Clostridium butyricum upregulates GPR109A/AMPK/PGC-1α and ameliorates acute pancreatitis-associated intestinal barrier injury in mice

Acute pancreatitis frequently causes intestinal barrier damage, which aggravates pancreatitis. Although Clostridium butyricum exerts anti-inflammatory and protective effects on the intestinal barrier during acute pancreatitis, the underlying mechanism is unclear. The G protein-coupled receptors 109 A (GPR109A) and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/ peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) signaling pathways can potentially influence the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Our study generated acute pancreatitis mouse models via intraperitoneal injection of cerulein and lipopolysaccharides. After intervention with Clostridium butyricum, the model mice showed reduced small intestinal and colonic intestinal barrier damage, dysbiosis amelioration, and increased GPR109A/AMPK/PGC-1α expression. In conclusion, Clostridium butyricum could improve pancreatic and intestinal inflammation and pancreatic injury, and relieve acute pancreatitis-induced intestinal barrier damage in the small intestine and colon, which may be associated with GPR109A/AMPK/PGC-1α.

Deep Learning Radiomics Model of Contrast-Enhanced CT for Differentiating the Primary Source of Liver Metastases

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a deep learning radiomics (DLR) model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to identify the primary source of liver metastases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In total, 657 liver metastatic lesions, including breast cancer (BC), lung cancer (LC), colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric cancer (GC), and pancreatic cancer (PC), from 428 patients were collected at three clinical centers from January 2018 to October 2023 series. The lesions were randomly assigned to the training and validation sets in a 7:3 ratio. An additional 112 lesions from 61 patients at another clinical center served as an external test set. A DLR model based on contrast-enhanced CT of the liver was developed to distinguish the five pathological types of liver metastases. Stepwise classification was performed to improve the classification efficiency of the model. Lesions were first classified as digestive tract cancer (DTC) and non-digestive tract cancer (non-DTC). DTCs were divided into CRC, GC, and PC and non-DTCs were divided into LC and BC. To verify the feasibility of the DLR model, we trained classical machine learning (ML) models as comparison models. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy (ACC) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS

The classification model constructed by the DLR algorithm showed excellent performance in the classification task compared to ML models. Among the five categories task, highest ACC and average AUC were achieved at 0.563 and 0.796 in the validation set, respectively. In the DTC and non-DTC and the LC and BC classification tasks, AUC was achieved at 0.907 and 0.809 and ACC was achieved at 0.843 and 0.772, respectively. In the CRC, GC, and PC classification task, ACC and average AUC were the highest, at 0.714 and 0.811, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The DLR model is an effective method for identifying the primary source of liver metastases.

Exploring the effect of Clostridium butyricum on lung injury associated with acute pancreatitis in mice by combined 16S rRNA and metabolomics analysis

OBJECTIVES

Acute lung injury is a critical complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). The gut microbiota and its metabolites play an important role in SAP development and may provide new targets for AP-associated lung injury. Based on the ability to reverse AP injury, we proposed that Clostridium butyricum may reduce the potential for AP-associated lung injury by modulating with intestinal microbiota and related metabolic pathways.

METHODS

An AP disease model was established in mice and treated with C. butyricum. The structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota in mouse feces were analyzed by 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. Non-targeted metabolite analysis was used to quantify the microbiota derivatives. The histopathology of mouse pancreas and lung tissues was examined using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Pancreatic and lung tissues from mice were stained with immunohistochemistry and protein immunoblotting to detect inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1β, and MCP-1.

RESULTS

C. butyricum ameliorated the dysregulation of microbiota diversity in a model of AP combined with lung injury and affected fatty acid metabolism by lowering triglyceride levels, which were closely related to the alteration in the relative abundance of Erysipelatoclostridium and Akkermansia. In addition, C. butyricum treatment attenuated pathological damage in the pancreatic and lung tissues and significantly suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors in mice.

CONCLUSIONS

C. butyricum may alleviate lung injury associated with AP by interfering with the relevant intestinal microbiota and modulating relevant metabolic pathways.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of pirfenidone-NSAIDs conjugates for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal, chronic and progressive lung disease that threaten public health like many cancers. In this study, targeting the significant driving factor, inflammatory response, of the IPF, several conjugates of pirfenidone (PFD) with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), along with their derivatives, were designed and synthesized to enhance the anti-IPF potency of PFD. Among these compounds, the (S)-ibuprofen-PFD conjugate 5b exhibited the most potent anti-proliferation activity against NIH3T3 cells, demonstrating up to a 343-fold improvement compared to PFD (IC50 = 0.04 mM vs IC50 = 13.72 mM). Notably, 5b exhibited superior activity in inhibiting the migration of macrophages induced by TGF-β compared to PFD. Additionally, 5b demonstrated significant suppression of TGF-β-induced migration of NIH3T3 cells and induction of apoptosis in NIH3T3 cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that 5b reduced the expression of collagen I and α-SMA by inhibiting the TGF-β/SMAD3 pathway. In a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model, treatment with 5b (40 mg/kg/day, orally) exhibited a more pronounced effect on reducing the degree of histopathological changes in lung tissue and alleviating collagen deposition compared to PFD (100 mg/kg/day, orally). Moreover, 5b could block the expression of collagen I, α-SMA, fibronectin, and pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) compared to PFD, while demonstrating low toxicity in vivo. These preliminary results indicated that the hybridization of PFD with NSAIDs represented an effective modification approach to improve the anti-IPF potency of PFD. Consequently, 5b emerged as a promising candidate for the further development of new anti-IPF agents.

[Cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical smoking cessation intervention in China primary cancer prevention]

Objectives: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of typical pharmaceutical smoking cessation intervention strategies in China in the context of primary cancer prevention. Methods: Markov cohort simulation models were established to simulate the burden of 12 smoking caused cancer, including lung cancer, oral cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. Taking incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the main indicator, the model sets one year as the cycling period for 50 periods and simulates the cohort of 10 000 thirty-five-year-old current smokers with various smoking cessation strategies. To ensure the robustness of conclusion, univariate sensitivity analysis, probability sensitivity analysis, and age-group sensitivity analysis were conducted. Results: The results showed that varenicline intervention was the most cost-effective intervention. Compared to the next most effective option, incremental cost of each additional quality-adjusted life year is 11 140.28 yuan, which is below the threshold of willingness to pay (1 year GDP per capita). The value of ICER increased as the increasing age group of adopting intervention, but neither exceeded the threshold of willingness to pay. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the value of discount rate, the hazard ratio and cost of intervention strategy had a greater impact on the result of ICER. Conclusion: In China, the use of varenicline to quit smoking is highly cost effective in the context of cancer primary prevention, especially for younger smokers.

Effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease: a prespecified secondary analysis from the empa-kidney trial

BACKGROUND

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce progression of chronic kidney disease and the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a wide range of patients. However, their effects on kidney disease progression in some patients with chronic kidney disease are unclear because few clinical kidney outcomes occurred among such patients in the completed trials. In particular, some guidelines stratify their level of recommendation about who should be treated with SGLT2 inhibitors based on diabetes status and albuminuria. We aimed to assess the effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease both overall and among specific types of participants in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA), and included individuals aged 18 years or older with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or with an eGFR of 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher. We explored the effects of 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily versus placebo on the annualised rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR slope), a tertiary outcome. We studied the acute slope (from randomisation to 2 months) and chronic slope (from 2 months onwards) separately, using shared parameter models to estimate the latter. Analyses were done in all randomly assigned participants by intention to treat. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and then followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroups of eGFR included 2282 (34·5%) participants with an eGFR of less than 30 mL/min per 1·73 m2, 2928 (44·3%) with an eGFR of 30 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, and 1399 (21·2%) with an eGFR 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or higher. Prespecified subgroups of uACR included 1328 (20·1%) with a uACR of less than 30 mg/g, 1864 (28·2%) with a uACR of 30 to 300 mg/g, and 3417 (51·7%) with a uACR of more than 300 mg/g. Overall, allocation to empagliflozin caused an acute 2·12 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (95% CI 1·83-2·41) reduction in eGFR, equivalent to a 6% (5-6) dip in the first 2 months. After this, it halved the chronic slope from -2·75 to -1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (relative difference 50%, 95% CI 42-58). The absolute and relative benefits of empagliflozin on the magnitude of the chronic slope varied significantly depending on diabetes status and baseline levels of eGFR and uACR. In particular, the absolute difference in chronic slopes was lower in patients with lower baseline uACR, but because this group progressed more slowly than those with higher uACR, this translated to a larger relative difference in chronic slopes in this group (86% [36-136] reduction in the chronic slope among those with baseline uACR <30 mg/g compared with a 29% [19-38] reduction for those with baseline uACR ≥2000 mg/g; ptrend<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Empagliflozin slowed the rate of progression of chronic kidney disease among all types of participant in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial, including those with little albuminuria. Albuminuria alone should not be used to determine whether to treat with an SGLT2 inhibitor.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly.

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

BACKGROUND

The EMPA-KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62-0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16-1·59), representing a 50% (42-58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1).

INTERPRETATION

In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council.

[Efficacy and safety of Anlotinib in the treatment of advanced sarcoma]

Objective: Patients with advanced sarcomas have a dismal prognosis with few effective therapies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib in the treatment of advanced sarcoma and to explore the relationship between adverse events (AEs) and efficacy. Methods: Data from 45 advanced sarcoma patients who received anlotinib monotherapy at Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University between June 2018 and August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) Version 1.1, the objective remission rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were calculated, and the progression free survival (PFS) and treatment-related AEs were recorded and analyzed. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier survival rates were compared using the Log rank test. Results: Forty patients were treated for more than 1.5 months and received efficacy evaluation. The ORR and DCR after 3 months were 7.5%(3/40) and 80.0%(32/40), respectively. The overall ORR was 2.5%(1/40), the total DCR was 27.5%(11/40), and the median progression-free survival (m-PFS) was 6.70 months; The m-PFS of alveolar soft tissue sarcoma (ASPS) was 10.27 months, which was significantly longer than that of other subtypes of sarcoma (P=0.048). In addition, the DCR of ASPS and synovial sarcoma (SS) was significantly better than that of osteosarcoma (P<0.05). The most common AEs were elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (17.8%, 8/45), anemia (15.6%, 7/45), fatigue (11.1%, 5/45). Five patients developed grade 3 AEs after treatment; The PFS of patients with hand-foot syndrome after treatment was significantly longer than that of patients without hand-foot syndrome (14.10 vs 6.00, P=0.024). Conclusions: The efficacy of anlotinib in the treatment of ASPS and SS is better than that of other subtypes. The PFS in the group with hand-foot syndrome was significantly longer than that of the group without hand-foot syndrome.

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.

G-quadruplexes associated with R-loops promote CTCF binding

CTCF is a critical regulator of genome architecture and gene expression that binds thousands of sites on chromatin. CTCF genomic localization is controlled by the recognition of a DNA sequence motif and regulated by DNA modifications. However, CTCF does not bind to all its potential sites in all cell types, raising the question of whether the underlying chromatin structure can regulate CTCF occupancy. Here, we report that R-loops facilitate CTCF binding through the formation of associated G-quadruplex (G4) structures. R-loops and G4s co-localize with CTCF at many genomic regions in mouse embryonic stem cells and promote CTCF binding to its cognate DNA motif in vitro. R-loop attenuation reduces CTCF binding in vivo. Deletion of a specific G4-forming motif in a gene reduces CTCF binding and alters gene expression. Conversely, chemical stabilization of G4s results in CTCF gains and accompanying alterations in chromatin organization, suggesting a pivotal role for G4 structures in reinforcing long-range genome interactions through CTCF.

Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues

Aging, often considered a result of random cellular damage, can be accurately estimated using DNA methylation profiles, the foundation of pan-tissue epigenetic clocks. Here, we demonstrate the development of universal pan-mammalian clocks, using 11,754 methylation arrays from our Mammalian Methylation Consortium, which encompass 59 tissue types across 185 mammalian species. These predictive models estimate mammalian tissue age with high accuracy (r > 0.96). Age deviations correlate with human mortality risk, mouse somatotropic axis mutations and caloric restriction. We identified specific cytosines with methylation levels that change with age across numerous species. These sites, highly enriched in polycomb repressive complex 2-binding locations, are near genes implicated in mammalian development, cancer, obesity and longevity. Our findings offer new evidence suggesting that aging is evolutionarily conserved and intertwined with developmental processes across all mammals.

Evaluation of breast cancer malignancy, prognostic factors and molecular subtypes using a continuous-time random-walk MR diffusion model

PURPOSE

To assess the continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) model's diagnostic value in breast lesions and to explore the associations between the CTRW parameters and breast cancer pathologic factors.

METHOD

This retrospective study included 85 patients (70 malignant and 18 benign lesions) who underwent 3.0T MRI examinations. Diffusion-weighted images (DWI) were acquired with 16b-values to fit the CTRW model. Three parameters (Dm, α, and β) derived from CTRW and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from DWI were compared among the benign/malignant lesions, molecular prognostic factors, and molecular subtypes by Mann-Whitney U test. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the associations between the parameters and prognostic factors. The diagnostic performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) based on the diffusion parameters.

RESULTS

All parameters, ADC, Dm, α, and β were significantly lower in the malignant than benign lesions (P < 0.05). The combination of all the CTRW parameters (Dm, α, and β) provided the highest AUC (0.833) and the best sensitivity (94.3%) in differentiating malignant status. And the positive status of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) showed significantly lower β compared with the negative counterparts (P < 0.05). The high Ki-67 expression produced significantly lower Dm and ADC values (P < 0.05). Additionally, combining multiple CTRW parameters improved the performance of diagnosing molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Moreover, Spearman correlations analysis showed that β produced significant correlations with ER, PR and Ki-67 expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The CTRW parameters could be used as non-invasive quantitative imaging markers to evaluate breast lesions.

Sex-Based Differences in the Presentation and Outcomes of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to review differences in the presentation and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) between men and women.

METHODS

PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for studies comparing clinical features or outcomes of PE between men and women. Baseline comorbidities, risk factors, clinical features, and mortality rates were also compared between men and women.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies were included. It was noted that men presented with PE at a statistically significantly younger age than women (P < .001). Smoking history (P < .001), lung disease (P = .004), malignancy (P = .02), and unprovoked PE (P = .004) were significantly more frequent among men than among women. There was no difference between the sexes for hypertension, diabetes, and a history of recent immobilization. A significantly higher proportion of men presented with chest pain (P = .02) and hemoptysis (P < .001), whereas syncope (P = .005) was more frequent in women. Compared with men, women had a higher proportion of high-risk PE (P = .003). There was no difference in the use of thrombolytic therapy or inferior vena cava filter. Neither crude nor adjusted mortality rates were significantly different between men and women.

CONCLUSION

This review found that the age at presentation, comorbidities, and symptoms of PE differed between men and women. Limited data also suggest that women more frequently had high-risk PE compared with men, but the use of thrombolytic therapy did not differ between the 2 sexes. Importantly, both crude and adjusted data show that the mortality rate did not differ between men and women.

Discrimination Between Glioblastoma and Solitary Brain Metastasis Using Conventional MRI and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Based on a Deep Learning Algorithm

This study aims to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model to differentiate glioblastoma from single brain metastasis (BM) using conventional MRI combined with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Preoperative conventional MRI and DWI of 202 patients with solitary brain tumor (104 glioblastoma and 98 BM) were retrospectively obtained between February 2016 and September 2022. The data were divided into training and validation sets in a 7:3 ratio. An additional 32 patients (19 glioblastoma and 13 BM) from a different hospital were considered testing set. Single-MRI-sequence DL models were developed using the 3D residual network-18 architecture in tumoral (T model) and tumoral + peritumoral regions (T&P model). Furthermore, the combination model based on conventional MRI and DWI was developed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the classification performance. The attention area of the model was visualized as a heatmap by gradient-weighted class activation mapping technique. For the single-MRI-sequence DL model, the T2WI sequence achieved the highest AUC in the validation set with either T models (0.889) or T&P models (0.934). In the combination models of the T&P model, the model of DWI combined with T2WI and contrast-enhanced T1WI showed increased AUC of 0.949 and 0.930 compared with that of single-MRI sequences in the validation set, respectively. And the highest AUC (0.956) was achieved by combined contrast-enhanced T1WI, T2WI, and DWI. In the heatmap, the central region of the tumoral was hotter and received more attention than other areas and was more important for differentiating glioblastoma from BM. A conventional MRI-based DL model could differentiate glioblastoma from solitary BM, and the combination models improved classification performance.

Controlled Synthesis of Flower-like Hierarchical NiCo-Layered Double Hydroxide Integrated with Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Co@C for Supercapacitors

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have come to the foreground recently, considering their unique layered structure and short ion channels when they act as electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs). However, due to their poor rate and cycle performance, they are not highly sought after in the market. Therefore, a flower-like hierarchical NiCo-LDH@C nanostructure with flake NiCo-LDH anchored on the carbon skeleton has emerged here, which is constructed by calcination and hydrothermal reaction and applying flake ZIF-67 as a precursor. In this structure, NiCo-LDH grows outward with abundant and homogeneously distributed Co nanoparticles on Co@C as nucleation sites, forming a hierarchical structure that is combined tightly with the carbon skeleton. The flower-like hierarchical nanostructures formed by the composite of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and LDHs have successfully enhanced the cycle and rate performance of LDH materials on the strength of strong structural stability, large specific surface area, and unique cooperative effect. The NiCo-LDH@C electrode displays superb electrochemical performance, with a specific capacitance of 2210.6 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 and 88.8% capacitance retention at 10 A g^-1. Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) constructed with NiCo-LDH@C//RGO reveals a remarkable energy density of 45.02 W h kg^-1 with a power density of 799.96 W kg^-1. This project aims to propose a novel avenue to exploit NiCo-LDH electrode materials and provide theory and methodological guidance for deriving complex structures from MOF derivatives.

A squarate-pillared titanium oxide quantum sieve towards practical hydrogen isotope separation

Separating deuterium from hydrogen isotope mixtures is of vital importance to develop nuclear energy industry, as well as other isotope-related advanced technologies. As one of the most promising alternatives to conventional techniques for deuterium purification, kinetic quantum sieving using porous materials has shown a great potential to address this challenging objective. From the knowledge gained in this field; it becomes clear that a quantum sieve encompassing a wide range of practical features in addition to its separation performance is highly demanded to approach the industrial level. Here, the rational design of an ultra-microporous squarate pillared titanium oxide hybrid framework has been achieved, of which we report the comprehensive assessment towards practical deuterium separation. The material not only displays a good performance combining high selectivity and volumetric uptake, reversible adsorption-desorption cycles, and facile regeneration in adsorptive sieving of deuterium, but also features a cost-effective green scalable synthesis using chemical feedstock, and a good stability (thermal, chemical, mechanical and radiolytic) under various working conditions. Our findings provide an overall assessment of the material for hydrogen isotope purification and the results represent a step forward towards next generation practical materials for quantum sieving of important gas isotopes.

Multi-domain-fusion deep learning for automatic modulation recognition in spatial cognitive radio

Automatic modulation recognition (AMR) is a critical technology in spatial cognitive radio (SCR), and building high-performance AMR model can achieve high classification accuracy of signals. AMR is a classification problem essentially, and deep learning has achieved excellent performance in various classification tasks. In recent years, joint recognition of multiple networks has become increasingly popular. In complex wireless environments, there are multiple signal types and diversity of characteristics between different signals. Also, the existence of multiple interference in wireless environment makes the signal characteristics more complex. It is difficult for a single network to accurately extract the unique features of all signals and achieve accurate classification. So, this article proposes a time-frequency domain joint recognition model that combines two deep learning networks (DLNs), to achieve higher accuracy AMR. A DLN named MCLDNN (multi-channel convolutional long short-term deep neural network) is trained on samples composed of in-phase and quadrature component (IQ) signals, to distinguish modulation modes that are relatively easy to identify. This paper proposes a BiGRU3 (three-layer bidirectional gated recurrent unit) network based on FFT as the second DLN. For signals with significant similarity in the time domain and significant differences in the frequency domain that are difficult to distinguish by the former DLN, such as AM-DSB and WBFM, FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is used to obtain frequency domain amplitude and phase (FDAP) information. Experiments have shown that the BiGUR3 network has superior extraction performance for amplitude spectrum and phase spectrum features. Experiments are conducted on two publicly available datasets, the RML2016.10a and RML2016.10b, and the results show that the overall recognition accuracy of the proposed joint model reaches 94.94% and 96.69%, respectively. Compared to a single network, the recognition accuracy is significantly improved. At the same time, the recognition accuracy of AM-DSB and WBFM signals has been improved by 17% and 18.2%, respectively.

[Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive endoscopic surgery in the treatment of isolated non-syndromic sagittal synostosis in infants]

The current study aimed to evaluate the early efficacy in infants with isolated non-syndromic sagittal synostosis who underwent minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted surgery. The clinical data of infants with isolated non-syndromic sagittal synostosis who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and underwent endoscopic-assisted surgery from October 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All the infants underwent minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted surgery, and were treated with supine sleeping position after surgery. Computer-aided reconstruction technique was used to reconstruct and measure the thin-slice CT scan images of the head before and 3 months after surgery, and the differences in cranial index (CI), cranial cavity volume and angle drawn between the cranial vertex, nasion, and opisthocranion (VNO angle) of preoperative and postoperative groups were analyzed. A total of 103 infants were included in the final analysis, including 85 males and 18 females. The age at surgery was (2.1±0.8) months, and the weight was (6.1±0.9) kg. The postoperative CI was (84±6)%, which increased obviously compared with the pre-operation [(70±5)%] (P<0.001). The cranial volume of post-operation was (947±130) cm³, which was larger than that of the pre-operation [(748±104) cm³] (P<0.001). The VNO angle after surgery was (45±4)°, which showed a significant reduction compared with the pre-operation [(55±4)°] (P<0.001). The correction of head shape was satisfactory. For the treatment of sagittal synostosis in infants, minimally invasive endoscopic-assisted surgery is safe and effective, and in the case of switching from an auxiliary helmet to a supine position, the postoperative correction efficacy of head shape is better.

Effects of warming on seed germination of woody species in temperate secondary forests

Seed germination, a critical stage of the plant life cycle providing a link between seeds and seedlings, is commonly temperature-dependent. The global average surface temperature is expected to rise, but little is known about the responses of seed germination of woody plants in temperate forests to warming. In the present study, dried seeds of 23 common woody species in temperate secondary forests were incubated at three temperature sequences without cold stratification and after experiencing cold stratification. We calculated five seed germination indices and the comprehensive membership function value that summarized the above indicators. Compared to the control, +2 and +4 °C treatments without cold stratification shortened germination time by 14% and 16% and increased the germination index by 17% and 26%, respectively. For stratified seeds, +4 °C treatment increased germination percentage by 49%, and +4 and +2 °C treatments increased duration of germination and the germination index, and shortened mean germination time by 69%, 458%, 29% and 68%, 110%, 12%, respectively. The germination of Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Larix kaempferi were most sensitive to warming without and with cold stratification, respectively. Seed germination of shrubs was the least sensitive to warming among functional types. These findings indicate warming (especially extreme warming) will enhance the seedling recruitment of temperate woody species, primarily via shortening the germination time, particularly for seeds that have undergone cold stratification. In addition, shrubs might narrow their distribution range.

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.

Corrigendum: Clostridium butyricum protects against pancreatic and intestinal injury after severe acute pancreatitis via downregulation of MMP9

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.919010.].

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.

Author Correction: An investigation into the mechanism of nobiletin's inhibition of papillary thyroid cancer using network pharmacology analysis and experimental pharmacology

Correction to: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2023; 27 (4): 1553-1564. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202302_31398-PMID: 36876711-published online on February 15, 2023. After publication, the authors applied some corrections to the galley proof: -       The order of Table I and II has been inverted. -       The scale bar of Figure 9A has been inserted in the Legend. There are amendments to this paper. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/31398.

An investigation into the mechanism of nobiletin's inhibition of papillary thyroid cancer using network pharmacology analysis and experimental pharmacology

OBJECTIVE

Surgery and radioactive iodine therapy are the main treatments for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and effective drugs are lacking. As a promising natural product, nobiletin (NOB) has a wealth of pharmacological activities like anti-tumor, antivirus, and other effects. In this research, bioinformatics methods and cellular assays were combined to explore how NOB inhibited PTC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our NOB targets were derived from three databases, including the SwissTargetPrediction database, Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database, and the TargetNet server. Four databases were used to identify disease-related targets: GeneCards, PharmGkb, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, and DisGeNET. Finally, cross-targets of disease and drug were deemed as pharmacological targets, and they were used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. STRING and Cytoscape were applied for PPI Network and core Targets Ranking. Molecular docking analysis validated binding affinity values for NOB and core targets. By using cell proliferation and migration assays, NOB was assessed for its effects on PTC proliferation and migration phenotype. Western blot validated the downregulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

RESULTS

(1) Preliminarily, 85 NOB targets were predicted for NOB intervention in PTC. (2) Our core target screening identified TNF, TP53, and EGFR, and our molecular docking results confirmed good binding between NOB and protein receptors. (3) NOB inhibited proliferation and migration of PTC cells. PI3K/AKT pathway target proteins were downregulated.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Bioinformatics analyses revealed that NOB may inhibit PTC by regulating TNF, TP53, EGFR and PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. (2) As evidenced by cell experiments, there was an inhibition of proliferating and migrating PTCs by NOB via the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

[Multiple pulmonary masses with diffuse cystic lesions]

A 50-year-old female patient, presenting with a past history of Reynaud's syndrome, xerostomia and xerophthalmia, was admitted to Fujian Provincial Hospital because of coughing for 10 days and left anterior chest pain for 1 day. Chest imaging showed multiple nodules and masses, and diffuse cystic lesions in both lungs. Based on the differential diagnosis of multiple pulmonary masses and diffuse cystic lesions respectively, autoantibodies, radionuclide dynamic imaging of the parotid, positron emission tomography-CT, CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy, and other examinations were performed. The diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma stage ⅣA (lung, parotid gland) and Sjögren's syndrome was confirmed. By analyzing the imaging features and pathogenesis in detail, the diffuse cystic lesions of both lungs were considered to be related to lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia caused by Sjögren's syndrome. The pulmonary space-occupying lesions in the lungs were significantly absorbed after RCHOP regimen for lymphoma.

NDNet: Spacewise Multiscale Representation Learning via Neighbor Decoupling for Real-Time Driving Scene Parsing

As a safety-critical application, autonomous driving requires high-quality semantic segmentation and real-time performance for deployment. Existing method commonly suffers from information loss and massive computational burden due to high-resolution input-output and multiscale learning scheme, which runs counter to the real-time requirements. In contrast to channelwise information modeling commonly adopted by modern networks, in this article, we propose a novel real-time driving scene parsing framework named NDNet from a novel perspective of spacewise neighbor decoupling (ND) and neighbor coupling (NC). We first define and implement the reversible operations called ND and NC, which realize lossless resolution conversion for complementary thumbnails sampling and collation to facilitate spatial modeling. Based on ND and NC, we further propose three modules, namely, local capturer and global dependence builder (LCGB), spacewise multiscale feature extractor (SMFE), and high-resolution semantic generator (HSG), which form the whole pipeline of NDNet. The LCGB serves as a stem block to preprocess the large-scale input for fast but lossless resolution reduction and extract initial features with global context. Then the SMFE is used for dense feature extraction and can obtain rich multiscale features in spatial dimension with less computational overhead. As for high-resolution semantic output, the HSG is designed for fast resolution reconstruction and adaptive semantic confusion amending. Experiments show the superiority of the proposed method. NDNet achieves the state-of-the-art performance on the Cityscapes dataset which reports 76.47% mIoU at 240 + frames/s and 78.8% mIoU at 150 + frames/s on the benchmark. Codes are available at https://github.com/LiShuTJ/NDNet.

[Standardized diagnosis and treatment of undifferentiated connective tissue disease and mixed connective tissue disease]

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (CTD) usually refers to patients who are presented with certain symptoms and signs related to CTD, and positive serological evidence of autoimmune diseases but don't fulfill any of the classification criteria for a certain CTD. Mixed CTD refers to patients who are presented with one or more clinical manifestations such as hand swelling, synovitis, myositis, Raynaud's phenomenon, and acrosclerosis. Patients with mixed CTD always have high-titer anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) of speckled pattern and high-titer anti-U₁ ribonuclear protein (RNP) antibody in serum, while with negative anti-Sm antibody. The update of diagnosis and treatment of undifferentiated CTD and mixed CTD lags behind other established CTD. There is a lack of evidence from randomized controlled trials or guidelines/recommendations on the treatment of undifferentiated CTD or mixed CTD. At present, the conventional therapy is mainly adopted according to the specific clinical manifestations of the disease. The standardized diagnosis and treatment of undifferentiated CTD and mixed CTD were drafted by the Chinese Rheumatology Association based on the previous guidelines and the progress of available evidence, so as to improve the management of these patients in China.

Clostridium butyricum Protects Against Pancreatic and Intestinal Injury After Severe Acute Pancreatitis via Downregulation of MMP9

Background: Evidence have shown that gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). In addition, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) plays an important role in intestinal injury in SAP. Thus, we aimed to determine whether gut microbiota could regulate the intestinal injury during SAP via modulating MMP9.

Methods: In this study, the fecal samples of patients with SAP (n = 72) and healthy controls (n = 32) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. In addition, to investigate the association between gut microbiota and MMP9 in intestinal injury during SAP, we established MMP9 stable knockdown Caco2 and HT29 cells in vitro and generated a MMP9 knockout (MMP9−/−) mouse model of SAP in vivo.

Results: We found that the abundance of Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) was significantly decreased in the SAP group. In addition, overexpression of MMP9 notably downregulated the expressions of tight junction proteins and upregulated the expressions of p-p38 and p-ERK in Caco2 and HT29 cells (p &lt; 0.05). However, C. butyricum or butyrate treatment remarkably upregulated the expressions of tight junction proteins and downregulated the expressions of MMP9, p-p38 and p-ERK in MMP9-overexpressed Caco2 and HT29 cells (p &lt; 0.05). Importantly, C. butyricum or butyrate could not affect the expressions of tight junction proteins, and MMP9, p-p38 and p-ERK proteins in MMP9-knockdown cells compared with MMP9-knockdown group. Consistently, C. butyricum or butyrate could not attenuate pancreatic and intestinal injury during SAP in MMP9−/− mice compared with the SAP group.

Conclusion: Collectively, C. butyricum could protect against pancreatic and intestinal injury after SAP via downregulation of MMP9 in vitro and in vivo.

Properties of Daily Helium Fluxes

We present the precision measurement of 2824 daily helium fluxes in cosmic rays from May 20, 2011 to October 29, 2019 in the rigidity interval from 1.71 to 100 GV based on 7.6×10^{8} helium nuclei collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aboard the International Space Station. The helium flux and the helium to proton flux ratio exhibit variations on multiple timescales. In nearly all the time intervals from 2014 to 2018, we observed recurrent helium flux variations with a period of 27 days. Shorter periods of 9 days and 13.5 days are observed in 2016. The strength of all three periodicities changes with time and rigidity. In the entire time period, we found that below ∼7  GV the helium flux exhibits larger time variations than the proton flux, and above ∼7  GV the helium to proton flux ratio is time independent. Remarkably, below 2.4 GV a hysteresis between the helium to proton flux ratio and the helium flux was observed at greater than the 7σ level. This shows that at low rigidity the modulation of the helium to proton flux ratio is different before and after the solar maximum in 2014.

Targeted Nuclease Approaches for Mapping Native R-Loops

R-loops are three-stranded, DNA:RNA hybrid-containing structures that form naturally throughout the genome as a consequence of transcription. Accurately determining the genomic locations and strand of origin of R-loops is critical to understanding their roles in gene regulation and disease. Here, we describe a nuclease-based protocol for genome-wide and strand-specific R-loop detection, which we term MapR. This method targets native R-loops for cleavage and release using a modified RNase H enzyme, followed by deep sequencing. An extension of the protocol, BisMapR, can additionally introduce strand specificity via non-denaturing bisulfite conversion of the R-loop's single-stranded DNA component. MapR and BisMapR identify R-loops with high resolution and low background, can be performed with low cell input, and require short experimental time.

Periodicities in the Daily Proton Fluxes from 2011 to 2019 Measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station from 1 to 100 GV

We present the precision measurement of the daily proton fluxes in cosmic rays from May 20, 2011 to October 29, 2019 (a total of 2824 days or 114 Bartels rotations) in the rigidity interval from 1 to 100 GV based on 5.5×10^{9} protons collected with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station. The proton fluxes exhibit variations on multiple timescales. From 2014 to 2018, we observed recurrent flux variations with a period of 27 days. Shorter periods of 9 days and 13.5 days are observed in 2016. The strength of all three periodicities changes with time and rigidity. The rigidity dependence of the 27-day periodicity is different from the rigidity dependences of 9-day and 13.5-day periods. Unexpectedly, the strength of 9-day and 13.5-day periodicities increases with increasing rigidities up to ∼10  GV and ∼20  GV, respectively. Then the strength of the periodicities decreases with increasing rigidity up to 100 GV.

Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 960 regulates cancer cell viability, migration and invasion through modulating miR-146a-5p/interleukin 1 receptor associated kinase 1 axis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered as crucial regulatory factors in cancer biology. However, the biological function of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 960 (LINC00960) in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still unknown. The goal of this study is to investigate the role of LINC00960 in PDAC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to examine the expression levels of LINC00960 in PDAC tissues and cell lines. After transfection, the loss-of-function models of LINC00960 or interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) were established with BxPC-3 cells and Colo357 cells, and the malignant phenotypes of BxPC-3 cells and Colo357 cells were detected by CCK-8 assay, BrdU assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The interactions among LINC00960, miR-146a-5p and IRAK1 were predicted by bioinformatics analysis, and verified by luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation assay and RNA pull-down assay. The regulatory functions of LINC00960 and miR-146a-5p on IRAK1 were detected by Western blot. We demonstrated that the LINC00960 expression was increased in PDAC tissues and cell lines. Knocking down LINC00960 or IRAK1 could repress the viability, migration, and invasion of BxPC-3 and Colo357 cells. LINC00960 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-146a-5p, and IRAK1 was verified as a target gene of miR-146a-5p. Additionally, LINC00960 could up-regulate IRAK1 expression via repressing miR-146a-5p, and the oncogenic properties of LINC00960 were partly reversed by miR-146a-5p. Our findings reveal that LINC00960 is a promoter of PDAC progression through regulating miR-146a-5p/IRAK1axis.

Injectable platelet rich fibrin facilitates hair follicle regeneration by promoting human dermal papilla cell proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity

Hair follicle regeneration has been successful in mice but failed in human being for years. Dermal papilla cells, a specialized mesenchymal stem cell derived from dermal papilla within hair follicles, is considered the key cells for hair follicle regeneration function as both regeneration initiator and regulator. Injectable platelet rich fibrin (i-PRF), a novel biomaterial rich in a variety of growth factors and three-dimensional scaffolds, has shown promising effects on tissue regeneration. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the application of i-PRF in human hair follicle regeneration by examining the biological effects of i-PRF on human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). Biomaterial compatibility, cell viability, proliferation, migration, alkaline phosphatase activity and trichogenic inductivity were assessed after exposing hDPCs to different concentrations of i-PRF extracts. In addition, we investigated the ultrastructure of i-PRF with all cell components filtered. The results revealed that i-PRF possessing excellent biocompatibility and could significantly promote hDPCs proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity. Furthermore, the concentration of i-PRF is able to remarkably influence hDPCs behavior in a dose-dependent pattern. Different concentrations exhibited differential effects on hDPCs behavior. In general, lower concentration promotes cell proliferation better than higher concentration, while higher concentration promotes cell function better reversely. Best concentration for hDPCs in vitro expending is 1% concentration. 20% concentration is optimal for hair follicle regeneration. In summary, our findings concluded that i-PRF facilitates hair follicle regeneration by promoting human dermal papilla cell proliferation, migration, and trichogenic inductivity.

Erratum: Properties of a New Group of Cosmic Nuclei: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on Sodium, Aluminum, and Nitrogen [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 021101 (2021)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.021101.

Targeting the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway suppresses CARM1-expressing ovarian cancer

CARM1 is often overexpressed in human cancers including in ovarian cancer. However, therapeutic approaches based on CARM1 expression remain to be an unmet need. Cancer cells exploit adaptive responses such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response for their survival through activating pathways such as the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway. Here, we report that CARM1-expressing ovarian cancer cells are selectively sensitive to inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway. CARM1 regulates XBP1s target gene expression and directly interacts with XBP1s during ER stress response. Inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway was effective against ovarian cancer in a CARM1-dependent manner both in vitro and in vivo in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft models. In addition, IRE1α inhibitor B-I09 synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade anti-PD1 antibody in an immunocompetent CARM1-expressing ovarian cancer model. Our data show that pharmacological inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1s pathway alone or in combination with immune checkpoint blockade represents a therapeutic strategy for CARM1-expressing cancers.

[Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cultured in 3D System Inhibit Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Through p38 MAPK and CXCR4/AKT Pathways by IL-24 Regulating]

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is prevalent worldwide and has a high mortality rate. Even if mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are suggested as cancer treatment, the studies of their effects on NSCLC cells contradict each other, mainly due to utilization of two-dimensional (2D) culture system. Three-dimensional (3D) culture systems resemble tissue organization in vivo. Here we comprehensively explore the inhibitory effects of MSCs on NSCLC cells in a 3D culture system. We confirmed that the inhibitory effects of 3D-cultured MSCs (3D-MSCs) on the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells are greater than that of the 2D-cultured MSCs. 3D-MSCs overexpress IL-24, which serve as the key factor enhancing antitumor effects of MSCs. In these cells, IL-24 affects p38 MAPK and CXCR4/AKT pathways. Overall, this study provides the support for use of MSCs in tumor.

Properties of a New Group of Cosmic Nuclei: Results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on Sodium, Aluminum, and Nitrogen

We report the properties of sodium (Na) and aluminum (Al) cosmic rays in the rigidity range 2.15 GV to 3.0 TV based on 0.46 million sodium and 0.51 million aluminum nuclei collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment on the International Space Station. We found that Na and Al, together with nitrogen (N), belong to a distinct cosmic ray group. In this group, we observe that, similar to the N flux, both the Na flux and Al flux are well described by the sums of a primary cosmic ray component (proportional to the silicon flux) and a secondary cosmic ray component (proportional to the fluorine flux). The fraction of the primary component increases with rigidity for the N, Na, and Al fluxes and becomes dominant at the highest rigidities. The Na/Si and Al/Si abundance ratios at the source, 0.036±0.003 for Na/Si and 0.103±0.004 for Al/Si, are determined independent of cosmic ray propagation.

[Analysis of fusion gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia]

Objective: To analyze the genetic landscape of multiple fusion genes in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and investigate the characteristics of immunophenotypes and mutations. Methods: The results of multiple fusion genes from 4192 patients with de novo AML were retrospectively analyzed from 2016 to 2020. In addition, the immunophenotypical data and the mutational results from high-through put method were statistically investigated and correlated as well. Results: ①Among the 52 targets, 29 different types of fusion genes were detected in 1948 patients (46.47%) with AML, which demonstrated an "exponential distribution" . ② As the age increased, the number of patients with fusion gene increased first and then decreased gradually. The total incidence rate of fusion genes and MLL rearrangment in children were significantly higher than those in adults (69.18% vs 44.76%, 15.35% vs 8.36%) . ③The mutations involving FLT3 and RAS signaling pathway contributed most in patients with MLL rearrangment. ④No specific immunophenotypic characteristics were found in AML patients with MLL or NUP98 rearrangements. Conclusion: Nearly half of AML patients were accompanied by specific fusion gene expression, the proportions of different fusion genes in pediatric and adults patients were different by multiple PCR. The gene mutations and immunophenotype of these AML patients have certain rules.

Genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin

Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin (TKS) is an important potential alternative source of natural inulin and rubber production, which has great significance for the production of industrial products. In this study, we sequenced 58 wild TKS individuals collected from four different geography regions worldwide to elucidate the population structure, genetic diversity, and the patterns of evolution. Also, the first flowering time, crown diameter, morphological characteristics of leaf, and scape of all TKS individuals were measured and evaluated statistically. Phylogenetic analysis based on SNPs and cluster analysis based on agronomic traits showed that all 58 TKS individuals could be roughly divided into three distinct groups: (a) Zhaosu County in Xinjiang (population AB, including a few individuals from population C and D); (b) Tekes County in Xinjiang (population C); and (c) Tuzkol lake in Kazakhstan (population D). Population D exhibited a closer genetic relationship with population C compared with population AB. Genetic diversity analysis further revealed that population expansion from C and D to AB occurred, as well as gene flow between them. Additionally, some natural selection regions were identified in AB population. Function annotation of candidate genes identified in these regions revealed that they mainly participated in biological regulation processes, such as transporter activity, structural molecule activity, and molecular function regulator. We speculated that the genes identified in selective sweep regions may contribute to TKS adaptation to the Yili River Valley of Xinjiang. In general, this study provides new insights in clarifying population structure and genetic diversity analysis of TKS using SNP molecular markers and agronomic traits.

POS0885 HIGH INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY OF PNEUMOCYSTIS JIROVECI INFECTION IN ANTI-MDA5-ANTIBODY POSITIVE DERMATOMYOSITIS: EXPERIENCE FROM A SINGLE CENTER

Background:

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) was associated with a significantly higher risk of opportunistic infections that including Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia(PJP) which is potentially fatal opportunistic infection. However, no prior studies have evaluated the PJP infection in subtypes of IIM.

Objectives:

To investigate the incidence rate and mortality rate of PJP infection in subgroups of IIM patients according to myopathy specific antibodies.

Methods:

In the first part, we reviewed 463 consecutive patients with IIM retrospectively to analyze incidence of PJP infection. In the next part, we enrolled 30 consecutive PJP infection patients with any rheumatic disease was to identify the mortality rate and risk factors. Kaplan-Meier curve with log rank test was used to access differences in survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors using Cox regression.

Results:

We found that 12(7.5%) PJP cases occurred in 160 anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM patients, while only two (0.7%) PJP cases were found in 303 anti-MDA5-ab-negtive DM/PM patients(P < 0.05). PJP infection typically happened in the first two months of the treatment for anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM patients who have a significant decrease in the CD4+ T cell counts and Lymphocyte counts (P < 0.05). Only two (16.7%) anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM patients recover from PJP, with lethally higher mortality than those PJP infection with other rheumatic diseases (83.3% vs. 38.9%, P < 0.05). We found no association between the time to anti-PJP treatment and treatment outcomes in anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM; yet we confirmed in PJP infection with other rheumatic diseases that anti-PJP treatment within 6 days crucially increased the survival (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

PJP infection has alarming high incidence and mortality in anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM patients. Unlike PJP infection with other rheumatic diseases, timely treatment for PJP doesn’t improve the prognosis of this particular subtype. Therefore, the necessity of further study of PJP prophylaxis treatment in anti-MDA5-ab-positive DM patients is verified.

References:

[1]Hsu CY, et al. Comparing the burdens of opportunistic infections among patients with systemic rheumatic diseases: a nationally representative cohort study. ARTHRITIS RES THER 2019, 21(1):211.

Acknowledgements:

The authors thank Dr. An Sun,

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

The analysis of the effects of Liuwei Dihuang decoction on aging-related metabolites and metabolic pathways in naturally aging mice by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-light mass spectrometry

Liuwei Dihuang decoction (LWDH) has been used to treat age-related diseases in Asia for thousands of years. Its effect is significant, but the mechanism is not entirely understood. The development and maturity of metabonomics technology have created a new way to understand its effects. In this study, 20-month-old naturally aging mice were used as the research subjects. Mice were randomly divided into the young group, elderly group, vitamin E group, and LWDH group, with 10 mice in each group. The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technique analyzed the changes in plasma metabolism of these mice. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to study metabolic markers and metabolic pathways. Compared with the elderly group, the organ index and weightbearing swimming time of the LWDH and vitamin E groups increased (P ≤ 0.01). The results show that LWDH can benignly regulate the expression level of 11 aging-associated metabolites in aged mice and alleviate the aging state of mice. These metabolites mainly affect the metabolism of glutathione, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, pyrimidine, selenium, pentose phosphate, arginine, and proline.