Combination of chidamide and PD-1 blockade in Refractory/Relapsed aggressive large B-cell lymphomas with high risk of failing CAR-T therapy

BACKGROUND

Refractoriness and relapse after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy have emerged as major challenges for immunotherapy of aggressive large B-cell lymphoma. Thus far, there is no consensus on how to address treatment failure and whether to administer maintenance therapy following CAR-T cell therapy.

METHODS

From August 2017 through November 2022, 52 patients with refractory/relapsed aggressive LBCL who had a high risk of resistance to CAR-T cell therapy were given chidamide in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor as maintenance therapy following either CAR19/22 T-cell cocktail therapy or CAR19/22 T-cell cocktail therapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Another 52 aggressive LBCL patients who had comparable baseline characteristics and received similar therapeutic regimens but did not receive any interventions following CAR-T cell therapy or CAR-T cell therapy plus ASCT were regarded as the control group to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of chidamide and a PD-1 inhibitor.

RESULTS

Among the 52 patients who received chidamide and a PD-1 inhibitor as maintenance therapy, with a median follow-up of 26.5 months (range: 1.1-53.8), neither the median progression-free survival (PFS) nor overall survival (OS) was reached, and the expected 2-year OS and PFS rates were 89 % and 77 %, respectively, which were superior to those of the control group (p < 0.001). Long-term chidamide administration and a specific genetic subtype of EZB were strongly associated with a better response after chidamide plus PD-1 blockade therapy. Additionally, long-term chidamide administration was significantly associated with prolonged persistence and reactivation of CD19-directed CAR-T cells in the peripheral blood. Adverse effects (AEs) were moderate and reversible, and no treatment-related deaths occurred.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that the combination of chidamide and PD-1 blockade as maintenance therapy could improve the outcomes of aggressive LBCL patients at high risk of failing CAR-T cell therapy.

Luteolin attenuates CCl4-induced hepatic injury by inhibiting ferroptosis via SLC7A11

BACKGROUND

Luteolin (3,4,5,7-tetrahydroxy flavone) is reported to strongly protect from acute carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) -induced liver injury or fibrosis. Ferroptosis can be induced by hepatic injury, and contributes to liver fibrosis development. The exact functional mechanism underlying luteolin inhibition of hepatic injury and whether ferroptosis is involved are unclear.

METHODS

Mice model and cell model of liver injury were constructed or induced to explore the effect and molecular mechanisms of Luteolin in the treatment of hepatic injury using CCl4. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry were used to evaluate HepG2 cell viability and apoptosis. The differential expressed genes involved in liver injury were scanned using RNA-seq and confirmed using functional study. Western blot was used to detect the indicators related to ferroptosis.

RESULTS

Luteolin attenuated hepatic injury by alleviating cell morphology and decreasing serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in vivo mice models, and increasing cell viability, downregulating arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (ALOX12), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and P21 protein expression, suppressing apoptosis in vitro cell models. Luteolin also inhibited ferroptosis by stimulating glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and mitochondrial ferritin (FTMT) protein expression, increasing glutathione (GSH) content, and minimizing Fe2+ and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Solute carrier family 7a member 11 (SLC7A11) was identified to be a key regulatory gene that participated in luteolin attenuation of CCl4-induced hepatic injuries in HepG2 cells using Microarray assay. Functional study showed that SLC7A11 can alleviate hepatic injury and ferroptosis.

CONCLUSION

Luteolin attenuated CCl4-induced hepatic injury by inhibiting ferroptosis via SLC7A11. SLC7A11 may serve as a novel alternative therapeutic target for hepatic injury.

Reactive oxygen species-responsive nano-platform with dual-targeting and fluorescent lipid-specific imaging capabilities for the management of atherosclerotic plaques

Atherosclerosis (AS), a pathological cause of cardiovascular disease, results from endothelial injury, local progressive inflammation, and excessive lipid accumulation. AS plaques rich in foam cells are prone to rupture and form thrombus, which can cause life-threatening complications. Therefore, the assessment of atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and early intervention are crucial in reducing the mortality rates associated with cardiovascular disease. In this work, A fluorescent probe FC-TPA was synthesized, which switches the fluorescence state between protonated and non-protonated, reducing background fluorescence and enhancing imaging signal-to-noise ratio. On this basis, FC-TPA is loaded into cyclodextrin (CD) modified with phosphatidylserine targeting peptide (PTP) and coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) to construct the intelligent responsive diagnostic nanoplatform (HA@PCFT). HA@PCFT effectively targets atherosclerotic plaques, utilizing dual targeting mechanisms. HA binds strongly to CD44, while PTP binds to phosphatidylserine, enabling nanoparticle aggregation at the lesion site. ROS acts as a smart release switch for probes. Both in vitro and in vivo evaluations confirm impressive lipid-specific fluorescence imaging capabilities of HA@PCFT nanoparticles (NPs). The detection of lipid load in atherosclerotic plaque by fluorescence imaging will aid in assessing the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaque. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Currently, numerous fluorescent probes have been developed for lipid imaging. However, some challenges including inadequate water solubility, nonspecific distribution patterns, and fluorescence background interference, have greatly limited their further applications in vivo. To overcome these limitations, a fluorescent molecule has been designed and synthesized, thoroughly investigating its photophysical properties through both theoretical and experimental approaches. Interestingly, this fluorescent molecule exhibits the reversible fluorescence switching capabilities, mediated by hydrogen bonds, which effectively mitigate background fluorescence interference. Additionally, the fluorescent molecules has been successfully loaded into nanocarriers functionalized with the active targeting abilities, which has significantly improved the solubility of the fluorescent molecules and reduced their nonspecific distribution in vivo for an efficient target imaging in atherosclerosis. This study provides a valuable reference for evaluating the performance of such fluorescent dyes, and offers a promising perspective on the design of the target delivery systems for atherosclerosis.

The mechanism of Traditional Mongolian medicine Daruqi particles on inflammation

Daruqi is a Traditional Mongolian medicine with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and immune-regulatory effects. However, the mechanisms of its activity were unclear. In the present study, we confirmed the anti-inflammation effect of Daruqi on inflammation induced by LPS using animal models. Then, THP-1 cells treated with LPS was used as a positive control to explore the effective component of Daruqi on inflammation. We identified that Oxymatrine was the essential effector of Daruqi. Furthermore, the mechanism of Oxymatrine on inflammation was verified through proteomics analyses and validation assays. Our results demonstrated that Oxymatrine significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokine, including IL-8, IL-1α, and IL-1β, in LPS induced THP-1 cells. Based on tandem mass tag -labeled quantitative proteomics, 428 differentially expressed proteins were screened, involved in TNF signaling pathway, Ferroptosis, IL-17 signaling pathway, etc. Among these differential expressed proteins (DEPs), 23 proteins were verified with parallel reaction monitoring analysis. The results showed that LPS treatment potentiated the protein level of PLEK, ACSL5 and CYBB, which could be reversed by Oxymatrine. By contrast, the protein expression of SPRYD4 and EMR2 was suppressed after LPS treatment, which could be rescued by Oxymatrine. In summary, Oxymatrine has excellent protective effects in LPS induced THP-1 cells. The five proteins, including PLEK, ACSL5, CYBB, SPRYD4 and EMR2, might serve as the targets of Oxymatrine, and as candidates regulating inflammation in future therapies.

Calculation method of spherically expanding flame propagation radius to consider ignition electrode effects

Ignition electrodes have an immense impact on the accurate measurement of the flame propagation spherical radius. In this study, a flame-radius calculation method is designed. The method is able to eliminate effects due to the ignition electrodes. The adaptability and optimization effects of the proposed method are analyzed. The results show that the ratio of the angle is affected by the ignition electrodes under the Han II method. There are three obvious divisions include a high-value area, a sharp-variation area, and a mild-variation area. The ratio of the angle affected by the ignition electrodes is only applicable to the mild-variation region when the flame presents respective convex and concave distributions. For these distributions, the increment rate of the mean radius is 0.4-0.85% and 0.42-3.19%. The reduced rate of the standard deviation of the radius extraction value is 11.91-22.1% and 5.13-17.99%, and the reduced rate of the radius extraction value range is 20.32-39.51% and 0.32-8.09%.

Frontline combination of dasatinib and low-intensity chemotherapy in adults with de novo Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND

Studies on dasatinib-based low-intensity induction regimens and post-remission strategies are limited in China. Therefore, we conducted a single-center phase 2 trial in newly diagnosed adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to establish the efficacy and safety of this treatment approach.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Patients received one month of dasatinib plus low-intensity chemotherapy and two months of dasatinib monotherapy for induction, followed by a single course of high-dose methotrexate for consolidation. Subsequently, they underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based treatment for maintenance therapy between October 2015 and August 2022.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients were enrolled. Median age was 45 years (range, 20-71). The rates of major and complete molecular responses in the third month were 18.2% and 40.9% respectively. With a median follow-up of 15 months (range, 5-89), the estimated 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 52.4% and 73.2%, respectively. The TKI-based cohort had a significantly poorer DFS (p = 0.014) and OS (p = 0.008) than the allo-HSCT cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that dasatinib-based low-intensity chemotherapy is safe and effective as an induction strategy in the Chinese population. Allo-HSCT plays a crucial role in the long-term outcomes of patients with Ph+ ALL.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT02690922.

A ratiometric fluorescent "off-on" sensor for acrylamide detection in toast based on red-emitting copper nanoclusters stabilized by bovine serum albumin

Acrylamide, as a Class 2A carcinogen, poses serious threats to human health. To achieve rapid and accurate determination of acrylamide in food, a ratiometric fluorescent "off-on" sensor was designed by incorporating red-emitting copper nanoclusters and glutathione. Copper nanoclusters with bimodal emission at 395 nm and 650 nm (excited at 310 nm) were synthesized by using bovine serum albumin as the ligand and ascorbic acid as the reductant. With glutathione addition, the fluorescence intensity at 650 nm gradually decreased, while the case at 395 nm slightly increased. The quenched fluorescence at 650 nm was subsequently restored by acrylamide through thiol-ene Michael addition reaction between acrylamide and glutathione. The constructed sensor showed excellent performance towards acrylamide detection in the range of 5-300 μM with a detection limit of 1.48 μM, and was further applied to real-sample detection of acrylamide in toast and exhibited good recoveries (90.29-101.30 %), indicating potential applications of this sensor.

Clinical performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for diagnosis of pulmonary Aspergillus infection and colonization

Background

Investigations assessing the value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for distinguish Aspergillus infection from colonization are currently insufficient.

Methods

The performance of mNGS in distinguishing Aspergillus infection from colonization, along with the differences in patients' characteristics, antibiotic adjustment, and lung microbiota, were analyzed.

Results

The abundance of Aspergillus significantly differed between patients with Aspergillus infection (n=36) and colonization (n=32) (P < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve result for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) mNGS indicated an area under the curve of 0.894 (95%CI: 0.811-0.976), with an optimal threshold value of 23 for discriminating between Aspergillus infection and colonization. The infection group exhibited a higher proportion of antibiotic adjustments in comparison to the colonization group (50% vs. 12.5%, P = 0.001), with antibiotic escalation being more dominant. Age, length of hospital stay, hemoglobin, cough and chest distress were significantly positively correlated with Aspergillus infection. The abundance of A. fumigatus and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) significantly increased in the infection group, whereas the colonization group exhibited higher abundance of A. niger.

Conclusion

BALF mNGS is a valuable tool for differentiating between colonization and infection of Aspergillus. Variations in patients' age, length of hospital stay, hemoglobin, cough and chest distress are observable between patients with Aspergillus infection and colonization.

[Propensity score matching analysis of the short-term efficacy of Kamikawa versus double- tract reconstruction in laparoscopic proximal gastric cancer surgery]

Objective: To compare the short-term efficacy of Kamikawa anastomosis and double-tract reconstruction (DTR) after proximal gastrectomy. Methods: This was a propensity score matched, retrospective, cohort study. Inclusion criteria comprised age 20-70 years, diagnosis of gastric cancer by pathological examination of preoperative endoscopic biopsies, tumor diameter ≤4 cm, and location in the upper 1/3 of the stomach (including the gastroesophageal junction), and TNM stage IA, IB, or IIA. The study cohort comprised 73 patients who had undergone laparoscopic proximal gastric cancer radical surgery in the Department of Gastroenterology, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University between June 2020 and February 2023, 19 of whom were in the Kamikawa group and 54 in the DTR group. After using R language to match the baseline characteristics of patients in a ratio of 1:2, there were 17 patients in the Kamikawa group and 34 in the DTR group. Surgery-related conditions, postoperative quality of life, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Results: After propensity score matching, there were no statistically significant differences in baseline data between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the DTR group, the Kamikawa group had longer operative times (321.5±15.7 minutes vs. 296.8±26.1 minutes, t=32.056, P<0.001), longer anastomosis times (93.0±6.8 minutes vs. 45.3±7.7 minutes, t=56.303, P<0.001), and less bleeding (76 [54~103] mL vs.112 [82~148) mL, Z=71.536, P<0.001); these differences are statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in tumor size, time to first postoperative passage of gas, postoperative hospital stay, number of lymph nodes removed, duration of lymph node dissection, or total hospitalization cost (all P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 6.1 ± 1.8 months. As to postoperative quality of life, the Kamikawa group had a lower rate of upper gastrointestinal contrast reflux than did the DTR group (0 vs. 29.4% [10/34], χ2=6.220, P=0.013); this difference is statistically significant. However, differences between the two groups in quality of life score on follow-up of 3 months and 6 months on the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) scale were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 2/17 in the Kamikawa group, which is significantly lower than the 41.2% (14/34) in the DTR group (χ2=4.554, P=0.033). Conclusion: Kamikawa anastomosis and DTR are equally safe and effective procedures for reconstructing the digestive tract after proximal gastric surgery. Although Kamikawa anastomosis takes slightly longer and places higher demands on the surgical team, it is more effective at preventing postoperative reflux.

TNF-α is a predictive marker in distinguishing myeloproliferative neoplasm and idiopathic erythrocytosis/thrombocytosis: development and validation of a non-invasive diagnostic model

Purpose

Philadelphia-chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) exhibit phenotypic similarities with JAK/STAT-unmutated idiopathic erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis (IE/IT). We aimed to develop a clinical diagnostic model to discern MPN and IE/IT.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed on 77 MPN patients and 32 IE/IT patients in our center from January 2018 to December 2023. We investigated the role of hemogram, cytokine and spleen size in differentiating MPN and IE/IT among newly onset erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis patients. Independent influencing factors were integrated into a nomogram for individualized risk prediction. The calibration and discrimination ability of the model were evaluated by concordance index (C-index), calibration curve.

Results

MPN had significantly higher TNF-α level than IE/IT, and the TNF-α level is correlated with MF-grade. Multivariable analyses revealed that TNF-α, PLT count, age, size of spleen were independent diagnostic factors in differentiating MPN and IE/IT. Nomograms integrated the above 4 factors for differentiating MPN and IE/IT was internally validated and had good performance, the C-index of the model is 0.979.

Conclusion

The elevation of serum TNF-α in MPN patients is of diagnostic significance and is correlated with the severity of myelofibrosis. The nomogram incorporating TNF-α with age, PLT count and spleen size presents a noteworthy tool in the preliminary discrimination of MPN patients and those with idiopathic erythrocytosis or thrombocytosis. This highlights the potential of cytokines as biomarkers in hematologic disorders.

Full-length transcriptome reveals the circularly polarized light response-related molecular genetic characteristics of Oratosquilla oratoria

The mantis shrimp is the only animal that can recognize circularly polarized light (CPL), but its molecular genetic characteristics are unclear. Multi-tissue level full-length (FL) transcriptome sequencing of Oratosquilla oratoria, a representative widely distributed mantis shrimp, was performed in the present study. We used comparative transcriptomics to explore the critical genes of O. oratoria selected by CPL and the GNβ gene associated with CPL signal transduction was hypothesized to be positively selected. Furthermore, the FL transcriptomes of O. oratoria compound eyes under five light conditions were sequenced and used to detect alternative splicing (AS). The ASs associated with CPL recognition mainly occurred in the LWS, ARR and TRPC regions. The number of FL transcripts with AS events and annotation information also provided evidence that O. oratoria could recognize LCPL. Additionally, 51 sequences belonging to the LWS, UV and Peropsin gene families were identified based on conserved 7tm domains. The LWS, UV and Peropsin opsins have similar 3D structures with seven domains across the cell membrane and conserved KSLRTPSN, DRY, and QAKK motifs. In conclusion, these results are undoubtedly valuable for perfecting the vision theory of O. oratoria and other mantis shrimp.

Improve meat production and virus resistance by simultaneously editing multiple genes in livestock using Cas12iMax

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated gene (Cas) system is continually optimized to achieve the most efficient gene editing effect. The Cas12iMax, a Cas12i variant, exhibits powerful DNA editing activity and enriches the gene editing toolbox. However, the application of Cas12iMax in large domestic animals has not yet been reported. To verify the efficiency and feasibility of multiple gene editing in large animals, we generated porcine fibroblasts with simultaneous knockouts of IGF2, ANPEP, CD163, and MSTN via Cas12iMax in one step. Phenotypically stable pigs were created through somatic cell nuclear transfer technology. They exhibited improved growth performance and muscle quality. Furthermore, we simultaneously edited three genes in bovine fibroblasts. A knockout of MSTN and PRNP was created and the amino acid Q-G in CD18 was precisely substituted. Meanwhile, no off-target phenomenon was observed by sum-type analysis or off-target detection. These results verified the effectiveness of Cas12iMax for gene editing in livestock animals and demonstrated the potential application of Cas12iMax in the field of animal trait improvement for agricultural production.

Chromosomal-scale genome assembly and annotation of the land slug (Meghimatium bilineatum)

Meghimatium bilineatum is a notorious pest land slug used as a medicinal resource to treat ailments in China. Although this no-model species is unique in terms of their ecological security and medicinal value, the genome resource of this slug is lacking to date. Here, we used the Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing techniques to construct a chromosomal-level genome of M. bilineatum. With the Hi-C correction, the sequencing data from PacBio system generated a 1.61 Gb assembly with a scaffold N50 of 68.08 Mb, and anchored to 25 chromosomes. The estimated assembly completeness at 91.70% was obtained using BUSCO methods. The repeat sequence content in the assembled genome was 72.51%, which mainly comprises 34.08% long interspersed elements. We further identified 18631 protein-coding genes in the assembled genome. A total of 15569 protein-coding genes were successfully annotated. This genome assembly becomes an important resource for studying the ecological adaptation and potential medicinal molecular basis of M. bilineatum.

CTCF modulates adipocyte lipolysis via directly regulating the expression of Beclin 1 with the cooperation of PPARγ

Dysregulated lipolysis is a risk factor contributing to metabolic diseases and autophagy is known to be important in lipolysis. CTCF is involved in diverse cellular processes including adipogenesis, yet its role in lipolysis or autophagy remains unknown. We identified lipolytic genes were downregulated in CTCF knockdown adipocytes based on the RNA-seq data. Further validation showed that CTCF knockdown restrained adipocyte lipolysis while overexpression of CTCF had opposite effects. Similarly, overexpression and knockdown studies demonstrated that CTCF was a positive regulator of autophagy. Treatment with autophagy inducer relieved the suppression of lipolysis caused by CTCF knockdown, while autophagy inhibitor treatment alleviated lipolysis stimulated by CTCF overexpression, indicating that CTCF regulates adipocyte lipolysis through autophagy. Mechanistically, CTCF interacted with PPARγ to coordinately enhanced lipolytic capacity. Data of chip-seq, chip-qPCR and further experiments confirmed that CTCF and PPARγ separately stimulated transactivation of autophagy regulatory protein Beclin 1, while co-expression of the two displayed synergistic effects to regulate autophagy flux. Expectedly, overexpression of Beclin 1 abolished the blockage of lipolysis and autophagy caused by CTCF knockdown. Collectively, CTCF cooperates with PPARγ to regulate autophagy via directly modulating BECLIN 1 transcription, thereby leading to increased adipocyte lipolysis.

Identification and Characterization of a Predominant Hydrophobin in the Edible Mushroom Grifola frondosa

Hydrophobins (HFBs) are a group of small, secreted amphipathic proteins of fungi with multiple physiological functions and potential commercial applications. In this study, HFB genes of the edible mushroom, Grifola frondosa, were systematically identified and characterized, and their transcriptional profiles during fungal development were determined. In total, 19 typical class I HFB genes were discovered and bioinformatically analyzed. Gene expression profile examination showed that Gf.hyd9954 was particularly highly upregulated during primordia formation, suggesting its major role as the predominant HFB in the lifecycle of G. frondosa. The wettability alteration profile and the surface modification ability of recombinant rGf.hyd9954 were greater than for the Grifola HFB HGFII-his. rGf.hyd9954 was also demonstrated to form the typical class I HFB characteristic-rodlet bundles. In addition, rGf.hyd9954 was shown to possess nanoparticle characteristics and emulsification activities. This research sheds light on the regulation of fungal development and its association with the expression of HFB genes.

Application of Auricular Cartilage-Skin Graft in the Reconstruction of Unilateral Cleft Lip Nasal Deformity

BACKGROUND

Autologous cartilage grafts are increasingly used in the treatment of cleft lip nasal deformity, but nasal alar retraction caused by lining defects often occurs after surgery. We designed a new graft to treat unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity while avoiding nasal alar retraction.

METHODS

Nineteen patients in our hospital underwent unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity repair surgery with an auricular cartilage-skin graft. The effect of surgery was evaluated in four aspects: satisfaction with postoperative appearance, nasal aesthetic subunit indices, position of the nasal alar rim and three-dimensional spatial difference.

RESULTS

Overall satisfaction with each index was above 90%. The nasal tip angle and nasolabial angle of patients were significantly smaller after surgery than before surgery (P < 0.01). The height of the nostril on the affected side and the length of the nasal columella were greater after surgery than before surgery (P < 0.01). The spatial differences in soft tissue between the unaffected side and the affected side after surgery were significantly smaller than before surgery (P < 0.01). According to the follow-up results of 1-2 years, there were no significant retraction of the nasal alar rim (P > 0.05) and no obvious auricular deformity. All patients had a noticeable improvement in their nasal appearance.

CONCLUSION

The auricular cartilage-skin graft, which can not only improve the appearance of the nose but also avoid nasal alar retraction, is an ideal graft to cure unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Prevalence and influencing factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among hospital-based healthcare workers during the surge period of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chinese mainland: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

From November 2022 to February 2023, the Chinese mainland experienced a surge in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization, and the hospital-based healthcare workers (HCWs) might suffer serious psychological crisis during this period. This study aims to assess the depressive and anxiety symptoms among HCWs during the surge of COVID-19 pandemic and to provide possible reference on protecting mental health of HCWs in future infectious disease outbreaks.

METHODS

A multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out among hospital-based HCWs in the Chinese mainland from 5 January to 9 February 2023. The PHQ-9 (nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire) and GAD-7 (seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire) were used to measure depressive and anxiety symptoms. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to identify influencing factors.

RESULTS

A total of 6522 hospital-based HCWs in the Chinse mainland were included in this survey. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the HCWs was 70.75%, and anxiety symptoms was 47.87%. The HCWs who perceived higher risk of COVID-19 infection and those who had higher work intensity were more likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, higher levels of mindfulness, resilience and perceived social support were negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that a high proportion of HCWs in the Chinese mainland suffered from mental health disturbances during the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resilience, mindfulness and perceived social support are important protective factors of HCWs' mental health. Tailored interventions, such as mindfulness practice, should be implemented to alleviate psychological symptoms of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic or other similar events in the future.

Effect of Segmental Abutting Esophagus-Sparing Technique to Reduce Severe Esophagitis in Limited-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Concurrent Hypofractionated Thoracic Radiation and Chemotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate the effect of segmental abutting esophagus-sparing (SAES) radiotherapy to reduce severe (G3+) acute esophagitis from 20% to 5% in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with a clinical target volume (CTV) ≤1 cm close to the esophagus were enrolled in the experimental arm (45 Gy in 3 Gy daily fractions in 3 weeks) of an ongoing phase III randomized clinical trial (NCT02675088), which enrolled patients with histologically confirmed SCLC and clinically staged as LS or I-IIIB (AJCC 7th). This trial was designed to determine whether HYPO TRT (45 Gy in 3 Gy QD, experimental arm) has the same efficacy as CF TRT (60 Gy in 2 Gy QD, controlled arm) in patients with LS-SCLC. The whole esophagus was divided into the involved esophagus and abutting esophagus (AE) to receive different dose limitations according to the distance from the edge of the CTV. The primary endpoint was grade ≥ 3 acute esophagitis.

RESULTS

From 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022, 30 patients were enrolled and completed four cycles of planned chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Our patient population was predominantly male (66.7% men vs. 33.3% women), with a median age of 62 years. A majority of patients presented with Stage N2-3 (90.0%) and T2-4 (76.7%), in which 4 patients had ultracentral-located primary tumors. With the SAES technique, all dosimetric parameters were significantly reduced for the whole esophagus and AE. The maximal and mean dose of the esophagus (47.4±1.9 Gy and 13.5 ± 5.8 Gy, respectively) and AE (42.9±2.3 Gy and 8.6 ± 3.6 Gy, respectively) in the SAES plan were significantly lower than those (esophagus 48.0±1.9 Gy and 14.7± 6.1 Gy, AE 45.1±2.4 Gy and 9.8± 4.2 Gy, respectively) in the non-SAES plan. After the follow-up of more than 7 months (range, 7.0-18.1 months) for all patients, only one patient (3.3%, 95% CI 0.1%-17.2%) experienced grade 3 acute esophagitis and no grade 4-5 acute esophagitis happened (Table 3). For late toxicities, one patient suffered sustained grade 1 late esophagitis and all others had no symptoms of esophagitis. The rate of radiation pneumonitis was very low, with one grade 3 event and no grade 4-5 event. Twelve (40.0%) patients had G3+ hematologic toxic events, including 2 patients with febrile neutropenia. The 1-year OS, LRFS, DMFS and PFS was 96.4%, 88.7%, 78.4% and 64.3%, respectively. No patient developed local recurrence in the abutting esophagus-sparing region.

CONCLUSION

SAES radiotherapy has significant dosimetric advantages compared with standard radiotherapy, which are successfully translated into clinical benefits for patients with LS-SCLC treated with 45 Gy in 3 Gy daily fractions. This may facilitate dose escalation for TRT in LS-SCLC patients.

Superresolution Fluorescence Microscopy of Platelet Subcellular Structures as a Potential Tumor Liquid Biopsy

Blood-based tumor liquid biopsies are promising as an alternative or complement to tissue biopsies due to their noninvasiveness, convenience, and safety, and there is still a great demand for the discovery of new biomarkers for these biopsies. Here, nanoscale distribution patterns of subcellular structures in platelets, as imaged by structured illumination superresolution fluorescence microscopy, as a new type of potential biomarker for tumor liquid biopsies are presented. A standardized protocol for platelet sample preparation and developed an automated high-throughput image analysis workflow is established. The diagnostic capability based on the statistical analysis of 280 000 superresolution images of individual platelets from a variety of tumor patients, benign mass patients, and healthy volunteers (n = 206) is explored. These results suggest that the nanoscale distribution patterns of α-granules in platelets have the potential to be biomarkers for several cancers, including glioma and cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, facilitating not only diagnosis but also therapeutic monitoring. This study provides a promising novel type of platelet parameter for tumor liquid biopsies at the subcellular level rather than the existing cellular or molecular level and opens up a new avenue for clinical applications of superresolution imaging techniques.

Hsp70 Gene Family in Sebastiscus marmoratus: The Genome-Wide Identification and Transcriptome Analysis under Thermal Stress

Heat shock protein 70 kDa (Hsp70) is a highly conserved heat stress protein that is important in biotic processes and responses to abiotic stress. Hsp70 genes may be important in Sebastiscus marmoratus, for it is a kind of nearshore reef fish, and habitat temperature change is more drastic during development. However, genome-wide identification and expression analysis in the Hsp70 gene family of S. marmoratus are still lacking. Here, a total of 15 Hsp70 genes in the genome of S. marmoratus are identified, and their expression patterns were investigated using transcriptomic data from thermal stress experiments. The expansion and gene duplication events of Hsp70 genes from the Hspa4, Hspa8, and Hspa12a subfamilies in S. marmoratus are revealed by phylogenetic analysis. qRT-PCR expression patterns demonstrated that seven Hsp70 genes were significantly up-regulated and none were significantly down-regulated after heat treatment. Only the hsp70 gene was significantly up-regulated after cold treatment. The selection test further showed a purifying selection on the duplicated gene pairs, suggesting that these genes underwent subfunctionalization. Our results add novel insight to aquaculture and biological research on S. marmoratus, providing important information on how Hsp70 genes are regulated in Scorpaeniformes under thermal stress.

Immune checkpoint therapy for solid tumours: clinical dilemmas and future trends

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICBs), in addition to targeting CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1, novel targeting LAG-3 drugs have also been approved in clinical application. With the widespread use of the drug, we must deeply analyze the dilemma of the agents and seek a breakthrough in the treatment prospect. Over the past decades, these agents have demonstrated dramatic efficacy, especially in patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nonetheless, in the field of a broad concept of solid tumours, non-specific indications, inseparable immune response and side effects, unconfirmed progressive disease, and complex regulatory networks of immune resistance are four barriers that limit its widespread application. Fortunately, the successful clinical trials of novel ICB agents and combination therapies, the advent of the era of oncolytic virus gene editing, and the breakthrough of the technical barriers of mRNA vaccines and nano-delivery systems have made remarkable breakthroughs currently. In this review, we enumerate the mechanisms of each immune checkpoint targets, associations between ICB with tumour mutation burden, key immune regulatory or resistance signalling pathways, the specific clinical evidence of the efficacy of classical targets and new targets among different tumour types and put forward dialectical thoughts on drug safety. Finally, we discuss the importance of accurate triage of ICB based on recent advances in predictive biomarkers and diagnostic testing techniques.

Marine Dehalogenator and Its Chaperones: Microbial Duties and Responses in 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol Dechlorination

Marine environments contain diverse halogenated organic compounds (HOCs), both anthropogenic and natural, nourishing a group of versatile organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB). Here, we identified a novel OHRB (Peptococcaceae DCH) with conserved motifs but phylogenetically diverse reductive dehalogenase catalytic subunit (RdhAs) from marine enrichment culture. Further analyses clearly demonstrate the horizontal gene transfer of rdhAs among marine OHRB. Moreover, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) was dechlorinated to 2,4-dichlorophenol and terminated at 4-chlorophenol in culture. Dendrosporobacter and Methanosarcina were the two dominant genera, and the constructed and verified metabolic pathways clearly demonstrated that the former provided various substrates for other microbes, while the latter drew nutrients, but might provide little benefit to microbial dehalogenation. Furthermore, Dendrosporobacter could readily adapt to TCP, and sporulation-related proteins of Dendrosporobacter were significantly upregulated in TCP-free controls, whereas other microbes (e.g., Methanosarcina and Aminivibrio) became more active, providing insights into how HOCs shape microbial communities. Additionally, sulfate could affect the dechlorination of Peptococcaceae DCH, but not debromination. Considering their electron accessibility and energy generation, the results clearly demonstrate that bromophenols are more suitable than chlorophenols for the enrichment of OHRB in marine environments. This study will greatly enhance our understanding of marine OHRB (rdhAs), auxiliary microbes, and microbial HOC adaptive mechanisms.

TWF1 induces autophagy and accelerates malignant phenotype in lung adenocarcinoma via inhibiting the cAMP signaling pathway

Many studies have shown that the actin cytoskeleton plays an essential role in the initiation and progression of cancer. As an actin-binding protein, Twinfilin1 (TWF1) plays an important role in regulating cytoskeleton-related functions. However, little is known about the expression and function of TWF1 in human tumors. The present study aimed to investigate the functional roles and the underlying molecular mechanisms of TWF1 in human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). By using bioinformatics databases and tumor tissues, TWF1 expression was found to be higher in LUAD tissues than in adjacent tissues and poor survival was predicted in patients with LUAD. In vitro and in vivo assays indicated that downregulation of TWF1 expression suppressed LUAD cells invasion and migration. Further studies revealed that TWF1 interacted with p62 and was involved in the regulation of autophagy. The molecular mechanisms underlying TWF1 were investigated by RNA-seq analysis and a series of functional experiments. The results showed that downregulation of TWF1 suppressed LUAD progression through the cAMP signaling pathway. Therefore, overexpression of TWF1 in LUAD promoted migration, invasion, and autophagy through the cAMP signaling pathway.

[Establishment of hysteroscopic scoring system of chronic endometritis and correlative analysis with pregnancy outcomes of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in infertile patients]

Objective: To establish a hysteroscopic chronic endometritis (hCE) scoring system for patients with chronic endometritis, and observe the correlation of hCE score with in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) pregnancy outcomes in infertile women. Methods: The study retrospectively investigated the correlation of morphologic features and hCE score with pregnancy outcomes during IVF-ET in infertile women with CE (n=429) at Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital between January 2017 and September 2018. The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate with different score levels (1-3,4-7 and 8-14) after IVF-ET treatment were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to adjust for confounding factors. The correlation and regression between hCE score and pregnancy outcomes was analyzed by curve fitting. Results: The age of 429 patients [M(Q₁, Q₃)] was 31 (29, 35) years. There were 50.6% (217 cases), 35.4% (152 cases), and 14.0% (60 cases) of patients with hCE score of 1-3, 4-7, and 8-14, respectively. The pregnancy rates of the three groups were 60.8% (132 cases), 44.7% (68 cases) and 16.7% (10 cases), P<0.001; The live birth rates were 51.2% (111 cases), 36.8% (56 cases) and 13.3% (8 cases), respectively (P<0.001). Compared with patients with hCE of 1-3, pregnancy rates in those with hCE of 4-7 and 8-14 were lower, and the OR values were 0.521 (0.342-0.793) and 0.129 (0.062-0.268). The live birth rates in patients with hCE of 4-7 and 8-14 were lower than that in patients with hCE of 1-3, and the OR values were 0.570 (0.372-0.873) and 0.162 (0.073-0.360), all P<0.05. Quadratic curve fitting results showed that clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate decreased with the increase of hCE score. Conclusions: With the increase of hCE score, the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of patients gradually decrease. hCE 4 is an important cut-off threshold significantly affecting the pregnancy outcome.

Luteolin Alleviates Liver Fibrosis in Rat Hepatic Stellate Cell HSC-T6: A Proteomic Analysis

BACKGROUND

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with single or compound materials is an effective cure for liver fibrosis. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a key role in liver fibrosis pathology and have become a novel drug target for this condition.

METHODS

CCK-8 assay was used to determine the cytotoxicity of four components, SYPA, HSYPA, Apigenin, and Luteolin, from Deduhonghua-7 powder on HSC-T6 cells. Transforming Growth Factor β 1 (TGFβ1)-induced fibrotic cell model and CCI4-induced fibrotic rat model were constructed, the expression of fibrosis-related genes, the pathological changes and serum biochemical markers were evaluated. Proteomic analysis was performed to determine the mechanism by which luteolin attenuated liver fibrosis, which were further confirmed by Western blot.

RESULTS

Luteolin attenuates liver fibrosis in HSC-T6 cells and luteolin decreases the liver fibrosis index level in vivo. A total of 5000 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were obtained using proteomic analysis. KEGG analysis found that DEPs were concentrated in various metabolic pathways, including DNA replication and repair and lysosomal signaling. GO analysis showed that molecular functions included the activity and binding of various enzymes, related cellular components included the extracellular space, lysosomal lumen, mitochondrial matrix, and nucleus, and biological processes included collagen organization and biosynthesis and the positive regulation of cell migration. Western blot results showed that CCR1, CD59, and NAGA were downregulated in TGFβ1 treatment, while upregulated both in Lut2 and Lut10 treatment. Meanwhile, eight proteins, ITIH3, MKI67, KIF23, DNMT1, P4HA3, CCDC80, APOB, FBLN2, that were upregulated in TGFβ1 treatment, while downregulated both in Lut2 and Lut10 treatment.

CONCLUSION

Luteolin was shown to have a strong protective effect on liver fibrosis. CCR1, CD59, and NAGA may promote liver fibrosis while ITIH3, MKI67, KIF23, DNMT1, P4HA3, CCDC80, APOB, and FBLN2 may facilitate protection against fibrosis.

Autophagy Inhibition Contributes to Apoptosis of PLK4 Downregulation-induced Dormant Cells in Colorectal Cancer

Dormant cancer cells account for cancer recurrence, distant metastasis and drug resistance which lead to poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating tumor cell dormancy and how to eliminate dormant cancer cells. Recent studies indicate autophagy affects dormant tumor cell survival. Here, we found that polo-like kinases 4 (PLK4), a central regulator of the cell cycle and proliferation, plays a crucial role in regulating CRC cells dormancy both in vitro and in vivo. Downregulation of PLK4 induced dormancy and inhibited migration and invasion in different CRC cell lines. Clinically, PLK4 expression was correlated with the dormancy markers (Ki67, p-ERK, p-p38) and late recurrence in CRC tissues. Mechanistically, downregulation of PLK4 induced autophagy contributed to restoring phenotypically aggressive tumor cells to a dormant state through the MAPK signaling pathway, and inhibition of autophagy would trigger apoptosis of dormant cells. Our findings reveal that downregulation of PLK4-induced autophagy contributes to tumor dormancy and autophagy inhibition leads to apoptosis of CRC dormant cells. Our study is the first to report that downregulation PLK4 induced autophagy is an early event in CRC dormancy and highlights autophagy inhibitor as a potential therapeutic target for dormant cell elimination.

Enabling Stable Zn Anodes by Molecularly Engineering the Inner Helmholtz Plane with Amphiphilic Dibenzenesulfonimide Additive

The notorious dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are considered as main barriers that hinder the stability of the Zn-metal anode. Herein, molecular engineering is conducted to optimize the inner Helmholtz plane with a trace of amphiphilic dibenzenesulfonimide (BBI) in an aqueous electrolyte. Both experimental and computational results reveal that the BBI^- binds strongly with Zn²⁺ to form {Zn(BBI)(H₂ O)₄ }⁺ in the electrical double layer and reduces the water supply to the Zn anode. During the electroplating process, {Zn(BBI)(H₂ O)₄ }⁺ is "compressed" to the Zn anode/electrolyte interface by Zn²⁺ flow, and accumulated and adsorbed on the surface of the Zn anode to form a dynamic water-poor inner Helmholtz plane to inhibit HER. Meanwhile, the{Zn(BBI)(H₂ O)₄ }⁺ on the Zn anode surface possesses an even distribution, delivering uniform Zn²⁺ flow for smooth deposition without Zn dendrite growth. Consequently, the stability of the Zn anode is largely improved with merely 0.02 M BBI^- to the common electrolyte of 1 M ZnSO₄ . The assembled Zn||Zn symmetric cell can be cycled for more than 1180 h at 5 mA cm^-2 and 5 mA h cm^-2 . Besides, the practicability in Zn||NaV₃ O₈ ·1.5 H₂ O full cell is evaluated, which suggests efficient storage even under a high mass loading of 12 mg cm^-2 .

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the temporal bone presenting with reversible vestibular impairment

BACKGROUND

Aneurysmal bone cysts are expansile benign lesions associated with compressive destruction and obscure pathogenesis. The most common sites of temporal bone involvement are the petrous apex, squamous portions and mastoid.

CASE REPORT

This paper reports a right temporal aneurysmal bone cyst in a 51-year-old man who presented clinically with facial palsy, and hearing loss and impaired vestibular function. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography findings were consistent with a diagnosis of aneurysmal bone cyst. Inter-operative findings showed that the lesion had caused compressive damage to the internal auditory canal. Following surgical excision, the patient experienced vertigo, indicating recovery of vestibular function. Follow-up imaging revealed complete resection without clinical recurrence.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first report of aneurysmal bone cyst invasion of the inner auditory canal. Our clinical experience indicates that vestibular nerve damage recovery is relatively uncommon. This case report will hopefully inform future studies.

Foliar application of nanoceria attenuated cadmium stress in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)

Foliar application of nanoparticles (NPs) as a means for ameliorating abiotic stress is increasingly employed in crop production. In this study, the potential of CeO₂-NPs as stress suppressants for cadmium (Cd)-stressed okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) plants was investigated, using two cycles of foliar application of CeO₂-NPs at 200, 400, and 600 mg/l. Compared to untreated stressed plants, Cd-stressed plants treated with CeO₂-NPs presented higher pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoids). In contrast, foliar applications did not alter Cd root uptake and leaf bioaccumulation. Foliar CeO₂-NPs application modulated stress enzymes (APX, SOD, and GPx) in both roots and leaves of Cd-stressed plants, and led to decreases in Cd toxicity in plant's tissues. In addition, foliar application of CeO₂-NPs in Cd-stressed okra plants decreased fruit Cd contents, and improved fruit mineral elements and bioactive compounds. The infrared spectroscopic analysis of fruit tissues showed that foliar-applied CeO₂-NPs treatments did not induce chemical changes but induced conformational changes in fruit macromolecules. Additionally, CeO₂-NPs applications did not alter the eating quality indicator (Mg/K ratio) of okra fruits. Conclusively, the present study demonstrated that foliar application of CeO₂-NPs has the potential to ameliorate Cd toxicity in tissues and improve fruits of okra plants.

Long-read sequencing reveals oncogenic mechanism of HPV-human fusion transcripts in cervical cancer

Integration of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) into the host genome is a crucial event for the development of cervical cancer, however, the underlying mechanism of HPV integration-driven carcinogenesis remains unknown. Here, we performed long-read RNA sequencing on 12 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and cervical cancer patients, including 3 pairs of cervical cancer and corresponding para-cancerous tissue samples to investigate the full-length landscape of cross-species genome integrations. In addition to massive unannotated isoforms, transcriptional regulatory events, and gene chimerism, more importantly, we found that HPV-human fusion events were prevalent in HPV-associated cervical cancers. Combined with the genome data, we revealed the existence of a universal transcription pattern in these fusion events, whereby structurally similar fusion transcripts were generated by specific splicing in E6 and a canonical splicing donor site in E1 linking to various human splicing acceptors. Highly expressed HPV-human fusion transcripts, eg, HPV16 E6*I-E7-E1_SD880-human gene, were the key driver of cervical carcinogenesis, which could trigger overexpression of E6*I and E7, and destroy the transcription of tumor suppressor genes CMAHP, TP63 and P3H2. Finally, evidence from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrates that the novel read-through fusion gene mRNA, E1-CMAHP (E1C, formed by the integration of HPV58 E1 with CMAHP), existed in the fusion transcript can promote malignant transformation of cervical epithelial cells via regulating downstream oncogenes to participate in various biological processes. Taken together, we reveal a previously unknown mechanism of HPV integration-driven carcinogenesis and provide a novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.

Genetic differentiation and genetic structure of mixed-ploidy Camellia hainanica populations

Camellia hainanica, which is common in China's Hainan Province, is an important woody olive tree species. Due to many years of geographic isolation, C. hainanica has not received the attention it deserves, which limits the exploitation of germplasm resources. Therefore, it is necessary to study population genetic characteristics for further utilization and conservation of C. hainanica. In this study, 96 individuals in six wild Camellia hainanica populations were used for ploidy analysis of the chromosome number, and the genetic diversity and population structure were investigated using 12 pairs of SSR primers. The results show complex ploidy differentiation in C. hainanica species. The ploidy of wild C. hainanica includes tetraploid, pentaploid, hexaploid, heptaploid, octoploid and decaploid species. Genetic analysis shows that genetic diversity and genetic differentiation among populations are low. Populations can be divided into two clusters based on their genetic structure, which matches their geographic location. Finally, to further maintain the genetic diversity of C. hainanica, ex-situ cultivation and in-situ management measures should be considered to protect it in the future.

Effectiveness and safety of nab-paclitaxel and platinum as first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus platinum as first-line chemotherapy for ovarian cancer (OC).

METHODS

Patients administered platinum combined with nab-paclitaxel as first-line chemotherapy for epithelial OC, fallopian tube cancer, or primary peritoneal cancer from July 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). Adverse events (AEs) were examined. Subgroup analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Seventy-two patients (median age, 54.5 years; range, 20.0-79.0 years) were evaluated, including 12 and 60 administered neoadjuvant therapy and primary surgery with subsequent chemotherapy, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 25.6 months, and the median PFS was 26.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]=24.0-29.3) months in the whole patient population. In the neoadjuvant subgroup, the median PFS was 26.7 (95% CI=22.9-30.5) months vs. 30.1 (95% CI=23.1-37.1) months in the primary surgery subgroup. Twenty-seven patients were administered nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin and had a median PFS of 30.3 (95% CI=not available [NA]-NA) months. The commonest grade 3-4 AEs included anemia (15.3%), white blood cell decreased (11.1%), and neutrophil count decreased (20.8%). No drug-related hypersensitivity reactions occurred.

CONCLUSION

Nab-paclitaxel plus platinum as first-line treatment in OC was associated with a favorable prognosis and was tolerable in patients with OC.

Transcriptome Analysis of Marbled Rockfish Sebastiscus marmoratus under Salinity Stress

The marbled rockfish, Sebastiscus marmoratus, belongs to the euryhaline fish and is an oviparous scleractinian fish. There are few studies on the adaptation mechanism, functional genes, and related pathways of S. marmoratus and salinity. The results showed that a total of 72.1 GB of clean reads were obtained and all clean reads annotated a total of 25,278 Unigenes, of which 2,160 were novel genes. Compared to 20‱, 479 and 520 differential genes were obtained for 35‱ and 10‱, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed significant enrichment in protein binding, ion binding, ATP binding, and catalytic activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) showed that differentially expressed genes significantly expressed under salinity stress were mainly involved in the pathways of the cytochrome P450 metabolism of xenobiotics, tryptophan metabolism, cellular senescence, and calcium signaling pathways. Among them, pik3r6b, cPLA2γ-like, and WSB1 were differentially expressed in all three groups, and they were associated with apoptosis, inflammation, DNA damage, immune regulation, and other physiological processes. Six differentially expressed genes were randomly selected for qRT-PCR validation, and the results showed that the transcriptomic data were of high confidence.

Differences in the prevalence and risk factors of osteoporosis in chinese urban and rural regions: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalence of osteoporosis may differ between urban and rural populations. This study aimed to investigate the differences in BMD characteristics between urban and rural populations in Jiangsu, China.

METHODS

A total of 2,711 participants aged 20 years and older were included in the cross-sectional study. Multistage and stratified cluster random sampling was used as the sampling strategy. BMD was measured by the method of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Data were collected through questionnaires/interview. BMD values at the lumbar spine (L1-L4), femoral neck, total hip, and greater trochanter were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to demonstrate the characteristics of urban and rural participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to analyze the factors that may be associated with osteoporosis in urban and rural populations.

RESULTS

Of these participants, 1,540 (50.49%) were females and 1,363 (42.14%) were from urban. The prevalence of osteoporosis in urban and rural populations was 5.52% and 10.33%, respectively. In terms of gender, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 2.68% in males and 13.82% in females. For menopausal status, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 30.34% in postmenopausal females and 4.78% in premenopausal females. In urban populations, older age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.36, 95%CI, 2.35-2.36), hypertension (AOR = 1.37, 95%CI, 1.36-1.37), unmarried (AOR = 4.04, 95%CI, 3.99-4.09), smoking everyday (AOR = 2.26, 95%CI, 2.23-2.28), family history of osteoporosis (AOR = 1.66, 95%CI, 1.65-1.67), dyslipidemia (AOR = 1.05, 95%CI, 1.04-1.05), and higher β-crosslaps (β-CTX) level (AOR = 1.02, 95%CI, 1.02-1.02) were associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis, while males (AOR = 0.04, 95%CI, 0.04-0.04), higher education level (AOR = 0.95, 95%CI, 0.95-0.95), and aquatic product intake (AOR = 0.99, 95%CI, 0.99-0.99) were related to decreased risk of osteoporosis. Similar results were also observed in rural populations, and (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of osteoporosis in rural populations was higher than that in urban populations, and the factors associated with the risk of osteoporosis were similar in urban and rural populations.

The impact of decreased expression of SVEP1 on abnormal neovascularization and poor prognosis in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Introduction: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is one of the most highly heterogeneous malignant solid tumors; it is generally insensitive to clinical treatment and has a poor prognosis. Evidence suggests that abnormal neovascularization in the tumor microenvironment is an important cause of treatment resistance as well as recurrence and metastasis, but the key regulatory molecules are still largely unknown and should be identified. Method: We assessed the novel extracellular matrix protein (ECM) Sushi, von Willebrand factor type A, EGF and pentraxin containing 1 (SVEP1) expression pattern in the ICC by using immunohistochemistry. Multiplex immunofluorescence and Kaplan-Meier analysis were applied to explore the correlation between the low expression of SVEP1 and abnormal blood vessels and the clinical prognosis of ICC. Results: Our study showed that the expression of SVEP1 in most ICC samples was relatively lower than in the adjacent tissues. Statistical analysis suggested that patients with decreased SVEP1 expression always had shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Moreover, the expression of SVEP1 was negatively correlated with the proportion of abnormal neovascularization in the tumor microenvironment of the ICC. Consistently, the key molecule of promoting vascular normalization, Ang-1, is positively correlated with the SVEP1 expression and prognosis in the ICC. In addition, the proportion of high Ki-67 expression was higher in the ICC samples with low SVEP1 expression, suggesting that the SVEP1 low expressed sample is in a malignant phenotype with high proliferation. Conclusion: This study reveals that SVEP1 is a promising prognostic biomarker for ICC and provides fresh insight into the role and potential new mechanism of abnormal neovascularization in ICC progression.

Combined Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies for Cancer Treatment: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

The previous year's worldview for cancer treatment has advanced from general to more precise therapeutic approaches. Chemotherapies were first distinguished as the most reliable and brief therapy with promising outcomes in cancer patients. However, patients could also suffer from severe toxicities resulting from chemotherapeutic drug usage. An improved comprehension of cancer pathogenesis has led to new treatment choices, including tumor-targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Subsequently, cancer immunotherapy and targeted therapy give more hope to patients since their combination has tremendous therapeutic efficacy. The immune system responses are also initiated and modulated by targeted therapies and cytotoxic agents, which create the principal basis that when targeted therapies are combined with immunotherapy, the clinical outcomes are of excellent efficacy, as presented in this review. This review focuses on how immunotherapy and targeted therapy are applicable in cancer management and treatment. Also, it depicts promising therapeutic results with more extensive immunotherapy applications with targeted therapy. Further elaborate that immune system responses are also initiated and modulated by targeted therapies and cytotoxic agents, which create the principal basis that this combination therapy with immunotherapy can be of great outcome clinically.

Curcumin-Encapsulated Fusion Protein-Based Nanocarrier Demonstrated Highly Efficient Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Targeted Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from turmeric, has multiple biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and, above all, antitumor activity. Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract with an extremely high mortality rate. However, the low bioavailability and poor targeting properties of curcumin generally limit its clinical application. In the present study, we designed a fusion protein GE11-HGFI as a nanodrug delivery system. The protein was connected by flexible linkers, inheriting the self-assembly properties of hydrophobin HGFI and the targeting ability of GE11. The data show that the encapsulation of curcumin by fusion protein GE11-HGFI can form uniform and stable nanoparticles with a size of only 80 nm. In addition, the nanocarrier had high encapsulation efficiency for curcumin and made it to release sustainably. Notably, the drug-loaded nanosystem selectively targeted colorectal cancer cells with high epidermal growth factor receptor expression, resulting in high aggregated concentrations of curcumin at tumor sites, thus showing a significant anticancer effect. These results suggest that the nanocarrier fusion protein has the potential to be a novel strategy for enhancing molecular bioactivity and drug targeting in cancer therapy.

The Phylogenetic Relationships of the Family Sciaenidae Based on Genome-Wide Data Analysis

Uncertainty and controversy exist in the phylogenetic status of the Sciaenidae family because of the limited genetic data availability. In this study, a data set of 69,098 bp, covering 309 shared orthologous genes, was extracted from 18 genomes and 5 transcriptomes of 12 species belonging to the Sciaenidae family and used for phylogenetic analysis. The maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian approach (BA) methods were used to reconstruct the phylogenetic trees. The resolved ML and BA trees showed similar topology, thus revealing two major evolutionary lineages within the Sciaenidae family, namely, Western Atlantic (WA) and Eastern Atlantic−Indo−West Pacific (EIP). The WA group included four species belonging to four genera: Cynoscion nebulosus, Equetus punctatus, Sciaenops ocellatus, and Micropogonias undulatus. Meanwhile, the EIP group formed one monophyletic clade, harboring eight species (Argyrosomus regius, A. japonicus, Pennahia anea, Nibea albiflora, Miichthys miiuy, Collichthys lucidus, Larimichthys polyactis, and L. crocea) from six genera. Our results indicated that the Western Atlantic (WA) group was more ancient in the studied species, while the Eastern Atlantic−Indo−West Pacific (EIP) group was a younger group. Within the studied species, the genera Collichthys and Larmichthys were the youngest lineages, and we do not suggest that Collichthys and Larmichthys should be considered as one genus. However, the origin of the Sciaenidae family and problems concerning the basal genus were not resolved because of the lack of genomes. Therefore, further sampling and sequencing efforts are needed.

Yap Expression Is Closely Related to Tumor Angiogenesis and Poor Prognosis in Hepatoblastoma

Background: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is malignant embryonal tumor typically arising in infants and young children. Yes-associated protein (YAP) is aberrantly activated in various tumors; however, the role of YAP in hepatoblastoma is still unexplored. Methods: We assessed YAP expression in hepatoblastoma using immunohistochemistry. The relationships to clinicopathology and survival were analyzed. Results: Positive rate of YAP expression was higher in hepatoblastoma than in adjacent tissues. YAP overexpression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion. Both epithelial and mixed histological types expressed YAP, but high expression was more frequent in MT. YAP expression correlated with VEGF expression, high microvascular density and low overall survival. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that YAP was an independent prognostic factor for survival in children with hepatoblastoma. Conclusion: In hepatoblastoma, YAP may promote VEGF induced angiogenesis and metastases, with resulting poorer prognosis, representing a potential adverse prognostic marker.

PNO1 inhibits autophagy-mediated ferroptosis by GSH metabolic reprogramming in hepatocellular carcinoma

Effective strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the second leading cause of death worldwide, remain limited. A growing body of emerging evidence suggests that ferroptosis activation is a novel promising approach for the treatment of this malignancy. Nevertheless, the potential therapeutic targets and molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis remain elusive. In this study, we found that PNO1 is a bona fide inhibitor of ferroptosis and that autophagy induced by PNO1 promotes cystine/glutamate antiporter SLC7A11 while increasing the synthesis and accumulation of intracellular glutamate. This increase is followed by an equally proportional addition in cystine uptake, which consequently enhances system Xc^- activity that leads to the inhibition of ferroptosis. In the maintenance of redox homeostasis, system Xc^- activated via PNO1-autophagy metabolism is responsible for maintaining cysteine for glutathione (GSH) synthesis, and the final GSH metabolic reprogramming protects HCC cells from ferroptosis. The combination of PNO1 inhibition with drugs causing ferroptosis induction, particularly sorafenib, the first-line drug associated with ferroptosis in liver cancer shows therapeutic promise in vitro and in vivo. Together, our findings indicated that PNO1 protects HCC cells from ferroptotic death through autophagy-mediated GSH metabolic remodeling, and we identified a candidate therapeutic target that may potentiate the effect of ferroptosis-based antitumor therapy.

Cervical cancer heterogeneity: a constant battle against viruses and drugs

Cervical cancer is the first identified human papillomavirus (HPV) associated cancer and the most promising malignancy to be eliminated. However, the ever-changing virus subtypes and acquired multiple drug resistance continue to induce failure of tumor prevention and treatment. The exploration of cervical cancer heterogeneity is the crucial way to achieve effective prevention and precise treatment. Tumor heterogeneity exists in various aspects including the immune clearance of viruses, tumorigenesis, neoplasm recurrence, metastasis and drug resistance. Tumor development and drug resistance are often driven by potential gene amplification and deletion, not only somatic genomic alterations, but also copy number amplifications, histone modification and DNA methylation. Genomic rearrangements may occur by selection effects from chemotherapy or radiotherapy which exhibits genetic intra-tumor heterogeneity in advanced cervical cancers. The combined application of cervical cancer therapeutic vaccine and immune checkpoint inhibitors has become an effective strategy to address the heterogeneity of treatment. In this review, we will integrate classic and recently updated epidemiological data on vaccination rates, screening rates, incidence and mortality of cervical cancer patients worldwide aiming to understand the current situation of disease prevention and control and identify the direction of urgent efforts. Additionally, we will focus on the tumor environment to summarize the conditions of immune clearance and gene integration after different HPV infections and to explore the genomic factors of tumor heterogeneity. Finally, we will make a thorough inquiry into completed and ongoing phase III clinical trials in cervical cancer and summarize molecular mechanisms of drug resistance among chemotherapy, radiotherapy, biotherapy, and immunotherapy.

The synthetic lethality of targeting cell cycle checkpoints and PARPs in cancer treatment

Continuous cell division is a hallmark of cancer, and the underlying mechanism is tumor genomics instability. Cell cycle checkpoints are critical for enabling an orderly cell cycle and maintaining genome stability during cell division. Based on their distinct functions in cell cycle control, cell cycle checkpoints are classified into two groups: DNA damage checkpoints and DNA replication stress checkpoints. The DNA damage checkpoints (ATM-CHK2-p53) primarily monitor genetic errors and arrest cell cycle progression to facilitate DNA repair. Unfortunately, genes involved in DNA damage checkpoints are frequently mutated in human malignancies. In contrast, genes associated with DNA replication stress checkpoints (ATR-CHK1-WEE1) are rarely mutated in tumors, and cancer cells are highly dependent on these genes to prevent replication catastrophe and secure genome integrity. At present, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) operate through “synthetic lethality” mechanism with mutant DNA repair pathways genes in cancer cells. However, an increasing number of patients are acquiring PARP inhibitor resistance after prolonged treatment. Recent work suggests that a combination therapy of targeting cell cycle checkpoints and PARPs act synergistically to increase the number of DNA errors, compromise the DNA repair machinery, and disrupt the cell cycle, thereby increasing the death rate of cancer cells with DNA repair deficiency or PARP inhibitor resistance. We highlight a combinational strategy involving PARP inhibitors and inhibition of two major cell cycle checkpoint pathways, ATM-CHK2-TP53 and ATR-CHK1-WEE1. The biological functions, resistance mechanisms against PARP inhibitors, advances in preclinical research, and clinical trials are also reviewed.

Single-molecule Real-time (SMRT) Sequencing Facilitates Transcriptome Research and Genome Annotation of the Fish Sillago sinica

As a newly described Sillaginidae species, Chinese sillago (Sillago sinica) needs a better understanding of gene annotation information. In this study, we reported the first full-length transcriptome data of S. sinica using the PacBio isoform sequencing Iso-seq and a description of transcriptome structure analysis. A total of 454,979 high-quality full-length transcripts were obtained by single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing, which was corrected by Illumina sequencing data. After that, 66,948 non-redundant full-length transcripts were generated after mapping to the reference genome of S. sinica, including 49 fusion isoforms and 9,250 novel isoforms. 63,459 isoforms were successfully annotated by one of the Nr, Nt, SwissProt, Pfam, KOG, GO, and KEGG databases. Additionally, 30,987 alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites, 451,867 alternative splicing (AS) events, 21,928 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 12,911 transcription factors (TFs) were identified. The full-length transcripts of S. sinica would provide a precious resource for characterizing the transcriptome of S. sinica and for the further study of gene function and regulatory mechanism of this species.