The changes of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of SAMP8 mice and the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion

BACKGROUND

Influenced by the global aging population, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has increased sharply. In addition to increasing β-amyloid plaque deposition and tau tangle formation, neurogenesis dysfunction has recently been observed in AD. Therefore, promoting regeneration to improve neurogenesis and cognitive dysfunction can play an effective role in AD treatment. Acupuncture and moxibustion have been widely used in the clinical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases because of their outstanding advantages such as early, functional, and benign two-way adjustment. It is urgent to clarify the effectiveness, greenness, and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in promoting neurogenesis in AD treatment.

METHODS

Senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice at various ages were used as experimental models to simulate the pathology and behaviors of AD mice. Behavioral experiments, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and immunofluorescence experiments were used for comparison between different groups.

RESULTS

Acupuncture and moxibustion could increase the number of PCNA+ DCX+ cells, Nissl bodies, and mature neurons in the hippocampal Dentate gyrus (DG) of SAMP8 mice, restore the hippocampal neurogenesis, delay the AD-related pathological presentation, and improve the learning and memory abilities of SAMP8 mice.

CONCLUSION

The pathological process underlying AD and cognitive impairment were changed positively by improving the dysfunction of neurogenesis. This indicates the promising role of acupuncture and moxibustion in the prevention and treatment of AD.

Effect of plant-soil system on the restoration of community stability after wildfire in the northeast margin of Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Wildfires, as an environmental filter, are pivotal ecological disturbances that reshape plant communities and soil dynamics, playing a crucial role in regulating biogeographic patterns and ecosystem services. In this study, we aim to explore the effects of wildfires on forest ecosystems, specifically focusing on the plant-soil feedback mechanisms within the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Utilizing Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM), we investigated the interrelationships among soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, species diversity, and community stability at varying post-fire recovery stages (5, 15, and 23 years). Results indicated that in the early recovery stages, rapid changes in soil properties such as decreased pH (p < 0.001) and increased nutrient availability facilitate the emergence of early successional species with high resource utilization traits. As the ecosystem evolved toward a climax community, the soil and vegetation exhibit increased stability. Furthermore, soil enzyme activities displayed dynamic patterns that corresponded with changes in soil nutrient content, directly influencing the regeneration and diversity of plant communities. Importantly, our study documented a transition in the influence of soil properties on community stability from direct positive effects in initial recovery phases to negative impacts in later stages, while indirect benefits accrue through increased species diversity and enzyme activity. Vegetation composition and structure changed dynamically with recovery time during community succession. Plant nutrient absorption and accumulation affected nutrient dynamics in the soil, influencing plant regeneration, distribution, and diversity. Our results underscore the complex interactions between soil and vegetation that drive the recovery dynamics post-wildfire, highlighting the resilience of forest ecosystems to fire disturbances. This study contributes to the understanding of post-fire recovery processes and offers valuable insights for the management and restoration of fire-affected forest ecosystems.

Assessing ammonium pollution and mitigation measures through a modified watershed non-point source model

Watershed water quality modeling is a valuable tool for managing ammonium (NH4+) pollution. However, simulating NH4+ pollution presents unique challenges due to the inherent instability of NH4+ in natural environment. This study modified the widely-used Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate non-point source (NPS) NH4+ processes, specifically incorporating the simulation of land-to-water NH4+ delivery. The Jiulong River Watershed (JRW) is the study area, a coastal watershed in Southeast China with substantial sewage discharge, livestock farming, and fertilizer application. The results demonstrate that the modified model can effectively simulate the NPS NH4+ processes. It is recommended to use multiple sets of observations to calibrate NH4+ simulation to enhance model reliability. Despite constituting a minor proportion (5.6 %), point source inputs significantly contribute to NH4+ load at watershed outlet (32.4∼51.9 %), while NPS inputs contribute 15.3∼17.3 % of NH4+ loads. NH4+ primarily enters water through surface runoff and lateral flow, with negligible leaching. Average NH4+ land-to-water delivery rate is about 2.35 to 2.90 kg N/ha/a. High delivery rates mainly occur at agricultural areas. Notably, proposed NH4+ mitigation measures, including urban sewage treatment enhancement, livestock manure management improvement, and fertilizer application reduction, demonstrate potential to collectively reduce the NH4+ load at watershed outlet by 1/4 to 1/3 and significantly enhance water quality standard compliance frequency. Insights gained from modeling experience in the JRW offer valuable implications for NH4+ modeling and management in regions with similar climates and significant anthropogenic nitrogen inputs.

Photodynamic therapy inhibits cancer progression and induces ferroptosis and apoptosis by targeting P53/GPX4/SLC7A11 signaling pathways in cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. The specific mechanism of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in treating CCA remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of PDT in the treatment of CCA and try to improve the therapeutic effect of PDT by intervening associated signaling pathways.

METHODS

The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to examine the cytotoxicity of CCA cell lines following PDT. Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured by flow cytometry. A transmission electron microscope was used to study the changes in cell mitochondria after PDT. The levels of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), ferrous iron (Fe2+), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lipid peroxide (LPO) were determined. Changes in the expression of apoptosis and ferroptosis-related proteins were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Xenograft tumor models were developed to investigate the effects of PDT on tumor proliferation, apoptosis, and ferroptosis in vivo.

RESULTS

PDT inhibited tumor proliferation and induced apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. This treatment led to swelling and damage of the mitochondria in affected cells. Furthermore, ROS levels rose, accompanied by an increase in the proportion of apoptotic-positive cells. The expressions of Bax and Caspase-3 were upregulated, while the Bcl-2 was downregulated. Meanwhile, PDT triggered ferroptosis, marked by decreased expressions of GPX4 and SLC7A11, and reduced GSH levels. This was accompanied by upregulation of P53 expression and heightened levels of Fe2+, LPO, MDA, and LDH. After inducing the ferroptosis pathway, the therapeutic effect of PDT was enhanced, the tumor tissue was further reduced, and the degree of malignancy was reduced.

CONCLUSION

PDT promotes apoptosis and ferroptosis of cholangiocarcinoma cells by activating the P53/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway and inhibits the growth of cholangiocarcinoma. Inducing ferroptosis can enhance the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy.

SpyGlass guided PDT for advanced intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile tract: A case report and literature review

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile tract is a rare biliary tumor characterized by mucin growth within the bile duct. In the early stages, it often presents without significant obstruction, this often leads to its discovery in the advanced stages. We report a case of a 63-year-old female with an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct (IPMN-B). The patient had a history of intrahepatic bile duct stones and biliary ascariasis. She gradually developed symptoms such as jaundice and intermittent fever before admission, and a bile duct biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of IPMN-B. Currently, endoscopic photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered an effective treatment for bile duct cancer. In this case, we performed two sessions of PDT guided by SpyGlass. The patient experienced complete remission postoperatively, and there has been no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis in the three years following the procedure.

Immunoactivation by Cutaneous Blue Light Irradiation Inhibits Remote Tumor Growth and Metastasis

An improved innate immunity will respond quickly to pathogens and initiate efficient adaptive immune responses. However, up to now, there have been limited clinical ways for effective and rapid consolidation of innate immunity. Here, we report that cutaneous irradiation with blue light of 450 nm rapidly stimulates the innate immunity through cell endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation in a noninvasive way. The iron porphyrin-containing proteins, mitochondrial cytochrome c (Cyt-c), and cytochrome p450 (CYP450) can be mobilized by blue light, which boosts electron transport and ROS production in epidermal and dermal tissues. As a messenger of innate immune activation, the increased level of ROS activates the NF-κB signaling pathway and promotes the secretion of immunomodulatory cytokines in skin. Initiated from skin, a regulatory network composed of cytokines and immune cells is established through the circulation system for innate immune activation. The innate immunity activated by whole-body blue light irradiation inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by increasing the infiltration of antitumor neutrophils and tumor-associated macrophages. Our results elucidate the remote immune modulation mechanism of blue light and provide a clinically applicable way for innate immunity activation.

Osteosarcoma-targeted Cu and Ce based oxide nanoplatform for NIR II fluorescence/magnetic resonance dual-mode imaging and ros cascade amplification along with immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

As the lethal bone tumor, osteosarcoma often frequently occurs in children and adolescents with locally destructive and high metastasis. Distinctive kinds of nanoplatform with high therapeutical effect and precise diagnosis for osteosarcoma are urgently required. Multimodal optical imaging and programmed treatment, including synergistic photothermal-chemodynamic therapy (PTT-CDT) elicits immunogenetic cell death (ICD) is a promising strategy that possesses high bio-imaging sensitivity for accurate osteosarcoma delineating as well as appreciable therapeutic efficacy with ignorable side-effects.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, mesoporous Cu and Ce based oxide nanoplatform with Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) anchoring is designed and successfully constructed. After loading with indocyanine green, this nanoplatform can be utilized for precisely targeting and efficaciously ablating against osteosarcoma via PTT boosted CDT and the closely following ICD stimulation both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, it provides off-peak fluorescence bio-imaging in the second window of near-infrared region (NIR II, 1000-1700 nm) and Magnetic resonance signal, serves as the dual-mode contrast agents for osteosarcoma tissue discrimination.

CONCLUSION

Tumor targeted Cu&Ce based mesoporous nanoplatform permits efficient osteosarcoma suppression and dual-mode bio-imaging that opens new possibility for effectively diagnosing and inhibiting the clinical malignant osteosarcoma.

Generation, division and training: A promising method for source-free unsupervised domain adaptation

Conventional unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) methods often presuppose the existence of labeled source domain samples while adapting the source model to the target domain. Nevertheless, this premise is not always tenable in the context of source-free UDA (SFUDA) attributed to data privacy considerations. Some existing methods address this challenging SFUDA problem by self-supervised learning. But inaccurate pseudo-labels are always unavoidable to degrade the performance of the target model among these methods. Therefore, we propose a promising SFUDA method, namely Generation, Division and Training (GDT) which aims to promote the reliability of pseudo-labels for self-supervised learning and encourage similar features to have closer predictions than dissimilar ones by contrastive learning. Specifically in our GDT method, we first refine pseudo-labels with deep clustering for target samples and then split them into reliable samples and unreliable samples. After that, we adopt self-supervised learning and information maximization for reliable samples training. And for unreliable samples, we conduct contrastive learning via the perspective of similarity and disparity to attract similar samples and repulse dissimilar samples, which helps pull the similar features closed and push the dissimilar features away, leading to efficient feature clustering. Thorough experimentation on three benchmark datasets substantiates the excellence of our proposed approach.

Chromatin Modifier EP400 Regulates Oocyte Quality and Zygotic Genome Activation in Mice

Epigenetic modifiers that accumulate in oocytes, play a crucial role in steering the developmental program of cleavage embryos and initiating life. However, the identification of key maternal epigenetic regulators remains elusive. In the findings, the essential role of maternal Ep400, a chaperone for H3.3, in oocyte quality and early embryo development in mice is highlighted. Depletion of Ep400 in oocytes resulted in a decline in oocyte quality and abnormalities in fertilization. Preimplantation embryos lacking maternal Ep400 exhibited reduced major zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and experienced developmental arrest at the 2-to-4-cell stage. The study shows that EP400 forms protein complex with NFYA, occupies promoters of major ZGA genes, modulates H3.3 distribution between euchromatin and heterochromatin, promotes transcription elongation, activates the expression of genes regulating mitochondrial functions, and facilitates the expression of rate-limiting enzymes of the TCA cycle. This intricate process driven by Ep400 ensures the proper execution of the developmental program, emphasizing its critical role in maternal-to-embryonic transition.

A novel dual polarization multiplexing RoF system integrating optical fiber and FSO channel with AMI downlink signals

Using dual polarization multiplexing alternate mark inversion (AMI) downlink signals, a novel radio over fiber (RoF) system integrating optical fiber and FSO channel is designed to adapt to applications in mountainous areas and other complex terrain areas. Optical heterodyne technology and self-mixing homodyne detection method are used to realize high sensitivity detection of the received signals after 25.1 km channel (including 1 km single-mode fiber and 100 m free space link) transmission. Moreover, polarization multiplexing technology is introduced to exponentially increase the transmission capacity of downlink signals. This scheme not only can be compatible with traditional optical fiber transmission systems, but also support the wireless optical access application of millimeter wave signals in RoF systems.

Unsupervised Multitarget Domain Adaptation With Dictionary-Bridged Knowledge Exploitation

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) is an emerging learning paradigm that models on unlabeled datasets by leveraging model knowledge built on other labeled datasets, in which the statistical distributions of these datasets are usually not identical. Formally, UDA is to leverage knowledge from a labeled source domain to promote an unlabeled target domain. Although there have been a variety of methods proposed to address the UDA problem, most of them are dedicated to single-source-to-single-target domain, while the works on single-source-to-multitarget domain are relatively rare. Compared to the single-source domain with single-target domain scenario, the UDA from single-source domain to multitarget domain is more challenging since it needs to consider not only the relationships between the source and the target domains but also those among the target domains. To this end, this article proposes a kind of dictionary learning-based unsupervised multitarget domain adaptation method (DL-UMTDA). In DL-UMTDA, a common dictionary is constructed to correlate the single-source and multitarget domains, while individual dictionaries are designed to exploit the private knowledge for the target domains. Through learning the corresponding dictionary representation coefficients in the UDA process, the correlations from the source to the target domains as well as these potential relationships between the target domains can be effectively exploited. In addition, we design an alternating algorithm to solve the DL-UMTDA model with theoretical convergence guarantee. Finally, extensive experiments on benchmark (Office + Caltech) and real datasets (AgeDB, Morph, and CACD) validate the superiority of the proposed method.

SNX17 Mediates Dendritic Spine Maturation via p140Cap

Sorting nexin17 (SNX17) is a member of the sorting nexin family, which plays a crucial role in endosomal trafficking. Previous research has shown that SNX17 is involved in the recycling or degradation of various proteins associated with neurodevelopmental and neurological diseases in cell models. However, the significance of SNX17 in neurological function in the mouse brain has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we generated Snx17 knockout mice and observed that the homozygous deletion of Snx17 (Snx17-/-) resulted in lethality. On the other hand, heterozygous mutant mice (Snx17+/-) exhibited anxiety-like behavior with a reduced preference for social novelty. Furthermore, Snx17 haploinsufficiency led to impaired synaptic transmission and reduced maturation of dendritic spines. Through GST pulldown and interactome analysis, we identified the SRC kinase inhibitor, p140Cap, as a potential downstream target of SNX17. We also demonstrated that the interaction between p140Cap and SNX17 is crucial for dendritic spine maturation. Together, this study provides the first in vivo evidence highlighting the important role of SNX17 in maintaining neuronal function, as well as regulating social novelty and anxiety-like behaviors.

A Manganese-Based Metal-Organic Framework as a Cold-Adapted Nanozyme

The development of cold-adapted enzymes with high efficiency and good stability is an advanced strategy to overcome the limitations of catalytic medicine in low and cryogenic temperatures. In this work, inspired by natural enzymes, a novel cold-adapted nanozyme based on a manganese-based nanosized metal-organic framework (nMnBTC) is designed and synthesized. The nMnBTC as an oxidase mimetic not only exhibits excellent activity at 0 °C, but also presents almost no observable activity loss as the temperature is increased to 45 °C. This breaks the traditional recognition that enzymes show maximum activity only under specific psychrophilic or thermophilic condition. The superior performance of nMnBTC as a cold-adapted nanozyme can be attributed to its high-catalytic efficiency at low temperature, good substrate affinity, and flexible conformation. Based on the robust performance of nMnBTC, a low-temperature antiviral strategy is developed to inactivate influenza virus H1N1 even at -20 °C. These results not only provide an important guide for the rational design of highly efficient artificial cold-adapted enzymes, but also pave a novel way for biomedical application in cryogenic fields.

Quasi-MOF-Engineered MnOx /CeBTC Multinanozyme as a Robust Self-Cascade ROS Generator toward Antibacterial Face Mask

It is of great importance to endow personal protective equipments with bactericidal property combating against infected pathogens. Nanozyme that can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in an enzyme-catalytic manner is regarded as a novel and promising nanobactericide. But until now, very rare of them is designed specifically for personal protective equipments. In this study, a multinanozyme of manganese oxide supported on Ce-containing MOF (CeBTC) is constructed with post-engineering via a quasi-metal-organic framework (MOF) strategy (denoted as MnOx /q-CeBTC). The strategy enables a full exposure of the metal cluster nodes, introduction of new active Mn─O─Ce bonds and strengthens interaction between the metal nodes and the guest oxide. As an advanced multinanozyme, the MnOx /q-CeBTC exhibits excellent multiple enzymatic activities at low temperature, and enables abundant and self-cascade ROS generation without H2 O2 addition. This empowers it with high efficiency in bacteria killing, which is also reflected when incorporated into face mask to combat against pathogen invasion even at low temperature. The results achieved in this work provide guidance for rational design of effective bactericide based on nanozyme and broaden their application in personal protective equipment and other fields.

Melittin Treats Periprosthetic Osteolysis in a Rat Model by Inhibiting the NF-kB Pathway and Regulating the Ratio of Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa B Ligand/Osteoprotegerin

BACKGROUND

Aseptic loosening around the prosthesis is a common cause of failure in total joint arthroplasty. Polyethylene wear particles trigger the release of inflammatory factors by macrophages. Key mediators involved in osteoclastogenesis include interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B (RANK), RANK ligand (RANKL), and bone protection hormone (Osteoprotegerin [OPG]). The purpose of our experiment was to see whether melittin can slow down the release of inflammatory mediators through the NF-kB pathway, regulate the RANKL/OPG ratio, reduce osteoclast formation, and delay the onset of arthritis in rats.

METHODS

A total of 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats (10 months, Specific Pathogen Free, 350 g ± 20 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group, model group, melittin concentration 1 group (0.2 mg/kg), concentration 2 group (0.4 mg/kg), and concentration 3 group (0.6 mg/kg). All rats were implanted with TA2 high-purity titanium rods. A drill was used to create a bone canal along the long axis of the femur in the intercondylar notch. The model group and experimental groups were exposed to polyethylene particles, while the sham group did not receive any particles.

RESULTS

The melittin group exhibited significantly increased serum levels of serum P, calcium-phosphorus product, OPG, PINP, PINP/CTX-I, and OPG/RANKKL (P < .05). In the experimental group, micro computed tomography scanning results revealed a decrease in the amount of bone defect around the prosthesis. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated a decrease in the expression of IKKα and P65, while the expression of OPG showed an upward trend. Both Hematoxylin-Eosin and Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase staining revealed less osteoclast and inflammatory cell infiltration in bone resorption pits.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that melittin has the ability to inhibit the NF-kB pathway in a rat model, and reduce the impact of RANKL/OPG, thereby delaying osteoclast activity and alleviating periprosthetic osteolysis.

Virtual water flows and drivers in the international trade of agricultural products of the regional comprehensive economic partnership

The regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) is today the largest free trade area in the world. This paper examines agricultural trade in the RCEP from 2010 to 2019 through the perspective of virtual water. And the drivers of the virtual water flow between China and the RCEP are also explored. The results are as follows: the virtual water flow during the study period was 2,576.51 billion m3. From a temporal perspective, the annual virtual water flow over the study period is characterized by a slow rise-significant fall-slow rise. It has the characteristics of concentration in spatial distribution and water resources and product structure. However, the concentration degree showed a downward trend during the study period. Then, we have divided the major trading into four categories based on whether there is a shortage of water on both sides of the trade. In terms of the drivers of virtual water flows between China and the RCEP, we have used the gravity model to arrive at the following findings: crop yields, bilateral economic scale, and agricultural labor resources are the main drivers. Our research results have reference values for adjusting bilateral agricultural trade and water conservation.

Revealing the Antiperspirant Components of Floating Wheat and Their Mechanisms of Action through Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology

Floating wheat is a classical herbal with potential efficacy in the treatment of hyperhidrosis. Aiming at revealing the main components and potential mechanisms of floating wheat, a comprehensive and unique phytopharmacology profile study was carried out. First, common wheat was used as a control to look for chemical markers of floating wheat. In the screening analysis, a total of 180 shared compounds were characterized in common wheat and floating wheat, respectively. The results showed that floating wheat and common wheat contain similar types of compounds. In addition, in non-targeted metabolomic analysis, when taking the contents of the constituents into account, it was found that there indeed existed quite a difference between floating wheat and common wheat and 17 potential biomarkers for floating wheat. Meanwhile, a total of seven components targeted for hyperhidrosis were screened out based on network pharmacology. Seven key differential components were screened, among which kaempferol, asiatic acid, sclareol, enoxolone, and secoisolariciresinol had higher degree values than the others. The analysis of interacting genes revealed three key genes, namely, MAP2K1, ESR1, and ESR2. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses showed that various signaling pathways were involved. Prolactin signaling, thyroid cancer, endocrine resistance, gonadotropin secretion, and estrogen signaling pathways were the main pathways of the intervention of floating wheat in excessive sweating, which was associated with the estrogenic response, hormone receptor binding, androgen metabolism, apoptosis, cancer, and many other biological processes. Molecular docking showed that the screened key components could form good bindings with the target proteins through intermolecular forces. This study reveals the active ingredients and potential molecular mechanism of floating wheat in the treatment of hyperhidrosis and provides a reference for subsequent basic research.

Abnormalities of electroencephalography microstates in patients with depression and their association with cognitive function

BACKGROUND

A growing number of recent studies have explored underlying activity in the brain by measuring electroencephalography (EEG) in people with depression. However, the consistency of findings on EEG microstates in patients with depression is poor, and few studies have reported the relationship between EEG microstates, cognitive scales, and depression severity scales.

AIM

To investigate the EEG microstate characteristics of patients with depression and their association with cognitive functions.

METHODS

A total of 24 patients diagnosed with depression and 32 healthy controls were included in this study using the Structured Clinical Interview for Disease for The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. We collected information relating to demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as data from the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS; Chinese version) and EEG.

RESULTS

Compared with the controls, the duration, occurrence, and contribution of microstate C were significantly higher [depression (DEP): Duration 84.58 ± 24.35, occurrence 3.72 ± 0.56, contribution 30.39 ± 8.59; CON: Duration 72.77 ± 10.23, occurrence 3.41 ± 0.36, contribution 24.46 ± 4.66; Duration F = 6.02, P = 0.049; Occurrence F = 6.19, P = 0.049; Contribution F = 10.82, P = 0.011] while the duration, occurrence, and contribution of microstate D were significantly lower (DEP: Duration 70.00 ± 15.92, occurrence 3.18 ± 0.71, contribution 22.48 ± 8.12; CON: Duration 85.46 ± 10.23, occurrence 3.54 ± 0.41, contribution 28.25 ± 5.85; Duration F = 19.18, P < 0.001; Occurrence F = 5.79, P = 0.050; Contribution F = 9.41, P = 0.013) in patients with depression. A positive correlation was observed between the visuospatial/constructional scores of the RBANS scale and the transition probability of microstate class C to B (r = 0.405, P = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

EEG microstate, especially C and D, is a possible biomarker in depression. Patients with depression had a more frequent transition from microstate C to B, which may relate to more negative rumination and visual processing.

Alterations of serum neuropeptide levels and their relationship to cognitive impairment and psychopathology in male patients with chronic schizophrenia

Serum neuropeptide levels may be linked to schizophrenia (SCZ) pathogenesis. This study aims to examine the relation between five serum neuropeptide levels and the cognition of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), chronic stable schizophrenia (CSS), and in healthy controls (HC). Three groups were assessed: 29 TRS and 48 CSS patients who were hospitalized in regional psychiatric hospitals, and 53 HC. After the above participants were enrolled, we examined the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and the blood serum levels of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), β-endorphin (BE), neurotensin (NT), oxytocin (OT) and substance.P (S.P). Psychiatric symptoms in patients with SCZ were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. SCZ patients performed worse than HC in total score and all subscales of the RBANS. The levels of the above five serum neuropeptides were significantly higher in SCZ than in HC. The levels of OT and S.P were significantly higher in CSS than in TRS patients. The α-MSH levels in TRS patients were significantly and negatively correlated with the language scores of RBANS. However, the BE and NT levels in CSS patients were significantly and positively correlated with the visuospatial/constructional scores of RBANS. Moreover, the interaction effect of NT and BE levels was positively associated with the visuospatial/constructional scores of RBANS. Therefore, abnormally increased serum neuropeptide levels may be associated with the physiology of SCZ, and may cause cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms, especially in patients with TRS.

Hydrogen sulfide attenuates depression-like behaviours in Parkinson's disease model rats by improving synaptic plasticity in a hippocampal Warburg effect-dependent manner

BACKGROUND

Depression is a highly prevalent comorbidity arising in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, depression in patients with PD is poorly treated. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a neuromodulator, has the potential to relieve depression.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether H2S attenuates depression-like behaviours in a rat model of PD and examine the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

We utilised rotenone to develop a PD model with subcutaneous injections in the dorsal cervical region of Sprague-Dawley rats. The depression-like behaviours in the rotenone-induced PD model rats were assessed through forced swimming, tail suspension, open field, novelty-suppressed feeding, and elevated plus-maze tests. The expression of postsynaptic density protein-95 and synapsin-1, related to synaptic plasticity, was detected using Western blot in the hippocampus. The hippocampal ultrastructure, including the synaptic density, length of the synaptic active zone, postsynaptic density thickness, and synaptic gap width, was detected using transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTS

We proved that sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS; a donor of H2S) significantly attenuated the depression-like behaviours and disorders of hippocampal synaptic plasticity in rotenone-induced PD rats. Furthermore, inhibition of the hippocampal Warburg effect by 2-deoxyglucose abolished NaHS-enhanced hippocampal synaptic plasticity and reversed NaHS-attenuated depression-like behaviours in the rotenone-induced PD rats.

CONCLUSION

H2S attenuates PD-associated depression by improving the hippocampal synaptic plasticity in a hippocampal Warburg effect-dependent manner.

Different levels of prepulse inhibition among patients with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Deficits in prepulse inhibition may be a common feature in first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). We sought to explore the levels and viability of prepulse inhibition to differentiate first-episode schizophrenia, BD and MDD in patient populations.

METHODS

We tested patients with first-episode schizophrenia, BD or MDD and healthy controls using prepulse inhibition paradigms, namely perceived spatial co-location (PSC-PPI) and perceived spatial separation (PSS-PPI).

RESULTS

We included 53 patients with first-episode schizophrenia, 30 with BD and 25 with MDD, as well as 82 healthy controls. The PSS-PPI indicated that the levels of prepulse inhibition were smallest to largest, respectively, in the first-episode schizophrenia, BD, MDD and control groups. Relative to the healthy controls, the prepulse inhibition deficits in the first-episode schizophrenia group were significant (p < 0.001), but the prepulse inhibitions were similar between patients with BD and healthy controls, and between patients with MDD and healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that PSS-PPI (area under the curve [AUC] 0.73, p < 0.001) and latency (AUC 0.72, p < 0.001) were significant for differentiating patients with first-episode schizophrenia or BD from healthy controls.

LIMITATIONS

The demographics of the 4 groups were not ideally matched. We did not perform cognitive assessments. The possible confounding effect of medications on prepulse inhibition could not be eliminated.

CONCLUSION

The level of prepulse inhibition among patients with first-episode schizophrenia was the lowest, with levels among patients with BD, patients with MDD and healthy controls increasingly higher. The PSS-PPI paradigm was more effective than PSC-PPI to recognize deficits in prepulse inhibition. These results provide a basis for further research on biological indicators that can assist differential diagnoses in psychosis.

Cataract-causing mutations S78F and S78P of γD-crystallin decrease protein conformational stability and drive aggregation

Congenital cataract is the leading cause of childhood blindness, which primarily results from genetic factors. γD-crystallin is the most abundant γ-crystallin and is essential for maintaining lens transparency and refractivity. Numerous mutations in γD-crystallin have been reported with unclear pathogenic mechanism. Two different cataract-causing mutations Ser78Phe and Ser78Pro in γD-crystallin were previously identified at the same conserved Ser78 residue. In this work, firstly, we purified the mutants and characterized for the structural change using fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Both mutants were prone to form insoluble precipitates when expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3) cells. Compared with wild-type (WT), both mutations caused structural disruption, increased hydrophobic exposure, decreased solubility, and reduced thermal stability. Next, we investigated the aggregation of the mutants at the cellular level. Overexpression the mutants in HLE-B3 and HEK 293T cells could induce aggresome formations. The environmental stresses (including heat, ultraviolet irradiation and oxidative stress) promoted the formation of aggregates. Moreover, the intracellular S78F and S78P aggregates could be reversed by lanosterol. Molecular dynamic simulation indicated that both mutations disrupted the structural integrity of Greek-key motif 2. Hence, our results reveal the vital role of conserved Ser78 in maintaining the structural stability, which can offer new insights into the mechanism of cataract formation.

SAE3D: Set Abstraction Enhancement Network for 3D Object Detection Based Distance Features

With the increasing demand from unmanned driving and robotics, more attention has been paid to point-cloud-based 3D object accurate detection technology. However, due to the sparseness and irregularity of the point cloud, the most critical problem is how to utilize the relevant features more efficiently. In this paper, we proposed a point-based object detection enhancement network to improve the detection accuracy in the 3D scenes understanding based on the distance features. Firstly, the distance features are extracted from the raw point sets and fused with the raw features regarding reflectivity of the point cloud to maximize the use of information in the point cloud. Secondly, we enhanced the distance features and raw features, which we collectively refer to as self-features of the key points, in set abstraction (SA) layers with the self-attention mechanism, so that the foreground points can be better distinguished from the background points. Finally, we revised the group aggregation module in SA layers to enhance the feature aggregation effect of key points. We conducted experiments on the KITTI dataset and nuScenes dataset and the results show that the enhancement method proposed in this paper has excellent performance.

An enhanced respiratory mechanics model based on double-exponential and fractional calculus

We address mathematical modelling of respiratory mechanics and put forward a model based on double-exponential and fractional calculus for parameter estimation, model simulation, and evaluation based on actual data. Our model has been implemented on a publicly available executable code with adjustable parameters, making it suitable for different applications. Our analysis represents the first application of fractional calculus and double-exponential modelling to respiratory mechanics, and allows us to propose a hybrid model fitting experimental data in different ventilation modes. Furthermore, our model can be used to study the mechanical features of the respiratory system, improve the safety of ventilation techniques, reduce ventilation damages, and provide strong support for fast and adaptive determination of ventilation parameters.

Extracellular vesicle-packaged circBIRC6 from cancer-associated fibroblasts induce platinum resistance via SUMOylation modulation in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play pivotal roles in chemoresistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Revealing the cross-talk network between tumor stroma and pancreatic cancer and developing effective strategies against oxaliplatin resistance are highly desired in the clinic.

METHODS

High-throughput sequence was used to screened the key circRNAs transmitted by extracellular vesicles (EVs) from CAFs to pancreatic cancer cells. The associations between EV-packaged circBIRC6 and chemotherapy responsiveness were validated in a cohort of 82 cases of advanced PDAC patients. Then, the effects of EV-packaged circBIRC6 on CAF-induced oxaliplatin resistance were investigated by flow cytometry, colony formation, viability of pancreatic cancer organoids in vitro and by xenograft models in vivo. RNA pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation, and sites mutation assays were used to reveal the underlying mechanism.

RESULTS

We identified a circRNA, circBIRC6, is significantly upregulated in CAF-derived EVs and is positively associated with oxaliplatin-based chemoresistance. In vitro and in vivo functional assays showed that CAF-derived EV-packaged circBIRC6 enhance oxaliplatin resistance of pancreatic cancer cells and organoids via regulating the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) dependent DNA repair. Mechanistically, circBIRC6 directly binds with XRCC4 and enhanced the interaction of XRCC4 with SUMO1 at the lysine 115 residue, which facilitated XRCC4 chromatin localization. XRCC4K115R mutation dramatically abrogated the EV-packaged circBIRC6 induced effect. Moreover, combination of antisense oligonucleotide inhibitors against circBIRC6 with Olaparib dramatically suppressed chemoresistance in patient-derived xenograft models.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed that EV-packaged circBIRC6 confer oxaliplatin resistance in PDAC by mediating SUMOylation of XRCC4, introducing a promising predictive and therapeutic target for PDAC on oxaliplatin resistance.

[Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human ocular helaziasis in China from 2011 to 2022 based on bibliometrics]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human ocular thelaziasis patients in China.

METHODS

Case reports regarding human ocular thelaziasis cases in China were retrieved in international and national electronic databases, including CNKI, VIP, CBM, Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Wanfang Database, PubMed and Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. Patients' gender, age, clinical symptoms, treatment, recurrence, site of infections, time of onset, affected eye, affected sites, number of infected Thelazia callipaeda, sex of T. callipaeda and source of infections were extracted for descriptive analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 85 eligible publications were included, covering 101 cases of human ocular thelaziasis, including 57 males (56.44%) and 44 females (43.56%) and aged from 3 months to 85 years. The main clinical manifestations included foreign body sensation (56 case-times, 22.49%), eye itching (38 case-times, 15.26%), abnormal or increased secretions (36 case-times, 14.46%), tears (28 case-times, 11.24%) and eye redness (28 case-times, 11.24%), and conjunctival congestion (50 case-times, 41.67%) was the most common clinical sign. The most common main treatment (99/101, 98.02%) was removal of parasites from eyes using ophthalmic forceps, followed by administration with ofloxacin and pranoprofen. In publications presenting thelaziasis recurrence, there were 90 cases without recurrence (97.83%) and 2 cases with recurrence (2.17%). Of all cases, 51.96% were reported in four provinces of Hubei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hebei and Henan, and ocular thelaziasis predominantly occurred in summer (42.19%) and autumn (42.19%). In addition, 56.45% (35/62) had a contact with dogs.

CONCLUSIONS

The human thelaziasis cases mainly occur in the continental monsoon and subtropical monsoon climate areas such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River basin, and people of all ages and genders have the disease, with complex clinical symptoms and signs. Personal hygiene is required during the contact with dogs, cats and other animals, and individual protection is required during outdoor activities to prevent thelaziasis.

Multi-view information fusion using multi-view variational autoencoder to predict proximal femoral fracture load

Background

Hip fracture occurs when an applied force exceeds the force that the proximal femur can support (the fracture load or "strength") and can have devastating consequences with poor functional outcomes. Proximal femoral strengths for specific loading conditions can be computed by subject-specific finite element analysis (FEA) using quantitative computerized tomography (QCT) images. However, the radiation and availability of QCT limit its clinical usability. Alternative low-dose and widely available measurements, such as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and genetic factors, would be preferable for bone strength assessment. The aim of this paper is to design a deep learning-based model to predict proximal femoral strength using multi-view information fusion.

Results

We developed new models using multi-view variational autoencoder (MVAE) for feature representation learning and a product of expert (PoE) model for multi-view information fusion. We applied the proposed models to an in-house Louisiana Osteoporosis Study (LOS) cohort with 931 male subjects, including 345 African Americans and 586 Caucasians. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to select 256 genetic variants with the lowest p-values for each proximal femoral strength and integrated whole genome sequence (WGS) features and DXA-derived imaging features to predict proximal femoral strength. The best prediction model for fall fracture load was acquired by integrating WGS features and DXA-derived imaging features. The designed models achieved the mean absolute percentage error of 18.04%, 6.84% and 7.95% for predicting proximal femoral fracture loads using linear models of fall loading, nonlinear models of fall loading, and nonlinear models of stance loading, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed models are capable of predicting proximal femoral strength using WGS features and DXA-derived imaging features. Though this tool is not a substitute for predicting FEA using QCT images, it would make improved assessment of hip fracture risk more widely available while avoiding the increased radiation exposure from QCT.

Metabolomic profiles associated with physical activity in White and African American adult men

BACKGROUND

Physical activity (PA) is associated with various health benefits, especially in improving chronic health conditions. However, the metabolic changes in host metabolism in response to PA remain unclear, especially in racially/ethnically diverse populations.

OBJECTIVE

This study is to assess the metabolic profiles associated with the frequency of PA in White and African American (AA) men.

METHODS

Using the untargeted metabolomics data collected from 698 White and AA participants (mean age: 38.0±8.0, age range: 20-50) from the Louisiana Osteoporosis Study (LOS), we conducted linear regression models to examine metabolites that are associated with PA levels (assessed by self-reported regular exercise frequency levels: 0, 1-2, and ≥3 times per week) in White and AA men, respectively, as well as in the pooled sample. Covariates considered for statistical adjustments included race (only for the pooled sample), age, BMI, waist circumstance, smoking status, and alcohol drinking.

RESULTS

Of the 1133 untargeted compounds, we identified 7 metabolites associated with PA levels in the pooled sample after covariate adjustment with a false discovery rate of 0.15. Specifically, compared to participants who did not exercise, those who exercised at a frequency ≥3 times/week showed higher abundances in uracil, orotate, 1-(1-enyl-palmitoyl)-2-oleoyl-GPE (P-16:0/18:1) (GPE), threonate, and glycerate, but lower abundances in salicyluric glucuronide and adenine in the pooled sample. However, in Whites, salicyluric glucuronide and orotate were not significant. Adenine, GPE, and threonate were not significant in AAs. In addition, the seven metabolites were not significantly different between participants who exercised ≥3 times/week and 1-2 times/week, nor significantly different between participants with 1-2 times/week and 0/week in the pooled sample and respective White and AA groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Metabolite responses to PA are dose sensitive and may differ between White and AA populations. The identified metabolites may help advance our knowledge of guiding precision PA interventions. Studies with rigorous study designs are warranted to elucidate the relationship between PA and metabolites.

Differences in particulate matter retention and leaf microstructures of 10 plants in different urban environments in Lanzhou City

Particulate matter (PM) is a major primary environmental air pollutant and poses a threat to human health. Differences in the environment and leaf microstructures of plants will result in varying abilities to retain PM, but the effects of changes in these factors on PM retention are not yet well understood. This study selected 10 plant species in four urban areas (sports field, park, residential green space, and greenway) as the study objects. The amount of retained PM by the different species was measured, and the leaf microstructures were observed. It was found that the environment significantly affected both PM retention and leaf microstructure. The ranking of PM retention in the 10 species in four areas was greenway > residential green space > park > sports field. The ranking of average stomatal width and length was park > sports field > residential green space > greenway, while that of average stomatal density was greenway > residential green space > park > sports field. Different environments affected the length and density of trichomes in the leaves. These changes represented the adaptation of plant species to the growth environment. The stomata and grooves of the leaf surface significantly affected the ability of plants to retain PM. The amount of PM retained by different species varied. In all four urban areas, Prunus × cistena N. E. Hansen ex Koehne (purple leaf sand cherry), Prunus cerasifera Ehrhart f. atropurpurea (Jacq.) Rehd. (cherry plum), Buxus sinica var. parvifolia M. Cheng (common boxwood), and Ligustrum × vicaryi Rehder (golden privet) showed strong PM retention. The results of this study will provide information for planners and urban managers for the selection of plant species.

omicsMIC: a Comprehensive Benchmarking Platform for Robust Comparison of Imputation Methods in Mass Spectrometry-based Omics Data

Mass spectrometry is a powerful and widely used tool for generating proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics profiles, which is pivotal for elucidating biological processes and identifying biomarkers. However, missing values in spectrometry-based omics data may pose a critical challenge for the comprehensive identification of biomarkers and elucidation of the biological processes underlying human complex disorders. To alleviate this issue, various imputation methods for mass spectrometry-based omics data have been developed. However, a comprehensive and systematic comparison of these imputation methods is still lacking, and researchers are frequently confronted with a multitude of options without a clear rationale for method selection. To address this pressing need, we developed omicsMIC (mass spectrometry-based omics with Missing values Imputation methods Comparison platform), an interactive platform that provides researchers with a versatile framework to simulate and evaluate the performance of 28 diverse imputation methods. omicsMIC offers a nuanced perspective, acknowledging the inherent heterogeneity in biological data and the unique attributes of each dataset. Our platform empowers researchers to make data-driven decisions in imputation method selection based on real-time visualizations of the outcomes associated with different imputation strategies. The comprehensive benchmarking and versatility of omicsMIC make it a valuable tool for the scientific community engaged in mass spectrometry-based omics research. OmicsMIC is freely available at https://github.com/WQLin8/omicsMIC.

Fusarium-produced vitamin B6 promotes the evasion of soybean resistance by Phytophthora sojae

Plants can be infected by multiple pathogens concurrently in natural systems. However, pathogen-pathogen interactions have rarely been studied. In addition to the oomycete Phytophthora sojae, fungi such as Fusarium spp. also cause soybean root rot. In a 3-year field investigation, we discovered that P. sojae and Fusarium spp. frequently coexisted in diseased soybean roots. Out of 336 P. sojae-soybean-Fusarium combinations, more than 80% aggravated disease. Different Fusarium species all enhanced P. sojae infection when co-inoculated on soybean. Treatment with Fusarium secreted non-proteinaceous metabolites had an effect equal to the direct pathogen co-inoculation. By screening a Fusarium graminearum mutant library, we identified Fusarium promoting factor of Phytophthora sojae infection 1 (Fpp1), encoding a zinc alcohol dehydrogenase. Fpp1 is functionally conserved in Fusarium and contributes to metabolite-mediated infection promotion, in which vitamin B6 (VB6) produced by Fusarium is key. Transcriptional and functional analyses revealed that Fpp1 regulates two VB6 metabolism genes, and VB6 suppresses expression of soybean disease resistance-related genes. These results reveal that co-infection with Fusarium promotes loss of P. sojae resistance in soybean, information that will inform the sustainable use of disease-resistant crop varieties and provide new strategies to control soybean root rot.

CircDUS2L (circ_0039908) promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression by upregulating PGAM1 by acting as a miR-590-5p molecular sponge

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is usually found at the metastatic stage. Circular RNA dihydrouridine synthase 2-like (DUS2L) (circDUS2L) has been discovered to be upregulated in LUAD. Nevertheless, the function of circDUS2L in LUAD has not been verified. Levels of circDUS2L, microRNA-590-5p (miR-590-5p), and phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) mRNA were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and invasion were assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT), colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (Edu), flow cytometry, and transwell assays. Protein levels were detected by western blotting. Cell glycolysis was analyzed by measuring cell glucose consumption, lactate production, and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). The regulatory mechanism of circDUS2L in LUAD cells was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Xenograft assay was conducted to confirm the function of circDUS2L in vivo. CircDUS2L was highly expressed in LUAD tissues and cells. CircDUS2L silencing constrained xenograft tumor growth in vivo. CircDUS2L knockdown induced apoptosis, repressed viability, colony formation, proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and glycolysis of LUAD cells in vitro by releasing miR-590-5p via functioning as a miR-590-5p sponge. MiR-590-5p was lowly expressed in LUAD tissues and cells, and miR-590-5p mimic curbed malignant behaviors and glycolysis of LUAD cells by targeting PGAM1. PGAM1 was overexpressed in LUAD tissues and cells, and circDUS2L sponged miR-590-5p to regulate PGAM1 expression. CircDUS2L elevated PGAM1 expression through functioning as a miR-590-5p sponge, thus driving malignant behaviors and glycolysis of LUAD cells.

Somatomotor-Visual Resting State Functional Connectivity Increases After Two Years in the UK Biobank Longitudinal Cohort

Purpose

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional connectivity (FC) have been used to follow aging in both children and older adults. Robust changes have been observed in children, where high connectivity among all brain regions changes to a more modular structure with maturation. In this work, we examine changes in FC in older adults after two years of aging in the UK Biobank longitudinal cohort.

Approach

We process data using the Power264 atlas, then test whether FC changes in the 2,722-subject longitudinal cohort are statistically significant using a Bonferroni-corrected t-test. We also compare the ability of Power264 and UKB-provided, ICA-based FC to determine which of a longitudinal scan pair is older.

Results

We find a 6.8% average increase in SMT-VIS connectivity from younger to older scan (from ρ = 0.39 to ρ = 0.42) that occurs in male, female, older subject (> 65 years old), and younger subject (< 55 years old) groups. Among all inter-network connections, this average SMT-VIS connectivity is the best predictor of relative scan age, accurately predicting which scan is older 57% of the time. Using the full FC and a training set of 2,000 subjects, one is able to predict which scan is older 82.5% of the time using either the full Power264 FC or the UKB-provided ICA-based FC.

Conclusions

We conclude that SMT-VIS connectivity increases in the longitudinal cohort, while resting state FC increases generally with age in the cross-sectional cohort. However, we consider the possibility of a change in resting state scanner task between UKB longitudinal data acquisitions.

Phylogenetic Partitioning of Gansu Flora: Unveiling the Core Transitional Zone of Chinese Flora

Floristic regions, conventionally established using species distribution patterns, have often overlooked the phylogenetic relationships among taxa. However, how phylogenetic relationships influence the historical interconnections within and among biogeographic regions remains inadequately understood. In this research, we compiled distribution data for seed plants in Gansu, a region of significant biogeographic diversity located in northwestern China.We proposed a novel framework for floristic regions within Gansu, integrating distribution data and phylogenetic relationships of genera-level native seed plants, aiming to explore the relationship between phylogenetic relatedness, taxonomic composition, and regional phylogenetic delineation. We found that (1) phylogenetic relatedness was strongly correlated with the taxonomic composition among floras in Gansu. (2) The southeastern Gansu region showed the lowest level of spatial turnover in both phylogenetic relationships and the taxonomic composition of floristic assemblages across the Gansu region. (3) Null model analyses indicated nonrandom phylogenetic structure across the region, where most areas showed higher phylogenetic turnover than expected given the underlying taxonomic composition between sites. (4) Our results demonstrated a consistent pattern across various regionalization schemes and highlighted the preference for employing the phylogenetic dissimilarity approach in biogeographical regionalization investigations. (5) Employing the phylogenetic dissimilarity approach, we identified nine distinct floristic regions in Gansu that are categorized into two broader geographical units, namely the northwest and southeast. (6) Based on the phylogenetic graphic regions of China across this area.

Somatomotor-Visual Resting State Functional Connectivity Increases After Two Years in the UK Biobank Longitudinal Cohort

Purpose

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional connectivity (FC) have been used to follow aging in both children and older adults. Robust changes have been observed in children, where high connectivity among all brain regions changes to a more modular structure with maturation. In this work, we examine changes in FC in older adults after two years of aging in the UK Biobank longitudinal cohort.

Approach

We process data using the Power264 atlas, then test whether FC changes in the 2,722-subject longitudinal cohort are statistically significant using a Bonferroni-corrected t-test. We also compare the ability of Power264 and UKB-provided, ICA-based FC to determine which of a longitudinal scan pair is older.

Results

We find a 6.8% average increase in SMT-VIS connectivity from younger to older scan (from ρ = 0.39 to ρ = 0.42 ) that occurs in male, female, older subject (> 65 years old), and younger subject (< 55 years old) groups. Among all inter-network connections, this average SMT-VIS connectivity is the best predictor of relative scan age, accurately predicting which scan is older 57% of the time. Using the full FC and a training set of 2,000 subjects, one is able to predict which scan is older 82.5% of the time using either the full Power264 FC or the UKB-provided ICA-based FC.

Conclusions

We conclude that SMT-VIS connectivity increases in the longitudinal cohort, while resting state FC increases generally with age in the cross-sectional cohort. However, we consider the possibility of a change in resting state scanner task between UKB longitudinal data acquisitions.

CD33 polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease in northern Chinese Han population: A case-control study

OBJECTIVE

Parkinson's disease (PD) represents the multisystem illness involving immunological and neuroinflammatory dysfunction. The present work focused on evaluating link of CD33 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with PD vulnerability of the northern Chinese Han people, considering CD33's role as a critical immunoregulatory receptor in neuroinflammatory responses.

METHODS

The present case-control study included 475 PD cases together with 475 normal controls. A further division of PD patients into two categories was made: 74 patients with early-onset PD (EOPD; onset age ≤ 50 years) and 401 patients with late-onset PD (LOPD; onset age > 50 years). DNA extraction was conducted, followed by genotyping for 2SNPs of CD33 polymorphisms with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

RESULTS

Alleles (G vs. A, P = 0.028) and AA genotypes (P = 0.042) of rs12985029 were significantly different between the groups. Distinctions were observed between the two groups in the recessive, co-dominant, and additive models (nominal P = 0.030, nominal P = 0.045, and P = 0.032). AA genotype frequency among male PD was higher compared to corresponding male controls (P = 0.034), and in the male group allele A was a factor causing the disease (P = 0.026). The rs12985029 genotypes and allele frequency were different in EOPD compared with LOPD (P = 0.002, P = 0.002, respectively), and in LOPD group relative to healthy control group (P = 0.020 and P = 0.004, separately). Regarding the rs3826656 polymorphism, the frequency of GA genotype was higher in the control group than in the case group (nominal P = 0.036). Overdominance and co-dominant models were different between these groups (P = 0.026, nominal P = 0.030). Subgroup analysis revealed genotype frequency differences between rs3826656 LOPD group and control group (P = 0.018). Furthermore, relationship between rs3826656 and rs12985029 (D' = 0.162, r2 = 0.021) did not reach a complete level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) of northern Chinese Han people.

CONCLUSION

This study establishes an association between CD33 rs12985029 and rs3826656 polymorphisms and PD risk among the selected northern Chinese Han people. The GA genotype, rs3826656, may act as a protective factor against PD, while the A allele, rs12985029,could be genetic risk factor related to PD. Future research should include larger sample sizes and other human populations to further investigate how CD33 polymorphisms contribute to PD.

Blue light promotes vitamin C-mediated ferroptosis of melanoma through specifically upregulating transporter SVCT2 and generating Fe2

Vitamin C (VC)-based cancer therapy is a promising therapeutic approach for a variety of cancers due to its profound effects on redox reactions and metabolic pathways. However, high administration dosage of VC for necessary therapeutic efficacy for cancers increases the risk of overt side effects and limits its clinical use. Here, we show cutaneous blue light irradiation can specifically upregulate the sodium-dependent vitamin C transporter 2 (SVCT2) of the tumor and increase effectively the VC concentration at the tumor sites by an overall low dosage administration. In the mouse melanoma model, blue light stimulates the SVCT2 expression through the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. The increased cellular VC together with Fe2+ generated by blue light simultaneously elevate cellular oxidative stress and trigger the ferroptosis of melanoma. With this revealed mechanism, the synergistic actions of blue light on the VC transporter and Fe2+ generation lead to a ca. 20-fold reduction in the administration dosage of VC with an effective melanoma elimination and prolonged survival. The work defines the killing mechanism of blue light on VC-based cancer therapy and provides a practical approach for promoting VC uptake. This light-assisted VC therapy is not only highly efficient for melanoma but also considerable for a broad clinical utility.

HOXC13-driven TIMM13 overexpression promotes osteosarcoma cell growth

TIMM13 (translocase of inner mitochondrial membrane 13) located at the mitochondrial intermembrane space is vital for the integrity and function of mitochondria. We found that the mitochondrial protein TIMM13 is upregulated in human OS tissues and cells. In patient-derived primary OS cells and established cell lines, TIMM13 shRNA or knockout provoked mitochondrial dysfunction, causing mitochondrial depolarization, reactive oxygen species production, and oxidative injury, as well as lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and ATP depletion. Moreover, TIMM13 depletion provoked OS cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Conversely, ectopic TIMM13 overexpression increased ATP contents, enhancing OS cell proliferation and migration. Moreover, we discovered that Akt-mTOR activation was inhibited with TIMM13 depletion in primary OS cells. Further studies revealed that HOXC13 (Homeobox C13)-dependent TIMM13 transcription was significantly increased in OS tissues and cells. Whereas TIMM13 transcription and expression were decreased following HOXC13 silencing in primary OS cells. In vivo, TIMM13 KO potently inhibited OS xenograft growth in the proximal tibia of nude mice. TIMM13 KO also induced Akt-mTOR inactivation, ATP depletion, oxidative injury, and apoptosis in the in situ OS tumors. Together, upregulation of the mitochondrial protein TIMM13 is important for OS cell growth, representing a novel and promising therapeutic target.

Network pharmacology and biochemical experiments reveal the antiapoptotic mechanism of huperzine A for treating diabetic retinopathy

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common eye disease that causes blindness in the working population. Neurodegeneration is the early sign of diabetic retinopathy, but no drug has been approved for delaying or reversing retinal neurodegeneration. Huperzine A, a natural alkaloid isolated from Huperzia serrata, displays neuroprotective and antiapoptotic effects in treating neurodegenerative disorders. Our study aims to investigate the effect of huperzine A in preventing retinal neurodegeneration of diabetic retinopathy and its possible mechanism.

METHODS

Diabetic retinopathy model was induced by streptozotocin. H&E staining, optical coherence tomography, immunofluorescence staining and angiogenic factors were used to determine the degree of retinal pathological injury. The possible molecular mechanism was unrevealed by network pharmacology analysis and further validated by biochemical experiments.

RESULTS

In our study, we demonstrated that huperzine A has a protective effect on the diabetes retina in a diabetic rat model. Based on the network pharmacology analysis and biochemical studies, huperzine A may treat diabetic retinopathy via key target HSP27 and apoptosis-related pathways. Huperzine A may modulate the phosphorylation of HSP27 and activate the antiapoptotic signalling pathway.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that huperzine A might be a potential therapeutic drug to prevent diabetic retinopathy. It is the first-time combining network pharmacology analysis with biochemical studies to explore the mechanism of huperzine A in preventing diabetic retinopathy.

Cold-resistant performance and the promoted development of functional community with flexible metabolic patterns in a Biofilm Bio-Nutrient Removal (BBNR) system amended with supplementary carbon source for phosphorus recovery

The need for recovery of phosphorus (P) from wastewater has accelerated the retrofitting of existing bio-nutrient removal (BNR) processes into bio-nutrient removal-phosphorus recovery processes (BNR-PR). A periodical carbon source supplement is needed to facilitate the P-recovery. But the impact of this amendment on the cold resistances of the reactor and the functional microorganisms (for nitrogen and phosphorus (P) removal/recovery) are still unknown. This study presents the performances of a biofilm BNR process with a carbon source regulated the P recovery (BBNR-CPR) process operating at different temperatures. When the temperature was decreased from 25 ± 1 °C to 6 ± 1 °C, the system total nitrogen and total phosphorus removals and the corresponding kinetic coefficients decreased moderately. The indicative genes of the phosphorus-accumulating organisms (e.g., Thauera spp. and Candidatus Accumulibacter spp.) increased significantly. An increase of Nitrosomonas spp. genes aligned to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), glycine, and extracellular polymeric substance synthesis were observed, which was probably related to cold resistance. The results provide a new vision for understanding the advantages of P recovery-targeted carbon source supplementation for constructing a new type of cold-resistant BBNR-CPR processes.

Insight into Pathogenic Mechanism Underlying the Hereditary Cataract Caused by βB2-G149V Mutation

Congenital cataracts account for approximately 5-20% of childhood blindness worldwide and 22-30% of childhood blindness in developing countries. Genetic disorders are the primary cause of congenital cataracts. In this work, we investigated the underlying molecular mechanism of G149V point missense mutation in βB2-crystallin, which was first identified in a three-generation Chinese family with two affected members diagnosed with congenital cataracts. Spectroscopic experiments were performed to determine the structural differences between the wild type (WT) and the G149V mutant of βB2-crystallin. The results showed that the G149V mutation significantly changed the secondary and tertiary structure of βB2-crystallin. The polarity of the tryptophan microenvironment and the hydrophobicity of the mutant protein increased. The G149V mutation made the protein structure loose and the interaction between oligomers was reduced, which decreased the stability of the protein. Furthermore, we compared βB2-crystallin WT and the G149V mutant with their biophysical properties under environmental stress. We found that the G149V mutation makes βB2-crystallin more sensitive to environmental stresses (oxidative stress, UV irradiation, and heat shock) and more likely to aggregate and form precipitation. These features might be important to the pathogenesis of βB2-crystallin G149V mutant related to congenital cataracts.

Random Time Division Multiplexing Based MIMO Radar Processing with Tensor Completion Approach

Automotive radar pursues low cost and high performance, and especially hopes to improve the angular resolution under the condition of a limited number of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) radar channels. Conventional time division multiplexing (TDM) MIMO technology has a limited ability to improve the angular resolution without increasing the number of channels. In this paper, a random time division multiplexing MIMO radar is proposed. First, the non-uniform linear array (NULA) and random time division transmission mechanism are combined in the MIMO system, and then a three-order sparse receiving tensor of a range-virtual aperture-pulse sequence is obtained during echo receiving. Next, this sparse three-order receiving tensor is recovered by using tensor completion technology. Finally, the range, velocity and angle measurements are completed for the recovered three-order receiving tensor signals. The effectiveness of this method is verified via simulations.

Cataract-causing variant Q70P damages structural stability of βB1-crystallin and increases its tendency to form insoluble aggregates

Congenital cataract is the primary cause of childhood blindness worldwide. As the predominant structural protein, βB1-crystallin plays an important role in maintaining lens transparency and cellular homeostasis. Numerous cataract-causing mutations of βB1-crystallin have been identified with unclear pathogenic mechanism. We previously identified the mutation Q70P (Q to P at residue position 70) of βB1-crystallin linked to congenital cataract in a Chinese family. In this work, we investigated the potential molecular mechanism of βB1-Q70P in the congenital cataract at the molecular, protein, and cellular levels. We purified recombinant βB1 wild-type (WT) and Q70P proteins and compared their structural characteristics and biophysical properties by spectroscopic experiments under physiological temperature and environmental stresses (ultraviolet irradiation, heat stress, oxidative stress). Notably, βB1-Q70P significantly changed the structures of βB1-crystallin and exhibited lower solubility at physiological temperature. Meanwhile, βB1-Q70P was prone to aggregation in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and was more sensitive to environmental stresses, along with impaired cellular viability. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulation indicated that the mutation Q70P damaged secondary structures and hydrogen bond network of βB1-crystallin, which were essential for the first Greek-key motif. This study delineated the pathological mechanism of βB1-Q70P and provided novel insights into treatment and prevention strategies for cataract-associated βB1 mutations.

Clinical Relevance of Plaque Distribution for Basilar Artery Stenosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There is no clear association between plaque distribution and postoperative complications in patients with basilar artery atherosclerotic stenosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether plaque distribution and postoperative complications after endovascular treatment for basilar artery stenosis are related.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Our study enrolled patients with severe basilar artery stenosis who were scanned with high-resolution MR imaging and followed by DSA before the intervention. According to high-resolution MR imaging, plaques can be classified as ventral, lateral, dorsal, or involved in 2 quadrants. Plaques affecting the proximal, distal, or junctional segments of the basilar artery were classified according to DSA. An experienced independent team assessed ischemic events after the intervention using MR imaging. Further analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between plaque distribution and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

A total of 140 eligible patients were included in the study, with a postoperative complication rate of 11.4%. These patients were an average age of 61.9 (SD, 7.7) years. Dorsal wall plaques accounted for 34.3% of all plaques, and plaques distal to the anterior-inferior cerebellar artery accounted for 60.7%. Postoperative complications of endovascular treatment were associated with plaques located at the lateral wall (OR = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.21-13.23; P = .023), junctional segment (OR = 8.75; 95% CI, 1.16-66.22; P = .036), and plaque burden (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06; P = .042).

CONCLUSIONS

Plaques with a large burden located at the junctional segment and lateral wall of the basilar artery may increase the likelihood of postoperative complications following endovascular therapy. A larger sample size is needed for future studies.

Core of sensory gating deficits in first-episode schizophrenia: attention dysfunction

Background

Sensory gating deficits are a common feature of schizophrenia and may be indicative of higher-order psychopathological impairments. It has been proposed that incorporating subjective attention components into prepulse inhibition (PPI) measures may improve the accuracy of assessing these deficits. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between modified PPI and cognitive function, with a specific focus on subjective attention, to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of sensory processing deficits in schizophrenia.

Methods

Fifty-four unmedicated first-episode schizophrenia (UMFE) patients and 53 healthy controls participated in this study. The modified Prepulse Inhibition paradigm, including Perceived Spatial Separation PPI (PSSPPI) and Perceived Spatial Colocation PPI (PSCPPI), was used to evaluate sensorimotor gating deficits. Cognitive function was assessed in all participants using the Chinese version of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Suite Test (MCCB).

Results

UMFE patients had lower MCCB scores and deficient PSSPPI scores than healthy controls. PSSPPI was negatively correlated with total PANSS scores and positively correlated with the speed of processing, attention/ vigilance, and social cognition. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the PSSPPI at 60 ms had a significant effect on attentional/ vigilance and social cognition, even after controlling for gender, age, years of education, and smoking.

Conclusion

The study revealed notable impairments in sensory gating and cognitive function in UMFE patients, best reflected by the PSSPPI measure. Specifically, PSSPPI at 60 ms was significantly associated with both clinical symptoms and cognitive performance, suggesting that PSSPPI at 60 ms may capture psychopathological symptoms related to psychosis.