SMYD4 monomethylates PRMT5 and forms a positive feedback loop to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Both lysine and arginine methyltransferases are thought to be promising therapeutic targets for malignant tumors, yet how these methyltransferases function in malignant tumors, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has not been fully elucidated. Here, we reported that SMYD4, a lysine methyltransferase, acts as an oncogene in HCC. SMYD4 was highly upregulated in HCC and promoted HCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Mechanistically, PRMT5, a well-known arginine methyltransferase, was identified as a SMYD4-binding protein. SMYD4 monomethylated PRMT5 and enhanced the interaction between PRMT5 and MEP50, thereby promoting the symmetrical dimethylation of H3R2 and H4R3 on the PRMT5 target gene promoter and subsequently activating DVL3 expression and inhibiting expression of E-cadherin, RBL2, and miR-29b-1-5p. Moreover, miR-29b-1-5p was found to inversely regulate SMYD4 expression in HCC cells, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, we found that the oncogenic effect of SMYD4 could be effectively suppressed by PRMT5 inhibitor in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, high coexpression of SMYD4 and PRMT5 was associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. In summary, our study provides a model of crosstalk between lysine and arginine methyltransferases in HCC and highlights the SMYD4-PRMT5 axis as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

Correction to "Review of Advances in the Utilization of Biochar-Derived Catalysts for Biodiesel Production"

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c07909.].

Gastric cancer treatment: recent progress and future perspectives

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages due to the subtle symptoms of earlier disease and the low rate of regular screening. Systemic therapies for GC, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have evolved significantly in the past few years. For resectable GC, perioperative chemotherapy has become the standard treatment. Ongoing investigations are exploring the potential benefits of targeted therapy or immunotherapy in the perioperative or adjuvant setting. For metastatic disease, there have been notable advancements in immunotherapy and biomarker-directed therapies recently. Classification based on molecular biomarkers, such as programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), microsatellite instability (MSI), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), provides an opportunity to differentiate patients who may benefit from immunotherapy or targeted therapy. Molecular diagnostic techniques have facilitated the characterization of GC genetic profiles and the identification of new potential molecular targets. This review systematically summarizes the main research progress in systemic treatment for GC, discusses current individualized strategies and presents future perspectives.

Review of Advances in the Utilization of Biochar-Derived Catalysts for Biodiesel Production

Biochar, obtained from the thermal decomposition of different biomass sources, can be used in various scientific technologies by virtue of its distinguishing performance. Recent developments in advanced biochar synthesis methods have led to continuous growth in the literature related to bulk biochar products and synthesized biochar substrates. This review specifically summarizes the current advanced methods for the synthesis of functional biochar catalysts and applications in (trans)esterification. Herein, first the method and design of synthesized biochar substrate catalysts are briefly introduced. Second, the applications of these synthesized biochar substrate catalysts upon (trans)esterification are comprehensively discussed. Finally, the current research status and the future perspectives of the synthesized biochar substrate catalyst are presented. It is expected that this summary will provide perspectives and instructions for future work on synthesized biochar catalysts for biodiesel products.

High prevalence of hyperuricaemia and its impact on non-valvular atrial fibrillation: the cross-sectional Guangzhou (China) Heart Study

OBJECTIVES

There are country and regional variations in the prevalence of hyperuricaemia (HUA). The prevalence of HUA and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in southern China is unknown.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 11 488 permanent residents aged 35 or older from urban and rural areas of Guangzhou, China were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to compile each participant's demographic information and relevant epidemiological factors for HUA and NVAF. All participants were assessed using a panel of blood tests and single-lead 24-hour ECG.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

HUA was defined as serum uric acid level >420 μmol/L in men and >360 μmol/L in women. NVAF was diagnosed as per guidelines.

RESULTS

The prevalence of HUA was 39.6% (44.8% in men and 36.7% in women), and 144 residents (1.25%) had NVAF. Prevalence of HUA increased with age in women but remained stably high in men. After adjusting for potential confounders, age, living in urban areas, alcohol consumption, central obesity, elevated fasting plasma glucose level, elevated blood pressure, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and elevated triglycerides level were associated with increased risk of HUA. Residents with HUA were at higher risk for NVAF. Serum uric acid level had a modest predictive value for NVAF in women but not men.

CONCLUSIONS

HUA was highly prevalent among citizens of southern China and was a predictor of NVAF among women.

Rasch analysis of the hospital anxiety and depression scale among Chinese cataract patients

Purpose

To analyze the validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) among Chinese cataract population.

Methods

A total of 275 participants with unilateral or bilateral cataract were recruited to complete the Chinese version of HADS. The patients' demographic and ophthalmic characteristics were documented. Rasch analysis was conducted to examine the model fit statistics, the thresholds ordering of the polytomous items, targeting, person separation index and reliability, local dependency, unidimentionality, differential item functioning (DIF) and construct validity of the HADS individual and summary measures.

Results

Rasch analysis was performed on anxiety and depression subscales as well as HADS-Total score respectively. The items of original HADS-Anxiety, HADS-Depression and HADS-Total demonstrated evidence of misfit of the Rasch model. Removing items A7 for anxiety subscale and rescoring items D14 for depression subscale significantly improved Rasch model fit. A 12-item higher order total scale with further removal of D12 was found to fit the Rasch model. The modified items had ordered response thresholds. No uniform DIF was detected, whereas notable non-uniform DIF in high-ability group was found. The revised cut-off points were given for the modified anxiety and depression subscales.

Conclusion

The modified version of HADS with HADS-A and HADS-D as subscale and HADS-T as a higher-order measure is a reliable and valid instrument that may be useful for assessing anxiety and depression states in Chinese cataract population.

Time-Course of Changes in Choroidal Thickness after Complete Mydriasis Induced by Compound Tropicamide in Children

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the time-course of changes in choroidal thickness (ChT) following complete mydriasis induced by compound tropicamide.

METHODS

ChT was measured by OCT with the enhanced-depth imaging technique (Spectralis HRA+OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) at nine locations of the fundus: subfoveal ChT (SFChT) and ChT at 1 mm and 3 mm from the fovea in four quadrants. Mydriasis was induced with compound tropicamide (0.5% tropicamide plus 0.5% phenylephrine hydrochloride, three doses at 5-minute intervals). Measurements were conducted prior to the instillation and at 0, 30, and 60 min following complete mydriasis. Results at different time-points were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA to investigate the time-course of the changes.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine subjects (mean age 11.9±2 years; 16 males and 23 females) were enrolled in the study. Compound tropicamide resulted in a statistically significant decrease in SFChT at 0, 30, and 60 min after complete mydriasis, as compared to baseline (-5±4 μm, -12±4 μm, and -13±4 μm, respectively; all P<0.0001). No significant changes were detected in the parafoveal choroid except at 1 mm temporal (T1mm) and nasal (N1mm) to the fovea at 30 and 60 min (T1mm: -6±4 μm and -7±5 μm at 30 and 60 min; N1mm: -6±4 μm and -7±5 μm at 30 and 60 min, respectively; all P<0.0001). Repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant interaction between the time after complete mydriasis and the effect of the mydriasis agent.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete mydriasis induced by compound tropicamide led to choroidal thinning, and the magnitude varied over time.