Direct programming of human pluripotent stem cells into endothelial progenitors with SOX17 and FGF2

Transcription factors (TFs) are pivotal in guiding stem cell behavior, including their maintenance and differentiation. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we investigated TFs expressed in endothelial progenitors (EPs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and identified upregulated expression of SOXF factors SOX7, SOX17, and SOX18 in the EP population. To test whether overexpression of these factors increases differentiation efficiency, we established inducible hPSC lines for each SOXF factor and found only SOX17 overexpression robustly increased the percentage of cells expressing CD34 and vascular endothelial cadherin (VEC). Conversely, SOX17 knockdown via CRISPR-Cas13d significantly compromised EP differentiation. Intriguingly, we discovered SOX17 overexpression alone was sufficient to generate CD34+VEC+CD31- cells, and, when combined with FGF2 treatment, more than 90% of CD34+VEC+CD31+ EP was produced. These cells are capable of further differentiating into endothelial cells. These findings underscore an undiscovered role of SOX17 in programming hPSCs toward an EP lineage, illuminating pivotal mechanisms in EP differentiation.

Nightshift work and irregular menstrual cycle: 8-year follow-up cohort study

BACKGROUND

Irregular menstruation is a major health problem among women, although its association with nightshift work remains controversial.

AIMS

To study the association between nightshift work and irregular menstrual cycle among female workers and investigate any differences according to sleep quality, working hours or obesity.

METHODS

This study included female workers who underwent health examinations from 2012 to 2019. Nightshift work, working hours, sleep quality and menstrual cycles were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Irregular menstrual cycle was defined as self-reported irregular or ≥36 days. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multivariable logistic regression; adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) for incident irregular menstrual cycle were calculated by Cox proportional hazard models with time-dependent analysis.

RESULTS

The study participants were 87 147 in the cross-sectional study and 41 516 in the longitudinal study. After adjusting for all covariates in the cross-sectional analyses, the odds ratio for prevalent irregular menstrual cycle among female nightshift workers versus the reference was 1.26 (95% CI 1.2-1.33). In the cohort study, the adjusted hazard ratio for incident irregular menstrual cycle among nightshift workers was 1.95 (95% CI 1.61-2.35) in the period after 6 years. No significant differences were observed among subgroups stratified by sleep quality, working hours or obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Nightshift work is associated with an increased risk of both prevalent and incident irregular menstrual cycle in female workers without significant interactions by sleep quality, working hours or obesity.

Crispr-Based Editing of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Disease Modeling

The CRISPR system, as an effective genome editing technology, has been extensively utilized for the construction of disease models in human pluripotent stem cells. Establishment of a gene mutant or knockout stem cell line typically relies on Cas nuclease-generated double-stranded DNA breaks and exogenous templates, which can produce uncontrollable editing byproducts and toxicity. The recently developed adenine base editors (ABE) have greatly facilitated related research by introducing A/T > G/C mutations in the coding regions or splitting sites (AG-GT) of genes, enabling mutant gene knock-in or knock-out without introducing DNA breaks. In this study, we edit the AG bases in exons anterior to achieve gene knockout via the ABE8e-SpRY, which recognizes most expanded protospacer adjacent motif to target the genome. Except for gene-knockout, ABE8e-SpRY can also efficiently establish disease-related A/T-to-G/C variation cell lines by targeting coding sequences. The method we generated is simple and time-saving, and it only takes two weeks to obtain the desired cell line. This protocol provides operating instructions step-by-step for constructing knockout and point mutation cell lines.

Aucubin protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by regulating STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB-1 pathway

The main characteristics of the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI) are oxidative stress, apoptosis, and an inflammatory response. Aucubin (AU) is an iridoid glycoside that possesses various biological properties and has been discovered to demonstrate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory impacts in pathological processes, such as ischemia-reperfusion. The objective of this research was to investigate if AU treatment could mitigate myocardial inflammation and apoptosis caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in both laboratory and animal models, and to elucidate its underlying mechanism. By ligating the coronary artery on the left anterior descending side, a successful MI/RI rat model was created. Additionally, H9C2 cells were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in order to imitate the injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Furthermore, various concentrations of AU were administered to H9C2 cells or rats before H/R stimulation or myocardial I/R surgery, respectively. In vitro, the assessment was conducted on cardiac function, inflammatory markers, and myocardial pathology. In vivo, we examined the viability of cells, as well as factors related to apoptosis and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the presence of proteins belonging to the STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB1 signaling pathway was observed both in vivo and in vitro. AU effectively improved cardiomyocyte injury caused by H/R and myocardial injury caused by I/R. Furthermore, AU suppressed the production of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory molecules (TNF-alpha, IL-1β, and IL-6) and proteins associated with cell death (caspase-3 and Bax), while enhancing the levels of anti-inflammatory agents (IL-10) and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.AU mechanistically affected the phosphorylation of STAT3 at the Ser727 site and Tyr705 following H/R by modulating the signaling pathway involving signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), while also suppressing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 and HMGB1 exonucleation. In conclusion, the use of AU treatment might offer protection against myocardial infarction and injury by reducing oxidative stress, suppressing apoptosis, and mitigating inflammation. The regulation of the STAT3/NF-κB/HMGB-1 pathway may contribute to this phenomenon by affecting STAT3 phosphorylation and controlling NF-κB and HMGB-1 translocation. Contributes to identifying possible objectives for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion damage.

IL6/adiponectin/HMGB1 feedback loop mediates adipocyte and macrophage crosstalk and M2 polarization after myocardial infarction

Background

Differences in border zone contribute to different outcomes post-infarction, such as left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) and myocardial infarction (MI). LVA usually forms within 24 h of the onset of MI and may cause heart rupture; however, LVA surgery is best performed 3 months after MI. Few studies have investigated the LVA model, the differences in border zones between LVA and MI, and the mechanism in the border zone.

Methods

The LVA, MI, and SHAM mouse models were used. Echocardiography, Masson's trichrome staining, and immunofluorescence staining were performed, and RNA sequencing of the border zone was conducted. The adipocyte-conditioned medium-treated hypoxic macrophage cell line and LVA and MI mouse models were employed to determine the effects of the hub gene, adiponectin (ADPN), on macrophages. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were conducted to elucidate the mechanism in the border zone. Human subepicardial adipose tissue and blood samples were collected to validate the effects of ADPN.

Results

A novel, simple, consistent, and low-cost LVA mouse model was constructed. LVA caused a greater reduction in contractile functions than MI owing to reduced wall thickness and edema in the border zone. ADPN impeded cardiac edema and promoted lymphangiogenesis by increasing macrophage infiltration post-infarction. Adipocyte-derived ADPN promoted M2 polarization and sustained mitochondrial quality via the ADPN/AdipoR2/HMGB1 axis. Mechanistically, ADPN impeded macrophage HMGB1 inflammation and decreased interleukin-6 (IL6) and HMGB1 secretion. The secretion of IL6 and HMGB1 increased ADPN expression via STAT3 and the co-transcription factor, YAP, in adipocytes. Based on ChIP and Dual-Glo luciferase experiments, STAT3 promoted ADPN transcription by binding to its promoter in adipocytes. In vivo, ADPN promoted lymphangiogenesis and decreased myocardial injury after MI. These phenotypes were rescued by macrophage depletion or HMGB1 knockdown in macrophages. Supplying adipocytes overexpressing STAT3 decreased collagen disposition, increased lymphangiogenesis, and impaired myocardial injury. However, these effects were rescued after HMGB1 knockdown in macrophages. Overall, the IL6/ADPN/HMGB1 axis was validated using human subepicardial tissue and blood samples. This axis could serve as an independent factor in overweight MI patients who need coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) treatment.

Conclusion

The IL6/ADPN/HMGB1 loop between adipocytes and macrophages in the border zone contributes to different clinical outcomes post-infarction. Thus, targeting the IL6/ADPN/HMGB1 loop may be a novel therapeutic approach for cardiac lymphatic regulation and reduction of cell senescence post-infarction.

Glycyrrhizic acid alleviated MI/R-induced injuries by inhibiting Hippo/YAP signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Previous research has demonstrated that glycyrrhizic acid (GA) exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic characteristics. Using myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury as a case study, this study aims to clarify the functional significance of GA and to elucidate the mechanisms involved.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, an MI/R injury model was established both in vivo and in vitro to investigate the impact of GA on MI/R injury. The viability of H9c2 cells was evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Myocardial damage was assessed through the measurement of creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB) levels and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), HE staining, and MASSON staining. Inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α) were measured to determine the presence of inflammation. Cellular oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring ROS and MMP levels, while cardiac function was assessed using cardiac color Doppler ultrasound. Immunofluorescence staining to determine the nuclear translocation of YAP, TUNEL to determine apoptosis, and western blotting to determine gene expression.

RESULTS

GA treatment effectively alleviated myocardial injury induced by MI/R, as evidenced by reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α) and cardiac biomarkers (CK-MB, LDH) in MI/R rats. Moreover, There was a significant increase in cell viability in vitro after GA treatment and inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) during oxidative stress, while also increasing mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in vitro. The Western blot findings indicate that GA treatment effectively suppressed apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Additionally, GA demonstrated inhibitory effects on the activation of the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway triggered by MI/R and facilitated YAP nuclear translocation both in vitro and in vivo. It has been found, however, in vitro, that silencing the YAP gene negates GA's protective effect against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced myocardial injury.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that GA regulates YAP nuclear translocation by inhibiting the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway, which protects ists against MI/R injury. This finding may present a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of MI/R.

Asymmetric Triple-Functional Janus Membrane for Blood Oxygenation

The oxygenation membrane, a core material of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), is facing challenges in balancing anti-plasma leakage, gas exchange efficiency, and hemocompatibility. Here, inspired by the asymmetric structural features of alveolus pulmonalis, a novel triple-functional membrane for blood oxygenation with a Janus architecture is proposed, which is composed of a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer to prevent plasma leakage, an ultrathin polyamide layer to enhance gas exchange efficiency with a CO2 :O2 permeance ratio of ≈10.7, and a hydrophilic polyzwitterionic layer to improve the hemocompatibility. During the simulated ECMO process, the Janus oxygenation membrane exhibits excellent performance in terms of thrombus formation and plasma leakage prevention, as well as adequate O2 transfer rate (17.8 mL min-1 m-2 ) and CO2 transfer rate (70.1 mL min-1 m-2 ), in comparison to the reported oxygenation membranes. This work presents novel concepts for the advancement of oxygenation membranes and demonstrates the application potential of the asymmetric triple-functional Janus oxygenation membrane in ECMO.

Antioxidant effect of dimethyl fumarate in pentylenetetrazole-kindled epilepsy mice and is activated by nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway

This study was designed to examine the anti-oxidative stress effect of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced epileptic mice, and to evaluate the correlation of its mechanism with the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated signaling pathway. The experimental mice were separated into three groups: control, model, and DMF groups. Mice in the model group were administered PTZ to establish an epilepsy model, mice in the DMF group were administered DMF concurrently when modeling, and mice in the control group were administered a 0.9% NaCl solution. The latency, severity, and frequency of epileptic seizures in mice after each treatment were recorded, and the modelling success rate was computed at the conclusion of the experiment. The mice were euthanized, their levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and Nrf2 were measured, and the electron microscope was used to examine the mitochondrial damage of brain tissue. The latency of epileptic seizures was longer in the DMF group compared to the model group (P<0.05). The levels of MDA and ROS in the DMF group were lower than those in the model group (P<0.0001), and the activity of SOD in the DMF group was higher than that in the model group (P<0.0001); however, the levels of MDA and ROS were elevated and the activity of SOD was lower in both groups relative to the control group. The levels of 8-OHdG were lower in the DMF group than the model group (P<0.0001), however, the levels were higher in both groups compared to the control group. Mitochondrial abnormalities were more prevalent in the model group than in the DMF group, and more prevalent in both groups compared to the control group. The DMF group contained more Nrf2 content than the model group (P<0.0001), and both groups contained more Nrf2 than the control group. We concluded that the mechanism by which DMF reduced the level of oxidative stress in epileptic mice might involve the Nrf2-mediated signaling pathway.

Dynamic navigation-assisted bone ring technique for partially edentulous patients with severe vertical ridge defects

The autogenous bone ring technique is among the approaches for vertical alveolar ridge augmentation, and this technique can enable simultaneous implantation. However, the outcomes can be compromised due to donor site morbidity, shifting of the bone ring graft positioning, and inaccurate implant placement. In recent decades, dynamic navigation systems have been introduced into the field of implantology, allowing the accuracy of outcomes to be improved. This Technical Note describes the use of dynamic navigation to guide bone ring surgery, which is expected to enable more precise and predictable bone augmentation and implantation procedures, reduce the risk of injuries to the adjacent anatomical structures, and achieve better treatment outcomes.

Enhanced Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Properties of Stretchable Thermoelectric Generators Formed by Doped Semiconducting Polymer/Elastomer Blends

Recent research efforts have concentrated on the development of flexible and stretchable thermoelectric (TE) materials. However, significant challenges have emerged, including increased resistance and reduced electrical conductivity when subjected to strain. To address these issues, rigid semiconducting polymers and elastic insulating polymers have been incorporated and nanoconfinement effects have been exploited to enhance the charge mobility. Herein, a feasible approach is presented for fabricating stretchable TE materials by using a doped semiconducting polymer blend consisting of either poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) or poly(3,6-dithiophen-2-yl-2,5-di(2-decyltetradecyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-alt-thienylenevinylene-2,5-yl) (PDVT-10) as the rigid polymer with styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) as the elastic polymer. In particular, the blend composition is optimized to achieve a continuous network structure with SEBS, thereby improving the stretchability. The optimized polymer films exhibit well-ordered microstructural aggregates, indicative of good miscibility with FeCl3 and enhanced doping efficiency. Notably, a lower activation energy and higher charge-carrier concentration contribute to an improved electrical conductivity under high tensile strain, with a maximum output power of 1.39 nW at a ΔT of 22.4 K. These findings offer valuable insights and serve as guidelines for the development of stretchable p-n junction thermoelectric generators based on doped semiconducting polymer blends with potential applications in wearable electronics and energy harvesting.

In Vivo Base Editing of Scn5a Rescues Type 3 Long QT Syndrome in Mice

BACKGROUND

Pathogenic variants in SCN5A can result in long QT syndrome type 3, a life-threatening genetic disease. Adenine base editors can convert targeted A T base pairs to G C base pairs, offering a promising tool to correct pathogenic variants.

METHODS

We generated a long QT syndrome type 3 mouse model by introducing the T1307M pathogenic variant into the Scn5a gene. The adenine base editor was split into 2 smaller parts and delivered into the heart by adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9-ABEmax) to correct the T1307M pathogenic variant.

RESULTS

Both homozygous and heterozygous T1307M mice showed significant QT prolongation. Carbachol administration induced Torsades de Pointes or ventricular tachycardia for homozygous T1307M mice (20%) but not for heterozygous or wild-type mice. A single intraperitoneal injection of AAV9-ABEmax at postnatal day 14 resulted in up to 99.20% Scn5a transcripts corrected in T1307M mice. Scn5a mRNA correction rate >60% eliminated QT prolongation; Scn5a mRNA correction rate <60% alleviated QT prolongation. Partial Scn5a correction resulted in cardiomyocytes heterogeneity, which did not induce severe arrhythmias. We did not detect off-target DNA or RNA editing events in ABEmax-treated mouse hearts.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show that in vivo AAV9-ABEmax editing can correct the variant Scn5a allele, effectively ameliorating arrhythmia phenotypes. Our results offer a proof of concept for the treatment of hereditary arrhythmias.

Bivalirudin-hydrogel coatings of polyvinyl chloride on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for anticoagulation

Introduction

Thromboembolic events associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in clinical treatment are typical. Heparin coating has been widely employed as a surface modification strategy for ECMO tubes. However, its clinical application is often accompanied by unavoidable complications due to its mechanism of action. As a direct thrombin inhibitor with a single target, Bivalirudin (BV) has exhibited a lower incidence of adverse events and superior pharmacokinetic performance compared to heparin.

Methods

A gelatin methacrylate hydrogel (GelMA) coating layer with BV was successfully synthesized on polyvinyl chloride, and the drug release ratio was close to complete release within 7 days.

Results and discussion

Simulated extracorporeal circulation experiments using roller pumps in vitro and jugular arteriovenous bypass experiments in rabbits demonstrated its outstanding anticoagulant efficacy. The systemic anticoagulant assay proved that BV hydrogel coating does not affect the coagulation level, and reduces the risk of complications such as systemic bleeding compared to intravenous injection. BV-Coating GelMA hydrogel tube has exhibited good biocompatibility and significantly improved anticoagulant performance, making it an optimal choice for surface materials used in blood-contacting medical devices.

Generation of chimeric antigen receptor macrophages from human pluripotent stem cells to target glioblastoma

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor giving a poor prognosis with the current treatment options. The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy revolutionized the field of immunotherapy and has provided a new set of therapeutic options for refractory blood cancers. In an effort to apply this therapeutic approach to solid tumors, various immune cell types and CAR constructs are being studied. Notably, macrophages have recently emerged as potential candidates for targeting solid tumors, attributed to their inherent tumor-infiltrating capacity and abundant presence in the tumor microenvironment.

Materials and methods

In this study, we developed a chemically defined differentiation protocol to generate macrophages from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). A GBM-specific CAR was genetically incorporated into hPSCs to generate CAR hPSC-derived macrophages.

Results

The CAR hPSC-derived macrophages exhibited potent anticancer activity against GBM cells in vitro.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of generating functional CAR-macrophages from hPSCs for adoptive immunotherapy, thereby opening new avenues for the treatment of solid tumors, particularly GBM.

Multitrait meta-analyses identify potential candidate genes for growth-related traits in Holstein heifers

Understanding the underlying pleiotropic relationships among growth and body size traits is important for refining breeding strategies in dairy cattle for optimal body size and growth rate. Therefore, we performed single-trait GWAS for monthly-recorded body weight (BW), hip height, body length, and chest girth from birth to 12 mo of age in Holstein animals, followed by stepwise multiple regression of independent or lowly-linked markers from GWAS loci using conditional and joint association analyses (COJO). Subsequently, we conducted a multitrait meta-analysis to detect pleiotropic markers. Based on the single-trait GWAS, we identified 170 significant SNPs, in which 59 of them remained significant after the COJO analyses. The most significant SNP, located at BTA7:3,676,741, explained 2.93% of the total phenotypic variance for BW6 (BW at 6 mo of age). We identified 17 SNPs with potential pleiotropic effects based on the multitrait meta-analyses, which resulted in 3 additional SNPs in comparison to those detected based on the single-trait GWAS. The identified quantitative trait loci regions overlap with genes known to influence human growth-related traits. According to positional and functional analyses, we proposed HMGA2, HNF4G, MED13L, BHLHE40, FRZB, DMP1, TRIB3, and GATAD2A as important candidate genes influencing the studied traits. The combination of single-trait GWAS and meta-analyses of GWAS results improved the efficiency of detecting associated SNPs, and provided new insights into the genetic mechanisms of growth and development in Holstein cattle.

Engineered hematopoietic and immune cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells

For the past decade, significant advances have been achieved in human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation for treating various blood diseases and cancers. However, challenges remain with the quality control, amount, and cost of HSCs and HSC-derived immune cells. The advent of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) may transform HSC transplantation and cancer immunotherapy by providing a cost-effective and scalable cell source for fundamental studies and translational applications. In this review, we discuss the current developments in the field of stem cell engineering for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) differentiation and further differentiation of HSPCs into functional immune cells. The key advances in stem cell engineering include the generation of HSPCs from hPSCs, genetic modification of hPSCs, and hPSC-derived HSPCs for improved function, further differentiation of HPSCs into functional immune cells, and applications of cell culture platforms for hematopoietic cell manufacturing. Current challenges impeding the translation of hPSC-HSPCs and immune cells as well as further directions to address these challenges are also discussed.

Engineered human pluripotent stem cell-derived natural killer cells with PD-L1 responsive immunological memory for enhanced immunotherapeutic efficacy

Adoptive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered natural killer (NK) cells have shown promise in treating various cancers. However, limited immunological memory and access to sufficient numbers of allogenic donor cells have hindered their broader preclinical and clinical applications. Here, we first assess eight different CAR constructs that use an anti-PD-L1 nanobody and/or universal anti-fluorescein (FITC) single-chain variable fragment (scFv) to enhance antigen-specific proliferation and anti-tumor cytotoxicity of NK-92 cells against heterogenous solid tumors. We next genetically engineer human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) with optimized CARs and differentiate them into functional dual CAR-NK cells. The tumor microenvironment responsive anti-PD-L1 CAR effectively promoted hPSC-NK cell proliferation and cytotoxicity through antigen-dependent activation of phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) and pSTAT5 signaling pathways via an intracellular truncated IL-2 receptor β-chain (ΔIL-2Rβ) and STAT3-binding tyrosine-X-X-glutamine (YXXQ) motif. Anti-tumor activities of PD-L1-induced memory-like hPSC-NK cells were further boosted by administering a FITC-folate bi-specific adapter that bridges between a programmable anti-FITC CAR and folate receptor alpha-expressing breast tumor cells. Collectively, our hPSC CAR-NK engineering platform is modular and could constitute a realistic strategy to manufacture off-the-shelf CAR-NK cells with immunological memory-like phenotype for targeted immunotherapy.

[Progress of laparoscopy and endoscopy cooperative surgery for early colorectal tumors]

Cooperative laparoscopic or robotic-endoscopic surgery has emerged as a promising approach for the treatment of early-stage colorectal cancers that are difficult to treat with endoscopic techniques alone. Cooperative surgery allows organ and function preservation by complementing the advantages of each modality, providing minimally invasive, precise and personalized treatment options. Laparoscopic-endoscopic cooperative surgery includes laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic resection, combined laparoscopic-endoscopic full-thickness resection, endoscopic-assisted laparoscopic wedge resection, endoscopic-assisted laparoscopic segmental resection, and laparoscopic-endoscopic cooperative surgery with sentinel lymph node dissection. Nearly three decades of clinical research and practice have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic and endoscopic cooperative surgery in the treatment of colorectal tumors. With the progress of the minimally invasive concept, the development of minimally invasive technology and the innovation of minimally invasive equipment, laparoscopy and endoscopy cooperative surgery is expected to have a proper place in the treatment of colorectal tumors.

[Application of robotic (or laparoscopic) surgery combined with colonoscopy in T1 stage colorectal cancer surgery: 13 cases]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and safety of a robotic surgical system (or laparoscopy) in combination with colonoscopy (combined) for the treatment of stage T1N0M0 colorectal cancer. Methods: This was a descriptive case series. Indications for combined dual-scope surgery in this study were as follows: (1) preoperative colonoscopic examination of lesions in the middle and upper rectum and colon with pathologically confirmed high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, intramucosal adenocarcinoma, or adenocarcinoma; (2) no distant or local lymph node metastases; and (3) endoscopic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging evidence of tumor invasion of the mucosal or submucosal, but not the muscular, layer (i.e., T1). The clinical data of 13 patients with stage T1 colorectal cancer who had undergone dual-scope combined resection using a robotic surgery system or laparoscope-assisted combined colonoscopy surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April to October 2022 were retrospectively collected, including 6 males and 7 females, with a median age of 59 (48~88) years old. The tumors were located in the upper and middle rectum in six patients, in the sigmoid colon in three, and in the ascending colon in four. The median maximum diameter of the tumors was 3.0 (1.8-5.0) cm. The surgery was performed by a robotic surgery system (or laparoscopy) with peritumoral D1 lymph node dissection at the first station in the tumor area. The tumors were resected under direct vision and the defects in the intestinal wall were using a robotic surgery system (or laparoscopy). A robotic surgery system was combined with colonoscopy in eight cases and laparoscopy combined with colonoscopy in the remaining five. Studied variables includes surgical and pathological features, postoperative factors, and outcomes. Results: Surgery was successful in all 13 patients with no need for conversion to open surgery or intraoperative blood transfusion. The median operating time was 85 (60-120) minutes, median intraoperative bleeding 3 (2-5) mL, median number of lymph nodes harvested 3 (1-5), and the median circumferential resection margin 0.8 (0.5-1.0) cm. Postoperative pathological examination showed lymph node metastasis in one patient, who therefore underwent additional radical surgery. The median postoperative time to ambulation was 1 (1-2) days. The urinary catheters of all patients were removed 1 day after surgery and the median length of stay was 4 (3-5) days. No abdominal infection, anastomotic leakage or bleeding occurred in any of the study patients. The median follow-up time was 10 (6-12) months, during which no tumor recurrence or metastasis was found, and the quality of life was satisfactory. Conclusions: The combination of two minimally invasive platforms, a robotic surgery system (or laparoscopy) and colonoscopy, is safe and feasible for resection of stage T1 colorectal cancer and has a good short-term prognosis.

Engineered Artificial Human Neutrophils Exhibit Mature Functional Performance

Neutrophils, a key innate immune component, are powerful effector leukocytes for mediating opposing effects on tumor progression and ameliorating pathogen infections. However, their short lifespan and complex purification process have limited neutrophil clinical applications. Here we combined genetic engineering technology with a nanodrug system to construct artificial neutrophils that display functions similar to those of native neutrophils. K562 and HL60 human leukemia cells were engineered to express the human G protein-coupled receptor hM4Di. Compared to the parental cells, engineered hM4Di-K562 and hM4Di-HL60 cells exhibited excellent chemotaxis ability towards clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) and superior bacteria phagocytic behavior, resembling native neutrophils. The antibacterial ability of the hM4Di-K562 cells was further enhanced by loading them with the glycopeptide vancomycin via mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Nano@Van). Our proposed artificial cell engineering platform provides a new avenue to investigate the physiological properties of neutrophils.

[Protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus against high-fat diet-induced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus (TSPJ) against high-fat dietinduced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice.

METHODS

Forty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into normal diet group, high-fat diet group, and low-dose (25 mg/kg) and high-dose (75 mg/kg) TSPJ treatment groups (n=10). The mice in the normal diet group were fed a normal diet, while the mice in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet. After TSPJ treatment via intragastric administration for 5 months, the testes and epididymis of the mice were collected for measurement of weight, testicular and epididymal indices and sperm parameters. HE staining was used for histological evaluation of the testicular tissues and measurement of seminiferous tubule diameter and seminiferous epithelium height. The expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, claudin11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin in Sertoli cells were detected with Western blot, and the localization and expression levels of ZO-1 and β-catenin in the testicular tissues were detected with immunofluorescence assay. The protein expressions of LC3B, p-AKT and p-mTOR in testicular Sertoli cells were detected using double immunofluorescence assay.

RESULTS

Treatment with TSPJ significantly improved high-fat diet-induced testicular dysfunction by reducing body weight (P < 0.001), increasing testicular and epididymal indices (P < 0.05), and improving sperm concentration and sperm viability (P < 0.05). TSPJ ameliorated testicular pathologies and increased seminiferous epithelium height of the mice with high-fat diet feeding (P < 0.05) without affecting the seminiferous tubule diameter. TSPJ significantly increased the expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin (P < 0.05) but did not affect claudin11 expression in the testicular tissues. Immunofluorescence assay showed that TSPJ significantly increased ZO-1 and β-catenin expression in the testicular tissues (P < 0.001), downregulated LC3B expression and upregulated p-AKT and p-mTOR expressions in testicular Sertoli cells.

CONCLUSION

TSPJ alleviates high-fat diet-induced damages of testicular Sertoli cell junctions and spermatogenesis possibly by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and inhibiting autophagy of testicular Sertoli cells.

Improved Measurement of the Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge of neutrinos. In this Letter, the evolution of the flux and spectrum as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and spectrum, as well as the flux evolution with the ^{239}Pu isotopic fraction, are inconsistent with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted inverse-beta-decay spectrum from ^{239}Pu fission does not improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted spectrum due to ^{235}U fission is changed or the predicted ^{235}U, ^{238}U, ^{239}Pu, and ^{241}Pu spectra are changed in equal measure.

Applications of machine learning in animal and veterinary public health surveillance

Machine learning (ML) is an approach to artificial intelligence characterised by the use of algorithms that improve their own performance at a given task (e.g. classification or prediction) based on data and without being explicitly and fully instructed on how to achieve this. Surveillance systems for animal and zoonotic diseases depend upon effective completion of a broad range of tasks, some of them amenable to ML algorithms. As in other fields, the use of ML in animal and veterinary public health surveillance has greatly expanded in recent years. Machine learning algorithms are being used to accomplish tasks that have become attainable only with the advent of large data sets, new methods for their analysis and increased computing capacity. Examples include the identification of an underlying structure in large volumes of data from an ongoing stream of abattoir condemnation records, the use of deep learning to identify lesions in digital images obtained during slaughtering, and the mining of free text in electronic health records from veterinary practices for the purpose of sentinel surveillance. However, ML is also being applied to tasks that previously relied on traditional statistical data analysis. Statistical models have been used extensively to infer relationships between predictors and disease to inform risk-based surveillance, and increasingly, ML algorithms are being used for prediction and forecasting of animal diseases in support of more targeted and efficient surveillance. While ML and inferential statistics can accomplish similar tasks, they have different strengths, making one or the other more or less appropriate in a given context.

Engineered anti-prostate cancer CAR-neutrophils from human pluripotent stem cells

Immunotherapy is a powerful technique where immune cells are modified to improve cytotoxicity against cancerous cells to treat cancers that do not respond to surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. Expressing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in immune cells, typically T lymphocytes, is a practical modification that drives an immune response against cancerous tissue. CAR-T efficacy is suboptimal in solid tumors due to the tumor microenvironment (TME) that limits T lymphocyte cytotoxicity. In this study, we demonstrate that neutrophils differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells modified with AAVS1-inserted CAR constructs showed a robust cytotoxic effect against prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expressing LNCaP cells as a model for prostate cancer in vitro. Our results suggest that engineered CAR can significantly enhance the neutrophil anti-tumor effect, providing a new avenue in treating prostate cancers.

Precision Measurement of Reactor Antineutrino Oscillation at Kilometer-Scale Baselines by Daya Bay

We present a new determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle θ_{13} and the mass-squared difference Δm_{32}^{2} using a final sample of 5.55×10^{6} inverse beta-decay (IBD) candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium. This sample is selected from the complete dataset obtained by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in 3158 days of operation. Compared to the previous Daya Bay results, selection of IBD candidates has been optimized, energy calibration refined, and treatment of backgrounds further improved. The resulting oscillation parameters are sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0851±0.0024, Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.466±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the normal mass ordering or Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.571±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the inverted mass ordering.

CAR-neutrophil mediated delivery of tumor-microenvironment responsive nanodrugs for glioblastoma chemo-immunotherapy

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and lethal solid tumors in human. While efficacious therapeutics, such as emerging chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells and chemotherapeutics, have been developed to treat various cancers, their effectiveness in GBM treatment has been hindered largely by the blood-brain barrier and blood-brain-tumor barriers. Human neutrophils effectively cross physiological barriers and display effector immunity against pathogens but the short lifespan and resistance to genome editing of primary neutrophils have limited their broad application in immunotherapy. Here we genetically engineer human pluripotent stem cells with CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knock-in to express various anti-GBM CAR constructs with T-specific CD3ζ or neutrophil-specific γ-signaling domains. CAR-neutrophils with the best anti-tumor activity are produced to specifically and noninvasively deliver and release tumor microenvironment-responsive nanodrugs to target GBM without the need to induce additional inflammation at the tumor sites. This combinatory chemo-immunotherapy exhibits superior and specific anti-GBM activities, reduces off-target drug delivery and prolongs lifespan in female tumor-bearing mice. Together, this biomimetic CAR-neutrophil drug delivery system is a safe, potent and versatile platform for treating GBM and possibly other devastating diseases.

N-Type Doping of Naphthalenediimide-Based Random Donor-Acceptor Copolymers to Enhance Transistor Performance and Structural Crystallinity

An integrated strategy of molecular design and conjugated polymer doping is proposed to improve the electronic characteristics for organic field effect transistor (OFET) applications. Here, a series of soluble naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based random donor-acceptor copolymers with selenophene π-conjugated linkers and four acceptors with different electron-withdrawing strengths (named as rNDI-N/S/NN/SS) are synthesized, characterized, and used for OFETs. N-type doping of NDI-based random copolymers using (12a,18a)-5,6,12,12a,13,18,18a,19-octahydro-5,6-dimethyl-13,18[1',2']-benzenobisbenzimidazo[1,2-b:2',1'-d]benzo[i][2.5]benzodiazocine potassium triflate adduct (DMBI-BDZC) is successfully demonstrated. The undoped rNDI-N, rNDI-NN, and rNDI-SS samples exhibit ambipolar charge transport, while rNDI-S presents only a unipolar n-type characteristic. Doping with DMBI-BDZC significantly modulates the performance of rNDI-N/S OFETs, with a 3- to 6-fold increase in electron mobility (μ_e) for 1 wt % doped device due to simultaneous trap mitigation, lower contact resistance (R_C), and activation energy (E_A), and enhanced crystallinity and edge-on orientation for charge transport. However, the doping of intrinsic pro-quinoidal rNDI-NN/SS films exhibits unchanged or even reduced device performance. These findings allow us to manipulate the energy levels by developing conjugated copolymers based on various acceptors and quinoids and to optimize the dopant-polymer semiconductor interactions and their impacts on the film morphology and molecular orientation for enhanced charge transport.

Chemically defined generation of human definitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

Here, we present a protocol to efficiently direct human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) under a chemically defined, albumin-free system. We describe the induction of aorta-gonad-mesonephros-like hematopoiesis from hPSCs into SOX17+ hemogenic endothelium and then into CD34+CD45+ HSPCs via application of Wnt activator and TGFβ inhibitor, respectively. The generated HSPCs, characterized by flow cytometry and colony-forming unit assay, express definitive hematopoiesis markers and exhibit multilineage differentiation potential and the capacity to expand. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chang et al. (2022a, 2022b).1,2.

All-or-None Selectivity in Probing Polarity-Determined Trinucleotide Repeat Foldings with a Parity Resolution by a Beyond-Size-Matching Ligand

Abnormal amplification of trinucleotide repeats (TNRs) is associated with neurodegenerative diseases by forming a particular hairpin bulge. It is well known that the polarity and parity of TNRs can regulate the formed hairpin structures. Therefore, there is a great challenge to efficiently discriminate the hairpin structures of TNRs with substantial selectivity. Herein, we developed a fluorescent ligand of pseudohypericin (Pse) with a beyond-size-matching (BSM) geometry to selectively sense hairpin structures of GTC and CTG TNRs. The GTC hairpin structures can bind with Pse dominantly at extreme T-T mismatches by the virtue of their most extrahelical conformations, while there is no binding event to occur with the polarity-inverted counterpart CTG hairpin structures because of the limited space provided by their intrahelical T-T mismatches. In addition, this all-or-none response with the polarity-dependent folding (PoDF) is independent of the length of these TNRs. Interestingly, the parity-dependent folding (PaDF) of GTC hairpin structures can also be resolved. Besides pure TNRs, the competency of this BSM ligand to sense the PoDF and PaDF effects was also generalized to DNAs with TNRs occurring at loop and stem end regions. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental observation with the state-of-the-art performance over the fluorescence measurement of PoDF and PaDF in TNRs. Our work provides an expedient way to elucidate the TNR folding by designing ligands having BSM features.

Selectivity of natural isoquinoline alkaloid assembler in programming poly(dA) into parallel duplex by polyvalent synergy

Ligand-induced assembly of disordered DNAs attracts much attention due to its potential action in transcription regulation and molecular switches-based sensors. Among natural isoquinoline alkaloids (NIAs), we screened out nitidine (NIT) as polyvalent-binding assembler to program poly(dA) into a parallel duplex assembly at neutral pH. The molecule planarity of NIAs was believed to be a determinant factor in programming the parallel poly(dA) assembly. Poly(dA) with more than six adenines can initiate the synergistic binding of NIT to generate the parallel assembly. It is expected that one A-A pair in duplex can bind one NIT molecule provided that poly(dA) is long enough, suggesting the pivotal role of the polyvalent synergy of NIT in programming the parallel poly(dA) assembly. A gold nanoparticles-based colorimetric method was also developed to screen NIT out of NIAs having the potential to construct the poly(dA) assembly. Our work will inspire more interest in developing polyadenine-based switches and sensors by concentrating NIT within the polyadenine parallel assembly.

A pilot adaptive trial of text messages, mailed nicotine replacement therapy, and telephone coaching among primary care patients who smoke

INTRODUCTION

Sequential multiple assignment randomized trials (SMART) inform the design of adaptive treatment interventions. We tested the feasibility of a SMART to deliver a stepped-care intervention among primary care patients who smoked daily.

METHODS

In a 12-week pilot SMART (NCT04020718), we tested the feasibility of recruiting and retaining (>80 %) participants to an adaptive intervention starting with cessation text messages (SMS). The study randomly assigned participants (R1) to assessment of quit status, the tailoring variable, after either 4 or 8 weeks of SMS. The study offered continued SMS alone to those reporting abstinence. Those reporting smoking were randomized (R2) to SMS + mailed NRT or SMS + NRT + brief telephone coaching.

RESULTS

During Jan-March and July-Aug 2020, we enrolled 35 patients (>18 years) from a primary care network in Massachusetts. Two (6 %) of 31 participants reported seven-day point prevalence abstinence at their tailoring variable assessment. The 29 participants who continued to smoke at 4 or 8 weeks were randomized (R2) to SMS + NRT (n = 16) or SMS + NRT + coaching (n = 13). Thirty of 35 participants (86 %) completed 12-weeks; 13 % (2/15) of those in 4-week group and 27 % (4/15) of those in 8-week group had CO < 6 ppm at 12-weeks (p = 0.65). Among 29 participants in R2, one was lost to follow-up, 19 % (3/16) of the SMS + NRT group had CO < 6 ppm vs. 17 % (2/12) of SMS + NRT + coaching (p = 1.00). Treatment satisfaction was high (93 %, 28 of 30 who completed 12-weeks).

CONCLUSIONS

A SMART exploring a stepped-care adaptive intervention combining SMS, NRT, and coaching for primary care patients was feasible. Retention and satisfaction were high and quit rates were promising.

Risk factors for unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture diagnosis and for clinical management in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK

This study aimed to evaluate demographic risk factors associated with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture diagnosis and to explore demographic and clinical risk factors associated with management of unilateral CCL rupture in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. A retrospective cohort study design was used. Clinical records were automatically searched and manually verified for incident cases of unilateral CCL rupture during 2019 and additional clinical management information extracted. Multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to evaluate associations between risk factors and: (1) CCL rupture diagnosis; and (2) clinical management (surgical or non-surgical). The analysis included 1000 unilateral CCL rupture cases and a random selection of 500,000 non-cases. After accounting for confounding factors, dogs aged 6 to < 9 years, male neutered and female neutered dogs, insured dogs, and Rottweiler, Bichon Frise, and West Highland White terrier breeds, in particular, had increased odds of unilateral CCL rupture diagnosis. Insured dogs and dogs ≥ 20 kg had increased odds of surgical management, while dogs ≥ 9 years and dogs with one non-orthopaedic comorbidity at diagnosis with CCL rupture had reduced odds. These findings inform identification of at-risk dogs, with Rottweilers and Bichon Frise particularly predisposed. Additionally, they contribute to a greater understanding of the clinical rationales used in primary-care veterinary practices to decide between surgical or non-surgical management of unilateral CCL rupture.

Selectively recognizing heptad-interfaced G-quadruplexes by a molecular rotor with an ESIPT emission

Heptad-interfaced G-quadruplexes (G4s), formed with GGA repeats located in the nuclear proto-oncogene c-myb promoter, can be selectively targeted by a prenylated flavonol of sophoflavescenol (Sop) with restriction of molecular rotation to trigger strong excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) emission.

Adoptive Immunotherapy: A Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Perspective

The past decade has witnessed significant advances in cancer immunotherapy, particularly through the adoptive transfer of engineered T cells in treating advanced leukemias and lymphomas. Despite these excitements, challenges remain with scale, cost, and ensuring quality control of engineered immune cells, including chimeric antigen receptor T, natural killer cells, and macrophages. The advent of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, has transformed immunotherapy by providing a scalable, off-the-shelf source of any desired immune cells for basic research, translational studies, and clinical interventions. The tractability of hPSCs for gene editing could also generate homogenous, universal cellular products with custom functionality for individual or combinatory therapeutic applications. This review will explore various immune cell types whose directed differentiation from hPSCs has been achieved and recently adapted for translational immunotherapy and feature forward-looking bioengineering techniques shaping the future of the stem cell field.

Wnt signaling directs human pluripotent stem cells into vascularized cardiac organoids with chamber-like structures

Heart diseases are leading cause of death around the world. Given their unique capacity to self-renew and differentiate into all types of somatic cells, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) hold great promise for heart disease modeling and cardiotoxic drug screening. hPSC-derived cardiac organoids are emerging biomimetic models for studying heart development and cardiovascular diseases, but it remains challenging to make mature organoids with a native-like structure in vitro. In this study, temporal modulation of Wnt signaling pathway co-differentiated hPSCs into beating cardiomyocytes and cardiac endothelial-like cells in 3D organoids, resulting in cardiac endothelial-bounded chamber formation. These chambered cardiac organoids exhibited more mature membrane potential compared to cardiac organoids composed of only cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, a better response to toxic drugs was observed in chamber-contained cardiac organoids. In summary, spatiotemporal signaling pathway modulation may lead to more mature cardiac organoids for studying cardiovascular development and diseases.

Switching G-quadruplex to parallel duplex by molecular rotor clustering

Switching of G-quadruplex (G4) structures between variant types of folding has been proved to be a versatile tool for regulation of genomic expression and development of nucleic acid-based constructs. Various specific ligands have been developed to target G4s in K⁺ solution with therapeutic prospects. Although G4 structures have been reported to be converted by sequence modification or a unimolecular ligand binding event in K⁺-deficient conditions, switching G4s towards non-G4 folding continues to be a great challenge due to the stability of G4 in physiological K⁺ conditions. Herein, we first observed the G4 switching towards parallel-stranded duplex (psDNA) by multimolecular ligand binding (namely ligand clustering) to overcome the switching barrier in K⁺. Purine-rich sequences (e.g. those from the KRAS promoter region) can be converted from G4 structures to dimeric psDNAs using molecular rotors (e.g. thioflavin T and thiazole orange) as initiators. The formed psDNAs provided multiple binding sites for molecular rotor clustering to favor subsequent structures with stability higher than the corresponding G4 folding. Our finding provides a clue to designing ligands with the competency of molecular rotor clustering to implement an efficient G4 switching.

S7.4a Vaccine-inducing lung resident CD4 + memory T cells are protective against Cryptococcus gattii infections

S7.4 Pathogenesis and host defense, September 23, 2022, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Cryptococccus gattii is a highly virulent fungal pathogen that can cause cryptococcosis in previously healthy individuals. It is not fully understood how innate and acquired immune responses cooperatively suppress C. gattii infection. Hitherto, we have reported the following findings, (1) Specific environment for exposure of dectin-1 and dectin-2 ligands in cryptococcal cells (PLOS ONE 2019, PMID 31398236), (2) CD11b-mediated immune recognition for C. gattii and capsule dependent immune evasion from CD11b recognition (Eur J Immunol 2021, PMID 33728652), (3) Dendritic cells (DCs)-based vaccine induced lung resident memory Th17 cells and ameliorates C. gattii infection (Mucosal Immunol 2018, PMID 30279512), and (4) Neutrophil and opsonization can mediate fungicidal activity for cryptococcal cells (Med Mycol 2019, PMID 30668754). Based on these findings, we have inferred that induction of lung resident memory T cells (lung TRM) and TRM-driven myeloid cells including granulocytes is necessary for controlling this infection. Currently, we are developing new intranasal (IN) vaccines using highly immunogenic whole cell antigens and characterizing protective lung TRM induced by the vaccines. Just as with component vaccines, whole cell vaccines are also featured for cryptococcal infection because these are highly cross-reactive and protective against each serotype (Biol Pharm Bull 2020, PMID 32009111).

 

We developed two IN vaccines using whole cell antigen and adjuvant. Both vaccines induced IL-5-producing lung TRM and significantly reduced fungal burden in lungs and improved survival rates of mice following C. gattii infection, while not protective against C. neoformans infection. Although immune suppressive agent FTY720 can eliminate most circulating T cells and sustain tissue-resident subset, IN vaccines induced Th2-related immune response including eosinophils and IFN-γ independent granuloma, and reduced the fungal burden in lungs after the infection in the presence of FTY720. Vaccine-mediated protection was completely lost in the Rag-1 knockout mice deficient in T- and B-cells, while the fungal burden was reduced in the Rag-1 knockout mice after receiving the immunized CD4 + T cells in the adoptive transfer experiments. These results suggest that Th2-related lung TRM induced by IN vaccines are also protective against C. gattii infection as well as Th17-related counterparts induced by DC vaccine.

Retraction Note: Salinomycin enhances radiotherapy sensitivity and reduces expressions of BIRC5 and NEIL2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The article "Salinomycin enhances radiotherapy sensitivity and reduces expressions of BIRC5 and NEIL2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, by Y. Chang, Q. Geng, Q. Bao, P. Hu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (11): 6409-6416-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202006_21539-PMID: 32572938" has been retracted by the authors. After publication, the article was questioned on PubPeer. Concerns were raised about Figure 3 and the reliability of the published results. The same authors stated that the study was not conducted according to the required standard procedures. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause https://www.europeanreview.org/article/21539.

[Analysis of clinical features and poor prognostic factors of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics, pathogenic bacteria, complications and risk factors of prognosis of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children. Methods: The clinical manifestations, laboratorg tests, etiological charateristics and clinical data of 107 patients with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the drug sensitivity results of Staphylococcus aureus, the group was divided into methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) group; according to the presence or absence of complications, the group was divided into the group with and without complications; according to the prognosis of the follow-up children, the group was divided into good prognosis and poor prognosis. The χ² test or Mann-Whitney U test used for comparison between groups, and Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for complications and prognosis. Results: Of the 107 patients, 62 were males and 45 were females. The age of presentation was 5.6 (1.7, 10.0) years, including 5 patients (4.7%) age from >28 days to 3 months, 46 patients (43.0%) age from >3 months to 5 years, 43 patients (40.2%)>5-12 years of age, and 13 patients (12.1%)>12-18 years of age. The first symptoms were acute fever in 35 patients (32.7%), limb pain in 24 patients (22.4%), and fever with limb pain in 23 patients (21.5%). Pathogen culture was positive in 75 patients (70.1%), Streptococcus pyogenes, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli in 1 case (1.4%) each, and Staphylococcus aureus in 72 cases (96.0%), among them, 47 cases were MSSA, 22 cases were MRSA, and 3 cases had positive reports of Staphylococcus aureus from other hospitals without drug-sensitive tests. The proportion of infected children living in rural areas and receiving surgical treatment was higher in the MRSA group than in the MSSA group (14 cases (63.6%) vs. 18 cases (38.3%) and 21 cases (95.5%) vs. 33 cases (70.2%), χ²=3.87, 4.23, both P<0.05). Sixty-five children had no complications while 42 children (39.3%) suffered from complications. Common complications consisted of 19 cases (17.8%) of sepsis, 17 cases (15.9%) of septic arthritis, and 12 cases (11.2%) of venous thrombosis. The group with complications showed higher mental changes, decreased appetite and (or) weakness, positive pathogenic cultures, and time from admission to surgery than the group without complications (18 cases (42.9%) vs. 9 cases (13.8%), 20 cases (47.6%) vs. 12 cases (18.5%), 34 cases (81.0%) vs. 41 cases (63.1%), 3.5 (2.0, 6.0) vs. 2.0 (1.0, 4.0) d,χ²=11.38, 10.35, 3.89, Z=2.21, all P<0.05). The poor prognosis group had more comorbidities, combined local complications, and positive aureus than the good prognosis group (10/15 vs. 34.9% (30/86), 7/15 vs. 17.4% (15/86), 14/15 vs. 61.6% (53/86), χ²=5.39, 6.40, 4.42, all P<0.05). Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis showed that acute phase C-reactive protein (CRP) was both an independent risk factor for complications (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.01-1.02) and an independent risk factor for poor prognosis (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.00-1.02). Conclusions: The first symptoms of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis are acute fever, limb pain, and fever with limb pain are most common. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogenic organism. Those with loss of appetite and (or) weakness, mental changes, positive pathogenic cultures, and longer time between admission and surgery are prone to complications. Those with complications, combined local complications, and positive for Staphylococcus aureus had a poor prognosis. Elevated CRP is an independent risk factor not only for complications but for poor prognosis as well.

Robust genome and RNA editing via CRISPR nucleases in PiggyBac systems

CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offers unprecedented opportunities for developing in vitro disease modeling, drug screening and cell-based therapies. To efficiently deliver the CRISPR components, here we developed two all-in-one vectors containing Cas9/gRNA and inducible Cas13d/gRNA cassettes for robust genome editing and RNA interference respectively. These vectors utilized the PiggyBac transposon system, which allows stable expression of CRISPR components in hPSCs. The Cas9 vector PB-CRISPR exhibited high efficiency (up to 99%) of inducing gene knockout in both protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNAs. The other inducible Cas13d vector achieved extremely high efficiency in RNA knockdown (98% knockdown for CD90) with optimized gRNA designs. Taken together, our PiggyBac CRISPR vectors can serve as powerful toolkits for studying gene functions in hPSCs.

First Measurement of High-Energy Reactor Antineutrinos at Daya Bay

This Letter reports the first measurement of high-energy reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay, with nearly 9000 inverse beta decay candidates in the prompt energy region of 8-12 MeV observed over 1958 days of data collection. A multivariate analysis is used to separate 2500 signal events from background statistically. The hypothesis of no reactor antineutrinos with neutrino energy above 10 MeV is rejected with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. A 29% antineutrino flux deficit in the prompt energy region of 8-11 MeV is observed compared to a recent model prediction. We provide the unfolded antineutrino spectrum above 7 MeV as a data-based reference for other experiments. This result provides the first direct observation of the production of antineutrinos from several high-Q_{β} isotopes in commercial reactors.