Time-dependent systolic blood pressure within 72 h after endovascular treatment in large vessel occlusion stroke

BACKGROUND

The association of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and ischemic stroke outcome has recently been proved to be varied at different time points within 72 h after acute ischemic stroke onset; however, the specific status of how SBP affects prognosis at different time points within 72 h after endovascular treatment (EVT) among patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) remains unclear.

METHODS

Consecutive LVO patients treated with EVT were enrolled in our study. BP data were collected at eight time points (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, and 72 h post-EVT). Outcome measure of interest was functional dependence, which was defined as mRS >2 at 90 days.

RESULTS

A total of 406 LVO patients treated with EVT from 2016 to 2022 were included. At 16 h after EVT, the relationship between SBP and functional dependence showed a nonlinear association. At other time points after EVT, SBP had linear relationships with functional dependence. Furthermore, higher SBP, as either a linear or quadratic term, had an adverse effect on functional outcome. In addition, three SBP trajectories were observed, and the high-to-low group was independently associated with functional dependence.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, higher SBP within the first 72 h after EVT has a time-dependent association with adverse clinical outcomes. Optimal blood pressure management during the first 72 h after EVT may be important to improve clinical outcome.

Conjunctive Analysis of BSA-Seq and SSR Markers Unveil the Candidate Genes for Resistance to Rice False Smut

Rice false smut (RFS) caused by the fungus Ustilaginoidea virens (Cook) leads to serious yield losses in rice. Identification of the gene or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is crucial to resistance breeding and mitigation of RFS damage. In this study, we crossed a resistant variety, IR77298-14-1-2::IRGC117374-1, with a susceptible indica cultivar, 9311, and evaluated recombinant inbred lines in a greenhouse. The genetic analysis showed that the RFS resistance of IR77298-14-1-2::IRGC117374-1 was controlled by multiple recessive loci. We identified a novel QTL, qRFS12.01, for RFS resistance in IR77298-14-1-2::IRGC117374-1 by combining bulked segregant analysis with whole genome resequencing (BSA-seq) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker mapping approaches. The phenotypic effect of qRFS12.01 on RFS resistance reached 28.74%, suggesting that SSR markers linked to qRFS12.01 are valuable for marker-assisted breeding of RFS resistance in rice. The prediction of putative candidate genes within qRFS12.01 revealed five disease resistance proteins containing NB-ARC domains. In conclusion, our findings provide a new rice chromosome region carrying genes/QTLs for resistance to RFS.

A disulfidptosis-related lncRNA index predicting prognosis and the tumor microenvironment in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and deadly cancer worldwide with a high lethality rate. Disulfidptosis has been found to be an emerging mode of death in cancer, and the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs (DRLs) and CRC and to develop a prognostic model for CRC and DRLs. The gene expression data and clinicopathologic information of colorectal cancer patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and screened for DRLs based on correlation analysis. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression were used to construct the prognostic model, and its validation was carried out by PCA and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We constructed nomograms combined with the model. Finally, the possible mechanisms by which lncRNAs affect CRC were explored by functional enrichment analysis, immune infiltration and immune escape analysis. In summary, we developed a prognostic marker consisting of lncRNAs associated with disulfidptosis to help clinicians predict the survival of different CRC patients and use different targeted therapies and immunotherapies depending on the condition.

Integrative application of silicon and/or proline improves Sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) production and antioxidant defense system under salt stress condition

Silicon (Si) and/or proline (Pro) are natural supplements that are considered to induce plants' stress tolerance against various abiotic stresses. Sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) production is severely afflicted by salinity stress. Therefore, two field tests were conducted to evaluate the potential effects of Si and/or Pro (6mM) used as seed soaking (SS) and/or foliar spray (FS) on Sweet corn plant growth and yield, physio-biochemical attributes, and antioxidant defense systems grown in a saline (EC = 7.14dS m-1) soil. The Si and/or Pro significantly increased growth and yield, photosynthetic pigments, free proline, total soluble sugars (TSS), K+/Na+ratios, relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), α-Tocopherol (α-TOC), Ascorbate (AsA), glutathione (GSH), enzymatic antioxidants activities and other anatomical features as compared to controls. In contrast, electrolytes, such as SS and/or FS under salt stress compared to controls (SS and FS using tap water) were significantly decreased. The best results were obtained when SS was combined with FS via Si or Pro. These alterations are brought about by the exogenous application of Si and/or Pro rendering these elements potentially useful in aiding sweet corn plants to acclimate successfully to saline soil.

Electromagnetic Response of Multistage-Helical Nano-Micro Conducting Polymer Structures and their Enhanced Attenuation Mechanism of Multiscale-Chiral Synergistic Effect

Nowadays, the rapidly development of advanced antidetection technology raises stringent requirements for microwave absorption materials (MAMs) to focus more attention on wider bandwidth, thinner thickness, and lower density. Adding magnetic medium to realize broadband absorption may usually result in the decline of service performance and accelerating corrosion of MAMs. Chiral MAMs can produce extra magnetic loss without adding magnetic medium due to the unique electromagnetic cross polarization effect. However, more efforts should be taken to furtherly promote efficient bandwidth of chiral MAMs and reveal attenuation mode and modulation method of chiral structure. Herein, a novel superhelical nano-microstructure based on chiral polyaniline and helical polypyrrole is successfully achieved via in situ polymerization strategy. The enhanced multiscale-chiral synergistic effect contributes to broaden effective absorption bandwidth, covering 8.6 GHz at the thickness of 3.6 mm, and the minimum reflection loss can reach -51.3 dB simultaneously. Besides, to further explain response modes and loss mechanism of superhelical nano-microstructures, the electromagnetic simulation and test analysis are applied together to reveal their synergistic enhancement attenuation mechanism. Taken together, this strategy gives a new thought of how to design, prepare, and optimize the hierarchical structure materials to achieving broadband and high-performance microwave absorption.

Identification of the MMP family as therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in the microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. The MMP family plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the mechanistic value of the MMP family as a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in HNSC has not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

Oncomine, UALCAN, GEPIA, cBioportal, GeneMANIA, STRING, DAVID6.8, TRRUST, TIMER and Linkedomics were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The mRNA expression levels of MMP1, MMP3, ILF3, MMP7, MMP9, MMP10, MMP11, MMP12, MMP13 and MMP16 were higher in HNSC than those in normal tissues, while the mRNA expression level of MMP15 was reduced. The relative expression levels of MMP1 and MMP14 were the highest in HNSC tissues. A significant correlation was found between the expression of MMP3, MMP11, MMP25 and the pathological stage of HNSC patients. There was no significant associations between all the MMP family members expression levels and DFS. Increased mRNA levels of MMP1, MMP8 and MMP25 were significantly associated with OS. In addition, we investigated the genetic changes of the MMP family in HNSC and found that all the MMP family members had genetic changes, most of which were amplification and depth loss. In the analysis of neighbor gene network and protein interaction, we found that the MMP family interacted with 25 neighboring genes, except for ILF3, MMP19, MMP20, MMP21, MMP23B, MMP27 and MMP28, other MMP proteins interacted with each other. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the MMP family could be present in the extracellular matrix, regulate peptidase activity, and participate in the catabolism of collagen. Meanwhile, we identified the transcription factor targets and kinase targets of the MMP family and found that ATM and ATR were the two most common kinase targets in the MMP family. We also found a significant correlation between the MMP family expression and immune cell infiltration. Cox proportional risk model analysis showed that macrophages, MMP14, MMP16, and MMP19 were significantly associated with clinical outcomes in HNSC patients.

CONCLUSION

The MMP family might serve as therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in HNSC.

A Rapid and Sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS Method for Determination of Chlorogenic Acid and Its Application to Distribution and Neuroprotection in Rat Brain

Chlorogenic acid (5-CQA) is a phenolic natural product that has been reported to improve neurobehavioral disorders and brain injury. However, its pharmacokinetics and distribution in the rat brain remain unclear. In this study, we established a rapid and sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of 5-CQA in rat plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue to investigate whether it could pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and its distribution in the rat brain, and a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) strain paralysis assay was used to investigate the neuroprotective effect of 5-CQA in different brain tissues. Chromatographic separation of 5-CQA and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA, used as internal standard) was completed in 0.5 min, and the full run time was maintained at 4.0 min. Methodological validation results presented a high accuracy (95.69-106.81%) and precision (RSD ≤ 8%), with a lower limit of quantification of 1.0 ng/mL. Pharmacokinetic results revealed that 5-CQA can pass through the BBB into the CSF, but the permeability of BBB to 5-CQA (ratio of mean AUC0-∞ of CSF to plasma) was only approximately 0.29%. In addition, 5-CQA can penetrate into the rat brain extensively and is distributed with different intensities in different nuclei. A C. elegans strain paralysis assay indicated that the neuroprotective effect of 5-CQA is positively correlated with its content in different brain tissues. In conclusion, our study for the first time explored the BBB pass rate and brain tissue distribution of 5-CQA administered via the tail vein by the UHPLC-MS/MS method and investigated the potential main target area of 5-CQA for neuroprotection, which could provide a certain basis for the treatment of nervous system-related diseases of 5-CQA.

Intercalation Polymerization Approach for Preparing Graphene/Polymer Composites

The rapid development of society has promoted increasing demand for various polymer materials. A large variety of efforts have been applied in order for graphene strengthened polymer composites to satisfy different requirements. Graphene/polymer composites synthesized by traditional strategies display some striking defects, like weak interfacial interaction and agglomeration of graphene, leading to poor improvement in performance. Furthermore, the creation of pre-prepared graphene while being necessary always involves troublesome processes. Among the various preparation strategies, an appealing approach relies on intercalation and polymerization in the interlayer of graphite and has attracted researchers' attention due to its reliable, fast and simple synthesis. In this review, we introduce an intercalation polymerization strategy to graphene/polymer composites by the intercalation of molecules/ions into graphite interlayers, as well as subsequent polymerization. The key point for regulating intercalation polymerization is tuning the structure of graphite and intercalants for better interaction. Potential applications of the resulting graphene/polymer composites, including electrical conductivity, electromagnetic absorption, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity, are also reviewed. Furthermore, the shortcomings, challenges and prospects of intercalation polymerization are discussed, which will be helpful to researchers working in related fields.