Identification of HSP90B1 in pan-cancer hallmarks to aid development of a potential therapeutic target

Heat shock proteins play crucial roles in various biochemical processes, encompassing protein folding and translocation. HSP90B1, a conserved member of the heat shock protein family, growing evidences have demonstrated that it might be closely associated with cancer development. In the present study, we employed multi-omics analyses and cohort validations to explore the dynamic expression of HSP90B1 in pan-cancer and comprehensively evaluate HSP90B1 as a novel biomarker that hold promise for precision cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The results suggest HSP90B1 was highly expressed in various kinds of tumors, often correlating with a poor prognosis. Notably, methylation of HSP90B1 emerged as a protective factor in several cancer types. In immune infiltration analysis, the expression of HSP90B1 in most tumors showed a negative association with CD8 + T cells. HSP90B1 expression was positively correlated with microsatellite instability and tumor mutational burden. HSP90B1 expression was also discovered to be positively correlated with tumor metabolism, cell cycle-related pathways and the expression of immune checkpoint genes. The expression of HSP90B1 was mainly negatively correlated with immunostimulatory genes and positively correlated with immunosuppressive genes, as well as strongly correlated with chemokines and their receptor genes. In addition, the HSP90B1 inhibitor PU-WS13 demonstrated significant efficacy in suppressing cancer cell proliferation in both leukemic and solid tumor cells, and remarkably reduced the expression of the cancer cell surface immune checkpoint PD-L1. The single-cell RNA sequencing analysis further highlighted that HSP90B1 was significantly higher in tumor cells compared to surrounding cells, revealing a potential target therapeutic window. Taken together, HSP90B1 emerges as a promising avenue for breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. This study provides a rationale for HSP90B1 targeted cancer diagnosis and therapy in future.

[Classification, diagnosis and treatment status of pulmonary hypertension from 2012 to 2019: a single center study in Yunnan province]

Objective: To analyze the classification, diagnosis and treatment status of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in Yunnan province. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Hospitalized patients with PH at Yan'an Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from January 2012 to December 2019 were enrolled. The clinical data of enrolled patients, including demographic data, comorbidities, targeted drug therapy, echocardiography and right heart catheterization results, were obtained through the electronic medical record system. The composition ratio of PH, diagnosis and treatment were analyzed. Results: A total of 13 590 patients with PH were enrolled, accounting for 3.09% (13 590/440 056) of the total number of hospitalizations during the same period. The composition of PH was predominantly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (55.50% (7 542/13 590)), followed by pulmonary hypertension (PH) caused by left heart disease (24.16% (3 284/13 590)). Among them, PAH could be subdivided into four types: idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), PAH associated with connective tissue disease, PAH associated with portal hypertension, and PAH associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH), with CHD-PAH as the predominating type (98.09% (7 398/7 542). Patients with PAH were predominantly adolescents. In hospitalized patients with PH, from 2012 to 2019, the proportion of children and adolescents showed a decreasing trend from year to year, and the proportion of middle-aged and older adults showed a significant increasing trend, and the proportion of female patients showed a gradual decreasing trend, and the proportion of patients with comorbid hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, and pneumonia showed an increasing trend. A total of 1 034 patients (7.61% (1 034/13 590)) underwent right heart catheterization. The concordance rate between echocardiographic and right heart catheterization findings was (86.98% (875/1 006)). A total of 2 574 (18.94%) of PH patients were treated with PAH targeted drugs, of which 58.16% (1 497/2 574) were treated with monotherapy. Among the PH patients treated with PAH targeted drugs, the majority of patients were PAH patients (86.44% (2 225/2 574)), and 83.53% (2 150/2 574) patients treated with PAH targeted drugs were CHD-PAH. Conclusions: Hospitalized PH patients in our center between 2012 and 2019 are predominantly CHD-PAH, and the proportion of patients receiving right heart catheterization and targeted drug therapy is relatively low. The percentage of middle-aged and elderly PH patients shows an increasing trend from year to year, as well as the percentage of those with concomitant comorbidities.

A Functional Biological Molecule Restores the PbI2 Residue-Induced Defects in Two-Step Fabricated Perovskites

Coating the perovskite layer via a two-step method is an adaptable solution for industries compared to the anti-solvent process. But what about the impact of unreacted PbI2? Usually, it is generated during perovskite conversion in a two-step method and considered beneficial within the grain boundaries, while also being accused of enhancing the interface defects and nonradiative recombination. Several additives are mixed in PbI2 precursors for the purpose of improving the perovskite crystallinity and hindering the Pb2+ defects. Herein, in lieu of adding additives to the PbI2, the effects of the PbI2 residue via the electron transport layer/perovskite interface modification are explored. Consequently, by introducing artemisinin decorated with hydrophobic alkyl units and a ketone group, it reduces the residual PbI2 and improves the perovskites' crystallinity by coordinating with Pb2+. In addition, artemisinin-deposited perovskite enhances both the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells by suppressing nonradiative recombination.

Ontogenetic Development of Sexual Dimorphism in Body Mass of Wild Black-and-White Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti)

Sexual dimorphism exists widely in animals, manifesting in different forms, such as body size, color, shape, unique characteristics, behavior, and sound. Of these, body mass dimorphism is the most obvious. Studies of evolutionary and ontogenetic development and adaptation mechanisms of animals' sexual dimorphism in body mass (SDBM), allow us to understand how environment, social group size, diet, and other external factors have driven the selection of sexual dimorphism. There are fewer reports of the ontogenetic development of sexual dimorphism in body mass in Rhinopithecus. This study explores the ontogenetic development pattern of SDBM in wild black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (R. bieti), and the causes resulting in extreme sexual dimorphism compared to other colobines. A significant dimorphism with a ratio of 1.27 (p < 0.001) appears when females enter the reproductive period around six years old, reaching a peak (1.85, p < 0.001) when males become sexually mature. After the age of eight, the SDBM falls to 1.78, but is still significant (p < 0.001). The results also indicate that males had a longer body mass growth period than females (8 years vs. 5 years); females in larger breeding units had a significantly higher SDBM than those in smaller ones (2.12 vs. 1.93, p < 0.01). A comparative analysis with other colobines further clarifies that Rhinopithecus and Nasalis, which both have multilevel social organization, have the highest degree of SDBM among all colobines. The large SDBM in R. bieti can be explained through Bergman's and Rensch's rules. Overall, environmental adaptation, a distinctive alimentary system, and a complex social structure contribute to R. bieti having such a remarkable SDBM compared to other colobines. In addition, we found that females' choice for males may not be significantly related to the development of SDBM.

PTP1B negatively regulates nitric oxide-mediated Pseudomonas aeruginosa killing by neutrophils

Neutrophils play a critical role in host defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Mechanisms underlying the negative regulation of neutrophil function in bacterial clearance remain incompletely defined. Here, we demonstrate that protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of P. aeruginosa clearance by neutrophils. PTP1B-deficient neutrophils display greatly enhanced bacterial phagocytosis and killing, which are accompanied by increased Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling activation and nitric oxide (NO) production following P. aeruginosa infection. Interestingly, PTP1B deficiency mainly upregulates the production of IL-6 and IFN-β, leads to enhanced TLR4-dependent STAT1 activation and iNOS expression by neutrophils following P. aeruginosa infection. Further studies reveal that PTP1B and STAT1 are physically associated. These findings demonstrate a negative regulatory mechanism in neutrophil underlying the elimination of P. aeruginosa infection though a PTP1B-STAT1 interaction.