Treatment of diabetic retinopathy with herbs for tonifying kidney and activating blood circulation: A review of pharmacological studies

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes. Chinese medicine believes that kidney deficiency and blood stasis are significant pathogenesis of DR. A characteristic therapeutic approach for this pathogenesis is the kidney-tonifying and blood-activating method. By literature retrieval from several databases, we methodically summarized the commonly used kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs for treating DR, including Lycii Fructus, Rehmanniane Radix Praeparata, and Corni Fructus with the function of nourishing kidney; Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma with the function of enhancing blood circulation; Rehmanniae Radix with the function of nourishing kidney yin; and Astragali Radix with the function of tonifying qi. It has been demonstrated that these Chinese herbs described above, by tonifying the kidney and activating blood circulation, significantly improve the course of DR.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Through literature research, to gain a thorough comprehension of the pathogenesis of DR. Simultaneously, through the traditional application analysis, modern pharmacology research and network pharmacology analysis of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs, to review the effectiveness and advantages of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs in treating DR comprehensively.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data were used to filter the most popular herbs for tonifying kidney and activating blood in the treatment of DR. The search terms were "diabetic retinopathy" and "tonifying kidney and activating blood". Mostly from 2000 to 2023. Network pharmacology was applied to examine the key active components and forecast the mechanisms of kidney-tonifying and blood-activating herbs in the treatment of DR.

RESULTS

Kidney deficiency and blood stasis are the pathogenesis of DR, and the pathogenesis is linked to oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia, and hyperglycemia. Scientific data and network pharmacology analysis have demonstrated the benefit of tonifying kidney and activating blood herbs in treating DR through several channels, multiple components, and multiple targets.

CONCLUSIONS

This review first presents useful information for subsequent research into the material foundation and pharmacodynamics of herbs for tonifying kidney and activating blood, and offers fresh insights into the treatment of DR.

Clinical and cardiac MRI characteristics: prognosis in patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy

AIMS

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is recognized as a type of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). To date, the clinical prognosis of ACM remains a topic of debate in previous studies and there are limited studies on its cardiac MRI characteristics. The aim of this study was to summarize the clinical and MRI features of ACM patients and to identify the predictors of adverse prognosis based on clinical characteristics and MRI imaging findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult patients who were clinically diagnosed with ACM and underwent enhanced CMR between September 2015 and August 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. The primary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiac-related death, heart transplantation, hospitalization for heart failure and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or ICD shock). The risk factors associated with these primary end points were identified using multivariable Cox analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 62 ACM patients (50 ± 9 years, 62 men) were included. The majority of patients presented with symptoms of heart failure. Over a median follow-up period of 30.3 months (IQR 12.2-57.7 months), 24 patients reached the primary endpoints. For clinical variables, multivariable analysis showed that drinking duration (HR=1.05; 95%CI:1.01, 1.11; p=0.03) and persistent drinking (HR=3.71; 95%CI:1.46, 9.44; p=0.01) were associated with MACE. For CMR variables, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) percent (HR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.14; p<0.001) stood out as an independent predictor for MACE.

CONCLUSIONS

In ACM patients, persistent drinking and cardiac MRI-defined myocardial scar were associated with adverse outcomes such as cardiac death, heart transplantation, hospitalization for heart failure or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Physiological responses and molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation induced by extracellular metabolites of euglena in Pseudomonas aeruginosa LNR1 for diesel biodegradation based on transcriptomic and proteomic

Diesel, as a toxic and complex pollutant, is one of the main components in oily wastewater, and poses serious threats to the aquatic environment and the health of organisms. Employing environmentally friendly biostimulants to enhance the metabolic functions of microorganisms is currently the optimal choice to improve the biodegradation of oil-containing wastewater efficiency. This study takes Pseudomonas aeruginosa LNR1 as the target, analyzing the physiological responses and molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation when enhanced by the extracellular metabolites of euglena (EME) for diesel degradation. The results show that EME not only induces auto-aggregation behavior of strain LNR1, forming aerobic suspended granule biofilm, but also promotes the secretion of signaling molecules in the quorum sensing (QS) system. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses indicate that the stimulatory effect of EME on strain LNR1 mainly manifests in biofilm formation, substance transmembrane transport, signal transduction, and other biological processes, especially the QS system in signal transduction, which plays a significant regulatory role in biofilm formation, chemotaxis, and two-component system (TCS). This study collectively unveils the molecular mechanisms of biostimulant EME inducing strain LNR1 to enhance diesel degradation from different aspects, providing theoretical guidance for the practical application of EME in oily wastewater pollution control.

Long-term use of etomidate disrupts the intestinal homeostasis and nervous system in mice

Etomidate (ETO) is used as an anesthetic in surgery, but it is being abused in some populations. The damage caused by long-term intake of ETO to intestinal and brain functions is not yet clear, and it remains to be determined whether the drug affects the central nervous system through the gut-brain axis. This study aimed to investigate the neurotoxic and gastrointestinal effects of ETO at doses of 1 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg in mice over 14 consecutive days. The results showed that long-term injection of ETO led to drug resistance in mice, affecting their innate preference for darkness and possibly inducing dependence on ETO. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain, serum, and colon decreased by 37%, 51%, and 42% respectively, while the levels of γ-aminobutyric acid reduced by 38%, 52%, and 41% respectively. H&E staining revealed that ETO reduced goblet cells in the colon and damaged the intestinal barrier. The expression of tight junction-related genes Claudin4 and ZO-1 was downregulated. The intestinal flora changed, the abundance of Akkermansia and Lactobacillus decreased by 33% and 14%, respectively, while Klebsiella increased by 18%. TUNEL results showed that high-dose ETO increased apoptotic cells in the brain. The expression of Claudin1 in the brain was downregulated. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of the colon and brain indicated that ETO caused abnormalities in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Abnormal lipid metabolism might lead to the production or accumulation of lipotoxic metabolites, causing central nervous system diseases. ETO induced changes in the intestinal flora and metabolism, further affecting the central nervous system through the gut-brain axis. The study unveiled the detrimental effects on the brain and gastrointestinal system resulting from long-term intake of ETO, which holds significant implications for comprehending the adverse impact of ETO abuse on human health.

In Vitro Modeling of Recurrent Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: Assessment of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy Efficacy

BACKGROUND

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) is a rare, low-grade malignant tumor of the dermis with a high recurrence rate post-surgery. Current treatments, including surgery, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy, have limitations. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a promising non-invasive approach, but its efficacy in DFSP treatment remains underexplored.

METHODS

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy of 5-ALA PDT using an in vitro model derived from a recurrent DFSP patient. The cells were treated with varying concentrations of 5-ALA and exposed to red light, followed by assessments of cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and expression of DFSP-related genes and proteins.

RESULTS

5-ALA PDT significantly reduced DFSP cell viability in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis. It also effectively inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as suppressed angiogenic activity in conditioned media. Furthermore, 5-ALA PDT downregulated the expression of COL1A1 and PDGFRB, key genes in DFSP pathogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide the first evidence of 5-ALA PDT's in vitro anti-tumor efficacy against DFSP, suggesting its potential as a novel therapeutic approach for DFSP. Further studies are warranted to explore the clinical utility of 5-ALA PDT in preventing DFSP recurrence.

Selective Excitation of Exciton-Polariton Condensate Modes in an Annular Perovskite Microcavity

Exciton-polariton systems composed of a light-matter quasi-particle with a light effective mass easily realize Bose-Einstein condensation. In this work, we constructed an annular trap in a halide perovskite semiconductor microcavity and observed the spontaneous formation of symmetrical petal-shaped exciton-polariton condensation in the annular trap at room temperature. In our study, we found that the number of petals of the petal-shaped exciton-polariton condensates, which is decided by the orbital angular momentum, is dependent on the light intensity distribution. Therefore, the selective excitation of perovskite microcavity exciton-polariton condensates under all-optical control can be realized by adjusting the light intensity distribution. This could pave the way to room-temperature topological devices, optical cryptographical devices, and new quantum gyroscopes in the exciton-polariton system.

Gut-Derived Trimethylamine N-Oxide Promotes CCR2-Mediated Macrophage Infiltration in acute kidney injury

BACKGROUND

Inflammation is crucial in the development of AKI and subsequent CKD following renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Gut microbiota metabolites trigger inflammation and affect IR-induced renal damage. Yet, the driving factors and mechanisms are unclear. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut-derived choline metabolite, is a strong pro-inflammatory factor that increases in patients with AKI and CKD. We hypothesized that TMAO can promote renal injury caused by IR.

METHODS

Mice subjected to unilateral renal IR to induce AKI and CKD were fed a high-choline diet to observe the effects of TMAO on kidney inflammation, fibrosis, and macrophage dynamics.

RESULTS

A choline-rich diet altered the gut microbiota and elevated TMAO levels, which exacerbated IR-induced AKI and subsequent CKD. Single-cell analysis identified a distinct subset of CCR2+ macrophages derived from monocytes as key responders to TMAO, intensifying immune cell interactions and worsening renal injury. TMAO promoted sustained CCR2 expression after IR, increasing macrophage infiltration. CCR2 deletion and antagonist RS-102895 improved TMAO-induced inflammation and fibrosis, alleviated renal injury induced by IR.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides valuable insights into the link between TMAO and IR-incited renal inflammation and fibrosis, emphasizing the critical role of TMAO-mediated macrophage infiltration via CCR2 as a key therapeutic target in the acute and chronic phase after IR.

Exploring the mechanism of Bushen Huoxue prescription in the treatment of early diabetic retinal edema from the perspective of inner blood-retinal barrier injury

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most severe complications of diabetes mellitus, diabetes belongs to the category of "emaciation-thirst disease" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Bushen Huoxue Prescription (BHP) is composed of traditional Chinese materia medica, which has therapeutic effects on DR and early diabetic retinal edema (EDRE). However, the therapeutic mechanism is unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Exploring the mechanism of BHP against EDRE.

METHODS

Feeding Sprague Dawley (SD) rats a high-fat, high-sugar diet as well as providing intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin (STZ) to promote inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) damage that can trigger EDRE, evaluating the therapeutic effect of BHP by the level of expressiveness of TJ proteins (ZO-1,Occludin) of the iBRB and the leakage of rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC) in the retina. The combination of network pharmacology and metabolomics was employed to study the mechanism of BHP in preventing of EDRE, then four proteins which were closely to the damage of iBRB were chosen for the validation by employing Western Blot (WB).

RESULTS

Research of network pharmacology had shown that BHP had efficacy against EDRE by regulating targets such as AKT1, ALB, TNF, PPARG, etc, its potential pathways mainly involving signaling pathways such as HIF-1. In untargeted metabolomics analysis of serum, 15 differential metabolites were identified, with the metabolic pathways focusing on ketone body metabolism and synthesis, sphingolipid metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism. The conclusions of metabolomics and network pharmacology revealed that BHP can treat EDRE by alleviating hypoxia and oxidative stress and exerting protection of the iBRB. Finally, BHP's protection behavior of the iBRB was validated by WB experiments.

CONCLUSION

Through integrating pharmacodynamics, network pharmacology and metabolomics, BHP was discovered to have a crucial function in EDRE therapy by preserving the integrity of iBRB. This comprehensive strategy also provided a reasonable way to reveal the multi-components, multi-targets, multi-pathways mechanism of TCM.

Assessment of Immune Status in Patients with Mismatch Repair Deficiency Endometrial Cancer

Objective

This study introduced a novel subtype classification method for endometrial cancer (EC) with mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) by employing immune status and prognosis as the foundational criteria. The goal was to enhance treatment guidance through precise subtype delineation.

Methods

Study Cohort: This study encompassed a cohort of 119 patients diagnosed with MMRd-EC between 2015 and 2022. Analyses using t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to assess prognostic markers and peripheral blood immune cell profiles in patients with MutS deficiency (MutS-d) versus those with MutL deficiency (MutL-d). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors. Bioinformatics Analysis: An online database was used to assess the prognostic implications, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoint involvement associated with the deficiency of MutS versus MutL in EC.

Results

Patients with MutL-d exhibited heightened risk factors, including elevated cancer grade and increased myometrial invasion, leading to poorer prognosis and shorter overall survival and progression-free survival. Regarding systemic immune status, patients with MutL-d demonstrated decreased peripheral blood lymphocyte percentage, lymphocyte count, and CD8+ T cell percentage. For local immunity, the infiltration of natural killer cells, CD8+ T cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor tissue was reduced in patients with MutL-d. Additionally, patients with MutL-d exhibited lower expression of immune checkpoint markers. The composition of immune subtypes and survival outcomes also indicate that patients with MutL-d have a poorer immune status and prognosis than the patients with MutS-d.

Conclusion

Patients with MMRd-EC can be subclassified according to MutS or MutL deficiency. Patients with MutS-d exhibited better immune status, prognosis, and immunotherapy benefits than those with MutL-d. These results can help guide patients to a more precise treatment.

Transcriptomic and biochemical analysis of metabolic remodeling in Bacillus subtilis MSC4 under Benzo[a]pyrene stress

Polyaromatic benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a toxic carcinogenic environmental pollutant, and the use of microorganisms to remediate B[a]P contamination is considered to be one of the most effective strategies. However, there is still a gap in studying the metabolic remodeling of microorganisms under B[a]P stress. In this study, our systematically investigated the effects of B[a]P on the metabolism of Bacillus subtilis MSC4 based on transcriptomic, molecular and biochemical analyses. The results showed that in response to B[a]P stress, MSC4 formed more biofilm matrix and endospores, the structure of the endospores also was changed, which led to a reduction in their resistance and made them more difficult to germinate. In addition to an increase in glycolysis activity, the activities of tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway and the electron transport chain were decreased. B[a]P stress forced MSC4 to strengthen arginine synthesis, urea cycle, and urea decomposition, meanwhile, synthesize more ribonucleotides. The activity of DNA replication, transcription activities and the expression of multiple ribosomal protein genes were reduced. Moreover, all of the reported enzymes involved in B[a]P degradation showed decreased transcript abundance, and the degradation of B[a]P caused significant up-regulation of the gene expression of the acid inducible enzyme OxdC and the synthesis of acetoin. In addition, the cytotoxicity of B[a]P to bacteria was directly displayed in four aspects: increased intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated cell membrane permeability, up-regulation of the cell envelope stress-sensing two-component system LiaRS, and downregulation of siderophores biosynthesis. Finally, B[a]P also caused morphological changes in the cells, with some cells exhibiting significant deformation and concavity. These findings provide effective research directions for targeted improvement the cellular activity of B[a]P-degrading strains, and is beneficial for further application of microorganisms to remediate B[a]P -contaminated soils.

The A2 haplotype of Echinococcus multilocularis is the predominant variant infecting humans and dogs in Yili Prefecture, Xinjiang

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE), caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, is an important zoonotic disease. Yili Prefecture in Xinjiang is endemic for AE, however the molecular variability of E. multilocularis in this region is poorly understood. In this study, 127 samples were used for haplotypes analysis, including 79 tissues from humans, 43 liver tissues from small rodents, and 5 fecal samples from dogs. Genetic variability in E. multilocularis was studied using complete sequences of the mitochondrial (mt) genes of cytochrome b (cob), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad2), and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), using a total of 3558 bp per sample. The Asia haplotype 2 (A2) was the dominant haplotype, with 72.15% (57/79) prevalence in humans, 2.33% (1/43) in small rodents, and 80.00% (4/5) in dogs, followed by A5, the second most common haplotype, which infected 27.91% (12/43) small rodents. Haplotype network analysis showed that all haplotypes clustered together with the Asian group. Pairwise fixation index (FST) values showed lower level of genetic differentiation between different regions within the country. Compared with the sequences of E. multilocularis from North America and Europe, all concatenated sequences isolated from Yili Prefecture were highly differentiated and formed a single population. The A2 haplotype, analyzed using the cob, nad2, and cox1 genes of E. multilocularis, is the predominant variant in humans and dogs in Yili Prefecture.

Coherent detection of the rotational Doppler effect measurement based on triple Fourier transform

In recent years, the rotational Doppler effect (RDE) has been widely used in rotational motion measurement. However, the performance of existing detection systems based on the RDE are generally limited by the drastic reduction of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to the influence of atmospheric turbulence, partial obscuration of the vortex beam (VB) during propagation, and misalignment between the optical axis of VB and the rotational axis of the object, which poses a challenge for practical applications. In this paper, we proposed a coherent detection method of the RDE measurement based on triple Fourier transform. First, the weak RDE signal in backscattered light is amplified by using the balanced homodyne detection method, and the amplified signal still retains the same characteristic of severe broadening in the frequency domain as the original signal. Furthermore, we proposed the triple Fourier transform to extract the broadened RDE frequency shift signal after the coherent amplification. The proposed method significantly improves the SNR of RDE measurement and facilitates the accurate extraction of rotational speed, which helps to further improve the RDE detection range and promote its practical application.

Neurotoxic effects induced by flunitrazepam and its metabolites in zebrafish: Oxidative stress, apoptosis, and histone hypoacetylation

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) have been widely detected in aquatic environments, but their neurotoxic effects and potential mechanisms are still unclear. This study focuses on flunitrazepam (FLZ) and its metabolite, 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-FLZ), as representative psychotropic BZD. We investigated their neurotoxic effects on adult zebrafish following a 30-day exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations. The findings reveal that exposure to these drugs induces anxiety-like and aggressive behaviors in zebrafish. Additionally, notable morphological damage to brain tissue and mitochondrial structures was observed. Through TUNEL staining, an increase in apoptotic cells was detected in the brain tissue of the exposed group, accompanied by marked elevations in ROS and caspase-3/9 levels. The upregulation of apoptosis-related genes Bax, p53, and Bcl-2 confirmed the occurrence of apoptosis. Furthermore, exposure to the drugs resulted in decreased acetylation levels of brain histones H3 and H4. The upregulation of histone deacetylation enzyme genes (HDAC1, HDAC3, HDAC4, and HDAC6) supported this result. Molecular docking results suggest that compared to 7-FLZ, FLZ has a higher binding affinity with HDAC3 and HDAC4, explaining why it causes lower histone acetylation levels. This study in zebrafish elucidates the neurotoxicity and molecular mechanisms induced by FLZ and 7-FLZ, which is significant for further understanding the impact of BZDs on human health and assessing their ecological risks.

Flunitrazepam and its metabolites induced brain toxicity: Insights from molecular dynamics simulation and transcriptomic analysis

Psychoactive drugs frequently contaminate aquatic environments after human consumption, raising concerns about their residues and ecological harm. This study investigates the effects of flunitrazepam (FLZ) and its metabolite 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-FLZ), benzodiazepine-class psychoactive drugs, on brain accumulation, blood-brain barrier (BBB), and neuroinflammation of the model organism zebrafish. Molecular dynamics simulation and transcriptome sequencing were used to uncover their toxic mechanisms. Results demonstrate that both FLZ and 7-FLZ can accumulate in the brain, increasing Evans blue levels by 3.4 and 0.8 times, respectively. This increase results from abnormal expression of tight junction proteins, particularly ZO-1 and Occludin, leading to elevated BBB permeability. Furthermore, FLZ and 7-FLZ can also induce neuroinflammation, upregulating TNFα by 91% and 39%, respectively, leading to pathological changes and disrupted intracellular ion balance. Molecular dynamics simulation reveals conformational changes in ZO-1 and Occludin proteins, with FLZ exhibiting stronger binding forces and greater toxicity. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identifies four modules correlated with BBB permeability and neuroinflammation. KEGG enrichment analysis of genes within these modules reveals pathways like protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and arginine and proline metabolism. This study enhances understanding of FLZ and 7-FLZ neurotoxicity and assesses environmental risks of psychoactive substances. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: With the increasing prevalence of mental disorders and the discharge of psychoactive drugs into water, even low drug concentrations (ng/L-μg/L) can pose neurological risks. This study, utilizing molecular dynamic (MD) simulations and transcriptome sequencing, investigate the neurotoxicity and mechanisms of flunitrazepam and 7-aminoflunitrazepam. It reveals that they disrupt the blood-brain barrier in zebrafish and induce neuroinflammation primarily by inducing conformational changes in tight junction proteins. MD simulations are valuable for understanding pollutant-protein interactions. This research offers invaluable insights for the environmental risk assessment of psychoactive drugs and informs the development of strategies aimed at prevention and mitigation.

Manganese suppresses the development of oral leukoplakia by activating the immune response

OBJECTIVE

Manganese ion (Mn2+ ) is reported to promote the antitumor immune response by activating the cGAS-STING pathway, but it is unknown whether Mn2+ can prevent the malignant transformation of precancerous lesions. The effects of Mn2+ in treating oral leukoplakia (OLK) were explored in this work.

METHODS

Peripheral blood Mn analysis of the patients was performed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). A coculture model of dendritic cells (DCs)/macrophages, CD8+ T cells, and dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs) was employed to analyze the role and mechanism of Mn2+ in a simulated OLK immune microenvironment. Western blot, RT-PCR, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were adopted to detect the mechanism of Mn2+ in this model. 4-nitroquinoline oxide (4NQO)-induced OLK mice were used to assess the role of Mn2+ in suppressing OLK progression, and a novel Mn2+ -loaded guanosine-tannic acid hydrogel (G-TA@Mn2+ hydrogel) was fabricated and evaluated for its advantages in OLK therapy.

RESULTS

The content of Mn in patients' peripheral blood was negatively related to the progression of OLK. Mn2+ promoted the maturation and antigen presentation of DCs and macrophages and enhanced the activation of CD8+ T cells in the coculture model, resulting in effective killing of DOKs. Mechanistic analysis found that Mn2+ enhanced the anti-OLK immune response by activating the cGAS-STING pathway. Moreover, Mn2+ suppressed the development of 4NQO-induced carcinogenesis in the mouse model. In addition, the G-TA@Mn2+ hydrogel had better anti-OLK effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Mn2+ enhanced the anti-OLK immune response by activating the cGAS-STING pathway, and the G-TA@Mn2+ hydrogel is a potential novel therapeutic approach for OLK treatment.

Molecular cloning, biological description, and functional analysis of Ajfos transcription factor in pathogen-induced Apostichopus japonicus

Activator protein-1 subfamily member c-Fos wields significant influence over cellular activities, such as regulation of cell growth and division, cell death, and immune responses under various extracellular situations. In this study, the full-length c-Fos of sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus (Ajfos) was successfully cloned and analyzed. The anticipated 306 amino acid sequences of Ajfos displayed a basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) domain, similar to invertebrate counterparts. In addition, the qPCR results suggested Ajfos expressed in all tissues, with the highest level in coelomocytes from polian vesicle (vesicle lumen cells), followed by coelomocytes from coelom (coelomocytes). Moreover, the expression levels of Ajfos in the coelomocytes and vesicle lumen cells of sea cucumber showed significant changes after the Vibrio splendidus challenge, especially reaching a peak at 6 h. Compared with the silencing negative control RNA interference (siNC) group, silencing Ajfos (siAjfos) in vivo decreased the downstream proliferation-related gene expression of vesicle lumen cells after infection with V. splendidus while no significant influence was observed on coelomocytes. Furthermore, the proliferation proportion of vesicle lumen cells in the siAjfos group was significantly reduced under pathogen stimulation conditions. Finally, based on the fluctuation trend of total coelomocyte density (TCD) from coelom and polian vesicle previously discovered, it is evident that Ajfos played a critical role in facilitating the swift proliferation of vesicle lumen cells in response to V. splendidus stimulation. Altogether, this research provided an initial reference of the function of Ajfos in echinoderms, unveiling its participation in host coelomocyte proliferation of sea cucumbers during bacterial challenges.

Atmospheric particulate matter retention capacity of bark and leaves of urban tree species

Urban vegetation can effectively filter and adsorb particulate matter (PM). However, limited studies have been conducted on the PM retention capacity of tree barks. This study investigated the ability of five common urban tree species in the Yangtze River Delta region to retain PM through their barks and leaves by conducting a 14-day tree PM retention experiment on the five tree species during autumn and winter. The results showed that (1) the PM retention per unit area of bark was 6.9 times and 11.8 times higher than that of leaves during autumn and winter, respectively; (2) when considering total surface area, bark and leaves exhibited comparable PM retention capacities at the whole-plant scale; (3) the ability of bark to retain PM is species-specific, which can be attributed to different bark morphology among different tree species; and (4) bark and leaves exhibited distinct preferences for retaining PM of different particle sizes, even when exposed to similar environmental conditions. This study highlights the remarkable ability of tree bark to PM removal and provides valuable insights into the role of urban trees in mitigating PM pollution. Furthermore, these findings can provide valuable insights into studies on dry deposition modelling, urban planning, and green space management strategies.

Spacecraft Attitude Measurement and Control Using VSMSCSG and Fractional-Order Zeroing Neural Network Adaptive Steering Law

In order to improve the accuracy and convergence speed of the steering law under the conditions of high dynamics, high bandwidth, and a small deflection angle, and in an effort to improve attitude measurement and control accuracy of the spacecraft, a spacecraft attitude measurement and control method based on variable speed magnetically suspended control sensitive gyroscopes (VSMSCSGs) and the fractional-order zeroing neural network (FO-ZNN) steering law is proposed. First, a VSMSCSG configuration is designed to realize attitude measurement and control integration in which the VSMSCSGs are employed as both actuators and attitude-rate sensors. Second, a novel adaptive steering law using FO-ZNN is designed. The matrix pseudoinverses are replaced by FO-ZNN outputs, which solves the problem of accuracy degradation in the traditional pseudoinverse steering laws due to the complexity of matrix pseudoinverse operations under high dynamics conditions. In addition, the convergence and robustness of the FO-ZNN are proven. The results show that the proposed FO-ZNN converges faster than the traditional zeroing neural network under external disturbances. Finally, a new weighting function containing rotor deflection angles is added to the steering law to ensure that the saturation of the rotor deflection angles can be avoided. Semi-physical simulation results demonstrate the correctness and superiority of the proposed method.

Enhanced Diagnostic Efficiency of Endometrial Carcinogenesis and Progression in Women with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding through Peripheral Blood Cytokine Testing: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the role of plasma cytokine detection in endometrial cancer screening and tumor progression assessment in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. Methods: In this multicenter retrospective cohort study of 287 patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, comprehensive clinical information and laboratory assessments, including cytokines, routine blood tests, and tumor markers, were performed. Associations between the clinical indicators and endometrial carcinogenesis/progression were evaluated. The independent risk factors for endometrial cancer and endometrial cancer with deep myometrial invasion were analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regression. Additionally, a diagnostic model was used to evaluate the predictive efficacy of these identified risk factors. Results: In patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, low IL-4 and high IL-8 levels were independent risk factors for endometrial cancer (p < 0.05). Combining IL-4, IL-8, CA125, and menopausal status improved the accuracy of assessing endometrial cancer risk. The area under curve of the model is 0.816. High IL-6 and IL-8 levels were independent risk factors for deep myometrial invasion in patients with endometrial cancer (p < 0.05). Similarly, combining IL-6, IL-8, and Monocyte counts enhanced the accuracy of assessing endometrial cancer risk with deep myometrial invasion. The area under curve of the model is 0.753. Conclusions: Cytokines such as IL-4, IL-8, and IL-6 can serve as markers for monitoring endometrial cancer and its progression in women with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Flunitrazepam and its metabolites compromise zebrafish nervous system functionality: An integrated microbiome, metabolome, and genomic analysis

The psychotropic drug flunitrazepam (FLZ) is frequently detected in aquatic environments, yet its neurotoxicity to aquatic organisms has not received sufficient attention. In this study, microbiome, metabolome, and genome analyses were conducted to study the effects of FLZ and its metabolite 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-FLZ) on the zebrafish nervous system and understand their toxic mechanisms. The results demonstrated that drug exposure induced gut dysbiosis, decreased short-chain fatty acids and promoted the production of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). LPS entered the brain and interacted with Toll-like receptors to cause neuroinflammation by upregulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and NF-κB. The increased ratio of S-adenosylmethionine to S-adenosylhomocysteine in brain tissues indicated abnormal expression of Dnmt1 gene. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing displayed an increase in differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated-genes and pertinent biological pathways encompassed the MAPK signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway. Correlation analysis confirmed connections between gut microbiota, their metabolites, inflammatory factors, and DNA methylation-related markers in brain tissue. These findings indicate that while the toxicity is somewhat reduced in metabolized products, both FLZ and 7-FLZ can induce DNA methylation in brain tissue and ultimately affect the biological function of the nervous system by disrupting gut microbiota and their metabolites.

Solvent-pair surfactants enabled assembly of clusters and copolymers towards programmed mesoporous metal oxides

Organic-inorganic molecular assembly has led to numerous nano/mesostructured materials with fantastic properties, but it is dependent on and limited to the direct interaction between host organic structure-directing molecules and guest inorganic species. Here, we report a "solvent-pair surfactants" enabled assembly (SPEA) method to achieve a general synthesis of mesostructured materials requiring no direct host-guest interaction. Taking the synthesis of mesoporous metal oxides as an example, the dimethylformamide/water solvent pairs behave as surfactants and induce the formation of mesostructured polyoxometalates/copolymers nanocomposites, which can be converted into metal oxides. This SPEA method enables the synthesis of functional ordered mesoporous metal oxides with different pore sizes, structures, compositions and tailored pore-wall microenvironments that are difficult to access via conventional direct organic-inorganic assembly. Typically, nitrogen-doped mesoporous ε-WO3 with high specific surface area, uniform mesopores and stable framework is obtained and exhibits great application potentials such as gas sensing.

Spatial transcriptomics analysis identifies a unique tumor-promoting function of the meningeal stroma in melanoma leptomeningeal disease

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) remains a rapidly lethal complication for late-stage melanoma patients. The inaccessible nature of the disease site and lack of understanding of the biology of this unique metastatic site are major barriers to developing efficacious therapies for patients with melanoma LMD. Here, we characterize the tumor microenvironment of the leptomeningeal tissues and patient-matched extra-cranial metastatic sites using spatial transcriptomic analyses with in vitro and in vivo validation. We show the spatial landscape of melanoma LMD to be characterized by a lack of immune infiltration and instead exhibit a higher level of stromal involvement. We show that the tumor-stroma interactions at the leptomeninges activate pathways implicated in tumor-promoting signaling, mediated through upregulation of SERPINA3 at the tumor-stroma interface. Our functional experiments establish that the meningeal stroma is required for melanoma cells to survive in the CSF environment and that these interactions lead to a lack of MAPK inhibitor sensitivity in the tumor. We show that knocking down SERPINA3 or inhibiting the downstream IGR1R/PI3K/AKT axis results in re-sensitization of the tumor to MAPK-targeting therapy and tumor cell death in the leptomeningeal environment. Our data provides a spatial atlas of melanoma LMD, identifies the tumor-promoting role of meningeal stroma, and demonstrates a mechanism for overcoming microenvironment-mediated drug resistance unique to this metastatic site.

Branched-chain keto acids promote an immune-suppressive and neurodegenerative microenvironment in leptomeningeal disease

Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) occurs when tumors seed into the leptomeningeal space and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), leading to severe neurological deterioration and poor survival outcomes. We utilized comprehensive multi-omics analyses of CSF from patients with lymphoma LMD to demonstrate an immunosuppressive cellular microenvironment and identified dysregulations in proteins and lipids indicating neurodegenerative processes. Strikingly, we found a significant accumulation of toxic branched-chain keto acids (BCKA) in the CSF of patients with LMD. The BCKA accumulation was found to be a pan-cancer occurrence, evident in lymphoma, breast cancer, and melanoma LMD patients. Functionally, BCKA disrupted the viability and function of endogenous T lymphocytes, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, neurons, and meningeal cells. Treatment of LMD mice with BCKA-reducing sodium phenylbutyrate significantly improved neurological function, survival outcomes, and efficacy of anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy. This is the first report of BCKA accumulation in LMD and provides preclinical evidence that targeting these toxic metabolites improves outcomes.

PEDF Prevents Mitochondrial Function Decay and ER Stress Induced by Rotenone in Aging RPE Cells

BACKGROUND

Neurodegenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), may be linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We examined whether Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) could prevent changes in the structure and function of these organelles by accelerating by rotenone (ROT), a mitochondrial inhibitor, in human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells of chronological age.

METHODS

RPE cells from 9-20, 50-55, 60-70, and >70-year-old donors were isolated, grown as primary cultures, harvested, and treated with ROT and PEDF for electron microscope (EM), western blot analysis, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytoplasmic calcium [Ca2+]c and mitochondrial calcium [Ca2+]m levels were measured by flow cytometry using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate (H2-DCF-DA), fluo-3/AM, and Rhod-2/AM, and ATP levels were measured using a luciferin/luciferase-based assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was detected using 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimid azolocarbocyanine iodide (JC-1), and susceptibility of the cells to ROT toxicity and PEDF-protective effect was determined by propidium iodide (PI) staining and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The expression of ER stress-related genes was detected using real-time (RT)-PCR.

RESULTS

We observed decay in the mitochondria of aged RPE cells, including matrix abnormalities, elongation, loss of cristae, and disruption of membrane integrity after ROT treatment. We also observed lower [Ca2+]c, higher ROS and [Ca2+]m levels, decreased ΔΨm after ROT treatment, and greater susceptibility to ROT toxicity in aged RPE cells. PEDF can protect the cristae and integrity of the mitochondrial membrane, increase ATP levels and ΔΨm, and lower ROS, [Ca2+]c, and [Ca2+]m in aged RPE cells induced by ROT. In addition, there was an increase in RDH expression in RPE cells with increasing age after PEDF treatment. Similarly, PEDF decreased the expression of ROT-induced ER stress-related genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides evidence that PEDF can reduce bioenergetic deficiencies, mitochondrial decay, and ER stress in aging RPE, a condition that may trigger the onset of retinal diseases such as AMD.

Flunitrazepam induces neurotoxicity in zebrafish through microbiota-gut-brain axis

The abuse of psychoactive substances has led to their frequent detection in the environment, with unknown effects on the nervous system. In this study, zebrafish were exposed to benzodiazepine drug flunitrazepam (FLZ, 0.2 and 5 μg/L) for 30 days to assess its neurotoxicity. Results revealed that FLZ disrupted the balance of gut microbiota and caused an increase in pathogenic bacteria, such as Paracoccus and Aeromonas, leading to pathological damage to the intestine. The upregulation of intestinal pro-inflammatory factors, IL-1β and TNF-α, by 2.4 and 6.3 times, respectively, along with the downregulation of tight junction proteins, Occludin and zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), by 80 % and 50 %, increased in intestinal permeability. Moreover, untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that FLZ interfered with intestinal nucleotide metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis. FLZ could also increase the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain by 0.9 and 3.4 times, respectively, leading to pathological changes in brain tissue. Furthermore, FLZ significantly disturbed nucleotide metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism pathways in the brain. Correlation analysis between gut microbiota and neurochemicals confirmed that FLZ can induce neurotoxicity through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. These findings elucidate the molecular mechanisms of psychoactive drugs on microbiota-gut-brain axis and provide a theoretical basis for the ecological environmental risk assessment of various psychoactive substances.

Simultaneous measurement of spin and precession based on light's orbital angular momentum

The rotational Doppler effect of the vortex beam is a recently emerged promising application of the optical vortex with orbital angular momentum. In this paper, we combine the method of the micro-Doppler effect of the traditional radar and the rotational Doppler effect of the vortex beam and propose an approach of rotational micro-Doppler effect, realizing the simultaneous measurement of spin and precession. We firstly analyze the rotational micro-Doppler characteristic introduced by precession under the illuminating of vortex beam and calculate the rotational micro-Doppler parameters related to the spin and precession. Then we conduct an experiment of using the vortex beam to detect a spinning object with precession and the rotational micro-Doppler frequency is successfully observed. By extracting the rotational micro-Doppler parameters, the simultaneous and independent measurement of spin and precession is realized. Both the theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that the rotational micro-Doppler effect is an effective extension of the rotational Doppler effect and is also a feasible application of the vortex beam detection.

Analysis of rotational Doppler shift with multi-ring vortex beams

Vortex beams (VBs) with orbital angular momentum have shown great potential in the detection of transverse rotational motion of spatial targets which is undetectable in the classical radar scheme. However, most of the reported rotational Doppler measurements based on VBs can only be realized under ideal experimental conditions. The long-range detection is still a challenge. The detection distance based on rotational Doppler effect (RDE) is mainly limited by the scattered signal's signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this work, we investigated the influence of multi-ring vortex beams (MVBs) on the rotational Doppler frequency spectrum of scattered light from an object based on RDE and proposed a method of SNR enhancement of RDE signal. Firstly, different types of MVBs composed of a set of single-ring VBs with the same topological charge and different radii are designed, including multi-ring Laguerre Gaussian beam (MLGB), multi-ring perfect vortex beams (MPVB), and high-order Laguerre Gaussian beam (HLGB). Then, the influence of the number of rings and radial radius interval on the intensity profiles of MVBs and rotational Doppler frequency spectra under aligned and misaligned conditions is studied in detail. And the reasons why different types of MVBs lead to different SNR enhancement effectiveness with the increase of rings are also analyzed theoretically. Finally, proof-of-concept experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the SNR enhancement method for RDE signals. The results showed that the amplitudes of the Doppler spectra generated by the MLGB and MPVB are improved substantially with the increase of rings, but the enhancement effect caused by the former is superior to the latter. The gain of HLGB on the RDE signal is the lowest. This study provides a useful reference for the optimization of rotational Doppler detection systems and may be of great application value in telemetry, long-range communication and optical imaging.

SIRT1-dependent mitochondrial biogenesis supports therapeutic effects of 4-butyl-polyhydroxybenzophenone compounds against NAFLD

The mitochondria have been identified as key targets in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), one of the most prevalent chronic liver damage diseases globally. Meanwhile, the biological information analysis in this study revealed that SIRT1, PPARG, PPARA, and PPARGC1A (mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins) were NAFLD therapeutic targets. Therefore, the design and synthesis of targeted drugs that promote mitochondrial biogenesis and improve mitochondrial function are particularly important for NAFLD treatment. Recently, we introduced butyls, hydroxyls, and halogens to benzophenone and synthesized a series of NAFLD-related 4-butylpolyhydroxybenzophenone compounds, aiming at investigating the hepatoprotective activity from the aspect of mitochondrial biogenesis. The structure-activity relationship demonstrated that hydroxyl and ketone groups were active groups interacting with mitochondrial biogenesis proteins (SIRT1 and PGC1α), and the activity was stronger when the o-hydroxyl group was present on the benzene ring. In contrast, the activity was little affected by the presence of the p-hydroxyl group, m-hydroxyl group, butyl group type, or halogen. In addition, in vitro studies confirmed that these compounds could directly bind to SIRT1 and PGC1α, markedly promote their interaction, significantly increase the expression of proteins and genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis (SIRT1, PGC1α, NRF1, TFAM, COX1, and ND6) and subsequently ameliorate mitochondria dysfunction, which was evidenced by the decreased ROS, upregulated ATP production, increased MMP, and enhanced mitochondrial number. According to the outcomes of our in vitro and in vivo experiments, 4-butyl-polyhydroxybenzophenone compounds could also effectively reduce the formation of lipid droplets and liver injury index (ALT, AST, LDH, AKP, γ-GT, and GDH) and improve the level of antioxidant enzymes (GSH and SOD). Particularly, the treatment of these compounds after a high-fat diet could significantly reduce body weight, decrease liver coefficient, attenuate liver damage, and ameliorate lipid accumulation in rat liver, demonstrating their therapeutic effects on NAFLD. Mechanistically, 4-butyl-polyhydroxybenzophenone compounds promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and eventually prevented NAFLD liver injury by activating the PGC1α signaling pathway in a SIRT1-dependent manner, which was strongly supported by SIRT1 inhibitor EX527.

Identification of Transformation Products of Organic UV Filters by Photooxidation and Their Differential Estrogenicity Assessment

Organic ultraviolet filters (OUVFs) are extensively released into aquatic environments, where they undergo complex phototransformation. However, there is little knowledge regarding their transformation products (TPs) and associated endocrine disruption potentials. In the present study, we characterized the chemical and toxicological profiles of TPs for two common OUVFs, oxybenzone (BP3) and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), by photooxidation under environmentally relevant conditions. It is hypothesized that TPs of the tested OUVFs will show varied estrogenicity at different reaction times. High-resolution liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) identified 17 TPs of 7 m/z for BP-3 and 13 TPs of 8 m/z for EHMC at confidence levels ≤2. Five novel TPs of 2 m/z were reported for the first time with structure-diagnostic MS/MS spectra. Estrogenicity assessment using the MCF-7-luc cell line showed discrepant estrogenic activities exhibited by OUVF-TPs over time. Specifically, BP3-TPs exhibited significantly greater estrogenicity than the parent at several reaction times, whereas EHMC-TPs displayed fluctuating estrogenicity with a declining trend. Correlation analysis coupled with molecular docking simulations further suggested several TPs of BP3 as potential endocrine disruptive compounds. These findings underscore the necessity of considering mixtures during chemical testing and risk assessment and highlight the potentially greater risks associated with post-transformation cocktails.

A novel method for the measurement of superconducting transmission lines at terahertz frequencies

Characterizing the properties (e.g., effective dielectric constant εeff, attenuation constant α, and characteristic impedance Z0) of terahertz (THz) superconducting transmission lines is of particular interest in designing on-chip integrated THz bandpass filters, which are a critical component for THz astronomical instruments, such as multi-color camera and broadband imaging spectrometers. Here, we propose a novel method for the characterization of three parameters (εeff, α, and Z0) of THz superconducting transmission lines. This method measures the ratio of the THz signal powers through two different-length branches of the superconducting transmission line to be measured. In addition, only one measurement is required for an all-in-one device chip, including an antenna, a half-power divider, the superconducting transmission line to be measured, and two detectors. The key point is that the superconducting transmission line to be measured is impedance-mismatched with the two integrated detectors. The method is validated through simulation and measurement for superconducting coplanar waveguide transmission lines around 400 GHz.

Gender equity of authorship in pulmonary medicine over the past decade

BACKGROUND

Gender disparity in authorship broadly persists in medical literature, little is known about female authorship within pulmonary medicine.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis of publications from 2012 to 2021 in 12 journals with the highest impact in pulmonary medicine was conducted. Only original research and review articles were included. Names of the first and last authors were extracted and their genders were identified using the Gender-API web. Female authorship was described by overall distribution and distribution by country/region/continent and journal. We compared the article citations by gender combinations, evaluated the trend in female authorship, and forecasted when parity for first and last authorship would be reached. We also conducted a systematic review of female authorship in clinical medicine.

RESULTS

14,875 articles were included, and the overall percentage of female first authors was higher than last authors (37.0% vs 22.2%, p<0.001). Asia had the lowest percentage of female first (27.6%) and last (15.2%) authors. The percentages of female first and last authors increased slightly over time, except for a rapid increase in the COVID-19 pandemic periods. Parity was predicted in 2046 for the first authors and 2059 for the last authors. Articles with male authors were cited more than articles with female authors. However, male-male collaborations significantly decreased, whereas female-female collaborations significantly increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the slow improvement in female authorship over the past decade, there is still a substantial gender disparity in female first and last authorship in high-impact medical journals in pulmonary medicine.

FilterformerPose: Satellite Pose Estimation Using Filterformer

Satellite pose estimation plays a crucial role within the aerospace field, impacting satellite positioning, navigation, control, orbit design, on-orbit maintenance (OOM), and collision avoidance. However, the accuracy of vision-based pose estimation is severely constrained by the complex spatial environment, including variable solar illumination and the diffuse reflection of the Earth's background. To overcome these problems, we introduce a novel satellite pose estimation network, FilterformerPose, which uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) backbone for feature learning and extracts feature maps at various CNN layers. Subsequently, these maps are fed into distinct translation and orientation regression networks, effectively decoupling object translation and orientation information. Within the pose regression network, we have devised a filter-based transformer encoder model, named filterformer, and constructed a hypernetwork-like design based on the filter self-attention mechanism to effectively remove noise and generate adaptive weight information. The related experiments were conducted using the Unreal Rendered Spacecraft On-Orbit (URSO) dataset, yielding superior results compared to alternative methods. We also achieved better results in the camera pose localization task, indicating that FilterformerPose can be adapted to other computer vision downstream tasks.

ERRα promotes glycolytic metabolism and targets the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway to regulate pyroptosis in endometrial cancer

BACKGROUND

Tumor cells can resist chemotherapy-induced pyroptosis through glycolytic reprogramming. Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) is a central regulator of cellular energy metabolism associated with poor cancer prognosis. Herein, we refine the oncogenic role of ERRα in the pyroptosis pathway and glycolytic metabolism.

METHODS

The interaction between ERRα and HIF-1α was verified using co-immunoprecipitation. The transcriptional binding sites of ERRα and NLRP3 were confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assay and cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag). Flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, cell mito stress test, and extracellular acidification rate analysis were performed to investigate the effects of ERRα on the pyroptosis pathway and glycolytic metabolism. The results of these experiments were further confirmed in endometrial cancer (EC)-derived organoids and nude mice. In addition, the expression of ERRα-related pyroptosis genes was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus database.

RESULTS

Triggered by a hypoxic microenvironment, highly expressed ERRα could bind to the promoter of NLRP3 and inhibit caspase-1/GSDMD signaling, which reduced inflammasome activation and increased pyroptosis resistance, thereby resulting in the resistance of cancer cells to cisplatin. Moreover, ERRα activated glycolytic rate-limiting enzyme to bridge glycolytic metabolism and pyroptosis in EC. This phenomenon was further confirmed in EC-derived organoids and nude mice. CUT & Tag sequencing and The Cancer Genome Atlas database analysis showed that ERRα participated in glycolysis and programmed cell death, which resulted in EC progression.

CONCLUSIONS

ERRα inhibits pyroptosis in an NLRP3-dependent manner and induces glycolytic metabolism, resulting in cisplatin resistance in EC cells.

[Expression analysis of inflammatory factors in artificial quartz stone plate processing silicosis patients]

Objective: To investigate the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in the plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of silicosis patients with artificial quartz stone plate processing. Methods: In January 2022, 10 patients with artificial quartz stone plate processing silicosis and 20 patients with common silicosis who were hospitalized and diagnosed in a hospital at Zhejiang Province from June 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively selected as the research objects, and 30 healthy people were selected as the control group during the same period. Plasma of all subjects and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of all patients were collected. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were analyzed. Results: The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the plasma of patients with silicosis were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05), and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the plasma of silicosis patients with artificial quartz stone plate processing were higher than those of common silicosis patients (P<0.05). The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in plasma of artificial quartz stone plate processing silicosis patients were higher than those of common silicosis patients at the same silicon stage (P<0.05). The levels of IL-1β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of silicosis patients with artificial quartz stone plate processing was higher than that of patients with common silicosis (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in silicosis patients with artificial quartz stone plate processing are higher than those in patients with common silicosis, which may be related to dust components they are exposed to.

Force redistribution in clathrin-mediated endocytosis revealed by coiled-coil force sensors

Forces are central to countless cellular processes, yet in vivo force measurement at the molecular scale remains difficult if not impossible. During clathrin-mediated endocytosis, forces produced by the actin cytoskeleton are transmitted to the plasma membrane by a multiprotein coat for membrane deformation. However, the magnitudes of these forces remain unknown. Here, we present new in vivo force sensors that induce protein condensation under force. We measured the forces on the fission yeast Huntingtin-Interacting Protein 1 Related (HIP1R) homolog End4p, a protein that links the membrane to the actin cytoskeleton. End4p is under ~19-piconewton force near the actin cytoskeleton, ~11 piconewtons near the clathrin lattice, and ~9 piconewtons near the plasma membrane. Our results demonstrate that forces are collected and redistributed across the endocytic machinery.

Flunitrazepam and its metabolites exposure disturb the zebrafish gut-liver axis: Combined microbiome and metabolomic analysis

Due to clinical treatment and illegal use, psychoactive substances have been widely detected in the aquatic environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of the benzodiazepine drug flunitrazepam (FLZ) and its metabolite 7-aminoflunitrazepam (7-FLZ) on the gut-liver axis of zebrafish. Zebrafish were exposed to two concentrations of FLZ and 7-FLZ (0.05 and 1 μg/L) for 30 days. Results showed that both FLZ and 7-FLZ exposure altered the relative abundance of Proteobacteria at the phylum level, with significant differences observed at the genus level for pathogenic bacteria such as Paracoccus, Shewanella, and Aeromonas. Metabolomics results showed both exposures significantly interfered with nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. The imbalance of gut microbiota and metabolic disorder increased the level of malondialdehyde, which in turn heightened the permeability of the gut mucosal barrier. FLZ and 7-FLZ induced oxidative stress in the liver via the gut-liver axis, leading to decreased levels of glucose, total cholesterol, and triglyceride, as well as the down-regulation of glycolipid metabolism-related genes (PPARα, PPARγ, FABP2, Fabp11, PFKFB3, and LDHA). Metabolomics results revealed that FLZ and 7-FLZ significantly affected the biosynthesis of amino acids and arginine, and other metabolic pathways such as nucleotide, nicotinate and nicotinamide, and purine in the liver. Our results unveiled the mechanisms behind the toxicological effects of psychoactive substances on the gut-liver axis, providing valuable data for ecological and environmental risk assessments.

Low-Dose Fractionated Radiotherapy Combined with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for T3-4 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients: The Preliminary Results of a Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Over 70% of NPC patients were local advanced NPC (LANPC). The 5-year local recurrence-free survival rate is only 70% in T3-4 patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was recommended for LANPC patients. Low-dose fractionated radiotherapy (LDFRT), which is <100cGy, induces enhanced cell killing by the hyper-radiation sensitivity phenomenon and potentiates effects of chemotherapy. The synergy of LDFRT and NACT has not been used in the clinical practice and few studies focused on it. A single arm study found the ORR of primary site was improved to 90% for head and neck squamous carcinoma patients treated with LDFRT and NACT. Our previous study found the ORR of lymph nodes was higher in LDFRT group for high-risk LANPC patients. However, another study showed there was no significant difference between LDFRT and control group for LANPC patients. So, we aimed to investigate the potential efficacy of this novel neoadjuvant therapy for T3-4 NPC patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 60 pathological confirmed T3-4 (UICC/AJCC8th) NPC patients were prospectively enrolled in our study. They were randomly assigned to two groups. For the LDFRT group, the patients received 3 cycles of NACT (docetaxel 75mg/m2 D1, cisplatin 80mg/m2 D1) with LDFRT, and followed with CCRT. LDFRT was delivered as 50cGy per fraction twice a day to primary site on D1,2 for each cycle of NACT. The patients in the control group only received NACT and followed with CCRT. All the patients underwent IGRT. RECIST criteria and CTCAE 5.0 was used to evaluate the ORR and toxicity at post-NACT and the completion of CCRT.

RESULTS

From February 2022 to December 2022, 60 T3-4 NPC patients were included, and 30 patients for each group. For the primary site, the median volume reduction rate and the ORR after NACT was significantly improved in LDFRT group (69.27% vs 40.10%, p<0.001;93.33% vs 73.33%, p = 0.038). For the median volume reduction rate of primary site and lymph node, it was also obviously improved in LDFRT group (86.59% vs 55.43%, p<0.001). Though there was a tendency of ORR improvement in LDFRT group, but no significant difference (96.67% vs 83.33%, p = 0.195). After the completion of CCRT, the median volume reduction rate of primary site had an increased tendency in LDFRT group (96.16% vs 88.3%, p = 0.065), but the ORR had no statistical significance (LDFRT group: CR 45.8%, PR 54.2%; control group: CR 37.5%, PR 62.5%). For the toxicity, the incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events had no difference between two groups (p = 0.786). No grade 5 adverse events occurred.

CONCLUSION

LDFRT combined with NACT could obviously improve the median volume reduction rate and ORR of primary tumor for T3-4 NPC patients, and the toxicity was similar and tolerable. This novel treatment could be a promising strategy to improve treatment response and needed to be confirmed further.

Long-Term Survival Outcome for Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Receiving Radiation to Primary and Metastatic Sites with Palliative Chemotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

A total of 6% - 8% of NPC patients were initial diagnosed as distant metastatic disease. The median overall survival (OS) is only 10-15 months with palliative chemotherapy for these patients. A phase III study showed that palliative chemotherapy combined with radical radiotherapy to primary site could be a newly effective treatment method for metastatic NPC. Another phase 2, RCT found that the patients who had the solid tumors with 1-5 metastases received standard palliative care plus stereotactic body radiation therapy (SABR), and the 5-year OS were improved to 42.3%. Nevertheless, there was few studies focus on the radiation to both primary site and metastatic lesions. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the potential clinical benefits for initial diagnosed metastatic NPC patients with radiation to both primary site and distant metastatic lesions plus palliative chemotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Metastatic NPC patients treated with radiation to both primary site and distant metastatic lesions plus palliative chemotherapy were retrospectively collected in our hospital from May 2008 to May 2022. For treatment group, all patients underwent IGRT according to ICRU reports 50 and 62. The prescribed dose for primary site: GTVT: ≥66Gy, GTVn: ≥66Gy, CTV1: 60-66Gy, CTV2 54-60Gy, CTVln 50-54Gy. And the prescribed dose for distant metastatic lesions was more than 30Gy. For the control group, the patients treated with palliative chemotherapy were selected by propensity score matching from our hospital. The regimen for palliative chemotherapy was cisplatin-based chemotherapy every three weeks (100mg/m2 D1) for both groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the OS. Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 54 metastatic NPC patients with radiation to both primary site and distant metastatic lesions were retrospectively included in the treatment group, and another 54 patients were selected as the control group. The median follow-up time was 52 months. In the treatment group, the median age was 52 years (37-82), male (68%), female (32%), the main metastatic sites were bone (36 cases, 66%), lung (18 cases, 33%) and liver (10 cases, 18%). There were 23 oligometastasis cases and 31 cases. 3-year and 5-year OS in the treatment group were both dramatically improved than control group (63.2% vs 50.6%, p<0.05; 49.6% vs 38.9%, p<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that T stage, liver metastatic lesion and oligometastases were the independent prognostic factors for them.

CONCLUSION

Palliative chemotherapy combined with radiation to primary sites and distant metastatic lesions might improve the OS for initial diagnosed distant metastatic NPC patients. More prospective clinical trials were needed to confirm it further.

2A peptide from ERBV-1 efficiently separates endogenous protein domains in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

2A peptides are widely used for polycistronic gene expression from vectors. In contrast, the separation of endogenous genes via 2A peptides has been largely unexplored. We show that in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe , the "cleaving" efficiency of the 2A peptide from ERBV-1 (Equine rhinitis B virus 1) range from ~70% to ~99% for End4 at different insertion sites. Our results suggest a high "cleaving" efficiency as well as considerable variation for using 2A peptide to separate endogenous protein domains in fission yeast. Verification of the "cleaving" efficiency of 2A peptides is advised for its application.

What do the clinical features of positive nontuberculous mycobacteria isolates from patients with HIV/AIDS in China reveal? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

China has a high burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. Immunocompromised populations, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), are at a higher risk of being infected with NTM than immunocompetent individuals. Yet, there is a paucity of information on the clinical features of positive NTM isolates from patients with HIV/AIDS in China. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies, comparing them against current expert consensus to provide guidance for clinical practice.

Methods

Two researchers independently searched eight databases (SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) from inception to 26 December 2022 to retrieve published Chinese- and English-language studies reporting clinical features of NTM-positive isolates among patients with HIV/AIDS in China.

Results

We included 28 studies with 1861 patients. The rate of positive NTM isolates detected from men among all patients was 87.3%. NTM species distribution was mainly Mycobacterium avium complex (64.3%), which was predominant in different regions. The five most common clinical symptoms were fever (68.5%), cough or expectoration (67.0%), appetite loss (49.4%), weight loss (45.5%), and superficial lymphadenectasis (41.1%). The prevalence of laboratory tests were as follows: albumin <35 g/L (55.6%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate >20 mm/h (91.4%), anaemia (59.0%), predominantly mild, CD4+ T cell count ≤50 pieces/μL (70.3%), and CD4+ T cell count 51-200 pieces/μL (22.1%). Lesion manifestations in thoracic imaging mainly included bilateral lung involvement (83.8%), showed stripe shadows (60.3%), patchy shadows (42.9%), nodules (40.6%), and bronchiectasis (38.6%). Accompanied signs included thoracic lymph node enlargement (49.5%). Seventy per cent of symptoms improved after treatment.

Conclusions

Focusing on clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, and thoracic imaging helps with initial screening for NTM infections. Physicians should raise awareness of the diagnosis and treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex, providing guidance for experimental treatment, screening of priority populations for NTM infections, and prophylactic treatment of NTM disease.

Registration

PROSPERO CRD42023388185.

Pt-Pd Nanoalloys Functionalized Mesoporous SnO2 Spheres: Tailored Synthesis, Sensing Mechanism, and Device Integration

Methane (CH4 ), as the vital energy resource and industrial chemicals, is highly flammable and explosive for concentrations above the explosive limit, triggering potential risks to personal and production safety. Therefore, exploiting smart gas sensors for real-time monitoring of CH4 becomes extremely important. Herein, the Pt-Pd nanoalloy functionalized mesoporous SnO2 microspheres (Pt-Pd/SnO2 ) were synthesized, which show uniform diameter (≈500 nm), high surface area (40.9-56.5 m2 g-1 ), and large mesopore size (8.8-15.8 nm). The highly dispersed Pt-Pd nanoalloys are confined in the mesopores of SnO2 , causing the generation ofoxygen defects and increasing the carrier concentration of sensitive materials. The representative Pt1 -Pd4 /SnO2 exhibits superior CH4 sensing performance with ultrahigh response (Ra /Rg = 21.33 to 3000 ppm), fast response/recovery speed (4/9 s), as well as outstanding stability. Spectroscopic analyses imply that such an excellent CH4 sensing process involves the fast conversion of CH4 into formic acid and CO intermediates, and finally into CO2 . Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the attractive covalent bonding interaction and rapid electron transfer between the Pt-Pd nanoalloys and SnO2 support, dramatically promote the orbital hybridization of Pd4 sites and adsorbed CH4 molecules, enhancing the catalytic activation of CH4 over the sensing layer.

A triple band local oscillator coupling system based on a phase grating for five-meter Dome-A terahertz explorer telescope

For heterodyne receivers, broadband and integrated local oscillator (LO) coupling schemes are crucial. In this paper, we present a novel terahertz broadband receiver system based on a one-pixel phase grating. We designed a phase grating that can simultaneously couple the LO signals at 690, 850, and 1300 GHz to a superconducting hot-electron bolometer mixer at the incident angles of 25.7°, 20.6°, and 13.3°, respectively. At these three frequencies, the measured diffraction efficiencies of the phase grating are as high as 70%, 73%, and 65%, and the total power coupling efficiencies of the LO coupling system are 22%, 23%, and 23%, in good agreement with the simulated results. This efficient and highly integrated multiband receiver system has potential applications in the proposed Five-meter Dome-A Terahertz Explorer telescope.

[Analysis of chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocyte of medical radiation workers in a tertiary hospital]

Objective: To analyze the level of chromosome aberration in lymphocytes of medical radiation workers and its influencing factors. Methods: From July to September 2020, 252 medical workers in a tertiary hospital were selected as the study subjects and 107 preserviceworkers were selected as the control group. The Chromosomal aberrations of peripheral blood lymphocytes were measured using conventional cytogenetic analysis method, and the differences were analyzed. Results: The frequencies of dicentric puls centric ring, total chromosome-type aberrations, and abnormal detection rate in the radiation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (Z=2.59, 3.74, 9.99, P<0.05). There was significant difference in the frequencies of dicentric plus centric ring and total chromosome-type aberrations among different types of work (χ(2)=8.59, 8.17, 11.39, P<0.05), and the frequencies of dicentric plus centric ring were significantly higher in the interventional radiology group than those in diagnostic radiology (χ(2)=2.90, P<0.05), While the rates of acentric fragment and total chromosome-type aberrations were significantly higher in the nuclear medicine group than those in diagnostic radiology (χ(2)=2.81, 3.19, P<0.05). The difference in the abnormal detection rate of chromosome aberrations between different types of work was statistically significant (P<0.05), and the rate in the interventional radiology group was significantly higher than that in the diagnostic radiology group (χ(2)=7.66, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in chromosome aberration level and abnormal detection rate among different working ages (P>0.05). Poisson regression analysis indicated that the type of work is a risk factor for chromosomal aberration [IRR=2.31 (nuclear medicine group), 1.66 (Radiation therapy), and 1.78 (interventional group) ; P<0.05]. Conclusion: Ionizing radiation causes certain radiation damage to medical radiology workers, and the frequencies of chromosome aberration in the radiation workers of nuclear medicine and interventional radiology groups are relatively high, so radiation protection should be strengthened to ensure the health of relevant workers.

Chronic pulmonary bacterial infection facilitates breast cancer lung metastasis by recruiting tumor-promoting MHCIIhi neutrophils

Breast cancer can metastasize to various organs, including the lungs. The immune microenvironment of the organs to be metastasized plays a crucial role in the metastasis of breast cancer. Infection with pathogens such as viruses and bacteria can alter the immune status of the lung. However, the effect of chronic inflammation caused by bacteria on the formation of a premetastatic niche within the lung is unclear, and the contribution of specific immune mediators to tumor metastasis also remains largely undetermined. Here, we used a mouse model revealing that chronic pulmonary bacterial infection augmented breast cancer lung metastasis by recruiting a distinct subtype of tumor-infiltrating MHCIIhi neutrophils into the lung, which exhibit cancer-promoting properties. Functionally, MHCIIhi neutrophils enhanced the lung metastasis of breast cancer in a cell-intrinsic manner. Furthermore, we identified CCL2 from lung tissues as an important environmental signal to recruit and maintain MHCIIhi neutrophils. Our findings clearly link bacterial-immune crosstalk to breast cancer lung metastasis and define MHCIIhi neutrophils as the principal mediator between chronic infection and tumor metastasis.

Detection of a spinning object using a superimposed optical vortex array

The optical vortex (OV) carries unique orbital angular momentum (OAM) and experiences a Doppler frequency shift when backscattered from a spinning object. This rotational Doppler effect (RDE) has provided a solution for the non-contact detection of rotating motion. The reported RDE researches mainly use a single OV that generates frequency shifts proportional to its topological charge and has low robustness to light incidence. Here, we show the distinctive RDE of superimposed optical vortex array (SOVA). We analyze the holistic OAM of SOVA which is represented in terms of a superposition of azimuthal harmonics and displays a unique modal gathering effect. In the experiment of RDE, the frequency shift signals of SOVA show a precise mapping to the OAM modes and the modal gathering effect contributes to enhance the amplitude of signals, which has the potential to enhance robustness against non-coaxial incidence. This finding provides a new aspect of RDE and a pioneered example for introducing various SOVAs into rotation detection.

Joint Optimization of Bandwidth and Power Allocation in Uplink Systems with Deep Reinforcement Learning

Wireless resource utilizations are the focus of future communication, which are used constantly to alleviate the communication quality problem caused by the explosive interference with increasing users, especially the inter-cell interference in the multi-cell multi-user systems. To tackle this interference and improve the resource utilization rate, we proposed a joint-priority-based reinforcement learning (JPRL) approach to jointly optimize the bandwidth and transmit power allocation. This method aims to maximize the average throughput of the system while suppressing the co-channel interference and guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) constraint. Specifically, we de-coupled the joint problem into two sub-problems, i.e., the bandwidth assignment and power allocation sub-problems. The multi-agent double deep Q network (MADDQN) was developed to solve the bandwidth allocation sub-problem for each user and the prioritized multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (P-MADDPG) algorithm by deploying a prioritized replay buffer that is designed to handle the transmit power allocation sub-problem. Numerical results show that the proposed JPRL method could accelerate model training and outperform the alternative methods in terms of throughput. For example, the average throughput was approximately 10.4-15.5% better than the homogeneous-learning-based benchmarks, and about 17.3% higher than the genetic algorithm.

[Value of Improved Mayo Endoscopic Score for evaluating treatment efficacy for active ulcerative colitis]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the value of Improved Mayo Endoscopic Score (IMES) for evaluation of treatment efficacy for active ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and endoscopic data of 103 patients diagnosed with active UC in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January, 2015 to December, 2020. The severity of endoscopic lesions was determined by Mayo Endoscopic Score and the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS), and the area of the endoscopic lesions was evaluated based on the Montreal classification system. The IMES was established by combining the MES with the Montreal classification.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis suggested that young patients (<40 years old), patients with extensive disease type (E3), patients with high endoscopic scores (MES=3, UCEIS>4, and IMES>4), and patients receiving advanced drug therapy (with systemic hormones, immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, and biological agents, etc.) had lower clinical and endoscopic remission rates. COX survival analysis showed that IMES≤4 was an independent risk factor for clinical and endoscopic remission. ROC curve indicated that the predictive value of IMSE≤4 for clinical and endoscopic remission (AUC=0.7793 and 0.7095, respectively; P<0.01) was better than that of Montreal (AUC=0.7357 and 0.6847, respectively; P<0.01), MES=2 (AUC=0.6671 and 0.5929, respectively; P<0.01), and UCEIS≤4 (AUC=0.6823 and 0.6459, respectively; P<0.01); IMES=5 had a better predictive value for patients with active UC undergoing colectomy tham E3 and MES=3.

CONCLUSION

IMES has good value in evaluating treatment efficacy for active UC.

Optical edge detection with adjustable resolution based on cascaded Pancharatnam-Berry lenses

We designed a versatile optical edge detection setup with two cascaded Pancharatnam-Berry lenses (PBLs) placed at the Fourier plane of a 4f system. When the two PBLs are parallel and close to each other, owing to the moiré-like effect, one-dimensional edge detection with adjustable resolution is achieved by introducing a transverse displacement of one PBL. Furthermore, two-dimensional edge detection with adjustable resolution can also be realized by tuning the longitudinal distance between the PBLs, and the transverse displacement is exploited to adjust the edge resolution in specified directions. The proposed scheme is verified by a proof-of-principle experiment in which the resolution-adjustable edges of different targets and cells were clearly observed, showing its flexibility and potential application in image processing and high-contrast microscopy.