UV-filter benzophenones suppress human, pig, rat, and mouse 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1: Structure-activity relationship and in silico docking analysis

Benzophenone chemicals (BPs) have been developed to prevent the adverse effects of UV radiation and they are widely contaminated. 11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) catalyze the conversion of inactive glucocorticoid to active glucocorticoid, playing critical role in many physiological function. However, the direct effect of BPs on human, pig, rat, and mouse 11β-HSD1 remains unclear. In this study, we screened the inhibitory strength of 12 BPs on 4 species, and performed the structure-activity relationship (SAR) and in silico docking analysis. The inhibitory potency of BPs was: for human 11β-HSD1, BP6 (IC50 = 18.76 μM) > BP8 (40.84 μM) > BP (88.89 μM) > other BPs; for pig 11β-HSD1, BP8 (45.57 μM) > BP6 (59.44 μM) > BP2 (65.12 μM) > BP (135.56 μM) > other BPs; for rat 11β-HSD1, BP7 (67.17 μM) > BP (68.83 μM) > BP8 (133.04 μM) > other BPs; and for mouse 11β-HSD1, BP8 (41.41 μM) > BP (50.61 μM) > other BPs. These BP chemicals were mixed/competitive inhibitors of these 11β-HSD1 enzymes. The 2,2'-dihydroxy substitutions in two benzene rings play a key role in enhancing the effectiveness of inhibiting 11β-HSD1, possibly via increasing hydrogen bond interactions. Docking analysis shows that these BPs bind to NADPH/glucocorticoid binding sites and forms hydrogen bonds with catalytic residues Ser and/or Tyr. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that BP chemicals can inhibit 11β-HSD1 from 4 species, and there are subtle species-dependent difference in the inhibitory strength and structural variations of BPs.

Exploring the effect of high pressure in the denaturation of casein micelles by in-situ SERS

To investigate the structural changes of casein in response to the pressurization process under varying pressure levels, this study carried out both ex-situ and in-situ high-pressure experiments. In the in-situ experiments, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique was combined with a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The high-pressure experiments indicated that significant dissociation of casein occurred at 200 MPa. Over the range of 0-302 MPa, casein exhibited both dissociation and aggregation behaviors. However, casein tended towards aggregation at pressures of 302-486 MPa, with a further increase observed beyond 486 MPa.

Potent inhibition of human and rat 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 by curcuminoids and the metabolites: 3D QSAR and in silico docking analysis

Curcumin, an extensively utilized natural pigment in the food industry, has attracted considerable attention due to its potential therapeutic effects, such as anti-tumorigenic and anti-inflammatory activities. The enzyme 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (17β-HSD1) holds a crucial position in oestradiol production and exhibits significant involvement in oestrogen-responsive breast cancers and endometriosis. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of curcuminoids, metabolites, and analogues on 17β-HSD1, a key enzyme in oestradiol synthesis. Screening 10 compounds, including demethoxycurcumin (IC50, 3.97 μM) and dihydrocurcumin (IC50, 5.84 μM), against human and rat 17β-HSD1 revealed varying inhibitory potencies. These compounds suppressed oestradiol secretion in human BeWo cells at ≥ 5-10 μM. 3D-Quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and molecular docking analyses elucidated the interaction mechanisms. Docking studies and Gromacs simulations suggested competitive or mixed binding to the steroid or NADPH/steroid binding sites of 17β-HSD1. Predictive 3D-QSAR models highlighted the importance of hydrophobic regions and hydrogen bonding in inhibiting 17β-HSD1 activity. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the inhibitory effects and mode of action of curcuminoids, metabolites, and analogues on 17β-HSD1, which may have implications in the field of hormone-related disorders.

Swimming short fibrous nasal drops achieving intraventricular administration

Adequate drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical factor in treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Inspired by swimming fish and the microstructure of the nasal cavity, this study is the first to develop swimming short fibrous nasal drops that can directly target the nasal mucosa and swim in the nasal cavity, which can effectively deliver drugs to the brain. Briefly, swimming short fibrous nasal drops with charged controlled drug release were fabricated by electrospinning, homogenization, the π-π conjugation between indole group of fibers, the benzene ring of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitor along with charge-dipole interaction between positively charged poly-lysine (PLL) and negatively charged surface of fibers; this enabled these fibers to stick to nasal mucosa, prolonged the residence time on mucosa, and prevented rapid mucociliary clearance. In vitro, swimming short fibrous nasal drops were biocompatible and inhibited microglial activation by releasing an LRRK2 inhibitor. In vivo, luciferase-labelled swimming short fibrous nasal drops delivered an LRRK2 inhibitor to the brain through the nasal mucosa, alleviating cognitive dysfunction caused by sepsis-associated encephalopathy by inhibiting microglial inflammation and improving synaptic plasticity. Thus, swimming short fibrous nasal drops is a promising strategy for the treatment of CNS diseases.

Addressing long-term mortality risk in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplant (TPIAT): causes of death and risk factors

BACKGROUND

Total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplant (TPIAT) can improve quality of life for individuals with pancreatitis but creates health risks including diabetes, exocrine insufficiency, altered intestinal anatomy and function, and asplenia.

METHODS

We studied survival and causes of death for 693 patients who underwent TPIAT between 2001 and 2020, using the National Death Index with medical records to ascertain survival after TPIAT, causes of mortality, and risk factors for death. We used Kaplan Meier curves to examine overall survival, and Cox regression and competing-risks methods to determine pre-TPIAT factors associated with all-cause and cause-specific post-TPIAT mortality.

RESULTS

Mean age at TPIAT was 33.6 years (SD = 15.1). Overall survival was 93.1% (95% CI 91.2, 95.1%) 5 years after surgery, 85.2% (95% CI 82.0, 88.6%) at 10 years, and 76.2% (95% CI 70.8, 82.3%) at 15 years. Fifty-three of 89 deaths were possibly related to TPIAT; causes included chronic gastrointestinal complications, malnutrition, diabetes, liver failure, and infection/sepsis. In multivariable models, younger age, longer disease duration, and more recent TPIAT were associated with lower mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients undergoing TPIAT to treat painful pancreatitis, careful long-term management of comorbidities introduced by TPIAT may reduce risk for common causes of mortality.

Review on sterilization techniques, and the application potential of phage lyase and lyase immobilization in fighting drug-resistant bacteria

Many human health problems and property losses caused by pathogenic contamination cannot be underestimated. Bactericidal techniques have been extensively studied to address this issue of public health and economy. Bacterial resistance develops as a result of the extensive use of single or multiple but persistent usage of sterilizing drugs, and the emergence of super-resistant bacteria brings new challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to control pathogen contamination by applying innovative and effective sterilization techniques. As organisms that exist in nature and can specifically kill bacteria, phages have become the focus as an alternative to antibacterial agents. Furthermore, phage-encoded lyases are proteins that play important roles in phage sterilization. The in vitro sterilization of phage lyase has been developed as a novel biosterilization technique to reduce bacterial resistance and is more environmentally friendly than conventional sterilization treatments. For the shortcomings of enzyme applications, this review discusses the enzyme immobilization methods and the application potential of immobilized lyases for sterilization. Although some techniques provide effective solutions, immobilized lyase sterilization technology has been proven to be a more effective innovation for efficient pathogen killing and reducing bacterial resistance. We hope that this review can provide new insights for the development of sterilization techniques.

COVID-19 vaccines and adverse events of special interest: A multinational Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN) cohort study of 99 million vaccinated individuals

BACKGROUND

The Global COVID Vaccine Safety (GCoVS) Project, established in 2021 under the multinational Global Vaccine Data Network™ (GVDN®), facilitates comprehensive assessment of vaccine safety. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of adverse events of special interest (AESI) following COVID-19 vaccination from 10 sites across eight countries.

METHODS

Using a common protocol, this observational cohort study compared observed with expected rates of 13 selected AESI across neurological, haematological, and cardiac outcomes. Expected rates were obtained by participating sites using pre-COVID-19 vaccination healthcare data stratified by age and sex. Observed rates were reported from the same healthcare datasets since COVID-19 vaccination program rollout. AESI occurring up to 42 days following vaccination with mRNA (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) and adenovirus-vector (ChAdOx1) vaccines were included in the primary analysis. Risks were assessed using observed versus expected (OE) ratios with 95 % confidence intervals. Prioritised potential safety signals were those with lower bound of the 95 % confidence interval (LBCI) greater than 1.5.

RESULTS

Participants included 99,068,901 vaccinated individuals. In total, 183,559,462 doses of BNT162b2, 36,178,442 doses of mRNA-1273, and 23,093,399 doses of ChAdOx1 were administered across participating sites in the study period. Risk periods following homologous vaccination schedules contributed 23,168,335 person-years of follow-up. OE ratios with LBCI > 1.5 were observed for Guillain-Barré syndrome (2.49, 95 % CI: 2.15, 2.87) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (3.23, 95 % CI: 2.51, 4.09) following the first dose of ChAdOx1 vaccine. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis showed an OE ratio of 3.78 (95 % CI: 1.52, 7.78) following the first dose of mRNA-1273 vaccine. The OE ratios for myocarditis and pericarditis following BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx1 were significantly increased with LBCIs > 1.5.

CONCLUSION

This multi-country analysis confirmed pre-established safety signals for myocarditis, pericarditis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Other potential safety signals that require further investigation were identified.

Clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of salivary gland myoepithelial carcinoma: institutional experience of 42 cases

Myoepithelial carcinoma (MECA) is a rare type of carcinoma for which the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors have not yet been fully clarified. A retrospective study of 42 patients diagnosed with salivary gland MECA was performed, focusing on the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors. Of the 42 patients, 20 died of cancer, 20 lived without tumour, one lived with distant metastasis, and one was lost to follow-up. Overall, 69.0% had tumour recurrence, 16.7% had cervical nodal metastasis, and 21.4% had distant metastasis. The 5-year overall survival rate was 70.2%. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with pathological positive lymph nodes (pN+), multiple recurrences of tumour, and higher histological grade had worse overall survival. Multivariate Cox analysis indicated pN+ and higher histological grade to be independent predictors of decreased survival. The 5-year overall survival rate in the pN0 group was 87.5%, while that in the pN+ group was 28.6%. In conclusion, myoepithelial carcinoma can be defined as a tumour with a high incidence of recurrence and poor prognosis, especially in pN+ patients. Pathological positive lymph nodes and histological grade may serve as predictors of survival.

Enhanced inhibition of human and rat aromatase activity by benzene ring substitutions in bisphenol A: QSAR structure-activity relationship and in silico docking analysis

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used plastic material, but its potential endocrine disrupting effect has restricted its use. The BPA alternatives have raised concerns. This study aimed to compare inhibitory potencies of 11 BPA analogues on human and rat placental aromatase (CYP19A1). The inhibitory potency on human CYP19A1 ranged from bisphenol H (IC50, 0.93 μM) to tetramethyl BPA and tetrabromobisphenol S (ineffective at 100 μM) when compared to BPA (IC50, 73.48 μM). Most of them were mixed/competitive inhibitors and inhibited estradiol production in human BeWo cells. Molecular docking analysis showed all BPA analogues bind to steroid active site or in between steroid and heme of CYP19A1 and form a hydrogen bond with catalytic residue Met374. Pharmacophore analysis showed that there were 4 hydrophobic regions for BPA analogues, with bisphenol H occupying 4 regions. Bivariate correlation analysis showed that LogP (lipophilicity) and LogS (water solubility) of BPA analogues were correlated with their IC50 values. Computerized drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics analysis showed that bisphenol H, tetrabromobisphenol A, and tetrachlorobisphenol A had low solubility, which might explain their weaker inhibition on estradiol production on BeWo cells. In conclusion, BPA analogues mostly can inhibit CYP19A1 and the lipophilicity determines their inhibitory strength.

Recent advances in electrospinning-nanofiber materials used in advanced oxidation processes for pollutant degradation

Electrospun nanofiber membranes have emerged as a novel catalyst, demonstrating exceptional efficacy in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for the degradation of organic pollutants. Their superior performance can be attributed to their substantial specific surface area, high porosity, ease of modification, rapid recovery, and unparalleled chemical stability. This paper aims to comprehensively explore the progressive applications and underlying mechanisms of electrospun nanofibers in AOPs, which include Fenton-like processes, photocatalysis, catalytic ozonation, and persulfate oxidation. A detailed discussion on the mechanism and efficiency of the catalytic process, which is influenced by the primary components of the electrospun catalyst, is presented. Additionally, the paper examines how concentration, viscosity, and molecular weight affect the characteristics of the spinning materials and seeks to provide a thorough understanding of electrospinning technology to enhance water treatment methods. The review proposes that electrospun nanofiber membranes hold significant potential for enhancing water treatment processes using advanced oxidation methods. This is attributed to their advantageous properties and the tunable nature of the electrospinning process, paving the way for advancements in water treatment through AOPs.

Spatio-temporal analysis and risk modeling of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in China

FMD is an acute contagious disease that poses a significant threat to the health and safety of cloven-hoofed animals in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The impact of FMD exhibits geographical disparities within different regions of China. The present investigation undertook an exhaustive analysis of documented occurrences of bovine FMD in China, spanning the temporal range from 2011 to 2020. The overarching objective was to elucidate the temporal and spatial dynamics underpinning these outbreaks. Acknowledging the pivotal role of global factors in FMD outbreaks, advanced machine learning techniques were harnessed to formulate an optimal prediction model by integrating comprehensive meteorological data pertinent to global FMD. Random Forest algorithm was employed with top three contributing factors including Isothermality(bio3), Annual average temperature(bio1) and Minimum temperature in the coldest month(bio6), all relevant to temperature. By encompassing both local and global factors, our study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and predicting FMD outbreaks. Furthermore, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis to trace the origin of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), pinpointing India as the country posing the greatest potential hazard by leveraging the spatio-temporal attributes of the collected data. Based on this finding, a quantitative risk model was developed for the legal importation of live cattle from India to China. The model estimated an average probability of 0.002254% for FMDV-infected cattle imported from India to China. TA sensitivity analysis identified two critical nodes within the model: he possibility of false negative clinical examination in infected cattle at destination (P5) and he possibility of false negative clinical examination in infected cattle at source(P3). This comprehensive approach offers a thorough evaluation of FMD landscape within China, considering both domestic and global perspectives, thereby augmenting the efficacy of early warning mechanisms.

A chondroitin sulfate purified from shark cartilage and bovine serum albumin interaction activity

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) was extracted and purified from shark cartilage, and its interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied. The content of chondroitin sulfate in shark cartilage was 29.97 % using the 1,9-dimethyl-methylene blue method. The molecular weight of CS was determined to be 62.464 kDa by high-performance gel permeation chromatography. UV and FT-IR spectroscopy identified the characteristics of CS and its functional group information. NMR spectroscopy and disaccharide derivatization revealed that CS was predominantly composed of disulfated disaccharides, specifically ΔDi4,6S. Fluorescence quenching experiments indicated that the interaction between CS and BSA exhibited static quenching, with a binding site number of 1. The binding process was primarily mediated by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that CS had minimal impact on the polarity and hydrophobicity of the microenvironment surrounding Tyr and Trp residues. UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy demonstrated the altered structure of BSA. The molecular docking analysis revealed that CS formed hydrogen bonds and salt bridges with BSA, predominantly binding to the IIA substructure domain of BSA. Investigating the interaction between CS and BSA holds the potential for enhancing its applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering endeavors.

Two novel bacteriophages isolated from the environment that can help control activated sludge foaming

Nocardia spp., which belongs to one of the Nocardio-form filamentous bacteria, is usually surface hydrophobic and when overproduced attaches to the surface of bubbles under the action of surfactants, allowing the stable presence of foam on the surface of aeration tanks, leading to the occurrence of sludge-foaming events. Two novel phages, P69 and KYD2, were isolated from the environment, and their hosts were Nocardia transvalensis and Nocardia carnea, respectively. These two phages are Siphophages-like with long tails. An aeration tank pilot plant was constructed in the laboratory to simulate sludge foaming, and these two strains of phage were applied. Compared with the reactor not dosed with phage, the application of phage could reduce the host level in the reactor, resulting in the highest decrease in turbidity by more than 68% and sludge volume index by more than 25%. The time for surface foam disappearance was 9 h earlier than that of the control group (the group with the same concentration of Nocardia carnea but no bacteriophage applied), significantly improving water quality. The phage can effectively inhibit the propagation of Nocardia in the actual sludge-foaming event, control the sludge foaming, and improve the effluent quality. It provides a novel and relatively economical solution for controlling sludge foaming in sewage treatment plants in the future, shows that the phages have potential application value in the prevention and control of Nocardia, and provides another way to control the sludge-foaming event caused by the excessive reproduction of Nocardia in the future.

Interpretable deep learning methods for multiview learning

BACKGROUND

Technological advances have enabled the generation of unique and complementary types of data or views (e.g. genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and opened up a new era in multiview learning research with the potential to lead to new biomedical discoveries.

RESULTS

We propose iDeepViewLearn (Interpretable Deep Learning Method for Multiview Learning) to learn nonlinear relationships in data from multiple views while achieving feature selection. iDeepViewLearn combines deep learning flexibility with the statistical benefits of data and knowledge-driven feature selection, giving interpretable results. Deep neural networks are used to learn view-independent low-dimensional embedding through an optimization problem that minimizes the difference between observed and reconstructed data, while imposing a regularization penalty on the reconstructed data. The normalized Laplacian of a graph is used to model bilateral relationships between variables in each view, therefore, encouraging selection of related variables. iDeepViewLearn is tested on simulated and three real-world data for classification, clustering, and reconstruction tasks. For the classification tasks, iDeepViewLearn had competitive classification results with state-of-the-art methods in various settings. For the clustering task, we detected molecular clusters that differed in their 10-year survival rates for breast cancer. For the reconstruction task, we were able to reconstruct handwritten images using a few pixels while achieving competitive classification accuracy. The results of our real data application and simulations with small to moderate sample sizes suggest that iDeepViewLearn may be a useful method for small-sample-size problems compared to other deep learning methods for multiview learning.

CONCLUSION

iDeepViewLearn is an innovative deep learning model capable of capturing nonlinear relationships between data from multiple views while achieving feature selection. It is fully open source and is freely available at https://github.com/lasandrall/iDeepViewLearn .

Demethoxylation of curcumin enhances its inhibition on human and rat 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3: QSAR structure-activity relationship and in silico docking analysis

Curcuminoids have many pharmacological effects. They or their metabolites may have side effects by suppressing 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD3). Herein, we investigated the inhibition of curcuminoids and their metabolites on human and rat 17β-HSD3 and analyzed their structure-activity relationship (SAR) and performed in silico docking. Curcuminoids and their metabolites ranked in terms of IC50 values against human 17β-HSD3 were bisdemethoxycurcumin (0.61 μM) > curcumin (8.63 μM) > demethoxycurcumin (9.59 μM) > tetrahydrocurcumin (22.04 μM) > cyclocurcumin (29.14 μM), and those against rat 17β-HSD3 were bisdemethoxycurcumin (3.94 μM) > demethoxycurcumin (4.98 μM) > curcumin (9.62 μM) > tetrahydrocurcumin (45.82 μM) > cyclocurcumin (143.5 μM). The aforementioned chemicals were mixed inhibitors for both enzymes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that they bind to the domain between the androstenedione and NADPH active sites of 17β-HSD3. Bivariate correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between LogP and pKa of curcumin derivatives with their IC50 values. Additionally, a 3D-QSAR analysis revealed that a pharmacophore model consisting of three hydrogen bond acceptor regions and one hydrogen bond donor region provided a better fit for bisdemethoxycurcumin compared to curcumin. In conclusion, curcuminoids and their metabolites possess the ability to inhibit androgen biosynthesis by directly targeting human and rat 17β-HSD3. The inhibitory strength of these compounds is influenced by their lipophilicity and ionization characteristics.

Inhibition mechanism of cordycepin and ergosterol from Cordyceps militaris Link. against xanthine oxidase and cyclooxygenase-2

Cordyceps militaris Link. (C. militaris) is an entomopathogenic fungus that parasitizes the pupa or cocoon of lepidopteran insect larvae, with various bioactive compounds. Cordycepin and ergosterol are the two active components in C. militaris. This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory activity of cordycepin and ergosterol against xanthine oxidase (XO) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as well as investigate the inhibition mechanism. Cordycepin could better inhibit XO (IC50 = 0.014 mg/mL) and COX-2 (IC50 = 0.055 mg/mL) than ergosterol. Additionally, surface hydrophobicity and circular dichroism (CD) spectra results confirmed the conformational changes in enzymes induced by cordycepin and ergosterol. Finally, cordycepin and ergosterol significantly decreased uric acid (UA) and inflammatory factors to normal level in mice with gouty nephropathy (GN). This study could provide theoretical evidence for utilization of C. militaris in hyperuricemia-management functional foods.

Hierarchical rhythmic propagation of corticothalamic interactions for consciousness: A computational study

Clarifying the mechanisms of loss and recovery of consciousness in the brain is a major challenge in neuroscience, and research on the spatiotemporal organization of rhythms at the brain region scale at different levels of consciousness remains scarce. By applying computational neuroscience, an extended corticothalamic network model was developed in this study to simulate the altered states of consciousness induced by different concentration levels of propofol. The cortex area containing oscillation spread from posterior to anterior in four successive time stages, defining four groups of brain regions. A quantitative analysis showed that hierarchical rhythm propagation was mainly due to heterogeneity in the inter-brain region connections. These results indicate that the proposed model is an anatomically data-driven testbed and a simulation platform with millisecond resolution. It facilitates understanding of activity coordination across multiple areas of the conscious brain and the mechanisms of action of anesthetics in terms of brain regions.

Vitamin D receptor induces oxidative stress to promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma proliferation via the p53 signaling pathway

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common pathological esophageal cancer with poor prognosis. Vitamin D deficiency reportedly occurs in ESCC patients, and this is related to single nucleotide polymorphism of vitamin D receptor (VDR).

Objective

We investigated the effect of VDR on ESCC proliferation, invasion, and metastasis and its potential mechanism.

Methods

ESCC and normal tissues were collected from 20 ESCC patients. The ESCC tissue microarray contained 116 pairs of ESCC and normal tissues and 73 single ESCC tissues. VDR expression and its clinicopathological role were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry staining. sh-VDR and VDR overexpression were used to validate the effect of VDR on ESCC cell phenotype, and tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics methods identified differential VDR-related proteins. The downstream pathway and regulatory effect were analyzed using ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Differentially expressed proteins were verified through parallel reaction monitoring and Western blot. In vivo imaging visualized subcutaneous tumor growth following tail vein injection of VDR-deficient ESCC cells.

Results

High VDR expression was observed in ESCC tissues and cells. Gender, T stage, and TNM stage were related to VDR expression, which was the independent prognostic factor related to ESCC. VDR downregulation repressed ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro and subcutaneous tumor growth and lung metastases in vivo. The cell phenotype changes were reversed upon VDR upregulation, and differential proteins were mainly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway. TP53 cooperated with ABCG2, APOE, FTH1, GCLM, GPX1, HMOX1, JUN, PRDX5, and SOD2 and may activate apoptosis and inhibit oxidative stress, cell metastasis, and proliferation. TP53 was upregulated after VDR knockdown, and TP53 downregulation reversed VDR knockdown-induced cell phenotype changes.

Conclusions

VDR may inhibit p53 signaling pathway activation and induce ESCC proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by activating oxidative stress.

[Clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of pediatric epiretinal membranes without specific etiologies]

Objective: To describe clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of pediatric epiretinal membranes (ERMs) without specific etiologies. Methods: Medical data of a cohort of pediatric patients (≤14 years) who had ERMs without specific etiologies, underwent surgical removal from January 2019 to September 2021, and were followed up for at least 12 months were retrospectively reviewed. Age at presentation, chief complaints, color fundus photographs, optical coherence tomographic images, preoperative and postoperative visual acuities, anatomical changes, and postoperative complications were assessed. Results: There were 14 patients (17 eyes), including 5 females (6 eyes) and 9 males (11 eyes). The mean age at surgery was 6.31±2.91 years, and the follow-up duration was 17.3±9.5 months. Eight patients were found to have low vision in the school physical examination. Fifteen eyes had an appearance of cellophane macular reflex on fundus images. On optical coherence tomographic images, 10 eyes had"taco"folds, and 7 eyes had"ripple"folds. Five eyes had ellipsoid zone disruptions, while 12 eyes had ellipsoid zone integrity. The preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuities in logMAR were 0.532±0.302 and 0.340±0.298. One patient suffered traumatic cataract and secondary retinal detachment postoperatively, and after further vitrectomy, the retina became attached. Conclusion: Pediatric ERMs without specific etiologies were mostly found in school-age children with cellophane macular reflex and"taco"folds. Vitrectomy may result in both potential visual acuity and macular anatomical improvements.

Whole grain germinated brown rice intake modulates the gut microbiota and alleviates hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia in high fat diet-fed mice

Hyperlipidemia is a common clinical disorder of lipid metabolism in modern society and is considered to be one of the major risk factors leading to cardiovascular-related diseases. Germinated brown rice (GBR) is a typical whole grain food. The lipid-lowering effect of GBR has received increasing attention, but its mechanism of action is not fully understood. The gut microbiota has been proposed as a novel target for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of GBR on the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed C57BL/6J mice. The effect of GBR on hyperlipidemia was evaluated by measuring blood lipid levels and by pathological examination. The gut microbiota was detected by 16S rRNA sequencing, and the protein and mRNA expression levels involved in cholesterol metabolism were detected by western blotting and RT-qPCR to find potential correlations. The results showed that GBR supplementation could effectively reduce the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C in the serum and alleviate the excessive accumulation of fat droplets caused by HFD. Moreover, GBR intervention improved HFD-fed gut microbiota disorder via increasing the diversity of the gut microbiota, reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and improving gut barrier damage. In addition, GBR could inhibit endogenous cholesterol synthesis and promote cholesterol transport and excretion. These findings suggest that GBR may be a competitive candidate for the development of functional foods to prevent abnormal lipid metabolism.

Exploration on anti-hypoxia properties of peptides: a review

Peptides are important components of human nutrition and health, and considered as safe, nontoxic, and easily absorbed potential drugs. Anti-hypoxia peptides are a kind of peptides that can prevent hypoxia or hypoxia damage. In this paper, the sources, preparations, and molecular mechanisms of anti-hypoxia peptides were systemically reviewed. The combination of bioinformatics, chemical synthesis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation are recommended for efficient productions of anti-hypoxic peptides. The mechanisms of anti-hypoxic peptides include interference with glycolytic process and HIF-1α pathway, mitochondrial apoptosis, and inflammatory response. In addition, bioinformatics analysis, including virtual screening and molecular docking, provides an alternative or auxiliary method for exploring the potential anti-hypoxic activities and mechanisms of peptides. The potential challenges and prospects of anti-hypoxic peptides are also discussed. This paper can provide references for researchers in this field and promote further research and clinical applications of anti-hypoxic peptides in the future.

Fermented rape pollen powder can alleviate benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats by reducing hormone content and changing gut microbiota

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can cause urethral compression, bladder stone formation, and renal function damage, which may endanger the life of patients. Therefore, we aimed to develop plant-based preparations for BPH treatment with no side effects. In this study, the Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 322Hp, Lactobacillus acidophilus 322Ha, and Limosilactobacillus reuteri 322Hr were used to ferment rape pollen. The fermented rape pollen was subsequently converted into fermented rape pollen powder (FRPP) through vacuum freeze-drying technology. After fermenting and drying, the bioactive substances and antioxidant capacity of FRPP were significantly higher than those of unfermented rapeseed pollen, and FRPP had a longer storage duration, which can be stored for over one year. To investigate the therapeutic effect of FRPP on BPH, a BPH rat model was established by hypodermic injection of testosterone propionate. The BPH rats were treated differently, with the model group receiving normal saline, the positive control group receiving finasteride, and the low, medium, and high dose FRPP group receiving FRPP at doses of 0.14 g/kg/d, 0.28 g/kg/d, and 0.56 g/kg/d, respectively. The results indicate that medium dose FRPP reduced the levels of hormone such as testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and oestradiol in rats with BPH by about 32%, thus bringing the prostate tissue of BPH rats closer to normal. More importantly, medium dose FRPP treatment had a significant effect on the composition of gut microbiota in rats with BPH, increasing the levels of beneficial genera (such as Coprococcus and Jeotgalicoccus), and decreasing the levels of harmful pathogens (such as Turicibacter and Clostridiaceae_Clostridium) in the gut. This study showed that medium dose FRPP reduced the hormone level and regulated the unbalanced gut microbiota in BPH rats, thereby alleviating BPH.

Brain stimulation-on-a-chip: a neuromodulation platform for brain slices

Electrical stimulation of ex vivo brain tissue slices has been a method used to understand mechanisms imparted by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), but there are significant direct current electric field (dcEF) dosage and electrochemical by-product concerns in conventional experimental setups that may impact translational findings. Therefore, we developed an on-chip platform with fluidic, electrochemical, and magnetically-induced spatial control. Fluidically, the chamber geometrically confines precise dcEF delivery to the enclosed brain slice and allows for tissue recovery in order to monitor post-stimulation effects. Electrochemically, conducting hydrogel electrodes mitigate stimulation-induced faradaic reactions typical of commonly-used metal electrodes. Magnetically, we applied ferromagnetic substrates beneath the tissue and used an external permanent magnet to enable in situ rotational control in relation to the dcEF. By combining the microfluidic chamber with live-cell calcium imaging and electrophysiological recordings, we showcased the potential to study the acute and lasting effects of dcEFs with the potential of providing multi-session stimulation. This on-chip bioelectronic platform presents a modernized yet simple solution to electrically stimulate explanted tissue by offering more environmental control to users, which unlocks new opportunities to conduct thorough brain stimulation mechanistic investigations.

Distinct inhibitory strength of bisphenol A analogues on human and rat 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1: 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship and in silico molecular docking analysis

Bisphenol A (BPA) analogues are developed to replace BPA usage. However, their effects on 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) are largely unknown. The inhibitory effects of BPA and 10 BPA analogues with the substituents on the bridge moiety on human and rat 11β-HSD1 were explored in human and rat liver microsomes. The strength of inhibiting human 11β-HSD1 was bisphenol FL (IC50, 3.87 μM) > bisphenol Z (6.86 μM) > bisphenol AF (9.42 μM) > bisphenol C (16.14 μM) > bisphenol AP (32.14 μM) = bisphenol B (32.34 μM) > 4,4'-thiodiphenol (67.35 μM) > BPA (297.35 μM) > other BPA analogues (ineffective at 100 μM). The strength of inhibiting rat 11β-HSD1 was bisphenol Z (IC50, 14.44 μM) > 4,4'-thiodiphenol (19.01 μM) > bisphenol B (20.13 μM) > bisphenol F (22.10 μM) > bisphenol E (33.04 μM) > bisphenol AF (49.67 μM) > bisphenol C > (56.97 μM) > bisphenol AP (62.71 μM) >bisphenol FL (96.31 μM) > other BPA analogues (ineffective at 100 μM). Bisphenol A, AF, AP, B, C, F, FL, Z, and 4,4'-thiodiphenol bind to the active sites of human and rat 11β-HSD1. Regression of LogP and molecular weight with IC50 values revealed distinct inhibitory pattern (negative correlation for human 11β-HSD1 vs. positive correlation for rat enzyme). Regression of the lowest binding energy with IC50 values revealed a significant positive regression. 3D QSAR pharmacophore analysis showed one hydrogen bond acceptor and two hydrogen bond donors for human 11β-HSD1. In conclusion, most BPA analogues are more potent inhibitors of human and rat 11β-HSD1 enzymes and there is structure-dependent and species-dependent inhibition.

[Hydrochemical Characteristics and Pollution Source Identification of Groundwater in Plain Area of Barkol-Yiwu Basin]

Groundwater is an important water supply source for production and life in arid and semi-arid areas. This study revealed the hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in the Barkol-Yiwu Basin of Xinjiang and analyzed the pollution sources, which is of great significance in the sustainable utilization of local groundwater. Four spring water samples, 20 unconfined groundwater samples, and 11 confined groundwater samples collected in August 2022 were analyzed using mathematical statistics, a graphic method, and the PCA-APCS-MLR model. The results showed that the chemical types of groundwater in the study area were complex and diverse. The spring water was mainly HCO3·SO4-Na·Ca type groundwater, the chemical types of unconfined groundwater were mainly HCO3·SO4-Na·Ca and HCO3·SO4-Ca, and the chemical types of confined groundwater were HCO3·SO4-Na·Ca and HCO3·Cl·SO4-Na·Ca. The hydrochemical type of confined water in unused land was single(Cl·SO4-Na·Ca), and the hydrochemical types of confined groundwater in cultivated land and urban and rural residential land were complex, indicating that groundwater was affected by human activities. The evolution process of groundwater was mainly affected by water-rock interactions and cationic exchange. The cation exchange from spring water to unconfined groundwater to confined groundwater was gradually enhanced, the weathering and dissolution of gypsum and anhydrite was gradually weakened, and the weathering and dissolution of rock salt was gradually strengthened. Leaching-enrichment(mainly the dissolution of evaporite), human activities(industrial, agricultural, and domestic pollution), and the primary geological environment were the main factors affecting groundwater in the study area.

Phytochromes transmit photoperiod information via the evening complex in Brachypodium

BACKGROUND

Daylength is a key seasonal cue for animals and plants. In cereals, photoperiodic responses are a major adaptive trait, and alleles of clock genes such as PHOTOPERIOD1 (PPD1) and EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) have been selected for in adapting barley and wheat to northern latitudes. How monocot plants sense photoperiod and integrate this information into growth and development is not well understood.

RESULTS

We find that phytochrome C (PHYC) is essential for flowering in Brachypodium distachyon. Conversely, ELF3 acts as a floral repressor and elf3 mutants display a constitutive long day phenotype and transcriptome. We find that ELF3 and PHYC occur in a common complex. ELF3 associates with the promoters of a number of conserved regulators of flowering, including PPD1 and VRN1. Consistent with observations in barley, we are able to show that PPD1 overexpression accelerates flowering in short days and is necessary for rapid flowering in response to long days. PHYC is in the active Pfr state at the end of the day, but we observe it undergoes dark reversion over the course of the night.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose that PHYC acts as a molecular timer and communicates information on night-length to the circadian clock via ELF3.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) triggers dose-dependent homeostatic rewiring in recurrent neuronal networks

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique used to induce neuronal plasticity in healthy individuals and patients. Designing effective and reproducible rTMS protocols poses a major challenge in the field as the underlying biomechanisms of long-term effects remain elusive. Current clinical protocol designs are often based on studies reporting rTMS-induced long-term potentiation or depression of synaptic transmission. Herein, we employed computational modeling to explore the effects of rTMS on long-term structural plasticity and changes in network connectivity. We simulated a recurrent neuronal network with homeostatic structural plasticity among excitatory neurons, and demonstrated that this mechanism was sensitive to specific parameters of the stimulation protocol (i.e., frequency, intensity, and duration of stimulation). Particularly, the feedback-inhibition initiated by network stimulation influenced the net stimulation outcome and hindered the rTMS-induced structural reorganization, highlighting the role of inhibitory networks. These findings suggest a novel mechanism for the lasting effects of rTMS, i.e., rTMS-induced homeostatic structural plasticity, and highlight the importance of network inhibition in careful protocol design, standardization, and optimization of stimulation.

Bisphenol analogues inhibit human and rat 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1: 3D-quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and in silico docking analysis

Bisphenols, estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, disrupt at least one of three endocrine pathways (estrogen, androgen, and thyroid). 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (17β-HSD1) is a steroidogenic enzyme that catalyzes the activation of estradiol from estrone in human placenta and rat ovary. However, whether bisphenols inhibit 17β-HSD1 and the mode of action remains unclear. This study we screened 17 bisphenols for inhibiting human 17β-HSD1 in placental microsomes and rat 17β-HSD1 in ovarian microsomes and determined 3D-quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and mode of action. We observed some bisphenols with substituents were found to significantly inhibit both human and rat 17β-HSD1 with the most potent inhibition on human enzyme by bisphenol H (IC50 = 0.90 μM) when compared to bisphenol A (IC50 = 113.38 μM). Rat enzyme was less sensitive to the inhibition of bisphenols than human enzyme with bisphenol H (IC50 = 32.94 μM) for rat enzyme. We observed an inverse correlation between IC50 and hydrophobicity (expressed as Log P). Docking analysis showed that they bound steroid-binding site of 17β-HSD1. The 3D-QSAR models demonstrated that hydrophobic region, hydrophobic aromatic, ring aromatic, and hydrogen bond acceptor are key factors for the inhibition of steroid synthesis activity of 17β-HSD1.

Using a single complex to predict the reaction energy profile: a case study of Pd/Ni-catalyzed ethylene polymerization

Mechanism-driven catalyst screening could be greatly accelerated by quantitative prediction models of the reaction energy profile. Here, we propose a novel method for molecular representation, taking palladium- and nickel-catalyzed ethylene polymerization as model reactions. The geometric parameters (GPfra) and electron occupancies (EOfra) from the non-ligand fragment of the η3-complex were extracted as the molecular descriptors, followed by constructing the reaction energy profile prediction models on the basis of various regression algorithms. The models showed great accuracy with respect to both theoretical and experimental data. More importantly, the models are convenient for training and utilization. On one hand, all the features were easily captured from the single η3-complex. On the other hand, further investigation also demonstrated that the models could be constructed with a small training sample size. We believe that our featurization method could possibly be generalized to more organometallic reactions and paves the way to efficient catalyst design.

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitory Peptides: Sources, Preparations, Identifications, and Action Mechanisms

With the change in people's lifestyle, diabetes has emerged as a chronic disease that poses a serious threat to human health, alongside tumor, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases. α-glucosidase inhibitors, which are oral drugs, have proven effective in preventing and managing this disease. Studies have suggested that bioactive peptides could serve as a potential source of α-glucosidase inhibitors. These peptides possess certain hypoglycemic activity and can effectively regulate postprandial blood glucose levels by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity, thus intervening and regulating diabetes. This paper provides a systematic summary of the sources, isolation, purification, bioavailability, and possible mechanisms of α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides. The sources of the α-glucosidase inhibitory peptides were introduced with emphasis on animals, plants, and microorganisms. This paper also points out the problems in the research process of α-glucosidase inhibitory peptide, with a view to providing certain theoretical support for the further study of this peptide.

A simple index to predict healing in venous leg ulcers: a secondary analysis from four randomised controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the use of a simple baseline measurement predicts venous leg ulcer healing at 12 and 24 weeks.

METHOD

This was a secondary analysis of a cohort of four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of treatments adjuvant to compression. Self-reported ulcer duration, and measured ulcer length and width, to calculate estimated ulcer area, were used to obtain a Margolis index score. The score created three prognostic strata for likelihood to heal within 24 weeks, and the number of participants healed and time-to-healing were compared.

RESULTS

There were a total of 802 participants across the four RCTs-408 (50.9%) in two 12-week trials and 394 (49.1%) in two 24-week trials. The mean age of participants was 63.7±17.6 years, and 372 were female (46.4%). The Margolis index score at baseline was 0 for 320 participants (predicted normal healing); 1 for 334 participants; and 2 for 148 participants (both 1 and 2 predicted slow-to-heal). Overall, 248 (77.5%) of those participants who scored 0 at baseline healed within 24 weeks, compared with 182 (54.5%) of participants who scored 1, and 30 (20.3%) participants who scored 2. The median time-to-healing was 40 (24-62) days, 57 (35-100) days and 86.5 (56-151) days, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.69 and 0.77, respectively, for the 12 and 24 week trials.

CONCLUSION

A simple baseline index identifies participants with normal or slow-to-heal wounds and could be used to demonstrate prognostic balance between treatment groups in trials. This approach could also be used in clinical practice to assist with managing expectations and for early identification of patients who may best benefit from adjuvant treatments.

Gut Microbiota-Derived D-Tagatose from EGCG Attenuates Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

As a rapidly self-renewing tissue, the small intestine is particularly sensitive to ionizing radiation, which limits the outcomes of radiotherapy against abdominal malignancies, resulting in poor prognosis. The polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major bioactive constituent of green tea, is beneficial in radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) alleviation. However, the bioavailability of EGCG in vivo is very low, with only 0.1% to 1.6% being absorbed into the intestine of mice. It is unclear whether gut microbial metabolites mediated by EGCG exert an effect to protect against radiation-induced intestinal injury.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to 13 Gy abdominal irradiation after EGCG gavage, and the severity of intestinal tissue damage was evaluated by HE staining, immunohistochemistry, and TUNEL assays. Fresh fecal samples were collected after the end of gavage, and then fecal sterile fecal filtrate (SFF) was obtained. Stool samples were collected 3 d after irradiation. The gut microbiome was detected by 16S rRNA sequencing, the metabolites were detected by GC‒MS analysis, and then the metabolites were applied to male C57BL/6J mice, observing and evaluating the severity of RIII.

RESULTS

We first explored the effect of oral EGCG delivery on radiation-induced intestinal injury. Our results revealed that EGCG pre-supplementation prolongs survival time, prevents weight loss in mice and mitigates radiation-induced intestinal injury in irradiated mice. Using 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis, we first found that EGCG ameliorated ionizing radiation-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and enriched short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria such as Roseburia, Ruminococcus, and Clostridia_UCG-014. In addition, metabolomic profiling analysis showed that the gut microbiota modulated EGCG-induced metabolic reprogramming in colonic tissues, particularly by enhancing galactose metabolism. Notably, EGCG supplementation resulted in the enrichment of the microbiota-derived galactose metabolism metabolite D-tagatose. Furthermore, exogenous treatment with D-tagatose reproduced similar protective effects as EGCG to protect against radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII). D-tagatose restored the length of villi and improved the number of goblet cells, Ki-67-positive cells and Lgr5+ ISCs, while the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the intestinal tissues decreased significantly. To validate these discoveries, we performed fecal sterile fecal filtrate (SFF) from EGCG-dosed mice to untreated mice before ionizing radiation. SFF from EGCG-dosed mice alleviated the RIII over SFF from control mice superiorly.

CONCLUSION

This study provides the first data indicating that oral EGCG ameliorated radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) by regulating the gut microbiota and metabolites. Our findings provide novel insights into D-tagatose derived by gut microbiota from EGCG-mediated remission of RIII.

Dynamics and profiles of a degenerated reaction-diffusion host-pathogen model with apparent and inapparent infection period

Inapparent infection plays an important role in the disease spread, which is an infection by a pathogen that causes few or no signs or symptoms of infection in the host. Many pathogens, including HIV, typhoid fever, and coronaviruses such as COVID-19 spread in their host populations through inapparent infection. In this paper, we formulated a degenerated reaction-diffusion host-pathogen model with multiple infection period. We split the infectious individuals into two distinct classes: apparent infectious individuals and inapparent infectious individuals, coming from exposed individuals with a ratio of (1-p) and p, respectively. Some preliminary results and threshold-type results are achieved by detailed mathematical analysis. We also investigate the asymptotic profiles of the positive steady state (PSS) when the diffusion rate of susceptible individuals approaches zero or infinity. When all parameters are all constants, the global attractivity of the constant endemic equilibrium is established. It is verified by numerical simulations that spatial heterogeneity of the transmission rates can enhance the intensity of an epidemic. Especially, the transmission rate of inapparent infectious individuals significantly increases the risk of disease transmission, compared to that of apparent infectious individuals and pathogens in the environment, and we should pay special attentions to how to regulate the inapparent infectious individuals for disease control and prevention, which is consistent with the result on the sensitive analysis to the transmission rates through the normalized forward sensitivity index. We also find that disinfection of the infected environment is an important way to prevent and eliminate the risk of environmental transmission.

Probiotic Consortia and their Metabolites Protect Intestine Against Radiation Injury by Improving Intestinal Epithelial Homeostasis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The intestine is a highly radiosensitive tissue that is susceptible to structural and functional damage due to systemic as well as localized radiation exposure. Unfortunately, no therapeutic agents are available at present to manage radiation-induced intestinal injuries (RIII). Probiotics, especially Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, are orally taken as food supplements or microbial drugs by patients with gastrointestinal disorders due to their safety, efficacy, and power to restore the gut microenvironment. Our results demonstrate that probiotic consortia and their metabolites could exert protective roles in the RIII mouse model by restoring the structure of the gut microbiota and regulating redox imbalance. Moreover, the effect of probiotic consortia is better than that of any single probiotic strain.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Male C57BL/6J mice were treated with 13 Gy of whole abdominal irradiation (WAI). Probiotics were administered by gavage before (once a day for 30 days) WAI. The survival and body weight were recorded, while the severity of RIII was evaluated by HE staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and TUNEL assay of gut tissues. Meanwhile, stool samples were obtained 3.5 d after irradiation. Gut microbiome were measured by 16S rRNA sequencing, and metabolites were detected by LC-MS analysis. For sterile fecal filtrate (SFF), the supernatants were collected and passed through 70 and 0.2μm filters.

RESULTS

Compared to the control, probiotic consortia (Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus paracasei) treatment significantly increased survival rates by 50% (P<0.05) and improved clinical scores of mice after WAI. HE staining showed that probiotics mitigated RIII, as reflected by the dramatic attenuation of crypt-villus architecture destruction. IHC results showed that probiotic consortia treatment markedly increased the Lgr5+ cells, Paneth cells, and Ki67+ cells (P<0.001) per crypt, indicating that probiotics promoted the proliferation and differentiation of ISCs after WAI. Consistent with the H&E staining, the level of CD4/CD8 was increased by the probiotic consortia compared with that of the control group. The probiotic consortia modulated the structure of the gut microbiota and metabolites in the RIII mouse model. To further investigate the impact of metabolites on RIII, crude probiotic fermentation metabolites were administered to the RIII mouse model. Specifically, mice fed the mixed-metabolite daily for 7 days before IR had significantly more Lgr5+ and Ki67+cells in the SI crypt than mice of control. Moreover, treatment with mixed metabolites resulted in insignificant changes in SOD, MDA, GSH and T-AOC activity compared to the control group in intestinal tissues.

CONCLUSION

In the present study, we demonstrate that probiotic consortia and their metabolites treatment attenuate RIII by modulating the structure and composition of the gut microbiota and regulating redox imbalance.

The extensin protein SAE1 plays a role in leaf senescence and is targeted by the ubiquitin ligase SINA4 in tomato

Extensins are hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins and generally play a structural role in cell wall integrity. In this study, we determined a novel role of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED EXTENSIN1 (SAE1) in leaf senescence. Both gain- and loss-of-function analyses suggest that SAE1 plays a positive role in leaf senescence in tomato. Transgenic plants overexpressing SAE1 (SAE1-OX) exhibited premature leaf senescence and enhanced dark-induced senescence, whereas SAE1 knockout (SAE1-KO) plants displayed delayed development-dependent and dark-induced leaf senescence. Heterologous overexpression of SlSAE1 in Arabidopsis also led to premature leaf senescence and enhanced dark-induced senescence. In addition, the SAE1 protein was found to interact with the tomato ubiquitin ligase SlSINA4, and SlSINA4 promoted SAE1 degradation in a ligase-dependent manner when co-expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, suggesting that SlSINA4 controls SAE1 protein levels via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Introduction of an SlSINA4-overexpression construct into the SAE1-OX tomato plants consistently completely eliminated accumulation of the SAE1 protein and suppressed the phenotypes conferred by overexpression of SAE1. Taken together, our results suggest that the tomato extensin SAE1 plays a positive role in leaf senescence and is regulated by the ubiquitin ligase SINA4.

Functional Perspective of Leeks: Active Components, Health Benefits and Action Mechanisms

Leek (Allium fistulosum L.), a common and widely used food ingredient, is a traditional medicine used in Asia to treat a variety of diseases. Leeks contain a variety of bioactive substances, including sulfur compounds, dietary fiber, steroid compounds and flavonoid compounds. Many studies have shown that these active ingredients produce the following effects: promotion of blood circulation, lowering of cholesterol, relief of fatigue, anti-inflammation, anti-bacteria, regulation of cell metabolism, anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, and the lowering of fat and blood sugar levels. In this paper, the main bioactive components and biological functions of leeks were systemically reviewed, and the action mechanisms of bioactive components were discussed. As a common food, the health benefits of leeks are not well known, and there is no systematic summary of leek investigations. In light of this, it is valuable to review the recent progress and provide reference to investigators in the field, which will promote future applications and investigations of leeks.

Recent Progress on Nitrogen-Rich Energetic Materials Based on Tetrazole Skeleton

Development of nitrogen-rich energetic materials has gained much attention because of their remarkable properties including large nitrogen content and energy density, good thermal stability, low sensitivity, good energetic performance, environmental friendliness and so on. Tetrazole has the highest nitrogen and highest energy contents among the stable azoles. The incorporation of diverse explosophoric groups or substituents into the tetrazole skeleton is beneficial to obtain high-nitrogen energetic materials having excellent energetic performance and suitable sensitivity. In this review, the development of high-nitrogen energetic materials based on tetrazole skeleton is highlighted. Initially, the property and utilization of nitrogen-rich energetic materials are presented. After showing the advantage of the tetrazole skeleton, the high-nitrogen energetic materials based on tetrazole are classified and introduced in detail. Based on different types of energetic materials (EMs), the synthesis and properties of nitrogen-rich energetic materials based on mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-tetrazole are summarized in detail.

Dual functions of a novel effector in the plant and pathogen arms race

Ralstonia solanacearum is a soil-borne bacterium that causes bacterial wilt disease in over 250 plant species. It has been identified as one of the top ten most serious plant pathogenic bacteria globally, causing significant crop yield loss every year. Despite its large impact on agricultural economics, the molecular mechanisms underlying plant defense against Ralstonia infection and by which Ralstonia grows within the plant xylem remain largely unexplored. In a recent article, Ke et al. discovered a distinct pathogen effector, which acted as an immune elicitor in plants but also played dual roles in compromising plant immune activation and increasing nutrient acquisition from the host plants for pathogen propagation.

Effect of β1-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism on ventricular arrhythmia and prognosis after myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Ventricular arrhythmia is a common complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The Arg389Gly polymorphism of the β1-adrenergic receptor genotype may affect AMI patients.

METHOD

Patients diagnosed with AMI were included in this study. Clinical data were obtained from the patient's medical history, and genotypes were retrieved from laboratory test reports. ECG data were recorded daily. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0, and differences were deemed statistically significant at P  < 0.05.

RESULT

In the final study, 213 patients were included. The proportions of the Arg389Arg, Arg389Gly, and Gly389Gly genotypes were 65.7%, 21.6%, and 12.7%, respectively. Patients with the Arg389Arg genotype exhibited significantly elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and pro-BNP levels compared to the Arg389Gly and Gly389Gly genotypes [cTnT: 4.00 ± 2.43 ng/ml versus 2.82 ± 1.82 ng/ml, P  = 0.012; pro-BNP: 1942.37 (1223.194, 206.59) pg/ml versus 1604.57 (798.05, 1884.79) pg/ml, P  = 0.005]. Patients with the Arg389Arg genotype exhibited a lower ejection fraction than those with the Gly389Gly genotype (54.13 ± 4.94% vs. 57.11 ± 2.87%, P  < 0.001). Patients homozygous for Arg389Arg exhibited a higher incidence of ventricular tachycardia and a greater proportion of premature ventricular contraction (PVC) compared to patients homozygous for Gly389Gly (ventricular tachycardia: 19.29% vs. 0.00%, P  = 0.009; PVC: 70.00% vs. 40.74%, P  = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

The Arg389Arg genotype is associated with greater myocardial damage, impaired cardiac function, and an increased probability of ventricular arrhythmia in AMI patients.

Primary endodermal sinus tumor originating from the sacral ligament: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Endodermal sinus tumor (EST) is a malignant tumor originating from the ovary or testis. In most case, ultrasound examination shows ovarian mass. But there is a special kind of extra-gonadal endodermal sinus tumor, which occur in organs other than gonads with insidious onset. Here we reported a case of endodermal sinus tumor, which originated from the sacral ligament presenting as an acute lower abdominal pain.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 14-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital because of acute lower abdominal pain. The ultrasound showed a mass with 72 mm × 64 mm × 50 mm in Douglas, and there was no abnormality in bilateral ovaries and fallopian tubes. Laparoscopic exploration showed a large amount of blood clots in the pelvic cavity. After removal of the blood, we found rotten fish-like tissue in the left sacral ligament, rapid pathology suggested endodermal sinus tumor. After the operation, we retrospectively examined the value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which was found to be elevated, and post-operative paraffin pathology confirmed the diagnosis. After four cycles of BEP chemotherapy, exploratory laparotomy was performed to remove the visible lesion, but postoperative pathology showed no abnormality. At the one-year follow-up, the patient remained recurrence-free.

CONCLUSION

Extra-gonadal germ cell tumors are rarely reported. When young teenagers complain of acute lower abdominal pain with elevated AFP, but there was no lesion in bilateral ovaries and fallopian tubes, we must think about the possibility of endodermal sinus tumors. Accurate diagnosis facilitates complete resection of lesions and improves patient's outcomes.

Brassinosteroids affect wood development and properties of Fraxinus mandshurica

Introduction

Xylem development plays a crucial role in wood formation in woody plants. In recent years, there has been growing attention towards the impact of brassinosteroids (BRs) on this xylem development. In the present study, we evaluated the dynamic variation of xylem development in Fraxinus mandshurica (female parent, M8) and a novel interspecific hybrid F. mandshurica × Fraxinus sogdiana (1601) from May to August 2020.

Methods

We obtained RNA-Seq transcriptomes of three tissue types (xylem, phloem, and leaf) to identify the differences in xylem-differentially expressed genes (X-DEGs) and xylem-specifically expressed genes (X-SEGs) in M8 and 1601 variants. We then further evaluated these genes via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) alongside overexpressing FmCPD, a BR biosynthesis enzyme gene, in transient transgenic F. mandshurica.

Results

Our results indicated that the xylem development cycle of 1601 was extended by 2 weeks compared to that of M8. In addition, during the later wood development stages (secondary wall thickening) of 1601, an increased cellulose content (14%) and a reduced lignin content (11%) was observed. Furthermore, vessel length and width increased by 67% and 37%, respectively, in 1601 compared with those of M8. A total of 4589 X-DEGs were identified, including enzymes related to phenylpropane metabolism, galactose metabolism, BR synthesis, and signal transduction pathways. WGCNA identified hub X-SEGs involved in cellulose synthesis and BR signaling in the 1601 wood formation-related module (CESA8, COR1, C3H14, and C3H15); in contrast, genes involved in phenylpropane metabolism were significantly enriched in the M8 wood formation-related module (CCoAOMT and CCR). Moreover, overexpression of FmCPD in transient transgenic F. mandshurica affected the expression of genes associated with lignin and cellulose biosynthesis signal transduction. Finally, BR content was determined to be approximately 20% lower in the M8 xylem than in the 1601 xylem, and the exogenous application of BRs (24-epi brassinolide) significantly increased the number of xylem cell layers and altered the composition of the secondary cell walls in F. mandshurica.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that BR biosynthesis and signaling play a critical role in the differing wood development and properties observed between M8 and 1601 F. mandshurica.

Impact of Lung Disease on COVID-19 Health Outcomes in People Living With HIV

Introduction COVID-19 most commonly causes pulmonary/lung infection, and these pulmonary diseases can complicate HIV infection. Underlying pulmonary diseases in people living with HIV (PLWH) could affect health outcomes if infected with COVID-19. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the impact of pulmonary diseases on the health outcomes of PLWH that were infected with COVID-19. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of superimposed COVID-19 infection on pre-existing lung pathologies in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection using data from the Minnesota Fairview network from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. Ordinal logistic regressions were used to determine the effect of lung comorbidities on COVID-19 severity, COVID-19-specific mortality, and all-cause mortality, adjusting for patient age and gender.  Results Two hundred sixteen PLWH tested positive for COVID-19. 24.54% of these patients had one or more pulmonary diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other lung diseases (interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension). The severity of COVID-19 outcomes was evaluated by the ranking of patients' medical records of testing positive, admitted to the hospital, being admitted to the ICU, and death. COVID-19-specific and all-cause mortality were evaluated separately. PLWH with underlying asthma or COPD was not associated with increased all-cause or COVID-19-specific mortality. Interstitial lung disease or pulmonary hypertension was significantly associated with poor health outcomes for COVID-19-specific mortality and all-cause mortality (Fisher's Exact p-value <0.001), with ICU admissions accounting for the most impact. Using the multivariate models, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension was significantly associated with an increased risk of more severe COVID-19 outcomes and COVID-19-specific mortality (OR=6.6153, CI=2.5944, 17.0795, p-value < 0.001). Interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension were also significantly associated with an increased risk of more severe COVID-19 outcomes and all-cause mortality (OR=​​5.0885, CI=2.0590, 12.5542, p-value < 0.001). Conclusions To mitigate the poor outcomes associated with interstitial lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension in PLWH due to COVID-19, healthcare providers must educate their patients about safety measures against the COVID-19 vaccine. They can also encourage the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among their eligible patients.

The lactate dehydrogenase gene is involved in the growth and metabolism of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei and the production of fermented milk flavor substances

Objective

Lactate dehydrogenase (ldh) in lactic acid bacteria is an important enzyme that is involved in the process of milk fermentation. This study aimed to explore the changes and effects of fermented milk metabolites in mutant strains after knocking out the ldh gene of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei.

Methods

The ldh mutant ΔAF91_07315 was obtained from L. paracasei using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats technology, and we determined fermented milk pH, titratable acidity, viable count, and differential metabolites in the different stages of milk fermentation that were identified using metabolomic analysis.

Results

The results showed that the growth rate and acidification ability of the mutant strain were lower than those of the wild-type strain before the end of fermentation, and analysis of the differential metabolites showed that lactate, L-cysteine, proline, and intermediate metabolites of phenylalanine, tryptophan, and methionine were downregulated (P < 0.05), which affected the growth initiation rate and acidification ability of the strain. At the end of fermentation (pH 4.5), the fermentation time of the mutant strain was prolonged and all differential metabolites were upregulated (P < 0.05), including amino acids and precursors, acetyl coenzyme A, and other metabolites involved in amino acid and fatty acid synthesis, which are associated with the regulation of fermented milk flavors. In addition, riboflavin was upregulated to promote the growth of the strain and compensate for the growth defects caused by the mutation.

Conclusion

Our data established a link between the AF91_07315 gene and strain growth and metabolism and provided a target for the regulation of fermented milk flavor substances.

Britain's harnessing of Thames river from the perspective of peace studies and its enlightenment-research based on the background of great stink in London

In recent years, novel coronavirus has been rampant all over the world, and environmental pollution has increasingly become an unavoidable problem. The history of human development seems to be always accompanied by environmental pollution. In 1858, the appearance of the big stink in London reflected the serious pollution of Thames River in the process of industrialization. The pollution of the Thames River has aroused widespread concern of all groups in Britain, and the long road of pollution control in Britain has brought profound historical lessons. However, what future generations need to really learn from it is to get rid of the dilemma of pollution before treatment. This study takes the Thames River as an analogy, positioning human destruction of nature as the intertwined of history, and pushing the debate on environmental science, peace science, and history to a climax in order to reach wise recommendations on environmental protection, which is very necessary on the contemporary stage. While promoting the progress of human civilization, strengthening the protection of the environment may be the best way to break the traditional dilemma.

Tomato SlSTK is involved in glucose response and regulated by the ubiquitin ligase SlSINA4

Glucose signaling plays an essential role in plant growth, development and stress response. Previous studies have shown that STOREKEEPER (STK) is a new class of DNA binding protein that regulates patatin expression in potato tubers and confers elevated sensitivity to glucose response in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the biological functions of STK gene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) have not been studied. Here, we characterized the tomato SlSTK and determined its role in glucose signaling. The SlSTK protein was localized in the nucleus and the expression of the SlSTK gene was induced by the glucose treatment. Overexpression of SlSTK in tomato enhanced glucose sensitivity, as manifested by reduced seed germination rate and arrested growth at the early seedling stage. In contrast, the SlSTK-knockout plants generated via the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) - CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) technique attenuated the sensitivity to glucose. In addition, SlSTK was ubiquitinated in plant cells and interacted with the tomato ubiquitin ligase SEVEN IN ABSENTIA4 (SlSINA4) that degrades SlSTK in a ligase-dependent manner. Taken together, these results suggest that SlSTK is involved in glucose signaling and its stability is regulated by the ubiquitin ligase SlSINA4.

Leydig cell development in pubertal male rats is blocked by perfluorotetradecanoic acid through decreasing AMPK-mTOR-autophagy pathway

Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA) is a type of perfluoroalkyl acid that has been linked to various health effects in animals and humans. The study aimed to investigate the potential impact of PFTeDA exposure on Leydig cell development in rats during puberty. Understanding the effects of PFTeDA on Leydig cells is crucial as these cells play a significant role in male reproductive function. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged with PFTeDA at doses of 0, 1, 5, and 10mg/kg/day from postnatal day 35 to 56. The serum hormone levels were measured and testicular transcriptome changes were analyzed by RNA-seq and verified by qPCR, and the levels of steroidogenesis-related proteins and energy regulators were measured. PFTeDA significantly reduced serum testosterone levels while slightly increasing LH levels. RNA-seq and qPCR analysis showed that genes responsive to oxidative phosphorylation (Naufa1 and Ndufs6) and steroidogenesis (Ldlr, Star, Cyp11a1) were markedly downregulated at ≥5mg/kg, while those related to ferroptosis (Alox15) and cell senescence (Map2k3 and RT1-CE3) were significantly upregulated. PFTeDA markedly reduced SIRT1 (silent information regulator 1) /PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α) and AMPKA (AMP activated kinase A), LC3B and Beclin1 (biomarkers for autophagy) levels while increasing phosphorylated mTOR. In vitro treatment of PFTeDA at 5 μM significantly reduced androgen output of Leydig cells from 35-day-old male rats while ferrostatin 1 (10 μM) reversed PFTeDA-mediated inhibition. In conclusion, the inhibitory effects of PFTeDA on pubertal rat Leydig cell development are possibly regulated by inducing ferroptosis thereby downregulating SIRT1/AMPKA/ autophagy pathways, eventually resulting in reduced steroidogenesis.

Synergistic action of phages and lytic proteins with antibiotics: a combination strategy to target bacteria and biofilms

BACKGROUND

Multidrug-resistant bacteria continue to emerge owing to the abuse of antibiotics and have a considerable negative impact on people and the environment. Bacteria can easily form biofilms to improve their survival, which reduces the efficacy of antibacterial drugs. Proteins such as endolysins and holins have been shown to have good antibacterial activity and effectively removal bacterial biofilms and reduce the production of drug-resistant bacteria. Recently, phages and their encoded lytic proteins have attracted attention as potential alternative antimicrobial agents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the sterilising efficacy of phages (SSE1, SGF2, and SGF3) and their encoded lytic proteins (lysozyme and holin), and to further explore their potential in combination with antibiotics. To the ultimate aim is to reduce or replace the use of antibiotics and provide more materials and options for sterilisation.

RESULTS

Phages and their encoded lytic proteins were confirmed to have great advantages in sterilisation, and all exhibited significant potential for reducing bacterial resistance. Previous studies on the host spectrum demonstrated the bactericidal efficacy of three Shigella phages (SSE1, SGF2, and SGF3) and two lytic proteins (LysSSE1 and HolSSE1). In this study, we investigated the bactericidal effects on planktonic bacteria and bacterial biofilms. A combined sterilisation application of antibiotics, phages, and lytic proteins was performed. The results showed that phages and lytic proteins had better sterilisation effects than antibiotics with 1/2 minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and their effect was further improved when used together with antibiotics. The best synergy was shown when combined with β- lactam antibiotics, which might be related to their mechanism of sterilising action. This approach ensures a bactericidal effect at low antibiotic concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

This study strengthens the idea that phages and lytic proteins can significantly sterilise bacteria in vitro and achieve synergistic sterilisation effects with specific antibiotics. Therefore, a suitable combination strategy may decrease the risk of drug resistance.

Study on The Interaction Between Silibinin and Neuraminidase

BACKGROUND

Neuraminidase is a pathogenic protein of the avian influenza virus. Previous studies have shown that silibinin has the potential to inhibit neuraminidase activity.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the interaction between silibinin and neuraminidase and the effect of silibinin on the structure and activity of neuraminidase.

METHOD

In this study, two-dimensional fluorescence spectrum, three-dimensional fluorescence spectrometry, Uv-vis spectroscopy, and Circular dichroism analysis were used Result: Silibinin alters the secondary structure of neuraminidase and inhibits the activity of neuraminidase.

CONCLUSION

Silibinin can interact with neuraminidase and inhibit its activity.