Room Temperature Ionic Liquid Capping Layer for High Efficiency FAPbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells with Long-Term Stability

Ionic liquid salts (ILs) are generally recognized as additives in perovskite precursor solutions to enhance the efficiency and stability of solar cells. However, the success of ILs incorporation as additives is highly dependent on the precursor formulation and perovskite crystallization process, posing challenges for industrial-scale implementation. In this study, a room-temperature spin-coated IL, n-butylamine acetate (BAAc), is identified as an ideal passivation agent for formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) films. Compared with other passivation methods, the room-temperature BAAc capping layer (BAAc RT) demonstrates more uniform and thorough passivation of surface defects in the FAPbI3 perovskite. Additionally, it provides better energy level alignment for hole extraction. As a result, the champion n-i-p perovskite solar cell with a BAAc capping layer exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.76%, with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.19 V, and a Voc loss of ≈330 mV. The PCE of the perovskite mini-module with BAAc RT reaches 20.47%, showcasing the effectiveness and viability of this method for manufacturing large-area perovskite solar cells. Moreover, the BAAc passivation layer also improves the long-term stability of unencapsulated FAPbI3 perovskite solar cells, enabling a T80 lifetime of  3500 h when stored at 35% relative humidity at room temperature in an air atmosphere.

Anti-PD-1 treatment protects against seizure by suppressing sodium channel function

AIMS

Although programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) typically serves as a target for immunotherapies, a few recent studies have found that PD-1 is expressed in the nervous system and that neuronal PD-1 might play a crucial role in regulating neuronal excitability. However, whether brain-localized PD-1 is involved in seizures and epileptogenesis is still unknown and worthy of in-depth exploration.

METHODS

The existence of PD-1 in human neurons was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, and PD-1 expression levels were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. Chemoconvulsants, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and cyclothiazide (CTZ), were applied for the establishment of in vivo (rodents) and in vitro (primary hippocampal neurons) models of seizure, respectively. SHR-1210 (a PD-1 monoclonal antibody) and sodium stibogluconate (SSG, a validated inhibitor of SH2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-1 [SHP-1]) were administrated to investigate the impact of PD-1 pathway blockade on epileptic behaviors of rodents and epileptiform discharges of neurons. A miRNA strategy was applied to determine the impact of PD-1 knockdown on neuronal excitability. The electrical activities and sodium channel function of neurons were determined by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. The interaction between PD-1 and α-6 subunit of human voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav1.6) was validated by performing co-immunostaining and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) experiments.

RESULTS

Our results reveal that PD-1 protein and mRNA levels were upregulated in lesion cores compared with perifocal tissues of surgically resected specimens from patients with intractable epilepsy. Furthermore, we show that anti-PD-1 treatment has anti-seizure effects both in vivo and in vitro. Then, we reveal that PD-1 blockade can alter the electrophysiological properties of sodium channels. Moreover, we reveal that PD-1 acts together with downstream SHP-1 to regulate sodium channel function and hence neuronal excitability. Further investigation suggests that there is a direct interaction between neuronal PD-1 and Nav1.6.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals that neuronal PD-1 plays an important role in epilepsy and that anti-PD-1 treatment protects against seizures by suppressing sodium channel function, identifying anti-PD-1 treatment as a novel therapeutic strategy for epilepsy.

Surface protein profiling and subtyping of extracellular vesicles in body fluids reveals non-CSF biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease

Noninvasive and effortless diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains challenging. Here we report the multiplexed profiling of extracellular vesicle (EV) surface proteins at the single EV level in five types of easily accessible body fluids using a proximity barcoding assay (PBA). A total of 183 surface proteins were detected on the EVs from body fluids collected from APP/PS1 transgenic mice and patients with AD. The AD-associated differentially expressed EV proteins could discriminate between the control and AD/AD model samples with high accuracy. Based on machine learning predictive models, urinary EV proteins exhibited the highest diagnostic potential compared to those on other biofluid EVs, both in mice and humans. Single EV analysis further revealed AD-associated EV subpopulations in the tested body fluids, and a urinary EV subpopulation with the signature proteins PLAU, ITGAX and ANXA1 could diagnose patients with AD in blinded datasets with 88% accuracy. Our results suggest that EVs and their subpopulations from noninvasive body fluids, particularly urine, are potential diagnostic biomarkers for AD.

Single Channel Based Interference-Free and Self-Powered Human-Machine Interactive Interface Using Eigenfrequency-Dominant Mechanism

The recent development of wearable devices is revolutionizing the way of human-machine interaction (HMI). Nowadays, an interactive interface that carries more embedded information is desired to fulfill the increasing demand in era of Internet of Things. However, present approach normally relies on sensor arrays for memory expansion, which inevitably brings the concern of wiring complexity, signal differentiation, power consumption, and miniaturization. Herein, a one-channel based self-powered HMI interface, which uses the eigenfrequency of magnetized micropillar (MMP) as identification mechanism, is reported. When manually vibrated, the inherent recovery of the MMP causes a damped oscillation that generates current signals because of Faraday's Law of induction. The time-to-frequency conversion explores the MMP-related eigenfrequency, which provides a specific solution to allocate diverse commands in an interference-free behavior even with one electric channel. A cylindrical cantilever model is built to regulate the MMP eigenfrequencies via precisely designing the dimensional parameters and material properties. It is shown that using one device and two electrodes, high-capacity HMI interface can be realized when the magnetic micropillars (MMPs) with different eigenfrequencies have been integrated. This study provides the reference value to design the future HMI system especially for situations that require a more intuitive and intelligent communication experience with high-memory demand.

An ultra-sensitive biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance and weak value amplification

An ultra-sensitive phase plasmonic sensor combined with weak value amplification is proposed for the detection of IgG, as a model analyte. Phase detection is accomplished by self-interference between the p-polarization and the s-polarization of the light. With the principles of weak value amplification, a phase compensator is used to modulate the coupling strength and enhance the refractive index sensitivity of the system. On a simple Au-coated prism-coupled surface plasmon resonance (SPR) structure, the scheme, called WMSPR, achieves a refractive index sensitivity of 4.737 × 104 nm/RIU, which is about three times higher than that of the conventional phase-based approach. The proposed WMSPR biosensor gives great characteristics with a high resolution of 6.333 × 10-8 RIU and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 5.3 ng/mL. The results yield a great scope to promote the optimization of other SPR biosensors for high sensitivity.

Tau induces inflammasome activation and microgliosis through acetylating NLRP3

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related Tauopathies are characterised by the pathologically hyperphosphorylated and aggregated microtubule-associated protein Tau, which is accompanied by neuroinflammation mediated by activated microglia. However, the role of Tau pathology in microglia activation or their causal relationship remains largely elusive.

METHODS

The levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain (NOD)-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) acetylation and inflammasome activation in multiple cell models with Tau proteins treatment, transgenic mice with Tauopathy, and AD patients were measured by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the acetyltransferase activity of Tau and NLRP3 acetylation sites were confirmed using the test-tube acetylation assay, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, mass spectrometry and molecular docking. The Tau-overexpressing mouse model was established by overexpression of human Tau proteins in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons through the adeno-associated virus injection. The cognitive functions of Tau-overexpressing mice were assessed in various behavioural tests, and microglia activation was analysed by Iba-1 IF staining and [18F]-DPA-714 positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging. A peptide that blocks the interaction between Tau and NLRP3 was synthesised to determine the in vitro and in vivo effects of Tau-NLRP3 interaction blockade on NLRP3 acetylation, inflammasome activation, microglia activation and cognitive function.

RESULTS

Excessively elevated NLRP3 acetylation and inflammasome activation were observed in 3xTg-AD mice, microtubule-associated protein Tau P301S (PS19) mice and AD patients. It was further confirmed that mimics of 'early' phosphorylated-Tau proteins which increase at the initial stage of diseases with Tauopathy, including TauT181E, TauS199E, TauT217E and TauS262E, significantly promoted Tau-K18 domain acetyltransferase activity-dependent NLRP3 acetylation and inflammasome activation in HEK293T and BV-2 microglial cells. In addition, Tau protein could directly acetylate NLRP3 at the K21, K22 and K24 sites at its PYD domain and thereby induce inflammasome activation in vitro. Overexpression of human Tau proteins in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons resulted in impaired cognitive function, Tau transmission to microglia and microgliosis with NLRP3 acetylation and inflammasome activation. As a targeted intervention, competitive binding of a designed Tau-NLRP3-binding blocking (TNB) peptide to block the interaction of Tau protein with NLRP3 inhibited the NLRP3 acetylation and downstream inflammasome activation in microglia, thereby alleviating microglia activation and cognitive impairment in mice.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our findings provide evidence for a novel role of Tau in the regulation of microglia activation through acetylating NLRP3, which has potential implications for early intervention and personalised treatment of AD and related Tauopathies.

Taurohyocholic acid acts as a potential predictor of the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors combined with programmed cell death-1 inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aims: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) have significantly improved survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), but effective biomarkers to predict treatment efficacy are lacking. Peripheral blood bile acids (BAs) are associated with tumor response to therapy, but their roles in HCC remain unclear. Methods: This retrospective study included HCC patients who received first-line TKIs combined with PD-1 inhibitors treatment (combination therapy) in our clinical center from November 2020 to June 2022. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in plasma BA profiles before and after treatment in both the responding group (Res group) and the non-responding group (Non-Res group). We aimed to explore the potential role of BAs in predicting the response to combination therapy in HCC patients. Results: Fifty-six patients with HCC who underwent combination therapy were included in this study, with 28 designated as responders (Res group) and 28 as non-responders (Non-Res group). There were differences in plasma BA concentrations between the two groups before systemic therapy. Plasma taurohyocholic acid (THCA) levels in the Res group were significantly lower than those in the Non-Res group. Patients with low levels of THCA exhibited superior median progression-free survival (7.6 vs. 4.9 months, p = 0.027) and median overall survival (23.7 vs. 11.6 months, p = 0.006) compared to those of patients with high levels of THCA. Conclusion: Peripheral blood BA metabolism is significantly correlated with combination therapy response and survival in patients with HCC. Our findings emphasize the potential of plasma BAs as biomarkers for predicting combination therapy outcomes and offering novel therapeutic targets for modulating responses to systemic cancer therapy.

The neural mechanisms of identifiable victim effect in prosocial decision-making

The phenomenon known as the "identifiable victim effect" describes how individuals tend to offer more assistance to victims they can identify with than to those who are vague or abstract. The neural underpinnings of this effect, however, remain elusive. Our study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging to delve into how the "identifiable victim effect" influences prosocial decision-making, considering different types of helping costs, across two distinct tasks. Participants were instructed to decide whether to help a victim with personal information shown (i.e., the identifiable victim) and an unidentifiable one by costing their money (task 1) or physical effort (task 2). Behaviorally, we observed a pronounced preference in both tasks for aiding identifiable victims over anonymous ones, highlighting a robust "identifiable victim effect." On a neural level, this effect was associated with heightened activity in brain areas like the bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ) when participants confronted anonymous victims, potentially indicating a more intensive mentalizing process for less concrete victims. Additionally, we noted that the TPJ's influence on value judgment processes is mediated through its functional connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex. These insights contribute significantly to our understanding of the psychological and neural dynamics underlying the identifiable victim effect.

Light-activatable and hyperthermia-sensitive "all-in-one" theranostics: NIR-II fluorescence imaging and chemo-photothermal therapy of subcutaneous glioblastoma by temperature-sensitive liposome-containing AIEgens and paclitaxel

Nowadays, it is still quite difficult to combat glioblastoma, which is one of the most lethal cancers for human beings. Combinatory therapy, which could not only improve therapeutic efficacy and overcome multiple drug resistance but also decrease the threshold therapeutic drug dosage and minimize side effects, would be an appealing candidate for glioblastoma treatment. Herein, we report fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II)-guided combinatory photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy of glioblastoma with a newly formulated nanomedicine termed PATSL. It is composed of temperature-sensitive liposome (TSL) carriers, NIR-II emissive and photothermal aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes, and chemotherapeutic paclitaxel (PTX) as well. PATSL shows spherical morphology with diameters of approximately 55 and 85 nm by transmission electron microscopy and laser light scattering, respectively, a zeta potential of -14.83 mV, good stability in both size and photoactivity, strong light absorption with a peak of approximately 770 nm, and bright emission from 900 nm to 1,200 nm. After excitation with an 808-nm laser with good spatiotemporal controllability, PATSL emits bright NIR-II fluorescence signals for tumor diagnosis in vivo, exhibits high photothermal conversion efficiency (68.8%), and triggers drug release of PTX under hypothermia, which assists in efficient tumor ablation in vitro and in vivo. This research demonstrates that "all-in-one" theranostics with NIR-II fluorescence imaging-guided combinatory PTT and chemotherapy is an efficient treatment paradigm for improving the prognosis of brain cancers.

Response of leaf functional traits to soil nutrients in the wet and dry seasons in a subtropical forest on an island

Introduction

Island ecosystems often have a disproportionate number of endemic species and unique and fragile functional characteristics. However, few examples of this type of ecosystem have been reported.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive field study on Neilingding Island, southern China. The leaf samples of 79 subtropical forest tree species were obtained and their functional traits were studied in the dry and wet seasons to explain the relationships between plant functional traits and soil nutrients.

Results

We found a greater availability of soil moisture content (SMC) and nutrients in the wet season than in the dry season. The values of wet season soil available phosphorus (5.97 mg·kg-1), SMC (17.67%), and soil available potassium (SAK, 266.96 mg·kg-1) were significantly higher than those of the dry season. The leaf dry matter content, specific leaf weight, leaf density, leaf total carbon, leaf total nitrogen, leaf total calcium, and the N/P and C/P ratios of leaves were all significantly higher in the dry season than in the wet season, being 18.06%, 12.90%, 12.00%, 0.17%, 3.41%, 9.02%, 26.80%, and 24.14% higher, respectively. In contrast, the leaf area (51.01 cm2), specific leaf area (152.76 cm2·g-1), leaf water content (0.59%), leaf total nitrogen (1.31%), leaf total phosphorus (0.14%), and leaf total magnesium (0.33%) were much lower in the dry season than in the wet one. There were significant pairwise correlations between leaf functional traits, but the number and strength of correlations were significantly different in the dry and wet seasons. The SAK, soil total phosphorus (STP), and pH impacted plant leaf functional traits in the dry season, whereas in the wet season, they were affected by SAK, STP, pH, and NO3- (nitrate).

Discussion

Both soil nutrients and water availability varied seasonally and could cause variation in a number of leaf traits.

Prosocial decision-making under time pressure: Behavioral and neural mechanisms

The present study employed a novel paradigm and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to uncover the specific regulatory mechanism of time pressure and empathy trait in prosocial decision-making, compared to self-decision making. Participants were instructed to decide whether to spend their own monetary interest to alleviate themselves (or another person) from unpleasant noise threats under high and low time pressures. On the behavioral level, results showed that high time pressure had a significant effect on reducing participants' willingness to spend money on relieving themselves from the noise, while there is a similar but not significant trend in prosocial decision-making. On the neural level, for self-concerned decision-making, low time pressure activated the bilateral insula more strongly than high time pressure. For prosocial decision-making, high time pressure suppressed activations in multiple brain regions related to empathy (temporal pole, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus), valuation (medial orbitofrontal cortex), and emotion (putamen). The functional connectivity strength among these regions, especially the connectivity between the medial orbitofrontal cortex and putamen, significantly predicted the effect of time pressure on prosocial decision-making at the behavioral level. Additionally, we discovered the activation of the medial orbitofrontal cortex partially mediated the effect of empathy trait scores on prosocial decision-making. These findings suggest that (1) there are different neural underpinnings for the modulation of time pressure for self and prosocial decision-making, and (2) the empathy trait plays a crucial role in the latter.

Near-Infrared Organic Photodetectors toward Skin-Integrated Photoplethysmography-Electrocardiography Multimodal Sensing System

In the fast-evolving landscape of decentralized and personalized healthcare, the need for multimodal biosensing systems that integrate seamlessly with the human body is growing rapidly. This presents a significant challenge in devising ultraflexible configurations that can accommodate multiple sensors and designing high-performance sensing components that remain stable over long periods. To overcome these challenges, ultraflexible organic photodetectors (OPDs) that exhibit exceptional performance under near-infrared illumination while maintaining long-term stability are developed. These ultraflexible OPDs demonstrate a photoresponsivity of 0.53 A W-1 under 940 nm, shot-noise-limited specific detectivity of 3.4 × 1013 Jones, and cut-off response frequency beyond 1 MHz at -3 dB. As a result, the flexible photoplethysmography sensor boasts a high signal-to-noise ratio and stable peak-to-peak amplitude under hypoxic and hypoperfusion conditions, outperforming commercial finger pulse oximeters. This ensures precise extraction of blood oxygen saturation in dynamic working conditions. Ultraflexible OPDs are further integrated with conductive polymer electrodes on an ultrathin hydrogel substrate, allowing for direct interface with soft and dynamic skin. This skin-integrated sensing platform provides accurate measurement of photoelectric and biopotential signals in a time-synchronized manner, reproducing the functionality of conventional technologies without their inherent limitations.

circRARS synergises with IGF2BP3 to regulate RNA methylation recognition to promote tumour progression in renal cell carcinoma

As the most prominent RNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6 A) participates in the regulation of tumour initiation and progression. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) also play crucial roles in ubiquitous life processes. Whether circRNAs are required for m6 A regulation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. Meta-analysis and bioinformatics identified that IGF2BP3 was upregulated in RCC and indicated a worse prognosis. IGF2BP3 significantly promoted RCC progression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circRARS bound to KH1-KH2 domains of IGF2BP3 to enhance m6 A modification recognition. A 12-nt sequence (GUCUUCCAGCAA) was proven to be the IGF2BP3-binding site of circRARS. Additionally, CAPN15, CD44, HMGA2, TNRC6A and ZMIZ2 were screened to be the target genes regulated by the IGF2BP3/circRARS complex in an m6 A-dependent manner. Stabiliser proteins, including HuR, Matrin3 and pAbPC1, were recruited by circRARS, thereby increasing the mRNA stability of the forementioned five target genes. Consequently, the IGF2BP3/circRARS complex facilitated the lipid accumulation of RCC cells and promoted sunitinib resistance via target genes. circRARS synergised with IGF2BP3 to facilitate m6 A recognition, thereby promoting RCC progression. Thus, IGF2BP3 could be a potential biomarker for RCC diagnosis and prognosis and a therapeutic target.

Realistic Modeling of the Electrocatalytic Process at Complex Solid-Liquid Interface

The rational design of electrocatalysis has emerged as one of the most thriving means for mitigating energy and environmental crises. The key to this effort is the understanding of the complex electrochemical interface, wherein the electrode potential as well as various internal factors such as H-bond network, adsorbate coverage, and dynamic behavior of the interface collectively contribute to the electrocatalytic activity and selectivity. In this context, the authors have reviewed recent theoretical advances, and especially, the contributions to modeling the realistic electrocatalytic processes at complex electrochemical interfaces,  and illustrated the challenges and fundamental problems in this field. Specifically, the significance of the inclusion of explicit solvation and electrode potential as well as the strategies toward the design of highly efficient electrocatalysts are discussed. The structure-activity relationships and their dynamic responses to the environment and catalytic functionality under working conditions are illustrated to be crucial factors for understanding the complexed interface and the electrocatalytic activities. It is hoped that this review can help spark new research passion and ultimately bring a step closer to a realistic and systematic modeling method for electrocatalysis.

Cooperation of TGF-β and FGF signalling pathways in skin development

The skin is a multi-layered structure composed of the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis originates entirely from the ectoderm, whereas the dermis originates from various germ layers depending on its anatomical location; thus, there are different developmental patterns of the skin. Although the regulatory mechanisms of epidermal formation are well understood, mechanisms regulating dermis development are not clear owing to the complex origin. It has been shown that several morphogenetic pathways regulate dermis development. Of these, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathways are the main modulators regulating skin cell induction, fate decision, migration and differentiation. Recently, the successful generation of human skin by modulating TGF-β and FGF signals further demonstrated the irreplaceable roles of these pathways in skin regeneration. This review provides evidence of the role of TGF-β and FGF signalling pathways in the development of different skin layers, especially the disparate dermis of different body regions. This review also provides new perspectives on the distinct developmental patterns of skin and explores new ideas for clinical applications in the future.

Deep learning strategy for small dataset from atomic force microscopy mechano-imaging on macrophages phenotypes

The cytoskeleton is involved during movement, shaping, resilience, and functionality in immune system cells. Biomarkers such as elasticity and adhesion can be promising alternatives to detect the status of cells upon phenotype activation in correlation with functionality. For instance, professional immune cells such as macrophages undergo phenotype functional polarization, and their biomechanical behaviors can be used as indicators for early diagnostics. For this purpose, combining the biomechanical sensitivity of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the automation and performance of a deep neural network (DNN) is a promising strategy to distinguish and classify different activation states. To resolve the issue of small datasets in AFM-typical experiments, nanomechanical maps were divided into pixels with additional localization data. On such an enlarged dataset, a DNN was trained by multimodal fusion, and the prediction was obtained by voting classification. Without using conventional biomarkers, our algorithm demonstrated high performance in predicting the phenotype of macrophages. Moreover, permutation feature importance was employed to interpret the results and unveil the importance of different biophysical properties and, in turn, correlated this with the local density of the cytoskeleton. While our results were demonstrated on the RAW264.7 model cell line, we expect that our methodology could be opportunely customized and applied to distinguish different cell systems and correlate feature importance with biophysical properties to unveil innovative markers for diagnostics.

Gel/hydrogel-based in situ biomaterial platforms for cancer postoperative treatment and recovery

Tumor surgical resection is the major strategy for cancer treatment. Meanwhile, perioperative treatment especially the postoperative adjuvant anticancer strategies play essential roles in satisfying therapeutic results and rapid recovery. Postoperative tumor recurrence, metastasis, bleeding, inter-tissue adhesion, infection, and delayed wound healing are vital risks that could lead to poor prognosis or even treatment failure. Therefore, methods targeting these postoperative complications are in desperate need. In situ biomaterial-based drug delivery platforms are promising candidates for postoperative treatment and recovery, resulting from their excellent properties including good biocompatibility, adaptive shape, limited systemic effect, designable function, and easy drug loading. In this review, we focus on introducing the gel/hydrogel-based in situ biomaterial platforms involving their properties, advantages, and synthesis procedures. Based on the loaded contents in the gel/hydrogel such as anticancer drugs, immunologic agents, cell components, and multifunctional nanoparticles, we further discuss the applications of the in situ platforms for postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis inhibition. Finally, other functions aiming at fast postoperative recovery were introduced, including hemostasis, antibacterial infection, adhesion prevention, tissue repair, and wound healing. In conclusion, gel/hydrogel is a developing and promising platform for postoperative treatment, exhibiting gratifying therapeutic effects and inconspicuous toxicity to normal tissues, which deserves further research and exploration.

Effectiveness of early heparin therapy on outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis-induced coagulopathy

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether early unfractionated heparin (UFH) administration provides a survival advantage for patients with sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC). Methods: Patients hospitalized with sepsis-induced coagulopathy from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database were identified. Patients were divided into two groups, who received unfractionated heparin (UFH) subcutaneously within 24 h after intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and the control group, who received not. The primary endpoint was intensive care unit mortality, the secondary outcomes were 7, 14, and 28-day and hospital mortality. Propensity score matching (PSM) the marginal structural Cox model (MSCM) and E-value analysis were used to account for baseline differences, time-varying and unmeasured confounding factors. Results: A total of 3,377 patients with sepsis-induced coagulopathy were enrolled in the study, of which 815 in unfractionated heparin group and 2,562 in control group. There was significant effect on primary and secondary outcomes with unfractionated heparin after propensity score matching (intensive care unit mortality, hazard ratio [HR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.92; 7-day, HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49-0.99; 14-day, HR 0.68.95% CI 0.50-0.92; 28-day, HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.54-0.96; hospital mortality, HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.96), marginal structural Cox model manifested unfractionated heparin associated with decreased intensive care unit mortality in all populations (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49-0.84), and stratification with the marginal structural Cox model indicated analysis further indicated the survival advantage only among patients with an sepsis-induced coagulopathy score of 4 (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.81). Further analysis showed that treatment with 6,250-13750 IU/day of unfractionated heparin associated with a decreased risk of intensive care unit mortality. Similar results were replicated in subgroup analysis with propensity score matching only for patients with an sepsis-induced coagulopathy score of 4 (intensive care unit mortality, HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.34-0.76). Conclusion: This study found early unfractionated heparin therapy to patients with sepsis-induced coagulopathy appears to be associated with improved outcomes. Subgroup analysis further demonstrates heparin therapy decreased intensive care unit mortality primarily in patients only with SIC score of 4.

Functional analysis of protein post-translational modifications using genetic codon expansion

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins not only exponentially increase the diversity of proteoforms, but also contribute to dynamically modulating the localization, stability, activity, and interaction of proteins. Understanding the biological consequences and functions of specific PTMs has been challenging for many reasons, including the dynamic nature of many PTMs and the technical limitations to access homogenously modified proteins. The genetic code expansion technology has emerged to provide unique approaches for studying PTMs. Through site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) bearing PTMs or their mimics into proteins, genetic code expansion allows the generation of homogenous proteins with site-specific modifications and atomic resolution both in vitro and in vivo. With this technology, various PTMs and mimics have been precisely introduced into proteins. In this review, we summarize the UAAs and approaches that have been recently developed to site-specifically install PTMs and their mimics into proteins for functional studies of PTMs.

Chitosan oligosaccharide improves ovarian granulosa cells inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Introduction

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age, which is one of the main causes of anovulatory infertility. Even though the rapidly developed assisted reproductive technology (ART) could effectively solve fertility problems, some PCOS patients still have not obtained satisfactory clinical outcomes. The poor quality of oocytes caused by the abnormal follicular development of PCOS may directly contribute to the failure of ART treatment. Ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) are the most closely related cells to oocytes, and changes in their functional status have a direct impact on oocyte formation. Previous studies have shown that changes in the ovarian microenvironment, like oxidative stress and inflammation, may cause PCOS-related aberrant follicular development by impairing the physiological state of the GCs. Therefore, optimizing the ovarian microenvironment is a feasible method for enhancing the development potential of PCOS oocytes.

Methods

In this study, we first detected the expression of inflammatory-related factors (TGF-β1, IL-10, TNFα, IL-6) and oxidative stress-related factors (HIF-1α and VEGFA), as well as the proliferation ability and apoptosis level of GCs, which were collected from control patients (non-PCOS) and PCOS patients, respectively. Subsequently, human ovarian granulosa cell line (KGN) cells were used to verify the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress effects of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) on GCs, as well as to investigate the optimal culture time and concentration of COS. The optimal culture conditions were then used to culture GCs from PCOS patients and control patients.

Results

The results showed that GCs from PCOS patients exhibited obvious inflammation and oxidative stress and significantly reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis. Furthermore, COS can increase the expression of anti-inflammatory factors (TGF-β1 and IL-10) and decrease the expression of pro-inflammatory factors (TNFα and IL-6), as well as promote the proliferation of GCs. Moreover, we found that COS can reduce the level of reactive oxygen species in GCs under oxidative stress by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α and VEGFA and by suppressing the apoptosis of GCs induced by oxidative stress.

Conclusion

We find that inflammation and oxidative stress exist in the GCs of PCOS patients, and COS can reduce these factors, thereby improving the function of GCs.

A new acid isolated from V. negundo L. inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and protects against inflammatory diseases

The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a critical role in the innate immune response, and its excessive activation will cause pyroptotic cell death and be associated with the onset of inflammatory diseases. However, NLRP3 inflammasome targeting therapies are still to be implemented in the clinic setting. Here, we first isolated, purified and characterized a novel Vitenegu acid from V. negundo L. herb that specifically inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation, without affecting NLRC4 or AIM2 inflammasomes. Vitenegu acid blocks the oligomerization of NLRP3, thus inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and activation. In vivo data show that Vitenegu acid exerts therapeutic effects on NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent inflammation. Taken together, our results suggest that Vitenegu acid is a candidate therapeutic agent for treating NLRP3 inflammasome related diseases.

Discovery of a novel, liver-targeted thyroid hormone receptor-β agonist, CS271011, in the treatment of lipid metabolism disorders

INTRODUCTION

Thyroid hormone receptor β (THR-β) plays a critical role in metabolism regulation and has become an attractive target for treating lipid metabolism disorders in recent years. Thus, in this study, we discovered CS271011, a novel THR-β agonist, and assessed the safety and efficiency of CS271011 compared to MGL-3196 in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

We conducted luciferase reporter gene assays to assess the activation of THR-β and α in vitro. C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, CS271011 was administered by gavage at the dose of 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg, and MGL-3196 was administered at the dose of 3 mg/kg for 10 weeks. Body weight, food intake, serum and hepatic parameters, histological analysis, pharmacokinetic studies, RNA sequencing of the liver and heart, and expression of hepatic lipid-metabolic genes were determined to evaluate the safety and efficiency of CS271011.

RESULTS

Compared with MGL-3196, CS271011 showed higher THR-β activation in vitro. In the diet-induced obesity mice model, CS271011 demonstrated favourable pharmacokinetic properties in mice and was enriched in the liver. Finally, CS271011 improved dyslipidaemia and reduced liver steatosis in the diet-induced obesity murine model. Mechanistically, CS271011 and MGL-3196 showed potent regulation of lipid metabolism-related genes.

CONCLUSIONS

CS271011 is a potent and liver-targeted THR-β agonist for treating lipid metabolism disorders.

Heterogeneity and Memory Effect in the Sluggish Dynamics of Vacancy Defects in Colloidal Disordered Crystals and Their Implications to High-Entropy Alloys

Vacancy dynamics of high-density 2D colloidal crystals with a polydispersity in particle size are studied experimentally. Heterogeneity in vacancy dynamics is observed. Inert vacancies that hardly hop to other lattice sites and active vacancies that hop frequently between different lattice sites are found within the same samples. The vacancies show high probabilities of first hopping from one lattice site to another neighboring lattice site, then staying at the new site for some time, and later hopping back to the original site in the next hop. This back-returning hop probability increases monotonically with the increase in packing fraction, up to 83%. This memory effect makes the active vacancies diffuse sluggishly or even get trapped in local regions. Strain-induced vacancy motion on a distorted lattice is also observed. New glassy properties in the disordered crystals are discovered, including the dynamical heterogeneity, the presence of cooperative rearranging regions, memory effect, etc. Similarities between the colloidal disordered crystals and the high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are also discussed. Molecular dynamics simulations further support the experimental observations. These results help to understand the microscopic origin of the sluggish dynamics in materials with ordered structures but in random energy landscapes, such as high-entropy alloys.

The carboxy-terminal tail of GLR3.3 is essential for wound-response electrical signaling

Arabidopsis Clade 3 GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKEs (GLRs) are primary players in wound-induced systemic signaling. Previous studies focused on dissecting their ligand-activated channel properties involving extracellular and membrane-related domains. Here, we report that the carboxy-terminal tails (C-tails) of GLRs contain key elements controlling their function in wound signaling. GLR3.3 without its C-tail failed to rescue the glr3.3a mutant. We carried out a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify the C-tail interactors. We performed functional studies of the interactor by measuring electrical signals and defense responses. Then we mapped their binding sites and evaluated the impact of the sites on GLR functions. IMPAIRED SUCROSE INDUCTION 1 (ISI1) interacted with GLR3.3. Enhanced electrical activity was detected in reduced function isi1 mutants in a GLR3.3-dependent manner. isi1 mutants were slightly more resistant to insect feeding than the wild-type. Furthermore, a triresidue motif RFL in the GLR3.3 C-tail binds to ISI1 in yeast. Finally, we demonstrated that FL residues were conserved across GLRs and functionally required. Our study provides new insights into the functions of GLR C-tails, reveals parallels with the ionotropic glutamate receptor regulation in animal cells, and may enable rational design of strategies to engineer GLRs for future practical applications.

A rolled-up-based fabrication method of 3D helical microrobots

While the potential of using helical microrobots for biomedical applications, such as cargo transport, drug delivery, and micromanipulation, had been demonstrated, the viability to use them for practical applications is hindered by the cost, speed, and repeatability of current fabrication techniques. Hence, this paper introduces a simple, low-cost, high-throughput manufacturing process for single nickel layer helical microrobots with consistent dimensions. Photolithography and electron-beam (e-beam) evaporation were used to fabricate 2D parallelogram patterns that were sequentially rolled up into helical microstructures through the swelling effect of a photoresist sacrificial layer. Helical parameters were controlled by adjusting the geometric parameters of parallelogram patterns. To validate the fabrication process and characterize the microrobots' mobility, we characterized the structures and surface morphology of the microrobots using a scanning electron microscope and tested their steerability using feedback control, respectively. Finally, we conducted a benchmark comparison to demonstrate that the fabrication method can produce helical microrobots with swimming properties comparable to previously reported microrobots.

Development and Validation of a nomogram for forecasting survival of alcohol related hepatocellular carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND

With the increasing incidence and prevalence of alcoholic liver disease, alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma has become a serious public health problem worthy of attention in China. However, there is currently no prognostic prediction model for alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODS

The retrospective analysis research of alcohol related hepatocellular carcinoma patients was conducted from January 2010 to December 2014. Independent prognostic factors of alcohol related hepatocellular carcinoma were identified by Lasso regression and multivariate COX proportional model analysis, and the nomogram model was constructed. The reliability and accuracy of the model were assessed using the concordance index(C-Index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve. Evaluate the clinical benefit and application value of the model through clinical decision curve analysis (DCA). The prognosis was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curve.

RESULTS

In sum, 383 patients were included in our study. Patients were stochastically assigned to training cohort (n=271) and validation cohort (n=112) according to 7:3 ratio. The predictors included in the nomogram were splenectomy, platelet count (PLT), creatinine (CRE), Prealbumin (PA), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and TNM. Our nomogram demonstrated excellent discriminatory power (C-index) and good calibration at 1-year, 3-year and 5- year overall survival (OS). Compared to TNM and Child-Pugh model, the nomogram had better discriminative ability and higher accuracy. DCA showed high clinical benefit and application value of the model.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram model we established can precisely forcasting the prognosis of alcohol related hepatocellular carcinoma patients, which would be helpful for the early warning of alcohol related hepatocellular carcinoma and predict prognosis in patients with alcoholic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Bioorganic fertilizer promotes pakchoi growth and shapes the soil microbial structure

As a functional probiotic, Bacillus subtilis can promote crop growth and improve nutrient utilization by various mechanisms, so it has been made into bioorganic fertilizer as a replacement for chemical fertilizer. However, the effects of B. subtilis bioorganic fertilizer application on the yield and quality of commercial crops of Brassica chinensis L., the soil physicochemical properties and the microflora have not been clarified. In this study, pot experiments were conducted using Brassica chinensis L. plants with four fertilization treatments: control without fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizer (CF), organic fertilizer (OF), and bioorganic fertilizer containing B. subtilis (BF). After 30 days of pot experiment, the results showed that BF efficiently improved plant height and biomass (1.20- and 1.93-fold, respectively); as well as significantly increasing soil available potassium and pH value. Using high-throughput sequencing, we examined the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil, and found that their diversity was remarkablely reduced in the BF treatment compared to CK group. A principal coordinate analysis also showed a clear separation of bacterial and fungal communities in the BF and CK groups. After application of B. subtilis bioorganic fertilizer, some beneficial bacteria (such as Bacillus and Ammoniphilus) and fungi (Trichoderma and Mortierella) were enriched. A network analysis indicated that bacteria were the dominant soil microbes and the presence of B. subtilis stimulated the colonization of beneficial microbial communities. In addition, predictive functional profiling demonstrated that the application of bioorganic fertilizer enhanced the function of mineral element metabolism and absorption and increased the relative abundance of saprotrophs. Overall, the application of bioorganic fertilizer effectively changed the soil microflora, improved the soil available potassium and pH value, and boosted the yield of Brassica chinensis L. This work has valuable implications for promoting the safe planting of facility vegetables and the sustainable development of green agriculture.

Strategies for developing long-lasting therapeutic nucleic acid aptamer targeting circulating protein: The present and the future

Aptamers are short, single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotide sequences that can bind specific targets. The molecular weight of aptamers (<20 kDa) is lower than the renal filtration threshold (30∼50 kDa), resulting in very short half-lives in vivo, which limit their druggability. The development of long-lasting modification approaches for aptamers can help address the druggability bottleneck of aptamers. This review summarized two distinct kinds of long-lasting modification approaches for aptamers, including macromolecular modification and low-molecular-weight modification. Though it is a current approach to extend the half-life of aptamers, the macromolecular modification approach could limit the space for the dosage increases, thus causing potential compliance concerns due to large molecular weight. As for the other modification approach, the low-molecular-weight modification approach, which uses low molecular weight coupling agents (LMWCAs) to modify aptamers, could greatly increase the proportion of aptamer moiety. However, some LMWCAs could bind to other proteins, causing a decrease in the drug amounts in blood circulation. Given these issues, the outlook for the next generation of long-lasting modification approaches was proposed at the end, including improving the administration method to increase dosage for aptamer drugs modified by macromolecule and developing Artificial intelligence (AI)-based strategies for optimization of LMWCAs.

Inhibition of inflammatory liver injury by the HMGB1-A box through HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB signaling in an acute liver failure mouse model

We aimed to investigate the preventive effect of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)-A box and the mechanism by which it alleviates inflammatory injury in acute liver failure (ALF) by inhibiting the extracellular release of HMGB1. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered LPS/D-GalN to establish an ALF mouse model. HMGB1-A box was administered (i.p.) 1 h before establishing the ALF mouse model. The levels of extracellularly released HMGB1, TLR-4/NF-κB signaling molecules, the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 and COX-2 were measured in the liver tissue and/or serum by Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of extracellularly released HMGB1, TLR-4/NF-κB signaling molecules and proinflammatory cytokines were measured in Huh7 cells as well as LPS- and/or HMGB1-A box treatment by confocal microscopy, Western blotting and ELISA. In the ALF mouse model, the levels of HMGB1 were significantly increased both in the liver and serum, TLR-4/NF-κB signaling molecules and proinflammatory cytokines also was upregulated. Notably, HMGB1-A box could reverse these changes. HMGB1-A box could also cause these changes in LPS-induced Huh7 cells. HMGB1-A box played a protective role by inhibiting inflammatory liver injury via the regulation of HMGB1/TLR-4/NF-κB signaling in the LPS/D-GaIN-induced ALF mouse model, which may be related to inhibiting the extracellular release of HMGB1.

Antitumor effect and mechanism of FZD7 polypeptide vaccine

The resistant cells that proliferate after radiotherapy and chemotherapy are primarily tumor stem cells with high stem marker expression, and their presence is the primary cause of tumor dispersion. The Wnt signaling receptor Frizzled family receptor 7 (FZD7) is linked to the maintenance of stem cell features as well as cancer progression. Frizzled-7 (FZD7), a key receptor for Wnt/-catenin signaling, is overexpressed in TNBC, suggesting that it could be a viable target for cancer therapy. We employed bioinformatics to find the best-scoring peptide, chemically synthesized FZD7 epitope antigen, and binding toll-like receptor 7 agonists (T7). Under GMP conditions, peptides for vaccines were produced and purified (>95%). In vivo and vitro tests were used to assess tumor cell inhibition. In vitro, the FZD7-T7 vaccination can boost the maturity of BMDC cells considerably. In mice, the FZD7 - T7 vaccine elicited the greatest immunological response. Significant tumor development inhibition was seen in BALB/c mice treated with FZD7 - T7 in prevention experiments (P < 0.01). Multiple cytokines that promote cellular immune responses, such as interferon (IFN)-γ (P < 0.05), interleukin (IL)-12 (P < 0.05), and IL-2 (P < 0.01), were shown to be considerably elevated in mice inoculated with FZD7- T7. Furthermore, we evaluated safety concerns in terms of vaccine composition to aid in the creation of successful next-generation vaccines. In conclusion, the FZD7-T7 vaccine can activate the immune response in vivo and in vitro, and play a role in tumor suppression. Our findings reveal a unique tumor-suppressive role for the FZD7 peptide in TNBC.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Killing Mechanisms of Antitumor Cytotoxic CD4+ TCR-T Cells

T cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-Ts) have emerged as potent cancer immunotherapies. While most research focused on classical cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells, the application of CD4⁺ T cells in adoptive T cell therapy has gained much interest recently. However, the cytotoxic mechanisms of CD4⁺ TCR-Ts have not been fully revealed. In this study, we obtained an MHC class I-restricted MART-1_27-35-specific TCR sequence based on the single-cell V(D)J sequencing technology, and constructed MART-1_27-35-specific CD4⁺ TCR-Ts and CD8⁺ TCR-Ts. The antitumor effects of CD4⁺ TCR-Ts were comparable to those of CD8⁺ TCR-Ts in vitro and in vivo. To delineate the killing mechanisms of cytotoxic CD4⁺ TCR-Ts, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing and found that classical granule-dependent and independent cytolytic pathways were commonly used in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ TCR-Ts, while high expression of LTA and various costimulatory receptors were unique features for cytotoxic CD4⁺ TCR-Ts. Further signaling pathway analysis revealed that transcription factors Runx3 and Blimp1/Tbx21 were crucial for the development and killing function of cytotoxic CD4⁺ T cells. Taken together, we report the antitumor effects and multifaceted killing mechanisms of CD4⁺ TCR-Ts, and also indicate that MHC class I-restricted CD4⁺ TCR-Ts could serve as potential adoptive T cell therapies.

Identification of a 3-Gene Model as Prognostic Biomarker in Patients With Gastric Cancer

Objective

Although the incidence of gastric cancer (GC) is decreasing, GC remains one of the leading cancers in the world. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant therapy have advanced, but patients still face the risk of recurrence and poor prognosis. This study provides new insights for assessment of prognosis and postoperative recurrence of GC patients.

Methods

We collected paired cancer and adjacent tissues of 17 patients with early primary GC for bulk transcriptome sequencing. By comparing the transcriptome information of cancer and adjacent cancer, 321 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. These DEGs were further screened and analyzed with the GC cohort of TCGA to establish a 3-gene prognostic model (PLCL1, PLOD2 and ABCA6). At the same time, the predictive ability of this risk model is validated in multiple public data sets. Besides, the differences in immune cells proportion between the high- and low-risk groups were analyzed by the CIBERSORT algorithm with the Leukocyte signature matrix (LM22) gene signature to reveal the role of the immune microenvironment in the occurrence and development of GC.

Results

The model could divide GC samples from TCGA cohorts into two groups with significant differences in overall and disease-free survival. The excellent predictive ability of this model was also validated in multiple other public data sets. The proportion of these immune cells such as resting mast cells, T cells CD4+ memory activated and Macrophages M2 are significantly different between high and low risk group.

Conclusion

These three genes used to build the models were validated as biomarkers for predicting tumor recurrence and survival. They may have potential significance for the treatment and diagnosis of patients in the future, and may also promote the development of targeted drugs.

In Vitro and in Silico Analysis of Phytochemicals From Fallopia dentatoalata as Dual Functional Cholinesterase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Current studies have found that butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) replaces the biological function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the late stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Species in the genus of Fallopia, rich in polyphenols with diverse chemical structures and significant biological activities, are considered as an important resource for screening natural products to against AD. In this study, thirty-four compounds (1–34) were isolated from Fallopia dentatoalata (Fr. Schm.) Holub, and their inhibitory effects against AChE and BuChE were assessed. Compounds of the phenylpropanoid sucrose ester class emerged as the most promising members of the group, with 31–33 displaying moderate AChE inhibition (IC50 values ranging from 30.6 ± 4.7 to 56.0 ± 2.4 µM) and 30–34 showing potential inhibitory effects against BuChE (IC50 values ranging from 2.7 ± 1.7 to 17.1 ± 3.4 µM). Tacrine was used as a positive control (IC50: 126.7 ± 1.1 in AChE and 5.5 ± 1.7 nM in BuChE). Kinetic analysis highlighted compounds 31 and 32 as non-competitive inhibitors of AChE with Ki values of ∼30.0 and ∼34.4 µM, whilst 30–34 were revealed to competitively inhibit BuChE with Ki values ranging from ∼1.8 to ∼17.5 µM. Molecular binding studies demonstrated that 30–34 bound to the catalytic sites of BuChE with negative binding energies. The strong agreement between both in vitro and in silico studies highlights the phenylpropanoid sucrose esters 30–34 as promising candidates for use in future anti-cholinesterase therapeutics against Alzheimer’s disease.

A Comparative Study of Multiple Deep Learning Models Based on Multi-Input Resolution for Breast Ultrasound Images

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the performance of different parameter combinations of deep learning (DL) models (Xception, DenseNet121, MobileNet, ResNet50 and EfficientNetB0) and input image resolutions (REZs) (224 × 224, 320 × 320 and 488 × 488 pixels) for breast cancer diagnosis.

Methods

This multicenter study retrospectively studied gray-scale ultrasound breast images enrolled from two Chinese hospitals. The data are divided into training, validation, internal testing and external testing set. Three-hundreds images were randomly selected for the physician-AI comparison. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the diagnose error of physicians and models under P=0.05 and 0.10 significance level. The specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, area under the curve (AUC) were used as primary evaluation metrics.

Results

A total of 13,684 images of 3447 female patients are finally included. In external test the 224 and 320 REZ achieve the best performance in MobileNet and EfficientNetB0 respectively (AUC: 0.893 and 0.907). Meanwhile, 448 REZ achieve the best performance in Xception, DenseNet121 and ResNet50 (AUC: 0.900, 0.883 and 0.871 respectively). In physician-AI test set, the 320 REZ for EfficientNetB0 (AUC: 0.896, P < 0.1) is better than senior physicians. Besides, the 224 REZ for MobileNet (AUC: 0.878, P < 0.1), 448 REZ for Xception (AUC: 0.895, P < 0.1) are better than junior physicians. While the 448 REZ for DenseNet121 (AUC: 0.880, P < 0.05) and ResNet50 (AUC: 0.838, P < 0.05) are only better than entry physicians.

Conclusion

Based on the gray-scale ultrasound breast images, we obtained the best DL combination which was better than the physicians.

Integrated multi-omic data and analyses reveal the pathways underlying key ornamental traits in carnation flowers

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is one of the most popular ornamental flowers in the world. Although numerous studies on carnations exist, the underlying mechanisms of flower color, fragrance, and the formation of double flowers remain unknown. Here, we employed an integrated multi-omics approach to elucidate the genetic and biochemical pathways underlying the most important ornamental features of carnation flowers. First, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-scale genome (636 Mb with contig N50 as 14.67 Mb) of D. caryophyllus, the 'Scarlet Queen'. Next, a series of metabolomic datasets was generated with a variety of instrumentation types from different parts of the flower at multiple stages of development to assess spatial and temporal differences in the accumulation of pigment and volatile compounds. Finally, transcriptomic data were generated to link genomic, biochemical, and morphological patterns to propose a set of pathways by which ornamental traits such as petal coloration, double flowers, and fragrance production are formed. Among them, the transcription factors bHLHs, MYBs, and a WRKY44 homolog are proposed to be important in controlling petal color patterning and genes such as coniferyl alcohol acetyltransferase and eugenol synthase are involved in the synthesis of eugenol. The integrated dataset of genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics presented herein provides an important foundation for understanding the underlying pathways of flower development and coloration, which in turn can be used for selective breeding and gene editing for the development of novel carnation cultivars.

SMARCC1 Enters the Nucleus via KPNA2 and Plays an Oncogenic Role in Bladder Cancer

Background: SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily C member 1 (SMARCC1), a component of the SWI/SNF complex, is thought to be an oncogene in several kinds of cancer.

Materials and methods: The potential interaction between SMARCC1 and KPNA2 was inquired by Spearman’s correlation analysis, immunofluorescence staining and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays. The immunohistochemistry staining, RT-PCR and western blot assay were taken for determining the expression levels of SMARCC1. And CCK-8, transwell assay, cell apoptosis assay, cell cycle analysis and subcutaneous tumor model were conducted to explore the role of SMARCC1 in carcinogenesis of bladder cancer.

Results: In our experiments, Spearman’s correlation analysis, immunofluorescence staining and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays showed that SMARCC1 interacted with KPNA2, and after knockdown of KPNA2, Nup50 and Nup153, the nuclear content of SMARCC1 decreased while the amount of SMARCC1 protein remaining in the cytoplasm increased, indicating that SMARCC1 could be transported into the nucleus via KPNA2 and thus acted as an oncogene. We found that both the mRNA and protein expression levels of SMARCC1 were increased in bladder cancer, and increased SMARCC1 expression was significantly associated with a higher T stage and poorer prognosis in bladder cancer patients. Knockdown of SMARCC1 slowed the growth of the two tested cell lines and clearly arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase checkpoint. Moreover, the migratory ability was significantly decreased and the number of apoptotic cells was increased.

Conclusion: On the whole, our results demonstrate KPNA2, Nup50 and Nup153 regulate the process of SMARCC1 nuclear translocation in BC. SMARCC1 may be a competent candidate as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for BC. Further studies are required to research the mechanism and assess the role of SMARCC1 in vivo.

S-Thyroid Computer-Aided Diagnosis Ultrasound System of Thyroid Nodules: Correlation Between Transverse and Longitudinal Planes

Introduction: We compare the differences in the diagnostic results of S-thyroid, a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) software, based on two mutually perpendicular planes. Methods: Initially, 149 thyroid nodules confirmed by surgical pathology were enrolled in our study. CAD in our study was based on the ACR TI-RADS lexicon. t test, rank-sum test, and Chi-square test were used. The interclass correlation coefficient and Cohen's kappa were used to explore the correlation between CAD features. Receiver operating characteristic was plotted for different combinations of CAD features. Results: The patient's age, transverse diameter, longitudinal diameter, shape, margin, echogenicity, echogenic foci, composition, TI-RADS classification, and risk probability of nodules in the transverse and longitudinal planes were related to thyroid cancer (p < 0.05). The AUC (95%CI) of TI-RADS classification in the transverse plane of CAD is better than that of the longitudinal plane [0.90 (0.84-0.95) vs. 0.83 (0.77-0.90), p = 0.04]. The AUC (95%CI) of risk probability of nodules in the transverse planes shows no difference from that in the longitudinal plane statistically [0.90 (0.85-0.95) vs. 0.88 (0.82-0.94), p = 0.52]. The AUC (95% CI), specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy [TI-RADS classification (transverse plane) + TI-RADS classification (longitudinal plane) + risk (transverse plane) + risk (longitudinal plane)] are 0.93 (0.89-0.97), 86.15%, 90.48%, and 88.59%, respectively. Conclusion: The diagnosis of thyroid cancer in the CAD transverse plane was superior to that in the CAD longitudinal plane when using the TI-RADS classification, but there was no difference in the diagnosis between the two planes when using risk. However, the combination of CAD transverse and longitudinal planes had the best diagnostic ability.

Identification and Development of Inflammatory Response-Related Genes Signature Associated With Prognosis Evaluation and Immune Status of Bladder Cancer

Background: Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is one of the most common malignant tumors with high morbidity and recurrence rate. The study aims to establish a prediction model to elaborate the relation between inflammatory response and prognosis of BLCA and thus to evaluate the potential prognostic value of inflammatory response-related genes (IRGs) in therapeutic choices. Methods: The study utilized the gene expression profiles from the The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE32894) datasets. Differentially expressed IRGs between normal and tumor tissues were identified, and 10 of them were correlated with overall survival (OS) (p < 0.05). Then, the LASSO-Cox regression analysis was applied to optimize the signature. RNA sequencing data of patients with BLCA from GSE32894 were applied as a validation set. Cox regression analyses of the seven-gene signature were performed to examine the efficiency of signature in predicting prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was applied to measure the predictive performance of the risk score for OS. Analysis of independent prognostic factors, downstream functional enrichment, drug sensitivity, and immune features were included in this study. Results: The IRG signature (LDLR, ROS1, MMP14, TNFAIP6, MYC, PTGER4, and RIPK2) was used to divide patients into high- and low-risk groups. Cox regression analyses revealed that the risk score was an independent predictive factor. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes were enriched in prognosis-related molecular functions and immune-related biological processes. Drug sensitivity and tumor microenvironment correlation analysis indicated that the signature was related to immunotherapy effect. Conclusion: The study defined a new prognostic signature consisting of seven IRGs, which could effectively predict the prognosis of patients with BLCA and reveal relationship of immune features in BLCA with different risk scores. The study also provided a possible indicator for targeted therapy.

WNT5A Interacts With FZD5 and LRP5 to Regulate Proliferation and Self-Renewal of Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem-Like Cells

Endometrial mesenchymal stem-like cells (eMSC) reside in the basal layer of the endometrium and are responsible for cyclic regeneration during the reproductive lives of women. Myometrial cells act as a component of the niche and regulate the stem cell fate through the activation of WNT/β-catenin signaling via WNT5A. Since WNT5A-responsive mechanisms on eMSC are still uncertain, we hypothesize that the WNT ligand–WNT5A works to activate WNT/β-catenin signaling through binding to Frizzled receptors (FZDs) and co-receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5). Among the various receptors that have been reported to interact with WNT5A, we found FZD5 abundantly expressed by eMSC when compared to unfractionated stromal cells. Neutralizing the protein expression by using anti-FZD5 antibody suppressed the stimulatory effects on phenotypic expression and the clonogenicity of eMSC in a myometrial cell–eMSC co-culture system as well as in an L-Wnt5a conditioned medium. Gene silencing of FZD5 not only reduced the binding of WNT5A to eMSC but also decreased the TCF/LEF transcriptional activities and expression of active β-catenin. Inhibition of LRP coreceptors with recombinant Dickkopf-1 protein significantly reduced the binding affinity of eMSC to WNT5A as well as the proliferation and self-renewal activity. During postpartum remodeling in mouse endometrium, active β-catenin (ABC) was detected in label-retaining stromal cells (LRSCs), and these ABC+ LRSCs express FZD5 and LRP5, suggesting the activation of WNT/β-catenin signaling. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the interaction of WNT5A, FZD5, and LRP5 in regulating the proliferation and self-renewal of eMSC through WNT/β-catenin signaling.

Salmon Calcitonin Exerts an Antidepressant Effect by Activating Amylin Receptors

Depressive disorder is defined as a psychiatric disease characterized by the core symptoms of anhedonia and learned helplessness. Currently, the treatment of depression still calls for medications with high effectiveness, rapid action, and few side effects, although many drugs, including fluoxetine and ketamine, have been approved for clinical usage by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this study, we focused on calcitonin as an amylin receptor polypeptide, of which the antidepressant effect has not been reported, even if calcitonin gene-related peptides have been previously demonstrated to improve depressive-like behaviors in rodents. Here, the antidepressant potential of salmon calcitonin (sCT) was first evaluated in a chronic restraint stress (CRS) mouse model of depression. We observed that the immobility duration in CRS mice was significantly increased during the tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Furthermore, a single administration of sCT was found to successfully rescue depressive-like behaviors in CRS mice. Lastly, AC187 as a potent amylin receptor antagonist was applied to investigate the roles of amylin receptors in depression. We found that AC187 significantly eliminated the antidepressant effects of sCT. Taken together, our data revealed that sCT could ameliorate a depressive-like phenotype probably via the amylin signaling pathway. sCT should be considered as a potential therapeutic candidate for depressive disorder in the future.

Methodology Establishment and Application of VITEK Mass Spectrometry to Detect Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

The ability of VITEK mass spectrometry (MS) in detection of bacterial resistance is currently under exploration and evaluation. In this study, we developed and validated a VITEK MS method to rapidly test carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP). Solvents, antibiotic concentrations, crystal conditions and times, centrifugation speeds, and other factors were optimized to design a rapid sample pretreatment process for CPKP detection by VITEK MS. The related parameters of the mass spectrum were adjusted on the instrument to establish an CPKP detection mode. 133 clinically isolated strains of CPKP in the microbiology laboratory at the Shenzhen People’s Hospital from 2004 to 2017 were selected for accuracy evaluation. The fresh suspected strains from the microbiology laboratory in 2020 were used to complete the clinical verification. Two antibiotics, meropenem (MEM) and imipenem (IPM), were used as substrates. These two substrates were incubated with suspected CPKP, and the results were obtained by VITEK MS detection. Using this method, different types of CPKP showed different detection results and all the CPKP strains producing KPC-2 and IMP-4 carbapenemase were detected by VITEK MS. Thus, VITEK MS can be used for rapid detection of CPKP, especially for some common types of CPKP. This method provides high accuracy and speed of detection. Combined with its cost advantages, it can be intensely valuable in clinical microbiology laboratories after the standard operating procedures are determined.

Direct Visualization of Large-Scale Intrinsic Atomic Lattice Structure and Its Collective Anisotropy in Air-Sensitive Monolayer 1T'- WTe2

Probing large-scale intrinsic structure of air-sensitive 2D materials with atomic resolution is so far challenging due to their rapid oxidization and contamination. Here, by keeping the whole experiment including growth, transfer, and characterizations in an interconnected atmosphere-control environment, the large-scale intact lattice structure of air-sensitive monolayer 1T'-WTe₂ is directly visualized by atom-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy. Benefit from the large-scale atomic mapping, collective lattice distortions are further unveiled due to the presence of anisotropic rippling, which propagates perpendicular to only one of the preferential lattice planes in the same WTe₂ monolayer. Such anisotropic lattice rippling modulates the intrinsic point defect (Te vacancy) distribution, in which they aggregate at the constrictive inner side of the undulating structure, presumably due to the ripple-induced asymmetric strain as elaborated by density functional theory. The results pave the way for atomic characterizations and defect engineering of air-sensitive 2D layered materials.

Higher Peripheral Cholesterol and a Positive Correlation With Risk for Large-For-Gestational-Age Neonates in Pre-Pregnancy Underweight Women

OBJECTIVE

As the high proportion of underweight pregnant women, omission of their weight gain and blood lipids management during gestation might lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to determine the relationship between lipid profile and risks for adverse pregnancy outcomes in pre-pregnancy underweight women.

METHODS

This study was part of an ongoing cohort study including Chinese gravidas delivered from January 2015 to December 2016. Included subjects were grouped into underweight, normal-weight, and overweight by BMI before conception. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between lipid profiles during second trimester and adverse obstetric outcomes in each group. A subgroup analysis according to the gestational weight gain, in which subjects in each group were divided into above and within the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations, was performed.

RESULTS

A total of 6, 223 women were included. The proportion of underweight (19.3%) was similar to that of overweight women (19.4%) in South China. Peripheral total cholesterol (TC) level in underweight women was significantly higher than that in overweight women (P <0.001). After adjusting maternal age, TC level was positively correlated to the risk for large-for-gestational-age (LGA) [aOR =2.24, 95%CI (1.08, 4.63)], and negatively related to the risk for small-for-gestational age (SGA) [aOR =0.71, 95%CI (0.59, 0.85)] in underweight women, but not in normal-weight or overweight women. The subgroup analysis showed that maternal TC level was positively correlated with the risk of LGA only in underweight women who gained weight more than the IOM recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Underweight pregnant women with high TC levels had a higher risk for LGA, especially among women whose gestational weight gain were above the IOM recommendations. Therefore, clinical management of lipids and weight gain during gestation should also be recommended for underweight women.

The FKH domain in FOXP3 mRNA frequently contains mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma that influence the subcellular localization and functions of FOXP3

The transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) is a biomarker for regulatory T cells and can also be expressed in cancer cells, but its function in cancer appears to be divergent. The role of hepatocyte-expressed FOXP3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Here, we collected tumor samples and clinical information from 115 HCC patients and used five human cancer cell lines. We examined FOXP3 mRNA sequences for mutations, used a luciferase assay to assess promoter activities of FOXP3's target genes, and employed mouse tumor models to confirm in vitro results. We detected mutations in the FKH domain of FOXP3 mRNAs in 33% of the HCC tumor tissues, but in none of the adjacent nontumor tissues. None of the mutations occurred at high frequency, indicating that they occurred randomly. Notably, the mutations were not detected in the corresponding regions of FOXP3 genomic DNA, and many of them resulted in amino acid substitutions in the FKH region, altering FOXP3's subcellular localization. FOXP3 delocalization from the nucleus to the cytoplasm caused loss of transcriptional regulation of its target genes, inactivated its tumor-inhibitory capability, and changed cellular responses to histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. More complex FKH mutations appeared to be associated with worse prognosis in HCC patients. We conclude that mutations in the FKH domain of FOXP3 mRNA frequently occur in HCC and that these mutations are caused by errors in transcription and are not derived from genomic DNA mutations. Our results suggest that transcriptional mutagenesis of FOXP3 plays a role in HCC.