Protective effects of sodium butyrate on fluorosis in rats by regulating bone homeostasis and serum metabolism

Fluorosis due to high fluoride levels in drinking water profoundly affects the development of human skeletal and dental structures. Sodium butyrate (NaB) has been found to regulate overall bone mass and prevent pathological bone loss. However, the mechanism of NaB action on fluorosis remains unclear. In this study, a rat model of fluorosis induced by 100 mg/L sodium fluoride was used to investigate the impact of NaB on bone homeostasis and serum metabolomics. It was found that NaB significantly reduced the levels of bone resorption markers CTX-Ⅰ and TRACP-5B in fluorosis rats. Moreover, NaB increased calcium and magnesium levels in bone, while decreasing phosphorus levels. In addition, NaB improved various bone microstructure parameters, including bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular thickness (Tb. Th), trabecular bone separation (Tb. SP), and structural model index (SMI) in the femur. Notably, NaB intervention also enhanced the antioxidant capacity of plasma in fluorosis rats. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis of serum metabolomics by LC-MS revealed a significant reversal trend of seven biomarkers after the intervention of NaB. Finally, pathway enrichment analysis based on differential metabolites indicated that NaB exerted protective effects on fluorosis by modulating arginine and proline metabolic pathways. These findings suggest that NaB has a beneficial effect on fluorosis and can regulate bone homeostasis by ameliorating metabolic disorders.

Study on the Effect of Two-Stage Injection Strategy for Coal-to-Liquid/Gasoline Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion Mode

An experimental study was carried out on a modified single-cylinder dual-fuel engine in reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) mode using pilot fuels with different physicochemical properties, and the effects of the pilot fuels and the two-stage injection strategy on the combustion and emission characteristics of the RCCI mode were explored. The results show that when coal-to-liquid (CTL) is used with a high cetane number as the pilot fuel, the reactivity stratification of the fuel-air mixture is more pronounced. With the advancement of pilot injection timing (SOI1), the heat release rate (HRR) of the CTL/gasoline mode gradually changes from a bimodal pattern to a unimodal pattern. Among them, the bimodal HRR includes CTL premixed combustion and gasoline flame propagation, as well as CTL diffused combustion and gasoline multipoint spontaneous combustion, while the unimodal HRR represents CTL premixed combustion and gasoline multipoint spontaneous combustion. However, the HRR of the fossil diesel/gasoline RCCI combustion mode always exhibits a unimodal form. With the advancement of the main injection timing (SOI2), the gravity center of heat release (CA50) is more advanced when using CTL as the pilot fuel due to the short ignition delay. Overall, compared to fossil diesel, using CTL as the pilot fuel is conducive to controlling the pressure rise rate, which expands the operating range of the RCCI combustion mode. Besides, for both pilot fuels of CTL and fossil diesel, the advancement of SOI1 lowers particle emissions, and the advancement of SOI2 reduces NOx emissions, while the two-stage injection achieves higher indicated thermal efficiency.

Early-life risk factors, accelerated biological aging and the late-life risk of mortality and morbidity

BACKGROUND

Early-life exposure increases health risks throughout an individual's lifetime. Biological aging is influenced by early-life risks as a key process of disease development, but whether early-life risks could accelerate biological aging and elevate late-life mortality and morbidity risks remains unknown. Knowledge is also limited on the potential moderating role of healthy lifestyle.

METHODS

We investigate associations of three early-life risks around birth, breastfeeding, maternal smoking and birth weight, with biological aging of 202 580 UK Biobank participants (54.9 ± 8.1 years old). Biological aging was quantified as KDM-BA, PhenoAge and frailty. Moderate alcohol intake, no current smoking, healthy diet, BMI <30 kg/m2 and regular physical activity were considered as healthy lifestyles. Mortality and morbidity data were retrieved from health records.

RESULTS

Individual early-life risk factors were robustly associated with accelerated biological aging. A one-unit increase in the 'early-life risk score' integrating the three factors was associated with 0.060 (SE=0.0019) and 0.036-unit (SE = 0.0027) increase in z-scored KDM-BA acceleration and PhenoAge acceleration, respectively, and with 22.3% higher odds (95% CI: 1.185-1.262) of frailty. Increased chronological age and healthy lifestyles could mitigate the accelerations of KDM-BA and PhenoAge, respectively. Associations of early-life risk score with late-life mortality and morbidity were mediated by biological aging (proportions: 5.66-43.12%). KDM-BA and PhenoAge accelerations could significantly mediate the impact on most outcomes except anxiety, and frailty could not mediate the impact on T2D.

CONCLUSION

Biological aging could capture and mediate the late-life health risks stemming from the early-life risks, and could be potentially targeted for healthy longevity promotion.

The Gene vepN Regulated by Global Regulatory Factor veA That Affects Aflatoxin Production, Morphological Development and Pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus

Velvet (VeA), a light-regulated protein that shuttles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus, serves as a key global regulator of secondary metabolism in various Aspergillus species and plays a pivotal role in controlling multiple developmental processes. The gene vepN was chosen for further investigation through CHIP-seq analysis due to significant alterations in its interaction with VeA under varying conditions. This gene (AFLA_006970) contains a Septin-type guanine nucleotide-binding (G) domain, which has not been previously reported in Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus). The functional role of vepN in A. flavus was elucidated through the creation of a gene knockout mutant and a gene overexpression strain using a well-established dual-crossover recombinational technique. A comparison between the wild type (WT) and the ΔvepN mutant revealed distinct differences in morphology, reproductive capacity, colonization efficiency, and aflatoxin production. The mutant displayed reduced growth rate; dispersion of conidial heads; impaired cell wall integrity; and decreased sclerotia formation, colonization capacity, and aflatoxin levels. Notably, ΔvepN exhibited complete growth inhibition under specific stress conditions, highlighting the essential role of vepN in A. flavus. This study provides evidence that vepN positively influences aflatoxin production, morphological development, and pathogenicity in A. flavus.

Disturbance of mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium of broilers with pulmonary hypertension syndrome

1. The following study investigated the relationship between pulmonary hypertension syndrome (PHS) and mitochondrial dynamics in broiler cardiomyocytes.2. An animal model for PHS was established by injecting broiler chickens with CM-32 cellulose particles. Broiler myocardial cells were cultured under hypoxic conditions to establish an in vitro model. The ascites heart index, histomorphology, mitochondrial ultrastructure, and mitochondrial dynamic-related gene and protein expression were evaluated.3. The myocardial fibres from PHS broilers had wider spaces and were wavy and twisted and the number of mitochondria increased. Compared with the control group, the gene and protein expression levels were decreased for Opa1, Mfn1, and Mfn2 in the myocardium of PHS broilers. The gene and protein expression was significantly increased for Drp1 and Mff.4. This study showed that PHS in broilers may cause myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically by diminishing mitochondrial fusion and enhancing fission, causing disturbances in the mitochondrial dynamics of the heart.

[Establishment of acute graft-versus-host disease model after non-myeloablative haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in aged mice]

Objective: To establish an acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) model in aged mice after non-myeloablative haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (haplo-PSCT). Methods: C57BL/6 (H-2b) male mice aged 6-8 weeks were used as donor mice, and CB6F1 (H-2b×d) female mice aged 14-16 months were used as recipient mice. The donor mice were injected subcutaneously with rehuman granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) 5 days before transplantation for hematopoietic stem cell mobilization.The recipient mice were divided into control group (CG), spleen cell low-dose group (SL), spleen cell medium-dose group (SM) and spleen cell high-dose group (SH) according to random number table method, with 16 rats in each group, all of which received total linear accelerator X-ray irradiation (TBI) with a total dose of 6 Gy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and spleen cells of different doses (0.5×107/each, 1.0×107/each and 2.0×107/each in SL group, SM group and SH group, respectively) were transfused through the tail vein within 4 hours after TBI, and only the same amount of normal saline was transfused in CG group. After transplantation, the survival and weight changes of mice in each group were observed for 30 days, and the changes of blood routine were monitored regularly. Mice peripheral blood was collected 21 days after transplantation to detect the chimerism rate of the donor. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed on the skin, liver and colon of mice 21 days after transplantation to analyze the histopathological changes of aGVHD target organs. Results: All the mice in each group were successfully transplanted. After TBI, the weight and activity of mice in all groups decreased, and the phenomenon of bone marrow suppression appeared. During the observation period, all mice in CG group and SL group survived, 3 mice in SM group died with survival time of (26.0±5.8) days, and 6 mice in SH group died with survival time of (20.9±7.3) days. The body weight of mice in SH group was lower than that in CG group, SL group and SM group 21days after transplantation [(25.0±0.7), (25.5±0.4), (25.0±1.4) vs (20.8±0.8) g, all P<0.05]. Compared with CG group, SL group and SM group, the levels of leukocyte, erythrocyte, hemoglobin and platelet in SH group decreased 21 days after transplantation (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in donor chimerism rate among SL group, SM group and SH group [(95.8%±0.8%), (95.5%±1.4%) and (95.1%±1.3%), respectively, all P>0.05]. Compared with CG group, SL group and SM group, the tissue structure of aGVHD target organs in SH group was severely damaged, with a large number of inflammatory cells infiltratedand higher histopathological scores than SL group and SM group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: For aging CB6F1 mice, after 6 Gy TBI pretreatment with linear accelerator X-ray, PBMC (1×107/each) and spleen cells (2.0×107/each) were injected to successfully induce aGVHD model after non-myelablative haplo-PSCT.

[Comparison of the impact of orthodontic treatment on pulp volume in adolescents and adults]

Objective: To compare the impact of orthodontic treatment on pulp volume in adolescents and adults. Methods: Cone-beam CT data of 62 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment at the Department of Orthodontics, Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, from January 2019 to March 2022 were collected. Patients were divided into two age groups (31 patients in each group): adolescent group (aged 13-17, 17 males and 14 females) and adult group (aged 21-25, 12 males and 19 females). Pre-and post-treatment reconstructions of the pulp and dental tissues of upper first molars (UM1) and lower central incisors (L1) were performed. Measurements included pulp volume for UM1 (UM1 P) and L1 (L1 P), pulp chamber volume (UM1 PC) and root canal volume (UM1 RC) for UM1, root length for L1 (L1 RL), and mesiobuccal root length for UM1 (UM1 RL), as well as chamber heights at specific landmarks [the lengths from the central fossa fusion site to the roof of the pulp chamber (H1), the floor of the pulp chamber (H2), the nearest point of root divergence as well as crown-root bifurcation (H3), the farthest point of root divergence (H4), and the pulp chamber height (H5)] in UM1. Changes in these indices were calculated and analyzed using paired and independent sample t-tests for within-group and between-group differences, respectively. Pearson correlation was used to assess potential associations among H5, root length, and pulp volume changes. Results: Before and after orthodontic treatment, no significant difference was observed in the adult group for L1 P (t=-0.03, P=0.975), while significant differences were noted for UM1 P, UM1 PC, and UM1 RC (t=9.98, P<0.001; t=9.04, P<0.001; t=6.69, P<0.001). In the adolescent group, significant differences were found for both L1 P and UM1 P (t=2.25, P=0.029; t=6.30, P<0.001). After orthodontic treatment, the absolute value changes of UM1 P, UM1 PC, and L1 P in the adolescent group were (19.75±9.58), (15.07±7.65) and (1.89±6.29) mm3, respectively, and in the adult group were (13.33±9.41), (9.16±7.05) and (0.02±4.66) mm3, respectively (t=3.77, P<0.001; t=4.48, P<0.001; t=2.34, P=0.048). There was no significant absolute difference in the amount of UM1 RC between the two groups after orthodontic treatment (t=0.86, P=0.391). Before and after orthodontic treatment, the absolute value changes of L1 RL, H1 and H5 in the adolescent group were (0.54±0.41), (0.38±0.27) and (0.71±0.33) mm, respectively, and the absolute value changes in the adult group were (0.78±0.62), (0.26±0.20) and (0.57±0.28) mm, respectively (t=-2.43, P=0.017; t=2.96, P=0.004; t=2.57, P=0.011). Whereas no significant differences were observed for UM1 RL, H2, H3, and H4 (t=-0.85, P=0.400; t=0.43, P=0.669; t=-0.50, P=0.619; t=1.46, P=0.148). Additionally, significant correlations were found between changes in H5 and UM1 RL with UM1 P (r=0.35, P<0.001; r=0.19, P=0.030), but not between Changes in L1 RL and L1 P (r=0.11, P>0.05). Conclusions: The effect of orthodontic treatment on pulp volume in adolescents and adults were different.

circELP2 reverse-splicing biogenesis and function as a pro-fibrogenic factor by targeting mitochondrial quality control pathway

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is considered as a chronic, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with unknown mechanism. The present work aimed to explore the function, biogenesis and regulatory mechanism of circELP2 in pulmonary fibrosis and evaluate the value of blocking circELP2-medicated signal pathway for IPF treatment. The results showed that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L initiated reverse splicing of circELP2 resulting in the increase of circELP2 generation. The biogenetic circELP2 activated the abnormal proliferation and migration of fibroblast and extracellular matrix deposition to promote pulmonary fibrogenesis. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that cytoplasmic circELP2 sponged miR-630 to increase transcriptional co-activators Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). Then, YAP1/TAZ bound to the promoter regions of their target genes, such as mTOR, Raptor and mLST8, which in turn activated or inhibited the genes expression in mitochondrial quality control pathway. Finally, the overexpressed circELP2 and miR-630 mimic were packaged into adenovirus vector for spraying into the mice lung to evaluate therapeutic effect of blocking circELP2-miR-630-YAP1/TAZ-mitochondrial quality control pathway in vivo. In conclusion, blocking circELP2-medicated pathway can alleviate pulmonary fibrosis, and circELP2 may be a potential target to treat lung fibrosis.

[Analysis of clinical characteristics and risk factors of postoperative complications in infants with early-onset necrotizing enterocolitis after enterostomy]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of children with early-onset necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) undergoing enterostomy and analyze the risk factors for postoperative complications. Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data (perinatal conditions, clinical characteristics, clinical outcomes, etc.) of NEC patients who underwent enterostomy at Beijing Children's Hospital from May 2016 to May 2023. The patients were divided into two groups based on the age of onset: an early-onset enterostomy group (<14 days) and a late-onset enterostomy group (≥14 days). Furthermore, the children with NEC were categorized into complication group and non-complication group based on whether there were complications after enterostomy. The differences in clinical data between these groups were analyzed, and the clinical characteristics of children with early-onset NEC and enterostomy were summarized. Multivariate logistic regression model was employed to analyze the risk factors for postoperative complications in NEC children with enterostomy. Results: A total of 68 cases were enrolled, including 43 cases in the early-onset enterostomy group [26 males and 17 females, aged (6.5±3.0) days] and 25 cases in the late-onset enterostomy group [15 males and 10 females, aged (21.0±3.0) days]. There were 28 cases (17 males and 11 females), age [M (Q1, Q3)] 9 (5, 14) days in the complication group and 33 cases (22 males and 11 females), aged of 14 (6, 21) days in the non-complication group. Compared to the late-onset enterostomy group, the early-onset enterostomy group had significantly higher rates of intraventricular hemorrhage [30.2% (13/43) vs 8.0% (2/25)], hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus [37.2% (16/43) vs 12.0% (3/25)], mechanical ventilation≥72 hours after birth [39.5% (17/43) vs 16.0% (4/25)], stage Ⅲ NEC [(69.8% (30/43) vs 40.0% (10/25)], extensive NEC [27.9% (12/43) vs 8.0% (2/25)], and short-term postoperative complications [56.8% (21/37) vs 29.2% (7/24)] (all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression model analysis revealed that residual length of proximal small intestine was a protective factor for postoperative complications after enterostomy in NEC infants (OR=0.764, 95%CI: 0.648-0.901, P=0.001), but stage Ⅲ NEC was a risk factor (OR=1.042, 95%CI: 1.004-5.585, P=0.017). Conclusions: The incidence of postoperative complications is high, and the prognosis is poor in children with early-onset NEC enterostomy. The residual length of proximal enterostomy is a protective factor for postoperative complications of NEC enterostomy, but stage Ⅲ NEC is a risk factor.

Preoperative prediction of vasculogenic mimicry in lung adenocarcinoma using a CT radiomics model

AIM

To develop and validate a non-invasive computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics model for predicting vasculogenic mimicry (VM) status in lung adenocarcinoma (LA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two hundred and three patients with LA were enrolled retrospectively and grouped into training and test groups with a ratio of 7:3. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed in the training cohort to screen the independent clinical and radiological factors for VM, and the clinical model was then established. A radiomics model was established based on the rad-scores through support vector machine (SVM). A radiomics nomogram model was subsequently constructed by combining the rad-score with clinical-radiological factors. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were conducted to evaluate the performance of the three models.

RESULTS

Nine selected radiomics features were selected for the radiomics model and the maximum length and spiculation sign were constructed for the clinical model. The radiomics nomogram model integrating the maximum length, spiculation sign, and rad-score yielded the best AUC in both the training (AUC = 0.925) and test cohorts (AUC = 0.978), in comparison with the radiomics model (AUC = 0.907 and 0.964, in both the training and test cohorts) and the clinical model (AUC = 0.834 and 0.836 in both training and test cohorts).

CONCLUSIONS

The CT-based radiomics nomogram model showed satisfying discriminating performance for preoperatively and non-invasively predicting VM expression status in LA patients.

Proteomic analysis reveals the aging-related pathways contribute to pulmonary fibrogenesis

Aging usually causes lung-function decline and susceptibility to chronic lung diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, how aging affects the lung-fibrosis pathways and leads to the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis is not completely understood. Here, mass spectrometry-based proteomics was used to chart the lung proteome of young and old mice. Micro computed tomography imaging, RNA immunoprecipitation, dual-fluorescence mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus monitoring, transmission electron microscopy, and other experiments were performed to explore the screened differentially expressed proteins related to abnormal ferroptosis, autophagy, mitochondria, and mechanical force in vivo, in vitro, and in healthy people. Combined with our previous studies on pulmonary fibrosis, we further demonstrated that these biological processes and underlying molecular players were also involved in the aging process. Our work depicted a comprehensive cellular and molecular atlas of the aging lung and attempted to explain why aging is a risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis and the role that aging plays in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. The abnormalities of aging triggered an increase in mechanical force and ferroptosis, autophagy blockade, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which often appear during pulmonary fibrogenesis. We hope that the elucidation of these anomalies will help to enhance our understanding of senescence-inducing pulmonary fibrosis, thereby guiding the use of anti-senescence as an entry point for early intervention in pulmonary fibrosis and age-related diseases.

COX6A2 deficiency leads to cardiac remodeling in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

BACKGROUND

Cardiac remodeling is the initiating factor for the development of heart failure, which can result from various cardiomyopathies. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6A2 (COX6A2) is one of the components of cytochrome c oxidase that drives oxidative phosphorylation. The pathogenesis of myocardial remodeling caused by COX6A2 deficiency in humans remains unclear because there are no suitable research models. In this study, we established a COX6A2-deficient human cardiac myocyte (CM) model that mimics the human COX6A2 homozygous mutation and determined the effects of COX6A2 dysfunction and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

A human COX6A2 homozygous knockout cardiomyocyte model was established by combining CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and hiPSC-directed differentiation technology. Cell model phenotypic assays were done to characterize the pathological features of the resulting COX6A2-deficient cardiomyocytes.

RESULTS

COX6A2 gene knockout did not affect the pluripotency and differentiation efficiency of hiPSCs. Myocardial cells with a COX6A2 gene knockout showed abnormal energy metabolism, increased oxidative stress levels, abnormal calcium transport activity, and decreased contractility. In addition, L-carnitine and trimetazidine significantly improved energy metabolism in the COX6A2-deficient human myocardial model.

CONCLUSIONS

We have established a COX6A2-deficient human cardiomyocyte model that exhibits abnormal energy metabolism, elevated oxidative stress levels, abnormal calcium transport, and reduced contractility. This model represents an important tool to gain insight into the mechanism of action of energy metabolism disorders resulting in myocardial remodeling, elucidate the gene-phenotype relationship of COX6A2 deficiency, and facilitate drug screening.

Three-Directional Spacer-Knitted Piezoresistant Strain and Pressure Sensor for Electronic Integration and On-Body Applications

The advancement of smart textiles has resulted in significant development in wearable textile sensors and offers novel interfaces to sense physical movements in daily life. Knitting, as a traditional textile fabrication method, is being used in promising ways to realize fully seamless fabrication and unobtrusive sensing in wearable textile applications. However, current flat-knitted sensors can sense strain only in the horizontal plane. This research presents a novel fully machine-knitted spacer piezoresistive sensor structure with a three-directional sensing ability that can detect both the pressure in the vertical direction and the strain in the warp/weft direction. Besides, it can sense the pressure under 1 kPa, which is critical in comfortable on-body interaction, one-piece integration, and wearable applications. Three sizes spacer-knitted sensors are evaluated in terms of their mechanical performance, stability cycles, and reaction to external factors such as sweat, laundering, etc. Then, the effect of material choice on sensor performance is evaluated and the rationale behind the use of different materials is summarized. Specifically, this research presents a detailed evaluation of the applications with both a single sensor and multiple sensor arrays for fine and gross motion sensing in several scenarios. The testing results demonstrate a fully machine-knitted piezoresistive sensor that can detect multidirectional motions (vertical, warp, and weft directions). In addition, this knitted sensor is scalable and can be facilely and seamlessly integrated into any garment piece. This universal knitted sensor structure could be made with a wide variety of materials for high sensitivity for multidirectional strain/pressure sensing, making it a high-compatibility sensor structure for wearable applications.

Dityrosine Aggravates Hepatic Insulin Resistance in Obese Mice by Altering Gut Microbiota and the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB Inflammatory Pathway

SCOPE

Dityrosine is the main product of protein oxidation, which has been proved to be a threat to human health. This study aims to investigate whether dityrosine exacerbates insulin resistance by inducing gut flora disturbance and associated inflammatory responses.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Mice fed with normal diet or high-fat diet (HFD) received daily gavage of dityrosine (320 µg kg-1 BW) or saline for consecutive 13 weeks. The effects of dityrosine on gut microbiota are verified by in vitro fermentation using fecal microbiota from db/m mice and db/db mice. As a result, dityrosine causes the insulin resistance in mice fed normal diet, and aggravates the effects of HFD on insulin sensitivity. Dityrosine increases the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) but decreases levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the plasma of CON and HFD-fed mice. The changes of gut flora composition caused by dityrosine are significantly correlated with the changes of inflammatory biomarkers.

CONCLUSION

The effects of dityrosine on insulin resistance may be attributed to the reshaping of the gut microbiota composition and promoting the activity of the LPS/TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway in HFD-induced obese individuals.

[Analysis of clinical phenotype and gene mutation characteristics of MYH9-related disorder]

Objective: To investigate the clinical phenotype and gene mutation characteristics of MYH9-related disorder (MYH9-RD). Methods: The clinical data of 66 patients with MYH9-RD in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2010 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the bleeding symptom, the patients were divided into bleeding and non-bleeding group, and according to the mutation sites, the patients were divided into non-muscle myosin heavy chain ⅡA head region (MD) and tail region (TD) mutation group. Statistical analysis was made to explore the clinical features in different groups such as platelet counts, bleeding, renal function, cataracts and hearing as well as MYH9 gene mutations. Results: A total of 66 MYH9-RD patients were included, with 28 males and 38 females, diagnosis age of 1-63(26±2) years. And 41% (27/66) of the patients had no family history. All patients presented with macrothrombocytopenia and normal platelet aggregation(10/10), 92% (54/59) of the patients had visible blue inclusion bodies in neutrophils, 30% (20/66) had bleeding symptoms, 45% (22/49) had proteinuria or glomerulonephropathy, 20% (8/41) had bilateral hearing impairment, and 10% (4/42) had bilateral cataracts. 18 mutation sites were identified in total, including 15 missense, 1 splicing and 2 termination mutations. Among them, p.Asp1424Asn, p.Arg1933* and p.Arg702His/Cys mutations were identified in 56% (29/52) of the patients, and p.Ser96Leu, Arg1165Cys and p.Glu1841Lys mutations were recurrent mutations, while p.Ala44Thr, p.Asp1447Ala and c.3838-2A>G mutations were novel mutations. The average platelet count of patients in bleeding group was (19±3)×109/L, which was significantly less than (36±3)×109/L in non-bleeding group (P<0.001). Compared with TD mutation group, patients of MD mutation group were presented with lower platelet count and higher risk of bleeding, as well as more severe clinical presentations including renal and hearing impairment and cataracts (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Mutations of p.Asp1424Asn, p.Arg1933* and p.Arg702His/Cys in MYH9 gene are hotspot mutations for MYH9-RD patients, Compared with TD mutation group, patients of MD mutation group were presented with lower platelet count and higher risk of bleeding, as well as more severe clinical presentations including renal and hearing impairment and cataracts.

Co-exposure to multiple vitamins and the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes

Objective

Although the effect of vitamins on the risk of mortality in diabetic patients has been reported, most studies focus on individual vitamins. However, humans are often exposed to multiple vitamins simultaneously in daily life. Therefore, it is worth exploring the effects of co-exposure to multiple vitamins on the risk of mortality in diabetic patients.

Methods

This study included diabetic patients aged ≥20WD years who participated in NHANES from 2003 to 2006. An unsupervised K-means clustering method was used to cluster eight vitamins in serum into several patterns of co-exposure to multiple vitamins, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the impact of different patterns of co-exposure to multiple vitamins on the risk of all-cause mortality in diabetic patients.

Results

Three patterns of co-exposure to multiple vitamins were generated based on K-means clustering, namely, low-level, moderate-level, and high-level. Among the 484 diabetic patients, with a median follow-up of 13.7 years, a total of 211 deaths occurred. After adjusting for covariates, the individual vitamins had varying effects on the risk of all-cause mortality in diabetic patients. Compared to the low-level group of co-exposure to multiple vitamins, the high-level group significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality in diabetic patients, with a HR of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.87). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that high levels of co-exposure to multiple vitamins significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality in males, individuals aged ≥ 60 years, and non-Hispanic White people with diabetes compared to the low-level group, with HR of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.18, 0.98), 0.53 (95% CI: 0.26, 0.98), and 0.26 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.58) respectively.

Conclusion

While individual vitamins had different effects on the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes, high-level co-exposure to multiple vitamins significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes, with differences observed among genders, ages, and race. This suggests that when developing vitamin intervention strategies for patients with diabetes, consideration should be given not only to the dosage of individual vitamins but also to the variations between different population groups.

Preliminary results of the 105 GHz collective Thomson scattering system on HL-2A

A 105 GHz collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic has been successfully developed for fast-ion measurements on the HL-2A tokamak, and it has been deployed during an experimental campaign. Enhanced signals exhibiting synchronous modulation characteristics have been observed across all CTS channels upon the launch of a modulated probe wave. Results show that the intensity of the CTS signal increases with Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) power and is proportional to neutron count, indicating that the scattering signal contains a contribution from fast ions. Compared with the signal without NBI, the enhanced scattering spectrum due to NBI is slightly wider than the predicted fast ion range. Such broadening might be attributed to the heating effects of the gyrotron.

Plasma position measurements by O-mode and X-mode reflectometry systems in tokamak plasmas

Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) is planned to provide plasma position and shape information for plasma operation in future fusion reactors. Its primary function is to calibrate the drift of the magnetic signals due to the integral nature of magnetic measurement. Here, we attempt to measure plasma position using ordinary mode (O-mode) and extraordinary mode (X-mode) reflectometry systems on two tokamaks. A new physical model based on the phase shift is proposed to deduce the relative movement of the cut-off layer without density inversion. We demonstrate the plasma position measurements by absolute measurement from density profile inversion and relative measurement from phase shift. The combination of X-mode and O-mode reflectometers can minimize the limitations of single polarization reflectometry and further increase the accuracy of plasma position measurement. These results could provide an important technical basis for the further development of a real-time control system based on PPR.

Identification and Characterization of Novel ACE Inhibitory and Antioxidant Peptides from Sardina pilchardus Hydrolysate

Sardina pilchardus is a valuable source of bioactive peptides with potential applications in functional foods. In this study, we investigated the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of Sardina pilchardus protein hydrolysate (SPH) produced using dispase and alkaline protease. Our results showed that the low molecular mass fractions (<3 kDa) obtained through ultrafiltration exhibited more effective ACE inhibition, as indicated by screening with ACE inhibitory activity. We further identified the low molecular mass fractions (<3 kDa) using an LC-MS/MS rapid screening strategy. A total of 37 peptides with potential ACE inhibitory activity were identified based on high biological activity scores, non-toxicity, good solubility, and novelty. Molecular docking was used to screen for peptides with ACE inhibitory activity, resulting in the identification of 11 peptides with higher -CDOCKER ENERGY and -CDOCKER INTERACTION ENERGY scores than lisinopril. The sequences FIGR, FILR, FQRL, FRAL, KFL, and KLF were obtained by synthesizing and validating these 11 peptides in vitro, all of which had ACE inhibitory activity, as well as zinc-chelating capacity. All six peptides were found to bind to the three active pockets (S1, S2, and S1') of ACE during molecular docking, indicating that their inhibition patterns were competitive. Further analysis of the structural characteristics of these peptides indicated that all six peptides contain phenylalanine, which suggests that they may possess antioxidant activities. After experimental verification, it was found that all six of these peptides have antioxidant activities, and we also found that the SPH and ultrafiltration fractions of SPH had antioxidant activities. These findings suggest that Sardina pilchardus may be a potential source of natural antioxidants and ACE inhibitors for the development of functional foods, and using LC-MS/MS in combination with an online database and molecular docking represents a promising, effective, and accurate approach for the discovery of novel ACE inhibitory peptides.

[Current status of diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in China: A national multicenter survey research]

Objective: To understand the current status of diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) /small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) among hematologists, oncologists, and lymphoma physicians from hospitals of different levels in China. Methods: This multicenter questionnaire survey was conducted from March 2021 to July 2021 and included 1,000 eligible physicians. A combination of face-to-face interviews and online questionnaire surveys was used. A standardized questionnaire regarding the composition of patients treated for CLL/SLL, disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation, concomitant diseases, organ function evaluation, treatment selection, and Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor was used. Results: ①The interviewed physicians stated that the proportion of male patients treated for CLL/SLL is higher than that of females, and the age is mainly concentrated in 61-70 years old. ②Most of the interviewed physicians conducted tests, such as bone marrow biopsies and immunohistochemistry, for patient diagnosis, in addition to the blood test. ③Only 13.7% of the interviewed physicians fully grasped the initial treatment indications recommended by the existing guidelines. ④In terms of cognition of high-risk prognostic factors, physicians' knowledge of unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable and 11q- is far inferior to that of TP53 mutation and complex karyotype, which are two high-risk prognostic factors, and only 17.1% of the interviewed physicians fully mastered CLL International Prognostic Index scoring system. ⑤Among the first-line treatment strategy, BTK inhibitors are used for different types of patients, and physicians have formed a certain understanding that BTK inhibitors should be preferentially used in patients with high-risk factors and elderly patients, but the actual use of BTK inhibitors in different types of patients is not high (31.6%-46.0%). ⑥BTK inhibitors at a reduced dose in actual clinical treatment were used by 69.0% of the physicians, and 66.8% of the physicians had interrupted the BTK inhibitor for >12 days in actual clinical treatment. The use of BTK inhibitors is reduced or interrupted mainly because of adverse reactions, such as atrial fibrillation, severe bone marrow suppression, hemorrhage, and pulmonary infection, as well as patients' payment capacity and effective disease progression control. ⑦Some differences were found in the perceptions and behaviors of hematologists and oncologists regarding the prognostic assessment of CLL/SLL, the choice of treatment options, the clinical use of BTK inhibitors, etc. Conclusion: At present, a gap remains between the diagnosis and treatment of CLL/SLL among Chinese physicians compared with the recommendations in the guidelines regarding the diagnostic criteria, treatment indications, prognosis assessment, accompanying disease assessment, treatment strategy selection, and rational BTK inhibitor use, especially the proportion of dose reduction or BTK inhibitor discontinuation due to high adverse events.

MHD instability dynamics and turbulence enhancement towards the plasma disruption at the HL-2A tokamak

The evolutions of MHD instability behaviors and enhancement of both electrostatic and electromagnetic turbulence towards the plasma disruption have been clearly observed in the HL-2A plasmas. Two types of plasma disruptive discharges have been investigated for similar equilibrium parameters: one with a distinct stage of a small central temperature collapse ([Formula: see text] 5-10%) around 1 millisecond before the thermal quench (TQ), while the other without. For both types, the TQ phase is preceded by a rotating 2/1 tearing mode, and it is the development of the cold bubble from the inner region of the 2/1 island O-point along with its inward convection that causes the massive energy loss. In addition, the micro-scale turbulence, including magnetic fluctuations and density fluctuations, increases before the small collapse, and more significantly towards the TQ. Also, temperature fluctuations measured by electron cyclotron emission imaging enhances dramatically at the reconnection site and expand into the island when approaching the small collapse and TQ, and the expansion is more significant close to the TQ. The observed turbulence enhancement near the X-point cannot be fully interpreted by the linear stability analysis by GENE. Evidences suggest that nonlinear effects, such as the reduction of local [Formula: see text] shear and turbulence spreading, may play an important role in governing turbulence enhancement and expansion. These results imply that the turbulence and its interaction with the island facilitate the stochasticity of the magnetic flux and formation of the cold bubble, and hence, the plasma disruption.

[Genomic epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from acute diarrheal patients in Shenzhen City from 2013 to 2021]

Objective: To characterize the prevalence and genomic epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from acute diarrheal patients in Shenzhen City from 2013 to 2021. Methods: Based on the Shenzhen Infectious Diarrhea Surveillance System, acute diarrheal patients were actively monitored in sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates was performed, and the genomic population structure, serotypes, virulence genes and multilocus sequence typing were analyzed. Outbreak clusters from 2019 to 2021 were explored based on single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis. Results: A total of 48 623 acute diarrhea cases were monitored in 15 sentinel hospitals from 2013 to 2021, and 1 135 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated, with a positive isolation rate of 2.3%. Qualified whole-genome sequencing data of 852 isolates were obtained. Eighty-nine serotypes, 21 known ST types and 5 new ST types were identified by sequence analysis, and 93.2% of strains were detected with toxin profile of tdh+trh-. 8 clonal groups (CGs) were captured, with CG3 as the absolute predominance, followed by CG189. The CG3 group was dominated by O3:K6 serotype and ST3 sequence type, while CG189 group was mainly O4:KUT, O4:K8 serotypes and ST189a and ST189 type. A total of 13 clusters were identified, containing 154 cases. About 30 outbreak clusters with 29 outbreak clusters caused by CG3 strains from 2019 to 2021. Conclusion: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major pathogen of acute infectious diarrhea in Shenzhen City, with diverse population structures. CG3 and CG189 have been prevalent and predominant in Shenzhen City for a long time. Scattered outbreaks and persistent sources of contamination ignored by traditional methods could be captured by WGS analysis. Tracing the source of epidemic clone groups and taking precise prevention and control measures are expected to significantly reduce the burden of diarrhea diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection in Shenzhen City.

Association between Household Solid Fuel Use and Sarcopenia Risk among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUNDS

Household solid fuel have been associated with changes of handgrip strength, and exposure to ambient air pollution might be one risk factor of sarcopenia. However, the prospective association between household solid fuel use and sarcopenia remains limited.

METHODS

A total of 11,924 participants (5,723 men (48%) and 6,201 women (52%) with the average age was 59.17 ± 9.57 years) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011 were included in cross-sectional analyses. 7,507 participants at baseline were included in longitudinal analyses and were followed up in 2015. Sarcopenia status was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 (AWGS 2019) criteria.

RESULTS

In cross-sectional analyses, the participants who used solid fuel for cooking and heating had higher prevalence of sarcopenia than those who used clean fuel. During the follow-up, 302 (4.02%) participants experienced sarcopenia. In the longitudinal analysis, after multivariable adjustment of age, sex and other risk factors, individuals who used solid fuel for cooking had an elevated risk of new-onset sarcopenia, with corresponding odds ratio of 1.32 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.71). Consistently, individuals reported solid fuels use for heating were associated with 20% (odds ratio=1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.56) increased risk of sarcopenia. In addition, a self-reported switch from clean to solid fuel for cooking appeared to have an increased sarcopenia risk (odds ratio=1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.43).

CONCLUSION

Using household solid fuel for cooking and heating was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia prevalence and incidence.

TLR9 Mediates Periodontal Aging by Fostering Senescence and Inflammaging

TLR9 is a critical nucleic acid sensing receptor in mediating periodontitis and periodontitis-associated comorbidities. Emerging evidence implicates TLR9 as a key sensor during aging, although its participation in periodontal aging is unexplored. Here, we investigated whether TLR9-mediated host responses can promote key hallmarks of aging, inflammaging, and senescence, in the course of periodontitis using a multipronged approach comprising clinical and preclinical studies. In a case-control model, we found increased TLR9 gene expression in gingival tissues of older (≥55 y) subjects with periodontitis compared to older healthy subjects as well as those who are younger (<55 y old) with and without the disease. Mechanistically, this finding was supported by an in vivo model in which wild-type (WT) and TLR9-/- mice were followed for 8 to 10 wk (young) and 18 to 22 mo (aged). In this longitudinal model, aged WT mice developed severe alveolar bone resorption when compared to their younger counterpart, whereas aged TLR9-/- animals presented insignificant bone loss when compared to the younger groups. In parallel, a boosted inflammaging milieu exhibiting higher expression of inflammatory/osteoclast mediators (Il-6, Rankl, Cxcl8) and danger signals (S100A8, S100A9) was noted in gingival tissues of aged WT mice compared to the those of aged TLR9-/- mice. Consistently, WT aged mice displayed an increase in prosenescence balance as measured by p16INK4a/p19ARF ratio compared to the younger groups and aged TLR9-/- animals. Ex vivo experiments with bone marrow-derived macrophages primed by TLR9 ligand (ODN 1668) further corroborated in vivo and clinical data and showed enhanced inflammatory-senescence circuit followed by increased osteoclast differentiation. Together, these findings reveal first systematic evidence implicating TLR9 as one of the drivers of periodontitis during aging and functioning by boosting a deleterious inflammaging/senescence environment. This finding calls for further investigations to determine whether targeting TLR9 will improve periodontal health in an aging population.

The inhibitory effects of simulated light sources on the activity of algae cannot be ignored in photocatalytic inhibition

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) destroy the balance of the aquatic ecosystem, causing huge economic losses and even further endangers human health. In addition to traditional methods of algae removal, photocatalytic inhibition of algae is drawing more and more interests with rich application scenarios and considerable potential. Simulated visible light sources are used to excite photocatalytic materials and optimize their performance. However, most of the light irradiation intensities used in the study exceeded 50 mW/cm². And the effects of intense light irradiation conditions on algal growth have rarely been addressed in previous studies. So we focused on the effect of different intensity of light irradiation on the growth of algae. We explored the relationship between light irradiation intensity and algal inactivation rate, and investigated the changes in ROS levels in algal cells under different light irradiation and the resulting response of the antioxidant system. We have found that several major antioxidant enzyme activities, such as SOD and CAT, were significantly higher and lipid peroxidation products (MDA) were accumulating. Intense light irradiation had the most direct effect on the photosynthetic system of algal cells, with the photosynthetic rate and relative electron transfer rate decaying to almost 0 within 30 min, indicating that algal photosynthesis was inhibited in a fairly short period of time. We further observed the physiological and morphological changes of algal cells during this process using TEM and found that the progressive dissolution of the cell membrane system and the damage of organelles associated with photosynthesis play a major role in promoting cell death. We thus conclude that light irradiation has a significant effect on the physiological activity of algal cells and is a non-negligible factor in the study of photocatalytic removal of harmful algae. It will provide theoretical guidance for the future study of photocatalysis on algae inhibition.

Optimal Design of the Gating and Riser System for Complex Casting Using an Evolutionary Algorithm

The gating and riser system design is essential for both quality and cost in large-scale casting and is expected to reach several objectives simultaneously. However, even with the help of commercial simulation software, the design of gating and riser systems is still the result of a long-term trial-and-error optimal process owing to the conflict between the objectives. Several evolutionary algorithms (EAs) have been reported to be helpful in the selection of the geometrical dimensions of gating and riser systems. In this study, a route with sequential use of a multi-objective EA and single-objective optimization algorithm was developed to help design gating and riser systems, respectively. This route was applied in an actual case and verified using commercial simulation software. The results showed a dramatic decrease in the time cost in design and acceptable casting quality. Thus, the proposed design method is time-saving.

Incidence and predictors of frailty in Latin America and China: evidence from 10/66 cohort studies

Introduction

Evidence on the incidence and risk factors of frailty in low- and middle-income countries is very limited. We aimed to compare the incidence of frailty and explore its determinants in rural and urban areas in six Latin American countries and China.

Methods

The 10/66 is a multi-site cohort study in older adults. We conducted baseline and follow-up surveys in 2003-2006, and 2007-2010. We assessed frailty using a modified Fried frailty phenotype criterion, and adjudicated frailty (yes/no) when two or more of the following indicators were present: exhaustion, low physical activity, slow gait speed, and weight loss. We excluded frail participants at baseline and calculated person-years as the time interval between baseline and follow-up for frailty-free people who were survived and reinterviewed or the midpoint of it for incident frailty cases. We used Poisson and Cox regressions to model the incidence of frailty and its risk factors.

Results

We included 9,747 participants (≥65 years) for the analysis of frailty risk factors. Of whom, 8,212 were reinterviewed with an average of 4.0 years of follow-up, the incidence of frailty was lowest in Venezuela (21.9 per 1000 person-years) and rural Peru (24.3 per 1000 person-years), highest in rural Mexico (110.5 per 1000 person-years) and urban Peru (84.0 per 1000 person-years). In the overall Cox regression, we found significant prospective associations of incident frailty with living in rural areas (HR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.69, 2.29), dementia (HR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.42, 2.18), depression (HR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.49, 1.93), comorbidity, female gender, older age, disability, hearing, and vision problems. Higher arm circumference was associated with a lower frailty risk (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96, 0.98).

Conclusions

The incidence of frailty varied substantially in Latin America and China, and between urban and rural areas. The identified risk factors could be potential intervention targets to decrease the global burden of frailty.

Key messages

• In Latin America and China, the incidence of frailty varied from 21.9 to 110.5 cases per 1000 person-years.

• We identified 9 risk factors and 1 protective factor for developing frailty, and the most relevant risk factors were living in the rural area, dementia, and depression.

The crucial influence of trophic status on the relative requirement of nitrogen to phosphorus for phytoplankton growth

Clarifying the pattern of relative nitrogen (N)-to-phosphorus (P) requirements for phytoplankton growth is of great significance for eutrophication mitigation and aquatic system management. The relative N-to-P requirement for phytoplankton growth is considered an essential trait determining species dominance within ecosystems and explaining phytoplankton response to nutrient availability. These requirements vary with environmental trophic status, though this variation remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the relative N-to-P requirements under different absolute nutrient levels using previous and current experimental data on eight phytoplankton species (three studied by us and five extrapolated from previous studies). Results showed that relative N-to-P requirements for phytoplankton growth decreased as absolute nutrient levels increased. Thus, N may be crucial for enhancing phytoplankton growth under low nutrient conditions, whereas P may be the primary limiting factor of phytoplankton growth under sufficient nutrient conditions. This result applies to single species as well as species assemblages, which are independent of species shifts occurring along water N:P gradients. The response observed in our large trophic status gradient may help elucidate the relative importance of N and P reductions in mitigating the impact of eutrophication on ecosystems.

Analysis of synthetic electron cyclotron emission from the high field side of HL-2M tokamak plasmas

A synthetic electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic is used to interpret ECE signals from preset plasma equilibrium profiles, including magnetic field, electron density, and electron temperature. According to the simulation results, the electron temperature (T_e) profile covering the harmonic overlap region can be obtained by receiving ECE signals at the high field side (HFS) of the HL-2M plasma. The third harmonic ECE at the low field side (LFS) cannot pass through the second harmonic resonance layer at the HFS unless the optical thickness (τ) of the second harmonic becomes gray (τ ≤ 2). In addition, the impact of the relativistic frequency down-shift has been evaluated and corrected. The measurable range of the HFS ECE has been calculated by scanning different parameters (electron density, temperature, and magnetic field). Higher plasma parameters allow a wider radial range of electron temperature measurements. The minimum inner measurable position can reach R = 120 cm (r/a = -0.89) when the product of core temperature (T_e0) and density (n_e0) is greater than 35 × 10¹⁹ keV m^-3, which is extended by more than 30 cm inward compared with that of the LFS measurement. The HFS ECE will greatly improve the diagnostic ability of ECE systems on the HL-2M tokamak.

KCNQ1-deficient and KCNQ1-mutant human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for modeling QT prolongation

Background

The slowly activated delayed rectifier potassium current (I_Ks) mediated by the KCNQ1 gene is one of the main currents involved in repolarization. KCNQ1 mutation can result in long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1). I_Ks does not participate in repolarization in mice; thus, no good model is currently available for research on the mechanism of and drug screening for LQT1. In this study, we established a KCNQ1-deficient human cardiomyocyte (CM) model and performed a series of microelectrode array (MEA) detection experiments on KCNQ1-mutant CMs constructed in other studies to explore the pathogenic mechanism of KCNQ1 deletion and mutation and perform drug screening.

Method

KCNQ1 was knocked out in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) H9 line using the CRISPR/cas9 system. KCNQ1-deficient and KCNQ1-mutant hESCs were differentiated into CMs through a chemically defined differentiation protocol. Subsequently, high-throughput MEA analysis and drug intervention were performed to determine the electrophysiological characteristics of KCNQ1-deficient and KCNQ1-mutant CMs.

Results

During high-throughput MEA analysis, the electric field potential and action potential durations in KCNQ1-deficient CMs were significantly longer than those in wild-type CMs. KCNQ1-deficient CMs also showed an irregular rhythm. Furthermore, KCNQ1-deficient and KCNQ1-mutant CMs showed different responses to different drug treatments, which reflected the differences in their pathogenic mechanisms.

Conclusion

We established a human CM model with KCNQ1 deficiency showing a prolonged QT interval and an irregular heart rhythm. Further, we used various drugs to treat KCNQ1-deficient and KCNQ1-mutant CMs, and the three models showed different responses to these drugs. These models can be used as important tools for studying the different pathogenic mechanisms of KCNQ1 mutation and the relationship between the genotype and phenotype of KCNQ1, thereby facilitating drug development.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-022-02964-3.

Nucisporomicrobium flavum gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Micromonosporaceae isolated from saline-alkali soil

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinobacterium, designated strain NEAU-24T, was isolated from saline-alkali soil collected from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, PR China. Strain NEAU-24T was found to produce abundant substrate mycelia but no aerial hyphae. The substrate mycelia formed irregular pseudosporangia consisting of nuciform spores, and the surface of the spores was smooth. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain NEAU-24T clustered with Pseudosporangium ferrugineum 3-44-a(19)T, Couchioplanes caeruleus subsp. azureus DSM 44103T and C. caeruleus subsp. caeruleus DSM 43634T within the family Micromonosporaceae and was most closely related to P. ferrugineum 3-44-a(19)T (99.17 %). The strain contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as the cell-wall diamino acid and MK-9(H6) as the menaquinone. The whole cell sugar profile consisted of glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified lipid. The major fatty acids were summarized as C16 : 0, C15 : 0, C17 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0. The low digital DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values could differentiate strain NEAU-24T from its related type strains. The phenotypic, genetic and chemotaxonomic data also indicated that strain NEAU-24T occupied a branch separated from those of known genera in the family Micromonosporaceae. In addition, genomic analysis confirmed that strain NEAU-24T had the potential to produce chitinase. Therefore, strain NEAU-24T represents a novel species of a new genus and species in the family Micromonosporaceae, for which the name Nucisporomicrobium flavum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Nucisporomicrobium flavum is NEAU-24T (=CCTCC AA 2020016T=JCM 33973T).

Boosting Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution over Ce-Co9 S8 Core-Shell Nanoneedle Arrays by Electronic and Architectural Dual Engineering

An dual electronic and architectural engineering strategy is a good way to rationally design earth-abundant and highly efficient electrocatalysts of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for sustainable hydrogen-based energy devices. Here, a Ce-doped Co₉ S₈ core-shell nanoneedle array (Ce-Co₉ S₈ @CC) supported on a carbon cloth has been designed and developed to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of the OER. Profiting from valance alternative Ce doping, a fine core-shell structure and vertically aligned nanoneedle arrayed architecture, Ce-Co₉ S₈ @CC integrates modulated electronic structure, highly exposed active sites, and multidimensional mass diffusion channels; together, these afford a favorable catalyzed OER. Ce-Co₉ S₈ @CC exhibits remarkable performance in the OER in an alkaline medium, where the overpotential requires only 242 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 for the OER; this is 70 mV superior to that of Ce-free Co₉ S₈ catalyst and other counterparts. Good stability and impressive selectivity (nearly 100 % Faradic efficiency) are also demonstrated. When integrated into a two-electrode OER//HER electrolyzer, the as-prepared Ce-Co₉ S₈ @CC displays a low operation potential of 1.54 V at 10 mA cm^-2 and long-term stability, thus demonstrating great potential for economical water electrolysis.

Nocardia albiluteola sp. nov., a novel lignin-degrading actinobacterium isolated from rhizosphere soil of pumpkin

A novel lignin-degrading actinobacterium, designated NEAU-G5T, was isolated from pumpkin rhizosphere soil collected from field in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, and characterized using polyphasic approach. The prior 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities and phylogenic analysis showed that strain NEAU-G5T exhibited close phylogenetic relatedness to Nocardia miyunensis NBRC 108239T (98.82 %), Nocardia nova NBRC 15556T (98.75 %), Nocardia jiangxiensis NBRC 101359T (98.68 %) and Nocardia macrotermitis RB20T (98.61 %). Morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics indicated that strain NEAU-G5T could be assigned to the genus Nocardia . The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified lipid. The predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H4, ω-cycl). The major fatty acids (>10 %) were identified as C16 : 0, C18 : 1  ω9c, 10-methyl C18 : 0 and C18 : 0. Mycolic acids were present. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain NEAU-G5T was 68 mol%. Moreover, based on digital DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values, strain NEAU-G5T could be differentiated from its reference strains. In addition, an azure B plate decolorization test and genomic analysis indicated that strain NEAU-G5T had the ability to degrade lignin. On the basis of polyphasic characteristics, strain NEAU-G5T represents a novel species of the genus Nocardia , with the name Nocardia albiluteola sp. nov. The type strain is NEAU-G5T (=CCTCC AA 2021018T=DSM 110547T).

Carbon Nanotubes Interconnected NiCo Layered Double Hydroxide Rhombic Dodecahedral Nanocages for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Proper control of a 3d transition metal-based catalyst with advanced structures toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a more feasible synthesis strategy is of great significance for sustainable energy-related devices. Herein, carbon nanotube interconnected NiCo layered double hydroxide rhombic dodecahedral nanocages (NiCo-LDH RDC@CNTs) were developed here with the assistance of a feasible zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) self-sacrificing template strategy as a highly efficient OER electrocatalyst. Profited by the well-fined rhombic dodecahedral nanocage architecture, CNTs’ interconnected characteristic and structural feature of the vertically aligned nanosheets, the as-synthesized NiCo-LDH RDC@CNTs integrated large exposed active surface areas, enhanced electron transfer capacity and multidimensional mass diffusion channels, and thereby collaboratively afforded the remarkable electrocatalytic performance of the OER. Specifically, the designed NiCo-LDH RDC@CNTs exhibited a distinguished OER activity, which only required a low overpotential of 255 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² for the OER. For the stability, no obvious current attenuation was detected, even after continuous operation for more than 27 h. We certainly believe that the current extraordinary OER activity combined with the robust stability of NiCo-LDH RDC@CNTs enables it to be a great candidate electrocatalyst for economical and sustainable energy-related devices.

Generation of a homozygous S100A1 knockout human embryonic stem cell line (WAe009-A-73) by the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system

S100A1 is a calcium-binding protein involved in myocardial contractility,which possesses a high affinity for calcium.  Several studies have demonstrated that S100A1 is a protector against myocardial injury. In this study, we have generated a homozygous S100A1 knockout (S100A1-KO) human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line by the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system. This S100A1-KO hESC line maintained normal morphology, pluripotency and karyotype, which can differentiate into three germ layers in vivo.

Unique motif shared by HLA-B*59:01 and HLA-B*55:02 is associated with methazolamide-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Han Chinese

BACKGROUND

Methazolamide (MTZ) has been occasionally linked to the lethal Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which are associated with HLA-B*59:01. However, some MTZ-induced SJS/TEN (MTZ-SJS/TEN) cases are negative for HLA-B*59:01, implying that other genetic factors besides HLA-B*59:01 are contributing to MTZ-SJS/TEN.

OBJECTIVES

To comprehensively identify HLA and non-HLA genetic susceptibility to MTZ-SJS/TEN in Han Chinese.

METHODS

Eighteen patients with MTZ-SJS/TEN, 806 subjects of the population control and 74 MTZ-tolerant individuals were enrolled in this study. Both exome-wide and HLA-based association studies were conducted. Molecular docking analysis was employed to simulate the interactions between MTZ and risk HLA proteins.

RESULTS

We found a strong signal in the major histocompatibility complex region on chromosome 6 with 22 SNPs reaching exome-wide significance. Compared with MTZ-tolerant controls, a significant association of HLA-B*59:01 with MTZ-SJS/TEN was validated (odds ratio [OR] = 146.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.12-1321.98; P = 6.19 × 10^-10 ). Moreover, 66.7% of MTZ-SJS/TEN patients negative for HLA-B*59:01 were carriers of HLA-B*55:02, while 2.7% of the tolerant individuals were observed with HLA-B*55:02 (OR = 71.00, 95% CI: 7.84-643.10; P = 1.43 × 10^-4 ). Within HLA-B protein, the E45-L116 motif could completely explain the association of HLA-B*59:01 and HLA-B*55:02 with MTZ-SJS/TEN (OR = 119.33, 95% CI: 29.19-1227.96; P = 4.36 × 10^-13 ). Molecular docking analysis indicated that MTZ binds more stably to the pocket of HLA-B*59:01 and HLA-B*55:02 than to that of non-risk alleles of HLA-B*40:01 and HLA-C*01:02.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirmed the association of HLA-B*59:01 with MTZ-SJS/TEN and identified HLA-B*55:02 as a novel risk allele in Han Chinese with the largest sample size to date. Notably, the rs41562914(A)-rs12697944(A) haplotype, encoding E45-L116, is capable of serving as a powerful genetic predictor for MTZ-SJS/TEN with a sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 96%.

[Development and validation of nomograms for predicting stroke recurrence after firstepisode ischemic stroke]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the risk factors for recurrence in first-episode ischemic stroke survivors and establish a model for predicting stroke recurrence using a nomogram.

METHODS

We collected the data from a total of 821 first-episode ischemic stroke survivors admitted in the Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January, 2010 to December, 2018. R software was used for random sampling of the patients, and 70% of the patients were included in the training set to establish the prediction model and 30% were included in the validation set. Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting stroke recurrence, and R software rms package was used to construct the histogram and establish the visual prediction model. C-index and calibration curve were used to evaluate the performance of the model for predicting stroke occurrence.

RESULTS

Among the 821 survivors, the recurrence rate was 16.81% at 3 years and 19.98% at 5 years. Multivariate analysis of the training set by Cox regression model showed that an age over 65 years (HR= 2.596, P=0.024), an age of 45-64 years (HR=2.510, P=0.006), a mRS score beyond 3 (HR=2.284, P=0.004) and a history of coronary heart disease (HR=1.353, P=0.034) were all risk factors for stroke recurrence. The C-indexes of the nomogram for the 3-and 5-year relapse prediction model were 0.640 and 0.671, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Age, mRS score and peripheral vascular disease are the factors affecting stroke recurrence in first-episode ischemic stroke survivors, and the nomogram has a high discrimination and predictive power for predicting ischemic stroke recurrence.

[Epidemiology of chronic cough in China: current status and future perspective]

Chronic cough is one of the most common major complaints in medical outpatient. Chronic cough not only seriously affects quality of personal life, but also burdens public health. Large-scale and high-quality epidemiological study on chronic cough has not been carried out in China, and relevant reviews are also lacking. Therefore, based on the studies concerning epidemiology of chronic cough in China, we reviewed the prevalence, risk factors, etiology, quality of life and economic burden. In addition, future perspectives and reasonable suggestions for the development of epidemiology of chronic cough were also proposed.

[Chronic cough in China: progress and perspectives]

Great progress has been made in regard of mechanism, etiological diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough since the beginning of the 20th century, and Chinese guidelines of diagnosis, management of cough was developed. Moreover, Chinese experts also participated in the formulation of international cough guidelines. Through the promotion of the guidelines, the level of diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough has been significantly improved in China. In the future, we should strengthen the studies on the epidemiology of chronic cough, the central regulation of chronic cough, and the treatment of refractory chronic cough, and promote the cough guidelines in primary community hospitals.

STK38 is a PPARγ-interacting protein promoting adipogenesis

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is the master regulator of adipogenesis, but knowledge about how PPARγ is regulated at the protein level is very limited. We aimed to identify PPARγ-interacting proteins which modulate PPARγ’s protein levels and transactivating activities in human adipocytes. We expressed Flag-tagged PPARγ in human preadipocytes as bait to capture PPARγ-associated proteins, followed by mass spectroscopy and proteomics analysis, which identified serine/threonine kinase 38 (STK38) as a major PPARγ-associated protein. Protein pulldown studies confirmed this protein–protein interaction in transfected cells, and reporter assays demonstrated that STK38 enhanced PPARγ’s transactivating activities without requiring STK38’s kinase activity. In cell-based assays, STK38 increased PPARγ protein stability, extending PPARγ’s half-life from ~1.08 to 1.95 h. Notably, in human preadipocytes, the overexpression of STK38 enhanced adipogenesis, whereas knockdown impaired the process in a PPARγ-dependent manner. Thus, we discovered that STK38 is a novel PPARγ-cofactor promoting adipogenesis, likely through stabilization of PPARγ

Hole-Pinned Defect Clusters for a Large Dielectric Constant up to GHz in Zinc and Niobium Codoped Rutile SnO2

High permittivity materials for a gigahertz (GHz) communication technology have been actively sought for some time. Unfortunately, in most materials, the dielectric constant starts to drop as frequencies increase through the megahertz (MHz) range. In this work, we report a large dielectric constant of ∼800 observed in defect-mediated rutile SnO₂ ceramics, which is nearly frequency and temperature independent over the frequency range of 1 mHz to 35 GHz and temperature range of 50-450 K. Experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrate that the origin of the high dielectric constant can be attributed to the formation of locally well-defined Zn²⁺-Nb⁴⁺ defect clusters, which create hole-pinned defect dipoles. We believe that this work provides a promising strategy to advance dipole polarization theory and opens up a direction for the design and development of high frequency, broadband dielectric materials for use in future communication technology.

Occupational burnout among clinical research associates in China

BACKGROUND

Clinical research associates (CRAs) play an important role in pharmaceutical research and development. Despite growing concern about occupational burnout among CRAs in China, little is known about this topic.

AIMS

We evaluated the factors associated with occupational burnout among CRAs in China and assessed the extent and nature of this syndrome in order to develop effective countermeasures.

METHODS

In October 2020, we collected data from a convenience sample of 438 CRAs from 26 major cities across China using a custom-designed questionnaire. We evaluated their psychopathological status and degree of occupational burnout based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Factors associated with burnout were identified using the Wilcoxon rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's rank correlation and multivariable ordinal logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the 438 CRAs analyzed, 82% showed signs of occupational burnout, with a large proportion experiencing moderate burnout (50%). Burnout in Chinese CRAs manifested as emotional exhaustion (77%), depersonalization (66%) and low sense of accomplishment (15%). The severity of burnout was significantly affected by mode of working (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-2.34), average number of working hours per week (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.14-2.46), support provided by the hospital (OR 3.13, 95% CI 1.40-6.99) and likelihood of receiving a promotion (OR 4.05, 95% CI 1.34-12.22) (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of occupational burnout among CRAs in China is high. Companies and hospitals must take effective measures to establish support systems for CRAs in order to alleviate this situation and thereby ensure the quality of clinical trials.

Analysis of Plasma Skimming within a Hydrodynamic Bearing Gap for Designing Spiral Groove Bearings in Rotary Blood Pumps

The blood damage problem inside the narrow hydrodynamic bearing is potentially considered to be solved by applying plasma skimming. However, the consideration of improving plasma skimming has not been included in the design of hydrodynamic bearings. The absence of experimental investigation on revealing the relationship between blood flow and plasma skimming in the bearing gap impedes the design of groove shape for plasma skimming. Thus, the present study was undertaken to evaluate how the blood flow direction and the groove shape affect plasma skimming in the bearing gap. To this end, blood tests using porcine blood were repeated three times with a hematocrit of 0.8%. The bearing gap during the tests was adjusted to 25 µm and the rotational speed was adjusted from 50 rpm to 2500 rpm. The blood flow and plasma skimming effect was evaluated based on image analysis utilizing a high-speed microscope. Results of three tests indicated that the flow direction of RBCs was dominated by the rotating surface in the bearing gap when the rotational speed increased over 1200 rpm. The best plasma skimming effect was observed when the angle between the flow direction of RBCs and the tangent line of the groove was within -10 degrees to 10 degrees. The future study will be conducted with including the consideration of plasma skimming in the bearing shape design. The findings in this study aid the future design and development of hydrodynamic bearing for use in rotary blood pumps.