Activation of autophagy by Citri Reticulatae Semen extract ameliorates amyloid-beta-induced cell death and cognition deficits in Alzheimer's disease

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202419110-00027/figure1/v/2024-03-08T184507Z/r/image-tiff Amyloid-beta-induced neuronal cell death contributes to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Citri Reticulatae Semen has diverse beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, however, the effect of Citri Reticulatae Semen on Alzheimer's disease remains unelucidated. In the current study, the anti-apoptotic and autophagic roles of Citri Reticulatae Semen extract on amyloid-beta-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells were first investigated. Citri Reticulatae Semen extract protected PC12 cells from amyloid-beta-induced apoptosis by attenuating the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio via activation of autophagy. In addition, Citri Reticulatae Semen extract was confirmed to bind amyloid-beta as revealed by biolayer interferometry in vitro, and suppress amyloid-beta-induced pathology such as paralysis, in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans in vivo model. Moreover, genetically defective Caenorhabditis elegans further confirmed that the neuroprotective effect of Citri Reticulatae Semen extract was autophagy-dependent. Most importantly, Citri Reticulatae Semen extract was confirmed to improve cognitive impairment, neuronal injury and amyloid-beta burden in 3×Tg Alzheimer's disease mice. As revealed by both in vitro and in vivo models, these results suggest that Citri Reticulatae Semen extract is a potential natural therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease via its neuroprotective autophagic effects.

PGC-1α in the hippocampus mediates depressive-like and stress-coping behaviours and regulates excitatory synapses in the dentate gyrus in mice

Decreased hippocampal synaptic plasticity is an important pathological change in stress-related mood disorders, including major depressive disorder. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. PGC-1α, a transcriptional coactivator, is a key factor in synaptic plasticity. We investigated the relationships between changes in hippocampal PGC-1α expression and depressive-like and stress-coping behaviours, and whether they are related to hippocampal synapses. Adeno-associated virus was used to alter hippocampal PGC-1α expression in male C57BL/6 mice. The sucrose preference test and forced swimming test were used to assess their depressive-like and stress-coping behaviours, respectively. Immunohistochemistry and stereology were used to calculate the total number of excitatory synapses in each hippocampal subregion (the cornu ammonis (CA) 1, CA3, and dentate gyrus). Immunofluorescence was used to visualize the changes in dendritic structure. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of hippocampal PGC-1α and mitochondrial-associated proteins, such as UCP2, NRF1 and mtTFAs. Our results showed that mice with downregulated PGC-1α expression in the hippocampus exhibited depressive-like and passive stress-coping behaviours, while mice with upregulated PGC-1α in the hippocampus exhibited increased stress-coping behaviours. Moreover, the downregulation of hippocampal PGC-1α expression resulted in a decrease in the number of excitatory synapses in the DG and in the protein expression of UCP2 in the hippocampus. Alternatively, upregulation of hippocampal PGC-1α yielded the opposite results. This suggests that hippocampal PGC-1α is involved in regulating depressive-like and stress-coping behaviours and modulating the number of excitatory synapses in the DG. This provides new insight for the development of antidepressants.

Astrocyte activation in hindlimb somatosensory cortex contributes to electroacupuncture analgesia in acid-induced pain

Background

Several studies have confirmed the direct relationship between extracellular acidification and the occurrence of pain. As an effective pain management approach, the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of acidification-induced pain is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the analgesic effect of EA in this type of pain and to explore the underlying mechanism(s).

Methods

We used plantar injection of the acidified phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 6.0) to trigger thermal hyperalgesia in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats aged 6-8 weeks. The value of thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) was quantified after applying EA stimulation to the ST36 acupoint and/or chemogenetic control of astrocytes in the hindlimb somatosensory cortex.

Results

Both EA and chemogenetic astrocyte activation suppressed the acid-induced thermal hyperalgesia in the rat paw, whereas inhibition of astrocyte activation did not influence the hyperalgesia. At the same time, EA-induced analgesia was blocked by chemogenetic inhibition of astrocytes.

Conclusion

The present results suggest that EA-activated astrocytes in the hindlimb somatosensory cortex exert an analgesic effect on acid-induced pain, although these astrocytes might only moderately regulate acid-induced pain in the absence of EA. Our results imply a novel mode of action of astrocytes involved in EA analgesia.

[Prediction of prognosis of patients with radical resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma based on single cell omics]

Objectives: To analyze the survival benefit of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) radical resection based on single cell omics. Methods: This is a retrospective case-series study. ICC single-cell sequencing was integrated from four data sets in the Gene Expression Omnibus Database, with a total of 46 patients undergoing radical resection, to explore the characteristics of the microenvironment. Microarray data of 100 ICC cases was analyzed in the EMBI database with survival data. The infiltration abundance of each epithelial cell cluster was calculated in each microarray data sample using the ssGSEA algorithm. The key epithelial cell cluster associated with poor patient outcomes was explored. The clinical value of key marker genes in this subgroup was studied. Prognostic marker genes were selected using the univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards(CoxPH) model. The The CoxPH model was constructed by the target genes and a nomogram was drawn. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to verify the relationship between score and prognosis of patients. The predictive power of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Epithelial cell clusters infiltrated almost exclusively in tumor tissue. The MT2A+ epithelial cell subset was associated with a poorer prognosis for patients with a high invasion abundance and patients characterized by infiltration of this group were defined as antioxidant. After screening marker genes in this cluster using a univariate and multivariate CoxPH model, the following genes were found to be independent prognostic factors: FILPIL, NFKBIA, PEG10, SERPINB5. The CoxPH model was constructed using the four gene expression levels, and the survival rate of patients in the high-risk group was significantly lower than those in the low-risk group (all P<0.05). The constructed nomogram had good discrimination and validity. The ROC curve showed that the predicted area under the curve was 0.779, 0.844 and 0.845 at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Compared to clinical indicators, the model had better predictive power using the calibration curve and the DCA test. Conclusions: The MT2A+ epithelial cell group may be associated with the prognosis of patients with ICC, and the concept of ICC tissue typing of antioxidant and non-antioxidant types is proposed. The type of antioxidant may predict the poor prognosis of the patients, and postoperative adjuvant therapy and other means could be considered to improve the survival of the patients.

Fast Multilabel Feature Selection via Global Relevance and Redundancy Optimization

Information theoretical-based methods have attracted a great attention in recent years and gained promising results for multilabel feature selection (MLFS). Nevertheless, most of the existing methods consider a heuristic way to the grid search of important features, and they may also suffer from the issue of fully utilizing labeling information. Thus, they are probable to deliver a suboptimal result with heavy computational burden. In this article, we propose a general optimization framework global relevance and redundancy optimization (GRRO) to solve the learning problem. The main technical contribution in GRRO is a formulation for MLFS while feature relevance, label relevance (i.e., label correlation), and feature redundancy are taken into account, which can avoid repetitive entropy calculations to obtain a global optimal solution efficiently. To further improve the efficiency, we extend GRRO to filter out inessential labels and features, thus facilitating fast MLFS. We call the extension as GRROfast, in which the key insights are twofold: 1) promising labels and related relevant features are investigated to reduce ineffective calculations in terms of features, even labels and 2) the framework of GRRO is reconstructed to generate the optimal result with an ensemble. Moreover, our proposed algorithms have an excellent mechanism for exploiting the inherent properties of multilabel data; specifically, we provide a formulation to enhance the proposal with label-specific features. Extensive experiments clearly reveal the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed algorithms.

[New advances in the diagnosis and treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma]

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a type of primary liver cancer, which has shown an increasing trend in incidence and mortality in recent years, with a poor prognosis. The clinical diagnosis and treatment of ICC currently face the challenges of low detection rate, high mortality rate, poor treatment outcome, and urgently need more in-depth research to promote the improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment level. In recent years, ICC diagnosis and treatment related research has made new progress in many aspects, and the knowledge about these new clinical diagnosis and treatment advances should be updated in a timely manner. This article reviewed the latest research results in recent years, summarized some new views on ICC typing, prevention and diagnosis staging that have been proposed recently, as well as the new progress made in surgical treatment and systemic treatment, and briefly discussed the potential of ICC individualized precision treatment and the occurrence of rare complications caused by combined treatment.

Clinical and radiographic outcomes of a combined surgery approach to treat peri-implantitis

Peri-implant infra-bony defects are difficult to treat, and data on the management of peri-implantitis are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combined surgical approach to manage peri-implantitis: implantoplasty with xenogeneic bone grafting and a concentrated growth factor membrane. Two independent examiners analysed the medical records and radiographs taken before surgery and at the last follow-up. Data were analysed at the implant level; some patient-level data (age, sex, smoking habit) were also considered. Linear regression analysis with generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to explore the effect of variables of interest (including marginal bone level (MBL)) on implantitis treatment success and resolution rates. The effect of the prosthesis type on postoperative clinical and radiographic parameters was also explored by GEE, with adjustment for age, sex, tooth site, location, follow-up duration, and implant length (model IV including all). Thirty patients with 72 implants were investigated. The implant survival rate was 100% over a mean observation period of 3.3 years (range 2-11 years). The treatment success rate (bone loss <0.5 mm, no bleeding on probing (BOP), no suppuration, probing depth (PD) < 5 mm) was higher in females than males (50% vs 19.0%; P = 0.008). At the last postoperative follow-up, the MBL (1.51 ± 1.07 vs 4.01 ± 1.13 mm), PD (3.61 ± 0.84 vs 6.54 ± 1.01 mm), and BOP (23.38 ± 23.18% vs 79.17 ± 15.51%) were significantly reduced when compared to pre-surgery values (all P < 0.001). Furthermore, a significantly higher PD reduction (β = -1.10 mm, 95% confidence interval -1.97 to -0.23 mm, P = 0.014) was observed for implants with a single crown than a full-arch prosthesis (GEE model IV). Preliminary clinical and radiographic data indicate that implantoplasty in combination with surgery could be an effective treatment option for peri-implantitis.

Lymphatic endothelial cell-mediated accumulation of CD177+Treg cells suppresses antitumor immunity in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical in shaping an immunosuppressive microenvironment to favor tumor progression and resistance to therapies. However, the heterogeneity and function of Treg cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain underexplored. We identified CD177 as a tumor-infiltrating Treg cell marker in ESCC. Interestingly, expression levels of CD177 and PD-1 were mutually exclusive in tumor Treg cells. CD177+ Treg cells expressed high levels of IL35, in association with CD8+ T cell exhaustion, whereas PD-1+ Treg cells expressed high levels of IL10. Pan-cancer analysis revealed that CD177+ Treg cells display increased clonal expansion compared to PD-1+ and double-negative (DN) Treg cells, and CD177+ and PD-1+ Treg cells develop from the same DN Treg cell origin. Importantly, we found CD177+ Treg cell infiltration to be associated with poor overall survival and poor response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy plus chemotherapy in ESCC patients. Finally, we found that lymphatic endothelial cells are associated with CD177+ Treg cell accumulation in ESCC tumors, which are also decreased after anti-PD-1 immunotherapy plus chemotherapy. Our work identifies CD177+ Treg cell as a tumor-specific Treg cell subset and highlights their potential value as a prognostic marker of survival and response to immunotherapy and a therapeutic target in ESCC.

Running exercise improves astrocyte loss, morphological complexity and astrocyte-contacted synapses in the hippocampus of CUS-induced depression model mice

Although the antidepressant effects of running exercise have been widely reported, further research is still needed to determine the structural bases for these effects. Astrocyte processes physically contact many synapses and directly regulate the numbers of synapses, but it remains unclear whether running exercise can modulate astrocyte morphological complexity and astrocyte-contacted synapses in the hippocampus of the mice with depressive-like behavior. Male C57BL/6 J mice underwent four weeks of running exercise after four weeks of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). The sucrose preference test (SPT), tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) were used to assess anhedonia in mice. Western blotting was used to measure the expression of astrocyte- and synapse-related proteins. Immunofluorescence and 3D reconstruction were used to quantify the density and morphology of astrocytes, and astrocyte-contacted synapses in each hippocampal subregion. Four weeks of running exercise alleviated depressive-like symptoms in mice. The expression of astrocyte- and synapse-related proteins in the hippocampus; astrocyte process lengths, process numbers, and dendritic arborization; and the number of astrocyte-contacted PSD95 positive synapses in the CA2-3 and DG regions were significantly decreased in the mice with depressive-like behavior, and running exercise successfully reserved these changes. Running exercise improved the decreases in astrocyte morphological complexity and astrocyte-contacted PSD95 positive synapses in the CA2-3 and DG regions of the mice with depressive-like behavior, suggesting that the physical interactions between astrocytes and synapses can be increased by running exercise, which might be an important structural basis for the antidepressant effects of running exercise.

Inhibition of HSP20 ameliorates steatotic liver disease by stimulating ERK2-dependent autophagy

Heat shock protein 20 (HSP20) emerges as a novel regulator of autophagy in the heart. Nonetheless, the detailed function of HSP20 in liver and its effect on autophagy remain unknown. Here, we observed that HSP20 expression is increased in liver tissues from mice and patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Liver-specific downregulation of HSP20 mitigates hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in obese mice, while upregulating HSP20 promotes lipid deposition and hepatocyte cell death. Mechanistically, Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed that HSP20 interacts with phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases 2 (ERK2) and prevents its dephosphorylation by dual specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6), leading to ERK2-mediated repression of autophagy, resulting in aggravated saturated fatty acid (SFA)-triggered hepatocyte death. Importantly, such adverse effects could be ameliorated by ERK inhibitor. Our data reveals a framework of how HSP20 increases susceptibility of SFA-induced liver injury through enhancing ERK2 phosphorylation, which represents a plausible therapeutic intervention to combat MASLD.

Association Between Community Elderly Care Services and the Physical and Emotional Burden of Family Caregivers of Older Adults: Evidence from Beijing, China

The rate of usage of community elderly care services in China is low, and past studies about the effects of these services on caregiver burden domestically are few. This study used a large sample of Beijing census data (n = 55,634) to examine the impact of these services on caregiver burden. Logistic regression and propensity score matching were used to estimate the effects. The results showed that meal assistance, respite care, and spiritual comfort are all significantly associated with a lower likelihood of perceived emotional burden among caregivers, while only respite care is very significantly associated with a lower likelihood of feeling physically burdened. However, the effects of these services on caregiver burden also depend on the activities of daily living performance and location of residence of the care recipients. The practical implications for policy makers are discussed.

Exploring the impact of circular economy practices on ecological footprint, inflation rate, and renewable energy consumption: evidence from G20 economies

The circular economy (CE) has acquired significant interest for its potential to contribute to sustainable development (SD). The present study utilizes empirical methodology, specifically panel data analysis, to examine the distinct effects and outcomes of the circular economy and its associated factors within a unified framework. The focus is on the G20 countries from 2008 to 2021. We evaluated the influence of various CE value sources (renewable energy consumption, composting rate, repair services availability, recycling rate) and a factor-analysis-derived measure of the CE on economic, environmental, and social aspects of SD. The objective was to assess the distinct effects and outcomes of CE and its components in a unified framework-the analysis utilized panel data from G20 countries from 2008 to 2021. Our findings show a substantial influence of CE in achieving SD, with positive implications for the economy, environment, and society. However, the impact of each CE value source on the SD dimensions shows variation. While renewable energy consumption (RENEC) and composting rate (CR) lessen environmental impact, recycling rate (RR) shows no significant effect, and repair services availability (RSA) increases the Ecological Footprint (EFP). Notably, RSA is the sole CE component, showing a positive economic impact at the national level. Additionally, RENEC, RSA, and RR contribute to reducing the inflation rate (INFR). Policymakers should undertake detailed impact assessments to develop effective, tailored strategies based on each country's unique goals. The findings of this study have important policy implications, particularly in terms of emphasizing targeted strategies for implementing CE practices to achieve sustainable development.

Editorial - Purinergic signalling: 50 years

The function of almost all cells of the human and animal body is synchronized by purinergic/pyrimidinergic extracellular signalling molecules. This network activity is especially efficient in the central and peripheral nervous systems, driven by secretion of the (co)transmitter ATP (including its enzymatic degradation products ADP, AMP, and adenosine), as well as ATP/UTP (including UDP) released from the cytoplasm by either Ca2+-dependent vesicular exocytosis or by non-exocytotic pathways via a family of diverse channels. It must be pointed out that neural cells (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes) are equal sources of nucleotides/nucleosides, as non-neural cells (e.g. the endothelium of small blood vessels). A whole plethora of purinergic receptors responding to the endogenously released purine and pyrimidine nucleotides as well as to adenosine, are instrumental in providing the structural basis for cell stimulation. The present collection of papers summarizes current knowledge and recent findings in the medicinal chemistry, electrophysiology, neuropharmacology and neurobiology of purinergic transmission. Accruing evidence supports the key role of extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides in neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and in neuropsychiatric diseases, thus paving the way for pharmacological intervention thanks to the development of novel brain-permeant, drug-like, purinergic ligands. We are confident that these therapies will open a new avenue for the treatment of so far uncurable diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

[Observation of the consistency between intellectualized and manual-based cognitive assessment tools in the outpatient clinic]

Objective: The intellectualized versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) (i-MoCA/i-MMSE) were developed. The validity of this system was evaluated in a clinical sample through comparing with the manual-based assessments. Methods: A total of 88 patients [aged (66.82±11.37) years, 30 males and 58 females] were enrolled in the outpatient clinic of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University with complaints of cognitive decline, from February to October 2023. All participants completed manual-based and intellectualized assessments in a randomized order, with an interval of 2 weeks to control for the practice effect. The reliability of the intellectualized version of assessments was evaluated based on the manual-based version using the Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). The difference between the intellectualized and the manual-based assessments was tested by the Repeated ANCOVA with demographic information controlled. The accuracy of evaluation of the i-MoCA and i-MMSE was analyzed by the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: High concordance was observed between the intellectualized version and the manual-based assessments (CCCMoCA=0.87, CCCMMSE=0.83). Controlling for basic demographic information, there was no significant difference in the scores of the intellectualized version and the manual-based assessments (all P>0.05). The accuracy of i-MoCA in screening patients with cognitive impairment was 94.3% (sensitivity=94.6%, specificity=78.1%), while the accuracy of i-MMSE in screening patients with cognitive impairment was 94.9% (sensitivity=94.9%, specificity=77.6%). In addition, the majority of subdomains measured by the cognitive assessments exhibited high consistency across the intellectualized the manual-based versions (CCCMoCA=0.32-0.78; CCCMMSE=0.54-0.79). Conclusion: Both the i-MoCA and i-MMSE showed high consistency and diagnostic accuracy with the manual-based versions in terms of overall cognitive function and subdomains.

Circular olefin copolymers made de novo from ethylene and α-olefins

Ethylene/α-olefin copolymers are produced in huge scale and widely used, but their after-use disposal has caused plastic pollution problems. Their chemical inertness made chemical re/upcycling difficult. Ideally, PE materials should be made de novo to have a circular closed-loop lifecycle. However, synthesis of circular ethylene/α-olefin copolymers, including high-volume, linear low-density PE as well as high-value olefin elastomers and block copolymers, presents a particular challenge due to difficulties in introducing branches while simultaneously installing chemical recyclability and directly using industrial ethylene and α-olefin feedstocks. Here we show that coupling of industrial coordination copolymerization of ethylene and α-olefins with a designed functionalized chain-transfer agent, followed by modular assembly of the resulting AB telechelic polyolefin building blocks by polycondensation, affords a series of ester-linked PE-based copolymers. These new materials not only retain thermomechanical properties of PE-based materials but also exhibit full chemical circularity via simple transesterification and markedly enhanced adhesion to polar surfaces.

Running exercise alleviates hippocampal neuroinflammation and shifts the balance of microglial M1/M2 polarization through adiponectin/AdipoR1 pathway activation in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable stress

Running exercise has been shown to alleviate depressive symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying the antidepressant effects of running exercise is not fully understood. The imbalance of M1/M2 microglia phenotype/polarization and concomitant dysregulation of neuroinflammation play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of depression. Running exercise increases circulating levels of adiponectin which is known to cross the blood‒brain barrier and suppress inflammatory responses. AdipoR1 is an adiponectin receptor that is involved in regulating microglial phenotypes and activation states. However, whether running exercise regulates hippocampal microglial phenotypes and neuroinflammation through adiponectin/AdipoR1 to exert its antidepressant effects remains unclear. In the current study, 4 weeks of running exercise significantly alleviated the depressive-like behaviors of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-exposed mice. Moreover, running exercise decreased the microglial numbers and altered microglial morphology in three subregions of the hippocampus to restore the M1/M2 balance; these effects were accompanied by regulation of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine production and secretion in CUS-exposed mice. These effects may involve elevation of peripheral tissue (adipose tissue and muscle) and plasma adiponectin levels, and hippocampal AdipoR1 levels as well as activation of the AMPK-NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway by running exercise. When an adeno-associated virus was used to knock down hippocampal AdipoR1, mice showed depressive-like behaviors and alterations in microglia and inflammatory factor expression in the hippocampus that were similar to those observed in CUS-exposed mice. Together, these results suggest that running exercise maintains the M1/M2 balance and inhibits neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of CUS-exposed mice. These effects might occur via adiponectin/AdipoR1-mediated activation of the AMPK-NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway.

OLFM2 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration, and invasion in colorectal cancer through the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an aggressive tumor of the gastrointestinal tract, which is a major public health concern worldwide. Despite numerous studies, the precise mechanism of metastasis behind its progression remains elusive. As a member of the containing olfactomedin domains protein family, olfactomedin 2 (OLFM2) may play a role in tumor metastasis. It is highly expressed in colorectal cancer, and its role in the metastasis of CRC is still unclear. As such, this study seeks to explore the function of OLFM2 on CRC metastasis and its potential mechanisms.

METHODS

Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to study the expression of OLFM2 in human CRC and adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown and overexpression OLFM2 cell lines were constructed using siRNA and overexpression plasmids to explore the role of OLFM2 in the migration and invasion of CRC through transwell, and wound healing experiments. Finally, the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) -related proteins and TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway-related proteins was investigated using western blotting.

RESULTS

In this study, we observed an elevation of OLFM2 expression levels in CRC tissues. To investigate the function of OLFM2, we overexpressed and knocked down OLFM2. We discovered that OLFM2 knockdown inhibited migration and invasion of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, E-cadherin expression increased while N-cadherin and Vimentin expression were opposite. It is no surprise that overexpressing OLFM2 had the opposite effects. We also identified that OLFM2 knockdown resulted in reduced TGF-βR1 and downstream molecules p-Smad2 and p-Smad3, which are related to the TGF-β / Smad pathway. In contrast, overexpressing OLFM2 significantly boosted their expression levels.

CONCLUSION

The protein OLFM2 has been identified as a crucial determinant in the progression of CRC. Its mechanism of action involves the facilitation of EMT through the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Given its pivotal role in CRC, OLFM2 has emerged as a promising diagnostic and therapeutic target for the disease. These results indicate the potential of OLFM2 as a valuable biomarker for CRC diagnosis and treatment and highlight the need for further research exploring its clinical significance.

Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment

Worldwide, the incidence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is increasing annually, resulting in greater economic and social burdens. Moreover, the pathological mechanisms of MDD and the mechanisms underlying the effects of pharmacological treatments for MDD are complex and unclear, and additional diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for MDD still are needed. The currently widely accepted theories of MDD pathogenesis include the neurotransmitter and receptor hypothesis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hypothesis, cytokine hypothesis, neuroplasticity hypothesis and systemic influence hypothesis, but these hypothesis cannot completely explain the pathological mechanism of MDD. Even it is still hard to adopt only one hypothesis to completely reveal the pathogenesis of MDD, thus in recent years, great progress has been made in elucidating the roles of multiple organ interactions in the pathogenesis MDD and identifying novel therapeutic approaches and multitarget modulatory strategies, further revealing the disease features of MDD. Furthermore, some newly discovered potential pharmacological targets and newly studied antidepressants have attracted widespread attention, some reagents have even been approved for clinical treatment and some novel therapeutic methods such as phototherapy and acupuncture have been discovered to have effective improvement for the depressive symptoms. In this work, we comprehensively summarize the latest research on the pathogenesis and diagnosis of MDD, preventive approaches and therapeutic medicines, as well as the related clinical trials.

3D printing sequentially strengthening high-strength natural polymer hydrogel bilayer scaffold for cornea regeneration

3D printing of high-strength natural polymer biodegradable hydrogel scaffolds simultaneously resembling the biomechanics of corneal tissue and facilitating tissue regeneration remains a huge challenge due to the inherent brittleness of natural polymer hydrogels and the demanding requirements of printing. Herein, concentrated aqueous solutions of gelatin and carbohydrazide-modified alginate (Gel/Alg-CDH) are blended to form a natural polymer hydrogel ink, where the hydrazides in Alg-CDH are found to form strong hydrogen bonds with the gelatin. The hydrogen-bonding-strengthened Gel/Alg-CDH hydrogel demonstrates an appropriate thickened viscosity and shear thinning for extrusion printing. The strong hydrogen bonds contribute to remarkably increased mechanical properties of Gel/Alg-CDH hydrogel with a maximum elongation of over 400%. In addition, sequentially Ca2+-physical crosslinking and then moderately chemical crosslinking significantly enhance the mechanical properties of Gel/Alg-CDH hydrogels that ultimately exhibit an intriguing J-shaped stress-strain curve (tensile strength of 1.068 MPa and the toughness of 677.6 kJ/m2). The dually crosslinked Gel-Alg-CDH-Ca2+-EDC hydrogels demonstrate a high transparency, physiological swelling stability and rapid enzymatic degradability, as well as suturability. The growth factor and drug-loaded biomimetic bilayer hydrogel scaffold are customized via a multi-nozzle printing system. This bioactive bilayer hydrogel scaffold considerably promotes regeneration of corneal epithelium and stroma and inhibits cornea scarring in rabbit cornea keratoplasty.

Discovery and Clinical Proof-of-Concept of RLY-2608, a First-in-Class Mutant-Selective Allosteric PI3Kα Inhibitor That Decouples Antitumor Activity from Hyperinsulinemia

PIK3CA (PI3Kα) is a lipid kinase commonly mutated in cancer, including ∼40% of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The most frequently observed mutants occur in the kinase and helical domains. Orthosteric PI3Kα inhibitors suffer from poor selectivity leading to undesirable side effects, most prominently hyperglycemia due to inhibition of wild-type (WT) PI3Kα. Here, we used molecular dynamics simulations and cryo-electron microscopy to identify an allosteric network that provides an explanation for how mutations favor PI3Kα activation. A DNA-encoded library screen leveraging electron microscopy-optimized constructs, differential enrichment, and an orthosteric-blocking compound led to the identification of RLY-2608, a first-in-class allosteric mutant-selective inhibitor of PI3Kα. RLY-2608 inhibited tumor growth in PIK3CA-mutant xenograft models with minimal impact on insulin, a marker of dysregulated glucose homeostasis. RLY-2608 elicited objective tumor responses in two patients diagnosed with advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer with kinase or helical domain PIK3CA mutations, with no observed WT PI3Kα-related toxicities.

SIGNIFICANCE

Treatments for PIK3CA-mutant cancers are limited by toxicities associated with the inhibition of WT PI3Kα. Molecular dynamics, cryo-electron microscopy, and DNA-encoded libraries were used to develop RLY-2608, a first-in-class inhibitor that demonstrates mutant selectivity in patients. This marks the advance of clinical mutant-selective inhibition that overcomes limitations of orthosteric PI3Kα inhibitors. See related commentary by Gong and Vanhaesebroeck, p. 204 . See related article by Varkaris et al., p. 227 . This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 201.

Catalytic Regio- and Enantioselective Boracarboxylation of Arylalkenes with CO2 and Diboron

Catalytic asymmetric carboxylation of readily available alkenes with CO2, an abundant and sustainable one-carbon building block, that gives access to value-added α-stereogenic carboxylic acids in an atom- and step-economic manner is highly attractive. However, it has remained a formidable challenge for the synthetic community. Here, the first example of Cu-catalyzed highly regio- and enantioselective boracarboxylation reaction on various arylalkenes with diboron under an atmospheric pressure of CO2 is described, which afforded a variety of chiral β-boron-functionalized α-aryl carboxylic acids with up to 87% yield and 97% ee under mild conditions. Importantly, α-substituted arylalkenes could also be subject to this protocol with excellent enantiopurities, thereby rendering an efficient approach for the generation of enantioenriched carboxylic acids with an α-chiral all-carbon quaternary center. Moreover, high functional group tolerance, scalable synthesis, and facile access to bioactive compounds, like (-)-scopolamine, (-)-anisodamine, and (-)-tropicamide, further demonstrated the synthetic utility of this strategy.

Insights into Zwitterionic Surfactant Interactions at the Oil-Water Interface by Interferometry Experiments and MDS Calculations

In this work, the interaction performance of zwitterionic surfactant [dodecyl dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine (DSB-12) and hexadecyl dimethyl sulfopropyl betaine (DSB-16)] at the n-octadecane oil surface is investigated from experimental and simulation insights. For a macroscopic experiment, interfacial interferometry technology was developed for real-time monitor interaction performances and to obtain the quantitative interfacial thickness and mass results. The Langmuir model was characterized by thermodynamic analysis, deducing the aggregation spontaneity of DSB-16 > DSB-12 with ΔGagg(DSB-16) = -5.94 kJ mol-1 < ΔGagg(DSB-12) = 24.08 kJ mol-1. A three-step dynamic model (adsorption, arrangement, and aggregation) was characterized by kinetic analysis, indicating arrangement process as slow-limiting step with k2(arr) < k1(ads), k3(agg). For microscopic simulation, and molecular dynamic (MD) method was utilized to theoretically investigate interaction performances and obtain the interfacial configuration and energy results. The interaction stability and interaction strength were indicated to be DSB-16 > DSB-12 with differences of final energy ΔEfin = 48-88 kcal mol-1. The interaction mechanism was explained by proposing the model of "response enhancement" and "deposition activity" for DSB-16 interactions, and "response decrease" and "elution activity" for DSB-12 interactions. The different performances can be attributed to the different interaction forms and forces of surfactants. This work provided a platform for performance and mechanism investigation between the surfactant molecule and oil surface, which is of great significance in reservoir exploitation and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Experimental Study and Application of Controlled Low-Strength Materials in Trench Backfilling in Suqian City, China

When backfilling narrow spaces, controlled low-strength materials (CLSM) can be used to achieve an effective backfilling effect. The pipeline engineering in Yahnghe Avenue of Suqian, China, provides a favorable on-site condition for the use of CLSM. However, no guidance exists for the determination of the material mixture ratio of CLSM for this geological condition. Laboratory tests were performed to investigate the basic physical parameters of excavated soil and the optimal mixture ratio of CLSM. Results indicate that the sand and silt account for 29.76% and 57.23% of the weight of excavated soil, respectively. As the water content increases (from 40% to 50%), the flowability of the CLSM approximately shows a linear increase (slumps values from 154.3 mm to 269.75 mm for 9% cement content), while its compressive strength shows a linear decreasing trend (from 875.3 KPa to 468.3 KPa after curing for 28 days); as the cement content increases (from 6% to 12%), the flowability approximately shows a linear decreasing trend (from 238.8 mm to 178.5 mm for 45% water content), while the compressive strength shows a linear increasing trend (from 391.6 KPa to 987.6 KPa after curing for 28 days). By establishing the relationship between compressive strength/flowability and the water-cement ratio, the optimal material ratio is determined to be 9% cement content and 40-43% water content. The engineering application results indicate that the use of CLSM can achieve efficient and high-quality backfilling effects for pipeline trenches. The findings of this research may provide a reference for the application of CLSM in fields with similar geological conditions.

A prefrontal-thalamic circuit encodes social information for social recognition

Social recognition encompasses encoding social information and distinguishing unfamiliar from familiar individuals to form social relationships. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a role in social behavior, how identity information is processed and by which route it is communicated in the brain remains unclear. Here we report that a ventral midline thalamic area, nucleus reuniens (Re) that has reciprocal connections with the mPFC, is critical for social recognition in male mice. In vivo single-unit recordings and decoding analysis reveal that neural populations in both mPFC and Re represent different social stimuli, however, mPFC coding capacity is stronger. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inhibitions of Re impair the mPFC-Re neural synchronization and the mPFC social coding. Projection pathway-specific inhibitions by optogenetics reveal that the reciprocal connectivity between the mPFC and the Re is necessary for social recognition. These results reveal an mPFC-thalamic circuit for social information processing.

Relationship between paravertebral muscle function, pelvic incidence, and health-related quality of life in patients with degenerative spinal deformity

BACKGROUND

Patients with degenerative spinal deformity often experience symptoms that seriously affect their quality of life, such as low back pain and dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between paravertebral muscle function and pelvic incidence (PI) and their effect on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with degenerative spinal deformity.

METHODS

A total of 112 patients with degenerative spinal deformity in Southwest Hospital (Chongqing, China) were enrolled. They were divided into groups according to PI angle: high (PI > 60°, n = 37), normal (PI 50°-60°, n = 31), and low (PI < 50°, n = 44). Paravertebral muscle strength and endurance were assessed using the prone external fixation test frame. The sagittal vertical axis (SVA) was measured on X-rays of the spine in an anterolateral position, and all subjects were assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland-Morris questionnaire (RMQ), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Pearson or Spearman coefficients were used to assess the relationship of paravertebral muscle function with SVA, PI, and health-related quality of life.

RESULTS

Maximal voluntary exercise (MVE) in the high-PI group was significantly lower than the MVE of both the normal- and low-PI groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in MVE between the normal- and low-PI groups (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in endurance time, SVA, ODI, RMQ, and SF-36 among the three groups. Paravertebral muscle MVE was negatively correlated with PI, SVA, ODI, and RMQ (r = - 0.193, - 0.210, - 0.283, - 0.277, p < 0.05). Endurance time of paravertebral muscle was also negatively correlated with SVA, ODI, and RMQ (r =  - 0.200, - 0.420, - 0.348, p < 0.05) and positively correlated with SF-36 (r = 0.245, p < 0.05). In addition, paravertebral muscle MVE was positively correlated with the physical functioning score of the SF-36 (r = 0.251, p < 0.05), and the endurance time of paravertebral muscle was positively correlated with the physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain, and social function scores of the SF-36 (r = 0.342, 0.230, 0.209, 0.256, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

High PI may serve as a risk factor for decreased paraspinal muscle strength in patients with degenerative spinal deformities. Early and targeted exercises focusing on paraspinal muscle strength and endurance could potentially be of positive significance in slowing down the progression of sagittal imbalance, alleviating functional disorders, and increasing health-related quality of life in patients with degenerative spinal deformity.

Antagonizing LINGO-1 reduces activated microglia and alleviates dendritic spine loss in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 transgenic mice

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), microglia are involved in synaptic pruning and mediate synapse loss. LINGO-1 is a negative regulator of nerve growth, and whether antagonizing LINGO-1 can attenuate synaptic pruning by microglia and rescue dendritic spines in the hippocampus in AD is still unclear. On this basis, the anti-LINGO-1 antibody, which binds to LINGO-1 protein and antagonizes the effects of LINGO-1, was administered to 10-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic mice for 2 months. The Morris water maze test, immunohistochemical and stereological methods, immunofluorescence and 3D reconstruction were used. Compared to wild-type mice, APP/PS1 transgenic mice had worse performance on behavioral tests, fewer dendritic spines but more microglia in the hippocampus. Meanwhile, the microglia in APP/PS1 transgenic mice had more branches of medium length (4-6 µm) and a cell body area with greater variability. Moreover, APP/PS1 transgenic mice had more postsynaptic termini colocalized with microglia in the hippocampus than wild-type mice. The anti-LINGO-1 antibody significantly reversed these changes in AD, indicating that the anti-LINGO-1 antibody can improve hippocampus-dependent learning and memory abilities and effectively rescue dendritic spines in the hippocampus of AD mice and that microglia might participate in this progression in AD. These results provide a scientific basis for further studying the mechanism of the anti-LINGO-1 antibody in AD and help to elucidate the role of LINGO-1 in the treatment of AD.

Tumor-associated macrophages and PD-L1 in prostate cancer: a possible key to unlocking immunotherapy efficacy

PURPOSE

Prostate cancer (PCa) is often considered as a "cold" tumor with low responsiveness to immunotherapy. Recent evidence suggests the activation of specific immune cells, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), could potentially influence the efficacy of immunotherapy in PCa. However, the relationship between TAMs and PD-L1, a significant regulator in immunotherapy, within PCa remains unexplored.

METHODS

In this study, we assessed TAM infiltration and PD-L1 expression levels in a local cohort of 95 PCa tissue samples and two publicly available PCa datasets. We employed a combination of bioinformatics and experimental techniques, including gene set enrichment analysis, CIBERSORTx, tissue microarray, immunohistochemistry staining, and analysis of single-cell sequencing datasets, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the association between PD-L1 and TAMs in the PCa microenvironment.

RESULTS

The study showed that CD68+ TAMs and CD163+ TAMs (M2-TAMs) were more abundant in the tumor microenvironment than in non-cancerous surrounding tissues. The infiltration of CD163+ TAMs was significantly associated with the Gleason score and risk stratification of PCa. Importantly, elevated PD-L1 expression correlated significantly with high infiltration of CD163+ TAMs. Furthermore, patients displaying high levels of CD163+ TAMs and PD-L1 expression exhibited shorter times to biochemical recurrence-free survival.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that CD163+ TAMs are closely associated with PD-L1 expression and can act as a valuable prognostic indicator for PCa. The high infiltration of M2-TAMs, coupled with the overexpression of PD-L1, may contribute to immune escape mechanisms in PCa, thereby influencing disease prognosis.

Raddeanin A isolated from Anemone raddeana Regel improves pathological and cognitive deficits of the mice model of Alzheimer's disease by targeting β-amyloidosis

BACKGROUND

Raddeanin A is a triterpenoid isolated from Anemone raddeana Regel. It exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities such as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory, however, its neuroprotective effect in targeting Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains uninvestigated.

PURPOSE

To provide scientific base for the development of novel AD drug by clarifying the neuroprotective effect and molecular mechanisms of raddeanin A in both in vitro and in vivo AD model.

STUDY DESIGN

To confirm the neuroprotective role of raddeanin A in the treatment of AD, its mechanisms and effects on β-amyloidosis and Aβ fibrillation was studied in U87 cells. Besides, the improvement on cognitive deficit, pathological defects, reactive astrocyte clusters, inhibition on neuronal inflammation and apoptosis were further studied in 3 x Tg-AD mice model of AD.

METHODS

Real-time PCR, western blot, dot blot, biolayer interferometry and bioinformatics analysis were used to confirm the in vitro effect and targets of raddeanin A on β-amyloidosis and its associated protein network. A series of experiments including Morris water maze, H&E staining, nissl staining and immunofluorescence analysis were conducted to confirm the protective behavioral effect of raddeanin A in the in vivo AD mice model.

RESULTS

Raddeanin A was identified to reduce β-amyloidosis in U87 cells and 3 x Tg-AD mice model of AD by decreasing level of BACE1, APP, APP-β and Aβ. Raddeanin A improved behavioral, spatial memory and learning ability in the AD mice. In the cortex and hippocampus, raddeanin A improved the morphology and arrangement of neurons, lower the level of reactive astrocyte marker GFAP and apoptotic marker proteins Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Moreover, raddeanin A upregulated the mRNA and protein level of Prkcα in the hippocampus of AD mice whose neuroprotective effect was exerted possibly via the activation of protein kinase C.

CONCLUSION

As a novel natural agent targeting β-amyloidosis, our results provide the first evidence of the multiple in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective effect of raddeanin A, suggesting its potential therapeutic application in preventing or alleviating the symptoms of AD.

The effects of back extensor strength in different body positions on health-related quality of life in patients with degenerative spinal deformity

BACKGROUND

Degenerative spinal deformity (DSD) is believed to originate from degeneration of the discs and facet joints and vertebral wedging. Currently, the nosogeny of DSD is not yet fully clarified and there has been no systematic study on the impact of their lower back muscle strength on quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the characteristics of back extensor strength (BES) in different body positions and examine their correlations with health-related quality of life (HQOL) in degenerative spinal deformity (DSD) patients.

METHODS

Participants comprised 60 DSD patients and 40 healthy volunteers. Maximal isometric BES was evaluated by dynamometers with the subject in three different positions (standing, prone, sitting). The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMQ), and 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) score were used to evaluate patient HQOL. Correlations between the BES in different body positions and HQOL were analysed.

RESULTS

The BES values in three body positions were significantly smaller in DSD patients than healthy subjects (P< 0.05). The standing BES was found to be negatively associated with ODI and RMQ (R= 0.313, p< 0.05 and R= 0.422, p< 0.01, respectively). A negative relationship between sitting BES and RMQ was also seen (R= 0.271, p< 0.05). In addition, the standing and prone BES were positively correlated with the physical functioning score of the SF-36 (R= 0.471, p< 0.01 and R= 0.289, p< 0.05, respectively), and the sitting BES was positively correlated with the role-physical score of the SF-36 (R= 0.436, p< 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the back extensor muscle is compromised in DSD patients and there are differences in predicting the severity of disability and physical HQOL scores with BES in different positions. Standing BES was the most reliable contributor to HQOL among three body positions.

Unravelling the interaction between α-SOH and myofibrillar protein based on spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation

This work systematically investigated the dose-response interaction between hydroxy-α-sanshool (α-SOH) and pork myofibrillar proteins (MPs) via spectroscopy, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation methods. Results showed that MPs bound with low α-SOH can enhance the surface hydrophobicity and particle size of MPs, whereas high concentrations were exactly the opposite. The main interaction force in α-SOH/MPs complex changed from hydrophobic to hydrogen bonding with increased α-SOH. α-SOH causes tryptophan quenching and bring about a red shift at low concentration, as well as to promote α-helix conversion into β-sheet in MPs. Simultaneously, molecular docking and dynamics simulations verified that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces were the main contributors to α-SOH/MPs complex, indicating that the binding of α-SOH with MPs proceeded spontaneously with high intensity, in which TYR286 contributed the most significant energy. Therefore, revealing the binding mechanism of α-SOH and MPs can contribute to the deep processing of numbing meat products.

Serine-129 phosphorylation of α-synuclein is an activity-dependent trigger for physiologic protein-protein interactions and synaptic function

Phosphorylation of α-synuclein at the serine-129 site (α-syn Ser129P) is an established pathologic hallmark of synucleinopathies and a therapeutic target. In physiologic states, only a fraction of α-syn is phosphorylated at this site, and most studies have focused on the pathologic roles of this post-translational modification. We found that unlike wild-type (WT) α-syn, which is widely expressed throughout the brain, the overall pattern of α-syn Ser129P is restricted, suggesting intrinsic regulation. Surprisingly, preventing Ser129P blocked activity-dependent synaptic attenuation by α-syn-thought to reflect its normal function. Exploring mechanisms, we found that neuronal activity augments Ser129P, which is a trigger for protein-protein interactions that are necessary for mediating α-syn function at the synapse. AlphaFold2-driven modeling and membrane-binding simulations suggest a scenario where Ser129P induces conformational changes that facilitate interactions with binding partners. Our experiments offer a new conceptual platform for investigating the role of Ser129 in synucleinopathies, with implications for drug development.

Sintilimab Plus Chemotherapy for Unresectable Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer: The ORIENT-16 Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers are diagnosed in more than 1 million people worldwide annually, and few effective treatments are available. Sintilimab, a recombinant human IgG4 monoclonal antibody that binds to programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), in combination with chemotherapy, has demonstrated promising efficacy.

Objective

To compare overall survival of patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancers who were treated with sintilimab with chemotherapy vs placebo with chemotherapy. Also compared were a subset of patients with a PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) of 5 or more (range, 1-100).

Design, Setting, and Participants

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial conducted at 62 hospitals in China that enrolled 650 patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma between January 3, 2019, and August 5, 2020. Final follow-up occurred on June 20, 2021.

Interventions

Patients were randomized 1:1 to either sintilimab (n = 327) or placebo (n = 323) combined with capecitabine and oxaliplatin (the XELOX regimen) every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles. Maintenance therapy with sintilimab or placebo plus capecitabine continued for up to 2 years.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was overall survival time from randomization.

Results

Of the 650 patients (mean age, 59 years; 483 [74.3%] men), 327 were randomized to sintilimab plus chemotherapy and 323 to placebo plus chemotherapy. Among the randomized patients, 397 (61.1%) had tumors with a PD-L1 CPS of 5 or more; 563 (86.6%) discontinued study treatment and 388 (59.7%) died; 1 patient (<0.1%) was lost to follow-up. Among all randomized patients, sintilimab improved overall survival compared with placebo (median, 15.2 vs 12.3 months; stratified hazard ratio [HR], 0.77 [95% CI, 0.63-0.94]; P = .009). Among patients with a CPS of 5 or more, sintilimab improved overall survival compared with placebo (median, 18.4 vs 12.9 months; HR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.50-0.86]; P = .002). The most common grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events were decreased platelet count (sintilimab, 24.7% vs placebo, 21.3%), decreased neutrophil count (sintilimab, 20.1% vs placebo, 18.8%), and anemia (sintilimab, 12.5% vs placebo, 8.8%).

Conclusions and Relevance

Among patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma treated with first-line chemotherapy, sintilimab significantly improved overall survival for all patients and for patients with a CPS of 5 or more compared with placebo.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03745170.

Evaluation of combined pathological responses in primary tumor and lymph nodes following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Inconsistent pathological responses of tumor and lymph nodes (LNs) were frequently observed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. However, there is a lack of studies to report the prognostic significance and the relevant clinicopathological factors of tumor-nodal inconsistent responses after neoadjuvant immunotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. Therefore, this study aimed to depict the inconsistent pathological combined tumor-nodal responses in NSCLC patients after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy as well as the underlying clinical significance.

METHODS

A total of 81 node-positive NSCLC patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy were eligible for inclusion. Demographic, radiologic, and pathological features of patients were recorded. Patients with pathological complete response of both tumor (ypT(pCR)) and LNs (ypN0) were classified into the combined good responder group and the relevant clinicopathological features were evaluated. The event-free survival (EFS) outcome was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS

The ypN0 and ypT(pCR) rates were 74.1 % and 42.0 %, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between ypT(pCR) and ypN0 (P = 0.003), but inconsistent responses remained. The combined responses of the primary tumor and LNs demonstrated a significant association with the prognosis outcome (P = 0.005). Notably,patients who received at least twice of their infusions of immune checkpoint inhibitors after 15:30 had a worse prognosis (P = 0.015).

CONCLUSION

A significant but not absolute correlation was observed between good tumor response and good nodal response in NSCLC patients after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy, but inconsistent responses were also found. The combination of tumor and nodal responses is significantly associated with prognosis and combined good responder can be used as a reliable prognosis predictor.

Identification of a novel compound heterozygous pathogenic variant in MYO7A causing Usher syndrome type IB in a Chinese patient: a case report

Herein, we report the clinical and genetic features of a patient with Usher syndrome type IB to improve our collective understanding of the disorder. The patient was a teenaged boy with congenital profound hearing loss, progressive visual loss, and vestibular hypoplasia; his parents were phenotypically normal. His pure tone audiometry hearing thresholds were 100 dB at all frequencies, and distortion product otoacoustic emission was not elicited at any frequencies in either ear. Moreover, an auditory brainstem response test at 100 dB normal hearing level revealed no relevant response waves, and a caloric test showed vestibular hypoplasia. Fundus examination revealed retinitis pigmentosa and a reduced visual field. The use of high-throughput sequencing technology to screen the patient's family lineage for deafness-related genes revealed that the patient carried a compound heterozygous pathogenic variant of MYO7A: c.541C > T and c.6364delG. This pathogenic variant has not previously been reported. Our findings may provide a basis for genetic counseling, effective treatment, and/or gene therapy for Usher syndrome.

Serum cystatin C predicts the risk of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Inflammation markers have been proposed as the predictors of adverse cardiac events in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). This study aimed to investigate prognostic value of serum cystatin C (Cys-C) for NSTE-ACS patients.

METHODS

Cys-C, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were examined in 212 NSTE-ACS patients and 60 controls. Global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE) score and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in NSTE-ACS patients were recorded.

RESULTS

Cys-C level in the serum was significantly higher in NSTE-ACS patients than in control, and was positively correlated with hsCRP level and NLR as well as GRACE score at admission and 6 months after discharge in NSTE-ACS patients. Serum Cys-C level was identified as a new predictor of MACE.

CONCLUSION

Serum Cys-C level may be an inflammation biomarker in patients with NSTE-ACS, and could be used as an independent predictor of MACE.

Trajectories and risk factors of persistent cough after pulmonary resection: A prospective two-center study

BACKGROUND

Persistent cough is one of the most frequent complications following lung cancer surgery. To promote optimal recovery, we conducted a study to investigate the trajectories of coughing symptoms and their impact on quality of life (QOL), as well as to identify potential risk factors of persistent cough after pulmonary resection (CAP).

METHODS

This prospective observational study assessed patients who underwent pulmonary resection for lung tumor at two medical centers in China. Persistent CAP was evaluated before surgery, at discharge, and 1, 3, and 6 months following surgery using visual analog scale (VAS), cough symptom score (CSS), and Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin Chinese (LCQ-MC). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore independent risk factors for persistent CAP.

RESULTS

Of the 506 enrolled patients, 130 patients were diagnosed with persistent CAP with an incidence of 25.69%. Compared to the noncough group, patients with persistent CAP reported significantly higher VAS (p < 0.001) and CSS scores (p < 0.001) and experienced worse QOL (p < 0.001) for up to 6 months, particularly at 1 month following surgery. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that a duration of anesthesia exceeding 156 min (odds ratio [OR]: 1.847, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.156-2.951, p = 0.010) and gastroesophageal acid reflux (GER) (OR: 3.870, 95% CI: 2.376-6.304, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors of persistent CAP.

CONCLUSION

Patients who suffer from persistent CAP face a substantial burden and diminished QOL for an extended period compared to noncough patients. Moreover, prolonged duration of anesthesia and postoperative GER are potential risk factors of persistent CAP.

The age-related characteristics in bone microarchitecture, osteoclast distribution pattern, functional and transcriptomic alterations of BMSCs in mice

Deteriorated age-related bone loss is the hallmarks of skeletal aging. However, how the aging of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osteoclasts are linked to the bone microstructure degeneration is not yet very clear. In this study, the characteristics of age-related bone loss, distribution patterns of osteoclasts, functional and transcriptomic alterations of BMSCs, hub genes responsible for BMSCs senescence, were analyzed. Our study revealed an age-related declined trends in trabecular and cortical bones of femur, tibia and lumbar vertebra in mice, which was accompanied by a shift from the trabecular to cortical bones in osteoclasts. Additionally, middle-aged or aged mice exhibited remarkably reduced dynamic bone formation capacities, along with reversed osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation potentials in BMSCs. Finally, transcriptomic analysis indicated that aging-related signaling pathways were significantly activated in BMSCs from aged mice (e.g., cellular senescence, p53 signaling pathway, etc.). Also, weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and venn diagram analysis based on our RNA-Seq data and GSE35956 dataset revealed the critical role of PTPN1 in BMSCs senescence. Targeted inhibition of PTP1B with AAV-Ptpn1-RNAi dramatically postponed age-related bone loss in middle-aged mice. Collectively, our study has uncovered the age-dependent cellular characteristics in BMSCs and osteoclasts underlying progressive bone loss with advancing age.

Effect of Proinflammatory S100A9 Protein on Migration and Proliferation of Microglial Cells

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease affecting aging population worldwide. Neuroinflammation became a focus of research as one of the major pathologic processes relating to the disease onset and progression. Proinflammatory S100A9 is the central culprit in the amyloid-neuroinflammatory cascade implicated in AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. We studied the effect of S100A9 on microglial BV-2 cell proliferation and migration. The responses of BV-2 cells to S100A9 stimulation were monitored in real-time using live cell microscopy, transcriptome sequencing, immunofluorescence staining, western blot analysis, and ELISA. We observed that a low dose of S100A9 promotes migration and proliferation of BV-2 cells. However, acute inflammatory condition (i.e., high S100A9 doses) causes diminished cell viability; it is uncovered that S100A9 activates TLR-4 and TLR-7 signaling pathways, leading to TNF-α and IL-6 expression, which affect BV-2 cell migration and proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Interestingly, the effects of S100A9 are not only inhibited by TNF-α and IL-6 antibodies. The addition of amyloid-β (Aβ) 1-40 peptide resumes the capacities of BV-2 cells to the level of low S100A9 concentrations. Based on these results, we conclude that in contrast to the beneficial effects of low S100A9 dose, high S100A9 concentration leads to impaired mobility and proliferation of immune cells, reflecting neurotoxicity at acute inflammatory conditions. However, the formation of Aβ plaques may be a natural mechanism that rescues cells from the proinflammatory and cytotoxic effects of S100A9, especially considering that inflammation is one of the primary causes of AD.

The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

We aimed to estimate the effect of mindfulness therapy on mental health.

Methods

Two researchers searched 12 databases to identify relevant trials that were published from 1 January 2018 to 1 May 2023. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the effect of mindfulness therapy on depression, which was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS); anxiety, which was measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), PROMIS, and DASS, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7); stress, which was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), DASS, and GAD-7; mindfulness, which was measured by the GAD-7, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Short Form-12 Mental Component Score (SF-12 MCS) and Short Form-12 Physical Component Score (SF-12 PCS); and sleep quality, which was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). After screening studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1,824 participants were ultimately included.

Results

All these studies demonstrated positive effects of mindfulness therapy on depression (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI: [-0.44, -0.22], p < 0.00001, I2 = 29%), anxiety (SMD = -0.35, 95% CI: [-0.46, -0.25], p < 0.00001, I2 = 40%), stress (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI: [-0.48, -0.29], p < 0.00001, I2 = 69%) and sleep quality scores (SMD = -0.81, 95% CI: [-1.54, -0.09], p = 0.03, I2 = 0%). However, there was no significant difference in mindfulness (SMD = -0.12, 95% CI: [-0.36, -0.12], p = 0.34, I2 = 34%) between the mindfulness therapy group and the control group.

Discussion

In future studies, it is necessary to consider the investigation on whether the strategies of improving the mindfulness therapy in adherence and fidelity can work on the improvement of the outcomes in mental health.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier [CRD42023469301].

PKM2 Nuclear Translocation Promotes Glial Cell Activation and Aggravates the Brain Injury of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential involvement of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), an enzyme acting as a rate-limiting enzyme in the final phase of glycolysis, in the regulation of glial activation and brain damage of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS

Western blotting and immunofluorescence were performed to investigate PKM2 expression, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyurinary triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling staining, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and behavioral tests were employed to evaluate the brain damage of ICH mice, and RNA-seq and bioinformatic analyses were performed to detect gene expression changes in ICH mice treated with TEPP-46.

RESULTS

Increased PKM2 levels in perihematomal brain tissue were found starting from 3 days following ICH and peaked at 5 and 7 days post ICH. The increased expression of PKM2 was mainly co-localized with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)+ astrocytes and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1 (IBA-1)+ microglia. Furthermore, we observed a notable increase in the nuclear translocation of PKM2 in glial cells following ICH. TEPP-46 treatment significantly reduced PKM2 nuclear translocation, and effectively attenuated glial activation and brain injury, and improved functional recovery of mice with ICH. RNA-seq data indicated that 91.1% (205/225) of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were down-regulated in the TEPP-46 treated groups compared with the vehicle-treated groups in ICH brains. Furthermore, bioinformatic analyses revealed that these down-regulated DEGs were involved in a variety of biological processes, including autophagy and metabolic processes. In addition, the majority of these downregulated DEGs had a primary high expression in neurons, with subsequent expression seen in endothelial cells, microglia, and astrocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that increased PKM2 nuclear translocation promotes the activation of glial cells after ICH, hence aggravating ICH-induced brain damage, and aggravates the brain injury induced by ICH. This highlights a potential therapeutic target for inhibiting glial activation to attenuate brain injury after ICH.

Vitreous management in Yamane's technique for crystalline lens dislocation: anterior vitrectomy or PPV?

OBJECTIVE

To study the postoperative visual outcomes and surgical complications of anterior/pars plana vitrectomy and concurrent Yamane's IOL fixation for crystalline lens dislocation.

METHODS

Fifty-three patients (56 eyes) with crystalline lens subluxation/dislocation were enrolled in this retrospective interventional study. Patients received anterior/pars plana vitrectomy and concurrent Yamane's IOL fixation. Main outcome measures were postoperative BCVA and surgical complications. Proportion of spontaneous PVD and preoperative undetected retinal holes/degeneration (PURH/D) were recorded.

RESULTS

Twenty-four eyes were treated with anterior vitrectomy (Group AnV) and 32 eyes with pars plana vitrectomy (Group PPV). Overall incidence of PURH/D was 10.7% (6/56). Spontaneous PVD occurred in 68.8% (24/32) in Group PPV. During six months follow-up, one case of postoperative RRD and one case of choroidal detachment occurred in Group AnV. There was no significant difference between anterior vitrectomy and PPV in the final BCVA and postoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

Anterior or pars plana vitrectomy, which are both applicable in YAMANE technique for crystalline lens dislocation, exhibit similar surgical outcomes. Patient's age, PVD status and PURH helps to determine the route of vitrectomy. Pediatric patients might be potential candidates for transcorneal vitreolensectomy. For adult, PURH managed with total vitrectomy and intraoperative lase retinopexy might be beneficial to decrease the incidence of postoperative RRD.

Risk perceptions of COVID-19, vocational identity, and employment aspirations of Chinese aviation students: a structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the aviation and education sectors in China. This study examined the relationships between risk perceptions of the pandemic, vocational identity, and employment aspirations of Chinese aviation students.

METHODS

The study used a convenience sampling approach to collect data (n = 276 respondents) from August 2 to 8, 2022. An online survey was sent via WeChat and QQ to Chinese students majoring in aviation service management who were under lockdown at six Chinese schools.

RESULTS

In spite of the strong support for the stringent COVID policies and full awareness of infection risk and protective measures, respondents were worried about the current unstable situation and felt fear for its severity and long-lasting symptoms. The casual path from career commitment to employment aspiration was supported, but high risk perceptions of the pandemic failed to have any psychological effect on the two constructs of vocational identity and employment aspirations.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings not only demonstrate the power of career commitment on employment aspirations but also reveal that a relatively high self-assessment of career proficiency may not necessarily lead to a clear career aspiration, possibly due to poor risk communication and insufficient career planning guidance. Thus, Chinese aviation students should improve their career proficiency and commitment, broaden their career options and adaptability, and have a clear career plan, in order to be well prepared for the fierce job market that will face the next wave of the ongoing pandemic.

Toxicity effects of zinc supply on growth revealed by physiological and transcriptomic evidences in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam)

Zinc toxicity affects crop productivity and threatens food security and human health worldwide. Unfortunately, the accumulation patterns of zinc and the harmful effects of excessive zinc on sweet potato have not been well explored. In the present research, two genotypes of sweet potato varieties with different accumulation patterns of zinc were selected to analyze the effects of excessive zinc on sweet potato via hydroponic and field cultivation experiments. The results indicated that the transfer coefficient was closely related to the zinc concentration in the storage roots of sweet potato. Excessive zinc inhibited the growth of sweet potato plants by causing imbalanced mineral concentrations, destroying the cellular structure and reducing photosynthesis. Furthermore, a total of 17,945 differentially expressed genes were identified in the two genotypes under zinc stress by transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes involved in the absorption and transport of zinc, defense networks and transcription factors played important roles in the response to zinc stress. In conclusion, this study provides a reference for the selection of sweet potato varieties in zinc contaminated soil and lays a foundation for investigating the tolerance of sweet potato to excessive zinc, which is meaningful for environmental safety and human health.

Clinical-functional brain connectivity signature predicts longitudinal symptom improvement after acupuncture treatment in patients with functional dyspepsia

Whilst acupuncture has been shown to be an effective treatment for functional dyspepsia (FD), its efficacy varies significantly among patients. Knowing beforehand how each patient responds to acupuncture treatment will facilitate the ability to produce personalized prescriptions, therefore, improving acupuncture efficacy. The objective of this study was to construct the prediction model, based on the clinical-neuroimaging signature, to forecast the individual symptom improvement of FD patients following a 4-week acupuncture treatment and to identify the critical predictive features that could potentially serve as biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of acupuncture for FD. Clinical-functional brain connectivity signatures were extracted from samples in the training-test set (100 FD patients) and independent validation set (60 FD patients). Based on these signatures and support vector machine algorithms, prediction models were developed in the training test set, followed by model performance evaluation and predictive features extraction. Subsequently, the external robustness of the extracted predictive features in predicting acupuncture efficacy was evaluated by the independent validation set. The developed prediction models possessed an accuracy of 88% in predicting acupuncture responders, as well as an R2 of 0.453 in forecasting symptom relief. Factors that contributed significantly to stronger responsiveness of patients to acupuncture therapy included higher resting-state functional connectivity associated with the orbitofrontal gyrus, caudate, hippocampus, and anterior insula, as well as higher baseline scores of the Symptom Index of Dyspepsia and shorter durations of the condition. Furthermore, the robustness of these features in predicting the efficacy of acupuncture for FD was verified through various machine learning algorithms and independent samples and remained stable in univariate and multivariate analyses. These findings suggest that it is both feasible and reliable to predict the efficacy of acupuncture for FD based on the pre-treatment clinical-neuroimaging signature. The established prediction framework will promote the identification of suitable candidates for acupuncture treatment, thereby improving the efficacy and reducing the cost of acupuncture for FD.

New approaches in the diagnosis and prognosis of gestational diabetes mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common pregnancy metabolic disorder in which a person with no history of hyperglycemia exhibits any degree of impaired glucose tolerance during gestation. GDM can be resolved on its own after birth, but mothers with GDM are more at risk for future problems, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, GDM can cause macrosomia in infants and obesity or even the risk of diabetes in childhood. Standard diagnostic tests for GDM are the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glucose challenge test (GCT), which is a mandatory test at 28-28 weeks of pregnancy in most countries. Disorders in various molecular mechanisms, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathways are involved in GDM. Therefore, a better understanding of these mechanisms can help find new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies accordingly. In this review, we first deal with molecular mechanisms involved in GDM occurrence and then summarized the studies that hired this knowledge for early diagnosis and prognosis of GDM. Finally, we present the latest achievements in the diagnosis of GDM based on exosomes, microRNAs, glycosylated hemoglobin, and inflammatory factors detection in maternal circulation.

Lychee seed polyphenol ameliorates DR via inhibiting inflammasome/apoptosis and angiogenesis in hRECs and db/db mice

Blood retinal barrier (BRB) damage is an important pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, and alleviating BRB damage has become a key target for DR treatment. We previously found that Lycopene seed polyphenols (LSP) maintained BRB integrity by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation. However, it is still unknown whether LSP inhibits retinal neovascularization with abnormal capillaries and its mechanism of action. Here, we employed db/db mice and hRECs to find that LSP increases the level of glycolipid metabolism, maintains the morphology of retinal endothelial cells and inhibits acellular capillary neogenesis. Mechanistic studies revealed that LSP inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome, reduces cell apoptosis in retinal tissue, increases tight junction protein (TJ) expression, and reduces vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Ve-Cadherin in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, this study finds that LSP inhibits inflammation and angiogenesis to improve BRB function to ameliorate DR.