Blood cellular membrane-coated Au/polydopamine nanoparticle-targeted NIR-II antibacterial therapy

Bacterial infections are the primary causes of infectious diseases in humans. In recent years, the abuse of antibiotics has led to the widespread enhancement of bacterial resistance. Concerns have been raised about the identification of a common treatment platform for bacterial infections. In this study, a composite nanomaterial was used for near-infrared II (NIR-II) photothermal antibacterial treatment. Red blood cell membrane was peeled and coated onto the surface of the Au/polydopamine nanoparticle-containing aptamer. The composite nanomaterials based on Au/polydopamine exhibit highest photothermal conversion capability. Moreover, these assembled nanoparticles can quickly enter the body's circular system with a specific capability to recognise bacteria. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the composites could kill bacteria from infected blood while significantly reducing the level of bacteria in various organs. Such assemblies offer a paradigm for the treatment of bacterial infections caused by the side effects of antibiotics.

Comprehensive characterization of β-alanine metabolism-related genes in HCC identified a novel prognostic signature related to clinical outcomes

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands out as the most prevalent type of liver cancer and a significant contributor to cancer-related fatalities globally. Metabolic reprogramming, particularly in glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, plays a crucial role in HCC progression. However, the functions of β-alanine metabolism-related genes (βAMRGs) in HCC remain understudied. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation of βAMRGs is required, specifically in HCC. Initially, we explored the pan-cancer landscape of βAMRGs, integrating expression profiles, prognostic values, mutations, and methylation levels. Subsequently, scRNA sequencing results indicated that hepatocytes had the highest scores of β-alanine metabolism. In the process of hepatocyte carcinogenesis, metabolic pathways were further activated. Using βAMRGs scores and expression profiles, we classified HCC patients into three subtypes and examined their prognosis and immune microenvironments. Cluster 3, characterized by the highest βAMRGs scores, displayed the best prognosis, reinforcing β-alanine's significant contribution to HCC pathophysiology. Notably, immune microenvironment, metabolism, and cell death modes significantly varied among the β-alanine subtypes. We developed and validated a novel prognostic panel based on βAMRGs and constructed a nomogram incorporating risk degree and clinicopathological characteristics. Among the model genes, EHHADH has been identified as a protective protein in HCC. Its expression was notably downregulated in tumors and exhibited a close correlation with factors such as tumor staging, grading, and prognosis. Immunohistochemical experiments, conducted using HCC tissue microarrays, substantiated the validation of its expression levels. In conclusion, this study uncovers β-alanine's significant role in HCC for the first time, suggesting new research targets and directions for diagnosis and treatment.

Discovery of ganoderic acid A (GAA) PROTACs as MDM2 protein degraders for the treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common female malignant tumors, with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) being the most specific, highly invasive, metastatic and associated with a poor prognosis. Our previous study showed that the natural product ganoderic acid A (GAA) has a certain affinity for MDM2. In this study, two series of novel GAA PROTACs C1-C10 and V1-V10 were designed and synthesized for the treatment of breast cancer. The antitumor activity of these compounds was evaluated against four human tumor cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SJSA-1, and HepG2). Among them, V9 and V10 showed stronger anti-proliferative effects against breast cancer cells, and V10 showed the best selectivity in MDA-MB-231 cells (TNBC), which was 5-fold higher than that of the lead compound GAA. Preliminary structure-activity analysis revealed that V-series GAA PROTACs had better effects than C-series, and the introduction of 2O-4O PEG linkers could significantly improve the antitumor activity. Molecular docking, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and Western blot researches showed that both V9 and V10 could bind with MDM2, and degrade the protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Molecular dynamics simulation (MD) revealed that V10 is a bifunctional molecule that can bind to von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) at one end and target MDM2 at the other. In addition, V10 promoted the upregulation of p21 in p53-mutant MDA-MB-231 cells, and induced apoptosis via down-regulation of the bcl-2/bax ratio and the expression of cyclin B1. Finally, in vivo experiments showed that, V10 also exhibited good tumor inhibitory activity in xenografted TNBC zebrafish models, with an inhibition rate of 27.2% at 50 μg/mL. In conclusion, our results suggested that V10 has anti-tumor effects on p53-mutant breast cancer in vitro and in vivo, and may be used as a novel lead compound for the future development of TNBC.

Coupling Ni Single Atomic Sites with Metallic Aggregates at Adjacent Geometry on Carbon Support for Efficient Hydrogen Peroxide Electrosynthesis

Single atomic catalysts have shown great potential in efficiently electro-converting O2 to H2O2 with high selectivity. However, the impact of coordination environment and introduction of extra metallic aggregates on catalytic performance still remains unclear. Herein, first a series of carbon-based catalysts with embedded coupling Ni single atomic sites and corresponding metallic nanoparticles at adjacent geometry is synthesized. Careful performance evaluation reveals NiSA/NiNP-NSCNT catalyst with precisely controlled active centers of synergetic adjacent Ni-N4S single sites and crystalline Ni nanoparticles exhibits a high H2O2 selectivity over 92.7% within a wide potential range (maximum selectivity can reach 98.4%). Theoretical studies uncover that spatially coupling single atomic NiN4S sites with metallic Ni aggregates in close proximity can optimize the adsorption behavior of key intermediates *OOH to achieve a nearly ideal binding strength, which thus affording a kinetically favorable pathway for H2O2 production. This strategy of manipulating the interaction between single atoms and metallic aggregates offers a promising direction to design new high-performance catalysts for practical H2O2 electrosynthesis.

Ultrasound Viscosity Imaging in Breast Lesions: A Multicenter Prospective Study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To explore and validate the clinical value of ultrasound (US) viscosity imaging in differentiating breast lesions by combining with BI-RADS, and then comparing the diagnostic performances with BI-RADS alone.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This multicenter, prospective study enrolled participants with breast lesions from June 2021 to November 2022. A development cohort (DC) and validation cohort (VC) were established. Using histological results as reference standard, the viscosity-related parameter with the highest area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) was selected as the optimal one. Then the original BI-RADS would upgrade or not based on the value of this parameter. Finally, the results were validated in the VC and total cohorts. In the DC, VC and total cohorts, all breast lesions were divided into the large lesion, small lesion and overall groups respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 639 participants (mean age, 46 years ± 14) with 639 breast lesions (372 benign and 267 malignant lesions) were finally enrolled in this study including 392 participants in the DC and 247 in the VC. In the DC, the optimal viscosity-related parameter in differentiating breast lesions was calculated to be A'-S2-Vmax, with the AUC of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.91). Using > 9.97 Pa.s as the cutoff value, the BI-RADS was then modified. The AUC of modified BI-RADS significantly increased from 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81, 0.88) to 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.93), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80, 0.89) to 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85, 0.93) and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.87) to 0.90 (95% CI: 0.88, 0.92) in the DC, VC and total cohorts respectively (P < .05 for all).

CONCLUSION

The quantitative viscous parameters evaluated by US viscosity imaging contribute to breast cancer diagnosis when combined with BI-RADS.

Stretchable, Transparent, and Ultra-Broadband Terahertz Shielding Thin Films Based on Wrinkled MXene Architectures

With the increasing demand for terahertz (THz) technology in security inspection, medical imaging, and flexible electronics, there is a significant need for stretchable and transparent THz electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Existing EMI shielding materials, like opaque metals and carbon-based films, face challenges in achieving both high transparency and high shielding efficiency (SE). Here, a wrinkled structure strategy was proposed to construct ultra-thin, stretchable, and transparent terahertz shielding MXene films, which possesses both isotropous wrinkles (height about 50 nm) and periodic wrinkles (height about 500 nm). Compared to flat film, the wrinkled MXene film (8 nm) demonstrates a remarkable 36.5% increase in SE within the THz band. The wrinkled MXene film exhibits an EMI SE of 21.1 dB at the thickness of 100 nm, and an average EMI SE/t of 700 dB μm-1 over the 0.1-10 THz. Theoretical calculations suggest that the wrinkled structure enhances the film's conductivity and surface plasmon resonances, resulting in an improved THz wave absorption. Additionally, the wrinkled structure enhances the MXene films' stretchability and stability. After bending and stretching (at 30% strain) cycles, the average THz transmittance of the wrinkled film is only 0.5% and 2.4%, respectively. The outstanding performances of the wrinkled MXene film make it a promising THz electromagnetic shielding materials for future smart windows and wearable electronics.

Chemerin affects blood lipid profile of high-fat diet male mice in sedentary and exercise states via glucose and lipid metabolism enzymes

Adipokine chemerin plays important roles in disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism of obesity and obesity-related diseases, and exercise-induced improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism is closely related to the decrease of chemerin, but the mechanisms by which chemerin regulates glucose and lipid metabolism remain unclarified. Hypotestosterone induces male obesity and disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism through androgen receptor (AR) and its target genes: glucose and lipid metabolism-related molecules (including FOXO1, PEPCK, PGC-1α, and SCD1). Recently, the link between them has been reported that chemerin modulated the secretion of androgen. In this study, global chemerin knockout (chemerin (-/-)) mice were established to demonstrate the roles of chemerin in regulating blood glucose and blood lipid of mice under diet (high-fat (HFD) and normal diet) and exercise interventions and then to explore its mechanisms (AR - glucose and lipid metabolism enzymes). We found that the blood lipid and adipocyte size were low accompanied by the improvements in the levels of serum testosterone, gastrocnemius AR, and gastrocnemius FOXO1, SCD1, and PGC-1α in HFD chemerin (-/-) mice, but exercise-induced improvements of these indicators in HFD WT mice were attenuated or abolished in HFD chemerin (-/-) mice. In conclusion, the decrease of chemerin improved the blood lipid profile of HFD male mice at sedentary and exercise states, mediated partly by the increases of testosterone and AR to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism enzymes. To our knowledge, it is the first report that chemerin's regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism might be mediated by testosterone and AR in vivo.

Supplementing Glucose Intake Reverses the Inflammation Induced by a High-Fat Diet by Increasing the Expression of Siglec-E Ligands on Erythrocytes

Siglec-9/E is a cell surface receptor expressed on immune cells and can be activated by sialoglycan ligands to play an immunosuppressive role. Our previous study showed that increasing the expression of Siglec-9 (the human paralog of mouse Siglec-E) ligands maintains functionally quiescent immune cells in the bloodstream, but the biological effects of Siglec-9 ligand alteration on atherogenesis were not further explored. In the present study, we demonstrated that the atherosclerosis risk factor ox-LDL or a high-fat diet could decrease the expression of Siglec-9/E ligands on erythrocytes. Increased expression of Siglec-E ligands on erythrocytes caused by dietary supplementation with glucose (20% glucose) had anti-inflammatory effects, and the mechanism was associated with glucose intake. In high-fat diet-fed apoE-/- mice, glucose supplementation decreased the area of atherosclerotic lesions and peripheral inflammation. These data suggested that increased systemic inflammation is attenuated by increasing the expression of Siglec-9/E ligands on erythrocytes. Therefore, Siglec-9/E ligands might be valuable targets for atherosclerosis therapy.

Pre- versus Post-synaptic Forms of LTP in Two Branches of the Same Hippocampal Afferent

There has been considerable controversy about pre- versus postsynaptic expression of memory-related long-term potentiation (LTP), with corresponding disputes about underlying mechanisms. We report here an instance in male mice, in which both types of potentiation are expressed but in separate branches of the same hippocampal afferent. Induction of LTP in the dentate gyrus (DG) branch of the lateral perforant path (LPP) reduces paired-pulse facilitation, is blocked by antagonism of cannabinoid receptor type 1, and is not affected by suppression of postsynaptic actin polymerization. These observations are consistent with presynaptic expression. The opposite pattern of results was obtained in the LPP branch that innervates the distal dendrites of CA3: LTP did not reduce paired-pulse facilitation, was unaffected by the cannabinoid receptor blocker, and required postsynaptic actin filament assembly. Differences in the two LPP termination sites were also noted for frequency facilitation of synaptic responses, an effect that was reproduced in a two-step simulation by small adjustments to vesicle release dynamics. These results indicate that different types of glutamatergic neurons impose different forms of filtering and synaptic plasticity on their afferents. They also suggest that inputs are routed to, and encoded by, different sites within the hippocampus depending upon the pattern of activity arriving over the parent axon.

The impact of varying trolley case usage modes and weights on body posture

OBJECTIVE

To study the body posture characteristics when walking with trolley case, and to explore the effects of different usage methods and weights of trolley case on body posture characteristics.

METHODS

Fifteen subjects pushed and pulled(Condition 1 and 2) the case with three load weights of 10 %, 20 % and 30 % of their own body weight with 0 % no load as baseline for both conditions. The basic gait parameters, kinematic and kinetic data were collected using the VICON infrared motion capture system and a 3D force platform. Two repeated measures factor (condition×weight) analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis of the gait temporal and spatial parameters, as well as trunk angle, kinetic ground reaction force, shoulder joint force, and trunk moment.

RESULTS

Significant condition*weight interactions were detected in DLST (Double Limb Stance Time) (F=5.341，P = 0.006), GRF (Ground Reaction Force) in frontal plane (F=10.507, p < 0.001) and vertical plane (F=3.751, p = 0.021), shoulder joint force in sagittal plane (F=21.129, p < 0.001), and flexion-extension angle of the trunk in the sagittal plane (F=4.888, p < 0.010). Significant main effects were detected in walking speed (F=35.842, p < 0.001), right support time (F=12.156, p < 0.001), left swing time (F=8.506, p < 0.001), left support time (F=1.122, p < 0.001), right step length (F=33.900, p < 0.001), and left step length (F=14.960, p < 0.001) under different weights. A significant main effect was detected in sagittal GRF (F=11.77, p < 0.001), trunk rotation angle (F=4.124, p = 0.016), amplitude of COM (F=2.993, p = 0.046), under different weights.

CONCLUSION

When the weight of the case exceeds 20 % of the body weight, from the perspective of energy efficiency, the push method is more advantageous than the pull method. When walking with luggage, people tend to maintain the stability of their trunk posture by adjusting the force on their arms more often.

Electron-rich palladium regulated by cationic vacancies in CoFe layered double hydroxide boosts electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination

Palladium (Pd) is regarded as a promising electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (EHDC) catalyst for the detoxification of halogenated phenols. Nevertheless, its intrinsic EHDC activity is seriously restricted by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), consuming the active hydrogen (H*) for EHDC. Here, we report a defect regulation strategy using cationic vacancies rich CoFeV-LDH with coupling ultrafine Pd nanoparticles that induces optimized electron distribution of Pd to promote EHDC. The experimental and theoretical results reveal that superior EHDC performance of Pd@CoFeV-LDH is attributed to the electron-rich Pd regulated by cationic vacancies in CoFeV-LDH support, driving facile adsorption of halogenated phenols, high water activation ability and H* selectivity for EHDC. Our findings provide a versatile defect-regulating strategy to overcome the challenge in efficiency and selectivity of EHDC process.

Siglec-E Ligand Downregulation on Hippocampus Neurons Induced Inflammation in Sevoflurane-Associated Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders in Aged Mice

Activated microglia-induced inflammation in the hippocampus plays an important role in perioperative neurocognitive disorders. Previous studies have shown that sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin 3 (hSiglec-3, ortholog of mouse Siglec-E) engagement in microglia and its glycan ligands on neurons contributes to inflammatory homeostasis through an endogenous negative regulation pathway. This study aimed to explore whether the glycan ligand alteration on neurons plays a role in sevoflurane-induced perioperative neurocognitive disorders. This study's data has shown that a slight Siglec-E ligands' expression decrease does not induce inflammation homeostasis disruption. We also demonstrated that the ligand level on neurons was decreased with age, and the reduced Siglec-E ligand expression on neurons caused via sevoflurane was induced by neuraminidase 1. Furthermore, this study has shown that the Siglec-E ligand expression decline caused by age and sevoflurane treatment could decrease the ligands' level, thus leading to inflammatory homeostasis disruption. This research provided a novel mechanism for perioperative neurocognitive disorder susceptibility in the elderly.

Ligand and Strain Synergistic Effect in NiFeP0.32 LDH for Triggering Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Developing efficient water-splitting electrocatalysts to accelerate the slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics is urgently desired for hydrogen production. Herein, ultralow phosphorus (P)-doped NiFe LDH (NiFePx LDH) with mild compressive strain is synthesized as an efficient OER electrocatalyst. Remarkably, NiFePx LDH with the phosphorus mass ratio of 0.32 wt.% and compressive strain ratio of 2.53% (denoted as NiFeP0.32 LDH) exhibits extraordinary OER activity with an overpotential as low as 210 mV, which is superior to that of commercial IrO2 and other reported P-based OER electrocatalysts. Both experimental performance and density function theory (DFT) calculation demonstrate that the doping of P atoms can generate covalent Fe─P coordination bonds and lattice distortion, thus resulting in the consequent depletion of electrons around the Fe active center and the downward shift of the d-band center, which can lead to a weaker adsorption ability of * O intermediate to improve the catalytic performance of NiFeP0.32 LDH for OER. This work provides novel insights into the distinctive coordinated configuration of P in NiFePx LDH, which can result in superior catalytic performance for OER.

Research progress on the cannabinoid type-2 receptor and Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is featured by movement impairments, including tremors, bradykinesia, muscle stiffness, and imbalance. PD is also associated with many non-motor symptoms, such as cognitive impairments, dementia, and mental disorders. Previous studies identify the associations between PD progression and factors such as α-synuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and cell death. The cannabinoid type-2 receptor (CB2 receptor) is a transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor and has been extensively studied as part of the endocannabinoid system. CB2 receptor is recently emerged as a promising target for anti-inflammatory treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. It is reported to modulate mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, iron transport, and neuroinflammation that contribute to neuronal cell death. Additionally, CB2 receptor possesses the potential to provide feedback on electrophysiological processes, offering new possibilities for PD treatment. This review summarized the mechanisms underlying PD pathogenesis. We also discussed the potential regulatory role played by CB2 receptor in PD.

Circular RNA-circPan3 attenuates cardiac hypertrophy via miR-320-3p/HSP20 axis

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs are enriched in cardiac tissue and play important roles in the pathogenesis of heart diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of a conserved heart-enriched circRNA, circPan3, in cardiac hypertrophy.

METHODS

Cardiac hypertrophy was induced by isoproterenol. The progression of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was assessed by sarcomere organization staining, cell surface area measurement, and expression levels of cardiac hypertrophy markers. RNA interactions were detected by RNA pull-down assays, and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation was used to detect m6A level.

RESULTS

The expression of circPan3 was downregulated in an isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy model. Forced expression of circPan3 attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, while inhibition of circPan3 aggravated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Mechanistically, circPan3 was an endogenous sponge of miR-320-3p without affecting miR-320-3p levels. It elevated the expression of HSP20 by endogenously interacting with miR-320-3p. In addition, circPan3 was N6-methylated. Stimulation by isoproterenol downregulated the m6A eraser ALKBH5, resulting in N6-methylation and destabilization of circPan3.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research is the first to report that circPan3 has an antihypertrophic effect in cardiomyocytes and revealed a novel circPan3-modulated signalling pathway involved in cardiac hypertrophy. CircPan3 inhibits cardiac hypertrophy by targeting the miR-320-3p/HSP20 axis and is regulated by ALKBH5-mediated N6-methylation. This pathway could provide potential therapeutic targets for cardiac hypertrophy.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of n-butylphthalide and ligustrazine hybrids as potent neuroprotective agents for the treatment of ischemic stroke in vitro and in vivo

A series of novel NBP-TMP hybrids with neuroprotective effects were designed and synthesized for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The anti-cerebral ischemic activity of these compounds was screened by evaluating their neuroprotective effects on the oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury model in vitro. Nine compounds 7e, 7h-7i, 7k, 7m-7p and 7r showed better activities on cell viability and LDH levels compared to NBP at the concentration of 6.25 μM. Among them, compound 7m showed the best potency with a percentage of protection 90.2 % compared to NBP (69.2 %) and other compounds. Preliminary structure-activity analysis revealed that the introduction of iodine and N-methylpiperazine groups could significantly improve the neuroprotective effect. Further mechanism research showed that compound 7m could reduce the damage to neuronal mitochondria caused by OGD/R by reducing ROS and increasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reduce the apoptosis and necrosis of neurons to play a neuroprotective role. In addition, 7m could regulate the levels of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase 3. Finally, in vivo experiments showed that the compound 7m significantly inhibited ischemia-reperfusion injury and cerebral blood flow in rats, and showed a more significant neuroprotective effect than the positive drug NBP at a dose concentration of 20 mg/kg. In conclusion, our results suggest that 7m may be used as a novel lead compound for the future development of anti-cerebral ischemic agents.

Diagnostic performance of SPECT in lumbar spondylolysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To evaluate the diagnostic value and clinical applicability of single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) for lumbar spondylolysis using meta-analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Stata 12.0, was used to test the heterogeneity, and the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and other effect sizes were collected to generate the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve for comprehensive evaluation. Meta-regression analysis was used to explore the source of heterogeneity, and subgroup analysis was performed. Funnel plots, Fagan's line diagrams, and likelihood ratio dot plots were drawn to evaluate publication bias and clinical applicability.

RESULTS

Eight studies involving 785 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, odds ratio, and area under the SROC curve of SPECT for the diagnosis of lumbar spondylolysis were 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70 0.93), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.60 0.99), 11.01 (95% CI: 1.61 75.18), 0.17 (95% CI: 0.08 0.35), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90 0.94). Meta-regression analysis showed that the sources of heterogeneity were region and age. Subgroup analysis showed that the specificity of the child and adolescent subgroup was significantly higher than that of the middle-aged and elderly subgroups. Deek's funnel plots showed no significant publication bias. The pooled effect of the likelihood ratio dot plot for diagnosis is in the upper-right quadrant.

CONCLUSION

As a diagnostic tool for spondylolysis, SPECT has a high degree of specificity, moderate sensitivity, and relatively high diagnostic effectiveness. It can be used as an auxiliary sign in the diagnosis and treatment of lumbar spondylolysis.

Spatial mapping and quantitative evaluation of protein corona on PEGylated mesoporous silica particles by super-resolution fluorescence microscopy

Nanoparticles (NPs) adsorb serum proteins when exposed to biological fluids, forming a dynamic protein corona that has a profound impact on their overall biological profile and fate. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) modification is the most widely used strategy to mitigate and inhibit protein corona formation. Nevertheless, the accurate mapping and quantification of PEG inhibition effects on protein corona formation have scarcely been reported. Herein, we demonstrate the direct observation and quantification of protein corona adsorbed onto PEGylated mesoporous silica particles by direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM). The variation tendency of protein penetration depth in terms of PEG molecular weights and incubated time is investigated for the first time. The maximum penetration depths present slight increase with the prolonged incubation time, while they tend to remarkably decrease with increased chain length of modified PEG. Moreover, the co-localization of preformed protein corona with lysosomes and the destination of adsorbed protein are demonstrated. Our method provides important technical characterization information and in-depth understanding of protein corona adsorbed onto PEGylated mesoporous silica particles. This shines new light on the behaviors of silica materials in cells and may promote their practical applications in biomedicine.

O-GlcNAcylation: cellular physiology and therapeutic target for human diseases

O-linked-β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcylation) is a distinctive posttranslational protein modification involving the coordinated action of O-GlcNAc transferase and O-GlcNAcase, primarily targeting serine or threonine residues in various proteins. This modification impacts protein functionality, influencing stability, protein-protein interactions, and localization. Its interaction with other modifications such as phosphorylation and ubiquitination is becoming increasingly evident. Dysregulation of O-GlcNAcylation is associated with numerous human diseases, including diabetes, nervous system degeneration, and cancers. This review extensively explores the regulatory mechanisms of O-GlcNAcylation, its effects on cellular physiology, and its role in the pathogenesis of diseases. It examines the implications of aberrant O-GlcNAcylation in diabetes and tumorigenesis, highlighting novel insights into its potential role in cardiovascular diseases. The review also discusses the interplay of O-GlcNAcylation with other protein modifications and its impact on cell growth and metabolism. By synthesizing current research, this review elucidates the multifaceted roles of O-GlcNAcylation, providing a comprehensive reference for future studies. It underscores the potential of targeting the O-GlcNAcylation cycle in developing novel therapeutic strategies for various pathologies.

Precise solid-phase synthesis of CoFe@FeOx nanoparticles for efficient polysulfide regulation in lithium/sodium-sulfur batteries

Complex metal nanoparticles distributed uniformly on supports demonstrate distinctive physicochemical properties and thus attract a wide attention for applications. The commonly used wet chemistry methods display limitations to achieve the nanoparticle structure design and uniform dispersion simultaneously. Solid-phase synthesis serves as an interesting strategy which can achieve the fabrication of complex metal nanoparticles on supports. Herein, the solid-phase synthesis strategy is developed to precisely synthesize uniformly distributed CoFe@FeOx core@shell nanoparticles. Fe atoms are preferentially exsolved from CoFe alloy bulk to the surface and then be carburized into a FexC shell under thermal syngas atmosphere, subsequently the formed FexC shell is passivated by air, obtaining CoFe@FeOx with a CoFe alloy core and a FeOx shell. This strategy is universal for the synthesis of MFe@FeOx (M = Co, Ni, Mn). The CoFe@FeOx exhibits bifunctional effect on regulating polysulfides as the separator coating layer for Li-S and Na-S batteries. This method could be developed into solid-phase synthetic systems to construct well distributed complex metal nanoparticles.

Immunity-and-matrix-regulatory cells enhance cartilage regeneration for meniscus injuries: a phase I dose-escalation trial

Immunity-and-matrix-regulatory cells (IMRCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells have unique abilities in modulating immunity and regulating the extracellular matrix, which could be mass-produced with stable biological properties. Despite resemblance to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in terms of self-renew and tri-lineage differentiation, the ability of IMRCs to repair the meniscus and the underlying mechanism remains undetermined. Here, we showed that IMRCs demonstrated stronger immunomodulatory and pro-regenerative potential than umbilical cord MSCs when stimulated by synovial fluid from patients with meniscus injury. Following injection into the knees of rabbits with meniscal injury, IMRCs enhanced endogenous fibrocartilage regeneration. In the dose-escalating phase I clinical trial (NCT03839238) with eighteen patients recruited, we found that intra-articular IMRCs injection in patients was safe over 12 months post-grafting. Furthermore, the effective results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of meniscus repair and knee functional scores suggested that 5 × 107 cells are optimal for meniscus injury treatment. In summary, we present the first report of a phase I clinical trial using IMRCs to treat meniscus injury. Our results demonstrated that intra-articular injection of IMRCs is a safe and effective therapy by providing a permissive niche for cartilage regeneration.

Preventing post-contrast acute kidney injury and hypersensitivity reactions: UK national audit

AIM

To audit UK radiology departmental protocols related to the prevention of Iodine-based contrast media (ICM) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and to assess their compliance with the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) endorsed Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists' 2018 Iodinated Contrast Guidelines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Questionnaires were sent to all UK acute National Health Service (NHS) providers treating adult patients with an audit lead registered with the RCR (162 providers encompassing 211 hospital radiology departments). The questionnaire included three main sections: renal function screening, renal protection regimens, and hypersensitivity reactions prevention and follow-up. Data collection was conducted between April and July 2022.

RESULTS

Sixty-one per cent (129/211) of departments responded, representing 67% of eligible providers. An independent imaging services provider supplied one additional set of data (n=130 overall). Of the responding departments, for post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI), 41% and 56% had the recommended risk assessment for inpatients and outpatients, respectively. Renal function testing was often over-utilised, and their results were applied improperly. Sixty-eight per cent of departments used the advised threshold for considering renal protection. For hypersensitivity reactions, 9% of departments had the correct risk assessment. Thirty-six per cent of departments had the correct risk mitigation protocol for identified high-risk patients. The documentation and follow-up for hypersensitivity reactions were similarly inadequate.

CONCLUSION

Local protocols on preventing ICM ADRs were largely non-compliant with RCR guidelines. Departments need to update their protocols in line with current evidence to avoid iatrogenic morbidity or unnecessary tests and over-precaution.

Gate-controlled Sb2S3 thin film photodetectors for logic switches

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) photodetectors (PDs) have great potential in commercial applications. The performances are affected by photocarrier distribution and recombination. Here, the gate-controlled Sb2S3 thin film PD is fabricated on the TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate by the vacuum method. The p-channel Sb2S3 transistor obtained a threshold voltage of 0.6 V and a switching ratio of 1064, achieving an effective regulation by gate voltages. A negative gate voltage can enhance conductivity and can suppress recombination. The responsivity and detectivity of the PD reach 1.6 A/W and 1.2 × 1011 Jones, respectively. The device realizes logic outputs by the signal inputs of illumination and gate voltage.

Temporal Structures in Positron Spectra and Charge-Sign Effects in Galactic Cosmic Rays

We present the precision measurements of 11 years of daily cosmic positron fluxes in the rigidity range from 1.00 to 41.9 GV based on 3.4×10^{6} positrons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The positron fluxes show distinctly different time variations from the electron fluxes at short and long timescales. A hysteresis between the electron fluxes and the positron fluxes is observed with a significance greater than 5σ at rigidities below 8.5 GV. On the contrary, the positron fluxes and the proton fluxes show similar time variation. Remarkably, we found that positron fluxes are modulated more than proton fluxes with a significance greater than 5σ for rigidities below 7 GV. These continuous daily positron fluxes, together with AMS daily electron, proton, and helium fluxes over an 11-year solar cycle, provide unique input to the understanding of both the charge-sign and mass dependencies of cosmic rays in the heliosphere.

Unveiling the dynamic active site of defective carbon-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen peroxide production

Active sites identification in metal-free carbon materials is crucial for developing practical electrocatalysts, but resolving precise configuration of active site remains a challenge because of the elusive dynamic structural evolution process during reactions. Here, we reveal the dynamic active site identification process of oxygen modified defective graphene. First, the defect density and types of oxygen groups were precisely manipulated on graphene, combined with electrocatalytic performance evaluation, revealing a previously overlooked positive correlation relationship between the defect density and the 2 e- oxygen reduction performance. An electrocatalytic-driven oxygen groups redistribution phenomenon was observed, which narrows the scope of potential configurations of the active site. The dynamic evolution processes are monitored via multiple in-situ technologies and theoretical spectra simulations, resolving the configuration of major active sites (carbonyl on pentagon defect) and key intermediates (*OOH), in-depth understanding the catalytic mechanism and providing a research paradigm for metal-free carbon materials.

Knocking out Selenium Binding Protein 1 Induces Depressive-Like Behavior in Mice

Selenium binding protein 1 (SELENBP1) is involved in neurologic disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. However, the role of SELENBP1 in the neurogenesis of depression, which is a neurologic disorder, and the underlying mechanisms of oxidative stress and inflammation in depression remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the changes in the expression levels of SELENBP1 in the hippocampus of a mouse model of depression and in the serum of human patients with depression using the Gene Expression Omnibus database. These changes were validated using blood samples from human patients with depression and mouse models with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depressive-like behavior. We also investigated the effects of SELENBP1 knockout (KO) on inflammation, oxidative stress, and hippocampal neurogenesis in mice with CUMS-induced depression. Our results revealed that SELENBP1 levels was decreased in the blood of human patients with depression and in the hippocampus of mice with CUMS-induced depression. SELENBP1 KO increased CUMS-induced depressive behavior in mice and caused dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. This led to a decrease in the numbers of doublecortin- and Ki67-positive cells, which might aggravate CUMS-induced depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that SELENBP1 might be involved in the regulation of neurogenesis in mice with depression and could be served as a potential target for diagnosing and treating depression.

Novel Functional Radiomics for Prediction of Cardiac PET Avidity in Lung Cancer Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Traditional methods of evaluating cardiotoxicity focus solely on radiation doses to the heart and do not incorporate functional imaging information. Functional imaging has great potential to improve the ability to provide early prediction for cardiotoxicity for lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. FDG-based PET/CT imaging is routinely obtained as part of standard staging work up for lung cancer patients. Although FDG PET/CT scans are typically used to evaluate the tumor, imaging guidelines note that FDG PET/CT scans are an FDA-approved method to image for cardiac inflammation, and studies have noted that the PET cardiac signal can be predictive of clinical outcomes. The purpose of this work was to develop a radiomics model to predict clinical cardiac assessment of standard of care FDG PET/CT scans.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The study included 100 consecutive lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy who underwent standard pre-treatment FDG-PET/CT staging scans. A clinician reviewed the PET/CT scans per clinical cardiac assessment guidelines and classified the cardiac uptake as: 0 = uniform diffuse, 1 = absent, 2 = heterogeneous, with event rates of 20%, 44%, and 35%, respectively. The heart was delineated and 200 novel functional radiomics features were selected to classify cardiac FDG uptake patterns. We divided the data into an 80% training set and a 20% test set to train and evaluate the classification models. Feature reduction was carried out using the Wilcoxon test (with Bonferroni adjusted p<0.05), hierarchical clustering, and Recursive Feature Elimination. Two automatic machine learning (AutoML) frameworks were used to determine classification models: a Random Forest Classifier (Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool, TPOT) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (AutoSklearn). 10-fold cross validation was carried out for training and the accuracy of the ability of the models to predict for clinical cardiac assessment is reported.

RESULTS

Fifty-one independent radiomics features were reduced to 3 clinically pertinent features (PET 2D Skewness, PET Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix Correlation, and PET Median) using feature reduction techniques. The model selected by TPOT showed 89.8% predictive accuracy in the cross validation of the training set and 85% predictive accuracy on the test set. The model selected by AutoSklearn showed 89.7% predictive accuracy in the cross validation of the training set and 80% predictive accuracy on the test set.

CONCLUSION

The novelty of this work is that it is the first study to develop and evaluate functional cardiac radiomic features from standard of care FDG PET/CT scans with the data showing good predictive accuracy with clinical imaging evaluation. If validated, the current work provides automated methods to provide functional cardiac information using standard of care imaging that can be used as an imaging biomarker for early clinical toxicity prediction for lung cancer patients.

Improvement of soil acidification and ammonium nitrogen content in tea plantations by long-term use of organic fertilizer

Soil acidification is common in some Chinese tea plantations, which seriously affected growth of tea trees. Hence, it is essential to explore soil remediation in acidified tea plantations for sustainable development of the tea industry. We sought to determine how different fertilizers affect acidified soil and their N transformation in tea plantations. Different fertilizers were used on acidified tea plantation soils for 4 years (2017-2021), and changes in soil pH, indices related to soil N transformation and tea yield were analysed to construct interaction networks of these indices and find which had the largest influence on fertilization. Long-term use of sheep manure reduced soil acidification, increased soil pH, enhanced the number and intensity of N-fixing and ammonifying bacteria, urease, protease, asparaginase and N-acetamide glucose ribosidase activity and nifH gene expression. This treatment reduced the number and intensity of soil nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activity, while the expression of amoA-AOA, nirK, nirS, narG and nosZ in turn increased ammonium N content of the soil, reduced nitrate N content, and enhanced tea yield. Topsis index weight analysis showed that ammonium N content in the soil had the largest impact among fertilization effects. Long-term use of sheep manure was beneficial in restoring the balance of the micro-ecosystem in acidified soil. This study provides an important practical basis for soil remediation and fertilizer management in acidified tea plantation soils.

High-Valence Mo Doping and Oxygen Vacancy Engineering to Promote Morphological Evolution and Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity

The rational design of high-efficiency, low-cost electrocatalysts for electrochemical water oxidation in alkaline media remains a huge challenge. Herein, combined strategies of metal doping and vacancy engineering are employed to develop unique Mo-doped cobalt oxide nanosheet arrays. The Mo dopants exist in the form of high-valence Mo6+, and the doping amount has a significant effect on the structure morphology, which transforms from 1D nanowires/nanobelts to 2D nanosheets and finally 3D nanoflowers. In addition, the introduction of vast oxygen vacancies helps to modulate the electronic states and increase the electronic conductivity. The optimal catalyst MoCoO-3 exhibits greatly increased active sites and enhanced reaction kinetics. It gives a dramatically lower overpotential at 50 mA cm-2 (288 mV), much smaller than that of the undoped counterpart (418 mV) and comparable to those of the recently reported electrocatalysts. Density functional theory results further verify that the increased electronic conductivity and optimized adsorption energy toward oxygen evolution reaction intermediates are mainly responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity. Moreover, the assembled two-electrode electrolyzer (MoCoO-3||Pt/C) exhibits superior performance with the cell potential decreased by 233 mV to reach a current density of 50 mA cm-2 with respect to the benchmark counterpart catalysts (RuO2||Pt/C). This work might contribute to the rational design of effective, low-cost electrocatalyst materials by combining multiple strategies.

Metformin induces tolerogenicity of dendritic cells by promoting metabolic reprogramming

Dendritic cells (DCs) can mediate immune responses or immune tolerance depending on their immunophenotype and functional status. Remodeling of DCs' immune functions can develop proper therapeutic regimens for different immune-mediated diseases. In the immunopathology of autoimmune diseases (ADs), activated DCs notably promote effector T-cell polarization and exacerbate the disease. Recent evidence indicates that metformin can attenuate the clinical symptoms of ADs due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Whether and how the therapeutic effects of metformin on ADs are associated with DCs remain unknown. In this study, metformin was added to a culture system of LPS-induced DC maturation. The results revealed that metformin shifted DC into a tolerant phenotype, resulting in reduced surface expression of MHC-II, costimulatory molecules and CCR7, decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ), increased level of IL-10, upregulated immunomodulatory molecules (ICOSL and PD-L) and an enhanced capacity to promote regulatory T-cell (Treg) differentiation. Further results demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory effects of metformin in vivo were closely related to remodeling the immunophenotype of DCs. Mechanistically, metformin could mediate the metabolic reprogramming of DCs through FoxO3a signaling pathways, including disturbing the balance of fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and fatty acid oxidation (FAO), increasing glycolysis but inhibiting the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TAC) and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), which resulted in the accumulation of fatty acids (FAs) and lactic acid, as well as low anabolism in DCs. Our findings indicated that metformin could induce tolerance in DCs by reprogramming their metabolic patterns and play anti-inflammatory roles in vitro and in vivo.

[Clinical presentation and prognosis in children over 10-year-old with primary nephrotic syndrome]

Objective: To summary the clinical presentation and prognosis of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) in teenagers. Methods: The clinical data, renal pathological types and prognosis of 118 children over 10-year-old with PNS treated in the Department of Nephrology of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, with 408 children ≤10-year-old as control group synchronously. Chi-square test was used to compare the difference of clinical types, pathologic types, response to steroids and tubulointerstitial changes between the groups. The teenagers with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) were divided into initial non-responder group and late non-responder group. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the difference of persistent proteinuria, and Fisher's exact test for the histological types. Results: There were 118 children >10-year-old, including 74 males and 44 females, with the onset age of 12.1 (10.8, 13.4) years; and 408 children ≤10-year-old with the onset age of 4.5 (3.2, 6.8) years. The proportion of SRNS was significantly higher in patients >10-year-old than those ≤10-year-old (24.6% (29/118) vs. 15.9% (65/408), χ²=4.66, P=0.031). There was no statistical difference in the pathological types between >10-year-old and ≤10-year-old (P>0.05), with minimal change disease the most common type (56.0% (14/25) vs. 60.5% (26/43)). The percentage of cases with renal tubulointerstitial lesions was significantly higher in children >10-year-old compared to those ≤10-year-old (60.0% (15/25) vs. 23.3% (10/43), χ²=9.18, P=0.002). There were 29 cases presented with SRNS in PNS over 10-year-old, including 19 initial non-responders and 10 late non-responders. Analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve, it was shown that the percentage of persistent proteinuria after 6 months of immunosuppressive treatments was significantly higher in initial non-responders than those of the late non-responders ((22±10)% vs. 0, χ²=14.68, P<0.001); the percentage of minimal change disease was significantly higher in patients of late non-responders than those of the initial non-responders (5/6 vs. 3/13, P=0.041). Of the 63 >10-year-old with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome followed up more than one year, 38 cases (60.3%) had relapse, and 14 cases (22.2%) were frequent relapse nephrotic syndrome and steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome. Among the 45 patients followed up over 18-year-old, 22 cases (48.9%) had recurrent proteinuria continued to adulthood, 3 cases of SRNS progressed to kidney insufficiency, and one of them developed into end stage kidney disease and was administrated with hemodialysis. Conclusions: Cases over 10-year-old with PNS tend to present with SRNS and renal tubulointerstitial lesions. They have a favorable prognosis, but are liable to relapse in adulthood.

Facile and Scalable Mechanochemical Synthesis of Defective MoS2 with Ru Single Atoms Toward High-Current-Density Hydrogen Evolution

Designing a facile strategy to prepare catalysts with highly active sites are challenging for large-scale implementation of electrochemical hydrogen production. Herein, a straightforward and eco-friendly method by high-energy mechanochemical ball milling for mass production of atomic Ru dispersive in defective MoS2 catalysts (Ru1 @D-MoS2 ) is developed. It is found that single atomic Ru doping induces the generation of S vacancies, which can break the electronic neutrality around Ru atoms, leading to an asymmetrical distribution of electrons. It is also demonstrated that the Ru1 @D-MoS2 exhibits superb alkaline hydrogen evolution enhancement, possibly attributing to this electronic asymmetry. The overpotential required to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 is as low as 107 mV, which is much lower than that of commercial MoS2 (C-MoS2 , 364 mV). Further density functional theory (DFT) calculations also support that the vacancy-coupled single Ru enables much higher electronic distribution asymmetry degree, which could regulate the adsorption energy of intermediates, favoring the water dissociation and the adsorption/desorption of H*. Besides, the long-term stability test under 500 mA cm-2 further confirms the robust performance of Ru1 @D-MoS2 . Our strategy provides a promising and practical way towards large-scale preparation of advanced HER catalysts for commercial applications.

Discriminating Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Latent Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Profiles in Active-Duty Military Service Members

OBJECTIVE

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly occur among military Service Members and Veterans and have heterogenous, but also overlapping symptom presentations, which often complicate the diagnoses of underlying impairments and development of effective treatment plans. Thus, we sought to examine whether the combination of whole brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) structural measures with neuropsychological performance can aid in the classification of military personnel with mTBI and PTSD.

METHODS

Active-Duty US Service Members ( n = 156; 87.8% male) with a history of mTBI, PTSD, combined mTBI+PTSD, or orthopedic injury completed a neuropsychological battery and T1- and diffusion-weighted structural neuroimaging. Cortical, subcortical, ventricular, and WM volumes and whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) were calculated. Latent profile analyses were performed to determine how the GM and WM indicators, together with neuropsychological indicators, classified individuals.

RESULTS

For both GM and WM, respectively, a 4-profile model was the best fit. The GM model identified greater ventricular volumes in Service Members with cognitive symptoms, including those with a diagnosis of mTBI, either alone or with PTSD. The WM model identified reduced FA and elevated RD in those with psychological symptoms, including those with PTSD or mTBI and comorbid PTSD. However, contrary to expectation, a global neural signature unique to those with comorbid mTBI and PTSD was not identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate that neuropsychological performance alone is more robust in differentiating Active-Duty Service Members with mTBI and PTSD, whereas global neuroimaging measures do not reliably differentiate between these groups.

A novel dammarane triterpenoid alleviates atherosclerosis by activating the LXRα pathway

BACKGROUND

We have previously demonstrated that ginsenoside compound K can attenuate the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Therefore, ginsenoside compound K has potential for atherosclerosis therapy. How to improve the druggability and enhance the antiatherosclerotic activity of ginsenoside compound K are the core problems in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. CKN is a ginsenoside compound K derivative that was previously reported to have excellent antiatherosclerotic activity in vitro, and we have applied for international patents for it.

METHODS

Male C57BL/6 ApoE^-/- mice were fed a high-fat and high-choline diet to induce atherosclerosis and were subjected to in vivo studies. In vitro, the CCK-8 method was applied to evaluate cytotoxicity in macrophages. Foam cells were utilized, and cellular lipid determination was performed for in vitro studies. The area of atherosclerotic plaque and fatty infiltration of the liver were measured by image analysis. Serum lipid and liver function were determined by a seralyzer. Immunofluorescence and western blot analysis were conducted to explore the alterations in the expression levels of lipid efflux-related proteins. Molecular docking, reporter gene experiments and cellular thermal shift assays were used to verify the interaction between CKN and LXRα.

RESULTS

After confirming the therapeutic effects of CKN, molecular docking, reporter gene experiments and cellular thermal shift assays were used to predict and investigate the antiatherosclerotic mechanisms of CKN. CKN exhibited the greatest potency, with a 60.9% and 48.1% reduction in en face atherosclerotic lesions on the thoracic aorta and brachiocephalic trunk, reduced plasma lipid levels and decreased foam cell levels in the vascular plaque content in HHD-fed ApoE^-/- mice. Moreover, CKN in the present study may exert its antiatherosclerotic effects through activated ABCA1 by promoting LXRα nuclear translocation and reducing the adverse effects of LXRα activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results revealed that CKN prevented the formation of atherosclerosis in ApoE^-/- mice by activating the LXRα pathway.

[Prediction of potential suitable habitats of Haemphysalis concinna in Heilongjiang Province based on the maximum entropy model]

OBJECTIVE

To predict the potential suitable habitat of Haemaphysalis concinna in Heilongjiang Province under different climatic scenarios.

METHODS

The geographic locations of ticks in Heilongjiang Province from 1980 to 2022 were captured from literature review and field ticks monitoring data from Harbin Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Heilongjiang Province, and the tick distribution sites with spatial correlations were removed using the software ArcGIS 10.2. The environment data under historical climatic scenarios from 1970 to 2000 and the climatic shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 126 scenario model from 2021 to 2040 and from 2041 to 2060 were downloaded from the WorldClim website, and the elevation (1 km, 2010), population (1 km grid population dataset of China, 2010) and annual vegetation index (1 km, 2010) data were downloaded from the Resource and Environmental Science and Data Center, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The contribution of environmental factors to H. concinna distribution was evaluated and environmental variables were screened using the software MaxEnt 3.4.1 and R package 4.1.0, and the areas of suitable habitats of H. concinna and changes in center of gravity were analyzed using the maximum entropy model in Heilongjiang Province under different climatic scenarios. In addition, the accuracy of the maximum entropy model for prediction of H. concinna distribution was assessed using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve.

RESULTS

A total of 79 H. concinna distribution sites and 24 environmental variables were collected, and 70 H. concinna distribution sites and 9 environmental factors that contributed to distribution of the potential suitable habitats of H. concinna in Heilongjiang Province were screened. The three most significant contributing factors included precipitation seasonality, annual precipitation, and mean temperature of the driest quarter, with cumulative contributions of 60.7%. The total area of suitable habitats of H. concinna was 29.05 × 10⁴ km² in Heilongjiang Province under historical climatic scenarios, with the center of gravity of suitable habitats located at (47.31° N, 129.16° E), while the total area of suitable habitats of H. concinna reduced by 0.97 × 10⁴ km² in Heilongjiang Province under the climatic SSP126 scenario from 2041 to 2060, with the center of gravity shifting to (47.70° N, 129.28° E).

CONCLUSIONS

The distribution of suitable habitats of H. concinna strongly correlates with temperature and humidity in Heilongjiang Province. The total area of potential suitable habitats of H. concinna may appear a tendency towards a decline with climatic changes in Heilongjiang Province, and high-, medium- and low-suitable habitats may shift.

Zn(II)-Based Mixed-Ligand-Bearing Coordination Polymers as Multi-Responsive Fluorescent Sensors for Detecting Dichromate, Iodide, Nitenpyram, and Imidacloprid

Coordination polymers (CPs) are organo-inorganic porous materials consisting of metal ions or clusters and organic linkers. These compounds have attracted attention for use in the fluorescence detection of pollutants. Here, two Zn-based mixed-ligand-bearing CPs, [Zn₂(DIN)₂(HBTC^2-)₂] (CP-1) and [Zn(DIN)(HBTC^2-)]·ACN·H₂O (CP-2) (DIN = 1,4-di(imidazole-1-yl)naphthalene, H₃BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, and ACN = acetonitrile), were synthesized under solvothermal conditions. CP-1 and CP-2 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Solid-state fluorescence analysis revealed an emission peak at 350 nm upon excitation at 225 and 290 nm. Fluorescence sensing tests showed that CP-1 was highly efficient, sensitive, and selective for detecting Cr₂O₇^2- at 225 and 290 nm, whereas I^- was only detected well at an excitation of 225 nm. CP-1 detected pesticides differently at excitation wavelengths of 225 and 290 nm; the highest quenching rates were for nitenpyram at 225 nm and imidacloprid at 290 nm. The quenching process may occur via the inner filter effect and fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

Properties of Cosmic-Ray Sulfur and Determination of the Composition of Primary Cosmic-Ray Carbon, Neon, Magnesium, and Sulfur: Ten-Year Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

We report the properties of primary cosmic-ray sulfur (S) in the rigidity range 2.15 GV to 3.0 TV based on 0.38×10^{6} sulfur nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment (AMS). We observed that above 90 GV the rigidity dependence of the S flux is identical to the rigidity dependence of Ne-Mg-Si fluxes, which is different from the rigidity dependence of the He-C-O-Fe fluxes. We found that, similar to N, Na, and Al cosmic rays, over the entire rigidity range, the traditional primary cosmic rays S, Ne, Mg, and C all have sizeable secondary components, and the S, Ne, and Mg fluxes are well described by the weighted sum of the primary silicon flux and the secondary fluorine flux, and the C flux is well described by the weighted sum of the primary oxygen flux and the secondary boron flux. The primary and secondary contributions of the traditional primary cosmic-ray fluxes of C, Ne, Mg, and S (even Z elements) are distinctly different from the primary and secondary contributions of the N, Na, and Al (odd Z elements) fluxes. The abundance ratio at the source for S/Si is 0.167±0.006, for Ne/Si is 0.833±0.025, for Mg/Si is 0.994±0.029, and for C/O is 0.836±0.025. These values are determined independent of cosmic-ray propagation.

Temporal Structures in Electron Spectra and Charge Sign Effects in Galactic Cosmic Rays

We present the precision measurements of 11 years of daily cosmic electron fluxes in the rigidity interval from 1.00 to 41.9 GV based on 2.0×10^{8} electrons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The electron fluxes exhibit variations on multiple timescales. Recurrent electron flux variations with periods of 27 days, 13.5 days, and 9 days are observed. We find that the electron fluxes show distinctly different time variations from the proton fluxes. Remarkably, a hysteresis between the electron flux and the proton flux is observed with a significance of greater than 6σ at rigidities below 8.5 GV. Furthermore, significant structures in the electron-proton hysteresis are observed corresponding to sharp structures in both fluxes. This continuous daily electron data provide unique input to the understanding of the charge sign dependence of cosmic rays over an 11-year solar cycle.

Defining the serum proteomic signature of hepatic steatosis, inflammation, ballooning and fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Despite recent progress, non-invasive tests for the diagnostic assessment and monitoring of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain an unmet need. Herein, we aimed to identify diagnostic signatures of the key histological features of NAFLD.

METHODS

Using modified-aptamer proteomics, we assayed 5,220 proteins in each of 2,852 single serum samples from 636 individuals with histologically confirmed NAFLD. We developed and validated dichotomized protein-phenotype models to identify clinically relevant severities of steatosis (grade 0 vs. 1-3), hepatocellular ballooning (0 vs. 1 or 2), lobular inflammation (0-1 vs. 2-3) and fibrosis (stages 0-1 vs. 2-4).

RESULTS

The AUCs of the four protein models, based on 37 analytes (18 not previously linked to NAFLD), for the diagnosis of their respective components (at a clinically relevant severity) in training/paired validation sets were: fibrosis (AUC 0.92/0.85); steatosis (AUC 0.95/0.79), inflammation (AUC 0.83/0.72), and ballooning (AUC 0.87/0.83). An additional outcome, at-risk NASH, defined as steatohepatitis with NAFLD activity score ≥4 (with a score of at least 1 for each of its components) and fibrosis stage ≥2, was predicted by multiplying the outputs of each individual component model (AUC 0.93/0.85). We further evaluated their ability to detect change in histology following treatment with placebo, pioglitazone, vitamin E or obeticholic acid. Component model scores significantly improved in the active therapies vs. placebo, and differential effects of vitamin E, pioglitazone, and obeticholic acid were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum protein scanning identified signatures corresponding to the key components of liver biopsy in NAFLD. The models developed were sufficiently sensitive to characterize the longitudinal change for three different drug interventions. These data support continued validation of these proteomic models to enable a "liquid biopsy"-based assessment of NAFLD.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

Not applicable.

IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS

An aptamer-based protein scan of serum proteins was performed to identify diagnostic signatures of the key histological features of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), for which no approved non-invasive diagnostic tools are currently available. We also identified specific protein signatures related to the presence and severity of NAFLD and its histological components that were also sensitive to change over time. These are fundamental initial steps in establishing a serum proteome-based diagnostic signature of NASH and provide the rationale for using these signatures to test treatment response and to identify several novel targets for evaluation in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.

Defects in Carbon-Based Materials for Electrocatalysis: Synthesis, Recognition, and Advances

ConspectusOwing to climate change and over-reliance on fossil fuels, the study and development of sustainable energy is of essential importance in the next few decades. In recent years, rapid advances have been witnessed in various power to gas electrocatalysis technologies including oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for realizing the target of blue planet with carbon neutrality. Nevertheless, practical applications with superior performance and affordable cost are largely limited by the electrode materials because the reactions are regularly driven by precious metals such as platinum (Pt) or iridium (Ir) based catalysts. Therefore, it is of significance to develop novel electrocatalysts with high electroactivity and limited cost for boosting the commercialization of green hydrogen technology.Since nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were first reported for enhanced ORR performance in 2009, the exploitation of carbon-based metal-free catalysts (CMFCs) as potential replacements for the precious metal electrocatalysts has become an attractive research field. To date, great progress has been made in developing new dopant strategies for CMFCs; however, the details of the catalytic mechanism and identification of active sites remain unclear, owing to the complexity in controlling the dopants and their homogeneity in carbon-based materials. To tackle this issue, our group has presented a series of works on defects catalyzing electrochemical reactions and proposed a defect catalysis mechanism since 2015. This theory is now widely accepted by the research community and has become a very important area in electrocatalysis worldwide.In this Account, we first present the defect theory for the reasonable design of defective carbon-based materials (DCMs) and subsequently summarize our previous works on the state-of-the-art defect engineering strategies to design DCMs possessing high activity, with the particular emphasis on the conjunction between defect structures and electrochemical performances. We also categorize recent defect modulation approaches on active sites in DCMs as well as showcase the advanced characterization techniques to confirm the types and densities of defects in DCMs. Finally, several perspectives on the challenges and future research opportunities of this exciting field are proposed. Remarkably, rapid advances of DCMs possessing both high electrochemical activities and low cost as a new generation of electrode materials may greatly facilitate the deployment of sustainable energy infrastructures.

The power of super-resolution microscopy in modern biomedical science

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) technology that breaks the diffraction limit has revolutionized the field of cell biology since its appearance, which enables researchers to visualize cellular structures with nanometric resolution, multiple colors and single-molecule sensitivity. With the flourishing development of hardware and the availability of novel fluorescent probes, the impact of SRM has already gone beyond cell biology and extended to nanomedicine, material science and nanotechnology, and remarkably boosted important breakthroughs in these fields. In this review, we will mainly highlight the power of SRM in modern biomedical science, discussing how these SRM techniques revolutionize the way we understand cell structures, biomaterials assembly and how assembled biomaterials interact with cellular organelles, and finally their promotion to the clinical pre-diagnosis. Moreover, we also provide an outlook on the current technical challenges and future improvement direction of SRM. We hope this review can provide useful information, inspire new ideas and propel the development both from the perspective of SRM techniques and from the perspective of SRM's applications.

Ganoderic Acid A and Its Amide Derivatives as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents by Regulating the p53-MDM2 Pathway: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

The mechanisms of action of natural products and the identification of their targets have long been a research hotspot. Ganoderic acid A (GAA) is the earliest and most abundant triterpenoids discovered in Ganoderma lucidum. The multi-therapeutic potential of GAA, in particular its anti-tumor activity, has been extensively studied. However, the unknown targets and associated pathways of GAA, together with its low activity, limit in-depth research compared to other small molecule anti-cancer drugs. In this study, GAA was modified at the carboxyl group to synthesize a series of amide compounds, and the in vitro anti-tumor activities of the derivatives were investigated. Finally, compound A2 was selected to study its mechanism of action because of its high activity in three different types of tumor cell lines and low toxicity to normal cells. The results showed that A2 could induce apoptosis by regulating the p53 signaling pathway and may be involved in inhibiting the interaction of MDM2 and p53 by binding to MDM2 (K_D = 1.68 µM). This study provides some inspiration for the research into the anti-tumor targets and mechanisms of GAA and its derivatives, as well as for the discovery of active candidates based on this series.

Dual Integrating Oxygen and Sulphur on Surface of CoTe Nanorods Triggers Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The bottleneck of large-scale implementation of electrocatalytic water-splitting technology lies in lacking inexpensive, efficient, and durable catalysts to accelerate the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. Owing to more metallic features, transition metal telluride (TMT) with good electronic conductivity holds promising potential as an ideal type of electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), whereas most TMTs reported up to now still show unsatisfactory OER performance that is far below corresponding sulfide and selenide counterparts. Here, the activation and stabilization of cobalt telluride (CoTe) nanoarrays toward OER through dual integration of sulfur (S) doping and surface oxidization is reported. The as-synthesized CoO@S-CoTe catalyst exhibits a low overpotential of only 246 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 and a long-term stability of more than 36 h, outperforming commercial RuO₂ and other reported telluride-based OER catalysts. The combined experimental and theoretical results reveal that the enhanced OER performance stems from increased active sites exposure, improved charge transfer ability, and optimized electronic state. This work will provide a valuable guidance to release the catalytic potential of telluride-based OER catalysts via interface modulating engineering.

Exome-wide screening identifies novel rare risk variants for bone mineral density

Bone mineral density (BMD) is an independent risk factor of osteoporosis-related fractures. We performed gene-based burden tests to assess the association between rare variants and BMD, and identified several BMD candidate genes.

PURPOSE

BMD is highly heritable and a major predictor of osteoporotic fractures, but its genetic basis remains unclear. We aimed to identify rare risk variants contributing to BMD.

METHODS

Utilizing the newly released UK Biobank 200,643 exome dataset, we conducted a gene-based exome-wide association study in males and females, respectively. First, 100,639 males and 117,338 females with BMD values were included in the polygenic risk scores (PRS) analysis. Among individuals with lower 30% PRS, cases were individuals with top 10% BMD, and individuals with bottom 10% BMD were the controls. Considering the effects of vitamin D (VD), individuals with the highest 30% VD concentration were selected for VD-BMD analysis. After quality control, 741 males and 697 females were included in the BMD analysis, and 717 males and 708 females were included in the VD-BMD analysis. The variants were annotated by ANNOVAR software, then BMD and VD-BMD qualified variants were imported into the SKAT R-package to perform gene-based burden tests, respectively.

RESULTS

The gene-based burden test of the exonic variants identified genome-wide candidate associations in ANKRD18A (P = 1.60 × 10^-5, P_{Bonferroni adjust} = 2.11 × 10^-3), C22orf31 (P = 3.49 × 10^-4, P_{Bonferroni adjust} = 3.17 × 10^-2), and SPATC1L (P = 1.09 × 10^-5, P_{Bonferroni adjust} = 8.80 × 10^-3). For VD-BMD analysis, three genes were associated with BMD, such as NIPAL1 (P = 1.06 × 10^-3, P_{Bonferroni adjust} = 3.91 × 10^-2).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that rare variants contribute to BMD, providing new sights for broadening the genetic structure of BMD.

Erythropoietin exerts neuroprotective effect against hypoxic ischemic brain injury in neonatal mice by activating AMPK pathway and upregulating UCP2

Purpose: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of erythropoietin (EPO) against hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal mice, and the underlying mechanism(s) of action. Methods: Sixty neonatal mice were assigned to 3 groups: sham, model and EPO intervention groups, each with 20 mice. Western blot assay was used to determine changes in the protein expressions of AMPK, UCP2 and KLF2. Fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated with flow cytometry. Results: The protein expressions of AMPK and KLF2 in the cerebral tissues of EPO intervention mice were significantly up-regulated, relative to model mice (p < 0.05), while UCP2 protein level was also significantly higher in EPO intervention mice than in model mice (p < 0.05). Mean fluorescence intensity of ROS was significantly higher in the cerebral cortex of model mice than in sham mice, but it was down-regulated in the cerebral cortex of mice in EPO intervention group, relative to the model group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: EPO exerts neuroprotective effect by activating AMPK pathway, up-regulating protein expression of UCP2, inhibiting production of mitochondrial ROS, and reducing oxidative stress in brain tissue. Thus, EPO has potentials for use in clinical practice as a neuroprotective agent.

A randomised controlled trial of dexmedetomidine for delirium in adults undergoing heart valve surgery

Dexmedetomidine might reduce delirium after cardiac surgery. We allocated 326 participants to an infusion of dexmedetomidine at a rate of 0.6 μg kg^-1 for 10 min and then at 0.4 μg.kg^-1 .h^-1 until the end of surgery; 326 control participants received comparable volumes of saline. We detected delirium in 98/652 (15%) participants during the first seven postoperative days: 47/326 after dexmedetomidine vs. 51/326 after placebo, p = 0.62, adjusted relative risk (95%CI) 0.86 (0.56-1.33), p = 0.51. Postoperative renal impairment (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes stages 1, 2 and 3) was detected in 46, 9 and 2 participants after dexmedetomidine and 25, 7 and 4 control participants, p = 0.040. Intra-operative dexmedetomidine infusion did not reduce the incidence of delirium after cardiac valve surgery but might impair renal function.

Invasive fungal infection is associated with antibiotic exposure in preterm infants: a multi-centre prospective case-control study

BACKGROUND

Previous antibiotic exposure is an important risk factor for invasive fungal infection (IFI). Antibiotic overexposure is common in lower-income countries; however, multi-centre studies concerning IFI in relation to antibiotic exposure are scarce.

AIM

This prospective, multi-centre matched case-control study explored the correlation of IFI and antibiotic exposure in very preterm infants or very-low-birthweight infants admitted to 23 tertiary hospitals in China between 2018 and 2021.

METHODS

Using a 1:2 matched design for gestational age, birth weight and early-onset sepsis (yes/no), the risk factors between infants diagnosed with IFI and infection-free controls were compared. The antibiotic use rate (AUR) was calculated using calendar days of antibiotic therapy in the 4 weeks preceding IFI onset divided by onset day of IFI.

FINDINGS

In total, 6368 infants were included in the study, of which 90 (1.4%) were diagnosed with IFI. Median AUR, length of antibiotic therapy (LOT) and days of antibiotic therapy (DOT) within the 4 weeks preceding IFI onset were 0.90, 18 days and 30 days, respectively. Multi-variate analysis showed that a 10% increase in AUR, each additional day of DOT and LOT, and each additional day of third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems were notably associated with IFI.

CONCLUSION

Prolonged antibiotic therapy is common before the onset of IFI, and is an important risk factor, especially the use of third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems. Antibiotic stewardship should be urgently developed and promoted for preterm infants in order to reduce IFI in lower-income countries such as China.

Phillyrin Inhibits Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy Via P38 and NF-κB Pathways

Cardiac hypertrophy (CH) is the main compensatory response to chronic heart stress and often progresses to a decompensation state potentially leading to heart failure. Phillyrin (PHI) is a novel compound derived from Forsythia, which has shown anti-inflammatory and anti-virus activities as well as renal protective effects on diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, we investigated the effects of PHI on CH induced by isoproterenol (ISO). Cardiac hypertrophy was induced by ISO in vivo, and the H9C2 cells were treated with ISO. PHI treatment alleviated CH in isoproterenol-induced mice in 7 and 14 days. Echocardiography showed that the PHI improved ISO-induced CH heart function and structure. PHI significantly decreased heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) and heart weight/tibia length (HW/TL) ratios and improved left ventricular (LV) function in ISO-treated mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed cardiomyocyte areas of the ISO group were significantly increased, and PHI was significantly reduced at 7 and 14 days, PHI-100 groups showed significantly better improvements than PHI-50. Sirius red staining indicated PHI significantly decreased collagen deposition in heart cross-sections induced by ISO, and PHI repressed ISO-induced cTn-I and NT-proBNP expression in mouse serum. In vitro data from H9C2 cells showed that PHI decreased cell areas and total cell protein levels in cells induced by ISO, whereas ANP, BNP, IL-6, and IL-1β expression was significantly inhibited by PHI. Also, PHI simultaneously inhibited P65 and P38 phosphorylation in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the protective effect of PHI on CH in in vivo and in vitro, and this effect was related to the suppression of inflammation through the activation of the P38/NF-κB pathway.