The NTE domain of PTENα/β promotes cancer progression by interacting with WDR5 via its SSSRRSS motif

PTENα/β, two variants of PTEN, play a key role in promoting tumor growth by interacting with WDR5 through their N-terminal extensions (NTEs). This interaction facilitates the recruitment of the SET1/MLL methyltransferase complex, resulting in histone H3K4 trimethylation and upregulation of oncogenes such as NOTCH3, which in turn promotes tumor growth. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this interaction has remained elusive. In this study, we determined the first crystal structure of PTENα-NTE in complex with WDR5, which reveals that PTENα utilizes a unique binding motif of a sequence SSSRRSS found in the NTE domain of PTENα/β to specifically bind to the WIN site of WDR5. Disruption of this interaction significantly impedes cell proliferation and tumor growth, highlighting the potential of the WIN site inhibitors of WDR5 as a way of therapeutic intervention of the PTENα/β associated cancers. These findings not only shed light on the important role of the PTENα/β-WDR5 interaction in carcinogenesis, but also present a promising avenue for developing cancer treatments that target this pathway.

Production of L-serine and its derivative L-cysteine from renewable feedstocks using Corynebacterium glutamicum: advances and perspectives

L-serine and its derivative L-cysteine have broad industrial applications, and their direct fermentative production from renewable biomass is gaining increasing attention. Corynebacterium glutamicum is an extensively studied and well-established industrial microorganism, which is a predominant microbial host for producing amino acids. In this review, updated information on the genetics and molecular mechanisms underlying L-serine and L-cysteine production using C. glutamicum is presented, including their synthesis and degradation pathways, and other intracellular processes related to their production, as well as the mechanisms underlying substrate import and product export are also analyzed. Furthermore, metabolic strategies for strain improvement are systematically discussed, and conclusions and future perspectives for bio-based L-serine and L-cysteine production using C. glutamicum are presented. This review can provide a thorough understanding of L-serine and L-cysteine metabolic pathways to facilitate metabolic engineering modifications of C. glutamicum and development of more efficient industrial fermentation processes for L-serine and L-cysteine production.

Higher-Order Topological In-Bulk Corner State in Pure Diffusion Systems

Compared with conventional topological insulator that carries topological state at its boundaries, the higher-order topological insulator exhibits lower-dimensional gapless boundary states at its corners and hinges. Leveraging the form similarity between Schrödinger equation and diffusion equation, research on higher-order topological insulators has been extended from condensed matter physics to thermal diffusion. Unfortunately, all the corner states of thermal higher-order topological insulator reside within the band gap. Another kind of corner state, which is embedded in the bulk states, has not been realized in pure diffusion systems so far. Here, we construct higher-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger models based on sphere-rod structure to elucidate these corner states, which we term "in-bulk corner states." Because of the anti-Hermitian properties of diffusive Hamiltonian, we investigate the thermal behavior of these corner states through theoretical calculation, simulation, and experiment. Furthermore, we study the different thermal behaviors of in-bulk corner state and in-gap corner state. Our results would open a different gate for diffusive topological states and provide a distinct application for efficient heat dissipation.

HDAC6-dependent deacetylation of NGF dictates its ubiquitination and maintains primordial follicle dormancy

Rationale: Primordial follicles are limited in number and cannot be regenerated, dormant primordial follicles cannot be reversed once they enter a growth state. Therefore, the length of the female reproductive lifespan depends on the orderly progression and selective activation of primordial follicles, the mechanism of which remains unclear. Methods: We used human ovarian cortical biopsy specimens, granulosa cells from diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) patients, Hdac6-overexpressing transgenic mouse model, and RNA sequencing to analyze the crucial roles of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in fertility preservation and primordial follicle activation. Results: In the present study, we found that HDAC6 was highly expressed in most dormant primordial follicles. The HDAC6 expression was reduced accompanying reproductive senescence in human and mouse ovaries. Overexpression of Hdac6 delayed the rate of primordial follicle activation, thereby prolonging the mouse reproductive lifespan. Short-term inhibition of HDAC6 promoted primordial follicle activation and follicular development in humans and mice. Mechanism studies revealed that HDAC6 directly interacted with NGF, reducing acetylation modification of NGF and thereby accelerating its ubiquitination degradation. Consequently, the reduced NGF protein level maintained the dormancy of primordial follicles. Conclusions: The physiological significance of the high expression of HDAC6 in most primordial follicles is to reduce NGF expression and prevent primordial follicle activation to maintain female fertility. Reduced HDAC6 expression increases NGF expression in primordial follicles, activating their development and contributing to reproduction. Our study provides a clinical reference value for fertility preservation.

Twisted moiré conductive thermal metasurface

Extensive investigations on the moiré magic angle in twisted bilayer graphene have unlocked the emerging field-twistronics. Recently, its optics analogue, namely opto-twistronics, further expands the potential universal applicability of twistronics. However, since heat diffusion neither possesses the dispersion like photons nor carries the band structure as electrons, the real magic angle in electrons or photons is ill-defined for heat diffusion, making it elusive to understand or design any thermal analogue of magic angle. Here, we introduce and experimentally validate the twisted thermotics in a twisted diffusion system by judiciously tailoring thermal coupling, in which twisting an analog thermal magic angle would result in the function switching from cloaking to concentration. Our work provides insights for the tunable heat diffusion control, and opens up an unexpected branch for twistronics -- twisted thermotics, paving the way towards field manipulation in twisted configurations including but not limited to fluids.

Subtle structural alteration in indisulam switches the molecular mechanisms for the inhibitory effect on the migration of gastric cancer cells

Gastric cancer is a highly metastatic malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality globally. Recent studies reported that sulfonamide derivatives such as indisulam exhibited inhibitory effects on the viability and migration of cancer cells. However, multiple clinical trials revealed that indisulam did not significantly prevent cancer progression due to metastasis and drug resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to discover new potent derivatives to explore alternative therapeutic strategies. Here, we synthesize multiple indisulam derivatives and examine their inhibitory effects on the viability and migration of gastric cancer cells. Among them, compounds SR-3-65 and WXM-1-170 exhibit better inhibitory effects on the migration of gastric cancer cells than indisulam. Mechanistically, we discover that they could attenuate the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway and lead to the suppression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related transcription factors. The influence of SR-3-65 on the migration of gastric cancer cells is blocked by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 while SR-3-65 and WXM-1-170 reverse the effect of PI3K activator 740 Y-P on the migration of gastric cancer cells. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation further confirm that PI3K is the target of SR-3-65. Our study unveils a novel mechanism by which SR-3-65 and WXM-1-170 inhibit the migration of gastric cancer cells. Together with the previous discovery, we reveal that subtle structural change in indisulam results in a striking switch on the molecular targets and their associated signaling pathways for the inhibition of the migration of gastric cancer cells. These findings might provide informative insights for the development of targeted therapy for gastric cancer.

miR-450b promotes cell migration and invasion by inhibiting SERPINB2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

microRNA-450b (miR-450b) plays an important role in cancer progression; however, its function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the action mechanisms of miR-450b in OSCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

OSCC animal model was established via continuous induction with single-drug 7, 12-dimethylbenzo[a]anthracene (DMBA). Animal tissue samples were pathologically typed using haematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to predict miR-450b and SERPINB2 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect gene and protein expression in OSCC tissue and cells, respectively. OSCC cell proliferation, growth, migration and invasion were detected using CCK-8, colony formation, transwell migration and matrigel invasion assays, respectively. Bioinformatic tools were used to predict miR-450b target genes. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify targeting between miR-450b and SERPINB2. Finally, small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to reduce SERPINB2 expression to detect its effect on tumourigenesis.

RESULTS

Four stages of OSCC carcinogenesis (normal oral epithelium, simple epithelial hyperplasia, dysplasia and OSCC) were identified. miR-450b was found to be overexpressed in OSCC animal samples, HNSCC samples and human OSCC cells. Upregulation of miR-450b significantly promoted OSCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, while its downregulation had the opposite effect. SERPINB2 was found to be a miR-450b target gene, and its expression was negatively correlated with miR-450b expression. Altering SERPINB2 expression effectively inhibited OSCC cell invasion, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

CONCLUSIONS

miR-450b plays a key role in OSCC tumourigenesis by regulating OSCC cell migration, invasion and EMT via SERPINB2.

Enhanced Production of Sisomicin in Micromonospora inyoensis by Protoplast Mutagenesis and Fermentation Optimization

Sisomicin is a broad-spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic and is the precursor of netilmicin and plazomicin. However, the fermentation level of sisomicin is still low compared with other antibiotics, which restricts the application of sisomicin and its derivatives. In this study, to improve sisomicin production, breeding of high-yielding sisomicin strains was conducted with chemical mutagenesis using Micromonospora inyoensis OG-1 (titer, 1042 U·mL-1) as the starting strain. Protoplast preparation was conducted under optimal conditions, and protoplast mutagenesis was performed with a suitable concentration of diethyl sulfate. Subsequently, a high-yielding and genetically stable strain (H6-32) was obtained by screening, with a sisomicin titer of 1486 U·mL-1 (an increase of 42.6%). Finally, carbon and nitrogen sources were optimized to further improve sisomicin production, and a sisomicin titer of 1780 U·mL-1 was ultimately obtained by controlling the dissolved oxygen level at 30% in a 5-L fermenter, which to the best of our knowledge is the highest reported titer ever achieved by fermentation. Comparative genome analysis showed that a total of 13 genes in the genome of the mutant strain H6-32 were mutated compared to the original strain. This study not only provides a reference for further breeding of high-yielding strains and fermentation optimization, but also enhances our understanding of sisomicin production.

Deep Learning-Assisted Active Metamaterials with Heat-Enhanced Thermal Transport

Heat management is crucial for state-of-the-art applications such as passive radiative cooling, thermally adjustable wearables, and camouflage systems. Their adaptive versions, to cater to varied requirements, lean on the potential of adaptive metamaterials. Existing efforts, however, feature with highly anisotropic parameters, narrow working-temperature ranges, and the need for manual intervention, which remain long-term and tricky obstacles for the most advanced self-adaptive metamaterials. To surmount these barriers, heat-enhanced thermal diffusion metamaterials powered by deep learning is introduced. Such active metamaterials can automatically sense ambient temperatures and swiftly, as well as continuously, adjust their thermal functions with a high degree of tunability. They maintain robust thermal performance even when external thermal fields change direction, and both simulations and experiments demonstrate exceptional results. Furthermore, two metadevices with on-demand adaptability, performing distinctive features with isotropic materials, wide working temperatures, and spontaneous response are designed. This work offers a framework for the design of intelligent thermal diffusion metamaterials and can be expanded to other diffusion fields, adapting to increasingly complex and dynamic environments.

Ephrin B3 exacerbates colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer

Ephrin B3, a member of Eph/ephrin family, contributes to embryogenesis and carcinogenesis, but few studies have suggested whether this ligand has regulatory effect on colitis. This study was to determine whether ephrin B3 played a role in colitis and colonic carcinogenesis. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS-induced colitis-associated carcinogenesis model was established in Efnb3-deficient (Efnb3-/-) mice. Label-free quantitative proteomics were performed to identify the Efnb3-regulated proteins. Our results showed that Efnb3 knock out reduced the symptoms of DSS-induced colitis, such as disease activity index (DAI), inflammatory factors release, and dysfunction of the intestinal barrier. Quantitative proteomics revealed that Efnb3 regulated 95 proteins which clustered in the platelet degranulation, response to elevated platelet cytosolic Ca2+, MAPK signaling for integrins such as ITGB4. Furthermore, ephrin B3 inactived ITGB4/AKT signal pathway and then promoted epithelial barrier dysfunction. Simultaneously, ephrin B3 promoted Gremlin-1/NF-κB signal pathway and thereby increased inflammatory factors release. In addition, the higher level of Efnb3 in colon cancer patients is correlated with worse survival. Efnb3-/- mice exhibited susceptibility to AOM/DSS-induced colorectal cancer. Our finding discovered that Efnb3 played an important role in the development of colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Efnb3 deficiency improved the intestinal barrier by ITGB4 and suppressed inflammation via Gremlin-1/NF-κB signal pathway, which may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

Predictors and prognosis of early neurological outcomes on patients with Vertebrobasilar artery occlusion undergoing endovascular treatment

BACKGROUND

This research explored the factors influencing early neurological outcomes (ENO) in patients who had vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) and received endovascular treatment (EVT), as well as examining the causal influence of ENO on the prognosis of VBAO patients.

METHODS

A retrospective review was carried out on patients from 65 Chinese stroke centers, all within 24 hours of the estimated occlusion time. ENO includes early neurological improvement (ENI) and early neurological deterioration (END), defined as a decrease or an increase of at least 4 points in NIHSS score between baseline and 24 hours after EVT. Death within 24 hours after EVT also consider as END. END was further divided into explainable END and unexplainable END (unEND). Independent predictors of ENO and the association between ENO and outcomes in patients with VBAO were determined using center-adjusted analyses. The study developed a multivariate logistic regression model to examine the comparative risk of unEND versus explainable END on the clinical outcomes in VBAO patients.

RESULTS

A total of 2257 patients were included. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.03-1.30) and successful reperfusion (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.30) were associated with ENI. Baseline NIHSS (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.53-0.68), successful reperfusion (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.71-0.89) and puncture to reperfusion time (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.03-1.33) were associated with END. When examining three-month prognostic indexes, both END and ENI were found to be linked to the three-month outcomes, but in opposite directions. A subgroup analysis of END suggested that unexplained END typically demonstrated a more favorable prognosis compared to explained END, although the prognosis remained generally unfavorable.

CONCLUSIONS

ENO, whether they manifested as early improvement or deterioration, were linked to the prognosis of VBAO patients undergoing EVT. The outcomes after unEND were more favorable than those following explained END.

Current Status of Hedgehog Signaling Inhibitors

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in diverse biological pro-cesses such as cell differentiation, proliferation, senescence, tumorigenesis, malignant transfor-mation, and drug resistance. Aberrant Hh signaling, resulting from mutations and excessive acti-vation, can contribute to the development of various diseases during different stages of biogenesis and development. Moreover, it has been linked to unfavorable outcomes in several human can-cers, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), multiple myeloma (MM), melanoma, and breast can-cer. Hence, the presence of mutations and excessive activation of the Hh pathway presents obsta-cles and constraints in the realm of cancer treatment. Extant research has demonstrated that small molecule inhibitors are regarded as the most effective therapeutic approaches for targeting the Hh pathway in contrast to traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Consequently, this review fo-cuses on the present repertoire of small molecule inhibitors that target various components of the Hh pathway, including Hh ligands, Ptch receptors, Smo transmembrane proteins, and Gli nuclear transcription factors. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of small molecules' structural and functional aspects in the preclinical and clinical management of cancer. Additionally, it elu-cidates the obstacles encountered in targeting the Hh pathway for human cancer therapy and pro-poses potential therapeutic approaches.

Anemoside B4 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro and in vivo

Objective

Anemoside B4 (AB4), the most abundant triterpenoidal saponin isolated from Pulsatilla chinensis, inhibited influenza virus FM1 or Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced pneumonia. However, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect of AB4 has not been unraveled. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the antiviral activity and potential mechanism of AB4 in inhibiting human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

The cytotoxicity of AB4 was evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay. SARS-CoV-2 infected HEK293T, HPAEpiC, and Vero E6 cells were used for in vitro assays. The antiviral effect of AB4 in vivo was evaluated by SARS-CoV-2-infected hACE2-IRES-luc transgenic mouse model. Furthermore, label-free quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic analysis were performed to explore the potential antiviral mechanism of action of AB4. Type I IFN signaling-associated proteins were assessed using Western blotting or immumohistochemical staining.

Results

The data showed that AB4 reduced the propagation of SARS-CoV-2 along with the decreased Nucleocapsid protein (N), Spike protein (S), and 3C-like protease (3CLpro) in HEK293T cells. In vivo antiviral activity data revealed that AB4 inhibited viral replication and relieved pneumonia in a SARS-CoV-2 infected mouse model. We further disclosed that the antiviral activity of AB4 was associated with the enhanced interferon (IFN)-β response via the activation of retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-1) like receptor (RLP) pathways. Additionally, label-free quantitative proteomic analyses discovered that 17 proteins were significantly altered by AB4 in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections cells. These proteins mainly clustered in RNA metabolism.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that AB4 inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication through the RLR pathways and moderated the RNA metabolism, suggesting that it would be a potential lead compound for the development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

ROCK1 is a multifunctional factor maintaining the primordial follicle reserve and follicular development in mice

The follicle is the basic structural and functional unit of the ovary in female mammals. The excessive depletion of follicles will lead to diminished ovarian reserve or even premature ovarian failure, resulting in diminished ovarian oogenesis and endocrine function. Excessive follicular depletion is mainly due to loss of primordial follicles. Our analysis of published human ovarian single-cell sequencing results by others revealed a significant increase in rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) expression during primordial follicle development. However, the role of ROCK1 in primordial follicle development and maintenance is not clear. This study revealed a gradual increase in ROCK1 expression during primordial follicle activation. Inhibition of ROCK1 resulted in reduced primordial follicle activation, decreased follicular reserve, and delayed development of growing follicles. This effect may be achieved through the HIPPO pathway. The present study indicates that ROCK1 is a key molecule for primordial follicular reserve and follicular development.NEW & NOTEWORTHY ROCK1, one of the Rho GTPases, plays an important role in primordial follicle reserve and follicular development. ROCK1 was primarily expressed in the cytoplasm of oocytes and granulosa cell in mice. Inhibition of ROCK1 significantly reduced the primordial follicle reserve and delayed growing follicle development. ROCK1 regulates primordial follicular reserve and follicle development through the HIPPO signaling pathway. These findings shed new lights on the physiology of sustaining female reproduction.

Enhanced poly-γ-glutamic acid synthesis in Corynebacterium glutamicum by reconstituting PgsBCA complex and fermentation optimization

Previously, a novel Corynebacterium glutamicum strain for the de novo biosynthesis of tailored poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) has been constructed by our group. The strain was based on the γ-PGA synthetase complex, PgsBCA, which is the only polyprotein complex responsible for γ-PGA synthesis in Bacillus spp. In the present study, PgsBCA was reconstituted and overexpressed in C. glutamicum to further enhance γ-PGA synthesis. First, we confirmed that all the components (PgsB, PgsC, and PgsA) of γ-PGA synthetase derived from B. licheniformis are necessary for γ-PGA synthesis, and γ-PGA was detected only when PgsB, PgsC, and PgsA were expressed in combination in C. glutamicum. Next, the expression level of each pgsB, pgsC, and pgsA was tuned in order to explore the effect of expression of each of the γ-PGA synthetase subunits on γ-PGA production. Results showed that increasing the transcription levels of pgsB or pgsC and maintaining a medium-level transcription level of pgsA led to 35.44% and 76.53% increase in γ-PGA yield (γ-PGA yield-to-biomass), respectively. Notably, the expression level of pgsC had the greatest influence (accounting for 68.24%) on γ-PGA synthesis, followed by pgsB. Next, genes encoding for PgsC from four different sources (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus methylotrophicus, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) were tested in order to identify the influence of PgsC-encoding orthologues on γ-PGA production, but results showed that in all cases the synthesis of γ-PGA was significantly inhibited. Similarly, we also explored the influence of gene orthologues encoding for PgsB on γ-PGA production, and found that the titer increased to 17.14 ± 0.62 g/L from 8.24 ± 0.10 g/L when PgsB derived from B. methylotrophicus replaced PgsB alone in PgsBCA from B. licheniformis. The resulting strain was chosen for further optimization, and we achieved a γ-PGA titer of 38.26 g/L in a 5 L fermentor by optimizing dissolved oxygen level. Subsequently, by supplementing glucose, γ-PGA titer increased to 50.2 g/L at 48 h. To the best of our knowledge, this study achieved the highest titer for de novo production of γ-PGA from glucose, without addition of L-glutamic acid, resulting in a novel strategy for enhancing γ-PGA production.

Enhanced L-serine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum based on novel insights into L-serine exporters

The L-serine exporters ThrE and SerE play important roles in L-serine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. Deletion of both thrE and serE decreased L-serine titer by 60%, suggesting the existence of other L-serine exporters. A comparative transcriptomics identified NCgl0254 and NCgl0255 as novel L-serine exporters. Further analysis of the contributions of ThrE, SerE, NCgl0254, and NCgl0255 found that SerE was the major L-serine exporter in C. glutamicum and these four L-serine exporters were responsible for 79.7% of L-serine export. Deletion of one L-serine exporter upregulated the transcription levels of the other three, which might be coursed by increased intracellular concentrations of L-serine. Overexpression of NCgl0254 and NCgl0255 increased L-serine titer by 20.8% in C. glutamicum A36, while overexpression of the four L-serine exporters increased L-serine production by 31.9% (41.1 g·L-1 ) in C. glutamicum A36. The identification of novel L-serine exporters in C. glutamicum will help to improve industrial production of L-serine.

Passive Internet of Events Enabled by Broadly Compatible Self-Powered Visualized Platform Toward Real-Time Surveillance

Surveillance is an intricate challenge worldwide especially in those complicated environments such as nuclear plants, banks, crowded areas, barns, etc. Deploying self-powered wireless sensor nodes can increase the system's event detection capabilities by collecting environmental changes, while the incompatibility among components (energy harvesters, sensors, and wireless modules) limits their application. Here, a broadly compatible self-powered visualized platform (SPVP) is reported to construct a passive internet of events (IoE) network for surveillance systems. By encoding electric signals into reference and working LEDs, SPVP can visualize resistance change generated by commercial resistive sensors with a broad working range (<107  Ω) and the transmission distance is up to 30 meters. Visible light signals are captured by surveillance cameras and processed by the cloud to achieve real-time event monitoring and identification, which forms the passive IoE network. It is demonstrated that the passive-IoE-based surveillance system can detect intrusion, theft, fire alarm, and distress signals quickly (30 ms) for 106 cycles. Moreover, the confidential information can be encrypted by SPVPs and accessed through a phone application. This universal scheme may have huge potential for the construction of safe and smart cities.

Wireless, battery-free, multifunctional integrated bioelectronics for respiratory pathogens monitoring and severity evaluation

The rapid diagnosis of respiratory virus infection through breath and blow remains challenging. Here we develop a wireless, battery-free, multifunctional pathogenic infection diagnosis system (PIDS) for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptom severity by blow and breath within 110 s and 350 s, respectively. The accuracies reach to 100% and 92% for evaluating the infection and symptom severity of 42 participants, respectively. PIDS realizes simultaneous gaseous sample collection, biomarker identification, abnormal physical signs recording and machine learning analysis. We transform PIDS into other miniaturized wearable or portable electronic platforms that may widen the diagnostic modes at home, outdoors and public places. Collectively, we demonstrate a general-purpose technology for rapidly diagnosing respiratory pathogenic infection by breath and blow, alleviating the technical bottleneck of saliva and nasopharyngeal secretions. PIDS may serve as a complementary diagnostic tool for other point-of-care techniques and guide the symptomatic treatment of viral infections.

Comparison of freehand technique and a novel laser-guiding navigation system in femoral neck-cannulated screw fixation: a randomized controlled trial

Cannulated screw fixation is essential in treating femoral neck fractures, and the widely used freehand technique has several limitations. Therefore, we designed a new laser-positioning and navigation system and compared its efficacy with that of the traditional freehand technique in the cannulated screw fixation of femoral neck fractures. This randomized controlled single-blind trial recruited patients with femoral neck fracture, who were treated using either the newly designed laser-navigation device or the freehand technique. In in-vitro experiments, using the femoral neck model, the laser group was better than the freehand group in terms of operation time (P = 0.0153) and radiation exposure time (P < 0.001). In in-vivo experiments, involving 30 patients (15 in each group), the laser group was better than the freehand group in terms of operation time (P < 0.001), radiation exposure time (P < 0.001), blood loss (P < 0.001) and first success rate (P = 0.03). There was no difference in visual analog scale score, Harris score, and fracture-healing time between the two groups. In conclusion, the novel laser-guiding navigation system resulted in shorter operation time, less radiation exposure, and higher first success rate compared with the freehand technique. Further qualified investigations with a larger number of patients and longer follow-up are required in the future.

The fine-tuned crosstalk between lysine acetylation and the circadian rhythm

Circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-h wake and sleep cycle that almost all of the organisms on the earth follow when they execute their biological functions and physiological activities. The circadian clock is mainly regulated by the transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL), consisting of the core clock proteins, including BMAL1, CLOCK, PERs, CRYs, and a series of accessory factors. The circadian clock and the downstream gene expression are not only controlled at the transcriptional and translational levels but also precisely regulated at the post-translational modification level. Recently, it has been discovered that CLOCK exhibits lysine acetyltransferase activities and could acetylate protein substrates. Core clock proteins are also acetylated, thereby altering their biological functions in the regulation of the expression of downstream genes. Studies have revealed that many protein acetylation events exhibit oscillation behavior. However, the biological function of acetylation on circadian rhythm has only begun to explore. This review will briefly introduce the acetylation and deacetylation of the core clock proteins and summarize the proteins whose acetylation is regulated by CLOCK and circadian rhythm. Then, we will also discuss the crosstalk between lysine acetylation and the circadian clock or other post-translational modifications. Finally, we will briefly describe the possible future perspectives in the field.

Paleoenvironmental changes in the coastal zone of the northwest South China Sea during the last 13 kyr

Marine sediments in coastal zones serve as valuable archives for understanding the history of silicate chemical weathering and summer monsoon rainfall in source areas, providing insights into terrigenous climate and environmental evolution. In this study, we investigated the grain size, clay minerals, and geochemistry of sediments retrieved from core KZK01 in the coastal zone of the northwest South China Sea during the past 13 thousand years before present (kyr BP). Our findings demonstrated that the illite crystallinity index served as a reliable proxy for assessing the intensity of chemical weathering in the source area. Moreover, it distinctly recorded significant climatic events such as the Younger Dryas and Bond events during the Holocene. The dominant driver of the regional East Asian summer monsoon was identified as summer solar radiation in the Northern Hemisphere at low latitudes. Cold climate events exhibited global consistency, potentially influenced by the presence of ice sheets at high latitudes. Lastly, our records revealed a distinct transition at 9.0 kyr, highlighting significant impacts of the Qiongzhou Strait and sea level rise on regional climate dynamics.

Novel Approach to Enriching Glycosylated RNAs: Specific Capture of GlycoRNAs via Solid-Phase Chemistry

Ribonuclease (RNA) modifications can alter cellular function and lead to differential immune responses by acting as discriminators between RNAs from different phyla. RNA glycosylation has recently been observed at the cell surface, and its dysregulation in disease may change RNA functions. However, determining which RNA substrates can be glycosylated remains to be explored. Here, we develop a solid-phase chemoenzymatic method (SPCgRNA) for targeting glycosylated RNAs, by which glycosylated RNA substrates can be specifically recognized. We found the differential N-glycosylation of small RNAs in hTERT-HPNE and MIA PaCa-2 cancer cells using SPCgRNA. RNA-Seq showed that the changes in glyco-miRNAs prepared from SPCgRNA were consistent with those of traditional methods. The KEGG signaling pathway analysis revealed that differential miRNA glycosylation can affect tumor cell proliferation and survival. Further studies found that NGI-1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and circulation of MIA PaCa-2 and promoted cell apoptosis. In addition, β-1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (B4GALT1) not only affected the expression level of glycosylated miRNAs hsa-miR-21-5p but also promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited the cell cycle possibly through the p53 signaling pathway, while B4GALT1 and p53 were also affected following the hsa-miR-21-5p increase. These results suggest that B4GALT1 may catalyze miRNAs glycosylation, which further promotes cancer cell progression.

Effect of INR on Outcomes of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Vertebrobasilar Artery Occlusion

Endovascular treatment (EVT) has been proven to be the standard treatment for acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO). This study aimed to analyze the effects of international normalized ratio (INR) indicators on outcomes in patients with acute VBAO treated with EVT. Dynamic data on INR in patients with VBAO who received endovascular treatment (EVT) at 65 stroke centers in China were retrospectively enrolled. Outcome measures included the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days and 1 year and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). The associations between elevated INR (INR > 1.1), INR variability (time-weighted variance of INR changes), and various clinical outcomes were analyzed in all patients and subgroups stratified by oral anticoagulation (OAC) by mixed logistic regression analysis. A total of 1825 patients met the study criteria, of which 1384 had normal INR and 441 had elevated INR. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated INR was significantly associated with poor functional outcomes (mRS 4-6) at 90 days (odds ratio [OR] 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.72) and 1 year (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.66), but was not associated with an increased risk of sICH (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.83-1.20). Similar associations exist between INR variability and poor functional outcomes at 90 days (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.09-4.30), 1 year (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.16-4.46), and sICH (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.93-1.33). Subgroup analyses further revealed that elevated INR and INR variability remained associated with poor functional outcomes in patients not receiving oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy, while no significant associations were observed in OAC-treated patients, regardless of whether they were on warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants. Elevated INR and INR variability in VBAO patients treated with EVT were associated with poor functional outcomes. The mechanism underlying the association between elevated INR and poor functional outcomes might be attributed to the fact that elevated INR indirectly reflects the burden of comorbidities, which could independently worsen outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of a comprehensive and dynamic evaluation of INR levels in the management of VBAO patients receiving EVT, providing valuable insights for optimizing patient outcomes.

Synergetic positivity of loss and noise in nonlinear non-Hermitian resonators

Loss and noise are usually undesirable in electronics and optics, which are generally mitigated by separate ways in the cost of bulkiness and complexity. Recent studies of non-Hermitian systems have shown a positive role of loss in various loss-induced counterintuitive phenomena, while noise still remains a fundamental challenge in non-Hermitian systems particularly for sensing and lasing. Here, we simultaneously reverse the detrimental loss and noise and reveal their coordinated positive role in nonlinear non-Hermitian resonators. This synergetic effect leads to the amplified spectrum intensity with suppressed spectrum fluctuations after adding both loss and noise. We reveal the underlying mechanism of nonlinearity-induced bistability engineered by loss in the non-Hermitian resonators and noise-loss enhanced coherence of eigenfrequency hopping driven by temporal modulation of detuning. Our findings enrich counterintuitive non-Hermitian physics and lead to a general recipe to overcome loss and noise from electronics to photonics with applications from sensing to communication.

Giant, magnet-free, and room-temperature Hall-like heat transfer

Thermal chirality, generically referring to the handedness of heat flux, provides a significant possibility for modern heat control. It may be realized with the thermal Hall effect yet at the high cost of strong magnetic fields and extremely low temperatures. Here, we reveal magnet-free and room-temperature Hall-like heat transfer in an active thermal lattice composed of a stationary solid matrix and rotating solid particles. Rotation breaks the Onsager reciprocity relation and generates giant thermal chirality about two orders of magnitude larger than ever reported at the optimal rotation velocity. We further achieve anisotropic thermal chirality by breaking the rotation invariance of the active lattice, bringing effective thermal conductivity to a region unreachable by the thermal Hall effect. These results could enlighten topological and non-Hermitian heat transfer and efficient heat utilization in ways distinct from phonons.

Non-Hermitian Chiral Heat Transport

Exceptional point (EP) has been captivated as a concept of interpreting eigenvalue degeneracy and eigenstate exchange in non-Hermitian physics. The chirality in the vicinity of EP is intrinsically preserved and usually immune to external bias or perturbation, resulting in the robustness of asymmetric backscattering and directional emission in classical wave fields. Despite recent progress in non-Hermitian thermal diffusion, all state-of-the-art approaches fail to exhibit chiral states or directional robustness in heat transport. Here we report the first discovery of chiral heat transport, which is manifested only in the vicinity of EP but suppressed at the EP of a thermal system. The chiral heat transport demonstrates significant robustness against drastically varying advections and thermal perturbations imposed. Our results reveal the chirality in heat transport process and provide a novel strategy for manipulating mass, charge, and diffusive light.

Proximity Proteomics and Biochemical Analysis Reveal a Noncanonical Function for UFM1-Specific Protease 1 in the p62 Body Formation

Protein aggregates play crucial roles in the development of neurodegenerative diseases and p62 is one of the key proteins regulating the formation of protein aggregates. Recently, it has been discovered that depletion of several key enzymes including UFM1-activating enzyme UBA5, UFM1-conjugating enzyme UFC1, UFM1-protein ligase UFL1, and UFM1-specific protease UfSP2 in the UFM1-conjugation system induces p62 accumulation to form p62 bodies in the cytosol. However, it is unknown whether UfSP1 participates in the formation of p62 bodies and whether its enzymatic activity is required for this process. Here, the proximity labeling technique and quantitative proteomics identify SQSTM1/p62 as a UfSP1-interacting protein. Coimmunoprecipitation reveals that p62 indeed interacts with UfSP1 and the immunofluorescence experiment discloses that UfSP1 colocalizes with p62 and promotes the formation of p62-mediated protein aggregates. Mechanistic studies unveil that UfSP1 binds to the ubiquitin-associated domain of p62 and promotes the interaction between p62 and ubiquitinated proteins, thereby increasing the formation of p62 bodies. Interestingly, we further demonstrate that both the catalytic active and inactive UfSP1 promote the formation of p62 bodies through the same mechanism. Taken together, this work discovers that UfSP1 exhibits a noncanonical function independent of its protease activity in the p62 body formation.

Observation of bulk quadrupole in topological heat transport

The quantized bulk quadrupole moment has so far revealed a non-trivial boundary state with lower-dimensional topological edge states and in-gap zero-dimensional corner modes. In contrast to photonic implementations, state-of-the-art strategies for topological thermal metamaterials struggle to achieve such higher-order hierarchical features. This is due to the absence of quantized bulk quadrupole moments in thermal diffusion fundamentally prohibiting possible band topology expansions. Here, we report a recipe for generating quantized bulk quadrupole moments in fluid heat transport and observe the quadrupole topological phases in non-Hermitian thermal systems. Our experiments show that both the real- and imaginary-valued bands exhibit the hierarchical features of bulk, gapped edge and in-gap corner states-in stark contrast to the higher-order states observed only on real-valued bands in classical wave fields. Our findings open up unique possibilities for diffusive metamaterial engineering and establish a playground for multipolar topological physics.

Stochastic Exceptional Points for Noise-Assisted Sensing

Noise is a fundamental challenge for sensors deployed in daily environments for ambient sensing, health monitoring, and wireless networking. Current strategies for noise mitigation rely primarily on reducing or removing noise. Here, we introduce stochastic exceptional points and show the utility to reverse the detrimental effect of noise. The stochastic process theory illustrates that the stochastic exceptional points manifest as fluctuating sensory thresholds that give rise to stochastic resonance, a counterintuitive phenomenon in which the added noise increases the system's ability to detect weak signals. Demonstrations using a wearable wireless sensor show that the stochastic exceptional points lead to more accurate tracking of a person's vital signs during exercise. Our results may lead to a distinct class of sensors that overcome and are enhanced by ambient noise for applications ranging from healthcare to the internet of things.

Convective Thermal Metamaterials: Exploring High-Efficiency, Directional, and Wave-Like Heat Transfer

Convective thermal metamaterials are artificial structures where convection dominates in the thermal process. Due to the field coupling between velocity and temperature, convection provides a new knob for controlling heat transfer beyond pure conduction, thus allowing active and robust thermal modulations. With the introduced convective effects, the original parabolic Fourier heat equation for pure conduction can be transformed to hyperbolic. Therefore, the hybrid diffusive system can be interpreted in a wave-like fashion, reviving many wave phenomena in dissipative diffusion. Here, recent advancements in convective thermal metamaterials are reviewed and the state-of-the-art discoveries are classified into the following four aspects, enhancing heat transfer, porous-media-based thermal effects, nonreciprocal heat transfer, and non-Hermitian phenomena. Finally, a prospect is cast on convective thermal metamaterials from two aspects. One is to utilize the convective parameter space to explore topological thermal effects. The other is to further broaden the convective parameter space with spatiotemporal modulation and multi-physical effects.

Sex differences in outcomes after endovascular treatment of patients with vertebrobasilar artery occlusion

BACKGROUND

Current studies on the role of sex in the prognosis of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) are limited. We aimed to explore whether there are sex differences on outcomes in patients treated with endovascular therapy (EVT) for VBAO.

METHODS

Patients from December 2015 to December 2018 with acute VBAO within 24 h of the estimated occlusion time in 21 stroke centers in China were retrospectively analyzed. Baseline data between sexes were compared in the total population cohort and propensity score (PS)-matched cohort. Multivariate logistic regression and ordinal regression were used to analyze the association of sex with outcomes. Mixed-effects regression model was performed for changes in modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores in men and women from 90 days to 1 year after discharge.

RESULTS

A total of 577 patients (28.4% women) were finally included. Multivariate logistic regression showed that women had a lower probability of favorable outcome (mRS score 0-3 at 90 days; OR 0.544; 95% CI 0.329-0.899) and functional independence (mRS score 0-2 at 90 days; OR 0.391; 95% CI 0.228-0.670) as well as a higher possibility of shifting to worse mRS (OR 1.484; 95% CI 1.020-2.158) than men. After PS matching, 391 patients (39.4% women) were analyzed, confirming the same results regarding favorable outcome (OR 0.580; 95% CI 0.344-0.977), functional independence (OR 0.394; 95% CI 0.218-0.712), and shift mRS (OR 1.504; 95% CI 1.023-2.210). However, the results of repeated ANOVA showed that men and women had a comparable functional recovery from 90 days to 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

Stroke due to VBAO treated with EVT is associated with worse outcomes in women than in men. However, men and women showed similar long-term improvement trends.

Lower ultra-short-term heart rate variability can predict worse mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND

Psychological stress has been proved to be a risk factor for exacerbation for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, traditional approaches of quantifying psychological stress using psychological scales are time-consuming and the results may not be comparable among patients with different educational levels and cultural backgrounds. Alternatively, heart rate variability (HRV) is an indicator for psychological stress and not biased by educational and cultural backgrounds.

AIMS

In this study, we try to explore the relationship between psychological stress and UC by analyzing the effect of ultra-short-term HRV on mucosal and histological remission status of UC.

METHODS

This is a retrospective case-control study on UC inpatients from 2018 through 2020. Ultra-short-term HRV were calculated using baseline electrocardiography. Patients were divided intocase and control groups according to their Mayo endoscopic scores or histological Geboes scores. Three variables of ultra-short-term HRV (the standard deviation of normal to normal R-R intervals (SDNN), the standard deviation of successive differences between adjacent normal to normal R-R intervals (SDSD), the root mean square of successive differences of normal to normal R-R intervals (RMSSD)) were compared between different groups. And for those variables with significant differences, we built univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to depict the relationship between HRV variables and remission status of UC.

RESULTS

All three HRV variables showed significant differences between the mucosal groups. However, none of them showed significant difference between the histological groups. In further logistic regression analyses, smaller RMSSD can predict severe mucosal healing status (OR = 5.21).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower ultra-short-term HRV (i.e. smaller RMSSD) is shown to positively correlate with worse mucosal healing status. However, ultra-short-term HRV cannot predict histological healing status according to our data.

Effect of hepatic NPC1L1 on cholesterol gallstone disease and its mechanism

Cholesterol gallstone disease (CGD) is associated with bile cholesterol supersaturation. The Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), the inhibitory target of ezetimibe (EZE), is a critical sterol transporter of cholesterol absorption. Intestinal NPC1L1 facilitates the absorption of cholesterol, whereas hepatic NPC1L1 promotes cholesterol uptake by hepatocytes and reduces bile cholesterol supersaturation. The potential of hepatic NPC1L1 to prevent CGD has yet to be established due to its absence in the mice model. In this study, we generated mice expressing hepatic NPC1L1 using adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene delivery. The biliary cholesterol saturations and gallstone formations were explored under chow diet and lithogenic diet (LD) with or without EZE treatment. The long-term (8-week) LD-fed AAV-mNPC1L1 mice exhibited no significant differences in biliary cholesterol saturation and gallstone formation compared to WT mice. EZE effectively prevented CGD in both WT and AAV-mNPC1L1 mice. Mechanistically, prolonged LD feeding induced the degradation of hepatic NPC1L1, whereas short-term (2-week) LD feeding preserved the expression of hepatic NPC1L1. In conclusion, our findings suggest that hepatic NPC1L1 is unable to prevent CGD, whereas EZE functions as an efficient bile cholesterol desaturator during CGD development.

PDLIM3 supports hedgehog signaling in medulloblastoma by facilitating cilia formation

Elevated levels of PDLIM3 expression are frequently detected in sonic hedgehog (SHH) group of medulloblastoma (MB). However, the possible role of PDLIM3 in MB tumorigenesis is still unknown. Here, we found that PDLIM3 expression is necessary for hedgehog (Hh) pathway activation in MB cells. PDLIM3 is present in primary cilia of MB cells and fibroblasts, and such cilia localization is mediated by the PDZ domain of PDLIM3 protein. Deletion of PDLIM3 significantly compromised cilia formation and interfered the Hh signaling transduction in MB cells, suggesting that PDLIM3 promotes the Hh signaling through supporting the ciliogenesis. PDLIM3 protein physically interacts with cholesterol, a critical molecule for cilia formation and hedgehog signaling. The disruption of cilia formation and Hh signaling in PDLIM3 null MB cells or fibroblasts, was significantly rescued by treatment with exogenous cholesterol, demonstrating that PDLIM3 facilitates the ciliogenesis through cholesterol provision. Finally, deletion of PDLIM3 in MB cells significantly inhibited their proliferation and repressed tumor growth, suggesting that PDLIM3 is necessary for MB tumorigenesis. Our studies elucidate the critical functions of PDLIM3 in the ciliogenesis and Hh signaling transduction in SHH-MB cells, supporting to utilize PDLIM3 as a molecular marker for defining SHH group of MB in clinics.

Preparation of UFM1-Derived Probes through Highly Optimized Total Chemical Synthesis

Ufmylation is involved in various cellular processes and associated with many human diseases. The understanding of this modification relies on the use of customized UFM1-derived probes for activity-based profiling of its related enzymes. Herein we present a highly optimized total chemical synthesis for the generation of diverse UFM1-derived probes including UFM1-PA, Biotin-UFM1-PA and UFM1-AMC, in which a UFM1 C-terminal valine hydrazide was readily prepared by hydrazide-based ligation and used as a versatile handle for the installation of enzyme-sensitive warheads and fluorescent reporters. The resulting probes display high reactivity and selectivity for UFM1-specific enzymes in cell lysates. This strategy facilitates the generation and diversity of the UFM1-derived toolkit that can be employed to profile UFM1-specific enzymes, thereby shining insights into the dynamics of ufmylation.

Insights on the biological functions and diverse regulation of RNA-binding protein 39 and their implication in human diseases

RNA-binding protein 39 (RBM39) involves in pre-mRNA splicing and transcriptional regulation. RBM39 is dysregulated in many cancers and its upregulation enhances cancer cell proliferation. Recently, it has been discovered that aryl sulfonamides act as molecular glues to recruit RBM39 to the CRL4^DCAF15 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex for its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Therefore, various studies have focused on the degradation of RBM39 by aryl sulfonamides in the aim of finding new cancer therapeutics. These discoveries also attracted focus for thorough study on the biological functions of RBM39. RBM39 was found to regulate the splicing and transcription of genes mainly involved in pre-mRNA splicing, cell cycle regulation, DNA damage response, and metabolism, but the understanding of these regulations is still in its infancy. This article reviews the advances of the current literature and discusses the remaining key issues on the biological function and dynamic regulation of RBM39 at the post-translational level.

Screening and identification of miR-181a-5p in oral squamous cell carcinoma and functional verification in vivo and in vitro

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor associated with poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in the cancer development. However, the role of miRNAs in OSCC development and progression is not well understood.

METHODS

We sought to establish a dynamic Chinese hamster OSCC animal model, construct miRNA differential expression profiles of its occurrence and development, predict its targets, and perform functional analysis and validation in vitro.

RESULTS

Using expression and functional analyses, the key candidate miRNA (miR-181a-5p) was selected for further functional research, and the expression of miR-181a-5p in OSCC tissues and cell lines was detected. Subsequently, transfection technology and a nude mouse tumorigenic model were used to explore potential molecular mechanisms. miR-181a-5p was significantly downregulated in human OSCC specimens and cell lines, and decreased miR-181a-5p expression was observed in multiple stages of the Chinese hamster OSCC animal model. Moreover, upregulated miR-181a-5p significantly inhibited OSCC cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration; blocked the cell cycle; and promoted apoptosis. BCL2 was identified as a target of miR-181a-5p. BCL2 may interact with apoptosis- (BAX), invasion- and migration- (TIMP1, MMP2, and MMP9), and cell cycle-related genes (KI67, E2F1, CYCLIND1, and CDK6) to further regulate biological behavior. Tumor xenograft analysis indicated that tumor growth was significantly inhibited in the high miR-181a-5p expression group.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that miR-181a-5p can be used as a potential biomarker and provide a novel animal model for mechanistic research on oral cancer.

The aryl sulfonamide indisulam inhibits gastric cancer cell migration by promoting the ubiquitination and degradation of the transcription factor ZEB1

Gastric cancer is one of the cancers with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aryl sulfonamide indisulam inhibits the proliferation of several types of cancer cells through its function as a molecular glue to promote the ubiquitination and degradation of RNA-binding motif protein 39 (RBM39). However, it is unknown whether and how indisulam regulates the migration of cancer cells. In this work, using label-free quantitative proteomics, we discover that indisulam significantly attenuates N-cadherin, a marker for epithelial to mesenchymal transition and migration of cancer cells. Our bioinformatics analysis and biochemical experiments reveal that indisulam promotes the interaction between the zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), a transcription factor of N-cadherin, and DCAF15, a substrate receptor of CRL4 E3 ubiquitin ligase, and enhances ZEB1 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In addition, our cell line-based experiments demonstrate that indisulam inhibits the migration of gastric cancer cells in a ZEB1-dependent manner. Analyses of patient samples and datasets in public databases reveal that tumor tissues from patients with gastric cancer express high ZEB1 mRNA and this high expression reduces patient survival rate. Finally, we show that treatment of gastric tumor samples with indisulam significantly reduces ZEB1 protein levels. Therefore, this work discloses a new mechanism by which indisulam inhibits the migration of gastric cancer cells, indicating that indisulam exhibits different biological functions through distinct signaling molecules.

Black-hole-inspired thermal trapping with graded heat-conduction metadevices

The curved space-time produced by black holes leads to the intriguing trapping effect. So far, metadevices have enabled analogous black holes to trap light or sound in laboratory spacetime. However, trapping heat in a conductive environment is still challenging because diffusive behaviors are directionless. Inspired by black holes, we construct graded heat-conduction metadevices to achieve thermal trapping, resorting to the imitated advection produced by graded thermal conductivities rather than the trivial solution of using insulation materials to confine thermal diffusion. We experimentally demonstrate thermal trapping for guiding hot spots to diffuse towards the center. Graded heat-conduction metadevices have advantages in energy-efficient thermal regulation because the imitated advection has a similar temperature field effect to the realistic advection that is usually driven by external energy sources. These results also provide an insight into correlating transformation thermotics with other disciplines, such as cosmology, for emerging heat control schemes.

Giant polarization ripple in transverse pyroelectricity

Pyroelectricity originates from spontaneous polarization variation, promising in omnipresent non-static thermodynamic energy harvesting. Particularly, changing spontaneous polarization via out-of-plane uniform heat perturbations has been shown in solar pyroelectrics. However, these approaches present unequivocal inefficiency due to spatially coupled low temperature change and duration along the longitudinal direction. Here we demonstrate unconventional giant polarization ripples in transverse pyroelectrics, without increasing the total energy input, into electricity with an efficiency of 5-fold of conventional longitudinal counterparts. The non-uniform graded temperature variation arises from decoupled heat localization and propagation, leading to anomalous in-plane heat perturbation (29-fold) and enhanced thermal disequilibrium effects. This in turn triggers an augmented polarization ripple, fundamentally enabling unprecedented electricity generation performance. Notably, the device generates a power density of 38 mW m^-2 at 1 sun illumination, which is competitive with solar thermoelectrics and ferrophotovoltaics. Our findings provide a viable paradigm, not only for universal practical pyroelectric heat harvesting but for flexible manipulation of transverse heat transfer towards sustainable energy harvesting and management.

Ginsenoside Rg1 Improves Inflammation and Autophagy of the Pancreas and Spleen in Streptozotocin-Induced Type 1 Diabetic Mice

BACKGROUND

Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) is one of the key bioactive components of the precious Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been used to treat diabetes in China. Ginsenosides have been reported to protect diabetics from tissue damage, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that occurred frequently among adolescents over the world, its development was related to inflammation and β-cells immunodeficiency. The aim of this study is to explore the biological mechanism of Rg1 on inflammation and autophagy of β-cells in T1D and its therapeutic potential.

METHODS

The model of T1D mice was established by injecting Streptozotocin (STZ) (55 mg/kg) or citric acids once a day for 5 days and from the fourth day of injection, mice were administered with Rg1 (20 mg/kg) or saline by gavage once a day for 12 days. Hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunofluorescence, ELISA, quantitative real-time PCR, and Western blot were used to observe the histopathological changes, inflammatory factor levels, and autophagy markers after administration of ginsenoside Rg1.

RESULTS

Compared to the T1D mice, Rg1 improved the weight (p < 0.05) and blood glucose (p < 0.01) of mice, advanced the injury and apoptosis of β-cells in islets (p < 0.01), and markedly inhibited the protein expression degrees of CD45, CXCL16, ox-LDL, and TF in the pancreas and spleens (p < 0.01), also activated the degrees of insulin in serum (p < 0.01). Besides, in T1D mice' pancreas and spleen, Rg1 markedly repressed the IL-1β, TNF-α, and NOS2 mRNA levels (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), inhibited the CXCL16, NF-κB, and TF proteins (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01), while elevating the ratio of LC3 II/I (p < 0.01) and P62 (p < 0.05) protein level.

CONCLUSIONS

This study proved that Rg1 protected mice against T1D possibly by improving islet injury and tissue inflammation, raising serum insulin, and tissue autophagy marker.

Tunable Rectification of Diffusion-Wave Fields by Spatiotemporal Metamaterials

The diffusion process is the basis of many branches of science and engineering, and generally obeys reciprocity between two ports of a linear time-invariant medium. Recent research on classical wave dynamics has explored the spatiotemporal modulation to exhibit preferred directions in photons and plasmons. Here we report a distinct rectification effect on diffusion-wave fields by modulating the conductivity and observe nonreciprocal transport of charges. We experimentally create a spatiotemporal diffusion metamaterial, in which a mode transition to zero frequency is realized. A direct current component thereby emerges, showcasing a biased effect on the charge diffusion when the incident fundamental frequency is a multiple of the system modulation frequency. These results may find applications spanning a plethora of diffusive fields in general.

Metals in Ten Commercial Demersal Fish from the East China Sea: Contribution to Aquatic Products Nutrition and Toxic Risk Assessment

Metal accumulation in the marine environment can increase the metal content of fish living in it. For this reason, it is essential to evaluate the nutrition from fish consumption and assess metal toxicity risk. Ten species of demersal fish, which are part of the daily diet of coastal residents, were sampled using trammel net in the East China Sea. Levels of the microelements, the constant elements, and the toxic elements of muscle tissue were analyzed. Spiny red gurnard had the highest concentrations of calcium, copper, and iron, whereas pufferfish and threadfin porgy were good sources of zinc and magnesium. The levels of lead, cadmium, and inorganic arsenic in all samples were below the limit values according to Chinese national standards. Although some concerns were raised about the concentration of mercury (Hg) in threadfin porgy, silver croaker, and fivespot flounder, molar ratios (selenium, Se:Hg) and the Se health benefit values (HBV_Se) indicated that they were safe for human consumption. Additionally, the estimated weekly intake and % weekly contribution of 10 fish species with different elements were provided, giving a reference for the people's healthy consumption.

Sequence and thermodynamic characteristics of terminators revealed by FlowSeq and the discrimination of terminators strength

The intrinsic terminator in prokaryotic forms secondary RNA structure and terminates the transcription. However, leaking transcription is common due to varied terminator strength. Besides of the representative hairpin and U-tract structure, detailed sequence and thermodynamic features of terminators were not completely clear, and the effect of terminator on the upstream gene expression was unclearly. Thus, it is still challenging to use terminator to control expression with higher precision. Here, in E. Coli, we firstly determined the effect of the 3′-end sequences including spacer sequences and terminator sequences on the expression of upstream and downstream genes. Secondly, terminator mutation library was constructed, and the thermodynamic and sequence features differing in the termination efficiency were analyzed using the FlowSeq technique. The result showed that under the regulation of terminators, a negative correlation was presented between the expression of upstream and downstream genes (r=−0.60), and the terminators with lower free energy corelated with higher upstream gene expression. Meanwhile, the terminator with longer stem length, more compact loop and perfect U-tract structure was benefit to the transcription termination. Finally, a terminator strength classification model was established, and the verification experiment based on 20 synthetic terminators indicated that the model can distinguish strong and weak terminators to certain extent. The results help to elucidate the role of terminators in gene expression, and the key factors identified are crucial for rational design of terminators, and the model provided a method for terminator strength prediction.

Adeno-associated virus-based caveolin-1 delivery via different routes for the prevention of cholesterol gallstone formation

BACKGROUND

Hepatic caveolin-1 (CAV1) is reduced in cholesterol gallstone disease (CGD). Mice with CAV1 deficiency were prone to develop CGD. However, it remains unknown whether restored hepatic CAV1 expression prevents the development of CGD.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were injected with adeno-associated virus 2/8 (AAV2/8) vectors carrying the CAV1 gene (^AAV2/8CAV1) via intravenous (i.v.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) route and then subjected to a lithogenic diet (LD) for 8 weeks. Uninjected mice were used as controls. The functional consequences of rescuing CAV1 expression by either i.v. or i.p. ^AAV2/8CAV1 treatment for CGD prevention and its subsequent molecular mechanisms were examined.

RESULTS

CAV1 expression was reduced in the liver and gallbladder of LD-fed CGD mice. We discovered that ^AAV2/8CAV1 i.p. delivery results in higher transduction efficiency in the gallbladder than tail vein administration. Although either i.v. or i.p. injection of ^AAV2/8CAV1 improved liver lipid metabolic abnormalities in CGD mice but did not affect LD feeding-induced bile cholesterol supersaturation. In comparison with i.v. administration route, i.p. administration of ^AAV2/8CAV1 obviously increased CAV1 protein levels in the gallbladder of LD-fed mice, and i.p. delivery of ^AAV2/8CAV1 partially improved gallbladder cholecystokinin receptor (CCKAR) responsiveness and impeded bile cholesterol nucleation via the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, which induced a reduction in gallbladder mucin-1 (MUC1) and MUC5ac expression and gallbladder cholesterol accumulation.

CONCLUSION

CGD prevention by i.p. ^AAV2/8CAV1 injection in LD-fed mice was associated with the improvement of gallbladder stasis, which again supported the notion that supersaturated bile is required but not sufficient for the formation of cholesterol gallstones. Additionally, AAV treatment via the local i.p. injection offers particular advantages over the systemic i.v. route for much more effective gallbladder gene delivery, which will be an excellent tool for conducting preclinical functional studies on the maintenance of normal gallbladder function to prevent CGD.

Comparison of freehand technique and a novel laser guiding navigation in distal locking of femoral intramedullary nails: a randomized controlled trial

Background

Intramedullary nail (IMN) is one of the key essential minimally invasive “weapons” in orthopaedic trauma, while the distal locking is still challenging for surgeons. Although there are various inventions and technologies to improve the locking procedure, there are still problems such as inaccurate positioning, excessive radiation exposure, low first success rate and long learning curve. Therefore, a new laser guiding navigation device was designed and compared with the traditional freehand (FH) technique in the distal locking of femoral IMN.

Methods

This randomized controlled single-blind trial recruited patients with femoral diaphyseal fracture. The self-designed laser navigation device (laser group) and freehand technique (FH group) were used in the distal locking of the IMNs. The patients enrolled were randomized into FH group and laser group, all operations were performed by two surgeons of the same level. The differences between the two groups were compared in terms of radiation exposure time, operative time, first success rate, blood loss, visual analogue score (VAS), Harris score and healing time.

Results

32 patients ended the study period and 16 patients in each group. The results showed that the laser group was better than the FH group in terms of distal locking time (10(9/11) vs 19.5 (17.25/21) min, Z = 4.83, P < 0.001), distal locking radiation exposure time (46.5 (41.25/51.75) vs 105 (88.25/140) s, Z = 4.807, P < 0.001), first success rate (30/32 vs 20/32, χ² = 9.143, P = 0.002) and blood loss (60 (50–100) vs 150 (105–192.5) mL, Z = 3.610, P = 0.0003). There was no difference in Harris score, VAS score, or fracture healing time between the two groups.

Conclusion

Compared with the FH technique, the novel laser guiding navigation device for distal locking of femoral IMN has the advantages of shorter operative time, less radiation exposure and higher first success rate.

Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2200060236. Registered 23 May 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=169130

FGF15 promotes hepatic NPC1L1 degradation in lithogenic diet-fed mice

BACKGROUND

Cholesterol gallstone disease (CGD) is accompanied by biliary cholesterol supersaturation. Hepatic Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), which is present in humans but not in wild-type (WT) mice, promotes hepatocyte cholesterol uptake and decreases biliary cholesterol supersaturation. In contrast, intestinal NPC1L1 promotes intestinal cholesterol absorption, increasing biliary cholesterol supersaturation. Ezetimibe (EZE) can inhibit both hepatic and intestinal NPC1L1. However, whether hepatic NPC1L1 can affect CGD progress remains unknown.

METHODS

Mice expressing hepatic NPC1L1 (NPC1L1^hepatic-OE mice) were generated using Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) gene delivery. The protein level and function of hepatic NPC1L1 were examined under chow diet, high fat-cholesterol diet (HFCD), and lithogenic diet (LD) feeding. Gallstone formation rates were examined with or without EZE treatment. Fibroblast growth factor 15 (FGF15) treatment and inhibition of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) were applied to verify the mechanism of hepatic NPC1L1 degradation.

RESULTS

The HFCD-fed NPC1L1^hepatic-OE mice retained the biliary cholesterol desaturation function of hepatic NPC1L1, whereas EZE treatment decreased biliary cholesterol saturation and did not cause CGD. The ubiquitination and degradation of hepatic NPC1L1 were discovered in LD-fed NPC1L1^hepatic-OE mice. Treatment of FGF15 during HFCD feeding and inhibition of FGFR4 during LD feeding could affect the protein level and function of hepatic NPC1L1.

CONCLUSIONS

LD induces the ubiquitination and degradation of hepatic NPC1L1 via the FGF15-FGFR4 pathway. EZE may act as an effective preventative agent for CGD.

Thermal Willis Coupling in Spatiotemporal Diffusive Metamaterials

Willis coupling generically stems from bianisotropy or chirality in wave systems. Nevertheless, those schemes are naturally unavailable in diffusion systems described by a single constitutive relation governed by the Fourier law. Here, we report spatiotemporal diffusive metamaterials by modulating thermal conductivity and mass density in heat transfer. The Fourier law should be modified after homogenizing spatiotemporal parameters, featuring thermal Willis coupling between heat flux and temperature change rate. Thermal Willis coupling drives asymmetric heat diffusion, and the diffusion direction is reversible at a critical point determined by the degree of spatiotemporal modulation. Moreover, thermal Willis coupling stands robustly even when only thermal conductivity is modulated. These results may have potential applications for directional diffusion and offer insights into asymmetric manipulation of nonequilibrium mass and energy transfer.