Tocilizumab in the treatment of hyperferritinemic syndrome and capillary leak syndrome secondary to rheumatoid arthritis: Case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, which is mainly characterized by joint swelling, pressure pain and joint destruction. Some patients may suffer from a variety of serious complications, which require prompt diagnosis and treatment. Otherwise, the patient condition may deteriorate rapidly, leading to premature death. OBJECTIVE: We reported a case of RA combined with hyperferritinemic syndrome and capillary leak syndrome (CLS) that was successfully treated with tocilizumab (TCZ), with the aim of improving diagnostic ideas for clinicians and consequently improving the diagnosis and treatment of the hyperferritinemic syndrome and CLS. CASE SUMMARY: A 55-year-old female patient was admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases of our hospital due to "recurrent fever for more than 1 month and aggravation for 3 days." The patient was diagnosed with fever of unknown origin (lung infection?) and received anti-infective therapy with large encirclement of anti-bacterial, antifungal and empirical anti-tuberculosis successively during hospitalization in the Department of Infectious Diseases. Yet her condition continues to progress. The patient was eventually diagnosed with RA combined with hyperferritinemic syndrome and CLS. Then she received glucocorticoids (GC) (160 mg qd) combined with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG, 20 g/d, for 3 days). We considered that the patient also had an overwhelming proinflammatory cytokine storm, so she received a strong anti-inflammatory treatment with TCZ (400 mg qm). The patient symptoms and follow-up chest CT showed significant improvement following treatment. CONCLUSION: TCZ has good efficacy in the treatment of RA combined with hyperferritinemic syndrome and CLS and is expected to be a promising treatment.

Biomimetic Adaptive Pure Pursuit Control for Robot Path Tracking Inspired by Natural Motion Constraints.

The essence of biomimetics in human-computer interaction (HCI) is the inspiration derived from natural systems to drive innovations in modern-day technologies. With this in mind, this paper introduces a biomimetic adaptive pure pursuit (A-PP) algorithm tailored for the four-wheel differential drive robot (FWDDR). Drawing inspiration from the intricate natural motions subjected to constraints, the FWDDR's kinematic model mirrors non-holonomic constraints found in biological entities. Recognizing the limitations of traditional pure pursuit (PP) algorithms, which often mimic a static behavioral approach, our proposed A-PP algorithm infuses adaptive techniques observed in nature. Integrated with a quadratic polynomial, this algorithm introduces adaptability in both lateral and longitudinal dimensions. Experimental validations demonstrate that our biomimetically inspired A-PP approach achieves superior path-following accuracy, mirroring the efficiency and fluidity seen in natural organisms.

Teleoperation control of a wheeled mobile robot based on Brain-machine Interface.

This paper presents a novel teleoperation system using Electroencephalogram (EEG) to control the motion of a wheeled mobile robot (WMR). Different from the other traditional motion controlling method, the WMR is braked with the EEG classification results. Furthermore, the EEG will be induced by using the online BMI (Brain Machine Interface) system, and adopting the non-intrusion induced mode SSVEP (steady state visually evoked potentials). Then, user's motion intention can be recognized by canonical correlation analysis (CCA) classifier, which will be converted into motion commands of the WMR. Finally, the teleoperation technique is utilized to manage the information of the movement scene and adjust the control instructions based on the real-time information. Bezier curve is used to parameterize the path planning of the robot, and the trajectory can be adjusted in real time by EEG recognition results. A motion controller based on error model is proposed to track the planned trajectory by using velocity feedback control, providing excellent track tracking performance. Finally, the feasibility and performance of the proposed teleoperation brain-controlled WMR system are verified using demonstration experiments.

Enhanced gelling properties and hydration capacity of ginkgo seed proteins by genipin cross-linking.

The present study investigated the effects of genipin cross-linking on the gelling properties of ginkgo seed protein isolate (GSPI). Cross-linking of GSPI was achieved with different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6% w/v) of genipin at pH 6.0. Compared to pure GSPI, genipin treatment led to lower solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and fluorescence intensity, while promoted protein aggregation. Cross-linked GSPI gels exhibited markedly improved gelling properties and water holding capacity (WHC), with up to 2.1-fold increases in gel hardness and 1.3-fold increases in WHC over non-treated GSPI gel. Electrophoresis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the cross-linking. Moreover, microstructural examination showed that cross-linking with genipin resulted in protein aggregation and more porous gel matrix. Overall, genipin cross-linking demonstrated great potential for the enhancement of gelling properties of ginkgo seed protein. The current research may expand the utilization of ginkgo seeds in food applications.

Retracted: Britannin mediates apoptosis and glycolysis of T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma cells by AMPK-dependent autophagy.

The above article, published online on 19 September 2022 in Wiley Online Library (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jbt.23211), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Hari Bhat, and Wiley Periodicals, LLC. The article is being retracted at the authors' request because some of the data underlying this article refer to a different cell line from the one reported in it. As a result, the article's conclusions do not accurately reflect the full data and cannot be considered reliable.

Sintilimab combined with chidamide in the treatment of extranodal nature killer/T-cell lymphoma with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: Two case reports and literature review.

RATIONALE: Extranodal nature killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) failing in asparaginase-containing treatments is fatal, it has a higher mortality rate when accompanied by secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The study reported 2 ENKTL-related HLH patients. PATIENT CONCERNS: Patient 1 visited for nasal congestion and runny nose for 6 months then got a fever and serious myelosuppression after P-GEP (pegaspargase, gemcitabine, etoposide, and methylprednisolone) chemotherapy. Patient 2 complained of painless lymphadenectasis in the right neck for 4 months and experienced recurrent fever and poor performance status after 3 cycles of P-Gemox (pegaspargase, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin) chemotherapy. DIAGNOSES: Patient 1 and patient 2 were diagnosed as ENKTL failing in asparaginase-based chemotherapy and involving secondary HLH. INTERVENTIONS: The dose of chidamide was 20 mg twice a week for 2 weeks and sintilimab was 200 mg once every 3 weeks. OUTCOMES: ENKTL was relieved and the HLH was resolved after the therapy of sintilimab and chidamide. The patients had achieved durable survival without immune-related adverse events. LESSONS: ENKTL-related HLH needs early diagnosis and treatment. The combined strategy of sintilimab plus chidamide help deal with HLH and solve ENKTL, it may be a useful treatment option for ENKTL-related HLH.

Chidamide combined with traditional chemotherapy for primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Traditional chemotherapy has benefited many patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but results in a very poor response in patients with rare lymphomas or refractory lymphomas. Previous studies have shown that chidamide has potential anti-lymphoma activity and reverses lymphoma cell chemoresistance to increase the chemosensitivity of lymphoma cells to traditional chemotherapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 14-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with a 5-d history of generalized erythema, papules, and blisters. Initially, the disease was refractory to potent anti-allergic and anti-infective treatment, and his condition progressively worsened. Skin biopsy revealed primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma. Considering that the disease is extremely rare in clinical practice, existing case reports have shown poor efficacy with traditional chemotherapy alone. We recommend chidamide combined with traditional chemotherapy for treatment. The regimen was as follows: Chidamide 30 mg/biw, cyclophosphamide 1100 mg/d1, pirarubicin 70 mg/d1, vincristine 2 mg/d1, dexamethasone 20 mg/d1-5, etoposide 100 mg/d1-5, in a 21 d cycle. The treatment effect was considerable, and complete remission was achieved after 4 cycles of treatment, after which the patient completed a total of 6 cycles of treatment. Subsequently, the patient regularly took chidamide 20 mg/biw as maintenance therapy for 1 year. To date, the patient has been disease-free for 3 years. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that the combination of chidamide and traditional chemotherapy is effective in primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell lymphoma.

Expression of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators correlates with immune microenvironment characteristics and predicts prognosis in diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the clinical significance of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators and their relationship with immune microenvironment characteristics in diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Consensus clustering was performed to molecularly discriminate DLBCL subtypesbased on m6A regulators' expression. Using the Cox and Lasso regression algorithm, survival-associated m6A regulators were identified, and a m6A-based prognostic signature was established. The influence of m6A risk on immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint genes, cancer immunity cycle, and immunotherapeutic response was evaluated. Potential molecular pathways related to m6A risk were investigated using gene set enrichment analysis. The m6A regulators showed satisfactory performance in distinguishing DLBCL subgroups with distinct clinical traits and outcomes. A six m6A regulator-based prognostic signature was established and validated as an independent predictor, which separated patients into low- and high-risk groups. High-risk m6A indicated worse survival. The B cells naïve, T cells gamma delta, and NK cells resting were the three most affected immune cells by m6A risk. Up-regulated (PDCD1 and KIR3DL1) and down-regulated (TIGIT, IDO1, and BTLA) immune checkpoint genes in the high-risk group were identified. The m6A risk was found to influence several steps in the cancer immunity cycle. Patients with high-risk m6A were more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. Biological function enrichment analysis revealed that high-risk m6A to be tended related to malignant tumor characteristics, while low-risk m6A showed trend to be related to defensive response processes. Collectively, the m6A-based prognostic signature could be a practical prognostic predictor for DLBCL and immune microenvironment characteristics affected by m6A may be part of the mechanism.

Modification of structure and functionalities of ginkgo seed proteins by pH-shifting treatment.

Modification and improvement of protein functionalities are important for expanding the applications of proteins in food. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pH-shifting treatments on the structural and functional properties of ginkgo seed protein isolate (GSPI). GSPI was exposed to acidic (pH 2.0-4.0) and basic (pH 10.0-12.0) pHs for 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h and subsequently neutralized for refolding. The pH-shifting treatments significantly increased GSPI solubility by 43-141% except for the treatment at pH 2.0, which decreased protein solubility by 16-39%. All pH-shifting treatments more than doubled the surface hydrophobicity of GSPI and significantly improved the emulsifying activity. The highest emulsifying activity was observed in the pH 2.0-treated GSPI, which was 4.9-fold higher than the control. Acid-induced GSPI degradation likely promoted protein adsorption to the oil-water interface. In summary, the pH-shifting-modified GSPI may serve as a promising emulsifier in various food systems.

Efficient Removal of Cd(II) Using SiO2-Mg(OH)2 Nanocomposites Derived from Sepiolite.

The pollution of Cadmium (Cd) species in natural water has attracted more and more attention due to its high cumulative toxicity. In the search for improved removal of cadmium from contaminated water, we characterized uptake on a recently identified nanomaterial (SiO2-Mg(OH)2) obtained by subjecting sepiolite to acid-base modification. The structural characteristics of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 were analyzed by means of SEM-EDS, Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD). Static adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of contact time, temperature, amount of adsorbent, and pH-value on the adsorption of Cd(II) by SiO2-Mg(OH)2. The results show that the pore structure of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 is well developed, with specific surface area, pore size and pore volume increased by 60.09%, 16.76%, and 43.59%, respectively, compared to natural sepiolite. After modification, the sepiolite substrate adsorbs Cd(II) following pseudo-second-order kinetics and a Langmuir surface adsorption model, suggesting both chemical and physical adsorption. At 298 K, the maximum saturated adsorption capacity fitted by Sips model of SiO2-Mg(OH)2 regarding Cd(II) is 121.23 mg/g. The results show that SiO2-Mg(OH)2 nanocomposite has efficient adsorption performance, which is expected to be a remediation agent for heavy metal cadmium polluted wastewater.

Reshaping of pipette tip: A facile and practical strategy for sorbent packing-free solid phase extraction.

Pipette tip-based solid phase extraction (PT-SPE) has been proved to be an effective and user-friendly separation technique due to its miniaturized procedure and practical convenience. However, the vast majority of existing PT-SPE devices consist of a filter-sorbents-filter sandwich structure, which may suffer the unforeseen risk of sorbents leakage caused by the looseness of filters. More importantly, many high-capacity nanosorbents with particle size smaller than pore size of filters are unavailable. Thus, sorbent packing-free and sample low-consumption PT-SPE could be a more robust strategy for separation and detection, but such a possibility has not been explored yet. Herein we report a tubing reshaping strategy for facile fabrication of sorbent packing-free PT-SPE devices. Three types of reshaped PTs, namely stretched tube-like, self-crimping and filter in-built PTs, were fabricated via simple heating and stretching operations. The reshaped PTs exhibited flexible surface chemical post-modification. The SPE process was directly performed in reshaped PTs with an obviously enhanced extraction efficiency compared to once-shaping PTs while no need of packing sorbents. Extraction of nucleosides from human urine by boronic acid-functionalized reshaped PTs was demonstrated. Our findings technically renovate the structural composition of PT-SPE devices. As PTs are inexpensive and high-plasticity, the sorbent packing-free SPE scheme presented herein could find more promising applications and provides a new perspective for design and fabrication of novel sorbent packing-free SPE devices.