ISMI-VAE: A deep learning model for classifying disease cells using gene expression and SNV data

Various studies have linked several diseases, including cancer and COVID-19, to single nucleotide variations (SNV). Although single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology can provide SNV and gene expression data, few studies have integrated and analyzed these multimodal data. To address this issue, we introduce Interpretable Single-cell Multimodal Data Integration Based on Variational Autoencoder (ISMI-VAE). ISMI-VAE leverages latent variable models that utilize the characteristics of SNV and gene expression data to overcome high noise levels and uses deep learning techniques to integrate multimodal information, map them to a low-dimensional space, and classify disease cells. Moreover, ISMI-VAE introduces an attention mechanism to reflect feature importance and analyze genetic features that could potentially cause disease. Experimental results on three cancer data sets and one COVID-19 data set demonstrate that ISMI-VAE surpasses the baseline method in terms of both effectiveness and interpretability and can effectively identify disease-causing gene features.

Feasibility of sulfated BPA and BPS as wastewater-based epidemiology biomarkers: Insights from wastewater and reported human urine analysis

In wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), the selection of appropriate biomarkers presents a significant challenge. Recently, sulfated bisphenols have garnered attention as potential WBE biomarkers due to their increased stability in wastewater compared to glucuronide conjugates. This study aims to comprehensively assess the feasibility of employing sulfated BPA and BPS as WBE biomarkers by analyzing both WBE and human biomonitoring data. To conduct this research, wastewater samples were collected from six domestic wastewater treatment plants in Guangzhou, China, and urinary concentration of BPA and BPS were obtained from peer-reviewed literature. The results revealed that mean urinary concentrations of BPA and BPS, calculated using Monte Carlo simulations, significantly exceeded those reported in human biomonitoring studies. Furthermore, the per capita mass load ratio of sulfated BPA and BPS in human urine to the mass load in wastewater was found to be below 10 %. This outcome suggests that the excretion of BPA-S and BPS-S in urine does not make a substantial contribution to wastewater, hinting at the existence of other notable sources. Consequently, our study concludes that sulfated BPA-S and BPS-S are not suitable candidates as WBE biomarkers. This work provides a referenceable analytical framework for evaluating the feasibility of WBE biomarkers and emphasizes the necessity for caution when utilizing WBE to assess human exposure to chemicals.

Inhibition of the RLR signaling pathway by SARS-CoV-2 ORF7b is mediated by MAVS and abrogated by ORF7b-homologous interfering peptide

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and characterized by dysregulated immune response. Studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF7b induces host cell apoptosis through the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) pathway and blocks the production of interferon beta (IFN-β). The underlying mechanism remains to be investigated. In this study, we found that ORF7b facilitated viral infection and production, and inhibited the RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathway through selectively interacting with mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS). MAVS439-466 region and MAVS Lys461 were essential for the physical association between MAVS and ORF7b, and the inhibition of the RLR signaling pathway by ORF7b. MAVSK461/K63 ubiquitination was essential for the RLR signaling regulated by the MAVS-ORF7b complex. ORF7b interfered with the recruitment of tumor necrosis factor receptor-related factor 6 (TRAF6) and the activation of the RLR signaling pathway by MAVS. Furthermore, interfering peptides targeting the ORF7b complex reversed the ORF7b-suppressed MAVS-RLR signaling pathway. The most potent interfering peptide V disrupts the formation of ORF7b tetramers, reverses the levels of the ORF7b-inhibited physical association between MAVS and TRAF6, leading to the suppression of viral growth and infection. Overall, this study provides a mechanism for the suppression of innate immunity by SARS-CoV-2 infection and the mechanism-based approach via interfering peptides to potentially prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.IMPORTANCEThe pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and continues to be a threat to public health. It is imperative to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection and find approaches to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and ameliorate COVID-19. Multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins are known to function on the innate immune response, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study shows that ORF7b inhibits the RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling pathway through the physical association between ORF7b and mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), impairing the K63-linked MAVS polyubiquitination and its recruitment of tumor necrosis factor receptor-related factor 6 (TRAF6) to MAVS. The most potent interfering peptide V targeting the ORF7b-MAVS complex may reverse the suppression of the MAVS-mediated RLR signaling pathway by ORF7b and prevent viral infection and production. This study may provide new insights into the pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and a strategy to develop new drugs to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Isolation and identification of active components from Grifola frondosa and its anti-EV71 virus effect

BACKGROUND

It is reported that anti-enterovirus 71 (EV71) drugs have some side effects on human health. Notably, fungi plays a crucial role in promoting human health and anti-virus. Grifola frondosa is a type of large medicinal and edible fungi, rich in active substances. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-EV71 effect of G. frondosa and the potential active substances.

RESULTS

In the present study, the water extract of G. frondosa was subjected to ethanol precipitation to obtain the water-extracted supernatant of G. frondosa (GFWS) and water-extracted precipitation of G. frondosa. Their inhibitory effects on EV71 virus were studied based on a cell model. The results showed that GFWS had stronger security and anti-EV71 effects. In addition, the chemical constituents of GFWS were identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, which were selected for further separation and purification. Three compounds, N-butylaniline, succinic acid and l-tryptophan, were isolated from GFWS by NMR spectroscopy. It is noteworthy that N-butylaniline and l-tryptophan were isolated and identified from the G. frondosa fruiting bodies for the first time. Our study found that l-tryptophan has anti-EV71 virus activity, which reduced EV71-induced apoptosis and significantly inhibited the replication process after virus adsorption. Furthermore, it could also bind to capsid protein VP1 to prevent the virus from attaching to the cells.

CONCLUSION

l-tryptophan was an inhibitor of the EV71 virus, which could be used in infant nutrition and possibly provide a new drug to treat hand, foot and mouth disease. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sulfated Polysaccharide-Based Nanocarrier Drives Microenvironment-Mediated Cerebral Neurovascular Remodeling for Ischemic Stroke Treatment

Stroke is a leading cause of global mortality and severe disability. However, current strategies used for treating ischemic stroke lack specific targeting capabilities, exhibit poor immune escape ability, and have limited drug release control. Herein, we developed an ROS-responsive nanocarrier for targeted delivery of the neuroprotective agent rapamycin (RAPA) to mitigate ischemic brain damage. The nanocarrier consisted of a sulfated chitosan (SCS) polymer core modified with a ROS-responsive boronic ester enveloped by a red blood cell membrane shell incorporating a stroke homing peptide. When encountering high levels of intracellular ROS in ischemic brain tissues, the release of SCS combined with RAPA from nanoparticle disintegration facilitates effective microglia polarization and, in turn, maintains blood-brain barrier integrity, reduces cerebral infarction, and promotes cerebral neurovascular remodeling in a mouse stroke model involving transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). This work offers a promising strategy to treat ischemic stroke therapy.

Warm Acupuncture Reduces Pain and Inflammation in Rats with Lumbar Disc Herniation Induced by Autologous Nucleus Pulposus Transplantation via Regulating p38MAPK/NF-κB Pathway

Background

: Warm acupuncture (WA) has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the underlying mechanism of these effects remain unclear.

Objectives

: To explore the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of WA and the potential underlying mechanism in male Sprague-Dawley rats with non-compressive lumbar disk herniation (LDH) caused by autologous nucleus pulposus (NP) transplantation.

Methods

: We used low-frequency (2 Hz) electrical stimulation and WA (40℃) to treat GB30 and BL54 acupoints in rats for 30 mins per day. We monitored the paw withdrawal threshold of rats during the experiment and measured serum cytokine levels using commercial kits. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissue pathology was analyzed via H&E staining. We used qRT-PCR to measure the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α genes in DRG. Western blot was used to analyze the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, P-p38MAPK, p38MAPK, P-IκBα, IκB α, and NF-κB p65 proteins.

Results

: WA treatment significantly increased the pain threshold of rats, reduced serum IL-6, PEG2, NO, SP, NP-Y, and MMP-3 levels, and effected histopathological improvements in the DRG in rats. Moreover, WA treatment significantly downregulated the expression levels of inflammation-associated genes (Il-1β, Il-6, and Tnf-α) and proteins (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, P-p38MAPK, P-IκBα, and NF-κB p65) in the DRG of non-compressive LDH rats.

Conclusion

: WA can alleviate pain and inhibit inflammatory response in rats with non-compressive LDH caused by autologous NP transplantation, and these effects are likely associated with the inhibition of the p38MAPK/NF-κB pathway.

Optimization strategy of community planning for environmental health and public health in smart city under multi-objectives

As population density increases, environmental hygiene and public health become increasingly severe. As the space where residents stay for the longest time and have the most profound impact on their physical and mental health, the quality of the environment in urban communities largely determines the degree to which residents engage in physical activity, bear the risk of pollution exposure, and obtain healthy food. Therefore, in order to ensure the physical and mental health of residents, this study proposes community planning guided by environmental hygiene and public health, and establishes an environmental health assessment system for this purpose. This system evaluates the community environment from four aspects: land use, service facilities, site convenience, and environmental quality. Established the diversity, density, road network connectivity and facilities accessibility nine criteria, as well as the land function of mix, plot ratio, food environment, network ring α and connected β index, pavement risk level, green configuration and neighborhood material environment disorder degree of 27 indicators of community built environmental evaluation index system. The data is collected through field survey, questionnaire distribution, resident interview and data mapping, and the established evaluation index system is used to evaluate the construction environment of the community. The experimental research data included population data, CAD plan, land use data, street data, POI point data, building data and bus station data, etc. 273 questionnaires were distributed, 264 were recovered, 8 invalid questionnaires were removed, and 256 valid questionnaires were obtained. These experiments confirm that land use, service facilities, site convenience, and environmental quality have a significant impact on the built environment of communities, with impact weights of 0.513, 0.227, 0.135, and 0.125, respectively. The above weights are calculated based on the index judgment matrix and the eigenvectors. The scores of land use, service facilities, site convenience, and environmental quality for the study subjects were 3.44, 1.46, 0.94, and 0.51, respectively, among them, the land use score is less than 3.85, the 1 service facility score is less than 1.71, the site convenience score is less than 1.01, and the environmental quality score is less than 0.94; indicating that the community has serious problems such as single land use types, pollution exposure, and difficulty in obtaining healthy food. Therefore, community planning and transformation based on land use, service facilities, venue convenience, and environmental quality can effectively improve the physical and mental health of residents. In the specific community transformation plan, artificial intelligence and data-driven methods can be used to optimize the land use plan, service facility configuration, site convenience transformation and environmental quality improvement, so as to formulate the optimal community transformation plan and improve the comfort and happiness of community residents. In the future, on the basis of the existing research, the selection of community types will be further enriched and the research cases will be expanded. And through the in-depth practical study of the case, the constructed evaluation index system is optimized and improved to make it more scientific. At the same time, as urban renewal and design have entered the era of stock planning, based on the more perfect evaluation index system, more specific and detailed system discussion of the built communities with public health problems, in order to provide more detailed services for the construction of a better and healthy living environment in the future.

Immune regulation and inflammation inhibition of Arctium lappa L. polysaccharides by TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in cells

Arctium lappa L. polysaccharides (ALP) are important active ingredients of burdocks with various bioactivities. In the present study, a crude polysaccharide was extracted from A. lappa L. roots and purified using DEAE-52 and Sephacryl™ S-400 columns to reach 99 % purity. This neutral polysaccharide contained fructose, glucose, galactose and arabinose in a ratio of 0.675:0.265:0.023:0.016 and had a Mw of 4256 Da. The immunomodulatory activity and intestinal inflammation inhibitory effects of ALP were investigated in in vitro models, including lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage RAW264.7 and interleukin (IL)-1β-induced colon Caco-2 cells. The results revealed that ALP possessed both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 mRNA expression and reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, ALP was found to have inhibitory effects on pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α, as well as inflammatory cytokines, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 by down-regulating the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB (nuclear factor-kappa B signaling) pathway. It indicated that A. lappa L. was an ideal source of bioactive polysaccharides having potential to be developed as functional foods or nutraceuticals to improve immune system and prevent/treat intestinal inflammation.

Arctium lappa L. roots inhibit the intestinal inflammation of dietary obese rats through TLR4/NF-κB pathway

Long-term consumption of Arctium lappa L. roots can lead to weight loss. To explore the relationship between anti-obesity and anti-inflammation, the effects and mechanism of A. lappa L. root powder (ARP) on intestinal inflammation in obese rats were investigated. Dietary obese rats were successfully established by feeding a high-fat and high-sugar diet. The control group (n = 6) consumed a normal diet. The intestines were compared among the groups (each n = 6) with and without the administration of ARP (intragastric 7.5 g/kg·bw/d). Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analysis revealed that ARP effectively inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokines in the colons of obese rats. These cytokines included interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. The inhibition rates for all these cytokines exceeded 88 %. Moreover, ARP demonstrated the ability to down-regulate key genes involved in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) complexes, namely Tlr4, myeloid differentiation protein-2 (Md2), and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88), along with downstream signaling molecules such as tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), with inhibition rates over 81 %. Additionally, ARP was observed to inhibit protein levels of TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the colons of obese rats, with inhibition rates of 65.6 ± 10.9 %, 84.4 ± 19.9 %, 80.8 ± 14.4 %, and 68.4 ± 17.5 %, respectively. This study confirmed the effectiveness of ARP in inhibiting intestinal inflammation through the blockade of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. It also suggested that ARP holds potential in improving intestinal health in the context of obesity, implying its possible application in the prevention and treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

Preparation of low molecular weight polysaccharides from Tremella fuciformis by ultrasonic-assisted H2O2-Vc method: Structural characteristics, in vivo antioxidant activity and stress resistance

Different methods were used to degrade Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides (TFP) and prepare low molecular weight polysaccharides of Tremella fuciformis (TFLP) to improve their bioavailability. It was found that the TFLP prepared by ultrasonic-assisted H2O2-Vc method showed the highest level of antioxidant activity and stress resistance in C. elegans. The structural characteristics, in vivo antioxidant and stress resistance of TFLP-1 were evaluated after isolation and purification of TFLP, it was found that TFLP-1 was an acid polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 75770 Da, which mainly composed of mannose. Meanwhile, it could regulate the antioxidant activity and stress resistance in C. elegans by upregulating the transcription of fat-5, fat-7, acs-2, glp-1, hsf-1, hsp-1, mtl-1, nhr-49, skn-1 and sod-3 mRNA. The improvement effects were closely related to the significant regulation of galactose metabolism, alpha linolenic acid metabolism, and pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis metabolic pathways. These results provided insights into the high value application of Tremella fuciformis in the food industry and the development of antioxidant related functional foods.

Large-scale biomonitoring of bisphenol analogues and their metabolites in human urine from Guangzhou, China: Implications for health risk assessment

Bisphenol analogues (BPs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have gained significant attention regarding their associated health risks. However, there is a lack of comprehensive biomonitoring data on BPs and their metabolites in human urine. To address this, we conducted a study evaluate the exposure to BPs in the general population of Guangzhou, China. A total of 1440 urine samples were collected from volunteers and analyzed for the presence of BPs and their metabolites after being pooled into 36 groups based on age and gender. The findings revealed the common detection of ten free-form BPs, as well as the urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS, in the pooled urine samples. BPA was the predominant free-form compound, constituting 50% of the total BPs. The primary urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS are BPA-G and BPS-G, respectively, indicating glucuronidation as their primary metabolic pathway. The composition of urinary metabolites of BPA and BPS varied by age and sex, while the concentration of total BPs in urine was not significantly associated with age and sex. Enzymatic hydrolysis yielded a mean amplification of individual BPs concentrations in urine samples ranging from 1.8 times (BPA) to 4.6 times (BPS). Based on the outcomes, it was estimated that conjugated forms accounted for 96.9%, 96.2%, 94.7%, 94.1%, 92.6%, 89.1%, 87.3%, 87.2%, 87.1% and 85.8% of BPP, BPAF, BPZ, BPE, BPAP, BPF, BPA, BPC, BPS and BPF, respectively, in the pooled urine samples. Preliminary risk assessments indicated that the estimated daily intake of BPA was much higher than the latest proposed tolerable daily intake. Due to the unavailability of health-based guideline values for alternative BPs, some of them exhibit daily intakes comparable to BPA, implying that greater attention should be paid to health risks associated with exposure to BPs.

Refining the TNM M1 Subcategory for De Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To refine oligometastatic disease (OMD) and construct M1 categories for de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC) MATERIALS/METHODS: We included 504 patients who received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy between 2010-2019 from two centers (training and validation cohort). Multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic value of OMD and metastatic organs, which were then used to construct M1 categories RESULTS: The median follow-up for the training and validation cohorts were 46 and 57 months, respectively. OMD (≤ 2 metastatic organs and ≤ 5 metastatic lesions) had the highest C-index compared to the other models in both cohorts. Multivariable analyses, in which both OMD and liver metastases did not coexist, revealed that OMD (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.110 and 1.598) and liver metastases (HR = 1.572 and 1.452) were prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in both cohorts. Based on OMD and liver metastases, patients with dmNPC were divided into M1a (OMD without liver metastases) and M1b (OMD with liver metastases or polymetastatic disease). The 3-year OS of the M1a patients was better than that of the M1b patients in both cohorts (both p < 0.001). In the anti-PD1 mAb and chemotherapy cohorts, patients with M1ahad a significantly better median progression-free survival than those with M1b (p < 0.001) CONCLUSION: OMD with ≤ 2 metastatic organs and ≤ 5 metastatic lesions is an appropriate definition for dmNPC. M1 subcategories constructed based on OMD and liver metastases improved prognostic evaluation for patients with dmNPC who received chemotherapy or antiPD1 mAb treatment.

Oral pectin/oligochitosan microspheres for colon-specific controlled release of quercetin to treat inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, life quality-reducing disease with no cures available yet. To develop an effective medication suitable for long-term use is an urgent but unmet need. Quercetin (QT) is a natural dietary flavonoid with good safety and multifaceted pharmacological activities against inflammation. However, orally administrated quercetin yields unproductive outcomes for IBD treatment because of its poor solubility and extensive metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract. In this work, a colon-targeted QT delivery system (termed COS-CaP-QT) was developed, of which the pectin (PEC)/Ca²⁺ microspheres were prepared and then crosslinked by oligochitosan (COS). The drug release profile of COS-CaP-QT was pH-dependent and colon microenvironment-responsive, and COS-CaP-QT showed preferential distribution in the colon. The mechanism study showed that QT triggered the Notch pathway to regulate the proliferation of T helper 2 (Th2) cells and group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) and the inflammatory microenvironment was remodeled. The in vivo therapeutic results revealed that COS-CaP-QT could relieve the colitis symptoms and maintain the colon length and intestinal barrier integrity.

Phototransformation of extracellular polymeric substances in activated sludge and their interaction with microplastics

Substantial amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are present in sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), and EPS can significantly affect the fate, bioavailability, and toxicity of microplastics (MPs) that coexist in the effluent, however, the mechanism of action between EPS and microplastics remains unclear. In addition, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is indispensable in the wastewater treatment process in WWTP, which can significantly affect the characteristics of EPS. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the photochemical characteristics of EPS and the effect on binding MPs. In this study, using multispectral technology and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy analysis, indicates that the molecular weight and aromaticity of EPS after phototransformation were reduced. The results showed that the adsorption of EPS on PSMPs was in the order of TB-EPS > LB-EPS > S-EPS, which was positively correlated with the SUVA254, but negatively correlated with O/C of EPS. This indicates that the main adsorption mechanisms of PSMPs on EPS were π-π and hydrophobicity. The adsorption capacity of S-EPS, LB-EPS and TB-EPS to PSMPs decreased with the increasing of illumination time. After phototransformation, the adsorption sensitivity and reaction sequence of EPS and PSMPs did not change much. This research provides a theoretical basis for understanding the photochemical transformation of extracellular polymers and the morphology and migration of microplastics in sewage treatment, and evaluating the impact of microplastics on ecosystems.

USP14 Positively Modulates Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma Tumorigenesis and Potentiates Heat Shock Pathway through HSF1 Stabilization

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a pivotal intracellular proteolysis process in posttranslational modification. It regulates multiple cellular processes. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are a stabilizer in proteins associated with tumor growth and metastasis. However, the link between DUBs and HNSCC remains incompletely understood. In this study, therefore, we identified USP14 as a tumor proliferation enhancer and a substantially hyperactive deubiquitinase in HNSCC samples, implying a poor prognosis prediction. Silencing USP14 in vitro conspicuously inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation and migration. Consistently, defective USP14 in vivo significantly diminished HNSCC tumor growth and lung metastasis compared to the control group. Luciferase assays indicated that HSF1 was downstream from USP14, and an evaluation of the cellular effects of HSF1 overexpression in USP14-dificient mice tumors showed that elevated HSF1 reversed HNSCC growth and metastasis predominantly through the HSF1-HSP pathway. Mechanistically, USP14 encouraged HSF1 expression by deubiquitinating and stabilizing HSF1, which subsequently orchestrated transcriptional activation in HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90, ultimately leading to HNSCC progression and metastasis. Collectively, we uncovered that hyperactive USP14 contributed to HNSCC tumor growth and lung metastasis by reinforcing HSF1-depedent HSP activation, and our findings provided the insight that targeting USP14 could be a promising prognostic and therapeutic strategy for HSNCC.

Effect of microplastics on the binding properties of Pb(ii) onto dissolved organic matter: insights from fluorescence spectra and FTIR combined with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Heavy metal cations are a typical type of inorganic pollutant that has persistent distribution characteristics in aquatic environments and are easily adsorbed on carriers, posing serious threats to ecological safety and human health. Some studies have shown that the coexistence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and microplastics (MPs) promotes the adsorption of heavy metal cations, but the mechanism of promoting the adsorption process has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, the effect of polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) on the binding properties of Pb2+ onto humic acid (HA) in aquatic environments was investigated by spectral analysis and two-dimensional correlation (2D-COS) analysis. When PSMPs co-existed with HA, the adsorption capacity of Pb2+ increased. On the one hand, Pb2+ is directly adsorbed on HA through the mechanism of complexation reaction, ion exchange and electrostatic interaction. On the other hand, Pb2+ is first adsorbed on PSMPs by electrostatic action and indirectly adsorbed on HA in the form of PSMPs-Pb2+ owing to the interaction between HA and PSMPs, which increases the adsorption amount of Pb2+ on HA. This study is significant for studying the migration and regression of heavy metal cation contaminants when PSMPs co-exist with DOM in an aqueous environment.

Anti-oxidative and anti-aging effects of mannoprotein-rich yeast cell wall enzymatic hydrolysate by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites in Caenorhabditis elegans

In this study, antioxidant and anti-aging studies were carried out by mannoprotein-rich yeast cell wall enzymatic hydrolysate (MYH) obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of yeast cell wall through the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model. It was found that MYH could improve the lifespan and anti-stress ability of C. elegans by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as T-SOD, GSH-PX and CAT, and reducing the levels of MDA, ROS and apoptosis. At the same time, through the verification expression of corresponding mRNA, it was found that MYH exerted antioxidant and anti-aging activities by up-regulating the translation of MTL-1, DAF-16, SKN-1 and SOD-3 mRNA, and down-regulating the translation of AGE-1 and DAF-2 mRNA. In addition, it was found that MYH could improve the composition and distribution of the gut microbiota of C. elegans, and significantly improve the level of metabolites through the sequencing of gut microbiota and untargeted metabolomic studies. It has contributed to studying the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of microorganisms such as yeast through the level of gut microbiota and metabolites and the development of related functional foods.

Effects of altered glycolysis levels on CD8+ T cell activation and function

CD8+ T cells are an important component of the body's adaptive immune response. During viral or intracellular bacterial infections, CD8+ T cells are rapidly activated and differentiated to exert their immune function by producing cytokines. Alterations in the glycolysis of CD8+ T cells have an important effect on their activation and function, while glycolysis is important for CD8+ T cell functional failure and recovery. This paper summarizes the importance of CD8+ T cell glycolysis in the immune system. We discuss the link between glycolysis and CD8+ T cell activation, differentiation, and proliferation, and the effect of altered glycolysis on CD8+ T cell function. In addition, potential molecular targets to enhance and restore the immune function of CD8+ T cells by affecting glycolysis and the link between glycolysis and CD8+ T cell senescence are summarized. This review provides new insights into the relationship between glycolysis and CD8+ T cell function, and proposes novel strategies for immunotherapy by targeting glycolysis.

Rapid imaging and product screening with low-cost line-field Fourier domain optical coherence tomography

Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is a well-established imaging technique that provides high-resolution internal structure images of an object at a fast speed. Modern FD-OCT systems typically operate at speeds of 40,000-100,000 A-scans/s, but are priced at least tens of thousands of pounds. In this study, we demonstrate a line-field FD-OCT (LF-FD-OCT) system that achieves an OCT imaging speed of 100,000 A-scan/s at a hardware cost of thousands of pounds. We demonstrate the potential of LF-FD-OCT for biomedical and industrial imaging applications such as corneas, 3D printed electronics, and printed circuit boards.

Experimental Study and Discrete Analysis of Compressive Properties of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Bars

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) has superior characteristics over traditional steel, such as lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance and high durability. GFRP bars can be a useful alternative to steel bars in structures, specifically those in highly corrosive environments, as well as structures subjected to high compressive pressure such as bridge foundations. Digital image correlation (DIC) technology is used to analyze the strain evolution of GFRP bars under compression. It can be seen from using DIC technology that the surface strain of GFRP reinforcement is uniformly distributed and increases approximately linearly, and brittle splitting failure of GFRP bars happens due to locally occurring high strain at the failure stage. Moreover, there are limited studies on the use of distribution functions to describe the compressive strength and elastic modulus of GFRP. In this paper, Weibull distribution and gamma distribution are used to fit the compressive strength and compressive elastic modulus of GFRP bars. The average compressive strength is 667.05 MPa and follows Weibull distribution. Moreover, the average compressive elastic modulus is 47.51 GPa and follows gamma distribution. In order to verify that GFRP bars still have certain strength under compressive conditions, this paper provides a parameter reference for their large-scale application.

scME: a dual-modality factor model for single-cell multiomics embedding

MOTIVATION

Single-cell multiomics technologies are emerging to characterize different molecular features of cells. This gives rise to an issue of combining various kinds of molecular features to dissect cell heterogeneity. Most single-cell multiomics integration methods focus on shared information among modalities while complementary information specific to each modality is often discarded.

RESULTS

To disentangle and combine shared and complementary information across modalities, we develop a dual-modality factor model named scME by using deep factor modeling. Our results demonstrate that scME can generate a better joint representation of multiple modalities than those generated by other single-cell multiomics integration algorithms, which gives a clear elucidation of nuanced differences among cells. We also demonstrate that the joint representation of multiple modalities yielded by scME can provide salient information to improve both single-cell clustering and cell-type classification. Overall, scME will be an efficient method for combining various kinds of molecular features to facilitate the dissection of cell heterogeneity.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

The code is public for academic use and available on the GitHub site (https://github.com/bucky527/scME).

Effects of glycolysis on the polarization and function of tumor‑associated macrophages (Review)

Under conditions of oxygen sufficiency, tumor cells supply themselves with energy through glycolysis, which is one of the causes of their rapid proliferation, metastasis and acquisition of drug resistance. Tumor‑associated macrophages (TAMs) are transformed from peripheral blood monocytes and are among the immune‑related cells that constitute the tumor microenvironment (TME). Altered glycolysis levels in TAMs have an important impact on their polarization and function. The cytokines secreted by TAMs, and phagocytosis in different polarization states, affect tumorigenesis and development. Furthermore, changes in glycolysis activity of tumor cells and other immune‑related cells in the TME also affect the polarization and function of TAMs. Studies on the relationship between glycolysis and TAMs have received increasing attention. The present study summarized the link between glycolysis of TAMs and their polarization and function, as well as the interaction between changes in glycolysis of tumor cells and other immune‑associated cells in the TME and TAMs. The present review aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of glycolysis on the polarization and function of TAMs.

Protein-rich yeast extract (®fermgard) has potential antioxidant and anti-aging activities

There existed a deficiency in the research on the nutritional activities of microbial (yeast) active substances in antioxidant and anti-aging activities, although the research objects were concentrated in animals and plants in recent years. In this study, the anti-oxidant and anti-aging activities of protein-rich yeast extract (®fermgard) (YE) were investigated through Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). The results indicated that YE could improve the lifespan and anti-stress ability by up-regulating the activities of antioxidant enzymes in C. elegans. Meanwhile, the mRNA transcriptional level of daf-16, skn-1 and sod-3 was significantly up-regulated. In addition, the composition and level of the gut microbiota and metabolite were modulated. YE exerts antioxidant and anti-aging activities by regulating the expression of anti-oxidation-related mRNA, gut microbiota and metabolites in C. elegans, providing a basis for exploring the deep mechanism of YE improving health. At the same time, it provides new ideas for the development of functional foods.

Real-world dose escalation of biologics for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the United States

Aim To compare real-world dose escalation of risankizumab with other US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved biologic treatments for management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis (PsO) in the United States.

Repair of Ramp Lesions of the Medial Meniscus With ACL Reconstruction Can Better Restore Knee Stability: A Cadaveric Study

Background

Ramp lesions of the medial meniscus have an impact on joint stability in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient knees, but the impact of lesion length and repair is unclear.

Purpose/Hypothesis

The purpose of this cadaveric study was to evaluate the effect of medial meniscal ramp lesion repair on the biomechanics of ACL-deficient knee joints. It was hypothesized that (1) ramp lesions will increase the anterior tibial translation (ATT), internal rotation (IR), and external rotation (ER) in ACL-deficient knee joints; (2) increasing the length of the ramp lesion will further increase the ATT, IR, and ER; and (3) repairing the ramp lesion will reduce the ATT, IR, and ER after ACL reconstruction.

Study Design

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods

Included were 9 fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens (4 left knees, 5 right knees; 6 males and 3 females; mean age, 60 years [range, 40-73 years]). The specimens were tested on a biomechanical rig. Two external loading conditions were applied: a 134-N anterior tibial load and 5-N·m internal/external tibial torque with the knee at full extension and at 15°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion. ATT was tracked via a high-speed video camera. The following knee states were tested: intact; ACL-deficient; ACL-deficient combined with a 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20 mm-long ramp lesion of the medial meniscus; ACL reconstruction; and ACL reconstruction combined with ramp lesion repair. The ATT, IR, and ER at all knee angles were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance.

Results

The ATT, IR, and ER were significantly increased after cutting of the ACL (P < .05). The ATT, IR, and ER continued to increase when ACL deficiency was combined with ramp lesions of 5 to 20 mm in length (P < .05). The ATT, IR, and ER significantly decreased after ACL reconstruction and ACL reconstruction combined with ramp lesion repair (P < .05).

Conclusion

The laxity of knees with ACL deficiency combined with a ramp lesion of the medial meniscus increased more obviously as the ramp lesion increased in length. In a cadaveric model, ACL reconstruction combined with ramp repair improved knee joint stability.

Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Aging Effects of Probiotic Fermented Ginseng by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Caenorhabditis elegans

Antioxidative and antiaging abilities of probiotic fermented ginseng (PG) were evaluated in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Lifespan and effect on heat stress and acute oxidative stress in C. elegans were significantly enhanced by PG. Antioxidative enzymes such as T-SOD, GSH-PX, CAT were significantly up-regulated, and MDA, ROS and apoptosis levels were significantly down-regulated. At the same time, PG exerted antioxidant and anti-aging activities by reducing the expression of DAF-2 mRNA and increasing the expression of SKN-1 and SOD-3 mRNA in C. elegans. In addition, the mechanism of antioxidative and antiaging activities of PG was explored through gut microbiota sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. The results of gut microbiota indicated that PG could significantly improve the composition and structure of microbes in the gut of C. elegans, and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria was up-regulated. Untargeted metabolomic results elucidated that PG modulated antioxidant and antiaging activities through neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, Citrate cycle (TCA cycle), pyruvate metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism and D-Arginine and D-ornithine metabolism of C. elegans. These results indicated that PG had excellent antioxidant and anti-aging activities, providing research value for the development of functional foods and improvement of aging-related diseases.

In situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Metal/Nitrogen-doped Carbons in Oxygen Electrocatalysis

Metal/nitrogen-doped carbons (M-N-C) are promising candidates as oxygen electrocatalysts due to their low cost, tunable catalytic activity and selectivity, and well-dispersed morphologies. To improve the electrocatalytic performance of such systems, it is critical to gain a detailed understanding of their structure and properties through advanced characterization. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) serves as a powerful tool to probe both the active sites and structural evolution of catalytic materials under reaction conditions. In this review, we firstly provide an overview of the fundamental concepts of XAS and then comprehensively review the setup and application of in situ XAS, introducing electrochemical XAS cells, experimental methods, as well as primary functions on catalytic applications. The active sites and the structural evolution of M-N-C catalysts caused by the interplay with electric fields, electrolytes and reactants/intermediates during the oxygen evolution reaction and the oxygen reduction reaction are subsequently discussed in detail. Finally, major challenges and future opportunities in this exciting field are highlighted.

Advances in the Synthesis of Covalent Triazine Frameworks

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are a class of organic polymer materials constructed by aromatic 1,3,5-triazine rings with planar π-conjugation properties. CTFs are highly stable and porous with N atoms in the frameworks, possessing semiconductive properties; thus they are widely used in gas adsorption and separation as well as catalysis. The properties of CTFs strongly depend on the type of monomers and the synthesis process. Synthesis methods including ionothermal polymerization, amino-aldehyde synthesis, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid catalyzed synthesis, and aldehyde-amidine condensation have been intensively studied in recent years. In this review, we discuss the recent advances and future developments of CTFs synthesis.

Role and mechanism of CD90+ fibroblasts in inflammatory diseases and malignant tumors

Fibroblasts are highly heterogeneous mesenchymal stromal cells, and different fibroblast subpopulations play different roles. A subpopulation of fibroblasts expressing CD90, a 25-37 kDa glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored protein, plays a dominant role in the fibrotic and pro-inflammatory state. In this review, we focused on CD90⁺ fibroblasts, and their roles and possible mechanisms in disease processes. First, the main biological functions of CD90⁺ fibroblasts in inducing angiogenesis and maintaining tissue homeostasis are described. Second, the role and possible mechanism of CD90⁺ fibroblasts in inducing pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory skin diseases, and scar formation are introduced, and we discuss how CD90⁺ cancer-associated fibroblasts might serve as promising cancer biomarkers. Finally, we propose future research directions related to CD90⁺ fibroblasts. This review will provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment CD90⁺ fibroblast-related disease.

Integrative analysis of single-cell transcriptomics reveals age-associated immune landscape of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant tumor in center nervous system. Clinical statistics revealed that senior GBM patients had a worse overall survival (OS) comparing with that of patients in other ages, which is mainly related with tumor microenvironment including tumor-associated immune cells in particular. However, the immune heterogeneity and age-related prognosis in GBM are under studied. Here we developed a machine learning-based method to integrate public large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets to establish a comprehensive atlas of immune cells infiltrating in cross-age GBM. We found that the compositions of the immune cells are remarkably different across ages. Brain-resident microglia constitute the majority of glioblastoma-associated macrophages (GAMs) in patients, whereas dramatic elevation of extracranial monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) is observed in GAMs of senior patients, which contributes to the worse prognosis of aged patients. Further analysis suggests that the increased MDMs arisen from excessive recruitment and proliferation of peripheral monocytes not only lead to the T cell function inhibition in GBM, but also stimulate tumor cells proliferation via VEGFA secretion. In summary, our work provides new cues for the correlational relationship between the immune microenvironment of GBM and aging, which might be insightful for precise and effective therapeutic interventions for senior GBM patients.

Erythrocyte membrane with CLIPPKF as biomimetic nanodecoy traps merozoites and attaches to infected red blood cells to prevent Plasmodium infection

BACKGROUND

Malaria remains a serious threat to global public health. With poor efficacies of vaccines and the emergence of drug resistance, novel strategies to control malaria are urgently needed.

RESULTS

We developed erythrocyte membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles loaded with artemether based on the growth characteristics of Plasmodium. The nanoparticles could capture the merozoites to inhibit them from repeatedly infecting normal erythrocytes, owing to the interactions between merozoites and heparin-like molecules on the erythrocyte membrane. Modification with a phosphatidylserine-targeting peptide (CLIPPKF) improved the drug accumulation in infected red blood cells (iRBCs) from the externalized phosphatidylserine induced by Plasmodium infection. In Plasmodium berghei ANKA strain (pbANKA)-infected C57BL/6 mice, the nanoparticles significantly attenuated Plasmodium-induced inflammation, apoptosis, and anemia. We observed reduced weight variation and prolonged survival time in pbANKA-challenged mice, and the nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility and negligible cytotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

Erythrocyte membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles loaded with artemether were shown to provide safe and effective protection against Plasmodium infection.

Probiotics-Fermented Grifola frondosa Total Active Components: Better Antioxidation and Microflora Regulation for Alleviating Alcoholic Liver Damage in Mice

Alcoholic liver damage is caused by long-term drinking, and it further develops into alcoholic liver diseases. In this study, we prepared a probiotic fermentation product of Grifola frondosa total active components (PFGF) by fermentation with Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Pediococcus acidilactici. After fermentation, the total sugar and protein content in the PFGF significantly decreased, while the lactic acid level and antioxidant activity of the PFGF increased. Afterward, we investigated the alleviating effect of PFGF on alcoholic liver injury in alcohol-fed mice. The results showed that the PFGF intervention reduced the necrosis of the liver cells, attenuated the inflammation of the liver and intestines, restored the liver function, increased the antioxidant factors of the liver, and maintained the cecum tissue barrier. Additionally, the results of the 16S rRNA sequencing analysis indicated that the PFGF intervention increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, Ruminococcaceae, Parabacteroids, Parasutterella, and Alistipes, to attenuate intestinal inflammation. These results demonstrate that PFGF can potentially alleviate alcoholic liver damage by restoring the intestinal barrier and regulating the intestinal microflora.

ProgClust: A progressive clustering method to identify cell populations

Identifying different types of cells in scRNA-seq data is a critical task in single-cell data analysis. In this paper, we propose a method called ProgClust for the decomposition of cell populations and detection of rare cells. ProgClust represents the single-cell data with clustering trees where a progressive searching method is designed to select cell population-specific genes and cluster cells. The obtained trees reveal the structure of both abundant cell populations and rare cell populations. Additionally, it can automatically determine the number of clusters. Experimental results show that ProgClust outperforms the baseline method and is capable of accurately identifying both common and rare cells. Moreover, when applied to real unlabeled data, it reveals potential cell subpopulations which provides clues for further exploration. In summary, ProgClust shows potential in identifying subpopulations of complex single-cell data.

Ten bisphenol analogs were abundantly found in swine and bovine urines collected from two Chinese farms: concentration profiles and risk evaluation

Bisphenol analogs (BPs) in livestock urine are important biomarkers to reflect the potential contaminants in food products derived from these animals. Nevertheless, little research has been done on their occurrence in farm animal urine. This work investigated ten BPs in swine and bovine urines collected from two Chinese farms. Results showed that all of these ten BPs were frequently detected in swine and bovine urines. The total mean concentration of the ten BPs (ΣBPs) in sow urines was 59.7 ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that of the boar urine with a mean concentration of 37.0 ng/mL (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the corresponding mean concentration of ΣBPs in dairy cattle urine was 59.6 ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that of the beef cattle urine with 37.0 ng/mL (p < 0.05). The respective mean concentration contribution ratios of BPA to ΣBPs in boar, sow, dairy, and beef cattle urines were only 14.9%, 21.4%, 9.0%, and 14.6%, which clearly indicated that BPA was no longer the dominant BP. The average daily urinary excretion rates of ΣBPs by boar, sow, dairy, and beef cattle were 37.0, 59.8, 167.0, and 36.8 times that of human, which suggested that swine and bovine likely encountered high dosage exposure of BPs in the two Chinese livestock farms. Our results showed that feeds and nutritional supplements as unintentionally added contaminants were the main sources of BPs to swine and bovine. As swine and bovine are important food sources for human being, part of BPs exposed to livestock eventually would enter human body via meat or milk. Therefore, quality controls of these feeds or nutritional supplements are quite important in order to guarantee welfare of livestock as well as protect health of our human beings.

Physiological mechanisms of TLR4 in glucolipid metabolism regulation: Potential use in metabolic syndrome prevention

Over-nourishment or an unbalanced diet has been linked to an increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. An imbalance in glucolipid metabolism is a major cause of metabolic syndrome, which has consequences for human health. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a member of the innate immune pattern recognition receptor family, is involved in inflammation-related disorders, autoimmune diseases, and tumors. Recent research has shown that TLR4 plays a key role in glucolipid metabolism, which is linked to insulin resistance, intestinal flora, and the development of chronic inflammation. TLR4 activation regulates glucolipid metabolism and contributes to the dynamic relationship between innate immunity and nutrition-related disorders. Further, TLR4 regulates glucolipid metabolism by controlling glycolysis and pyruvate oxidative decarboxylation, interfering with insulin signaling, regulating adipogenic gene expression levels, influencing preadipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation, and altering the intestinal microbiota and permeability. TLR4 functions may provide new therapeutic applications for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this review is to enrich mechanistic research of diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other nutrition-related disorders by summarizing the role of TLR4 in the regulation of glucolipid metabolism as well as its physiological mechanisms.

OLMALINC/OCT4/BMP2 axis enhances osteogenic-like phenotype of renal interstitial fibroblasts to participate in Randall's plaque formation

BACKGROUND

Randall's plaques (RP) are identified as anchored sites for kidney calcium oxalate stones, but the mechanism remains unclear. Given the importance of osteogenic-like cells in RP formation and OCT4 in reprogramming differentiated cells to osteoblasts, the current study explored the potential role of OCT4 in RP formation.

METHODS

OCT4 and biomineralization were evaluated in RP, and immunofluorescence co-staining was performed to identify these cells with alteration of OCT4 and osteogenic markers. Based on the analysis of tissue, we further investigated the mechanism of OCT4 in regulating osteogenic-like differentiation of primary human renal interstitial fibroblasts (hRIFs) in vitro and vivo.

RESULTS

We identified the upregulated OCT4 in RP, with a positive correlation to osteogenic markers. Interestingly, fibroblast marker Vimentin was partially co-localized with upregulated OCT4 and osteogenic markers in RP. Further investigations revealed that OCT4 significantly enhanced the osteogenic-like phenotype of hRIFs in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, OCT4 directly bound to BMP2 promoter and facilitated its CpG island demethylation to transcriptionally promote BMP2 expression. Furthermore, combination of RIP and RNA profiling uncovered that lncRNA OLMALINC physically interacted with OCT4 to promote its stabilization via disrupting the ubiquitination. Additionally, OLMALINC was upregulated in fibroblasts in RP visualized by FISH, and a positive correlation was revealed between OLMALINC and OCT4 in RP.

CONCLUSIONS

The upregulation of OCT4 in hRIFs was a pathological feature of RP formation, and OLMALINC/OCT4/BMP2 axis facilitated hRIFs to acquire osteogenic-like phenotype under osteogenic conditions, through which the pathway might participate in RP formation. Our findings opened up a new avenue to better understand RP formation in which osteogenic-like process was partially triggered by lncRNAs and pluripotency maintenance related genes.

Ubiquitination of SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a Prevents Cell Death Induced by Recruiting BclXL To Activate ER Stress

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has emerged in the last 2 years. The accessory protein ORF7a has been proposed as an immunomodulating factor that can cause dramatic inflammatory responses, but it is unknown how ORF7a interacts with host cells. We show that ORF7a induces cell apoptosis by recruiting the prosurvival factor BclXL to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the exposed C-terminal residues Lys117 and Lys119. Simultaneously, ORF7a activates ER stress via the PERK-elF2α-CHOP pathway and inhibits the expression of endogenous BclXL, resulting in enhanced cell apoptosis. Ubiquitination of ORF7a interrupts the interaction with BclXL in the ER and weakens the activation of ER stress, which to some extent rescues the cells. Our work demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a hires antiapoptosis protein and aggregates on the ER, resulting in ER stress and apoptosis initiation. On the other hand, ORF7a utilizes the ubiquitin system to impede and escape host elimination, providing a promising potential target for developing strategies for minimizing the COVID-19 pandemic. IMPORTANCE Viruses struggle to reproduce after infecting cells, and the host eliminates infected cells through apoptosis to prevent virus spread. Cells adopt a special ubiquitination code to protect against viral infection, while ORF7a manipulates and exploits the ubiquitin system to eliminate host cells' effect on apoptosis and redirect cellular pathways in favor of virus survival. Our results revealed that SARS-CoV-2-encoded accessory protein ORF7a recruits prosurvival factor BclXL to the ER and activates the cellular ER stress response resulting in the initiation of programmed death to remove virus-infected cells. Ubiquitination of ORF7a blocked the recruitment of BclXL and suppressed the ER stress response, which helps to counteract cell apoptosis and rescue cell fate. These findings help us understand the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 invasion and contribute to a theoretical foundation for the clinical prevention of COVID-19.

Assessment of BPA and BPS exposure in the general population in Guangzhou, China - Estimation of daily intakes based on urinary metabolites

Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) has garnered considerable global health concerns. In this paper, the daily intake (DI) of BPA and BPS in the general population of Guangzhou, China, were back-calculated using the biomarkers BPA glucuronides (BPA-G) and BPS glucuronides (BPS-G), respectively. The biomarkers are preferable to total BPA and BPS measurements because they are not susceptible to external contamination. A total of 1440 urine samples were gathered from the general population in Guangzhou, China, which were classified by age and sex into 36 pooled urine samples. 100% and 98% of pooled urine samples contained BPA-G and BPS-G at median values of 1.57 and 0.38 ng/mL, respectively. Based on urinary BPA-G and BPS-G concentrations, we determined the median DI of BPA and BPS to be 31.07 and 7.37 ng/(kg bw*d), respectively, and the highest values to be 106.77 ng/(kg bw*d) and 18.19 ng/(kg bw*d), respectively. Furthermore, our results showed that for the entire dataset, the DI of BPA and BPS were considerably greater in males than in females (p < 0.01)and declined significantly with age (p < 0.05). For risk assessment, the estimated DIs of BPA and BPS were much lower than the European Food Safety Authority^' s (EFSA) the temporary acceptable reference dose of 4 μg/(kg bw*d) advised for BPA, suggesting that the exposure risk of BPA and BPS for Guangzhou population is within a controllable safety range. This is the first study to investigate BPA and BPS exposure in the general population of Guangzhou, China, on the basis of urinary metabolites.

A novel vehicular task deployment method in hybrid MEC

With the skyrocketing need for low-latency services on the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and elastic cross-layer resource provisioning, multi-access edge computing (MEC) is considered a high-potent solution, which evolves from cloud and grid computing to meet the above needs in IoV scenarios. Instead of considering single-point and monolithic IoV tasks, in this paper, we consider the IoV applications to be with structural properties and the supporting environment to be with a hybrid cloud-edge architecture. We develop a scheduling method that offloads tasks to the eNode or cloud according to their estimations of latest starting time. Simulative results clearly demonstrate that our method beat existing solutions in terms of average completion time, average waiting time, and in-time completion rate.

Antioxidant and anti-aging activities of Laminaria japonica polysaccharide in Caenorhabditis elegans based on metabonomic analysis

In this study, Laminaria japonica polysaccharide (LJP) was measured in vitro against three antioxidant indicators: DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl. In vivo, LJP investigated thermal tolerance, H2O2-induced oxidative stress tolerance, and lipofuscin in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Following that, after LJP treatment, the effects and underlying mechanisms were investigated at the mRNA and metabolite levels. We discovered the free radical scavenging activity of LJP. The thermal tolerance of C. elegans improved significantly, lowering levels of malondialdehyde, lipofuscin, and reactive oxygen species. Upregulation of Glp-1, Daf-16, Skn-1, and Sod-3 expression and downregulation of Age-1 and Daf-2 expression increased the ability to resist oxidative stress. Metabolomic analysis revealed that LJP promoted alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, the TCA cycle, butanoate metabolism, and the FOXO signaling pathway expression, resulting in significant changes in (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid, palmitic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-malic acid, and oleic acid. The present study shows that LJP, as a functional food, has the potential to boost antioxidant capacity and delay aging.

[Clinical analysis of extended PFNA combined with MIPPO plate for reconstruction of lateral wall in treatment of AO-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical efficacy of lengthened proximal femoral nail anti-rotation(PFNA) combined with minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis(MIPPO) and common PFNA in the treatment of AO-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture.

METHODS

The clinical data of 58 patients with AO-A3.3 intertrochanteric fracture treated from January 2015 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 27 patients were treated with extended PFNA + MIPPO plate to reconstruct the lateral wall (group A), and 31 patients were treated with closed reduction and PFNA fixation (group B). The bleeding volume, operation time, femoral neck length and tip apex distance(TAD), fracture healing time and postoperative complications were observed and compared between two groups. Harris score was used to evaluate hip joint function 10 months after operation.

RESULTS

All patients were followed up for 12 to 28 months. The incision healed well after operation. The bleeding volume and operation time of group A were significantly more than that of group B (P<0.05), and the fracture healing time of group A was significantly less than that of group B(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the length of femoral neck between two groups at 2 days after operation(P>0.05). The length of femoral neck at 6 months after operation in each group was shorter than that at 2 days after operation(P<0.05), and the shortening of femoral neck at 6 months after operation in group B was significantly shorter than that in group A(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in TAD values between two groups at the same time point(P>0.05) at 2 days and 6 months after operation. There was no significant difference in TAD values between 2 days and 6 months after operation(P>0.05). The incidence of complications in group B was significantly higher than that in group A(P<0.05). The Harris scores of hip joint function in group A were higher than those in group B 10 months after operation (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Compared with the treatment of AO-A3 femoral intertrochanteric fracture with closed reduction and PFNA fixation, the lengthened PFNA combined with MIPPO small plate for reconstruction and fixation of the lateral wall can promote the fracture healing, improve the patient's functional recovery, and significantly reduce the complications.

Caffeine alleviates acute liver injury by inducing the expression of NEDD4L and deceasing GRP78 level via ubiquitination

BACKGROUND

Acute liver injury is liver cell injury that occurs rapidly in a short period of time. Caffeine has been shown to maintain hepatoprotective effect with an unclear mechanism. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has significant effects in acute liver injury. Induction of GRP78 is a hallmark of ERS. Whether or not caffeine's function is related to GRP78 remains to be explored.

METHODS

Acute liver injury model was established by LPS-treated L02 cells and in vivo administration of LPS/D-Gal in mice. Caffeine was pre-treated in L02 cells or mice. Gene levels was determined by real-time PCR and western blot. Cell viability was tested by CCK-8 assay and cell apoptosis was tested by flow cytometry. The interaction of GRP78 and NEDD4L was determined by Pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay. The ubiquitination by NEDD4L on GRP78 was validated by in vitro ubiquitination assay.

RESULTS

Caffeine protected liver cells against acute injury induced cell apoptosis and ERS both in vitro and in vivo. Suppression of GRP78 could block the LPS-induced cell apoptosis and ERS. NEDD4L was found to interact with GRP78 and ubiquitinate its lysine of 324 site directly. Caffeine treatment induced the expression of NEDD4L, resulting in the ubiquitination and inhibition of GRP78.

CONCLUSION

Caffeine mitigated the acute liver injury by stimulating NEDD4L expression, which inhibited GRP78 expression via ubiquitination at its K324 site. Low dose of caffeine could be a promising therapeutic treatment for acute liver injury.

Calculation of surface settlement and pile foundation deformation caused by shield machine tunnelling along curve section

The shield machine tunnelling along the curve section causes more disturbance to the surrounding environment than the straight section. Pile foundation is the most commonly used foundation form in high-rise buildings, and high-rise buildings have extremely high requirements for controlling non-uniform deformation. Therefore, it is necessary to study the surface settlement and the deformation law of pile foundations caused by shield machine tunnelling along the curve section. Considering the shield machine tunnelling factors along the curve section and the coupling effect of piles and soil, the analytical calculation formula of the ground settlement and the pile foundation deformation caused by the shield machine tunnelling along the curve section is deduced. According to the actual project situation, a finite difference model (FDM) is constructed, and the correctness of the FDM and analytical prediction formula is verified by comparing the on-site monitoring data. The research shows that the error among the FDM results, the analytical prediction results, and the on-site monitoring data are small, and the surface settlement and pile foundation deformation meet the construction control standards. The friction resistance of the shield shell, the integrative gap at the shield tail (IGST), and the over-cutting gap (OG) are the main factors leading to the surface settlement. However, the shield shell friction and OG are the main reasons leading to the inner settlement of the curve section being more prominent than the outer side. The difference in the pile foundation settlement on both sides of the curve section is slight, the maximum settlement difference rate is 1.8%, and the maximum horizontal deformation rate of the pile foundation on the inner and outer sides is 9.2%, which shows that the horizontal deformation of the pile foundation is more sensitive to the asymmetrically distributed construction factors.

Clinical manifestations and genetic analysis of a newborn with Arboleda−Tham syndrome

Arboleda−Tham syndrome (ARTHS) is a rare disorder first characterized in 2015 and is caused by mutations in lysine (K) acetyltransferase 6A (KAT6A, a.k.a. MOZ, MYST3). Its clinical symptoms have rarely been reported in newborns from birth up to the first few months after birth. In this study, a newborn was diagnosed with ARTHS based on the clinical symptoms and a mutation c.3937G>A (p.Asp1313Asn) in KAT6A. The clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of the newborn with ARTHS were recorded during follow-up observations. The main symptoms of the proband at birth were asphyxia, involuntary breathing, low muscle tone, early feeding, movement difficulties, weak crying, weakened muscle tone of the limbs, and embrace reflex, and facial features were not obvious at birth. There was obvious developmental delay, as well as hypotonic and oro-intestinal problems in the first few months after birth. Mouse growth factor was used to nourish the brain nerves, and touching, kneading the back, passive movements of the limbs, and audio−visual stimulation were used for rehabilitation. We hope that this study expands the phenotypic spectrum of this syndrome to newborns and the library of KAT6A mutations that lead to ARTHS. Consequently, the data can be used as a basis for genetic counseling and in clinical and prenatal diagnosis for ARTHS prevention.