5α-Epoxyalantolactone from Inula macrophylla attenuates cognitive deficits in scopolamine-induced Alzheimer's disease mice model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative condition. 5α-epoxyalantolactone (5α-EAL), a eudesmane-type sesquiterpene isolated from the herb of Inula macrophylla, has various pharmacological effects. This work supposed to investigate the improved impact of 5α-EAL on cognitive impairment. 5α-EAL inhibited the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in BV-2 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with an EC50 of 6.2 µM. 5α-EAL significantly reduced the production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while also inhibiting the production of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) proteins. The ability of 5α-EAL to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was confirmed via a parallel artificial membrane permeation assay. Scopolamine (SCOP)-induced AD mice model was employed to assess the improved impacts of 5α-EAL on cognitive impairment in vivo. After the mice were pretreated with 5α-EAL (10 and 30 mg/kg per day, i.p.) for 21 days, the behavioral experiments indicated that the administration of the 5α-EAL could alleviate the cognitive and memory impairments. 5α-EAL significantly reduced the AChE activity in the brain of SCOP-induced AD mice. In summary, these findings highlight the beneficial effects of the natural product 5α-EAL as a potential bioactive compound for attenuating cognitive deficits in AD due to its pharmacological profile.

Roles of estrogen and its receptors in polycystic ovary syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder characterized by abnormal steroid hormone levels in peripheral blood and poor-quality oocytes. In the ovary, androgen is produced by theca cells, and estrogen is produced by granulosa cells. Androgen is converted to estrogen in granulosa cells, with cytochrome P450 aromatase as the limiting enzyme during this process. Estrogen receptors (ER) include ER alpha, ER beta, and membrane receptor GPR30. Studies have demonstrated that the abnormal functions of estrogen and its receptors and estradiol synthesis-related enzymes are closely related to PCOS. In recent years, some estrogen-related drugs have made significant progress in clinical application for subfertility with PCOS, such as letrozole and clomiphene. This article will elaborate on the recent advances in PCOS caused by abnormal expression of estrogen and its receptors and the application of related targeted small molecule drugs in clinical research and treatment.

A new neuroprotective candidate TJ1 targeting amyloidogenesis in 5xFAD Alzheimer's disease mice.

As one of the main pathmechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid-ß (Aß) is widely considered to be the prime target for the development of AD therapy. Recently, imidazolylacetophenone oxime ethers or esters (IOEs) have shown neuroprotective effects against neuronal cells damage, suggesting their potential use in the prevention and treatment of AD. Thirty IOEs compounds from our lab in-house library were constructed and screened for the inhibitory effects on Aß42-induced cytotoxicity. Among them, TJ1, as a new IOEs hit, preliminarily showed the effect on inhibiting Aß42-induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of TJ1 on Aß42 aggregation were tested by ThT assays and TEM. The neuroprotective effects of TJ1 were evaluated in Aß42-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells, LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells, and H2O2- and RSL3-stimulated PC12 cells. The cognitive improvement of TJ1 was assessed in 5xFAD (C57BL/6J) transgenic mouse. These results showed that TJ1 had strong neuroprotective effects and high blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability without obvious cytotoxicity. TJ1 impeded the self-accumulation process of Aß42 by acting on Aß oligomerization and fibrilization. Besides, TJ1 reversed Aß-, H2O2- and RSL3-induced neuronal cell damage and decreased neuroinflammation. In 5xFAD mice, TJ1 improved cognitive impairment, increased GSH level, reduced the level of Aß42 and Aß plaques, and attenuated the glia reactivation and inflammatory response in the brain,. Taken together, our results demonstrate that TJ1 improves cognitive impairments as a new neuroprotective candidate via targeting amyloidogenesis, which suggests the potential of TJ1 as a treatment for AD.

Examination of Nafion membrane performance with acid-base functionalized graphene oxide.

Functionalized graphene oxide (GO) as a good additive can improve the performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) via the introduction of various functional groups. How to balance the proton conductivity and durability of membrane based on functionalized GO is a key issue. In this work, benzoic-acid-functionalized GO(BAF-GO) and 1,2,4-triazole-functionalized GO(TF-GO) are employed as doping candidates, and the co-doping effect on membrane performance is investigated by means of experiment and molecular dynamics simulation. Meanwhile, the quantum chemistry method is implemented to explore the interaction between TF-GO, membrane and BAF-GO. The results reveal that the composite membrane exhibits high durability and enhanced proton conductivity. When the doping mass ratio of BAF-GO to TF-GO is 3 : 1, the proton conductivity can be greatly improved, especially under low-humidity conditions. Excessive addition of basic groups does not enhance proton transport.

Cardiomyocyte LGR6 alleviates ferroptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy via regulating mitochondrial biogenesis.

AIMS: The majority of people with diabetes are susceptible to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure, and conventional drug therapy cannot correct the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy. We assessed the potential role and therapeutic value of LGR6 (G protein-coupled receptor containing leucine-rich repeats 6) in diabetic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Type 2 diabetes models were established using high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetes in mice. LGR6 knockout mice were generated. Recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 carrying LGR6 under the cardiac troponin T promoter was injected into diabetic mice. Cardiomyocytes incubated with high glucose (HG) were used to imitate diabetic cardiomyopathy in vitro. The molecular mechanism was explored through RNA sequencing and a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. We found that LGR6 expression was upregulated in diabetic hearts and HL1 cardiomyocytes treated with HG. The LGR6 knockout aggravated, but cardiomyocyte-specific LGR6 overexpression ameliorated, cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in diabetic mice. Mechanistically, in vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that LGR6 deletion aggravated, whereas LGR6 overexpression alleviated, ferroptosis and disrupted mitochondrial biogenesis by regulating STAT3/Pgc1a signaling. STAT3 inhibition and Pgc1a activation abrogated LGR6 knockout-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis in diabetic mice. In addition, LGR6 activation by recombinant RSPO3 treatment ameliorated cardiac dysfunction, ferroptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic mice. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a previously undescribed signaling pathway of the LGR6-STAT3-Pgc1a axis that plays a critical role in ferroptosis and mitochondrial disorders during diabetic cardiomyopathy and provides an option for treatment of diabetic hearts.

Herpotrichone A Exerts Neuroprotective Effects by Relieving Ferroptosis.

Inhibition of oxidative stress and ferroptosis is currently considered to be a promising therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative diseases. Herpotrichones, a class of compounds derived from insect symbionts, have shown potential for neuroprotective activity with low toxicity. However, the specific mechanisms through which herpotrichones exert their neuroprotective effects remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, the natural [4 + 2] adducts herpotrichone A (He-A) and its new analogues were isolated from the isopod-associated fungus Herpotrichia sp. SF09 and exhibited significantly protective effects in H2O2-, 6-OHDA-, and RSL3-stimulated PC12 cells and LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Moreover, He-A was able to relieve ferroptotic cell death in RSL3-stimulated PC12 cells and 6-OHDA-induced zebrafish larvae. Interestingly, He-A can activate antioxidant elements and modulate the SLC7A11 pathway without capturing oxidic free radical and chelating iron. These findings highlight He-A as a novel hit that protects against ferroptosis-like neuronal damage in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Chloride-Mediated Enhancement in Cu(II)-catalyzed Fenton-like Reaction: The Overlooked Reactive Chlorine Species.

The practical application of Cu(II)-catalyzed Fenton-like reaction (Cu(II)/H2O2) exhibits a low efficiency in the degradation of refractory compounds of wastewater. The impact of chloride ions (Cl-) on Fenton-like reactions have been investigated, but the influence mechanism is still unclear. Herein, the presence of Cl- (5 mM) significantly accelerated the degradation of benzoic acid (BA) under neutral conditions. The degradation of BA follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, with a degradation rate 7.3 times higher than the Cu(II)/H2O2 system. Multiple evidences strongly demonstrated that this reaction enables the production of reactive chlorine species (RCS) rather than HO• and high-valent copper (Cu(III)). The kinetic model revealed that Cl- could shift reactive species from the key intermediate (Cu(III)-chloro complexes) to RCS. Dichlorine radicals (Cl2•-) was discovered to play a crucial role in BA degradation, which was largely overlooked in previous reports. Although the reaction rate of Cl2•- with BA (k = 2.0 × 106 M-1 s-1) is lower than that of other species, its concentration is 10 orders of magnitude higher than that of Cu(III) and HO•. Furthermore, the exceptional efficacy of the Cu(II)/H2O2 system in BA degradation was observed in saline aquatic environments. This work sheds light on the previously unrecognized role of the metal-chloro complexes in production the RCS and water purification.

The role of reactive oxygen species in plant-virus interactions.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a complex role in interactions between plant viruses and their host plants. They can both help the plant defend against viral infection and support viral infection and spread. This review explores the various roles of ROS in plant-virus interactions, focusing on their involvement in symptom development and the activation of plant defense mechanisms. The article discusses how ROS can directly inhibit viral infection, as well as how they can regulate antiviral mechanisms through various pathways involving miRNAs, virus-derived small interfering RNAs, viral proteins, and host proteins. Additionally, it examines how ROS can enhance plant resistance by interacting with hormonal pathways and external substances. The review also considers how ROS might promote viral infection and transmission, emphasizing their intricate role in plant-virus dynamics. These insights offer valuable guidance for future research, such as exploring the manipulation of ROS-related gene expression through genetic engineering, developing biopesticides, and adjusting environmental conditions to improve plant resistance to viruses. This framework can advance research in plant disease resistance, agricultural practices, and disease control.

Inulin-gel-based oral immunotherapy remodels the small intestinal microbiome and suppresses food allergy.

Despite the potential of oral immunotherapy against food allergy, adverse reactions and loss of desensitization hinder its clinical uptake. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is implicated in the increasing prevalence of food allergy, which will need to be regulated to enable for an effective oral immunotherapy against food allergy. Here we report an inulin gel formulated with an allergen that normalizes the dysregulated ileal microbiota and metabolites in allergic mice, establishes allergen-specific oral tolerance and achieves robust oral immunotherapy efficacy with sustained unresponsiveness in food allergy models. These positive outcomes are associated with enhanced allergen uptake by antigen-sampling dendritic cells in the small intestine, suppressed pathogenic type 2 immune responses, increased interferon-γ+ and interleukin-10+ regulatory T cell populations, and restored ileal abundances of Eggerthellaceae and Enterorhabdus in allergic mice. Overall, our findings underscore the therapeutic potential of the engineered allergen gel as a suitable microbiome-modulating platform for food allergy and other allergic diseases.

The therapeutic effect and metabolic mechanism analysis of Guilingji on idiopathic oligo-asthenoteratozoospermia.

Introduction: Guilingji, a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has been used to combat aging and male sexual dysfunction in China for centuries. To date, there has been little evidence-based clinical research on the use of Guilingji to treat idiopathic oligo-asthenoteratozoospermia (OAT), and the therapeutic mechanism from a metabolic perspective needs to be investigated further. Methods: This was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical study of 240 patients with idiopathic OAT recruited from four hospitals between January 2020 and January 2022. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1꞉1 ratio to receive oral Guilingji capsules or placebo for 12 weeks. The total progressive motile sperm count (TPMSC) was considered the primary outcome, and the other sperm parameters, seminal plasma parameters and serum hormones were considered the secondary outcome. A nontargeted metabolomics analysis of serum from OAT patients before and after Guilingji administration was performed by HPLC-MS to identify key metabolites. Furthermore, we used a rat model to show spermatogenesis phenotypes to validate the effect of the key metabolites screened from the patients. Results: At weeks 4, 8 and 12, TPMSC and other sperm parameters were significantly improved in the Guilingji group compared with the placebo group (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). At week 4, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acrosomal enzyme activity of seminal plasma were significantly elevated in the Guilingji group compared with the placebo group, while reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase-X (LDHX) levels appeared to be significantly increased after 12 weeks continuous medication compared with Placebo group (P = 0.032). The metabolomics analysis of serum from OAT patients before and after Guilingji administration showed that the glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) concentration in patients' serum was significantly elevated after Guilingji treatment. Compared to the control, when Kidney-Yang deficiency model rats were treated with Guilingji or its key intermediate metabolite G6P, their sperm concentration and spermatozoic activity were improved similarly, and their structural damage of rat's testicular and epididymal tissues were recovered. Conclusion: This study provided valuable clinical evidence for the utility of Guilingji as a treatment for OAT. These findings thus demonstrate that G6P is involved in the therapeutic mechanism of Guilingji in OAT treatment based on clinical and rat intervention studies.

Increasing serum miR-223-3p indicates the onset, severe development, and adverse prognosis of bronchiectasis: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: miR-223-3p has been demonstrated as a Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization-related miRNA in bronchiectasis (BE), but its clinical value in BE has not been revealed, which is of great significance for the clinical diagnosis and monitoring of BE. This study aimed to identify a reliable biomarker for screening BE and predicting patients' outcomes. METHODS: The serum expression of miR-223-3p was compared between healthy individuals (n = 101) and BE patients (n = 133) and evaluated its potential in distinguishing BE patients. The severity of BE patients was estimated by BSI and FACED score, and the correlation of miR-223-3p with inflammation and severity of BE patients was evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis. BE patients were followed up for 3 years, and the predictive value of miR-223-3p in prognosis was assessed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Significant upregulation of miR-223-3p was observed in BE patients, which significantly distinguished BE patients and showed positive correlations with C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of BE patients. Additionally, miR-223-3p was also positively correlated with BSI and FACED scores, indicating its correlation with inflammation and severity of BE. BE patients with adverse prognoses showed a higher serum miR-223-3p level, which was identified as an adverse prognostic factor and discriminated patients with different prognoses. CONCLUSION: Increasing serum miR-223-3p can be considered a biomarker for the onset, severity, and prognosis of BE.

Dual roles of CD11b+CD33+HLA-DR-/lowCD14- myeloid-derived suppressor cells with a granulocytic morphology following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: from inflammation promoters to immune suppressors within 90 days.

Introduction: Granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs) show fast recovery following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) constituting the major part of peripheral blood in the early phase. Although G-MDSCs mediate immune suppression through multiple mechanisms, they may also promote inflammation under specific conditions. Methods: G-MDSCs were isolated from 82 patients following allo-HSCT within 90 days after allo-HSCT, and their interactions with autologous CD3+ T-cells were examined. T-cell proliferation was assessed by flow cytometry following CFSE staining, while differentiation and interferon-γ secretion were characterized using chemokine receptor profiling and ELISpot assays, respectively. NK cell cytotoxicity was evaluated through co-culture with K562 cells. An aGVHD xenogeneic model in humanized mice was employed to study the in vivo effects of human leukocytes. Furthermore, transcriptional alterations in G-MDSCs were analyzed via RNA sequencing to investigate functional transitions. Results: G-MDSCs promoted inflammation in the early-stage, by facilitating cytokine secretion and proliferation of T cells, as well as their differentiation into pro-inflammatory T helper subsets. At day 28, patients with a higher number of G-MDSCs exhibited an increased risk of developing grades II-IV aGvHD. Besides, adoptive transfer of G-MDSCs from patients at day 28 into humanized mice exacerbated aGvHD. However, at day 90, G-MDSCs led to immunosuppression, characterized by upregulated expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase gene and interleukin-10 secretion, coupled with the inhibition of T cell proliferation. Furthermore, transcriptional analysis of G-MDSCs at day 28 and day 90 revealed that 1445 genes were differentially expressed. These genes were associated with various pathways, revealing the molecular signatures of early post-transplant differentiation in G-MDSCs. In addition, genes linked to the endoplasmic reticulum stress were upregulated in patients without aGvHD. The acquisition of immunosuppressive function by G-MDSCs may depend on the activation of CXCL2 and DERL1 genes. Conclusion: Our findings revealed the alteration in the immune characteristics of G-MDSCs within the first 90 days post-allo-HSCT. Moreover, the quantity of G-MDSCs at day 28 may serve as a predictive indicator for the development of aGvHD.

Prediction of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation Subtypes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer From Hematoxylin and Eosin-Stained Slides Using Deep Learning.

Accurate assessment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and subtype is critical for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients. Conventional molecular testing methods for detecting EGFR mutations have limitations. In this study, an artificial intelligence-powered deep learning framework was developed for the weakly supervised prediction of EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer from hematoxylin and eosin-stained histopathology whole-slide images. The study cohort was partitioned into training and validation subsets. Foreground regions containing tumor tissue were extracted from whole-slide images. A convolutional neural network employing a contrastive learning paradigm was implemented to extract patch-level morphologic features. These features were aggregated using a vision transformer-based model to predict EGFR mutation status and classify patient cases. The established prediction model was validated on unseen data sets. In internal validation with a cohort from the University of Science and Technology of China (n = 172), the model achieved patient-level areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUCs) of 0.927 and 0.907, sensitivities of 81.6% and 83.3%, and specificities of 93.0% and 92.3%, for surgical resection and biopsy specimens, respectively, in EGFR mutation subtype prediction. External validation with cohorts from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (n = 193) yielded patient-level AUCs of 0.849 and 0.867, sensitivities of 79.2% and 80.7%, and specificities of 91.7% and 90.7% for surgical and biopsy specimens, respectively. Further validation with the Cancer Genome Atlas data set (n = 81) showed an AUC of 0.861, a sensitivity of 84.6%, and a specificity of 90.5%. Deep learning solutions demonstrate potential advantages for automated, noninvasive, fast, cost-effective, and accurate inference of EGFR alterations from histomorphology. Integration of such artificial intelligence frameworks into routine digital pathology workflows could augment existing molecular testing pipelines.

Recyclable V2O5/g-C3N4 Heterojunction-Catalyzed Visible-Light-Promoted C3-H Trifluoromethylation of Quinoxalin-2-(1H)-ones.

A visible-light-initiated C-H trifluoromethylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones was established using a Z-scheme V2O5/g-C3N4 heterojunction as a recyclable photocatalyst in an inert atmosphere at room temperature under additive-free and mild conditions. A variety of trifluoromethylated quinoxalin-2-(1H)-one derivatives were heterogeneously generated in moderate to high yields, exhibiting good functional group tolerance. Remarkably, the recyclable V2O5/g-C3N4 catalyst could be reused five times with a slight loss of catalytic activity.

Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Fine-Needle Aspiration in Patients With Suspected Infected Pancreatic Necrosis.

INTRODUCTION: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is no longer recommended for diagnosing infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) due to a high false-negative rate. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a valuable tool for identifying potential pathogens. We hypothesized that adding mNGS to the standard FNA procedure may increase diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: This is a prospective, single-arm feasibility study enrolling patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis complicated by suspected IPN. Computed tomography-guided FNA was performed immediately after enrollment, and the drainage samples were subjected to culture and mNGS assays simultaneously. Confirmatory IPN within the following week of the index FNA procedure was the reference standard. The diagnostic performance of FNA-mNGS and the impact of mNGS results on treatment were evaluated. Historical controls were used for comparison of clinical outcomes. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between mNGS and culture in the positive rate (75% vs 70%, P = 0.723). The accuracy of FNA-mNGS was 80.0%, with a sensitivity of 82.35%, specificity of 66.67%, positive predictive value of 93.3%, and negative predictive value of 40.0%. The results of the mNGS led to treatment change in 16 of 20 patients (80%), including implementing percutaneous catheter drainage (n = 7), expanding antibiotic coverage (n = 2), percutaneous catheter drainage and expanding coverage (n = 4), narrowing antibiotic coverage (n = 1), and discontinuation of antibiotics (n = 2). The FNA-mNGS approach was not associated with improved clinical outcomes compared with the historical control group. DISCUSSION: The addition of mNGS to standard FNA has comparable diagnostic accuracy with culture-based FNA and may not be associated with improved clinical outcomes.

EDIL3/Del-1 prevents aortic dissection through enhancing internalization and degradation of apoptotic vascular smooth muscle cells.

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a severe disease, characterized by numerous apoptotic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). EDIL3/Del-1 is a secreted protein involved in macrophage efferocytosis in acute inflammation. Here, we aimed to investigate whether EDIL3 promoted the internalization and degradation of apoptotic VSMCs during TAD. The levels of EDIL3 were decreased in the serum and aortic tissue from TAD mice. Global edil3 knockout (edil3-/-) mice and edil3-/- bone marrow chimeric mice exhibited a considerable exacerbation in ß-aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN)-induced TAD, accompanied with increased apoptotic VSMCs accumulating in the damaged aortic tissue. Two types of phagocytes, RAW264.7 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were used for in vitro efferocytosis assay. edil3-deficient phagocytes exhibited inefficient internalization and degradation of apoptotic VSMCs. Instead, EDIL3 promoted the internalization phase through interacting with phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) on apoptotic VSMCs and binding to the macrophage ITGAV/αv-ITGB3/ß3 integrin. In addition, EDIL3 accelerated the degradation phase through activating LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Mechanically, following the engulfment, EDIL3 enhanced the activity of SMPD1/acid sphingomyelinase in the phagosome through blocking ITGAV-ITGB3 integrin, which facilitates phagosomal reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by NAPDH oxidase CYBB/NOX2. Furthermore, exogenous EDIL3 supplementation alleviated BAPN-induced TAD and promoted apoptotic cell clearance. EDIL3 may be a novel factor for the prevention and treatment of TAD.Abbreviations: BAPN: ß-aminopropionitrile monofumarate; BMDM: bone marrow-derived macrophage; C12FDG: 5-dodecanoylaminofluorescein-di-ß-D-galactopyranoside; CTRL: control; CYBB/NOX2: cytochrome b-245, beta polypeptide; DCFH-DA: 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate; EDIL3/Del-1: EGF-like repeats and discoidin I-like domains 3; EdU: 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine; EVG: elastic van Gieson; H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; IL: interleukin; LAP: LC3-associated phagocytosis; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; PtdSer: phosphatidylserine; rEDIL3: recombinant EDIL3; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SMPD1: sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1; TAD: thoracic aortic dissection; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; VSMC: vascular smooth muscle cell; WT: wild-type.

Distance-decay equations of antibiotic resistance genes across freshwater reservoirs.

Distance-decay (DD) equations can discern the biogeographical pattern of organisms and genes in a better way with advanced statistical methods. Here, we developed a data Compilation, Arrangement, and Statistics framework to advance quantile regression (QR) into the generation of DD equations for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) across various spatial scales using freshwater reservoirs as an illustration. We found that QR is superior at explaining dissemination potential of ARGs to the traditionally used least squares regression (LSR). This is because our model is based on the 'law of limiting factors', which reduces influence of unmeasured factors that reduce the efficacy of the LSR method. DD equations generated from the 99th QR model for ARGs were 'Sall = 90.03e-0.01Dall' in water and 'Sall = 92.31e-0.011Dall' in sediment. The 99th QR model was less impacted by uneven sample sizes, resulting in a better quantification of ARGs dissemination. Within an individual reservoir, the 99th QR model demonstrated that there is no dispersal limitation of ARGs at this smaller spatial scale. The QR method not only allows for construction of robust DD equations that better display dissemination of organisms and genes across ecosystems, but also provides new insights into the biogeography exhibited by key parameters, as well as the interactions between organisms and environment.

Intravitreal conbercept injection with panretinal photocoagulation for high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy with vitreous hemorrhage.

AIM: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of combining panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) with intravitreal conbercept (IVC) injections for patients with high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (HR-PDR) complicated by mild or moderate vitreous hemorrhage (VH), with or without diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with VH with/without DME secondary to HR-PDR and received PRP combined with IVC injections were recruited in this retrospective study. Upon establishing the patient's diagnosis, an initial IVC was performed, followed by prompt administration of PRP. In cases who significant bleeding persisted and impeded the laser operation, IVC was sustained before supplementing with PRP. Following the completion of PRP, patients were meticulously monitored for a minimum of six months. Laser therapy and IVC injections were judiciously adjusted based on fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) results. Therapeutic effect and the incidence of adverse events were observed. RESULTS: Out of 42 patients (74 eyes), 29 were male and 13 were female, with a mean age of 59.17±12.74y (33-84y). The diabetic history was between 1wk and 26y, and the interval between the onset of visual symptoms and diagnosis of HR-PDR was 1wk-1y. The affected eye received 2.59±1.87 (1-10) IVC injections and underwent 5.5±1.02 (4-8) sessions of PRP. Of these, 68 eyes received PRP following 1 IVC injection, 5 eyes after 2 IVC injections, and 1 eye after 3 IVC injections. Complete absorption of VH was observed in all 74 eyes 5-50wk after initial treatment, with resolution of DME in 51 eyes 3-48wk after initial treatment. A newly developed epiretinal membrane was noted in one eye. Visual acuity significantly improved in 25 eyes. No complications such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, or endophthalmitis were reported. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the combination of PRP with IVC injections is an effective and safe modality for treating diabetic VH in patients with HR-PDR.

Peripheral cytokine interleukin-10 alleviates perihematomal edema after intracerebral hemorrhage via interleukin-10 receptor/JAK1/STAT3 signaling.

AIMS: The extent of perihematomal edema following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) significantly impacts patient prognosis, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) exacerbates perihematomal edema. However, the role of peripheral IL-10 in mitigating BBB disruption through pathways that link peripheral and central nervous system signals remains poorly understood. METHODS: Recombinant IL-10 was administered to ICH model mice via caudal vein injection, an IL-10-inhibiting adeno-associated virus and an IL-10 receptor knockout plasmid were delivered intraventricularly, and neurobehavioral deficits, perihematomal edema, BBB disruption, and the expression of JAK1 and STAT3 were evaluated. RESULTS: Our study demonstrated that the peripheral cytokine IL-10 mitigated BBB breakdown, perihematomal edema, and neurobehavioral deficits after ICH and that IL-10 deficiency reversed these effects, likely through the IL-10R/JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral IL-10 has the potential to reduce BBB damage and perihematomal edema following ICH and improve patient prognosis.

LC-MS metabolomics analysis of serum metabolites during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the serum metabolite profiles during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics analysis. METHODS: 60 serum samples were collected from 20 patients with LARC before, during, and after radiotherapy. LC-MS metabolomics analysis was performed to identify the metabolite variations. Functional annotation was applied to discover altered metabolic pathways. The key metabolites were screened and their ability to predict sensitivity to radiotherapy was calculated using random forests and ROC curves. RESULTS: The results showed that NCRT led to significant changes in the serum metabolite profiles. The serum metabolic profiles showed an apparent separation between different time points and different sensitivity groups. Moreover, the functional annotation showed that the differential metabolites were associated with a series of important metabolic pathways. Pre-radiotherapy (3Z,6Z)-3,6-Nonadiena and pro-radiotherapy 1-Hydroxyibuprofen showed good predictive performance in discriminating the sensitive and non-sensitive group to NCRT, with an AUC of 0.812 and 0.75, respectively. Importantly, the combination of different metabolites significantly increased the predictive ability. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the potential of LC-MS metabolomics for revealing the serum metabolite profiles during NCRT in LARC. The identified metabolites may serve as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the management of this disease. Furthermore, the understanding of the affected metabolic pathways may help design more personalized therapeutic strategies for LARC patients.