Unveiling Dynamic Structure and Bond Evolutions in BiOIO3 Photocatalysts during CO2 Reduction.

We have established a correlation between photocatalytic activity and dynamic structure/bond evolutions of BiOIO3-based photocatalysts during CO2 reduction by combining operando X-ray diffraction with photoelectron spectroscopy. More specifically, the selective photo-deposition of PtOx species on BiOIO3 (010) facets could effectively promote the electron enrichment on Bi active sites of (100) facets for facilitating the adsorption/activation of CO2 molecules, leading to the formation of Bi sites with high oxidation state and the shrink of crystalline structures. With introducing light irradiation to drive CO2 reduction, the Bi active sites with high oxidation states transformed into normal Bi3+ state, accompanying with the expansion of crystalline structures. Owing to the dynamic structure, bond, and chemical-state evolutions, a significant improvement of photocatalytic activity for CO evolution has been achieved on PtOx-BiOIO3 (195.0 µmol g-1•h-1), much higher than the pristine (61.9 µmol g-1•h-1) as well as metal-Pt decorated BiOIO3 (70.3 µmol g-1•h-1) samples. This work provides new insights to correlate the intrinsically dynamic structure/bond evolutions with CO2 reduction activity, which may help to guide future photocatalyst design.

Relaxation of Spring Festival Firework Regulations Leads to a Deterioration in Air Quality.

The relaxation of restrictions on Chinese Spring Festival (SF) firework displays in certain regions has raised concerns due to intensive emissions exacerbating air quality deterioration. To evaluate the impacts of fireworks on air quality, a comparative investigation was conducted in a city between 2022 (restricted fireworks) and 2023 SF (unrestricted), utilizing high time-resolution field observations of particle chemical components and air quality model simulations. We observed two severe PM2.5 pollution episodes primarily triggered by firework emissions and exacerbated by static meteorology (contributing approximately 30%) during 2023 SF, contrasting with its absence in 2022. During firework displays, freshly emitted particles containing more primary inorganics (such as chloride and metals like Al, Mg, and Ba), elemental carbon, and organic compounds (including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) were predominant; subsequently, aged particles with more secondary components became prevalent and continued to worsen air quality. The primary emissions from fireworks constituted 54% of the observed high PM2.5 during the displays, contributing a peak hourly PM2.5 concentration of 188 µg/m3 and representing over 70% of the ambient PM2.5. This study underscores that caution should be exercised when igniting substantial fireworks under stable meteorological conditions, considering both the primary and potential secondary effects.

Molecular mechanism of miR-203a targeting Runx2 to regulate thiram induced-chondrocyte development.

Thiram is a kind of organic compound, which is commonly used for sterilization, insecticidal and deodorization in daily life. Its toxicology has been broadly studied. Recently, more and more microRNAs have been shown to participate in the regulation of cartilage development. However, the potential mechanism by which microRNA regulates chondrocyte growth is still unclear. Our experiments have demonstrated that thiram can hamper chondrocytes development and cause a significant increase in miR-203a content in vitro and in vivo trials. miR-203a mimic significantly decrease in mRNA and protein expression of Wnt4, Runx2, COL2A1, ß-catenin and ALP, and significantly enhance the mRNA and protein levels of GSK-3ß. It has been observed that overexpression of miR-203a hindered chondrocytes development. In addition, Runx2 was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-203a by dual luciferase report gene assay. Transfection of si-Runx2 into chondrocytes reveals that significant downregulation of genes is associated with cartilage development. Overall, these results suggest that overexpression of miR-203a inhibits the expression of Runx2. These findings are conducive to elucidate the mechanism of chondrocytes dysplasia induced by thiram and provide new research ideas for the toxicology of thiram.

Tumor growth manifested in two-fifths of low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients during active surveillance: data from a tertiary center in China.

Purpose: To assess tumor growth using tumor doubling rate (TDR) during active surveillance (AS) in China. Methods: Between January 2016 and June 2020, a total of 219 patients with low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) (aged 23-75 years) were consecutively enrolled in the AS program. Results: Four sections of TDR, >0.5, 0.1~0.5, -0.1~0.1 and <-0.1, corresponded with four categories of tumor volume kinetics: rapid growth, slow growth, stable, and decreased size. We found that 10.5% of PTMCs exhibited rapid growth, 33.33% exhibited slow growth, 26.48% were stable, and 29.68% decreased in size. Tumor growth was associated with two factors: age and volume of PTMC at diagnosis. 85.72% of elderly patients (≥ 61 years old) had tumors that remained stable or even shrank and rapidly growing tumors were not found in them. When the volume was small (≤14.13 mm3), the proportion of rapid growth was high (41.67%), whereas when the volume was large (> 179.5 mm3), the proportion of non-growth was 68.75%. Conclusion: TDR may be a better metric for evaluating tumor growth in observational PTMCs. A certain proportion of PTMCs grow during the period of AS and tumor growth was associated with age and volume of PTMC at initial diagnosis. Therefore, how to block tumor growth during the AS period, especially for young patients and patients with early-stage PTMC (size ≤ 5 mm), will be a new challenge.

Peroxyacetyl nitrate can be used as a comprehensive indicator of air pollution complex.

With the acceleration of air cleaning activities in China, air pollution has entered a new stage characterized by seasonal interplay and predominance of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) pollutants. However, the differing peak seasons of these two pollution preclude the use of a unified indicator for air pollution complex. Given that peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) originates from secondary formation and persists under low-temperature conditions for extended periods, it is vital to determine whether its concentration can be used as an indicator to represent air pollution, not only in summer but also in winter. Here, PAN observational data from 2018 to 2022 for Beijing were analyzed. The results showed that during photochemical pollution events in summer, secondary formation of PAN was intense and highly correlated with O3 (R = 0.8), while during PM2.5 pollution events in winter, when the lifetime of PAN is extended due to the low temperature, the PAN concentration was highly consistent with the PM2.5 concentration (R = 0.9). As a result, the PAN concentration essentially exhibited consistency with both the seasonal trends in the exceedance of air pollution (R = 0.6) and the air quality index (R = 0.8). When the daily average concentration exceeds 0.5 and 0.9 ppb, the PAN concentration can be used as a complementary indicator of the occurrence of primary and secondary standard pollution, respectively. This study demonstrated the unique role of PAN as an indicator of air pollution complex, highlighting the comprehensive ability for air quality characterization and reducing the burden of atmospheric environment management.

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Flightin Gene in Vespa basalis (Hymenoptera, Vespidae).

Flight is a complex physiological process requiring precise coordination of muscular contraction. A key protein in insect flight is flightin, which plays an integral role in the flight muscles. This research sought to evaluate the flight competence of the social wasp V. basalis by characterizing the molecular components involved. Our study focused on Vespa basalis, one of the most dangerous hornet species, utilizing PCR to obtain a partial cDNA sequence of the flightin protein. We then employed phylogenetic and sequence analysis to gain insights into this protein in flight-related adaptations. The cDNA has an 1189-base pair sequence including an open reading frame (453 bp) encoding 150 amino acids. Analyzing the deduced amino acid sequence using an online tool revealed a molecular weight of 18.05 kDa, an isoelectric point of 5.84, four functional site patterns, and no transmembrane topology. We constructed a phylogenetic tree of flightin based on 38 species. Our analysis indicated that V. basalis is most closely related to V. mandarinia; this alignment is consistent with their similar aggressive behavior, but their evolutionary relationship, based on mitochondrial sequences, presents a contrast. These initial findings on the flightin gene in V. basalis lay the groundwork for future functional studies to elucidate its specific role in flight adaptations and explore its potential as a target for pest management strategies.

Recent advances in the application of clay-containing hydrogels for hemostasis and wound healing.

INTRODUCTION: Immediate control of bleeding and anti-infection play important roles in wound management. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and death may occur if persistent bleeding, hemodynamic instability, and hypoxemia are not addressed. The combination of clay and hydrogel provides a new outlet for wound hemostasis. In this review, the current research progress of hydrogel/clay composite hemostatic agents was reviewed. AREAS COVERED: This paper summarizes the characteristics of several kinds of clay including kaolinite, montmorillonite, laponite, sepiolite, and palygorskite. The advantages and disadvantages of its application in hemostasis were also summarized. Future directions for the application of hydrogel/clay composite hemostatic agents are presented. EXPERT OPINION: Clay can activate the endogenous hemostatic pathway by increasing blood cell concentration and promoting plasma absorption to accelerate the hemostasis. Clay is antimicrobial due to the slow release of metal ions and has a rich surface charge with a high affinity for proteins and cells to promote tissue repair. Hydrogels have some properties such as good biocompatibility, strong adhesion, high stretchability, and good self-healing. Despite promising advances, hydrogel/clay composite hemostasis remains a limitation. Therefore, more evidence is needed to further elucidate the risk factors and therapeutic effects of hydrogel/clay in hemostasis and wound healing.

Progressions of the correlation between lipid metabolism and immune infiltration characteristics in gastric cancer and identification of BCHE as a potential biomarker.

Background: Globally, gastric cancer (GC) is a category of prevalent malignant tumors. Its high occurrence and fatality rates represent a severe threat to public health. According to recent research, lipid metabolism (LM) reprogramming impacts immune cells' ordinary function and is critical for the onset and development of cancer. Consequently, the article conducted a sophisticated bioinformatics analysis to explore the potential connection between LM and GC. Methods: We first undertook a differential analysis of the TCGA queue to recognize lipid metabolism-related genes (LRGs) that are differentially expressed. Subsequently, we utilized the LASSO and Cox regression analyses to create a predictive signature and validated it with the GSE15459 cohort. Furthermore, we examined somatic mutations, immune checkpoints, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE), and drug sensitivity analyses to forecast the signature's immunotherapy responses. Results: Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves exhibited considerably longer OS and PFS (p<0.001) of the low-risk (LR) group. PCA analysis and ROC curves evaluated the model's predictive efficacy. Additionally, GSEA analysis demonstrated that a multitude of carcinogenic and matrix-related pathways were much in the high-risk (HR) group. We then developed a nomogram to enhance its clinical practicality, and we quantitatively analyzed tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) using the CIBERSORT and ssGSEA algorithms. The low-risk group has a lower likelihood of immune escape and more effective in chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Eventually, we selected BCHE as a potential biomarker for further research and validated its expression. Next, we conducted a series of cell experiments (including CCK-8 assay, Colony formation assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assays) to prove the impact of BCHE on gastric cancer biological behavior. Discussion: Our research illustrated the possible consequences of lipid metabolism in GC, and we identified BCHE as a potential therapeutic target for GC. The LRG-based signature could independently forecast the outcome of GC patients and guide personalized therapy.

Tumor microenvironment-activatable nanocatalysts with chemodynamic therapy and enhanced autophagy for specific treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Adjuvant therapy following surgery is imperative for enhancing the prognosis of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in the clinical setting. Nevertheless, challenges such as treatment resistance mediated by the tumor microenvironment (TME), systemic toxicity, and adverse side effects hinder the effectiveness of conventional adjuvant therapy. In this context, we introduce a novel nanocatalyst denoted as MnO2-x@HA-CCM (MnHA@CCM NC) designed specifically for treating OSCC. This nanocatalyst exerts targeted anti-tumor effects through TME-activatable chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and tumoricidal autophagy. The MnHA@CCM NCs exploit the biocompatibility of hyaluronic acid (HA) coating and the homologous targeting effect of cancer cell membrane (CCM) camouflage, ensuring safe in vivo delivery and specific accumulation at tumor sites. Following intracellular uptake, Fenton-like Mn2+ is generated by consuming glutathione (GSH) within the TME. Subsequently, Mn2+ catalyzes the overproduced H2O2 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducing cell apoptosis through mitochondrial damage. Additionally, phagocytized NCs and the resultant ROS accumulation in tumor cells elevate the autophagy flux, leading to autophagosome overload and consequent tumoricidal autophagy. Notably, normal cells without TME-catalytic CDT undergo mild protective autophagy to rebalance the stimulation of NCs. As a result, the TME-activatable MnHA@CCM NCs demonstrate a therapeutic efficacy in inhibiting cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. This study presents a targeted treatment strategy for OSCC tumors while sparing normal cells, offering a potential alternative in the realm of adjuvant therapy.

Enhancing the water permeability of composite NF membranes through the incorporation of organic ions in the aqueous phase.

Composite nanofiltration (NF) membranes prepared using interfacial polymerization (IP) have gained significant attention in the field of wastewater treatment. In this study, sodium camphor sulfonate (CSA-Na) and tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC) were employed as aqueous phase additives to regulate the diffusion of piperazine (PIP) molecules through electrostatic interactions. The dissociated CSA-Na and TEAC in the aqueous solution formed an organic structure at a certain concentration, restricting the interfacial transport behavior of PIP monomers. The results show that when the content of CSA-Na is 2% w/v, TEAC is 3.9% w/v, that is, the material dosage ratio is 1 : 3, and the NF membrane shows the best performance, with a water flux of 55.61 L m-2 h-1 (test pressure is 0.5 MPa), and MgSO4 rejection rate of more than 98%.

Endothelial H2S-AMPK dysfunction upregulates the angiocrine factor PAI-1 and contributes to lung fibrosis.

Dysfunction of the vascular angiocrine system is critically involved in regenerative defects and fibrosis of injured organs. Previous studies have identified various angiocrine factors and found that risk factors such as aging and metabolic disorders can disturb the vascular angiocrine system in fibrotic organs. One existing key gap is what sense the fibrotic risk to modulate the vascular angiocrine system in organ fibrosis. Here, using human and mouse data, we discovered that the metabolic pathway hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of fibrotic stress and serves as a key mechanism upregulating the angiocrine factor plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in endothelial cells to participate in lung fibrosis. Activation of the metabolic sensor AMPK was inhibited in endothelial cells of fibrotic lungs, and AMPK inactivation was correlated with enriched fibrotic signature and reduced lung functions in humans. The inactivation of endothelial AMPK accelerated lung fibrosis in mice, while the activation of endothelial AMPK with metformin alleviated lung fibrosis. In fibrotic lungs, endothelial AMPK inactivation led to YAP activation and overexpression of the angiocrine factor PAI-1, which was positively correlated with the fibrotic signature in human fibrotic lungs and inhibition of PAI-1 with Tiplaxtinin mitigated lung fibrosis. Further study identified that the deficiency of the antioxidative gas metabolite H2S accounted for the inactivation of AMPK and activation of YAP-PAI-1 signaling in endothelial cells of fibrotic lungs. H2S deficiency was involved in human lung fibrosis and H2S supplement reversed mouse lung fibrosis in an endothelial AMPK-dependent manner. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism underlying the deregulation of the vascular angiocrine system in fibrotic organs.

Redox-Activatable Magnetic Nanoarchitectonics for Self-Enhanced Tumor Imaging and Synergistic Photothermal-Chemodynamic Therapy.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent malignancy of the head and neck region associated with high recurrence rates and poor prognosis under current diagnostic and treatment methods. The development of nanomaterials that can improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy is of great importance for OSCC. In this study, a redox-activatable nanoarchitectonics is designed via the construction of dual-valence cobalt oxide (DV-CO) nanospheres, which can serve as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and exhibit enhanced transverse and longitudinal relaxivities through the release and redox of Co3+ /Co2+ in an acidic condition with glutathione (GSH), resulting in self-enhanced T1 /T2 -weighted MR contrast. Moreover, DV-CO demonstrates properties of intracellular GSH-depletion and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) generation through a Fenton-like reaction, enabling strengthened chemodynamic (CD) effect. Additionally, DV-CO displays efficient near-infrared laser-induced photothermal (PT) effect, thereby exhibiting synergistic PT-CD therapy for suppressing OSCC tumor cells. It further investigates the tumor-specific self-enhanced MR imaging of DV-CO both in subcutaneous and orthotopic OSCC mouse models, and demonstrate the therapeutic effects of DV-CO in orthotopic OSCC mouse models. Overall, the in vitro and in vivo findings highlight the excellent theranositc potentials of DV-CO for OSCC and offer new prospects for future advancement of nanomaterials.

Interlayer Confined Water Enabled Pseudocapacitive Sodium-Ion Storage in Nonaqueous Electrolyte.

Electrochemical capacitors have faced the limitations of low energy density for decades, owing to the low capacity of electric double-layer capacitance (EDLC)-type positive electrodes. In this work, we reveal the functions of interlayer confined water in iron vanadate (FeV3O8.7·nH2O) for sodium-ion storage in nonaqueous electrolyte. Using an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, in situ Raman, and ex situ X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrate that both nonfaradaic (surficial EDLC) and faradaic (pseudocapacitance-dominated Na+ intercalation) processes are involved in the charge storages. The interlayer confined water is able to accelerate the fast Na+ intercalations and is highly stable (without the removal of water or co-intercalation of [Na-diglyme]+) in the nonaqueous environment. Furthermore, coupling the pseudocapacitive FeV3O8.7·nH2O with EDLC-type activated carbon (FeVO-AC) as the positive electrode brings comprehensive enhancements, displaying the enlarged compaction density of ∼2 times, specific capacity of ∼1.5 times, and volumetric capacity of ∼3 times compared to the AC electrode. Furthermore, the as-assembled hybrid sodium-ion capacitor, consisting of an FeVO-AC positive electrode and a mesocarbon microbeads negative electrode, shows a high energy density of 108 Wh kg-1 at 108 W kg-1 and 15.3 Wh kg-1 at 8.3 kW kg-1. Our results offer an emerging route for improving both specific and volumetric energy densities of electrochemical capacitors.

Interannual evolution of the chemical composition, sources and processes of PM2.5 in Chengdu, China: Insights from observations in four winters.

The air quality in China has improved significantly in the last decade and, correspondingly, the characteristics of PM2.5 have also changed. We studied the interannual variation of PM2.5 in Chengdu, one of the most heavily polluted megacities in southwest China, during the most polluted season (winter). Our results show that the mass concentrations of PM2.5 decreased significantly year-by-year, from 195.8 ± 91.0 µg/m3 in winter 2016 to 96.1 ± 39.3 µg/m3 in winter 2020. The mass concentrations of organic matter (OM), SO42-, NH4+ and NO3- decreased by 49.6%, 57.1%, 49.7% and 28.7%, respectively. The differential reduction in the concentrations of chemical components increased the contributions from secondary organic carbon and NO3- and there was a larger contribution from mobile sources. The contribution of OM and NO3- not only increased with increasing levels of pollution, but also increased year-by-year at the same level of pollution. Four sources of PM2.5 were identified: combustion sources, vehicular emissions, dust and secondary aerosols. Secondary aerosols made the highest contribution and increased year-by-year, from 40.6% in winter 2016 to 46.3% in winter 2020. By contrast, the contribution from combustion sources decreased from 14.4% to 8.7%. Our results show the effectiveness of earlier pollution reduction policies and emphasizes that priority should be given to key pollutants (e.g., OM and NO3-) and sources (secondary aerosols and vehicular emissions) in future policies for the reduction of pollution in Chengdu during the winter months.

Flower color polymorphism of a wild Iris on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.

BACKGROUND: Flower color plays a crucial role in attracting pollinators and facilitating environmental adaptation. Investigating the causes of flower color polymorphism and understanding their potential effects on both ecology and genetics can enhance our understanding of flower color polymorphism in wild plant. RESULTS: In this study, we examined the differences of potential male and female fitness between purple- and yellow- flower individuals in Iris potaninii on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and screened key genes and positively selective genes involved in flower color change. Our results showed that yellow flower exhibited a higher pollen-to-ovule ratio. Yellow flowers were derived from purple flowers due to the loss of anthocyanins, and F3H could be an essential gene affecting flower color variation though expression regulation and sequence polymorphism in this species. Furthermore, our findings suggest that genes positively selected in yellow-flowered I. potaninii might be involved in nucleotide excision repair and plant-pathogen interactions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that F3H induces the flower color variation of Iris potaninii, and the subsequent ecological and additive positive selection on yellow flowers may further enhance plant adaptations to alpine environments.

Comparison of "hock-a-loogie" saliva versus nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for detecting common respiratory pathogens.

Self-collection of saliva samples has attracted considerable attention in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, studies investigating the detection of other common respiratory pathogens in saliva samples are limited. In this study, nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS), oropharyngeal swabs (OPS), and "hock-a-loogie" saliva (HLS) were collected from 469 patients to detect 13 common respiratory pathogens. Overall positivity rates for NPS (66.1 %), HLS (63.5 %), and OPS (57.8 %) were statistically different (P = 0.028), with an overall concordance of 72.7 %. Additionally, detection rates for NPS (85.9 %) and HLS (83.2 %) for all pathogens were much higher than for OPS (73.3 %). Coronavirus and human rhinovirus were most frequently detected pathogens in NPS (P < 0.001). Mycoplasma pneumoniae was significantly more prevalent in the HLS group (P = 0.008). In conclusion, NPS was a reliable sample type for detecting common respiratory pathogens. HLS was more easily collected and can be used in emergencies or specific conditions. Mixed NPS/OPS and NPS/HLS specimens have the potential to improve detection rates, although OPS testing alone has a relatively high risk for missed detection.

Grazing and precipitation addition reduces the temporal stability of aboveground biomass in a typical steppe of Chinese Loess Plateau.

Few studies on the effects of human activities and global climate change on temporal stability have considered either grazing or precipitation addition (PA). How community stability responds to the interaction between PA and grazing in a single experiment remains unknown. We studied the impact of grazing and PA on the temporal stability of communities in four years field experiment conducted in a typical steppe, adopting a randomized complete block design with grazing was the main block factor and PA was the split block factor. Grazing and PA had negative impacts on the temporal stability of communities. PA reduced the community stability through decreasing the stability of subordinate and community species richness (SR), whereas grazing reduced the community stability through decreasing the stability of the SR and dominant species. In contrast, grazing and PA maintained community stability through increasing species asynchronism and promoting the decoupling of asynchronism and stability. Our results revealed the different mechanisms of grazing and PA on community stability. Exploring the response characteristics of population dynamics to global climate change and pasture management is key to understanding future climate scenarios and changes in community stability under grazing.

Global research trends on B7-H3 for cancer immunotherapy: A bibliometric analysis (2012-2022).

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. B7-H3 is a promising target for cancer immunotherapy (CI). The present study aimed to utilize bibliometric methods to assess the current research status and explore future trends in the use of B7-H3 for CI. We collected publications related to B7-H3/CI from the Clarivate Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer, Microsoft Excel, the bibliometrix R package, and an online platform were used to conduct qualitative and visualized analyses of the literature. A total of 555 papers were analyzed, revealing a significant increase in annual publications since 2018. The most productive countries were China and the USA, and the leading institutions were Soochow University and Sichuan University. Zang and Ferrone were the most popular authors. Among the journals, Frontiers in Immunology had the highest number of papers, whereas Clinical Cancer Research was the most influential. Historical citation analysis reveals the development of B7-H3/CI. Top-cited papers and keyword analyses were performed to highlight current hotspots in the domain. Using cluster analysis, we classified all keywords into four clusters: "immunotherapy," "co-stimulatory molecule," "B7 family," and "PD-L1." Finally, Trends analysis suggested that future research might focus on "chimeric antigen receptor," "pathways," and "targeting B7-H3." This is the first bibliometric crosstalk analysis between B7-H3 and CI. Our study illustrates that the topic of B7-H3/CI is very popular and has great clinical implications and that the number of correlative publications will continue to increase. B7-H3-based CI may lead to new research trends.

Correlation analysis between plasma fibrinogen and nerve electrophysiological changes in type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and the value of fibrinogen (FIB) in the early diagnosis of DPN. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 121 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and DPN hospitalized in the Endocrinology Department of the 923 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China were randomly selected between May and October 2020 and divided into a T2DM asymptomatic (no peripheral neuropathy-related symptoms) group (66 cases) and a T2DM symptomatic group (55 cases) according to the presence or absence of clinical neurological symptoms and signs. Forty healthy volunteers were selected as a normal control group. In addition to plasma FIB and nerve electrophysiological tests, all included subjects were electrophysiologically tested for nerve conduction velocity (NCV), terminal motor latency (DML), sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude, and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, NCV was slowed down in T2DM patients, DML was prolonged, and the amplitude of CMAP and SNAP were decreased. Compared with asymptomatic T2DM patients, symptomatic patients had slower NCV, longer DML, lower CMAP amplitude of median nerve, ulnar nerve and tibial nerve, and significantly lower SNAP amplitude of median nerve and ulnar nerve. CMAP amplitudes were decreased, and median and ulnar nerve SNAP amplitudes were also significantly decreased ( p < 0.05). The plasma FIB concentration of asymptomatic patients with T2DM was higher than that of the control group, and the plasma FIB concentration of symptomatic patients with T2DM was higher than that of asymptomatic patients with T2DM ( p < 0.01). The NCV and DML of asymptomatic patients with T2DM slowed down and prolonged as the FIB level increased; the NCV of T2DM symptomatic patients also slowed down as FIB increased, and median and ulnar nerve DML increased as FIB increased. There was no correlation between NCV and DML and the plasma FIB level in the control group. SNAP amplitudes of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with T2DM decreased as plasma FIB increased, while CMAP amplitudes of the tibial nerve and the T2DM symptomatic ulnar nerve decreased as FIB increased in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: FIB may be a contributing factor for diabetic neuropathy and could be used as an indicator in the early screening and diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in patients with T2DM.

Exosomal hsa_circ_000200 as a potential biomarker and metastasis enhancer of gastric cancer via miR-4659a/b-3p/HBEGF axis.

BACKGROUND: Exosome, a component of liquid biopsy, loaded protein, DNA, RNA and lipid gradually emerges as biomarker in tumors. However, exosomal circRNAs as biomarker and function mechanism in gastric cancer (GC) are not well understood. METHODS: Differentially expressed circRNAs in GC and healthy people were screened by database. The identification of hsa_circ_000200 was verified by RNase R and sequencing, and the expression of hsa_circ_000200 was evaluated using qRT-PCR. The biological function of hsa_circ_000200 in GC was verified in vitro. Western blot, RIP, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, and double luciferase assay were utilized to explore the potential mechanism of hsa_circ_000200. RESULTS: Hsa_circ_000200 up-regulated in GC tissue, serum and serum exosomes. Hsa_circ_000200 in serum exosomes showed better diagnostic ability than that of tissues and serum. Combined with clinicopathological parameters, its level was related to invasion depth, TNM staging, and distal metastasis. Functionally, knockdown of hsa_circ_000200 inhibited GC cells proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, while its overexpression played the opposite role. Importantly, exosomes with up-regulated hsa_circ_000200 promoted the proliferation and migration of co-cultured GC cells. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_000200 acted as a "ceRNA" for miR-4659a/b-3p to increase HBEGF and TGF-ß/Smad expression, then promoted the development of GC. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that hsa_circ_000200 promotes the progression of GC through hsa_circ_000200/miR-4659a/b-3p/HBEGF axis and affecting the expression of TGF-ß/Smad. Serum exosomal hsa_circ_000200 may serve as a potential biomarker for GC.