect. In order to solve water quality and water mobility problems of the river network in Shengze Town, this paper establishes four flowing water scenarios and compares the associated improvements in water quality and hydrodynamics of the river network with the use of coupled hydrodynamic and water quality models. It is identified as the best scenario to dispatch 20 m³/s of water from the Xiegang River downstream of the Qingxi River and 20 m³/s of water from Lake Xiangjiadang to Lake Beiyandang. Results of this scenario show a significant improvement in the water mobility of the river network in the southern area of the Qingxi River, with the flow rate increasing by 38.23%. The water quality in Lake Beiyandang has upgraded from Class V to Class IV (based on the Chinese water quality standards), and the water quality downstream of the Qingxi River has improved a lot. Findings in this work could provide references for the development of flowing water scenarios in similar watersheds.

Fine-mapping and replication of EWAS loci harboring putative epigenetic alterations associated with AD neuropathology in a large collection of human brain tissue samples

INTRODUCTION

Our previous epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in human brain identified 71 CpGs associated with AD pathology. However, due to low coverage of the Illumina platform, many important CpGs might have been missed.

METHODS

In a large collection of human brain tissue samples (N = 864), we fine-mapped previous EWAS loci by targeted bisulfite sequencing and examined their associations with AD neuropathology. DNA methylation was also linked to gene expression of the same brain cortex.

RESULTS

Our targeted sequencing captured 130 CpGs (∼1.2 kb), 93 of which are novel. Of the 130 CpGs, 57 sites (only 17 included in previous EWAS) and 12 gene regions (e.g., ANK1, BIN1, RHBDF2, SPG7, PODXL) were significantly associated with amyloid load. DNA methylation in some regions was associated with expression of nearby genes.

DISCUSSION

Targeted methylation sequencing can validate previous EWAS loci and discover novel CpGs associated with AD pathology.

Melatonin ameliorates neurological deficits through MT2/IL-33/ferritin H signaling-mediated inhibition of neuroinflammation and ferroptosis after traumatic brain injury

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of death and disability worldwide, there is currently a lack of effective therapeutic drugs and targets. To reveal the complex pathophysiologic mechanisms of TBI, we performed transcriptome analysis of the mouse cerebral cortex and immunohistochemical analysis of human cerebral tissues. The genes Mt1, Mt2, Il33, and Fth1 were upregulated post-TBI and enriched in pathways associated with the inflammatory response, oxidative phosphorylation, and ferroptosis. As an agonist of MT1/2, melatonin (MLT) confers anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-ferroptosis effects after TBI. However, whether these upregulated genes and their corresponding pathways are involved in the neuroprotective effect of MLT remains unclear. In this study, interventions to inhibit MT1/2, IL-33, and ferroptosis (i.e., ferritin H (Fth)-KO) were applied post-TBI. The results showed that MLT attenuated TBI-induced cerebral edema and neurological outcomes by inhibiting inflammation and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, MLT mainly suppressed inflammatory responses and ferroptosis via the activation of MT2 and IL-33 pathways. Building on the previous finding that Fth deletion increases susceptibility to ferroptosis post-TBI, we demonstrated that Fth depletion remarkably exacerbated the post-TBI inflammatory response, and abolished the anti-inflammatory effects of MLT both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the post-TBI anti-inflammatory effect of MLT, which occurs by promoting the polarization of CD206⁺ macrophages, was dependent on Fth. Taken together, these results clarified that MLT alleviates inflammation- and ferroptosis-mediated brain edema and neurological deficits by activating the MT2/IL-33/Fth pathway, which provides a novel target and theoretical basis for MLT to treat TBI patients.

[Investigate of the etiology and prevention status of liver cirrhosis]

Objective: To investigate the etiology, prevention and treatment status, and their corresponding regional differences of the patients with liver cirrhosis in China, in order to provide scientific basis for the development of diagnosis and control strategies in China. Methods: Clinical data of patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis for the first time through January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 from 50 hospitals in seven different regions of China were collected and analyzed retrospectively, and the difference of etiology, treatment, and their differences in various regions were analyzed. Results: A total of 11 861 cases with liver cirrhosis were included in the study. Thereinto, 5 093 cases (42.94%) were diagnosed as compensated cirrhosis, and 6 768 cases (57.06%) had decompensated cirrhosis. Notably, 8 439 cases (71.15%) were determined as chronic hepatitis B-caused cirrhosis, 1 337 cases (11.27%) were alcoholic liver disease, 963 cases (8.12%) were chronic hepatitis C, 698 cases (5.88%) were autoimmune liver disease, 367 cases (3.09%) were schistosomiasis, 177 cases (1.49%) were nonalcoholic fatty liver, and 743 cases (6.26%) of other types of liver disease. There were significant differences in the incidence of chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, schistosomiasis liver disease, and autoimmune liver disease among the seven regions (P<0.001). Only 1 139 cases (9.60%) underwent endoscopic therapy, thereinto, 718 cases (6.05%) underwent surgical therapy, and 456 cases (3.84%) underwent interventional therapy treatment. In patients with compensated liver cirrhosis, 60 cases (0.51%) underwent non-selective β receptor blockers(NSBB), including 59 cases (0.50%) underwent propranolol and 1 case (0.01%) underwent carvedilol treatment. In patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, 310 cases (2.61%) underwent NSBB treatment, including 303 cases (2.55%) underwent propranolol treatment and 7 cases (0.06%) underwent carvedilol treatment. Interestingly, there were significant differences in receiving endoscopic therapy, interventional therapy, NSBB therapy, splenectomy and other surgical treatments among the seven regions (P<0.001). Conclusion: Currently, chronic hepatitis B is the main cause (71.15%) of liver cirrhosis in several regions of China, and alcoholic liver disease has become the second cause (11.27%) of liver cirrhosis in China. The three-level prevention and control of cirrhosis in China should be further strengthened.

Synthesis of Large-Area Single- to Few-Layered MoS2 on an Ionic Liquid Surface

Large-area fabrication of transition metal dichalcogenides via environmentally friendly and efficient processes has been a long-standing issue in the field of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here, we report that single- to few-layered MoS₂ sheets with an average size of the order of micrometers have been successfully synthesized on an ionic liquid surface by a modified low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD) method without the assistance of catalysts. It is found that the MoS₂ sheets grown on the liquid substrate exhibit a complete molecular crystal structure, which is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy measurements. The interlayer spacing does not change significantly with the increase of the MoS₂ layers, corresponding to a layer-by-layer growth pattern. The growth mechanism of the MoS₂ sheets is presented according to the experimental results. The work provides a new and simple method of preparing more molecular crystals on liquid substrates and will contribute to further research in this field.

A multi-criteria analysis framework for water transfers to improve the water environments under strong artificial interventions in highly urbanized areas

Water transfer is an effective measure to enhance hydrodynamic and water quality in highly urbanized areas. The effect of water transfer in highly urbanized areas is affected by strong artificial interventions, and it is difficult to evaluate the improvement of multiple indicators of many sections after water transfer. At present, there is no analysis framework directly evaluates the improvement of water environment under strong artificial interventions, making it difficult to determine the optimal scheduling of hydraulic projects. This study constructed a multi-criteria analysis framework for evaluating the improvement of water environment including index layers of water quality improvement, hydrodynamic improvement and economic cost, and designed corresponding element layers for each index layer. The weights of each element were determined based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used for comprehensive evaluation. The framework was applied in Xishan District in highly urbanized Taihu Lake Basin, and the results showed that the proposed framework could effectively determine the optimal scheduling of hydraulic projects. Water quality compliance rate for the optimal water transfer scheme achieved in Xishan District was 82%, average rate of water quality improvement was 31%, and proportion of cross-sections meeting the Class III water quality standard was 61%. Average flow velocity was 0.10 m/s, proportion of the optimal velocity was 39%, and proportion of stagnant sections was 32%. Furthermore, the impact of regional control projects on the effect of water transfer was much greater than local projects, consequently, the best scheduling mode for regional control projects should be first determined, and then the scheduling combination for local projects. This study can provide a new framework for the assessment of water transfers to improve the water environments and a scientific basis for the dispatching of hydraulic projects in Taihu Lake Basin.

Assessing the mechanism for flood control: a case of plain river network cities under extreme rainfalls

In recent years, frequent floods hit Chinese cities and caused heavy casualties and property losses, making China faced with severe flood problems. In this study, Nanhai Future City in the IX Flood Control Area of Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, was selected as the research area to simulate water-level changes under different control schemes meeting extreme rainfalls. MIKE model simulated the inundation with the designed storm of different return periods. The results showed that flooding inside the research area was severe. Higher drainage capacity of the pump stations with more engineering and non-engineering measures can reduce the adverse effect of extreme rainfall. The results provide a reference for planning future infrastructure and flood control decisions for Nanhai Future City and the surrounding areas.

High Electron Mobility Hot-Exciton Induced Delayed Fluorescent Organic Semiconductors

The development of high mobility emissive organic semiconductors is of great significance for the fabrication of miniaturized optoelectronic devices, such as organic light emitting transistors. However, great challenge exists in designing key materials, especially those who integrates triplet exciton utilization ability. Herein, dinaphthylanthracene diimides (DNADIs), with 2,6-extended anthracene donor, and 3'- or 4'-substituted naphthalene monoimide acceptors were designed and synthesized. By introducing acceptor-donor-acceptor structure, both materials show high electron mobility. Moreover, by fine-tuning of substitution sites, good integration with high solid state photoluminescence quantum yield of 26 %, high electron mobility of 0.02 cm²  V^-1  s^-1 , and the feature of hot-exciton induced delayed fluorescence were obtained in 4'-DNADI. This work opens a new avenue for developing high electron mobility emissive organic semiconductors with efficient utilization of triplet excitons.

Conjugation of Macrophage-Mimetic Microalgae and Liposome for Antitumor Sonodynamic Immunotherapy via Hypoxia Alleviation and Autophagy Inhibition

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a noninvasive technique for local antitumor treatment; however, its clinical application is often limited by the low tumor accumulation of SDT agents, tumor's hypoxic microenvironment, and cytoprotective effects of autophagy. To address these issues, herein we developed surface-engineered chlorella (Chl, a green algae) as a targeted drug carrier and sustainable oxygen supplier (via photosynthesis) for significantly improved SDT via hypoxia alleviation as well as autophagy inhibition of chloroquine phosphate. In this design, the macrophage membrane was coated onto Chl to form macrophage-mimetic Chl (MChl) to increase its biocompatibility and targeted tumor accumulation driven by the inflammatory-homing effects of macrophage membranes. In addition, the membrane coating on Chl allowed lipid insertion to yield β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) modified MChl (CD-MChl). Subsequently, supramolecular conjugates of MChl-NP were constructed via host-guest interactions between CD-MChl and adamantane (ADA)-modified liposome (ADA-NP), and the anchored liposome went with CD-MChl hand-in-hand to the tumor tissues for co-delivery of Chl, hematoporphyrin, and chloroquine phosphate (loaded in ADA-NP). The synergistic therapy achieved via local oxygenation, SDT, and autophagy inhibition maximally improved the therapeutic efficacy of MChl-CQ-HP-NP against melanoma. Tumor rechallenging results revealed that the changes of tumor microenvironment including hypoxia alleviation, SDT induced immunogenic cell death, and autophagy inhibition collectively induced a strong antitumor immune response and memory.

Ruxolitinib, a promising therapeutic candidate for traumatic brain injury through maintaining the homeostasis of cathepsin B

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main causes of death and disability in the world. Owing to the heterogeneity and complexity of TBI pathogenesis, there is still no specific drug. Our previous studies have proved the neuroprotective effect of Ruxolitinib (Ruxo) on TBI, but further are needed to explore the potent mechanisms and potential translational application. Compelling evidence indicates that Cathepsin B (CTSB) plays an important role in TBI. However, the relationships between Ruxo and CTSB upon TBI remain non-elucidated. In this study, we established a mouse model of moderate TBI to clarify it. The neurological deficit in the behavioral test was alleviated when Ruxo administrated at 6 h post-TBI. Additionally, Ruxo significantly reduced the lesion volume. As for the pathological process of acute phase, Ruxo remarkably reduced the expression of proteins associated with cell demise, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration. Then the expression and location of CTSB were detected respectively. We found that the expression of CTSB exhibits a transient decrease and then persistent increase following TBI. The distribution of CTSB, mainly located at NeuN-positive neurons was unchanged. Importantly, the dysregulation of CTSB expression was reversed with the treatment of Ruxo. The timepoint was chosen when CTSB decreased, to further analyze its change in the extracted organelles; and Ruxo maintained the homeostasis of it in sub-cellular. In summary, our results demonstrate that Ruxo plays neuroprotection through maintaining the homeostasis of CTSB, and will be a promising therapeutic candidate for TBI in clinic.