Deep Learning-Based Vascular Aging Prediction From Retinal Fundus Images.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish and validate a deep learning model to screen vascular aging using retinal fundus images. Although vascular aging is considered a novel cardiovascular risk factor, the assessment methods are currently limited and often only available in developed regions. Methods: We used 8865 retinal fundus images and clinical parameters of 4376 patients from two independent datasets for training a deep learning algorithm. The gold standard for vascular aging was defined as a pulse wave velocity ≥1400 cm/s. The probability of the presence of vascular aging was defined as deep learning retinal vascular aging score, the Reti-aging score. We compared the performance of the deep learning model and clinical parameters by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). We recruited clinical specialists, including ophthalmologists and geriatricians, to assess vascular aging in patients using retinal fundus images, aiming to compare the diagnostic performance between deep learning models and clinical specialists. Finally, the potential of Reti-aging score for identifying new-onset hypertension (NH) and new-onset carotid artery plaque (NCP) in the subsequent three years was examined. Results: The Reti-aging score model achieved an AUC of 0.826 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.793-0.855) and 0.779 (95% CI = 0.765-0.794) in the internal and external dataset. It showed better performance in predicting vascular aging compared with the prediction with clinical parameters. The average accuracy of ophthalmologists (66.3%) was lower than that of the Reti-aging score model, whereas geriatricians were unable to make predictions based on retinal fundus images. The Reti-aging score was associated with the risk of NH and NCP (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The Reti-aging score model might serve as a novel method to predict vascular aging through analysis of retinal fundus images. Reti-aging score provides a novel indicator to predict new-onset cardiovascular diseases. Translational Relevance: Given the robust performance of our model, it provides a new and reliable method for screening vascular aging, especially in undeveloped areas.

Emerging role of ferroptosis in diabetic retinopathy: a review.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a significant complication of diabetes and the primary cause of blindness among working age adults globally. The development of DR is accompanied by oxidative stress, characterised by an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a compromised antioxidant system. Clinical interventions aimed at mitigating oxidative stress through ROS scavenging or elimination are currently available. Nevertheless, these treatments merely provide limited management over the advanced stage of the illness. Ferroptosis is a distinctive form of cell death induced by oxidative stress, which is characterised by irondependent phospholipid peroxidation. PURPOSE: This review aims to synthesise recent experimental evidence to examine the involvement of ferroptosis in the pathological processes of DR, as well as to explicate the regulatory pathways governing oxidative stress and ferroptosis in retina. METHODS: We systematically reviewed literature available up to 2023. RESULTS: This review included 12 studies investigating the involvement of ferroptosis in DR.

Unique microbial diversity, community composition, and networks among Pacific Islander endocervical and vaginal microbiomes with and without Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Fiji.

IMPORTANCE: Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most common sexually transmitted bacterium globally. Endocervical and vaginal microbiome interactions are rarely examined within the context of Ct or among vulnerable populations. We evaluated 258 vaginal and 92 paired endocervical samples from Fijian women using metagenomic shotgun sequencing. Over 37% of the microbiomes could not be classified into sub-community state types (subCSTs). We, therefore, developed subCSTs IV-D0, IV-D1, IV-D2, and IV-E-dominated primarily by Gardnerella vaginalis-to improve classification. Among paired microbiomes, the endocervix had a significantly higher alpha diversity and, independently, higher diversity for high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) genotypes compared to low-risk and no HPV. Ct-infected endocervical networks had smaller clusters without interactions with potentially beneficial Lactobacillus spp. Overall, these data suggest that G. vaginalis may generate polymicrobial biofilms that predispose to and/or promote Ct and possibly HPV persistence and pathogenicity. Our findings expand on the existing repertoire of endocervical and vaginal microbiomes and fill in knowledge gaps regarding Pacific Islanders.

Insights into myopic choroidal neovascularization based on quantitative proteomics analysis of the aqueous humor.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the biomarkers of pathologic myopia choroidal neovascularization (pmCNV) development merely detected limited types of proteins and provide a meagre illustration of the underlying pathways. Hence, a landscape of protein changes in the aqueous humor (AH) of pmCNV patients is lacking. Here, to explore the potential mechanisms and biomarkers of pmCNV, we analyzed the clinical data and protein profile among atrophic (A) lesions, tractional lesions (T) and neovascular (N) lesions in myopic patients based on the ATN grading system for myopic maculopathy (MM). RESULTS: After investigating demographic data of our patients, a correlation was found between A and N lesions (R = 0.5753, P < 0.0001). Accordingly, groups were divided into patients without MM, patients with myopic atrophic maculopathy (MAM), and patients with pmCNV (N2a lesion). In proteomics analysis, the increased protein level of GFAP and complement-associated molecules in AH samples of the 3 groups also indicated that MAM and pmCNV shared similar characteristics. The GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis were performed, which mapped that differential expressed proteins mainly engaged in JAK-STAT pathway between the pmCNV group and two controls. Furthermore, we identified several potential biomarkers for pmCNV, including FCN3, GFAP, EGFR, SFRP3, PPP2R1A, SLIT2, and CD248. CONCLUSIONS: Atrophic lesions under pathologic myopic conditions demonstrated similarities to neovascularization development. Potential biomarkers including GFAP were associated with the pathogenesis of pmCNV. In summary, our study provides new insights for further research on pmCNV development.

Restraint stress promotes nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by regulating the farnesoid X receptor/NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Psychological stress promotes nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development. However, the pathogenesis of psychological stress-induced NASH remains unclear. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanism of restraint stress-induced NASH, which mimics psychological stress, and to discover potential NASH candidates. Methionine choline deficient diet- and high fat diet-induced hepatosteatotic mice are subjected to restraint stress to induce NASH. The mice are administrated with Xiaoyaosan granules, NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inhibitors, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, or macrophage scavengers. Pathological changes and NLRP3 signaling in the liver are determined. These results demonstrate that restraint stress promotes hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in hepatosteatotic mice. Restraint stress increases the expressions of NLRP3, Caspase-1, Gasdermin D, interleukin-1ß, cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, and sterol 12α-hydroxylase and decreases the expression of FXR in NASH mice. Xiaoyaosan granules reverse hepatic inflammation and fibrosis and target FXR and NLRP3 signals. In addition, inhibition of NLRP3 reduces the NLRP3 inflammasome and liver damage in mice with restraint stress-induced NASH. Elimination of macrophages and activation of FXR also attenuate inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting NLRP3 signaling. However, NLRP3 inhibitors or macrophage scavengers fail to affect the expression of FXR. In conclusion, restraint stress promotes NASH-related inflammation and fibrosis by regulating the FXR/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Xiaoyaosan granules, NLRP3 inhibitors, FXR agonists, and macrophage scavengers are potential candidates for the treatment of psychological stress-related NASH.

Biochanin A ameliorated oleate-induced steatosis in HepG2 cells by activating the SIRT3/AMPK/ULK-1 signaling pathway.

Biochanin A (Bio-A), an isoflavone abundant in chickpeas, possesses hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, whether Bio-A has antihepatosteatosis effect remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the antihepatosteatosis effect of Bio-A on oleate (OA)-treated hepatocytes, and explore the underlying mechanism. When incubated with OA for 24 h, HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of Bio-A for 24 h to obtain an optimal antihepatosteatosis dose. HepG2 cells were treated with the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor Compound C, or the sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) inhibitor 3-TYP, and incubated with 50 µM Bio-A. The results indicated that 12.6% of lipid content, particularly 11.0% of triglyceride content, and the expression of adipocyte differentiation-related protein were significantly decreased in Bio-A-treated hepatosteatosis cells, followed by an increase in the expression of Beclin 1, phosphorylation of Unc-51-like kinase 1 (ULK-1), the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II/LC3-I ratio, and a decrease in expression of p62. The results indicated that Bio-A upregulated autophagosome formation and autophagy flux. In addition, Bio-A increased SIRT3 expression and AMPK phosphorylation in OA-treated HepG2 cells. Blockade of AMPK and SIRT3 blocked the antihepatosteatosis effect and ULK-1 activation by Bio-A. AMPK inhibition did not eliminate the activation of SIRT3 by Bio-A. AutoDock analysis demonstrated that interaction might exist between Bio-A and SIRT3. In conclusion, Bio-A reduced fat accumulation in OA-treated HepG2 cells by activating SIRT3/AMPK/ULK-1-mediated autophagy. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the effect of Bio-A on hepatic steatosis-related diseases. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study highlights the antihepatosteatosis effects of biochanin A (Bio-A) on oleate (OA)-treated hepatocytes. Bio-A, one of the isoflavones in Cicer arietinum Linn., possesses multiple bioactivities such as antiobesity, anti-inflammation, and hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. This study provides a new application of Bio-A to treat hepatic steatosis, and revealed the underlying mechanism of Bio-A involved in the activation of the SIRT3/AMPK/ULK-1-mediated autophagy. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the application of Bio-A to hepatic steatosis-related diseases.

Theacrine ameliorates experimental liver fibrosis in rats by lowering cholesterol storage via activation of the Sirtuin 3-farnesoid X receptor signaling pathway.

Formulations against liver fibrosis (LF) mitigate the progression of hepatitis to cirrhosis. However, notable toxicity of the currently available anti-LF drugs limits their long-term use. In the study, we aimed to investigate the anti-LF effects of theacrine, a purine alkaloid without obvious toxicity, on high-fat diet-, alcohol-, and carbon tetrachloride-induced LF in rats. The results indicated that 10 and 20 mg/kg of theacrine ameliorated hepatic fibrosis, steatosis, and inflammation in LF rats. Mechanistically, theacrine reduced hepatic stellate cell (HSC)-related α-smooth muscle actin expression, and decreased cholesterol accumulation, followed by decreased expression of transforming growth factor-ß1, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. In addition, theacrine upregulated the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase, accompanied by decreased expression of ß-catenin and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and increased the expression of sirtuin 3 (SIRT3). Further investigation revealed that the theacrine-mediated decrease in cholesterol was independent of cholesterol synthesis or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake in hyperlipidemia mice. However, theacrine activated farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a ß-catenin conjugated protein, accompanied with decreased expression of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase and sterol 12α-hydroxylase. In conclusion, theacrine alleviated experimental LF in rats by lowering cholesterol storage and decreasing cholesterol-related HSC activation. A plausible mechanism of theacrine on cholesterol metabolism may involve activation of SIRT3-FXR signaling pathway followed by decreased intestinal cholesterol absorption.

Global stable-isotope tracing metabolomics reveals system-wide metabolic alternations in aging Drosophila.

System-wide metabolic homeostasis is crucial for maintaining physiological functions of living organisms. Stable-isotope tracing metabolomics allows to unravel metabolic activity quantitatively by measuring the isotopically labeled metabolites, but has been largely restricted by coverage. Delineating system-wide metabolic homeostasis at the whole-organism level remains challenging. Here, we develop a global isotope tracing metabolomics technology to measure labeled metabolites with a metabolome-wide coverage. Using Drosophila as an aging model organism, we probe the in vivo tracing kinetics with quantitative information on labeling patterns, extents and rates on a metabolome-wide scale. We curate a system-wide metabolic network to characterize metabolic homeostasis and disclose a system-wide loss of metabolic coordinations that impacts both intra- and inter-tissue metabolic homeostasis significantly during Drosophila aging. Importantly, we reveal an unappreciated metabolic diversion from glycolysis to serine metabolism and purine metabolism as Drosophila aging. The developed technology facilitates a system-level understanding of metabolic regulation in living organisms.

Ion mobility collision cross-section atlas for known and unknown metabolite annotation in untargeted metabolomics.

The metabolome includes not just known but also unknown metabolites; however, metabolite annotation remains the bottleneck in untargeted metabolomics. Ion mobility - mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has emerged as a promising technology by providing multi-dimensional characterizations of metabolites. Here, we curate an ion mobility CCS atlas, namely AllCCS, and develop an integrated strategy for metabolite annotation using known or unknown chemical structures. The AllCCS atlas covers vast chemical structures with >5000 experimental CCS records and ~12 million calculated CCS values for >1.6 million small molecules. We demonstrate the high accuracy and wide applicability of AllCCS with medium relative errors of 0.5-2% for a broad spectrum of small molecules. AllCCS combined with in silico MS/MS spectra facilitates multi-dimensional match and substantially improves the accuracy and coverage of both known and unknown metabolite annotation from biological samples. Together, AllCCS is a versatile resource that enables confident metabolite annotation, revealing comprehensive chemical and metabolic insights towards biological processes.

DecoMetDIA: Deconvolution of Multiplexed MS/MS Spectra for Metabolite Identification in SWATH-MS-Based Untargeted Metabolomics.

SWATH-MS-based data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) technology has been recently developed for untargeted metabolomics due to its capability to acquire all MS2 spectra with high quantitative accuracy. However, software tools for deconvolving multiplexed MS/MS spectra from SWATH-MS with high efficiency and high quality are still lacking in untargeted metabolomics. Here, we developed a new software tool, namely, DecoMetDIA, to deconvolve multiplexed MS/MS spectra for metabolite identification and support the SWATH-based untargeted metabolomics. In DecoMetDIA, multiple model peaks are selected to model the coeluted and unresolved chromatographic peaks of fragment ions in multiplexed spectra and decompose them into a linear combination of the model peaks. DecoMetDIA enabled us to reconstruct the MS2 spectra of metabolites from a variety of different biological samples with high coverages. We also demonstrated that the deconvolved MS2 spectra from DecoMetDIA were of high accuracy through comparison to the experimental MS2 spectra from data-dependent acquisition (DDA). Finally, about 90% of deconvolved MS2 spectra in various biological samples were successfully annotated using software tools such as MetDNA and Sirius. The results demonstrated that the deconvolved MS2 spectra obtained from DecoMetDIA were accurate and valid for metabolite identification and structural elucidation. The comparison of DecoMetDIA to other deconvolution software such as MS-DIAL demonstrated that it performs very well for small polar metabolites. DecoMetDIA software is freely available at https://github.com/ZhuMSLab/DecoMetDIA .

Metabolic reaction network-based recursive metabolite annotation for untargeted metabolomics.

Large-scale metabolite annotation is a challenge in liquid chromatogram-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Here, we develop a metabolic reaction network (MRN)-based recursive algorithm (MetDNA) that expands metabolite annotations without the need for a comprehensive standard spectral library. MetDNA is based on the rationale that seed metabolites and their reaction-paired neighbors tend to share structural similarities resulting in similar MS2 spectra. MetDNA characterizes initial seed metabolites using a small library of MS2 spectra, and utilizes their experimental MS2 spectra as surrogate spectra to annotate their reaction-paired neighbor metabolites, which subsequently serve as the basis for recursive analysis. Using different LC-MS platforms, data acquisition methods, and biological samples, we showcase the utility and versatility of MetDNA and demonstrate that about 2000 metabolites can cumulatively be annotated from one experiment. Our results demonstrate that MetDNA substantially expands metabolite annotation, enabling quantitative assessment of metabolic pathways and facilitating integrative multi-omics analysis.

Advancing untargeted metabolomics using data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry technology.

Metabolomics quantitatively measures metabolites in a given biological system and facilitates the understanding of physiological and pathological activities. With the recent advancement of mass spectrometry (MS) technology, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with data-independent acquisition (DIA) has been emerged as a powerful technology for untargeted metabolomics due to its capability to acquire all MS2 spectra and high quantitative accuracy. In this trend article, we first introduced the basic principles of several common DIA techniques including MSE, all ion fragmentation (AIF), SWATH, and MSX. Then, we summarized and compared the data analysis strategies to process DIA-based untargeted metabolomics data, including metabolite identification and quantification. We think the advantages of the DIA technique will enable its broad application in untargeted metabolomics.

Absolute quantitative lipidomics reveals lipidome-wide alterations in aging brain.

INTRODUCTION: The absolute quantitation of lipids at the lipidome-wide scale is a challenge but plays an important role in the comprehensive study of lipid metabolism. OBJECTIVES: We aim to develop a high-throughput quantitative lipidomics approach to enable the simultaneous identification and absolute quantification of hundreds of lipids in a single experiment. Then, we will systematically characterize lipidome-wide changes in the aging mouse brain and provide a link between aging and disordered lipid homeostasis. METHODS: We created an in-house lipid spectral library, containing 76,361 lipids and 181,300 MS/MS spectra in total, to support accurate lipid identification. Then, we developed a response factor-based approach for the large-scale absolute quantifications of lipids. RESULTS: Using the lipidomics approach, we absolutely quantified 1212 and 864 lipids in human cells and mouse brains, respectively. The quantification accuracy was validated using the traditional approach with a median relative error of 12.6%. We further characterized the lipidome-wide changes in aging mouse brains, and dramatic changes were observed in both glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Sphingolipids with longer acyl chains tend to accumulate in aging brains. Membrane-esterified fatty acids demonstrated diverse changes with aging, while most polyunsaturated fatty acids consistently decreased. CONCLUSION: We developed a high-throughput quantitative lipidomics approach and systematically characterized the lipidome-wide changes in aging mouse brains. The results proved a link between aging and disordered lipid homeostasis.