Investigation of ferroptosis-associated molecular subtypes and immunological characteristics in lupus nephritis based on artificial neural network learning.

BACKGROUND: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with poor treatment outcomes. The role and underlying mechanisms of ferroptosis in LN remain largely unknown. We aimed to explore ferroptosis-related molecular subtypes and assess their prognostic value in LN patients. METHODS: Molecular subtypes were classified on the basis of differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) via the Consensus ClusterPlus package. The enriched functions and pathways, immune infiltrating levels, immune scores, and immune checkpoints were compared between the subgroups. A scoring algorithm based on the subtype-specific feature genes identified by artificial neural network machine learning, referred to as the NeuraLN, was established, and its immunological features, clinical value, and predictive value were evaluated in patients with LN. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis was performed to validate the expression and role of feature genes in glomerular tissues from LN patients and controls. RESULTS: A total of 10 differentially expressed FRGs were identified, most of which showed significant correlation. Based on the 10 FRGs, LN patients were classified into two ferroptosis subtypes, which exhibited significant differences in immune cell abundances, immune scores, and immune checkpoint expression. A NeuraLN-related protective model was established based on nine subtype-specific genes, and it exhibited a robustly predictive value in LN. The nomogram and calibration curves demonstrated the clinical benefits of the protective model. The high-NeuraLN group was closely associated with immune activation. Clinical specimens demonstrated the alterations of ALB, BHMT, GAMT, GSTA1, and HAO2 were in accordance with bioinformatics analysis results, GSTA1 and BHMT were negatively correlated with the severity of LN. CONCLUSION: The classification of ferroptosis subtypes and the establishment of a protective model may form a foundation for the personalized treatment of LN patients.

Light-driven C-H activation mediated by 2D transition metal dichalcogenides.

C-H bond activation enables the facile synthesis of new chemicals. While C-H activation in short-chain alkanes has been widely investigated, it remains largely unexplored for long-chain organic molecules. Here, we report light-driven C-H activation in complex organic materials mediated by 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and the resultant solid-state synthesis of luminescent carbon dots in a spatially-resolved fashion. We unravel the efficient H adsorption and a lowered energy barrier of C-C coupling mediated by 2D TMDCs to promote C-H activation and carbon dots synthesis. Our results shed light on 2D materials for C-H activation in organic compounds for applications in organic chemistry, environmental remediation, and photonic materials.

Construction of competing endogenous RNA networks in systemic lupus erythematosus by integrated analysis.

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease characterised by immune inflammation and damage to multiple organs. Recent investigations have linked competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to lupus. However, the exact mechanism through which the ceRNAs network affects SLE is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the regulatory functions of the ceRNAs network, which are important pathways that control the pathophysiological processes of SLE. Methods: CircRNA microarray for our tested assays were derived from bone marrow samples from three healthy individuals and three SLE patients in our hospital. The other sequencing data of circRNA, miRNA and mRNA were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Using the limma package of R program, the differential expression of mRNA and miRNA in the GEO database was discovered. Then predicted miRNA-mRNA and circRNA-miRNA were established using miRMap, miRanda, miRDB, TargetScan, and miTarBase. CircRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network was constructed using Cytoscape, and hub genes were screened using a protein-protein interaction network. Immune infiltration analysis of the hub gene was also performed by CIBERSORT and GSEA. Results: 230 overlapped circRNAs, 86 DEmiRNAs and 2083 DEmRNAs were identified in SLE patients as compared to healthy controls. We constructed a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNAs network contained 11 overlapped circRNAs, 9 miRNAs and 51 mRNAs. ESR1 and SIRT1 were the most frequently associated protein-protein interactions in the PPI network. KEGG analysis showed that DEGs was enriched in FoxO signaling pathway as well as lipids and atherosclerosis. We constructed a novel circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network (HSA circ 0000345- HSA miR-22-3-P-ESR1/SIRT1) that may have a major impact on SLE. Conclusion: Through this bioinformatics and integrated analysis, we suggest a regulatory role for ceRNA network in the pathogenesis and treatment of SLE.

Psychometric validation of the Chinese versions of the quality of communication questionnaires for cancer patients and their family caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Given the lack of valid and reliable instruments for evaluating the quality of communication between physicians and cancer patients and their family caregivers in China, this study translated and culturally adapted the Quality of Communication questionnaires for cancer patients (QOC-P) and their family caregivers (QOC-F) for use in the Chinese context and evaluated their psychometric properties. METHODS: The QOC-P and QOC-F were translated following an adapted version of Brislin's translation model and culturally adapted according to a Delphi expert panel. We pretested and refined the Chinese versions of the QOC-P and QOC-F among 16 dyads of patients and their family caregivers. Subsequently, we administered the questionnaires to 228 dyads of patients and their family caregivers who were recruited from six tertiary hospitals. The content validity, construct validity, convergent validity, and reliability of the QOC-P and QOC-F were examined. RESULTS: Through exploratory factor analysis, The QOC-P and QOC-F were divided into two dimensions: general communication and end-of-life communication. The Cronbach's coefficients ranged from 0.905 to 0.907 for the two subscales of the QOC-P and from 0.908 to 0.953 for the two subscales of the QOC-F. The two-week test-retest reliability was acceptable for both the QOC-P and QOC-F, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.993 and 0.991, respectively. The scale content validity index (QOC-P: 0.857, QOC-F: 1.0) and split-half reliability (QOC-P: 0.833, QOC-F: 0.935) were satisfactory. There was a negative correlation with anxiety and depression for both the QOC-P (r = -0.233 & -0.241, p < 0.001) and QOC-F (r = -0.464 & -0.420, p<0.001). The QOC-P showed a negative correlation with decision regret (r = -0.445, p<0.001) and a positive correlation with shared decision-making (r = 0.525, p<0.001), as hypothesized. CONCLUSION: The QOC-P and QOC-F show acceptable psychometric properties for evaluating the quality of communication between physicians and cancer patients and their family caregivers in both clinical and research contexts. Future studies should use more diverse and inclusive samples to test the structure of the Chinese version of the QOC-P and QOC-F with confirmatory factor analysis.

Surveillance for rhabdomyolysis after the consumption of crayfish in Wuhan, China, 2016-2022.

Objectives: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and etiology of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis. Methods: Cases of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis in Wuhan were monitored, and professional training of city's surveillance personnel was conducted. Unified questionnaires were used to collect data. Results: The first case of crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis occurred on July 12, 2016. Subsequently, 423 patients were reported over the next 7 years, with muscle pain, weakness, and chest distress as main symptoms. In total, 64.54% (273/423) of patients were females, and young adults (aged 20-49 years) account for 86.22% (363/423) of patients. The primary clinical presentations were muscle pain, muscle weakness, and chest discomfort. The median incubation time was 6 h. And the number of cases may be related to water levels in Yangzi river. Laboratory tests revealed elevated creatine kinase and myoglobin levels. In total, 95.16% (236/248) of patients had consumed crayfish tail shrimp and 91.53% (227/248) had consumed crayfish liver and pancreas (Female crayfish also contain ovaries). Only 25.00% (62/248) of patients had a history of alcohol consumption. On average, 227 patients consumed 15 (3-50) crayfish, of whom 84.14% (191/227) consumed more than 10 crayfish. All patients had a favorable prognosis. Conclusion: Crayfish-related rhabdomyolysis is a kind of a case or cluster of patients present with severe myalgia or weakness of unknown etiology and mechanism disease in Wuhan, China, 2016-2022. Excessive consumption of crayfish may be a risk factor for the disease. The relationship between the specific parts of crayfish consumed and the onset of the disease is unclear, suggesting further research is needed to identify the relevant risk factors for the disease.

E3 ubiquitin ligase UBR5 promotes gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer by inducing O-GlcNAcylation-mediated EMT via destabilization of OGA.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is among the deadliest malignancies, with an extremely poor diagnosis and prognosis. Gemcitabine (GEM) remains the first-line drug for treating PC; however, only a small percentage of patients benefit from current immunotherapies or targeted therapies. Resistance to GEM is prevalent and affects long-term survival. We found that ubiquitin-protein ligase E3 module N-recognition 5 (UBR5) is a therapeutic target against GEM resistance. UBR5 was markedly upregulated in clinical GEM-resistant PC samples and GEM-resistant PC cells. UBR5 knockdown markedly increased GEM sensitivity in GEM-resistant PC cell lines. UBR5-mediated GEM resistance was accompanied by activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and could be mitigated by inhibiting EMT. Further analysis revealed that UBR5 promoted GEM resistance in PC cells by enhancing O-GlcNAcylation-mediated EMT. In addition, UBR5 knockdown resulted in increased O-GlcNAase (OGA) levels, an essential negatively regulated enzyme in the O-GlcNAcylation process. We identified a negative association between OGA and UBR5 levels, which further supported the hypothesis that O-GlcNAcylation-mediated GEM resistance induced by UBR5 is OGA-dependent in PC cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that UBR5 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase of OGA and regulates O-GlcNAcylation by binding and modulating OGA, facilitating its degradation and ubiquitination. Additionally, high-throughput compound library screening using three-dimensional protein structure analysis and drug screening identified a Food and Drug Administration drug, Y-39983 dihydrochloride, as a potent GEM sensitiser and UBR5 inhibitor. The combination of Y-39983 dihydrochloride and GEM attenuated tumour growth in a mouse xenograft tumour model. Collectively, these data demonstrated that UBR5 plays a pivotal role in the sensitisation of PC to GEM and provides a potential therapeutic strategy to overcome GEM resistance.

Persistent and responsive collective motion with adaptive time delay.

It is beneficial for collective structures to simultaneously have high persistence to environmental noise and high responsivity to nontrivial external stimuli. However, without the ability to differentiate useful information from noise, there is always a tradeoff between persistence and responsivity within the collective structures. To address this, we propose adaptive time delay inspired by the adaptive behavior observed in the school of fish. This strategy is tested using particles powered by optothermal fields coupled with an optical feedback-control system. By applying the adaptive time delay with a proper threshold, we experimentally observe the responsivity of the collective structures enhanced by approximately 1.6 times without sacrificing persistence. Furthermore, we integrate adaptive time delay with long-distance transportation and obstacle-avoidance capabilities to prototype adaptive swarm microrobots. This research demonstrates the potential of adaptive time delay to address the persistence-responsivity tradeoff and lays the foundation for intelligent swarm micro/nanorobots operating in complex environments.

TRPA1 Ion Channel Mediates the Analgesic Effects of Acupuncture at the ST36 Acupoint in Mice Suffering from Arthritis.

Purpose: Acupuncture (ACU) has been demonstrated to alleviate inflammatory pain. Mechanoreceptors are present in acupuncture points. When acupuncture exerts mechanical force, these ion channels open and convert the mechanical signals into biochemical signals. TRPA1 (T ransient receptor potential ankyrin 1) is capable of sensing various physical and chemical stimuli and serves as a sensor for inflammation and pain. This protein is expressed in immune cells and contributes to local defense mechanisms during early tissue damage and inflammation. In this study, we investigated the role of TRPA1 in acupuncture analgesia. Patients and Methods: We injected complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the mouse plantars to establish a hyperalgesia model. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses were performed to determine the effect of acupuncture on the TRPA1 expression in the Zusanli (ST36). We used TRPA1-/- mouse and pharmacological methods to antagonize TRPA1 to observe the effect on acupuncture analgesia. On this basis, collagenase was used to destroy collagen fibers at ST36 to observe the effect on TRPA1. Results: We found that the ACU group vs the CFA group, the number of TRPA1-positive mast cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts at the ST36 increased significantly. In CFA- inflammatory pain models, the TRPA1-/- ACU vs TRPA1+/+ ACU groups, the paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) downregulated significantly. In the ACU + high-, ACU + medium-, ACU + low-dose HC-030031 vs ACU groups, the PWL and PWT were downregulated, and in carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain models were consistent with these results. We further found the ACU + collagenase vs ACU groups, the numbers of TRPA1-positive mast cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts at the ST36 were downregulated. Conclusion: These findings together imply that TRPA1 plays a significant role in the analgesic effects produced via acupuncture at the ST36. This provides new evidence for acupuncture treatment of painful diseases.

Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with mobile phone addiction among Chinese medical students during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Network analysis provides a novel approach to discovering associations between mental disorders at the symptom level. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of the network of depression and anxiety symptoms and their associations with mobile phone addiction (MPA) among Chinese medical students during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 553 medical students were included. Depression and anxiety symptoms and MPA were measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI), respectively. Central and bridge symptoms were identified with centrality indices and bridge centrality indices. Network stability was examined using the case-dropping procedure. "Uncontrollable worry", "restlessness" and "nervousness" were the central symptoms in the depression and anxiety network. "Restlessness" and "motor" were the most central bridge symptoms linking depression and anxiety. "Concentration", "anhedonia" and "sleep" were most strongly associated with MPA. "Uncontrollable worry", "restlessness", "nervousness," and "motor" may be the symptoms for interventions to target in medical students with comorbid depression and anxiety. From a network perspective, depressive symptoms may be more important than anxiety symptoms in medical students with MPA.

A review on traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture intervention for Alzheimer's disease based on the neuroinflammatory.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive development. It is clinically characterized by cognitive impairment, memory impairment and behavioral change. Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are important components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and are commonly used in clinical treatment of AD. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD, which combined with existing clinical and preclinical evidence, based on a comprehensive review of neuroinflammation, and discusses the efficacy and potential mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine natural products and acupuncture treatment of AD. Resveratrol, curcumin, kaempferol and other Chinese herbal medicine components can significantly inhibit the neuroinflammation of AD in vivo and in vitro, and are candidates for the treatment of AD. Acupuncture can alleviate the memory and cognitive impairment of AD by improving neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, nerve cell apoptosis and reducing the production and aggregation of amyloid ß protein (Aß) in the brain. It has the characteristics of early, safe, effective and benign bidirectional adjustment. The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for improving the clinical strategies of TCM for the treatment of AD.

Primary school teachers are immune: a journey in the sea of psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement.

The concept of language teacher immunity is a relatively new notion that has been introduced in the field of language teacher psychology. It is imperative that teachers have their inherent immunity strengthened since they have never been intrinsically protected against fluctuations that are unanticipated and beyond their control. In order to achieve this goal, the present research used a quantitative approach in order to investigate the possible effects of teacher immunity on their psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement. This study was conducted by sending out three questionnaires to a total of 384 primary language teachers. On the basis of the findings, it was concluded that teacher immunity has the potential to serve as a significant predictor of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement. The research's conclusions may have substantial implications for education in terms of advancing psychological well-being, buoyancy, and engagement.

Structural, static, and dynamic functional MRI predictors for conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease: Inter-cohort validation of Shanghai Memory Study and ADNI.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a critical prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the mechanism underlying the conversion is not fully explored. Construction and inter-cohort validation of imaging biomarkers for predicting MCI conversion is of great challenge at present, due to lack of longitudinal cohorts and poor reproducibility of various study-specific imaging indices. We proposed a novel framework for inter-cohort MCI conversion prediction, involving comparison of structural, static, and dynamic functional brain features from structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) between MCI converters (MCI_C) and non-converters (MCI_NC), and support vector machine for construction of prediction models. A total of 218 MCI patients with 3-year follow-up outcome were selected from two independent cohorts: Shanghai Memory Study cohort for internal cross-validation, and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort for external validation. In comparison with MCI_NC, MCI_C were mainly characterized by atrophy, regional hyperactivity and inter-network hypo-connectivity, and dynamic alterations characterized by regional and connectional instability, involving medial temporal lobe (MTL), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and occipital cortex. All imaging-based prediction models achieved an area under the curve (AUC) > 0.7 in both cohorts, with the multi-modality MRI models as the best with excellent performances of AUC > 0.85. Notably, the combination of static and dynamic fMRI resulted in overall better performance as relative to static or dynamic fMRI solely, supporting the contribution of dynamic features. This inter-cohort validation study provides a new insight into the mechanisms of MCI conversion involving brain dynamics, and paves a way for clinical use of structural and functional MRI biomarkers in future.

Revealing the clinical effect and biological mechanism of acupuncture in COPD: A review.

BACKGROUND: To provide new ideas for the clinical and mechanism research of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this study systematically reviews clinical research and the progress of basic research of acupuncture in the treatment of COPD. METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched using acupuncture and COPD as keywords in the last 10 years, and the included literature was determined according to exclusion criteria. FINDINGS: Acupuncture can relieve clinical symptoms, improve exercise tolerance, anxiety, and nutritional status, as well as hemorheological changes (blood viscosity), reduce the inflammatory response, and reduce the duration and frequency of COPD in patients with COPD. Mechanistically, acupuncture inhibits M1 macrophage activity, reduces neutrophil infiltration, reduces inflammatory factor production in alveolar type II epithelial cells, inhibits mucus hypersecretion of airway epithelial cells, inhibits the development of chronic inflammation in COPD, and slows tissue structure destruction. Acupuncture may control pulmonary COPD inflammation through the vagal-cholinergic anti-inflammatory, vagal-adrenomedullary-dopamine, vagal-dual-sensory nerve fiber-pulmonary, and CNS-hypothalamus-orexin pathways. Furthermore, acupuncture can increase endogenous cortisol levels by inhibiting the HPA axis, thus improving airway antioxidant capacity and reducing airway inflammation in COPD. In conclusion, the inhibition of the chronic inflammatory response is the key mechanism of acupuncture treatment for COPD.

Exploring the XIST axis as oxidative stress-related signatures in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: In the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), oxidative stress (OS) plays an complex role; nevertheless, few investigations have indicated a ceRNA-based mechanism involved. The aim of this study was to explore the ceRNA regulation mechanism of oxidative stress in SLE and provide new therapeutic targets for SLE. METHODS: Three datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used to obtain differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs (DElncRNAs, DEmiRNAs, and DEmRNAs). Functional analysis was explored and a triple ceRNA network was built. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was used to find optimal signatures. The sensitivity and specificity of the signatures were examined and validated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to investigate immune infiltration features. Moreover, the hub mRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: 42 DEmRNAs were identified. Enrichment analysis showed that the DEmRNAs were primarily concentrated in neutrophil-associated biological processes. The ROC curve found FOS and MME provided potential biomarkers for identifying SLE patients. And the XIST/FOS and XIST/MME axes were identified the possible OS-related regulatory pathway in SLE. Immune infiltration showed that resting memory CD4 T cells presented a lower level. CONCLUSIONS: This study constructed the ceRNA-based XIST/FOS and XIST/MME axes as prospective OS-related signatures for SLE. Our findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of SLE and shed a novel light on therapeutic strategies.

Synchronous and Fully Steerable Active Particle Systems for Enhanced Mimicking of Collective Motion in Nature.

The collective motion observed in living active matter, such as fish schools and bird flocks, is characterized by its dynamic and complex nature, involving various moving states and transitions. By tailoring physical interactions or incorporating information exchange capabilities, inanimate active particles can exhibit similar behavior. However, the lack of synchronous and arbitrary control over individual particles hinders their use as a test system for the study of more intricate collective motions in living species. Herein, a novel optical feedback control system that enables the mimicry of collective motion observed in living objects using active particles is proposed. This system allows for the experimental investigation of the velocity alignment, a seminal model of collective motion (known as the Vicsek model), in a microscale perturbed environment with controllable and realistic conditions. The spontaneous formation of different moving states and dynamic transitions between these states is observed. Additionally, the high robustness of the active-particle group at the critical density under the influence of different perturbations is quantitatively validated. These findings support the effectiveness of velocity alignment in real perturbed environments, thereby providing a versatile platform for fundamental studies on collective motion and the development of innovative swarm microrobotics.

The impact of Chinese adolescents visual art participation on self-efficacy: A serial mediating role of cognition and emotion.

A large volume of evidence indicates that only high-class students attend extracurricular activities (Art, music, sport, dancing). On the other hand, this evidence intensively underlines the substantial importance of such extracurricular activities, particularly in visual art, in promoting children's cognitive and non-cognitive well-being. Adolescents' participation in visual art was always interrelated with enhancing their emotional affection towards the Art and cognitive skill in making one, which ultimately built solid efficacy that allows them to interact with their society. The present cross-sectional study sought to shed light on the potential impact of visual art on adolescents' emotional, cognition, and self-efficacy development, which needs to be improved in the Chinese context. Hence, randomly sampled (N = 2139) junior secondary school students were recruited from the rural province of Guizhou in Southwest China to attain the aim of the study. The study's finding affirms that students engaged in artistic activities start to develop a habit of communicating with their peers, showing their work, and commenting on works made by their peers or observed in art exhibitions or museums; such a process makes them self-efficacious. Ultimately, this paper extends the application of visual art activities from educational benefits to nonacademic development, which are the primary agents for children's well-being.

Revealing the biological mechanism of acupuncture in alleviating excessive inflammatory responses and organ damage in sepsis: a systematic review.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammation caused by a maladjusted host response to infection. In severe cases, it can cause multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and even endanger life. Acupuncture is widely accepted and applied in the treatment of sepsis, and breakthroughs have been made regarding its mechanism of action in recent years. In this review, we systematically discuss the current clinical applications of acupuncture in the treatment of sepsis and focus on the mechanisms of acupuncture in animal models of systemic inflammation. In clinical research, acupuncture can not only effectively inhibit excessive inflammatory reactions but also improve the immunosuppressive state of patients with sepsis, thus maintaining immune homeostasis. Mechanistically, a change in the acupoint microenvironment is the initial response link for acupuncture to take effect, whereas PROKR2 neurons, high-threshold thin nerve fibres, cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R) activation, and Ca2+ influx are the key material bases. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway of the vagus nervous system, the adrenal dopamine anti-inflammatory pathway, and the sympathetic nervous system are key to the transmission of acupuncture information and the inhibition of systemic inflammation. In MODS, acupuncture protects against septic organ damage by inhibiting excessive inflammatory reactions, resisting oxidative stress, protecting mitochondrial function, and reducing apoptosis and tissue or organ damage.

Hypothermal opto-thermophoretic tweezers.

Optical tweezers have profound importance across fields ranging from manufacturing to biotechnology. However, the requirement of refractive index contrast and high laser power results in potential photon and thermal damage to the trapped objects, such as nanoparticles and biological cells. Optothermal tweezers have been developed to trap particles and biological cells via opto-thermophoresis with much lower laser powers. However, the intense laser heating and stringent requirement of the solution environment prevent their use for general biological applications. Here, we propose hypothermal opto-thermophoretic tweezers (HOTTs) to achieve low-power trapping of diverse colloids and biological cells in their native fluids. HOTTs exploit an environmental cooling strategy to simultaneously enhance the thermophoretic trapping force at sub-ambient temperatures and suppress the thermal damage to target objects. We further apply HOTTs to demonstrate the three-dimensional manipulation of functional plasmonic vesicles for controlled cargo delivery. With their noninvasiveness and versatile capabilities, HOTTs present a promising tool for fundamental studies and practical applications in materials science and biotechnology.

Correlation of finger-to-floor distance with the spinal mobility, spinal function indices and initial determination of its optimal cutoff value: a multicentre case-control study.

Objective: To identify the correlation between finger-to-floor distance(FFD) and the spinal function indices and disease activity scores of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) via a multicentre case-control study, and to calculate the optimal cutoff value of FFD using statistical methods. Methods: Patients with AS and healthy individuals were recruited, and the FFD and other spinal mobility values were measured. The correlation between the FFD and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metric Index (BASMI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) was analyzed using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of FFD stratified by gender and age were drawn and their optimal cutoff values were determined. Results: A total of 246 patients with AS and 246 healthy subjects were recruited. The FFD was strongly correlated with BASMI (r = 0.72, p < 0.001), moderately correlated with BASFI (r = 0.50, p < 0.001) and weakly correlated with BASDAI (r = 0.36, p < 0.001). The lowest cutoff value of the FFD was 2.6 cm while the highest was 18.4 cm. Moreover, the FFD was significantly correlated with sex and age. Conclusion: There exists a strong correlation between the FFD and spinal mobility, a moderately correlation and function, which provides reliable data for the evaluation of patients with AS in clinical settings and the rapid screening of low back pain-related diseases in the general population. Furthermore, these findings have clinical potential in improving the missed diagnosis or delayed diagnosis of low back pain.

Comprehensive analysis of ferroptosis-related hub gene signatures as a potential pathogenesis and therapeutic target for systemic sclerosis: A bioinformatics analysis.

Introduction: The molecular mechanism of systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unclear. Ferroptosis participates in a series of cell activities, such as inflammatory progression, by regulating cell death; unfortunately, there aren't many research that discuss the connection between ferroptosis and SSc.Objectives: This study used bioinformatics analysis to report a potential relationship between ferroptosis and SSc.Methods: The SSc and control datasets GSE125362 and GSE76807 were obtained from the gene expression omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the R software. By the Venn diagram, ferroptosis DEGs were detected. The chosen candidate genes were then subjected to analyses of protein-protein interactions, gene ontology enrichment, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment. With the Molecular Complex Detection plugin program, the hub genes were investigated. A multifactor regulatory network was constructed depending on key hub genes, and immune infiltration was also evaluated. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay were used to validate the bioinformatic results.Results: Twenty-four ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes were detected in patients with SSc versus the normal controls. The biological processes of FRGs in patients with SSc focused on the negative regulation of cell proliferation and inflammatory response. The signaling pathways were enriched in necroptosis. The core genes of SSc were CYBB, IL-6, NOX4,TLR4, CXCL2, JUN, and LY96. Three miRNAs, two lncRNAs, and five transcription factors were predicted. The evaluation of immune infiltration showed that the number of activated natural killer (NK) cells increased in SSc skin tissues, whereas the number of resting dendritic, NK, and mast cells decreased. The bioinformatics prediction results from the mRNA chip were in line with the expression levels of IL-6 and CYBB.Conclusions: Necroptosis and ferroptosis were upregulated in patients with SSc and involved in modulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. IL-6 and CYBB are key ferroptosis-related genes in SSc. Ferroptosis and related genes might be promising targets in the treatment of SSc.