Tackling the water solubility dilemma of spiroring-closing rhodamine: Sulfone-functionalization enabling rational designing water-soluble probe for rapid visualizing mercury ions in cosmetics

Rhodamine derivatives possessing spiroring-closing structures exhibit colorlessness, while the induction of spiroring-opening by metal ions results in notable color changes, rendering them as ideal platform for the development of functional probes with broad applications. However, the spiroring-closing form of rhodamine-based probes exhibits limited water solubility due to its neutral character, necessitating the incorporation of organic solvents to enhance solubility, which may adversely affect the natural system. Designing rhodamine probes with high solubility in both the zwitterionic and neutral form is of utmost importance and presents a significant challenge. This study presents a sulfone-rhodamine-based probe that exhibits good water solubility both in the spiroring opening and closing for detecting Hg2+. Upon the presence of Hg2+, the color undergoes a noticeable change from colorless to pink, with a response time of less than 1 min. probe 1 demonstrates an excellent linear relationship with Hg2+ concentrations within the range of 0-8 μM, and achieves a detection limit is 17.26 nM. The effectiveness of probe 1 was confirmed through the analysis of mercury ions in cosmetic products. Utilizing this probe, test paper strips have been developed to enhance the portability of Hg2+ detection naked eyes.

Multiple pathways for licensing human replication origins

The loading of replicative helicases constitutes an obligatory step in the assembly of DNA replication machineries. In eukaryotes, the MCM2-7 replicative helicase motor is deposited onto DNA by the origin recognition complex (ORC) and co-loader proteins as a head-to-head MCM double hexamer to license replication origins. Although extensively studied in the budding yeast model system, the mechanisms of origin licensing in higher eukaryotes remain poorly defined. Here, we use biochemical reconstitution and electron microscopy (EM) to reconstruct the human MCM loading pathway. Unexpectedly, we find that, unlike in yeast, ORC's Orc6 subunit is not essential for human MCM loading but can enhance loading efficiency. EM analyses identify several intermediates en route to MCM double hexamer formation in the presence and absence of Orc6, including an abundant DNA-loaded, closed-ring single MCM hexamer intermediate that can mature into a head-to-head double hexamer through different pathways. In an Orc6-facilitated pathway, ORC and a second MCM2-7 hexamer are recruited to the dimerization interface of the first hexamer through an MCM-ORC intermediate that is architecturally distinct from an analogous intermediate in yeast. In an alternative, Orc6-independent pathway, MCM double hexamer formation proceeds through dimerization of two independently loaded single MCM2-7 hexamers, promoted by a propensity of human MCM2-7 hexamers to dimerize without the help of other loading factors. This redundancy in human MCM loading pathways likely provides resilience against replication stress under cellular conditions by ensuring that enough origins are licensed for efficient DNA replication. Additionally, the biochemical reconstitution of human origin licensing paves the way to address many outstanding questions regarding DNA replication initiation and replication-coupled events in higher eukaryotes in the future.

Delta-radiomics features for predicting the major pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES

To investigate if delta-radiomics features have the potential to predict the major pathological response (MPR) to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

METHODS

Two hundred six stage IIA-IIIB NSCLC patients from three institutions (Database1 = 164; Database2 = 21; Database3 = 21) who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and surgery were included. Patients in Database1 were randomly assigned to the training dataset and test dataset, with a ratio of 0.7:0.3. Patients in Database2 and Database3 were used as two independent external validation datasets. Contrast-enhanced CT scans were obtained at baseline and before surgery. The delta-radiomics features were defined as the relative net change of radiomics features between baseline and preoperative. The delta-radiomics model and pre-treatment radiomics model were established. The performance of Immune-Related Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST) for predicting MPR was also evaluated.

RESULTS

Half of the patients (106/206, 51.5%) showed MPR after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. For predicting MPR, the delta-radiomics model achieved a satisfying area under the curves (AUCs) values of 0.768, 0.732, 0.833, and 0.716 in the training, test, and two external validation databases, respectively, which showed a superior predictive performance than the pre-treatment radiomics model (0.644, 0.616, 0.475, and 0.608). Compared with iRECIST criteria (0.624, 0.572, 0.650, and 0.466), a mixed model that combines delta-radiomics features and iRECIST had higher AUC values for MPR prediction of 0.777, 0.761, 0.850, and 0.670 in four sets.

CONCLUSION

The delta-radiomics model demonstrated superior diagnostic performance compared to pre-treatment radiomics model and iRECIST criteria in predicting MPR preoperatively in neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy for stage II-III NSCLC.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT

Delta-radiomics features based on the relative net change of radiomics features between baseline and preoperative CT scans serve a vital support tool in accurately identifying responses to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, which can help physicians make more appropriate treatment decisions.

KEY POINTS

• The performances of pre-treatment radiomics model and iRECIST model in predicting major pathological response of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy were unsatisfactory. • The delta-radiomics features based on relative net change of radiomics features between baseline and preoperative CT scans may be used as a noninvasive biomarker for predicting major pathological response of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. • Combining delta-radiomics features and iRECIST can further improve the predictive performance of responses to neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy.

A novel amidine-based fluorescent probe TPE-4+ for rapid detection of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate

An accurate, fast, and simple surfactant detection method is of great significance for monitoring surfactants pollution. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is one of the most commonly used anionic surfactants and has been listed as an important monitoring pollutant for surfactant residues. Herein, a novel fluorescent probe named TPE-4+ with four amidines as the recognition functional group and tetraphenylethene as the fluorophore was fabricated. Due to the special intramolecular environment, the probe showed selectively identification towards SDS which made an aggregation induced fluorescence enhencement. Under the optimum conditions, the fluorescence enhencement of TPE-4+ is linearly related to the concentration of SDS in the range of 5.0-60.0 μM with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.010 μM and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.034 μM. Relative to the reported methods, the probe in our work showed better selectivity and sensitivity. The proposed method was successfully applied for the SDS determination of disinfecting bowls.

Degradable Nanohydroxyapatite-Reinforced Superglue for Rapid Bone Fixation and Promoted Osteogenesis

Bone glue with robust adhesion is crucial for treating complicated bone fractures, but it remains a formidable challenge to develop a "true" bone glue with high adhesion strength, degradability, bioactivity, and satisfactory operation time in clinical scenarios. Herein, inspired by the hydroxyapatite and collagen matrix composition of natural bone, we constructed a nanohydroxyapatite (nHAP) reinforced osteogenic backbone-degradable superglue (O-BDSG) by in situ radical ring-opening polymerization. nHAP significantly enhances adhesive cohesion by synergistically acting as noncovalent connectors between polymer chains and increasing the molecular weight of the polymer matrix. Moreover, nHAP endows the glue with bioactivity to promote osteogenesis. The as-prepared glue presented a 9.79 MPa flexural adhesion strength for bone, 4.7 times that without nHAP, and significantly surpassed commercial cyanoacrylate (0.64 MPa). O-BDSG exhibited degradability with 51% mass loss after 6 months of implantation. In vivo critical defect and tibia fracture models demonstrated the promoted osteogenesis of the O-BDSG, with a regenerated bone volume of 75% and mechanical function restoration to 94% of the native tibia after 8 weeks. The glue can be flexibly adapted to clinical scenarios with a curing time window of about 3 min. This work shows promising prospects for clinical application in orthopedic surgery and may inspire the design and development of bone adhesives.

Single-cell landscape of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a highly aggressive malignant soft tissue tumor with a poor prognosis; however, the identity and heterogeneity of tumor populations remain elusive. Here, eight major cell clusters were identified through the RNA sequencing of 79,569 individual cells of UPS. UPS originates from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and features undifferentiated subclusters. UPS subclusters were predicted to exist in two bulk RNA datasets, and had a prognostic value in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. The functional heterogeneity of malignant UPS cells and the immune microenvironment were characterized. Additionally, the fused cells were innovatively detected by expressing both monocyte/macrophage markers and other subcluster-associated genes. Based on the ligand-receptor interaction analysis, cellular interactions with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) were abundant. Furthermore, 73% of patients with UPS (48/66) showed positive EGFR expression, which was associated with a poor prognosis. EGFR blockade with cetuximab inhibited tumor growth in a patient-derived xenograft model. Our transcriptomic studies delineate the landscape of UPS intratumor heterogeneity and serve as a foundational resource for further discovery and therapeutic exploration.

Rapid quantitative evaluation of total polar materials (TPM) in frying oil based on an "off-on" fluorescence viscosity response probe

The content of total polar material (TPM) is considered as a comprehensive indicator to evaluate the quality of edible oils which should be discarded and no longer be used when TPM content exceeding 27 %. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of a convenient and efficient TPM detection method, which is a meaningful challenge. With the increase of TPM content, the viscosity of frying oil grows, and the two maintain a satisfactory positive correlation. Consequently, an "off-on" fluorescence probe TCF-PR method based on viscosity-response has been developed. There exists a good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the probe and the TPM content of soybean oil ((R2 = 0.9936) and salad oil (R2 = 0.9878), accompanying with the advantage of fast response (3 s), which means the rapid detection of TPM can be realized to determine the quality of frying oil in the field of food safety.

ForMAX - a beamline for multiscale and multimodal structural characterization of hierarchical materials

The ForMAX beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory provides multiscale and multimodal structural characterization of hierarchical materials in the nanometre to millimetre range by combining small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering with full-field microtomography. The modular design of the beamline is optimized for easy switching between different experimental modalities. The beamline has a special focus on the development of novel fibrous materials from forest resources, but it is also well suited for studies within, for example, food science and biomedical research.

Comparison of the Utility of PI-RADS 2.1, ADC Values, and Combined Use of Both, for the Diagnosis of Transition Zone Prostate Cancers

OBJECTIVE

To assess the performance of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC; values or category) alone, Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1) scoring alone, and the two in combination, to diagnose transition zone prostate cancers (PCas).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 222 patients who underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate between May 2020 and December 2022 and who had pathologically confirmed PCa or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2.1 and ADC (values or category) were used in the assessment of suspicious findings identified in the transition zone. The interobserver agreements for region-of-interest measurements were calculated by intraclass correlation coefficients. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the performance of PI-RADS v2.1 alone and in combination with ADC (values or category) to diagnose PCa. Receiver operating characteristic curve and DeLong test were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the quantitative parameters.

RESULTS

A total of 152 patients had BPH, and 70 patients had PCa. For BPH versus PCa, the ADC values of PCa (0.64 × 10 -3 ± 0.16 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s) were significantly lower than BPH (1.06 ± 0.18 × 10 -3 mm 2 /s; P < 0.001). The PI-RADS scores for PCa (5 [interquartile range, 5-5]) were significantly higher than BPH (2 [interquartile range, 2-3]; P < 0.001). For all patients who had PI-RADS 1-5, the combined use of ADC (values or category) together with PI-RADS v2.1 did not perform significantly better than the use of PI-RADS v2.1 alone. The receiver operating characteristic of ADC category in combination with PI-RADS v2.1 score, 0.756 (95% confidence interval, 0.646-0.846), was significantly higher than that for PI-RADS 2.1 alone, 0.631 (95% confidence interval, 0.514-0.738), in PI-RADS 3-4 lesions ( P = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

The ADC category can help to improve the diagnostic performance of PI-RADS v2.1 category 3-4 lesions in diagnosing PCa.

[Progress in epidemiological characteristics and surveillance and early warning of dengue fever in China]

Dengue fever is an acute mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by dengue virus and widely spread worldwide. Many factors, such as pathogens, vector organisms, climate, and social environment, affect its transmission and prevalence. The local dengue fever epidemic caused by imported cases in China shows a trend of increasing epidemic latitude and more widespread epidemic areas. However, the traditional monitoring and early warning models of dengue fever mainly focus on researching a single factor and a single area. Establishing a multi-factor forecast and early warning system is urgent to strengthen the early warning capability for the dengue fever epidemic. This paper mainly discusses the epidemic characteristics, the influencing factors, and the surveillance and early warning models of dengue fever in China to provide a reference for the effective prevention and control of dengue fever in China.

Bibliometric analysis of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in lumbar spine surgery

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis to examine the current condition, areas of interest, and rising trends of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in lumbar spine surgery (TLIF), as well as its importance in associated research domains.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An extensive collection of academic papers on the use of TLIF was obtained from the Web of Science between January 1, 2000, and November 5, 2023. Then, using a variety of tools like HisCite, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the bibliometrix package, a bibliometric study was carried out. This study included the collection of information on country, institution, author, journal, and keywords.

RESULTS

A comprehensive analysis was undertaken on a total of 1,907 publications obtained from 181 journals, encompassing the contributions of 7,232 authors affiliated with 1,775 institutes spanning 57 countries/regions. Notably, the USA exhibited the highest number of publications, with 763 (40.03%) articles on TLIF. The most productive institution was Rush University, with 96 (5.03%) publications. The author with the highest publication output was Singh, Kern with 75 (3.93%) publications. World Neurosurgery demonstrated the highest level of productivity, having published a total of 211 (11.06%) articles. The most frequently used keywords were "TLIF", "spondylolisthesis" and "complication". Meanwhile, "workflow", "technical note" and "hidden blood loss" have been identified as the research frontiers for the forthcoming years.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper provides a thorough evaluation of current research trends and advancements in TLIF. It includes relevant research findings and emphasizes collaborative efforts among authors, institutions, and countries.

Salvianolic acid A provides neuroprotective effects on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats via PKA/CREB/c-Fos signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a phenomenon that pathological injury of ischemic brain tissue is further aggravated after the restoration of blood supply. The complex pathological mechanism of CIRI has led to the failure of multiple neuroprotective agents in clinical studies. Salvianolic acid A (SAA) is a neuroprotective extract from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., with significant pharmacological activities in the treatment of brain injury. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms of SAA remain unclear.

PURPOSE

To explore the potential protective effect of SAA on CIRI and its mechanism, and to provide experimental basis for the research of new drugs for CIRI.

STUDY DESIGN

A model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) in rats was used to simulate clinical CIRI, and the neuroprotective effect of SAA on tMCAO rats was investigated within 14 days after reperfusion. The improvement effects of SAA on cognitive impairment of tMCAO rats were investigated by behavioral tests from days 7-14. Finally, the neuroprotective mechanism of SAA was investigated on day 14.

METHODS

The neuroprotective effects and mechanism of SAA were investigated by behavioral tests, HE and TUNEL staining, RNA sequence (RNA-seq) analysis and Western blot in tMCAO rats.

RESULTS

The brain protective effects of SAA were achieved by alleviating cerebral infarction, cerebral edema, cerebral atrophy and nerve injury in tMCAO rats. Meanwhile, SAA could effectively improve the cognitive impairment and pathological damage of hippocampal tissue, and inhibit cell apoptosis in tMCAO rats. Besides, SAA could provide neuroprotective effects by up-regulating the expression of Bcl-2, inhibiting the activation of Caspase 3, and regulating PKA/CREB/c-Fos signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

SAA can significantly improve brain injury and cognitive impairment in CIRI rats, and this neuroprotective effect may be achieved through the anti-apoptotic effect and the regulation of PKA/CREB/c-Fos signaling pathway.

[Rudimentary horn pregnancy: clinical analysis of 12 cases and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatments and fertility recovery of rudimentary horn pregnancy (RHP). Methods: The clinical data of 12 cases with RHP diagnosed and treated in Peking University Third Hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical informations, diagnosis and treatments of RHP and the pregnancy status after surgery were analyzed. Results: The median age of 12 RHP patients was 29 years (range: 24-37 years). Eight cases of pregnancy in residual horn of uterus occurred in type Ⅰ residual horn of uterus, 4 cases occurred in type Ⅱ residual horn of uterus; among which 5 cases were misdiagnosed by ultrasound before surgery. All patients underwent excision of residual horn of uterus and affected salpingectomy. After surgery, 9 patients expected future pregnancy, and 3 cases of natural pregnancy, 2 cases of successful pregnancy through assisted reproductive technology. Four pregnancies resulted in live birth with cesarean section, and 1 case resulted in spontaneous abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy. No uterine rupture or ectopic pregnancy occurred in subsequent pregnancies. Conclusions: Ultrasonography could aid early diagnosis of RHP while misdiagnosis occurred in certain cases. Thus, a comprehensive judgment and decision ought to be made based on medical history, physical examination and assisted examination. Surgical exploration is necessary for diagnosis and treatment of RHP. For infertile patients, assisted reproductive technology should be applied when necessary. Caution to prevent the occurrence of pregnancy complications such as uterine rupture, and application of cesarean section to terminate pregnancy are recommended.

The potential mechanism of Aidi injection against neuroblastoma-an investigation based on network pharmacology analysis

Background: Aidi injection, a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used on a broader scale in treating a variety of cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential anti-tumor effects of Aidi injection in the treatment of neuroblastoma (NB) using network pharmacology (NP). Methods: To elucidate the anti-NB mechanism of Aidi injection, an NP-based approach and molecular docking validation were employed. The compounds and target genes were collected from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database and Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechANism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) database. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database. clusterProfiler (R package) was utilized to annotate the bioinformatics of hub target genes. The gene survival analysis was performed on R2, a web-based genomic analysis application. iGEMDOCK was used for molecular docking validation, and GROMACS was utilized to validate molecular docking results. Furthermore, we investigated the anticancer effects of gomisin B and ginsenoside Rh2 on human NB cells using a cell viability assay. The Western blot assay was used to validate the protein levels of target genes in gomisin B- and ginsenoside Rh2-treated NB cells. Results: A total of 2 critical compounds with 16 hub target genes were identified for treating NB. All 16 hub genes could potentially influence the survival of NB patients. The top three genes (EGFR, ESR1, and MAPK1) were considered the central hub genes from the drug-compound-hub target gene-pathway network. The endocrine resistance and estrogen signaling pathways were identified as the therapeutic pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Gomisin B and ginsenoside Rh2 showed a good binding ability to the target protein in molecular docking. The results of cell experiments showed the anti-NB effect of gomisin B and ginsenoside Rh2. In addition, the administration of gomisin B over-regulated the expression of ESR1 protein in MYCN-amplified NB cells. Conclusion: In the present study, we investigated the potential pharmacological mechanisms of Aidi against NB and revealed the anti-NB effect of gomisin B, providing clinical evidence of Aidi in treating NB and establishing baselines for further research.

The Identification of a Strain for the Biological Purification of Soy Molasses to Produce Functional Soy Oligosaccharides and Optimize Purification Conditions

Soy molasses is rich in oligosaccharides like sucrose, stachyose, and raffinose, with stachyose and raffinose being functional oligosaccharides. Harnessing soy molasses for the production of functional soy oligosaccharides (FSO) can significantly elevate its value. Biological purification, a method leveraging the selective utilization of different carbon sources by microorganisms, allows for the specific removal of sucrose from soy molasses while preserving stachyose and raffinose, thereby increasing the FSO content. This research identified a yeast named YT312 with strong purification capabilities for soy molasses and optimized the purification conditions. The study revealed that yeast YT312 was Wickerhamomyces anomalus, exhibiting a broad range of growth temperatures and pH levels alongside a high tolerance to glucose, sucrose, and NaCl. Through single-factor and orthogonal experiments, it was established that under specific conditions-0.375% inoculum size, 30 °C fermentation temperature, 150 rpm shaking speed, 10-fold dilution ratio, pH of 7, and 12 h of fermentation-sucrose was completely removed from soy molasses, while functional raffinose and stachyose were retained at rates of 96.1% and 90.2%, respectively. Consequently, W. anomalus YT312 displayed exceptional characteristics for the biological purification of soy molasses and the production of FSO.

Quality evaluation of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos from different origins based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition

INTRODUCTION

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (LJF) is widely used in food and traditional Chinese medicine. To meet demand, Lonicera japonica Thunb. is widely cultivated in many provinces of China. However, reported studies on the quality evaluation of LJF only used a single or a few active components as indicators, which could not fully reflect the quality of LJF.

OBJECTIVES

In the present study, we aimed to develop a methodology for comprehensively evaluating the quality of LJF from different origins based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The HPLC method was developed for fingerprint analysis and was used to determine the contents of 19 components of LJF. To distinguish between samples and identify differential components, similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were performed.

RESULTS

The HPLC fingerprint was established. Using the developed method, the contents of 19 components recognized in the fingerprint analysis were determined. Samples from different origins could be effectively distinguished.

CONCLUSIONS

HPLC fingerprinting and multicomponent quantitative analysis combined with chemical pattern recognition is an efficient method for evaluating LJF.

Effect of 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized MoS2 quantum dots on amyloid aggregation of bovine serum albumin

In recent years, seeking and screening of compounds that can inhibit and/or depolymerize protein aggregation has been a hot issue in the field of pharmaceutical research. As a new material, quantum dots have been widely concerned by medical researchers. In present study, a novel 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid functionalized MoS2 quantum dots (4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs) was successfully synthesized through a one-pot hydrothermal approach by using molybdate dehydrate and 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid as Mo and S source, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy observation showed that the morphology and microstructure of the 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs displayed uniform spherical shape with a diameter of approximately 1.5 ∼ 3.0 nm. The UV and fluorescence spectra experiments indicated that the prepared QDs had good water solubility and two weak absorption peaks were appeared at 280 nm and 310 nm. When the excitation wavelength was set to 310 nm, the 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs had the strongest fluorescence intensity, and the maximum emission wavelength appeared at 405 nm. In vitro experiments showed that the 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs could significantly reduce the aggregation of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Especially when the mass ratio of BSA to 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs was 1:5, the inhibition rate could reach 76.4%. Cell experiment showed that the presence of 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs could obviously decrease the cytotoxicity induced by BSA amyloid fibrils. Moreover, the depolymerization of BSA amyloid fibrils by 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs and its excellent cell permeability were also observed. Molecular docking studies have shown that 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs may stabilize the BSA structure through van der Waals forces, hydrophobic force, electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds formed between the outer layer of 4-MPBA and BSA to prevent fibrosis aggregation. The results of this study suggested that 4-MPBA-MoS2 QDs showed low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and solubility, and had a great potential in the design of new drugs for the treatment of amyloid-related diseases.

Derivation of human primordial germ cell-like cells in an embryonic-like culture

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the embryonic precursors of sperm and eggs. They transmit genetic and epigenetic information across generations. Given the prominent role of germline defects in diseases such as infertility, detailed understanding of human PGC (hPGC) development has important implications in reproductive medicine and studying human evolution. Yet, hPGC specification remains an elusive process. Here, we report the induction of hPGC-like cells (hPGCLCs) in a bioengineered human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) culture that mimics peri-implantation human development. In this culture, amniotic ectoderm-like cells (AMLCs), derived from hPSCs, induce hPGCLC specification from hPSCs through paracrine signaling downstream of ISL1. Our data further show functional roles of NODAL, WNT, and BMP signaling in hPGCLC induction. hPGCLCs are successfully derived from eight non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) participant-derived hPSC lines using this biomimetic platform, demonstrating its promise for screening applications.

Heating performance of dual-source microwave heating using different frequency shifting strategies in a solid-state system

Solid-state microwave heating holds potential in mitigating the issue of nonuniform heating commonly observed in magnetron-based microwave ovens. Previous work on solid-state application primarily focused on single-source microwave heating and modeling of dual-source heating with fixed frequency combinations. This study experimentally investigated the port interactions and heating performance of four different frequency shifting approaches (in range of 2.4 and 2.5 GHz, at an interval of 0.01 GHz), i.e., Fixed-frequency without shifting, Synchronized-shifting, Inverse-shifting and Distinct-shifting, in a dual-source microwave system under both stationary and rotatory conditions. Results showed that port interactions were dependent on the microwave frequency and load position, both of which significantly affected the microwave power efficiency. All three shifting strategies significantly improved heating performance compared to the Fixed-frequency heating. Additionally, the use of a turntable in our dual-source microwave configuration did not improve the heating uniformity in the context of various frequency shifting processes, suggesting that the inclusion of a turntable might be dispensable in solid-state microwave systems if proper multi-port frequency shifting strategy could deliver more uniform heating.

Analysis of Efficacy and Safety of Small-Volume-Plasma Artificial Liver Model in the Treatment of Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure

To explore the efficacy and safety of a small-volume-plasma artificial liver support system (ALSS) in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). A retrospective analysis was performed. All ACLF patients received ALSS of plasma exchange & double plasma molecular absorb system (PE+DPMAS) treatment, and successfully completed this treatment. Patients were divided into small-volume and half-volume plasma groups. We compared the changes of the indicators on liver function, kidney function, blood coagulation function, and blood ammonia level before and after PE+DPMAS treatment; we compared the short-term and long-term curative effects between small-volume and half-volume plasma groups; and the factors influencing Week 4 and Week 12 mortality of ACLF patients were analyzed. The Week 4 improvement rates were 63.96 % and 66.86 % in the small-volume and half-volume plasma groups, respectively. The Week 12 survival rates in the small-volume-plasma and half-volume plasma groups were 66.72 % and 64.61 %, respectively. We found several risk factors affecting Week 4 and Week 12 mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival curves suggested no significant difference in Week 4 and Week 12 survival rates between the small-volume and half-volume plasma groups (P=0.34). The small-volume-plasma PE+DPMAS treatment could effectively reduce bilirubin and bile acids, and this was an approach with high safety and few complications, similar to the half-volume-plasma PE+DPMAS treatment. The small-volume-plasma PE+DPMAS has the advantage of greatly reducing the need for intraoperative plasma, which is especially of importance in times of shortage of plasma.

Study on the Effect of Micro-Force Perturbations and Temperature Fluctuation on Interferometer for the Taiji Program

To increase the interferometric measurement resolution in the Taiji program, we present a noise suppression method in this paper. Taking the specific micro-force perturbation and temperature fluctuation in the Taiji-1 interferometer as an example, we set up and experimentally verified the corresponding transfer function to quantify the effect of both noise sources on the interferometric results. Consistent results were obtained between the numerical and experimental results for the transfer function. It is instructive to eliminate the micro-force perturbations and temperature fluctuations during on-orbit interferometric measurement for as long as the acquisition of the force or temperature distribution of related surfaces and the corresponding transfer functions. This indicates that the method can be used for noise sensing and more in the field of noise elimination and measurement resolution improvement for future Taiji program interferometers.

Bridging engineering of polymeric carbon nitride for boosting photocatalytic CO2 reduction

The inherent electron localized heptazine structure of carbon nitride (CN) derived from intrinsic tertiary N (N3C) bridging structure makes the photogenerated charge separation rather difficult, which severely limits photocatalytic CO2 activity of CN. Therefore, modulation of N3C bridging structure of CN is highly desirable to enhance the charge separation efficiency of CN. Herein, we reported a novel thiophene-bridged CN (BTCN) with intramolecular donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) systems synthesized by nucleophilic substitution and Schiff base reaction to improve the photogenerated charge separation efficiency. The experimental and density functional theory (DFT) results indicate that this BTCN exhibits a high π-electron delocalization range and enhanced photogenerated charge transfer efficiency, which mainly account for the enhanced photocatalytic activity. The optimal BTCN photocatalyst exhibits enhanced charge separation efficiency and higher photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity with a CO yield of 23.02 μmol·g-1·h-1, which was higher than those of CN and edge-modified CN (ETCN) counterpart. This work highlights the importance of regulation of π-electron delocalization for the design of highly active CN photocatalysts via the rational substitution of N3C bridging structure with π-spacer molecular linkages for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

TAD evolutionary and functional characterization reveals diversity in mammalian TAD boundary properties and function

Topological associating domains (TADs) are self-interacting genomic units crucial for shaping gene regulation patterns. Despite their importance, the extent of their evolutionary conservation and its functional implications remain largely unknown. In this study, we generate Hi-C and ChIP-seq data and compare TAD organization across four primate and four rodent species and characterize the genetic and epigenetic properties of TAD boundaries in correspondence to their evolutionary conservation. We find 14% of all human TAD boundaries to be shared among all eight species (ultraconserved), while 15% are human-specific. Ultraconserved TAD boundaries have stronger insulation strength, CTCF binding, and enrichment of older retrotransposons compared to species-specific boundaries. CRISPR-Cas9 knockouts of an ultraconserved boundary in a mouse model lead to tissue-specific gene expression changes and morphological phenotypes. Deletion of a human-specific boundary near the autism-related AUTS2 gene results in the upregulation of this gene in neurons. Overall, our study provides pertinent TAD boundary evolutionary conservation annotations and showcases the functional importance of TAD evolution.

Diagnostic value of plasma circular RNA based on droplet digital polymerase chain reaction in lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Plasma circular (circ)RNAs detected by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) may be ideal markers for liquid biopsy. However, ddPCR detection of circRNAs in plasma for diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma has been rarely reported.

METHODS

An RNA sequencing analysis was performed in plasma from patients with early lung adenocarcinoma and healthy individuals. Droplet digital PCR was used to verify the differentially expressed genes.

RESULTS

The copy numbers of circle RNALZIC (circLZIC)and circle RNACEP350 (circCEP350) in the plasma of lung adenocarcinoma patients were significantly higher than in plasma of healthy people, and the copy numbers in postoperative plasma of the same patients were significantly lower than those in preoperative plasma. CircLZIC and circCEP350 alone and in combination had diagnostic value in lung adenocarcinoma and early lung adenocarcinoma. CircLZIC and circCEP350 had more binding sites with multiple microRNAs. Their target genes were enriched in several signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

The copy numbers of circLZIC and circCEP350 were higher in plasma of lung adenocarcinoma patients than in plasma of healthy controls, significantly correlated with tumor size and TNM stage, and closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. These circRNAs may serve as molecular markers for the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

Clinical validation of near-infrared imaging for early detection of proximal caries in primary molars

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to validate the near-infrared imaging (NIRI) in comparison with visual inspection (VI) for early detection of proximal caries in primary molars.

METHODS

VI and intraoral scans were performed on 126 patients aged 3-12 years with at least one non-cavitied and non-restored proximal tooth surface, who were scheduled for bite wing radiography (BWR) as part of their standard care. Teeth with signs of proximal cavities, restorations or residual caries were excluded in this study. BWR, a gold standard to diagnose proximal caries in primary molars, was used to validate the findings of NIRI and VI. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve (AUC) of NIRI and VI were calculated.

RESULTS

The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of NIRI were 82.89%, 74.10% and 90.97%, while those of VI were 71.64%, 43.88% and 97.14%, respectively. NIRI showed higher accuracy and sensitivity, and lower specificity (P < 0.001). The AUC of NIRI was higher than that of VI (0.826 vs 0.706; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

NIRI showed higher sensitivity and lower specificity compared with VI when detecting proximal caries in primary molars. Therefore, it is recommended to use NIRI in combination with BWR to improve the detection rate of proximal caries in primary molars.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

In children, there is a high incidence of proximal caries in primary molars, which require high technical sensitivity for detection. NIRI shows high sensitivity in detecting proximal caries, which may improve their detection rate in primary molars.

THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ChiCTR2300070916.

[Spatio-temporal Variations in PM2.5and Its Influencing Factors in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration]

To coordinate the contradiction between economic development and environmental pollution and achieve the sustainable development of the economy and society, the spatio-temporal variations in PM2.5 were analyzed based on PM2.5 concentration and meteorological data of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomeration. Wavelet transform coherence (WTC), partial wavelet coherence (PWC), and multiple wavelet coherence (MWC) were used to analyze the multi-scale coupling oscillation between PM2.5 and meteorological factors in the time-frequency domain. The results showed that:① the concentration of PM2.5 in the YRD decreased from northwest to southeast, and the spatial range with high PM2.5 concentration decreased annually. The spatial distribution characteristics of the seasonal average PM2.5 concentration were similar to those of the annual average PM2.5 concentration. PM2.5 concentration exhibited the seasonal variation characteristics of high in winter, low in summer, and transitioning between spring and autumn. ② PM2.5 concentration decreased from 2015 to 2021, and the compliance rate increased. The difference in annual average PM2.5 concentration was decreased with dynamic convergence characteristics. The convergence of PM2.5 concentration in summer was greater than that in winter. During the whole study period, the daily average PM2.5 concentration showed a "U" distribution, and the proportion of days with excellent and good PM2.5 levels were 49.72% and 41.45%, respectively. ③ The wavelet coherence between PM2.5 and meteorological factors was different in different time-frequency domains. The main factors affecting PM2.5 were different in different time-frequency scales. At all time-frequency scales, WTC and PWC showed that wind speed and temperature were the best explanatory variables of PM2.5 variation, respectively. ④ The larger the time-frequency scale, the stronger the interaction of multi-factor combinations to explain PM2.5 variations. The synergistic effect of temperature and wind speed could better explain the variation in PM2.5. These results can provide reference for air pollution control in the YRD.

Deep Learning for Automated Contouring of Primary Gross Tumor Volumes by MRI for Radiation Therapy of Brain Metastasis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Radiotherapy is one of the most effective methods for the treatment of brain metastases (BMs). Traditional manual delineation of primary gross tumor volumes (GTV) of multiple BMs (especially small metastases) in radiotherapy practice is extremely labor intensive and highly dependent on oncologists' experience, achieving the precise and efficient automatic delineation of BMs is of great significance for efficient and homogeneous one-stop adaptive radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected 62 MRI (non-enhanced T1-weighted sequences) sequences of 50 patients with BMs from January 2020 to July 2021. An automatic model (BUC-Net) for automatic delineation BMs was proposed in this work, which was based on deep learning by combining 3D bottler layer module and the cascade architecture to improve the accuracy and efficient of BMs' automatic delineation, especially for small metastases with tiny size and relatively low contrast. The prosed method was compared with the existing 3D U-Net (U-Net) and 3D U-Net Cascade (U-Net Cascade). The performance of our proposed method was evaluated by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) and average surface distance (ASD) with human experts.

RESULTS

The automatic segmentation results of BUC-Net evaluated with 310 BMs in 13 test patients was summarized in Table 1. These BMs in each test patient were automatically delineated by two types of contours: as a whole tumor contour (Whole-delineation) and the multiple tumor contours (Multiple-delineation). BUC-Net performed the best mean DSC and HD95, which is significantly outperformed U-Net (Whole-delineation: 0.911 & 0.894 of DSC, Multiple-delineation: 0.794 & 0.754 of DSC, P < 0.05 for both) and U-Net cascade (Whole-delineation: 0.947 & 7.141 of HD95, Multiple-delineation: 0.902 & 1.171 of HD95, P < 0.05 for both); Additionally, BUC-Net achieved the best mean ASD for Whole-delineation and comparable ASD (0.290 & 0.277, P > 0) for Multiple-delineation with U-Net Cascade.

CONCLUSION

Our results showed that the proposed approach is promising for the automatic delineation of BMs in MRI, which can be integrated into a radiotherapy workflow to significantly shorten segmentation time.

Two new constituents from the aerial parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge

Two new constituents: a neolignan, salignan A (1) and a phenolic acid, salside A (2), along with two known compounds (3, 4) have been isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. All structures were assigned on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configuration of 1 was characterised by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopy. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, and the IC50 values are 11.58 and 10.73 μM, respectively. Compound 4 displayed moderate antioxidant activity to scavenge DPPH and ABTS radicals, and the IC50 values are 7.96 and 1.10 μM, respectively.

Virtual screening and biological activity evaluation of novel efflux pump inhibitors targeting AdeB

The AdeABC efflux pump is an important mechanism causing multidrug resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii, and its main component AdeB can recognize carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and other multi-class antibiotics and efflux them intracellularly, which is an ideal target for the development of anti-multidrug resistant bacteria drugs. Here, we combined multiple computer-aided drug design methods to target AdeB to identify promising novel structural inhibitors. Virtual screening was performed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation (MD) and 12 potential compounds were identified from the databases. Meanwhile, their biological activities were validated by in vitro activity assays, and ChemDiv L676-2179 (γ-IFN), ChemDiv L676-1461, and Chembridge 53717615 were confirmed to suppress efflux effects and restore antibiotic susceptibility of resistant bacteria, which are expected to be developed as adjuvant drugs for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical infections.

Tunable backbone-degradable robust tissue adhesives via in situ radical ring-opening polymerization

Adhesives with both robust adhesion and tunable degradability are clinically and ecologically vital, but their fabrication remains a formidable challenge. Here we propose an in situ radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP) strategy to design a backbone-degradable robust adhesive (BDRA) in physiological environment. The hydrophobic cyclic ketene acetal and hydrophilic acrylate monomer mixture of the BDRA precursor allows it to effectively wet and penetrate substrates, subsequently forming a deep covalently interpenetrating network with a degradable backbone via redox-initiated in situ rROP. The resulting BDRAs show good adhesion strength on diverse materials and tissues (e.g., wet bone >16 MPa, and porcine skin >150 kPa), higher than that of commercial cyanoacrylate superglue (~4 MPa and 56 kPa). Moreover, the BDRAs have enhanced tunable degradability, mechanical modulus (100 kPa-10 GPa) and setting time (seconds-hours), and have good biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. This family of BDRAs expands the scope of medical adhesive applications and offers an easy and environmentally friendly approach for engineering.

Systematic analysis of prophages carried by Porphyromonas gingivalis

To systematically investigate the prophages carrying in Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) strains, analyze potential antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence genes in these prophages. We collected 90 whole genome sequences of P. gingivalis from NCBI and utilized the Prophage Hunter online software to predict prophages; Comprehensive antibiotic research database (CARD) and virulence factors database (VFDB) were adopted to analyze the ARGs and virulence factors (VFs) carried by the prophages. Sixty-nine prophages were identified among 24/90 P. gingivalis strains, including 17 active prophages (18.9%) and 52 ambiguous prophages (57.8%). The proportion of prophages carried by each P. gingivalis genome ranged from 0.5% to 6.7%. A total of 188 antibiotic resistance genes belonging to 25 phenotypes and 46 different families with six mechanisms of antibiotic resistance were identified in the 17 active prophages. Three active prophages encoded 4 virulence genes belonging to type III and type VI secretion systems. The potential hosts of these virulence genes included Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In conclusion, 26.7% P. gingivalis strains carry prophages, while the proportion of prophage genes in the P. gingivalis genome is relatively low. In addition, approximately 39.7% of the P. gingivalis prophage genes have ARGs identified, mainly against streptogramin, peptides, and aminoglycosides. Only a few prophages carry virulence genes. Prophages may play an important role in the acquisition, dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, and pathogenicity evolution in P. gingivalis.

Over-expression of miR-3584-5p Represses Nav1.8 Channel Aggravating Neuropathic Pain caused by Chronic Constriction Injury

Nav1.8, a tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) subtype encoded by SCN10A, which plays an important role in the production and transmission of peripheral neuropathic pain signals. Studies have shown that VGSCs may be key targets of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of neuropathic pain. In our study, bioinformatics analysis showed that the targeting relationship between miR-3584-5p and Nav1.8 was the most closely. The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of miR-3584-5p and Nav1.8 in neuropathic pain. The effects of miR-3584-5p on chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in rats was investigated by intrathecal injection of miR-3584-5p agomir (an agonist, 20 μM, 15 μL) or antagomir (an antagonist, 20 μM, 15 μL). The results showed that over-expression of miR-3584-5p aggravated neuronal injury by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and mechanical/thermal hypersensitivity in CCI rats. MiR-3584-5p indirectly inhibited the expression of Nav1.8 by up-regulating the expression of key proteins in the ERK5/CREB signaling pathway, and also inhibited the current density of the Nav1.8 channel, changed its channel dynamics characteristic, thereby accelerating the transmission of pain signals, and further aggravating pain. Similarly, in PC12 and SH-SY5Y cell cultures, miR-3584-5p increased the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibited mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) in the mitochondrial pathway, decreased the ratio of apoptosis-related factor Bcl-2/Bax, and thus promoted neuronal apoptosis. In brief, over-expression of miR-3584-5p aggravates neuropathic pain by directly inhibiting the current density of Nav1.8 channel and altering its channel dynamics, or indirectly inhibiting Nav1.8 expression through ERK5/CREB pathway, and promoting apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.

Identification and Functional Evaluation of Alternative Splice Variants of Dax1 in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Dax1 (Nr0b1; Dosage-sensitive sex reversal-adrenal hypoplasia congenital on the X-chromosome gene-1) is an important component of the transcription factor network that governs pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Functional evaluation of alternative splice variants of pluripotent transcription factors has shed additional insight on the maintenance of ESC pluripotency and self-renewal. Dax1 splice variants have not been identified and characterized in mouse ESCs. We identified 18 new transcripts of Dax1 with putative protein-coding properties and compared their protein structures with known Dax1 protein (Dax1-472). The expression pattern analysis showed that the novel isoforms were cotranscribed with Dax1-472 in mouse ESCs, but they had transcriptional heterogeneity among single cells and the subcellular localization of the encoded proteins differed. Cell function experiments indicated that Dax1-404 repressed Gata6 transcription and functionally replaced Dax1-472, while Dax1-38 and Dax1-225 partially antagonized Dax1-472 transcriptional repression. This study provided a comprehensive characterization of the Dax1 splice variants in mouse ESCs and suggested complex effects of Dax1 variants in a self-renewal regulatory network.

Research Progress on Cu-15Ni-8Sn Alloys: The Effect of Microalloying and Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Properties

Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy is the best choice to replace beryllium bronze alloy. This alloy has unparalleled application value in aerospace, ocean engineering, electronic information, equipment manufacturing, and other fields. However, the application of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy is challenged and limited because of a series of problems in its preparation and processing, such as easy segregation, difficult deformation, and discontinuous precipitation. It is an effective way to improve the comprehensive properties of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy using alloying design and process optimization to control the as-cast, deformed, and heat-treated microstructures. At present, it is a hot spot for scholars to study. In this paper, the grade generation, system evolution, and preparation technology development of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy are comprehensively reviewed. The phase transformation sequence of the Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy is discussed. The influence of the type, amount, and existing form of alloying elements on the strength of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy and its mechanism are systematically summarized. Furthermore, the latest research progress on the effects of solid solution, cold deformation, and aging on the phase structure transformation and mechanical properties of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy is summarized. Finally, the future development trend of the Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy is projected. The research results of this paper can provide a reference for the control of the microstructure and properties of high-performance Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloys used in key fields, as well as the optimization of the preparation process and alloy composition.

Spatial transcriptomics analysis of esophageal squamous precancerous lesions and their progression to esophageal cancer

Esophageal squamous precancerous lesions (ESPL) are the precursors of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) including low-grade and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. Due to the absence of molecular indicators, which ESPL will eventually develop into ESCC and thus should be treated is not well defined. Indicators, for predicting risks of ESCC at ESPL stages, are an urgent need. We perform spatial whole-transcriptome atlas analysis, which can eliminate other tissue interference by sequencing the specific ESPL regions. In this study, the expression of TAGLN2 significantly increases, while CRNN expression level decreases along the progression of ESCC. Additionally, TAGLN2 protein level significantly increases in paired after-progression tissues compared with before-progression samples, while CRNN expression decreases. Functional studies suggest that TAGLN2 promotes ESCC progression, while CRNN inhibits it by regulating cell proliferation. Taken together, TAGLN2 and CRNN are suggested as candidate indicators for the risk of ESCC at ESPL stages.

LINC01082 Inhibits Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Targeting the miR-543/TNRC6A Axis

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for over 80% of lung cancer cases and have poor clinical outcomes. Increasing number of lncRNAs are reported to be implicated in the carcinogenesis of NSCLC. Previous lncRNA-seq results showed that LINC01082 was under-expressed in several cancer types. In the current study, we focused on the role of LINC01082 in NSCLC development. An online bioinformatics tool was utilized to assess the expression profile of LINC01082, miR-543, and TNRC6A in NSCLC samples. RT-qPCR analysis was performed for evaluating LINC01082, TNRC6A and miR-543 expression in cells (NSCLC cells vs. normal lung cells). Impact of LINC01082 upregulation on cell proliferation in vitro was investigated by MTT and EdU experiments. Transwell assay was applied to analyze the migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. The cell apoptosis after plasmid transfection was detected by flow cytometry. The interactions among LINC01082, miR-543 and TNRC6A were measured by RNA pulldown and luciferase reporter assays. We showed that LINC01082 levels were downregulated in NSCLC samples and NSCLC cells. Overexpression of LINC01082 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion and strengthened cell apoptosis. LINC01082 directly bound to miR-543, and miR-543 targeted TNRC6A. TNRC6A was downregulated and miR-543 was overexpressed in NSCLC cells. miR-543 inhibition suppressed malignant cellular behaviors. TNRC6A knockdown reversed the effects of LINC01082 on the malignant character of NSCLC cells. In conclusion, LINC01082 exerts an antioncogenic role in NSCLC via interaction with miR-543 to regulate TNRC6A expression.

Parallel Genome-Wide CRISPR Screens to Identify State-Dependent Self-Renewal Regulators of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

The pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is more accurately viewed as a continuous developmental process rather than a fixed state. However, the factors that play general or state-specific roles in regulating self-renewal in different pluripotency states remain poorly defined. In this study, parallel genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout (KO) screens were applied in ESCs cultured in the serum plus LIF (SL) and in the 2i plus LIF (2iL) conditions. The candidate genes were classified into seven groups based on their positive or negative effects on self-renewal, and whether this effect was general or state-specific for ESCs under SL and 2iL culture conditions. We characterized the expression and function of genes in these seven groups. The loss of function of novel pluripotent candidate genes Usp28, Zfp598, and Zfp296 was further evaluated in mouse ESCs. Consistent with our screen, the knockout of Usp28 promotes the proliferation of SL-ESCs and 2iL-ESCs, whereas Zfp598 is indispensable for the self-renewal of ESCs under both culture conditions. The cell phenotypes of Zfp296 KO ESCs under SL and 2iL culture conditions were different. Our work provided a valuable resource for dissecting the molecular regulation of ESC self-renewal in different pluripotency states.

Synergistic Effects of the Ni3B Cocatalyst and N Vacancy on g-C3N4 for Effectively Enhanced Photocatalytic N2 Fixation

The photocatalytic fixation of N₂ is a promising technology for sustainable production of ammonia, while the unsatisfactory efficiency resulting from the low electron-transfer rate, narrow light absorption range, and limited active sites of the photocatalyst seriously hinder its application. Herein, we designed a noble metal-free Schottky junction photocatalyst constructed by g-C₃N₄ nanosheets with N vacancies (V_N-CN) and metallic Ni₃B nanoparticles (Ni₃B/V_N-CN) for N₂ reduction to ammonia. The ammonia yield rate over the optimized Ni₃B/V_N-CN is 7.68 mM g^-1 h^-1, which is 6.7 times higher than that of pristine CN (1.15 mM g^-1 h^-1). The superior photocatalytic N₂ fixation performance of Ni₃B/V_N-CN can be attributed not only to the formation of Schottky junctions between Ni₃B and V_N-CN, which facilitates the migration and separation of photogenerated electrons, but also to the incorporation of V_N into g-C₃N₄, which enhances visible light absorption and improves electrical conductivity. More importantly, Ni₃B nanoparticles can act as the cocatalyst, which provide more active sites for the adsorption and activation of N₂, thereby improving the N₂ reduction activity. This work provides an effective strategy of designing noble metal-free-based cocatalyst photocatalyst for sustainable and economic N₂ fixation.

NUMA1 modulates apoptosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells through regulating ASK1-JNK signaling pathway

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common malignancy worldwide with a low survival rate due to a lack of therapeutic targets. Here, our results showed that nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 (NUMA1) transcript and protein levels are significantly upregulated in ESCC patient samples and its high expression predicated poor prognosis. Knock-down of NUMA1 promoted cell apoptosis and suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation. By using cell-derived xenograft (CDX) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice models, we found silencing the NUMA1 expression suppressed tumor progression. In addition, conditional knocking-out of NUMA1 reduced 4NQO-induced carcinogenesis in mice esophagus, which further confirmed the oncogenic role of NUMA1 in ESCC. Mechanistically, from the immunoprecipitation assay we revealed that NUMA1 interacted with GSTP1 and TRAF2, promoted the association of TRAF2 with GSTP1 while inhibited the interaction of TRAF2 and ASK1, thus to regulate sustained activation of JNK. In summary, our findings suggest that NUMA1 plays an important role during ESCC progression and it functions through regulating ASK1-MKK4-SAPK/JNK signaling pathway.

ZmCOP1 Regulates Maize Mesocotyl Length and Plant Height through the Phytohormone Pathways

The morphogenesis of crops is critical to their yield performance. COP1 (constitutively photomorphogenic1) is one of the core regulators in plant morphogenesis and has been deeply studied in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the function of COP1 in maize is still unclear. Here, we found that the mesocotyl lengths of zmcop1 loss-of-function mutants were shorter than those of wild-type B73 in darkness, while the mesocotyl lengths of lines with ZmCOP1 overexpression were longer than those of wild-type B104. The plant height with zmcop1 was shorter than that of B73 in both short- and long-day photoperiods. Using transcriptome RNA sequencing technology, we identified 33 DEGs (differentially expressed genes) between B73's etiolated seedlings and those featuring zmcop1, both in darkness. The DEGs were mainly enriched in the plant phytohormone pathways. Our results provide direct evidence that ZmCOP1 functions in the elongation of etiolated seedlings in darkness and affects plant height in light. Our data can be applied in the improvement of maize plant architecture.

Neocryptotanshinone ameliorates insufficient energy production in heart failure by targeting retinoid X receptor alpha

Retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRα) is a nuclear transcription factor that extensively regulates energy metabolism in cardiovascular diseases. Identification of targeted RXRα drugs for heart failure (HF) therapy is urgently needed. Neocryptotanshinone (NCTS) is a component derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, the effect and mechanism of which for treating HF have not been reported. The goal of this study was to explore the pharmacological effects of NCTS on energy metabolism to protect against HF post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) via RXRα. We established a left anterior descending artery ligation-induced HF post-AMI model in mice and an oxygen-glucose deprivation-reperfusion-induced H9c2 cell model to investigate the cardioprotective effect of NCTS. Component-target binding techniques, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), microscale thermophoresis (MST) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection were applied to explore the potential mechanism by which NCTS targets RXRα. The results showed that NCTS protects the heart against ischaemic damage, evidenced by improvement of cardiac dysfunction and attenuation of cellular hypoxic injury. Importantly, the SPR and MST results showed that NCTS has a high binding affinity for RXRα. Meanwhile, the critical downstream target genes of RXRα/PPARα, which are involved in fatty acid metabolism, including Cd36 and Cpt1a, were upregulated under NCTS treatment. Moreover, NCTS enhanced TFAM levels, promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and increased myocardial adenosine triphosphate levels by activating RXRα. In conclusion, we confirmed that NCTS improves myocardial energy metabolism, including fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis, by regulating the RXRα/PPARα pathway in mice with HF post-AMI.

Light-responsive benzobisthiazole as oxidase mimic for rapid determination of glutathione in food and vegetable

Accurate determination of glutathione (GSH) in food and vegetable is significant to instruct the appropriate supplementation of GSH in the human body. Light-responsive enzyme mimics have been widely used in detecting GSH due to controllable temporal and spatial accuracy. However, exploring a potential organic mimic enzyme with excellent catalytic efficiency keeps challenging. Herein, a benzobisthiazole organic oxidase mimic was successfully prepared by a simple and low-cost method. Based on its high light-responsive oxidase-like activity, it was used for high reliable colorimetric determination of GSH in food and vegetable for only 1 min with a large linear range of 0.02-30 μM and a low detection limit of 5.3 nM. This study provides a novel strategy to obtain powerful light-responsive oxidase mimics and holds great potential for rapid and accurate detection of GSH in food and vegetables.

Qishen granules regulate intestinal microecology to improve cardiac function in rats with heart failure

Introduction

Qishen Granule (QSG), a clinically approved traditional Chinese medicine, has been researched for treating heart failure (HF) for many years. However, the effect of QSG on intestinal microecology remains unconfirmed. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the possible mechanism of QSG regulating HF in rats based on intestinal microecological changes.

Methods

A rat model with HF induced by myocardial infarction was prepared by left coronary artery ligation. Cardiac functions were assessed by echocardiography, pathological changes in the heart and ileum by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson staining, mitochondrial ultrastructure by transmission electron microscope, and gut microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing.

Results

QSG administration improved cardiac function, tightened cardiomyocytes alignment, decreased fibrous tissue and collagen deposition, and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Electron microscopic observation of mitochondria revealed that QSG could arrange mitochondria neatly, reduce swelling, and improve the structural integrity of the crest. Firmicutes were the dominant component in the model group, and QSG could significantly increase the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group. Furthermore, QSG significantly reduced plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS), improved intestinal structure, and recovered barrier protection function in rats with HF.

Conclusion

These results demonstrated that QSG was able to improve cardiac function by regulating intestinal microecology in rats with HF, suggesting promising therapeutic targets for HF.

[COL11A1 regulates PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway and promotes human lung adenocarcinoma primary cell migration and invasion]

Objective: To investigate the role and mechanism of COL11A1 in lung adenocarcinoma migration and invasion. Methods: Surgical pathological tissues of 4 patients with lung adenocarcinoma admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from September to November 2020 were used. Immunohistochemical methods were used to identify lung adenocarcinoma tissues, para-cancerous tissues and parallel transcriptome sequencing. Genetic prognostic analysis was conducted by TCGA and GTEx databases.The expression level of COL11A1 gene in lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent tissues was detected by Western blotting.The primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured. The COL11A1 siRNA was transfected into primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells, then the transcriptome sequencing of differential genes was performed,and KEGG enrichment analysis of differential gene enrichment pathway was conducted. Protein expression and phosphorylation were detected by Western blot method. Cell migration was detected by scratch healing test. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 method and invasion ability was detected by Transwell method. Results: Ten differentially expressed genes were screened by transcription sequencing in lung adenocarcinoma. Prognostic analysis of single gene showed that COL11A1 gene expression level was correlated with survival rate (P<0.001). The expression of COL11A1 in lung adenocarcinoma was higher than that in adjacent tissues by Western blot (P<0.001). Transcriptome sequencing of COL11A1 siRNA transfection into primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells showed that differential genes were concentrated in PI3K-akt pathway. The expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN in siRNA transfection group was significantly higher than that in control group and negative transfection group by Western blot. The expression of Aktp-Akt 473 p-Akt 308 p-PTENp-PDK1p-c-Rafp-GSK-3 β was down-regulated (all P<0.05).Compared with the negative control group, the ability of migration, proliferation and invasion of primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells in siRNA transfection group decreased (all P<0.05). COL11A1 regulates PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 β pathway to promote migration and invasion of primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Conclusion: COL11A1 regulates PI3K/Akt/GSK-3 β pathway to promote migration and invasion of primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

[Research progress on processing historical evolution, chemical constituents, and pharmacological action of Bombyx Batryticatus]

Bombyx Batryticatus is a precious traditional Chinese animal drug commonly used in clinical practice in China, which has the effects of extinguishing wind, stopping convulsions, dispelling wind, relieving pain, resolving phlegm, and dissipating mass. The processing of Bombyx Batryticatus has a long history. As early as in the Liu Song period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was a record of the processing of Bombyx Batryticatus with rice swill. In addition to the processing with bran, honey bran, and ginger juice, which are still used today, there are also processing methods such as rendering, flour processing, wine processing, salt processing, oil processing, charcoal, and red dates processing in ancient times. After processing, the fishy smell of Bombyx Batryticatus can be removed, and avoid nausea and vomiting caused by the direct taking. Furthermore, processing can also facilitate the removal of surface hairs and toxicity reduction, making the medicinal material crispy and easy to crush. Previous studies have shown that the main chemical constituents of Bombyx Batryticatus include protein polypeptides, sterols, and flavonoids, with anticonvulsant, anticoagulation, antithrombotic, anti-cancer, hypnotic, hypoglycemic, and other pharmacological effects. This paper reviewed the processing historical evolution, chemical constituents, and pharmacological effects of Bombyx Batryticatus to lay a foundation for the research on the processing mechanism, quality control, and active core substances of Bombyx Batryticatus.

Diagnosis and treatment of apical cyst of deciduous teeth with infection: a case report

There is a high incidence of chronic periapical periodontitis of deciduous teeth, however, there is a low incidence of the apical cyst. This paper reports a 7-year-old child with deciduous periodontitis caused by chronic periapical periodontitis of deciduous teeth. Through literature review, the etiology, imaging characteristics, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment methods were discussed to provide the basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Interfacial Super-Assembly of Intertwined Nanofibers toward Hybrid Nanochannels for Synergistic Salinity Gradient Power Conversion

Capturing the abundant salinity gradient power into electric power by nanofluidic systems has attracted increasing attention and has shown huge potential to alleviate the energy crisis and environmental pollution problems. However, not only the imbalance between permeability and selectivity but also the poor stability and high cost of traditional membranes limit their scale-up realistic applications. Here, intertwined "soft-hard" nanofibers/tubes are densely super-assembled on the surface of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) to construct a heterogeneous nanochannel membrane, which exhibits smart ion transport and improved salinity gradient power conversion. In this process, one-dimensional (1D) "soft" TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are wrapped around "hard" carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to form three-dimensional (3D) dense nanochannel networks, subsequently forming a CNF-CNT/AAO hybrid membrane. The 3D nanochannel networks constructed by this intertwined "soft-hard" nanofiber/tube method can significantly enhance the membrane stability while maintaining the ion selectivity and permeability. Furthermore, benefiting from the asymmetric structure and charge polarity, the hybrid nanofluidic membrane displays a low membrane inner resistance, directional ionic rectification characteristics, outstanding cation selectivity, and excellent salinity gradient power conversion performance with an output power density of 3.3 W/m². Besides, a pH sensitive property of the hybrid membrane is exhibited, and a higher power density of 4.2 W/m² can be achieved at a pH of 11, which is approximately 2 times more compared to that of pure 1D nanomaterial based homogeneous membranes. These results indicate that this interfacial super-assembly strategy can provide a way for large-scale production of nanofluidic devices for various fields including salinity gradient energy harvesting.

Identification and functional comparison of novel alternatively spliced isoforms of human YAP

As a key effector of the Hippo pathway, Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a major regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis. In this study, 23 hYAP isoforms were identified in HEK293 cells, with 14 isoforms being reported for the first time. These isoforms were classified into hYAP-a and hYAP-b isoforms based on the variation in exon 1. The two groups of isoforms showed distinctly different subcellular localizations. hYAP-a isoforms could activate TEAD- or P73-mediated transcription, affect the proliferation rate and enhance the cellular chemosensitivity of HEK293 cells. Moreover, different activation abilities and pro-cytotoxic effects were observed among hYAP-a isoforms. However, hYAP-b isoforms were not found to exert any significant biological effects. Our findings add to the knowledge of YAP gene structure and protein-coding capacity and will help in the elucidation of the function and related molecular mechanisms of the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway.