Inflammatory biomarkers may be associated with poor outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become the mainstay of treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) recently. This case-control study aimed to identify the pivotal role of inflammation in the prognosis of AIS patients after MT. METHODS: Altogether, 70 AIS patients who underwent MT were retrospectively recruited for this study. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of the inflammatory variables for predicting prognosis. A meta-analysis was performed to pool the published results together. Stata software was used for analysis. RESULTS: There was no differences in pre-MT inflammatory biomarkers between patients who survived and those who died, as well as patients with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2 and mRS ≥ 3. In contrast, post-MT C-reactive protein (CRP) levels might be a potential parameter to predict death after thrombectomy [area under the curve (AUC), 95%confidence interval (CI), 0.737, 0.587-0.887; p = 0.005; optimal cutoff value = 4.565]. Moreover, post-MT monocyte count might be an appropriate parameter to predict poor long-term prognosis after thrombectomy (AUC, 95%CI, 0.704, 0.575-0.833; p = 0.017; optimal cutoff value = 0.345). A meta-analysis revealed that the pre-MT inflammatory indices, including white blood cell count (weighted mean difference, 95%CI, 1.32, 1.01-1.63), neutrophil count (1.23, 0.95-1.51), monocyte count (0.05, 0.02-0.09), neuthrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (2.42, 1.98-2.87) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (24.65, 7.99-41.32), were higher in patients with 3-month mRS ≥ 3, and the lymphocyte count (-0.31,-0.43 to -0.18) was lower in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory indices were significantly associated with the prognosis of patients undergoing MT, especially post-MT CRP and monocyte count, which can predict long-term outcomes.

Tunable thermoresponsive hydrogels for temperature regulation and warning in fruit and vegetables preservation.

Fresh fruit and vegetables usually suffer from quality deterioration when exposed to inappropriate temperatures. Common energy-input temperature regulation is widely applied but there remain challenges of increasing energy consumption. Passive temperature management regulates the heat transfer without energy consumption, showing a sustainable strategy for food preservation. Here, thermoresponsive hydrogels were constructed by incorporating NaCl and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles into a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) (P(NIPAM-co-AM)) network. Due to the excellent mechanical properties and reversible thermochromism at 14 °C and 37 °C, Gel-8 wt%-NaCl could inhibit temperature rise and avoid sunburn damage to peppers under direct sunlight by blocking the input of solar energy and accelerating moisture evaporation. Additionally, hydrogels could act as a feasible sensor by providing real-time visual warnings for inappropriate temperatures during banana storage. Based on the self-adaptive thermoresponsive behaviour, the prepared hydrogels showed effective performance of temperature regulation and quality preservation of fruit and vegetables.

Effect of deodorization conditions on fatty acid profile, oxidation products, and lipid-derived free radicals of soybean oil.

Oxidative stability is a key quality characteristic of edible oils, and the oil's antioxidant capacity decreases during the deodorization stage. This study explores the changes in radical formation, molecular structure, oxidative characteristics, fatty acids, and main bioactive compounds in soybean oil during deodorization. The lag phase decreased, whereas the total amount of spins of free radicals increased as the deodorization time increased from 90 to 150 min. The total amount of spins and percentage of alkyl radicals varied dramatically under different times and temperatures (220 âˆ¼ 260 ℃). Results showed that identifying and quantifying the formed radicals can provide useful information for monitoring and controlling oil oxidation in vegetable oil refining systems. Therefore, to control early oxidation events, maximize refined oil product yield, and reduce energy consumption in the refining plant, the priority should be to minimize temperature during the oil refining process and then shorten the deodorization time.

Coalescence-Induced Self-Propelled Particle Transport with Asymmetry Arrangement.

We experimentally investigated the coalescence-induced droplet-particle jumping phenomenon on a submillimeter scale in symmetric and asymmetric particle arrangements with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) particles and stainless steel (SS) particles. Coalescence-induced droplet-particle jumping exhibited excellent capability and interesting behavior for both droplet jumping enhancement and particle transport. The particle increased the normalized droplet jumping velocity from 0.250 for no particle case to 0.315 and 0.320 for symmetric and asymmetric particle cases. Compared with similar-sized macrostructures fixed between droplets, better jumping performance with particles may be attributed to avoiding the work of adhesion during droplet-macrostructure separation. Besides, all particles always sunk at the bottom in the symmetric cases, while the stick mode for PMMA particles and sink, wander, and jet modes for SS particles appeared in the asymmetry cases. We revealed that the asymmetric particle arrangement induces an unbalanced surface tension force, which may provide a driving force in the vertical direction. Additionally, a small enough resistive force caused by hydrophobic particles is another necessary condition for the wonder and jet mode. Finally, we realized a significantly superior particle transport in the asymmetric SS particle cases with maximum particle height reaching ∼2.1 mm, ∼12.4 times the particle radius, the most significant vertical self-propelled transport distance currently.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction of grape seed procyanidins, preparation of liposomes, and evaluation of their antioxidant capacity.

The residue remaining after oil extraction from grape seed contain abundant procyanidins. An ultrasonic-assisted enzyme method was performed to achieve a high extraction efficiency of procyanidins when the optimal extraction conditions were 8 U/g of cellulase, ultrasound power of 200 W, ultrasonic temperature of 50 ℃, and ultrasonic reaction time of 40 min. The effects of free procyanidins on both radical scavenging activity and thermal stability at 40, 60, and 80 ℃ of the procyanidins-loaded liposomal systems prepared by the ultrasonic-assisted method were discussed. The presence of procyanidins at concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 0.10 mg/mL was observed to be effective at inhibiting lipid oxidation by 15.15 % to 69.70 % in a linoleic acid model system during reaction for 168 h, as measured using the ferric thiocyanate method. The procyanidins-loaded liposomal systems prepared by the ultrasonic-assisted method were characterized by measuring the mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency. Moreover, the holographic plots showed that the effect-response points of procyanidins combined with α-tocopherol in liposomes were lower than the addition line and 95 % confidence interval limits. At the same time, there were significant differences between the theoretical IC50add value and the experimental IC50mix value. The interaction index (γ) of all combinations was observed to be less than 1. These results indicated that there was a synergistic antioxidant effect between procyanidins combined with α-tocopherol, which will show promising prospects in practical applications. In addition, particle size differentiation and morphology agglomeration were observed at different time points of antioxidant activity determination (0, 48, 96 h).

Circulating exosomal miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p are associated with bladder fibrosis of diabetic cystopathy.

Diabetic cystopathy (DCP) is a prevalent etiology of bladder dysfunction in individuals with longstanding diabetes, frequently leading to bladder interstitial fibrosis. Research investigating the initial pathological alterations of DCP is notably scarce. To comprehend the development of fibrosis and find effective biomarkers for its diagnosis, we prepared streptozotocin-induced long-term diabetic SD rats exhibiting a type 1 diabetes phenotype and bladder fibrosis in histology detection. After observing myofibroblast differentiation from rats' primary bladder fibroblasts with immunofluorescence, we isolated fibroblasts derived exosomes and performed exosomal miRNA sequencing. The co-differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMis) (miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p) were screened through a joint analysis of diabetic rats and long-term patients' plasma data (GES97123) downloaded from the GEO database. Then two co-DEMis were validated by quantitative PCR on exosomes derived from diabetic rats' plasma. Following with a series of analysis, including target mRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) prediction, hubgenes identification, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and gene enrichment analysis, a miRNA-mediated genetic regulatory network consisting of two miRNAs, nine TFs, and thirty target mRNAs were identified in relation to fibrotic processes. Thus, circulating exosomal miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p are associated with bladder fibrosis of DCP, and the crucial genes in regulatory network might hold immense significance in studying the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis, which deserves further exploration.

Diagnosis and treatment of bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma with RET gene mutation combined with medullary sponge kidney: A case report.

RATIONALE: Pheochromocytomas are a group of tumors with high genetic heterogeneity, and the clinical characteristics of rearranged during transfection (RET)-mutated pheochromocytoma with medullary spongiform kidney are rarely studied. The treatment process of 1 patient with bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma combined with medullary sponge kidney with RET gene mutation in our department was retrospectively analyzed, and the treatment methods for this type of disease were studied and summarized in combination with relevant literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: In this case, the patient was found to have bilateral adrenal masses for 8 years due to physical examination, and intermittent dizziness and discomfort for 2 years. Imaging and related laboratory examinations suggest bilateral adrenal giant pheochromocytoma with bilateral medullary sponge kidney. RET gene testing was performed on the patient and his descendant after signing the informed consent form. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed with bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma with a RET proto-oncogene mutation and a bilateral medullary spongy kidney. INTERVISION AND OUTCOMES: After sufficient perioperative preparation, retroperitoneal laparoscopic bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma resection was performed by stages. The operation was successful, and hormone replacement therapy was performed after the operation, with regular follow-up. Relevant genetic testing revealed that the c.1900T > C: p.C634R mutation was detected in the patient's RET gene, which was a heterozygous missense mutation, and the mutation was also present in the son of his family. A literature analysis found that pheochromocytoma is a tumor with high genetic heterogeneity, and the RET proto-oncogene is a common pathogenic gene for bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma. Medullary sponging of kidneys is a rare complication of this disease. LESSONS: On the basis of adequate perioperative preparation, surgical resection is the most effective and preferred treatment for this type of disease. Laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, safe, and effective by stages. Mutations in the RET proto-oncogene may lead to medullary spongy kidneys in multiple endocrine neoplasia 2.

TIPE1 inhibits the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma cells by suppressing Wnt/B-catenin signaling

Background Ewing’s sarcoma is the second most common bone and soft tissue malignancy in children and adolescents. Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8-like 1 (TIPE1) functions as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in subpopulations of tumor cells contributes to phenotypic heterogeneity and disease progression in Ewing’s sarcoma. The exact role of TIPE1 in Ewing’s sarcoma remains to be elucidated. Purpose This study aimed to assess the expression and function of TIPE1 in Ewing’s sarcoma. Method TIPE1 expression in Ewing’s sarcoma cells was determined by qPCR and western blotting. Furthermore, the Ewing’s sarcoma cell line RD-ES was transfected with a lentivirus-based TIPE1 expression system to upregulate the expression of TIPE1. The Cell Counting Kit 8 was used to assess the effect of TIPE1 on cell proliferation. The effects of TIPE1 on cell migration and invasion was detected by Transwell assay. Flow cytometry was performed to detect apoptosis. Results Our results suggested lower TIPE1 expression in Ewing’s sarcoma cell lines compared with normal osseous cells. TIPE1 remarkably inhibited the growth and proliferation of Ewing’s sarcoma cell; TIPE1 also induced apoptosis and inhibited invasion in vitro. TIPE1 inhibited Ewing’s sarcoma growth, motility, and survival through regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Conclusions Our results demonstrated the anti-tumor function of TIPE1 in Ewing’s sarcoma and reveal a novel therapeutic target (AU)

Construction and Validation of Protein Expression-related Prognostic Models in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Objective: To construct a prognostic evaluation model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients using bioinformatics method and to screen potential drugs for ccRCC. Methods: ccRCC RNA sequencing data, clinical data, and protein expression data were downloaded from the TCGA database. Univariate Cox and Lasso regression analyses were performed on the combined data to screen out the proteins related to the prognosis, and they were included in a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. The patients were divided into high and low-risk groups for a survival difference analysis. The predictive power of the model was evaluated on the basis of overall survival, progression-free survival, independent prognostic, clinically relevant receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, C-index, principal component, and clinical data statistics analyses. GSEA enrichment and immune function correlation analyses were performed. The samples were divided into different subtypes based on the expression of the risk proteins, and survival analysis of the subtypes was performed. The risk-related protein and RNA sequencing data were analyzed to screen out sensitive drugs with significant differences between the high and low-risk groups. Results: A total of 469 ccRCC-related proteins were screened, of which 13 proteins with independent prognostic significance were screened by univariate Cox, Lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analyses to construct the prognostic model. The sensitivity and accuracy of the model in predicting the survival of patients with ccRCC were high (1 year: 0.811, 3 years: 0.783, 5 years: 0.777). The 13 proteins were closely related to immunity, and the model proteins were different between kidney and tumor tissues according to the HPA database. The samples were divided into three subtypes, and there were obvious clinical characteristics of the three subtypes in the grade and T, N and M stages. According to the IC50 values, CGP-60474, vinorelbine, doxorubicin, etoposide, FTI-277, JQ12, OSU-03012, pyrimethamine, and other drugs were more sensitive in the high-risk group. Conclusions: A prognostic model of protein expression in ccRCC was successfully constructed, which had good predictive ability for the prognosis of ccRCC patients. The ccRCC-related proteins in the model can be used as targets for studying the pathogenesis and targeted therapy.

[Retracted] Long noncoding RNA UCID sponges miR­152­3p to promote colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion via the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway.

Following the publication of the above paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that there appeared to be matching data panels comparing between the Transwell invasion and migration assays shown in Figs. 2C and 5C; moreover, one of the data panels shown in Fig. 2D had previously appeared in a paper written largely by different authors (the author 'T­D Shan' was held in common) at different research institutes in the journal Oncotarget in 2016 [Shan T­D, Xu, J­H, Yu T, Li J­Y, Zhao L­N, Ouyang H, Luo S, Lu X­J, Huang C­Z, Lan Q­S et al: Knockdown of linc­POU3F3 suppresses the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration resistance of colorectal cancer. Oncotarget 7: 961­975, 2016]. Finally, an independent investigation of these data in the Editorial Office revealed that, in addition to the data shared between Figs. 2 and 5, there were overlapping data panels both within Fig. 5C and within the wound healing assay data shown in Fig. 3B. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Oncology Reports, and given the number of cases of overlapping data panels both within and between figures in the artce itself, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they did not agree with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 44: 1194­1295, 2020; DOI: 10.3892/or.2020.7670].

The lncRNA Tincr Regulates the Abnormal Differentiation of Intestinal Epithelial Stem Cells in the Diabetic State Via the miR-668-3p/Klf3 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is among the most common chronic diseases, and diabetic enteropathy (DE), which is a complication caused by DM, is a serious health condition. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulators of DE progression. OBJECTIVE: However, the mechanisms of action of multiple lncRNAs involved in DE remain poorly understood. METHODS: Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and in situ hybridization were used to analyze terminal differentiation-induced lncRNA (Tincr) expression in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in the DM state. Microarray analysis, bioinformatics analysis, and luciferase reporter assays were used to identify the genes targeted by Tincr. The role of miR-668-3p was then explored by up- and down-regulating its expression in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: In this study, we observed that the level of lncRNA Tincr was increased in IECs in the DM state. More importantly, Tincr was associated with abnormal intestinal epithelial stem cell (IESC) differentiation in DM. Our mechanistic study demonstrated that Tincr is a major marker of Lgr5+ stem cells in DM. In addition, we investigated whether Tincr directly targets miR-668-3p and whether miR-668-3p targets Klf3. Our findings showed that Tincr sponged miR-668-3p, which attenuated abnormal IESC differentiation in DM by regulating Klf3 expression. CONCLUSION: This study presents evidence of an essential role for Tincr in IESC differentiation in DM.

TIPE1 inhibits the growth of Ewing's sarcoma cells by suppressing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

BACKGROUND: Ewing's sarcoma is the second most common bone and soft tissue malignancy in children and adolescents. Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8-like 1 (TIPE1) functions as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. Activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in subpopulations of tumor cells contributes to phenotypic heterogeneity and disease progression in Ewing's sarcoma. The exact role of TIPE1 in Ewing's sarcoma remains to be elucidated. PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the expression and function of TIPE1 in Ewing's sarcoma. METHODS: TIPE1 expression in Ewing's sarcoma cells was determined by qPCR and western blotting. Furthermore, the Ewing's sarcoma cell line RD-ES was transfected with a lentivirus-based TIPE1 expression system to upregulate the expression of TIPE1. The Cell Counting Kit 8 was used to assess the effect of TIPE1 on cell proliferation. The effects of TIPE1 on cell migration and invasion was detected by Transwell assay. Flow cytometry was performed to detect apoptosis. RESULTS: Our results suggested lower TIPE1 expression in Ewing's sarcoma cell lines compared with normal osseous cells. TIPE1 remarkably inhibited the growth and proliferation of Ewing's sarcoma cell; TIPE1 also induced apoptosis and inhibited invasion in vitro. TIPE1 inhibited Ewing's sarcoma growth, motility, and survival through regulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated the anti-tumor function of TIPE1 in Ewing's sarcoma and reveal a novel therapeutic target.

Cuproptosis regulator-mediated patterns associated with immune infiltration features and construction of cuproptosis-related signatures to guide immunotherapy.

Background: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent cancer that lacks a sufficiently efficient approach to guide immunotherapy. Additionally, cuproptosis is a recently identified regulated cell death program that is triggered by copper ionophores. However, its possible significance in tumor immune cell infiltration is still unclear. Methods: Cuproptosis subtypes in HCC were identified using unsupervised consensus cluster analysis based on 10 cuproptosis regulators expressions, and a cuproptosis-related risk signature was generated using univariate and LASSO Cox regression and validated using the ICGC data. Moreover, the relationship between signature and tumor immune microenvironment (TME) was studied through tumor immunotherapy responsiveness, immune cell infiltration, and tumor stem cell analysis. Finally, clinical specimens were analyzed using immunohistochemistry to verify the expression of the three genes in the signature. Results: Two subtypes of cuproptosis regulation were observed in HCC, with different immune cell infiltration features. Genes expressed differentially between the two cuproptosis clusters in the TCGA were determined and used to construct a risk signature that was validated using the ICGC cohort. Greater immune and stromal cell infiltration were observed in the high-risk group and were associated with unfavorable prognosis. Elevated risk scores were linked with higher RNA stemness scores (RNAss) and tumor mutational burden (TMB), together with a greater likelihood of benefitting from immunotherapy. Conclusion: It was found that cuproptosis regulatory patterns may play important roles in the heterogeneity of immune cell infiltration. The risk signature associated with cuproptosis can assess each patient's risk score, leading to more individualized and effective immunotherapy.

Combined Effects of Radiative and Evaporative Cooling on Fruit Preservation under Solar Radiation: Sunburn Resistance and Temperature Stabilization.

Excessive solar radiation and high temperature often cause considerable loss and waste of fruits during transportation, retail, and storage. In the current study, a natural deep eutectic solvent-based polyacrylamide/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel with nanoparticles (NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA) is developed for fruit quality protection from solar radiation and high-temperature stress by achieving the combined effect of radiative and evaporative cooling. NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA presents an average solar reflectance of ∼0.89 and an average emittance at the atmospheric window of ∼0.90. Besides, NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA possesses excellent flexibility, robust mechanical strength, and good swelling behavior. The fruit preservation experiments under sunlight demonstrate that the pear (Pyrus sinkiangensis) treated with NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA can achieve an average temperature decrease of ∼15.3 °C after sun exposure compared with the blank, and its quality-related attributes, including color, total soluble solid, relative conductivity, and respiration rate, are similar to the fresh one. Multivariate data analyses, including principal component analysis and cluster analysis, further verify that the pear treated with NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA possesses similar quality to the fresh one after sun exposure. Thus, NPs/NADES@PAAm/PVA has promising prospects for fruit transportation, retail, and storage under solar radiation in a low-operation-cost and sustainable manner.

Inhibitory Effect of Ursolic Acid on Proliferation and Migration of Renal Carcinoma Cells and Its Mechanism.

Background: Renal carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urinary system. Autophagy can be both activated and inhibited in renal carcinoma, and it plays a double-edged role in the development of renal carcinoma. In the early stage of cancer, autophagy can suppress tumors. In the late stage, autophagy contributes to the survival of tumor cells in an unfavorable environment, and some autophagy-related proteins P62, LC3B, and beclin-1 have become indicators of the prognosis of patients with renal carcinoma. Aim: To demonstrate that ursolic acid activates autophagy in renal carcinoma 786-O cells by inhibiting the hedgehog signaling pathway. Methods: The effect of ursolic acid on the viability of 786-O cells was determined by the MTT method; the effect of ursolic acid on the proliferation and migration of 786-O cells was examined by crystalline violet staining and scratch assay, respectively. For the study of autophagy, we firstly screened the time points. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression level of autophagic protein P62 at different time points of ursolic acid on 786-O. Then, the Cell MeterTM Autophagy Assay Kit was used to detect the effect of different doses of ursolic acid on the autophagic fluorescence intensity of 786-O cells; the Western blot method was used to detect the effect of different doses of ursolic acid on the expression levels of LC3II and P62 proteins in 786-O cells. Further, AdPlus-mCherry-GFP-LC3B adenovirus transfection was used to detect the effect of ursolic acid on the autophagic flow of 786-O cells; ursolic acid was combined with the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) to detect the expression level of autophagy protein LC3II by Western blot. In terms of mechanism, the effect of ursolic acid on hedgehog signaling pathway-related proteins in 786-O cells was detected by Western blot. Results: Ursolic acid inhibited the activity, proliferation, and migration of 786-O cells, enhanced the fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes in 786-O cells, increased the expression level of autophagy marker protein LC3II, and inhibited the expression level of P62 in a time and dose-dependent manner; ursolic acid activated the autophagic flow in 786-O cells, which showed that ursolic acid caused the accumulation of autophagic fluorescent spots and enhanced the fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes. Ursolic acid activated the autophagic flow in 786-O cells, as evidenced by the accumulation of autophagic fluorescent spots and enhanced fluorescence intensity of autophagosomes, and the combined use of the autophagy inhibitor CQ increased the expression level of LC3II compared to ursolic acid alone; ursolic acid decreased the expression levels of PTCH1, GLI1, SMO, SHH, and c-Myc and increased the expression level of Sufu in the hedgehog signaling pathway. Conclusion: Ursolic acid activates autophagy in renal carcinoma 786-O cells, probably by inhibiting hedgehog signaling pathway activity.

Adjuvant-free cellulose nanofiber vaccine induces permanent humoral immune response in mouse.

Vaccines have become one of the most effective strategies to deal with various infectious diseases and chronic noninfectious diseases, such as SARS virus, Novel Coronavirus, cancer, etc. However, recent studies have found that the neutralizing antibody titers induced by vaccines would drop to half level or even lower after vaccination. In this study, we designed a novel small-sized positively charged nanofiber-1 (PEI-CNF-1) as a vaccine carrier, which can induce a high long-term humoral immune response by controlled release of antigen. Further studies showed that PEI-CNF-1 could significantly induce the release of immune response factor IL-1ßand bone marrow-derived cell (BMDC) maturation. Moreover, compare to other cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), PEI-CNF-1 combined antigen (ovalbumin, OVA) induced and maintained the highest and longest antibody titers after vaccination. Interestingly, the antibody titers have no significant difference between at 21 and 90 d. Mechanically, we found that PEI-NCF-1 not only could control the slow-release of antigen, but also could be more easily swallowed by macrophages and metabolized by the bodies, thus presenting antigen more effectively. In conclusion, we believe that PEI-CNF-1 have a very high application prospect in inducing long-term humoral immune response, so as to achieve efficient prevention effect to epidemic viruses.

Construction and Validation of a Necroptosis-Related Signature Associated With the Immune Microenvironment in Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is a widespread and often deadly neoplasm. There is increasing evidence that necroptosis mediates numerous tumor-associated behaviors, as well as the regulation of the tumor microenvironment, suggesting its use as a biomarker for tumor prognosis. Methods: Data on mRNA expression and necroptosis regulators were acquired from the TCGA and KEGG databases, respectively. Clinical liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) patient data and information on the expression of necroptosis regulators were processed by unsupervised cluster analysis was performed on LIHC patients together with necroptotic regulator expression and, differentially expressed necroptosis-related genes (DENRGs) were identified by comparing the two clusters. A signature based on eight DENRGs was constructed and verified through independent data sets, and its relationship with the tumor microenvironment was investigated. Results: Unsupervised cluster analysis demonstrated inherent immune differences among LIHC patients. In all, 1,516 DENRGs were obtained by comparison between the two clusters. In the training set, the final eight genes obtained by univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression were utilized for constructing the signature. The survival and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve achieved satisfactory results in both sets. The high-risk group was characterized by greater immune infiltration and poor prognosis. The results of survival analysis based on the expression of eight DENRGs further confirmed the signature. Conclusion: We established and validated a risk signature based on eight DERNGs related to the tumor microenvironment. This provides a possible explanation for the different clinical effects of immunotherapy and provides a novel perspective for predicting tumor prognosis in LIHC.

Effects of drying temperature on umami taste and aroma profiles of mushrooms (Suillus granulatus).

Temperature is one of the most important factors for drying edible mushrooms. To evaluate the effects of different hot-air drying (HAD) temperatures on the umami taste and aroma profile of Suillus granulatus (S. granulatus) mushrooms, we measured umami substances and volatile compounds of S. granulatus dried at 40°C, 50°C, 60°C, 70°C, and 80°C. Results showed that when dried at 60°C, S. granulatus exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) equivalent umami concentration, taste activity values of glutamic acid (Glu) and 5'-guanosine monophosphate (5'-GMP), and electronic tongue umami sensory scores. The results identified a total of 71 volatile components of which geranylacetone, benzaldehyde, phenylethyl alcohol, and 3-methylbutanoic acid were the dominant compounds. Sensory evaluation and relative odor activity values (ROAVs) revealed that 16 volatile compounds were the key volatile organic compounds contributing mushroom-like and sweet odor to the overall aroma of S. granulatus; these included 1-octen-3-ol (ROAV: 15.11-62.06) and ethyl phenylacetate (ROAV: 13.62-79.11). The drying temperature changed the aroma profile of S. granulatus. Furthermore, the mushroom dried at 60°C had a more desirable mushroom-like and almond odor. It was, therefore, proposed that HAD at 60°C was optimal for retaining a pleasant flavor in S. granulatus. This study provides a theoretical basis for the optimal drying condition selection for the mushroom processing industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Hot-air drying at 60°C can significantly retain the flavor of S. granulatus and is an optimal temperature for mushroom drying.

Ferroptosis­related long non­coding RNAs and the roles of LASTR in stomach adenocarcinoma.

Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death that participates in diverse physiological processes. Increasing evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate ferroptosis in tumors, including stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). In the present study, RNA­sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and ferroptosis­related markers from the FerrDb data resource were analyzed to select differentially expressed lncRNAs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on these differentially expressed lncRNAs to screen 12 lncRNAs linked with overall survival (OS) and 13 associated with progression­free survival (PFS). Subsequently, two signatures for predicting OS and PFS were established based on these lncRNAs. Kaplan­Meier analyses indicated that the high­risk group of patients with STAD had relatively poor prognosis. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the two signatures indicated their excellent efficacy in predicting STAD prognosis. In addition, the effect of the lncRNA LASTR on proliferation and migration in gastric cancer was confirmed and the relationship between LASTR and ferroptosis was initially explored through experiments. These results provide potential novel targets for tumor treatment and promote personalized medicine.

DNA-repair status should be assessed in treatment-emergent neuroendocrine prostate cancer before platinum-based therapy.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to provide contemporary data from a multi-institution with respect to DNA-repair genes (DRGs) status and its impact on effects of platinum-based chemotherapy in treatment-emergent neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC), for which little data exist. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients were retrospectively collected with eligible biopsied tissues for targeted next generation sequencing (NGS). The main outcomes were radiologic progression-free survival and overall survival according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1. RESULTS: Among the 43 NEPC patients, 13/43 (30%) harbored homozygous deletions, deleterious mutations, or both in DRGs. Eleven patients (11/13, 85%) with DRGs aberrations had effective response, including 7 patients with BRCA1/2 defects and 2 with mismatch repair-deficient caused by MSH2 alterations. While significantly fewer responders (30%) were detected in patients without DRGs aberrations (odds ratio = 12.83, p = 0.003). Compared with patients without genomic DRGs aberrations, the hazard ratio (HR) for radiologic progression in those with DRGs defects was 0.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19-0.93), and the HR for death was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.24-1.72). The most common adverse event of Grade 3 or 4 was anemia, as noted in 7 patients (16%). CONCLUSION: The DRGs status is therapeutically meaningful in t-NEPC. Given the potential responses to platinum-based chemotherapy, our findings support the clinical use of NGS in t-NEPC patients to identify DRGs aberrations.