Correlation between postoperative chemotherapy regimen and survival in patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma accompanied with vascular cancer thrombus.

BACKGROUND: Patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma accompanied by vascular cancer thrombus (RGAVCT) have a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate ranging from 18.42%-53.57%. These patients need a reasonable postoperative treatment plan to improve their prognosis. AIM: To determine the most effective postoperative chemotherapy regimen for patients with RGAVCT. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinicopathological data of 530 patients who underwent radical resection for gastric cancer between January 2017 and January 2022 and who were pathologically diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma with a choroidal cancer embolus. Furthermore, we identified the high-risk variables that can influence the prognosis of patients with RGAVCT by assessing the clinical and pathological features of the patients who met the inclusion criteria. We also assessed the significance of survival outcomes using Mantel-Cox univariate and multivariate analyses. The subgroups of patients with stages I, II, and III disease who received single-, dual-, or triple-drug regimens following surgery were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and the ggplot2 package in R 4.3.0. RESULTS: In all, 530 eligible individuals with RGAVCT were enrolled in this study. The median overall survival (OS) of patients with RGAVCT was 24 months, and the survival rates were 80.2%, 62.5%, and 42.3% at 12, 24, and 59 months, respectively. Preoperative complications, tumor size, T stage, and postoperative chemotherapy were identified as independent factors that influenced OS in patients with RGAVCT according to the Cox multivariate analysis model. A Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that chemotherapy had no effect on OS of patients with stage I or II RGAVCT; however, chemotherapy did have an effect on OS of stage III patients. Stage III patients who were treated with chemotherapy consisting of dual- or triple-agent regimens had better survival than those treated with single-agent regimens, and no significant difference was observed in the survival of patients treated with chemotherapy consisting of dual- or triple-agent regimens. CONCLUSION: For patients with stage III RGAVCT, a dual-agent regimen of postoperative chemotherapy should be recommended rather than a triple-agent treatment, as the latter is associated with increased frequency of adverse events.

Chemical Constitutes from Mycelia of Laetiporus versisporus (Agaricomycetes).

Edible mushrooms, both wild and cultivated, can be seen as healthy functional food. More and more valuable compounds are obtained from mycelia of macromycetes. However, there was limited report about the medicinal fungus Laetiporus versisporus (Lloyd) Imazeki. Herein, L. versisporus was fermented on rice media and the secondary metabolites of mycelia were investigated. In this study, two-step method was used to obtain fermented products, silica gel column chromatography, recrystallization, medium pressure column chromatography, preparative thin-layer chromatography were applied to separate the chemical constituents. Nine chemical compounds (1-9) including one new triterpenoid acid versisponic acid F were identified by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy and MS (mass spectrometry). Seven compounds including monolinoleoyl glycerol, linoleic acid, ergosta-5, 7, 22-triene-3ß-ol, ß-sitosterol, daucosterol, versisponic acid F were isolated for the first time from L. versisporus.

The Efficacy of Active Fistulation in Duckett Procedure for Proximal Hypospadias in Children.

PURPOSE: To explore the efficacy of active fistulation in the treatment of proximal hypospadias in children by comparing one-stage and two-stage Duckett  procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  A total of sixty-seven children who were diagnosed with proximal hypospadias and underwent Duckett operation at our hospital between January 2013 and January 2021 were selected for this study. These subjects were divided into two groups: the research group (n=36), using two-stage Duckett procedure with active fistulation, and the control group (n=31), using one-stage Duckett procedure. The incidence of postoperative complications and the score of pediatric penile perception Scale were compared between the two groups. RESULTS:  The research group exhibits significantly lower incidence rate of urethral fistula (8.3% Vs 16.1%) and urethral stricture (5.6% Vs 12.9%) in comparison to the control group (P<0.01). Furthermore, the analysis of Pediatric Penile Perception Scale scores indicates that the research group achieves significantly higher scores in terms of urethral shape, penile skin shape, and overall appearance than the control group (P<0.05).  Conclusion: In the treatment of proximal hypospadias in children, The active fistulation within the two-stage Duckett procedure significantly reduces the rate of stage 1 postoperative complications and improves parental satisfaction. The active fistulation may offer a more promising option for the treatment of proximal hypospadias in children.

Association of metals and bisphenols exposure with lipid profiles and dyslipidemia in Chinese adults: Independent, combined and interactive effects.

BACKGROUND: Although studies have assessed the association of metals and bisphenols with lipid metabolism, the observed results have been controversial, and limited knowledge exists about the combined and interactive effects of metals and bisphenols exposure on lipid metabolism. METHODS: Plasma metals and serum bisphenols concentrations were evaluated in 888 participants. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were conducted to assess individual associations of 18 metals and 3 bisphenols with 5 lipid profiles and dyslipidemia risk, respectively. The dose-response relationships of targeted contaminants with lipid profiles and dyslipidemia risk were captured by applying a restriction cubic spline (RCS) function. The bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was used to assess the overall effects of metals and bisphenols mixture on lipid profiles and dyslipidemia risk. The interactive effects of targeted contaminants on interested outcomes were explored by constructing an interaction model. RESULTS: Single-contaminant analyses revealed that exposure to iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), and tin (Sn) was associated with elevated lipid levels. Cobalt (Co) showed a negative association with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol AF (BPAF) were associated with decreased HDL-C levels, with nonlinear associations observed. Vanadium (V), lead (Pb), and silver (Ag) displayed U-shaped dose-response relationships with most lipid profiles. Multi-contaminant analyses indicated positive trends between contaminants mixture and total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C). The interaction analyses showed that Se-Fe exhibited synergistic effects on LDL-C and non-HDL-C, and Se-Sn showed a synergistic effect on HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that exposure to metals and bisphenols was associated with changes in lipid levels, and demonstrated their combined and interactive effects.

Precisely targeted drug delivery by mesenchymal stem cells-based biomimetic liposomes to cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injured hemisphere.

The precise and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to the lesion sites remains a major challenge in treating brain diseases represented by ischemic stroke. Herein, we modified liposomes with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) membrane to construct biomimetic liposomes, termed MSCsome. MSCsome (115.99 ± 4.03 nm) exhibited concentrated accumulation in the cerebral infarcted hemisphere of mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, while showing uniform distribution in the two cerebral hemispheres of normal mice. Moreover, MSCsome exhibited high colocalization with damaged nerve cells in the infarcted hemisphere, highlighting its advantageous precise targeting capabilities over liposomes at both the tissue and cellular levels. Leveraging its superior targeting properties, MSCsome effectively delivered Dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) to the injured hemisphere, making a single-dose (15 mg/kg) intravenous injection of NBP-encapsulated MSCsome facilitate the recovery of motor functions in model mice by improving the damaged microenvironment and suppressing neuroinflammation. This study underscores that the modification of the MSC membrane notably enhances the capacity of liposomes for precisely targeting the injured hemisphere, which is particularly crucial in treating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Monomeric C-reactive protein is associated with severity and prognosis of decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein produced by the liver in response to infection and during chronic inflammatory disorders. Systemic inflammation is a major driver of cirrhosis progression from the compensated to the decompensated stage. Previous studies have shown that pentameric CRP (pCRP) to be a weak predictor of disease severity and prognosis in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis, with it being only helpful for identifying patients with a higher short-term risk of death under certain conditions. Accumulating evidence indicates that pCRP dissociates to and acts primarily as the monomeric conformation (mCRP) at inflammatory loci, suggesting that mCRP may be a potentially superior disease marker with higher specificity and relevance to pathogenesis. However, it is unknown whether mCRP and anti-mCRP autoantibodies are associated with disease severity, or progression in decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. In this study, we evaluated the serum levels of mCRP and anti-mCRP autoantibodies in patients with decompensated cirrhosis of hepatitis B and their association with disease severity and theoretical prognosis. The results showed that patients with high mCRP and anti-mCRP autoantibody levels had more severe liver damage and that coagulation function was worse in patients with high anti-mCRP autoantibodies. Analysis of the correlation between pCRP, mCRP and anti-mCRP autoantibody levels with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD), Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI), and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) prognostic scores showed that mCRP was the most strongly correlated with MELD score, followed by anti-mCRP autoantibodies; conversely, pCRP was not significantly correlated with prognostic score. Therefore, mCRP and anti-mCRP autoantibodies may be more advantageous clinical indicators than pCRP for evaluating the pathological state of decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Novel Alzheimer's disease subtypes based on functional brain connectivity in human connectome project.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear, but revealing individual differences in functional connectivity (FC) may provide insights and improve diagnostic precision. A hierarchical clustering-based autoencoder with functional connectivity was proposed to categorize 82 AD patients from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Compared to directly performing clustering, using an autoencoder to reduce the dimensionality of the matrix can effectively eliminate noise and redundant information in the data, extract key features, and optimize clustering performance. Subsequently, subtype differences in clinical and graph theoretical metrics were assessed. Results indicate a significant inter-subject heterogeneity in the degree of FC disruption among AD patients. We have identified two neurophysiological subtypes: subtype I exhibits widespread functional impairment across the entire brain, while subtype II shows mild impairment in the Limbic System region. What is worth noting is that we also observed significant differences between subtypes in terms of neurocognitive assessment scores associations with network functionality, and graph theory metrics. Our method can accurately identify different functional disruptions in subtypes of AD, facilitating personalized treatment and early diagnosis, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Identification and Genomic Characterization of Two Novel Hepatoviruses in Shrews from Yunnan Province, China.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV), a member of the genus Hepatovirus (Picornaviridae HepV), remains a significant viral pathogen, frequently causing enterically transmitted hepatitis worldwide. In this study, we conducted an epidemiological survey of HepVs carried by small terrestrial mammals in the wild in Yunnan Province, China. Utilizing HepV-specific broad-spectrum RT-PCR, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and QNome nanopore sequencing (QNS) techniques, we identified and characterized two novel HepVs provisionally named EpMa-HAV and EpLe-HAV, discovered in the long-tailed mountain shrew (Episoriculus macrurus) and long-tailed brown-toothed shrew (Episoriculus leucops), respectively. Our sequence and phylogenetic analyses of EpMa-HAV and EpLe-HAV indicated that they belong to the species Hepatovirus I (HepV-I) clade II, also known as the Chinese shrew HepV clade. Notably, the codon usage bias pattern of novel shrew HepVs is consistent with that of previously identified Chinese shrew HepV. Furthermore, our structural analysis demonstrated that shrew HepVs differ from other mammalian HepVs in RNA secondary structure and exhibit variances in key protein sites. Overall, the discovery of two novel HepVs in shrews expands the host range of HepV and underscores the existence of genetically diverse animal homologs of human HAV within the genus HepV.

Progress in research on ablation of thyroid nodules.

The incidence of thyroid nodules is rising annually. Surgical treatment is effective, but often results in significant trauma, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypoparathyroidism, and other complications. Recent years have seen significant breakthroughs in thyroid nodule ablation for treating thyroid diseases, although its application remains controversial. The objective was to review the development history and current research status of thyroid nodule ablation to provide a reference for future studies. The literature on thyroid nodule ablation was reviewed, analysing its advantages and disadvantages. The therapeutic effect of thyroid nodule ablation in treating benign thyroid lesions is noteworthy, but issues such as lax treatment indications and excessive medical treatment persist. Initial success has been achieved in treating thyroid malignant lesions, particularly papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). However, the curative effect requires further follow-up verification.

The associations between functional dyspepsia and potential risk factors: A comprehensive Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Previous cross-sectional studies have identified multiple potential risk factors for functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the causal associations between these factors and FD remain elusive. Here we aimed to fully examine the causal relationships between these factors and FD utilizing a two-sample MR framework. METHODS: A total of 53 potential FD-related modifiable factors, including those associated with hormones, metabolism, disease, medication, sociology, psychology, lifestyle and others were obtained through a comprehensive literature review. Independent genetic variants closely linked to these factors were screened as instrumental variables from genome-wide association studies (GWASs). A total of 8875 FD cases and 320387 controls were available for the analysis. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary analytical approach to assess the relationship between genetic variants of risk factors and the FD risk. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the consistency of the findings using the weighted median model, MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO methods. RESULTS: Genetically predicted depression (OR 1.515, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.231 to 1.865, p = 0.000088), gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR 1.320, 95%CI 1.153 to 1.511, p = 0.000057) and years of education (OR 0.926, 95%CI 0.894 to 0.958, p = 0.00001) were associated with risk for FD in univariate MR analyses. Multiple medications, alcohol consumption, poultry intake, bipolar disorder, mood swings, type 1 diabetes, elevated systolic blood pressure and lower overall health rating showed to be suggestive risk factors for FD (all p<0.05 while ≥0.00167). The positive causal relationship between depression, years of education and FD was still significant in multivariate MR analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive MR study demonstrated that depression and lower educational attainment were causal factors for FD at the genetic level.

Investigation of the photocatalytic activity of magnetically recoverable g-C3N4/CoFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 particles for purifying tetracycline antibiotics: synthesis, characterization, ecotoxicity analysis, and plant toxicity test.

To purify water polluted by tetracycline antibiotics, a new visible light-driven magnetically recoverable photocatalyst, g-C3N4/CoFe2O4/Bi2MoO6, was prepared in this study, and it effectively removed tetracycline antibiotics. Its rapid recycling was achieved by external magnets, which greatly increased material utilization. After four repeated uses, the degradation rate of tetracycline antibiotics by the g-C3N4/CoFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 composite photocatalyst remained at a high level, and the magnetic separation performance remained stable. Subsequently, it was further discovered that the degradation mechanism of this photocatalytic system was consistent with a double Z-type mechanism, which enabled two transport channels for photogenerated electrons, and was favorable for the separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs and prolonged the lifetime of the photogenerated carriers. The active substances playing an important role in the photocatalytic system were ˙O2- and h+. In addition, the possible intermediates in the photocatalytic process were detected by GC-MS analysis, and a degradation mechanism was proposed. The ecotoxicity of the degradation products and intermediates was evaluated using the Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (TEST), and the mung bean seed cultivation test was carried out to visually and efficiently illustrate that the g-C3N4/CoFe2O4/Bi2MoO6 photocatalyst can effectively degrade antibiotics, with low ecotoxicity of the degradation products. This provides a new idea for the removal of organic pollutants using light energy.

Comparative studies between humans and golden Syrian hamsters via thromboelastography.

BACKGROUND: Thromboelastography (TEG) is a widely utilized clinical testing method for real-time monitoring of platelet function and the thrombosis process. Lipid metabolism disorders are crucial risk factors for thrombosis. The lipid metabolism characteristics of hamsters resemble those of humans more closely than mice and rats, and their relatively large blood volume makes them suitable for studying the mechanisms of thrombosis related to plasma lipid mechanisms. Whole blood samples from golden Syrian hamsters and healthy humans were obtained following standard clinical procedures. TEG was employed to evaluate coagulation factor function, fibrinogen (Fib) function, platelet function, and the fibrinolytic system. METHODS: The whole blood from hamster or healthy human was isolated following the clinical procedure, and TEG was employed to evaluate the coagulation factor function, Fib function, platelet function, and fibrinolytic system. Coagulation analysis used ACLTOP750 automatic coagulation analysis pipeline. Blood routine testing used XN-2000 automatic blood analyzer. RESULTS: TEG parameters revealed that hamsters exhibited stronger coagulation factor function than humans (reaction time [R], p = 0.0117), with stronger Fib function (alpha angle, p < 0.0001; K-time [K], p < 0.0001). Platelet function did not differ significantly (maximum amplitude [MA], p = 0.077). Hamsters displayed higher coagulation status than humans (coagulation index [CI], p = 0.0023), and the rate of blood clot dissolution in hamsters differed from that in humans (percentage lysis 30 min after MA, p = 0.02). Coagulation analysis parameters indicated that prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) were faster in hamsters than in humans (PT, p = 0.0014; APTT, p = 0.03), whereas the Fib content was significantly lower in hamsters than in humans (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was observed in thrombin time (p = 0.1949). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, TEG could be used to evaluate thrombosis and bleeding parameters in whole blood samples from hamsters. The platelet function of hamsters closely resembled that of humans, whereas their coagulation function was significantly stronger.

Molecular Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Tissue Tropism of Bartonella Species in Small Mammals from Yunnan Province, China.

Bartonella is an intracellular parasitic zoonotic pathogen that can infect animals and cause a variety of human diseases. This study investigates Bartonella prevalence in small mammals in Yunnan Province, China, focusing on tissue tropism. A total of 333 small mammals were sampled from thirteen species, three orders, four families, and four genera in Heqing and Gongshan Counties. Conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were utilized for detection and quantification, followed by bioinformatic analysis of obtained DNA sequences. Results show a 31.5% detection rate, varying across species. Notably, Apodemus chevrieri, Eothenomys eleusis, Niviventer fulvescens, Rattus tanezumi, Episoriculus leucops, Anourosorex squamipes, and Ochotona Thibetana exhibited infection rates of 44.4%, 27.7%, 100.0%, 6.3%, 60.0%, 23.5%, and 22.2%, respectively. Genetic analysis identified thirty, ten, and five strains based on ssrA, rpoB, and gltA genes, with nucleotide identities ranging from 92.1% to 100.0%. Bartonella strains were assigned to B. grahamii, B. rochalimae, B. sendai, B. koshimizu, B. phoceensis, B. taylorii, and a new species identified in Episoriculus leucops (GS136). Analysis of the different tissues naturally infected by Bartonella species revealed varied copy numbers across different tissues, with the highest load in spleen tissue. These findings underscore Bartonella's diverse species and host range in Yunnan Province, highlighting the presence of extensive tissue tropism in Bartonella species naturally infecting small mammalian tissues.

Hepatic kynurenic acid mediates phosphorylation of Nogo-A in the medial prefrontal cortex to regulate chronic stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors in mice.

Exercise training effectively relieves anxiety disorders via modulating specific brain networks. The role of post-translational modification of proteins in this process, however, has been underappreciated. Here we performed a mouse study in which chronic restraint stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors can be attenuated by 14-day persistent treadmill exercise, in association with dramatic changes of protein phosphorylation patterns in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In particular, exercise was proposed to modulate the phosphorylation of Nogo-A protein, which drives the ras homolog family member A (RhoA)/ Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinases 1(ROCK1) signaling cascade. Further mechanistic studies found that liver-derived kynurenic acid (KYNA) can affect the kynurenine metabolism within the mPFC, to modulate this RhoA/ROCK1 pathway for conferring stress resilience. In sum, we proposed that circulating KYNA might mediate stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors via protein phosphorylation modification within the mPFC, and these findings shed more insights for the liver-brain communications in responding to both stress and physical exercise.

Specific differences and novel key regulatory genes of sex in influencing exceptional longevity phenotypes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although the life expectancy of women systematically and robustly exceeds that of men, specific differences and molecular mechanisms of sex in influencing longevity phenotypes remain largely unknown. Therefore, we performed transcriptome sequencing of peripheral blood samples to explore regulatory mechanisms of healthy longevity by incorporating sex data. METHODS: We selected 34 exceptional longevity (age: 98.26 ± 2.45 years) and 16 controls (age: 52.81 ± 9.78) without advanced outcomes from 1363 longevity and 692 controls recruited from Nanning of Guangxi for RNA sequencing 1. The transcriptome sequencing 1 data of 50 samples were compared by longevity and sex to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then, 121 aging samples (40-110 years old) without advanced outcomes from 355 longevity and 294 controls recruited from Dongxing of Guangxi were selected for RNA sequencing 2. The genes associated with aging from the transcriptome sequencing 2 of 121 aging samples were filtered out. Finally, the gender-related longevity candidate genes and their possible metabolic pathways were verified by cell model of aging and a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Metabolism differs between male and female and plays a key role in longevity. Moreover, the principal findings of this study revealed a novel key gene, UGT2B11, that plays an important role in regulating lipid metabolism through the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARG) signalling pathway and ultimately improving lifespan, particularly in females. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest specific differences in metabolism affecting exceptional longevity phenotypes between the sexes and offer novel therapeutic targets to extend lifespan by regulating lipid homeostasis.

UBE2T mediates SORBS3 ubiquitination to enhance IL-6/STAT3 signaling and promote lung adenocarcinoma progression.

UBE2T is an oncogene in varying tumors, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). SORBS3 is an important signaling regulatory protein that plays a crucial role in many cancers. This study aimed to investigate whether UBE2T promoted LUAD development by mediating the ubiquitination of SORBS3 and further explore its mechanism. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to examine the expression of SORBS3 in LUAD tissues. Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell, and flow cytometry were employed to analyze the cellular functions of SORBS3. Co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination analysis were employed to observe the correlation between UBE2T and SORBS3. In vitro and in vivo experiments verified the role of UBE2T in mediating SORBS3 ubiquitination to enhance interleukin-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL-6/STAT3) signaling and promote LUAD development. We observed significant downregulation of SORBS3 in LUAD tissues and cells. Furthermore, SORBS3 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD cells, while facilitating apoptosis in vitro. UBE2T enhanced IL-6/STAT3 signaling by mediating ubiquitination and degradation of SORBS3, thereby promoting LUAD progression. Additionally, this mechanism was further validated in the xenograft animal model in vivo. This study confirmed that UBE2T-mediated SORBS3 ubiquitination enhanced IL-6/STAT3 signaling and promoted LUAD progression, providing a novel therapeutic target for LUAD.

Healthy lifestyles and rapid progression of carotid plaque in population with atherosclerosis: A prospective cohort study in China.

Background: Healthy lifestyles are effective means to reduce major cardiovascular events. However, little is known about the association of healthy lifestyles with development of carotid atherosclerosis at the early stage of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Methods: We enrolled participants from Fujian province in the China PEACE MPP project. We calculated a healthy lifestyle score by adherence to non-smoking, sufficient physical activity, healthy diet and healthy body mass index. Cox proportional hazards regression models and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to explore the association between the healthy lifestyles and rapid progression of carotid plaque. Results: 8379 participants were included (mean age: 60.6 ± 8.3 years, 54.6 % female), with a median follow-up of 1.2 years (inter quartile range: 1.0-1.6). RCS showed a significant inverse association between the healthy lifestyle score and progression of carotid plaque. Participants with "intermediate" (HR: 0.72 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.65-0.80]) or "ideal" (HR: 0.68 [0.59-0.78]) adherence to healthy lifestyles had a lower risk of progression of carotid plaque compared to those with "poor" adherence. Age, sex, occupation, income, residence type and metabolic status were significant factors influencing the relationship. Farmers benefited more in non-smoking and sufficient physical activity compared to non-farmers, and participants with lower income or without dyslipidaemia benefited more in sufficient physical activity and healthy diet compared to their counterparts (p-for-interaction < 0.05). Conclusions: Healthy lifestyles were associated with lower risk of progression of carotid plaque in populations with atherosclerosis. Promotion of healthy lifestyles from the early stage of carotid atherosclerosis could reduce the burden of CVDs in China.

Curcumin inhibits the growth and invasion of gastric cancer by regulating long noncoding RNA AC022424.2.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer, characterized by a multifactorial etiology and high heterogeneity, continues to confound researchers in terms of its pathogenesis. Curcumin, a natural anticancer agent, exhibits therapeutic promise in gastric cancer. Its effects include promoting cell apoptosis, curtailing tumor angiogenesis, and enhancing sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have garnered significant attention as biomarkers for early screening, diagnosis, treatment, and drug response because of their remarkable specificity and sensitivity. Recent investigations have revealed an association between aberrant lncRNA expression and early diagnosis, clinical staging, metastasis, drug sensitivity, and prognosis in gastric cancer. A profound understanding of the intricate mechanisms through which lncRNAs influence gastric cancer development can provide novel insights for precision treatment and tailored management of patients with gastric cancer. This study aimed to unravel the potential of curcumin in suppressing the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells by upregulating specific lncRNAs and modulating gastric cancer onset and progression. AIM: To identify lncRNAs associated with curcumin treatment and investigate the role of lncRNA AC022424.2 in the effects of curcumin on gastric cancer cell apoptosis, proliferation, and invasion. Furthermore, these findings were validated in clinical samples. METHODS: The study employed CCK-8 assays to assess the impact of curcumin on gastric cancer cell proliferation, flow cytometry to investigate its effects on apoptosis, and scratch and Transwell assays to evaluate its influence on the migration and invasion of BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells. Western blotting was used to gauge changes in the protein expression levels of CDK6, CDK4, Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, P65, and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in gastric cancer cell lines after curcumin treatment. Differential expression of lncRNAs before and after curcumin treatment was assessed using lncRNA sequencing and validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells. AC022424.2-1 knockdown BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells were generated to scrutinize the impact of lncRNA AC022424.2 on apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Western blotting was performed to ascertain changes in the expression of proteins implicated in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and NF-κB signaling pathways. RT-PCR was employed to measure lncRNA AC022424.2 expression in clinical gastric cancer tissues and to correlate its expression with clinical pathological characteristics. RESULTS: Curcumin induced apoptosis and hindered proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. LncRNA AC022424.2 was upregulated after curcumin treatment, and its knockdown enhanced cancer cell aggressiveness. LncRNA AC022424.2 may have affected cancer cells via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and NF-κB signaling pathways. LncRNA AC022424.2 downregulation was correlated with lymph node metastasis, making it a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. CONCLUSION: Curcumin has potential anticancer effects on gastric cancer cells by regulating lncRNA AC022424.2. This lncRNA plays a significant role in cancer cell behavior and may have clinical implications in diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. The results of this study enhance our understanding of gastric cancer development and precision treatment.

Lowering the Schottky Barrier Height by Quasi-van der Waals Contacts for High-Performance p-Type MoTe2 Field-Effect Transistors.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer advantages over traditional silicon in future electronics but are hampered by the prominent high contact resistance of metal-TMD interfaces, especially for p-type TMDs. Here, we present high-performance p-type MoTe2 field-effect transistors via a nondestructive van der Waals (vdW) transfer process, establishing low contact resistance between the 2D MoTe2 semiconductor and the PtTe2 semimetal. The integration of PtTe2 as contacts in MoTe2 field-effect transistors leads to significantly improved electrical characteristics compared to conventional metal contacts, evidenced by a mobility increase to 80 cm2 V-1 s-1, an on-state current rise to 5.0 µA/µm, and a reduction in Schottky barrier height (SBH) to 48 meV. Such a low SBH in quasi-van der Waals contacts can be assigned to the low electrical resistivity of PtTe2 and the high efficiency of carrier injection at the 2D semimetal/2D semiconductor interfaces. Imaging via transmission electron microscopy reveals that the 2D semimetal/two-dimensional semiconductor interfaces are atomically flat and exceptionally clean. This interface engineering strategy could enable low-resistance contacts based on vdW architectures in a facile manner, providing opportunities for 2D materials for next-generation optoelectronics and electronics.

HsGDY 3D Framework-Encapsulated Cu2O Quantum Dots for High-Efficiency Energy Storage.

Nanostructured electrode materials become a vital component for future electrode materials because of their short electron and ion transport distances for fast charge and discharge processes and sufficient space between particles for volume expansion. So, achieving a smaller size of the nanomaterial with stable structure and high electrode performance is always the pursuit. Herein, the hybrid electrode material system hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne (HsGDY)/Cu2O-quantum dots (QDs) composed of an active carbon substrate and vibrant metal oxide QD load was established by HsGDY and cuprous oxide. The HsGDY frame with conjugated structure not only delivers impressive capacity by a self-exchange mechanism but also characterizes a matrix to forge strong connections with numerous active Cu2O-QDs for the prevention of aggregation, leading to a homogeneous storage and transport of charge in a bulk material of crisscross structural pores. QD-based electrode materials would exhibit desired capacities by their large surface area, abundant active surface atoms, and the short diffusion pathway. The hybrid system of HsGDY/Cu2O-QDs delivers an ultrahigh capacity of 1230 mA h g-1 with loading density reaching up to 1 mg cm-2. In the meantime, the electrode exhibits a long cycle stability of over 8000 cycles. The synergistic effect endows the hybrid system electrode with an approximately theoretical energy density, suggesting the great potential of such carbon/QD hybrid material system applied for high-performance batteries.