Acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid restrains the progression of synovitis in osteoarthritis via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Synovial inflammation plays a key role in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) represent a distinct cell subpopulation within the synovium, and their unique phenotypic alterations are considered significant contributors to inflammation and fibrotic responses. The underlying mechanism by which acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid (AKBA) modulates FLS activation remains unclear. This study aims to assess the beneficial effects of AKBA through both in vitro and in vivo investigations. Network pharmacology evaluation is used to identify potential targets of AKBA in OA. We evaluate the effects of AKBA on FLSs activation in vitro and the regulatory role of AKBA on the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. ML385 (an Nrf2 inhibitor) is used to verify the binding of AKBA to its target in FLSs. We validate the in vivo efficacy of AKBA in alleviating OA using anterior cruciate ligament transection and destabilization of the medial meniscus (ACLT+DMM) in a rat model. Network pharmacological analysis reveals the potential effect of AKBA on OA. AKBA effectively attenuates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced abnormal migration and invasion and the production of inflammatory mediators, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in FLSs, contributing to the restoration of the synovial microenvironment. After treatment with ML385, the effect of AKBA on FLSs is reversed. In vivo studies demonstrate that AKBA mitigates synovial inflammation and fibrotic responses induced by ACLT+DMM in rats via activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis. AKBA exhibits theoretical potential for alleviating OA progression through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and represents a viable therapeutic candidate for this patient population.

The Embodied Effect in the Comprehension of Chinese Action-Verb Metaphors.

Embodied cognition holds that one's body, actions, perceptions, and situations are integrated into the cognitive process and emphasizes the fact that sensorimotor systems play a role in language comprehension. Previous studies verified the embodied effect in literal language processing but few of them paid attention to metaphors in embodied cognition. The present study aims to explore the embodied effect in the comprehension of Chinese action-verb metaphor. Participants watched a video containing icons and corresponding actions to learn the relationship between them and how to perform these actions in the learning phase and in the test phase, a series of action-describing metaphor phrases were presented to participants with either the icons as primes or no prime at all. The results confirmed the embodied effect as the reaction times (RTs) were significantly shorter when action prime matched the action-verb in the following action-verb metaphor than that of no-prime condition, which are consistent with the facilitation observed in previous relevant studies in embodied cognition. In conclusion, this study verified the embodied effect in the comprehension of Chinese action-verb metaphor, offering further support to embodied cognition and providing a new interpretation for the metaphoric meaning construction of Chinese action-verbs.

Optimization design of battery bracket for new energy vehicles based on 3D printing technology.

Nowadays, what captures consumers' primary attention is how to purchase electric vehicles with long range and desirable price. Lightweight construction stands as one of the most effective approaches for prolonging range and lowering costs. As a consequence, it is particularly imperative to undertake lightweight design optimization for the battery bracket of new energy vehicles by applying 3D printing technology. To actualize this goal, Rhino software was initially employed for 3D modeling to design the battery bracket system for a pure electric vehicle in China. Subsequently, topology optimization design of the battery bracket was carried out by adopting Altair Inspire software. Last but not least, manufacturing and assembly inspection were completed using a 3D printer. The results show that the maximum displacement of the battery lower tray bracket after topology optimization is 3.20 mm, which is slightly higher than before, but still relatively small. The maximum Mises equivalent stress rose to 240.7 MPa post-optimization, but brought about a uniform stress distribution at the bottom of the bracket. In comparison, the minimum factor of safety met design requirements at 1. The mass was lessened to 0.348 kg, representing a 49.2% decrease in comparison with pre-optimization levels. The 3D-printed bracket was fabricated by employing a 3D printer, thereby achieving the aforementioned mass abatement. The battery pack parts exhibited a bright surface with low roughness and no discernible warping or deformation defects. As revealed by the assembly results, the components of the battery pack bracket are tightly coordinated with each other, with no evident assembly conflicts, revealing that the dimensional accuracy and fit of the completed parts meet production requirements. These findings lay solid groundwork for the mass production of high-performance battery pack brackets.

Complex impact of metals on the fate of disinfection by-products in drinking water pipelines: A systematic review.

Metals in the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) play an important role on the fate of disinfection by-products (DBPs). They can increase the formation of DBPs through several mechanisms, such as enhancing the proportion of reactive halogen species (RHS), catalysing the reaction between natural organic matter (NOM) and RHS through complexation, or by increasing the conversion of NOM into DBP precursors. This review comprehensively summarizes these complex processes, focusing on the most important metals (copper, iron, manganese) in DWDS and their impact on various DBPs. It organizes the dispersed 'metals-DBPs' experimental results into an easily accessible content structure and presents their underlying common or unique mechanisms. Furthermore, the practically valuable application directions of these research findings were analysed, including the toxicity changes of DBPs in DWDS under the influence of metals and the potential enhancement of generalization in DBP model research by the introduction of metals. Overall, this review revealed that the metal environment within DWDS is a crucial factor influencing DBP levels in tap water.

Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of Apoderus dimidiatus Voss (Coleoptera: Attelabidae): Insights into Evolution and Behavior.

Attelabidae insects have attracted much attention due to their unique leaf rolling behavior before oviposition. However, the lack of genomic data makes it difficult to understand the molecular mechanism behind their behavior and their evolutionary relationship with other species. To address this gap, we utilized Illumina and Nanopore sequencing platforms along with Hi-C technology to establish a highly accurate whole genome of A. dimidiatus at the chromosome level. The resulting genome size was determined to be 619.26 Mb, with a contig N50 of 50.89 Mb and GC content of 33.89%. Moreover, a total of 12,572 genes were identified, with 82.59% being functionally annotated, and 64.78% designated as repeat sequences. Our subsequent phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that Attelabidae's divergence from Curculionidae occurred approximately 161.52 million years ago. Furthermore, the genome of A. dimidiatus contained 334 expanded gene families and 1718 contracted gene families. In addition, using Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood (PAML), we identified 106 rapidly evolved genes exhibiting significant signals and 540 positively selected genes. Our research endeavors to serve as an invaluable genomic data resource for the study of Attelabidae, offering fresh perspectives for the exploration of its leaf rolling behavior.

Silica nanoparticles triggered epithelial ferroptosis via miR-21-5p/GCLM signaling to contribute to fibrogenesis in the lungs.

The toxicity of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) to lung is known. We previously demonstrated that exposure to SiNPs promoted pulmonary impairments, but the precise pathogenesis remains elucidated. Ferroptosis has now been identified as a unique form of oxidative cell death, but whether it participated in SiNPs-induced lung injury remains unclear. In this work, we established a rat model with sub-chronic inhalation exposure of SiNPs via intratracheal instillation, and conducted histopathological examination, iron detection, and ferroptosis-related lipid peroxidation and protein assays. Moreover, we evaluated the effect of SiNPs on epithelial ferroptosis, possible mechanisms using in vitro-cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) cells, and also assessed the ensuing impact on fibroblast activation for fibrogenesis. Consequently, fibrotic lesions occurred in the rat lungs, concomitantly by enhanced lipid peroxidation, iron overload, and ferroptosis. Consistently, the in vitro data showed SiNPs triggered oxidative stress and caused the accumulation of lipid peroxides, resulting in ferroptosis. Importantly, the mechanistic investigation revealed miR-21-5p as a key player in the epithelial ferroptotic process induced by SiNPs via targeting GCLM for GSH depletion. Of note, ferrostatin-1 could greatly suppress ferroptosis and alleviate epithelial injury and ensuing fibroblast activation by SiNPs. In conclusion, our findings first revealed SiNPs triggered epithelial ferroptosis through miR-21-5p/GCLM signaling and thereby promoted fibroblast activation for fibrotic lesions, and highlighted the therapeutic potential of inhibiting ferroptosis against lung impairments upon SiNPs exposure.

Classification of Visually Induced Motion Sickness Based on Phase-Locked Value Functional Connectivity Matrix and CNN-LSTM.

To effectively detect motion sickness induced by virtual reality environments, we developed a classification model specifically designed for visually induced motion sickness, employing a phase-locked value (PLV) functional connectivity matrix and a CNN-LSTM architecture. This model addresses the shortcomings of traditional machine learning algorithms, particularly their limited capability in handling nonlinear data. We constructed PLV-based functional connectivity matrices and network topology maps across six different frequency bands using EEG data from 25 participants. Our analysis indicated that visually induced motion sickness significantly alters the synchronization patterns in the EEG, especially affecting the frontal and temporal lobes. The functional connectivity matrix served as the input for our CNN-LSTM model, which was used to classify states of visually induced motion sickness. The model demonstrated superior performance over other methods, achieving the highest classification accuracy in the gamma frequency band. Specifically, it reached a maximum average accuracy of 99.56% in binary classification and 86.94% in ternary classification. These results underscore the model's enhanced classification effectiveness and stability, making it a valuable tool for aiding in the diagnosis of motion sickness.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Herpes Zoster Laryngitis With Vocal Fold Immobility.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of herpes zoster laryngitis with vocal fold immobility. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHODS: Clinical characteristics, laryngeal signs on strobolaryngoscopy, imaging examination findings, and outcomes of patients were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: This study included 17 patients (11 males [64.7%] and six females [35.3%]), with a mean age of 63.3 ± 6.7 years. The primary symptoms were hoarseness (94.1%), dysphagia (76.5%), pharyngalgia on one side (76.5%), and aspiration (70.6%). No patient had skin herpes of the head and neck. The duration of symptoms was 5-30 days (median: 10 days). Twelve patients (70.6%) were in an immunocompromised state before the disease. Strobolaryngoscopy showed congestion and swelling of the mucosa on one side of the larynx, with whitish eruptions on the supraglottic mucosa and ipsilateral vocal fold immobility. Five patients (29.4%) exhibited signs of ipsilateral accessory nerve injury. The imaging examination showed supraglottic inflammatory changes in 12 patients (70.6%). Among the 14 patients whose treatment could be clearly described, only one patient received antiviral treatment, whereas others received neurotrophic and symptomatic treatment. Notably, all patients demonstrated good outcomes because their symptoms eventually returned to normal. CONCLUSION: Herpes zoster laryngitis is caused by varicella-zoster virus infection of the vagus nerve. It is characterized by laryngeal herpetic changes on one side and unilateral vocal fold immobility. The inducement of the disease tends to be associated with the abnormal immune state of patients. It can be easily misdiagnosed because of the absence of skin herpetic changes. Regardless of antiviral therapy, patients generally exhibit a favorable outcome.

Efficiently photocatalysis activation of peroxymonosulfate by bimetallic metal-organic frameworks Mn-MIL-53(Fe) for ibuprofen degradation: Synergistic efficiency, mechanism and degradation pathways.

In this study, a UV-driven photocatalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system was constructed using bimetallic metal-organic frameworks to degrade pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Mn-MIL-53(Fe) was successfully synthesised by adjusting the doping ratio of Mn using solvothermal method. The removal of ibuprofen (IBP) by UV/Mn-MIL-53(Fe)/PMS process was as high as 79.7% in 30 min with a Mn doping ratio of 1.0 (molar ratio of Mn to Fe), and the reaction rate constant was 26.9% higher than undoped. Mn-MIL-53(Fe) had been systematically characterized in terms of its physical structure, microscopic morphology, surface functional groups and photoelectric properties. The mechanism investigation revealed that the cycling of Mn and Fe accelerated the rate of electron transfer in the system, which significantly increased the activation efficacy of PMS to generate more hydroxyl and sulfate radicals for IBP degradation. A total of 13 transformation products were detected during the degradation of IBP by the UV/Mn-MIL-53(Fe)/PMS process. Theoretical calculations were used to predict the sites on the IBP molecule that were vulnerable to attack, and four possible degradation pathways were deduced. The excellent stability and efficient catalytic properties of Mn-MIL-53(Fe) provided a promising solution to the problem of water treatment contaminated with PPCPs.

Melatonin improves maternal sleep deprivation-induced learning and memory impairment, inflammation, and synaptic dysfunction in murine male adult offspring.

INTRODUCTION: Maternal sleep deprivation (MSD), which induces inflammation and synaptic dysfunction in the hippocampus, has been associated with learning and memory impairment in offspring. Melatonin (Mel) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective function. However, the beneficial effect of Mel on MSD-induced cognitive impairment and its mechanisms are unknown. METHODS: In the present study, adult offspring suffered from MSD were injected with Mel (20 mg/kg) once a day during postnatal days 61-88. The cognitive function was evaluated by the Morris water maze test. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mRNA and protein levels of synaptic plasticity associated proteins were examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. RESULTS: The results showed that MSD impaired learning and memory in the offspring mice. MSD increased the levels of interleukin (IL)-1creIL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α and decreased the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine kinase receptor B, postsynaptic density protein-95, and synaptophysin in the hippocampus. Furthermore, Mel attenuated cognitive impairment and restored markers of inflammation and synaptic plasticity to control levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that Mel could ameliorate learning and memory impairment induced by MSD, and these beneficial effects were related to improvement in inflammation and synaptic dysfunction.

Impact of ozonation on disinfection byproducts formation from phenylalanine during chlorination.

As a strong oxidizing agent, ozone is used in some water treatment facilities for disinfection, taste and odor control, and removal of organic micropollutants. Phenylalanine (Phe) was used as the target amino acid to comprehensively investigate variability of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formation during chlorine disinfection and residual chlorine conditions subsequent to ozonation. The results showed that subsequent to ozonation, the typical regulated and unregulated DBPs formation potential (DBPsFP), including trichloromethane (TCM), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), chloral hydrate (CH), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), and trichloroacetamide (TCAcAm) increased substantially, by 2.4, 3.3, 5.6, 1.2, 2.5, and 6.0 times, respectively, compared with only chlorination. Ozonation also significantly increased the DBPs yield under a 2 day simulated residual chlorine condition that mimicked the water distribution system. DBPs formations followed pseudo first order kinetics. The formation rates of DBPs in the first 6 hr were higher for TCM (0.214 hr-1), DCAN (0.244 hr-1), CH (0.105 hr-1), TCAcAm (0.234 hr-1), DCAA (0.375 hr-1) and TCAA (0.190 hr-1) than thereafter. The peak DBPsFP of TCM, DCAN, CH, TCAcAm, DCAA, and TCAA were obtained when that ozonation time was set at 5-15 min. Ozonation times > 30 min increased the mineralization of Phe and decreased the formation of DBPs upon chlorination. Increasing bromine ion (Br-) concentration increased production of bromine- DBPs and decreased chlorine-DBPs formation by 59.3%-92.2% . Higher ozone dosages and slight alkaline favored to reduce DBP formation and cytotoxicity. The ozonation conditions should be optimized for all application purposes including DBPs reduction.

Trust in Acquaintances, Strangers and Institutions among Individuals of Different Socioeconomic Statuses during Public Health Emergencies: The Moderation of Family Structure and Policy Perception.

Trust plays a crucial role in effectively responding to public health emergencies. Drawing on COVID-19 survey data conducted in Hubei, China, during August 2020 with a sample size of 5494, this study investigated the influence of individuals' socioeconomic status on trust in acquaintances, strangers and institutions, and how this relationship is moderated by epidemic prevention, policy perception and family structure. The findings showed that individuals with higher socioeconomic status tend to have higher levels of trust. Those with higher income but being married demonstrate higher trust. When perceiving epidemic prevention policies as stringent, those with higher income display increased trust in acquaintances and institutions; similarly, those with lower education levels exhibit heightened trust in acquaintances and strangers. Individuals working in social organizations express higher trust in strangers; however, their trust is compromised under stringent epidemic prevention policies due to potentially heavier work burdens.

The Effects of Rainfall Events on the Composition and Diversity of Microplastics on Beaches in Xiamen City on a Short-Term Scale.

Coastal beaches are vulnerable to microplastic pollution originating primarily from terrestrial and marine sources or the in situ weathering of plastic waste. The present study investigates the effects of rainfall events on the composition and diversity of microplastics on beaches in Xiamen City on a short-term scale. In the results, the quantity of microplastics in beach sediments was 245.83 ± 11.61 items·kg-1 (mean ± standard error). The abundance of microplastics did not differ after each rainfall event but significantly decreased after multiple rainfall events. When the diversity of microplastics in the coastal area was evaluated, the Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou's index also decreased from 3.12 and 0.64 to 2.99 and 0.62, respectively, after multiple rainfall events. Rainfall had varying effects on microplastics depending on their size and shape, with particles smaller than 500 µm experiencing pronounced reductions. There was a significant negative correlation between the abundance of microplastics and the grain size of sand, but a positive correlation with sediment moisture content. We encourage the consideration of the potential impact of rainfall events during sample collection to ensure the reliability of the data. We also recommend using diversity indexes to help in understanding the influence of physical processes on microplastic distribution and their mechanisms.

Serum levels of neurotensin, pannexin-1, and sestrin-2 and the correlations with sleep quality or/and cognitive function in the patients with chronic insomnia disorder.

Objectives: To examine serum concentrations of neurotensin, pannexin-1 and sestrin-2, and their correlations with subjective and objective sleep quality and cognitive function in the patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID). Methods: Sixty-five CID patients were enrolled continuously and fifty-six good sleepers in the same period were served as healthy controls (HCs). Serum levels of neurotensin, pannexin-1 and sestrin-2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and polysomnography, and mood was evaluated by 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. General cognitive function was assessed with the Chinese-Beijing Version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment and spatial memory was evaluated by Blue Velvet Arena Test (BVAT). Results: Relative to the HCs, the CID sufferers had higher levels of neurotensin (t=5.210, p<0.001) and pannexin-1 (Z=-4.169, p<0.001), and lower level of sestrin-2 (Z=-2.438, p=0.015). In terms of objective sleep measures, pannexin-1 was positively associated with total sleep time (r=0.562, p=0.002) and sleep efficiency (r=0.588, p=0.001), and negatively with wake time after sleep onset (r=-0.590, p=0.001) and wake time (r=-0.590, p=0.001); sestrin-2 was positively associated with percentage of rapid eye movement sleep (r=0.442, p=0.016) and negatively with non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 2 in the percentage (r=-0.394, p=0.034). Adjusted for sex, age and HAMD, pannexin-1 was still associated with the above objective sleep measures, but sestrin-2 was only negatively with wake time (r=-0.446, p=0.022). However, these biomarkers showed no significant correlations with subjective sleep quality (PSQI score). Serum concentrations of neurotensin and pannexin-1 were positively associated with the mean erroneous distance in the BVAT. Adjusted for sex, age and depression, neurotensin was negatively associated with MoCA score (r=-0.257, p=0.044), pannexin-1 was positively associated with the mean erroneous distance in the BVAT (r=0.270, p=0.033). Conclusions: The CID patients had increased neurotensin and pannexin-1 and decreased sestrin-2 in the serum levels, indicating neuron dysfunction, which could be related to poor sleep quality and cognitive dysfunction measured objectively.

Neural correlates of emotion-label vs. emotion-laden word processing in late bilinguals: evidence from an ERP study.

The brain processes underlying the distinction between emotion-label words (e.g. happy, sad) and emotion-laden words (e.g. successful, failed) remain inconclusive in bilingualism research. The present study aims to directly compare the processing of these two types of emotion words in both the first language (L1) and second language (L2) by recording event-related potentials (ERP) from late Chinese-English bilinguals during a lexical decision task. The results revealed that in the early word processing stages, the N170 emotion effect emerged only for L1 negative emotion-laden words and L2 negative emotion-label words. In addition, larger early posterior negativity (EPN) was elicited by emotion-laden words than emotion-label words in both L1 and L2. In the later processing stages, the N400 emotion effect was evident for L1 emotion words, excluding positive emotion-laden words, while it was absent in L2. Notably, L1 emotion words elicited enhanced N400 and attenuated late positive complex (LPC) compared to those in L2. Taken together, these findings confirmed the engagement of emotion, and highlighted the modulation of emotion word type and valence on word processing in both early and late processing stages. Different neural mechanisms between L1 and L2 in processing written emotion words were elucidated.

RNAi efficiency is enhanced through knockdown of double-stranded RNA-degrading enzymes in butterfly Papilio xuthus.

The efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) has always limited the research on the phenotype innovation of Lepidoptera insects. Previous studies have found that double-stranded RNA-degrading enzyme (dsRNase) is an important factor in RNAi efficiency, but there have been no relevant reports in butterflies (Papilionoidea). Papilio xuthus is one of the important models in butterflies with an extensive experimental application value. To explore the effect of dsRNase in the RNAi efficiency on butterflies, six dsRNase genes (PxdsRNase 1-6) were identified in P. xuthus genome, and their dsRNA-degrading activities were subsequently detected by ex vivo assays. The result shows that the dsRNA-degrading ability of gut content (<1 h) was higher than hemolymph content (>12 h). We then investigated the expression patterns of these PxdsRNase genes during different tissues and developmental stages, and related RNAi experiments were carried out. Our results show that different PxdsRNase genes had different expression levels at different developmental stages and tissues. The expression of PxdsRNase2, PxdsRNase3, and PxdsRNase6 were upregulated significantly through dsGFP injection, and PxdsRNase genes can be silenced effectively by injecting their corresponding dsRNA. RNAi-of-RNAi studies with PxEbony, which acts as a reporter gene, observed that silencing PxdsRNase genes can increase RNAi efficiency significantly. These results confirm that silencing dsRNase genes can improve RNAi efficiency in P. xuthus significantly, providing a reference for the functional study of insects such as butterflies with low RNAi efficiency.

WO3 Nanoplates Decorated with Au and SnO2 Nanoparticles for Real-Time Detection of Foodborne Pathogens.

Nowadays, metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors have diverse applications ranging from human health to smart agriculture with the development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. However, high operating temperatures and an unsatisfactory detection capability (high sensitivity, fast response/recovery speed, etc.) hinder their integration into the IoT. Herein, a ternary heterostructure was prepared by decorating WO3 nanoplates with Au and SnO2 nanoparticles through a facial photochemical deposition method. This was employed as a sensing material for 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (3H-2B), a biomarker of Listeria monocytogenes. These Au/SnO2-WO3 nanoplate-based sensors exhibited an excellent response (Ra/Rg = 662) to 25 ppm 3H-2B, which was 24 times higher than that of pure WO3 nanoplates at 140 °C. Moreover, the 3H-2B sensor showed an ultrafast response and recovery speed to 25 ppm 3H-2B as well as high selectivity. These excellent sensing performances could be attributed to the rich Au/SnO2-WO3 active interfaces and the excellent transport of carriers in nanoplates. Furthermore, a wireless portable gas sensor equipped with the Au/SnO2-WO3 nanoplates was assembled, which was tested using 3H-2B with known concentrations to study the possibilities of real-time gas monitoring in food quality and safety.

Isolated gastric varices associated with antiphospholipid syndrome and protein S deficiency: a case report and review of the literature.

The mortality rate of gastric varices bleeding can reach 20% within 6 weeks. Isolated gastric varices (IGVs) refer to gastric varices without esophageal varices and typically arise as a common complication of left portal hypertension. Although IGVs commonly form in the setting of splenic vein occlusion, the combination of antiphospholipid syndrome and protein S deficiency leading to splenic vein occlusion is rare. We herein present a case of a 28-year-old woman with intermittent epigastric pain and melena. She was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome based on the triad of pregnancy morbidity, unexplained venous occlusion, and positive lupus anticoagulant. Laparoscopic splenectomy and pericardial devascularization were performed for the treatment of IGVs. During the 6-month postoperative follow-up, repeated endoscopy and contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed disappearance of the IGVs. This is the first description of splenic vein occlusion associated with both antiphospholipid syndrome and protein S deficiency. We also provide a review of the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment methods of IGVs.

The first chromosome-level genome of the stag beetle Dorcus hopei Saunders, 1854 (Coleoptera: Lucanidae).

Stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) represent a significant saproxylic assemblage in forest ecosystems and are noted for their enlarged mandibles and male polymorphism. Despite their relevance as ideal models for the study of exaggerated mandibles that aid in attracting mates, the regulatory mechanisms associated with these traits remain understudied, and restricted by the lack of high-quality reference genomes for stag beetles. To address this limitation, we successfully assembled the first chromosome-level genome of a representative species Dorcus hopei. The genome was 496.58 Mb in length, with a scaffold N50 size of 54.61 Mb, BUSCO values of 99.8%, and 96.8% of scaffolds anchored to nine pairs of chromosomes. We identified 285.27 Mb (57.45%) of repeat sequences and annotated 11,231 protein-coding genes. This genome will be a valuable resource for further understanding the evolution and ecology of stag beetles, and provides a basis for studying the mechanisms of exaggerated mandibles through comparative analysis.

Mitochondrial antioxidant elamipretide improves learning and memory impairment induced by chronic sleep deprivation in mice.

BACKGROUND: The inflammation and synaptic dysfunction induced by mitochondrial dysfunction play essential roles in the learning and memory impairment associated with sleep dysfunction. Elamipretide (SS-31), a novel mitochondrion-targeted antioxidant, was proven to improve mitochondrial dysfunction, the inflammatory response, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairment in models of cerebral ischemia, sepsis, and type 2 diabetes. However, the potential for SS-31 to improve the cognitive impairment induced by chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) and its underlying mechanisms is unknown. METHODS: Adult c57BL/6J mice were subjected to CSD for 21 days using an activity wheel accompanied by daily intraperitoneal injection of SS-31 (5 mg/kg). The novel object recognition and Morris water maze test were used to evaluate hippocampus-dependent cognitive function. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were used to determine the effects of CSD and SS-31 on markers of mitochondria, inflammation response, and synaptic function. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to examine the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. RESULTS: SS-31 could improve the cognitive impairment induced by CSD. In particular, SS-31 treatment restored the CSD-induced decrease in sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator alpha levels and the increase in levels nuclear factor kappa-B and inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Furthermore, SS-31 significantly increased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, postsynaptic density protein-95, and synaptophysin in CSD mice. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that SS-31 could improve CSD-induced mitochondrial biogenesis dysfunction, inflammatory response, synaptic dysfunction, and cognitive impairment by increasing SIRT1 expression levels.