Disentangling the "tip-effects" enhanced antibacterial mechanism of Ag nanoparticles.

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) exhibit strong antibacterial activity and are widely used in industries such as medical, food and cosmetics. In this study, Ag nanospheres and Ag nanotriangles are selected as antibacterial agents to reveal the distinct mechanism of tip effects towards their antibacterial performance. A series of antibacterial experiments were implemented, including in situ monitoring as well as studying and determining the evolution of the inhibition zone, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, growth kinetics, bactericidal curve, bacterial morphologies and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ag nanotriangles can eradicate E. coli and S. aureus at extremely low concentrations in comparison to Ag nanospheres, in particular under sunlight irradiation. The destroyed bacterial cell walls were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Through the investigation of ROS production, the generation efficiency of ROS is improved by the merit of sunlight irradiation thanks to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of Ag NPs. However, a more significant improvement in ROS generation efficiency occurred in the presence of Ag nanotriangles contributed by the pronounced "tip effects". This study sheds light on the structure-performance relationship for the rational design of antibacterial agents.

Inhibition of FBP1 expression by KMT5A through TWIST1 methylation is one of the mechanisms leading to chemoresistance in breast cancer.

Lysine methyltransferase 5A (KMT5A) is the sole mammalian enzyme known to catalyse the mono­methylation of histone H4 lysine 20 and non­histone proteins such as p53, which are involved in the occurrence and progression of numerous cancers. The present study aimed to determine the function of KMT5A in inducing docetaxel (DTX) resistance in patients with breast carcinoma by evaluating glucose metabolism and the underlying mechanism involved. The upregulation or downregulation of KMT5A­related proteins was examined after KMT5A knockdown in breast cancer (BRCA) cells by Tandem Mass Tag proteomics. Through differential protein expression and pathway enrichment analysis, the upregulated key gluconeogenic enzyme fructose­1,6­bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) was discovered. Loss of FBP1 expression is closely related to the development and prognosis of cancers. A dual­luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that KMT5A inhibited the expression of FBP1 and that overexpression of FBP1 could enhance the chemotherapeutic sensitivity to DTX through the suppression of KMT5A expression. The KMT5A inhibitor UNC0379 was used to verify that DTX resistance induced by KMT5A through the inhibition of FBP1 depended on the methylase activity of KMT5A. According to previous literature and interaction network structure, it was revealed that KMT5A acts on the transcription factor twist family BHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1). Then, it was verified that TWSIT1 promoted the expression of FBP1 by using a dual­luciferase reporter gene experiment. KMT5A induces chemotherapy resistance in BRCA cells by promoting cell proliferation and glycolysis. After the knockdown of the KMT5A gene, the FBP1 related to glucose metabolism in BRCA was upregulated. KMT5A knockdown expression and FBP1 overexpression synergistically inhibit cell proliferation and block cells in the G2/M phase. KMT5A inhibits the expression of FBP1 by methylating TWIST1 and weakening its promotion of FBP1 transcription. In conclusion, KMT5A was shown to affect chemotherapy resistance by regulating the cell cycle and positively regulate glycolysis­mediated chemotherapy resistance by inhibiting the transcription of FBP1 in collaboration with TWIST1. KMT5A may be a potential therapeutic target for chemotherapy resistance in BRCA.

Potential Role of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 in Regulating Mitochondria and Oxidative Stress in Cardiomyocytes.

Oxidative stress causes mitochondrial damage and bioenergetic dysfunction and inhibits adenosine triphosphate production, contributing to the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) is primarily a membrane-bound extracellular peptidase that cleaves Xaa-Pro or Xaa-Ala dipeptides from the N terminus of polypeptides. DPP4 inhibitors have been used in patients with diabetes and heart failure; however, they have led to inconsistent results. Although the enzymatic properties of DPP4 have been well studied, the substrate-independent functions of DPP4 have not. In the present study, we knocked down DPP4 in cultured cardiomyocytes to exclude the effects of differential alteration in the substrates and metabolites of DPP4 then compared the response between the knocked-down and wild-type cardiomyocytes during exposure to oxidative stress. H2O2 exposure induced DPP4 expression in both types of cardiomyocytes. However, knocking down DPP4 substantially reduced the loss of cell viability by preserving mitochondrial bioenergy, reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species production, and reducing apoptosis-associated protein expression. These findings demonstrate that inhibiting DPP4 improves the body's defense against oxidative stress by enhancing Nrf2 and PGC-1α signaling and increasing superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. Our results indicate that DPP4 mediates the body's response to oxidative stress in individuals with heart disease.

Curcumin Nanocapsules based on carbon dots for photodynamic sterilization towards Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus.

Curcumin (Cur) as a natural food additive and photosensitizer has been widely applied on photodynamic sterilization and preservation for food, but the poor aqueous solubility and light stability restrict its extensive application. In this study, we report a Cur nanocapsules (Cur-CDs) made by carbon dots (CDs). Attributing to the hydrogen bonds formed between Cur and CDs, Cur-CDs exhibits excellent Cur aqueous solubility each to 9286.98 ng/mL (enhanced by 246.27 times) and light stability (enhanced by 1.51 times). The photogenerated electron transmission from Cur to CDs in addition resulted in >1.23 and 1.60 times generation of •O2- and •OH, compared to that of bare Cur. Accordingly, 5.73 × 103 CFU L. monocytogenes, and 5.43 × 103 CFU S. aureus were killed by 0.06 mg/mL Cur-CDs within 20 mins of blue light, showing the promising potential in the development and application of safe and environmentally friendly non-thermal sterilization technology based on Cur-CDs.

Potential association of rheumatic diseases with bone mineral density and fractures: a bi-directional mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have implicated rheumatoid arthritis as an independent risk factor for bone density loss. However, whether there is a causal relationship between rheumatic diseases and bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures is still controversial. We employed a bidirectional Mendelian analysis to explore the causal relationship between rheumatic diseases and BMD or fractures. METHODS: The rheumatic diseases instrumental variables (IVs) were obtained from a large Genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis dataset of European descent. Analyses were performed for the three rheumatic diseases: ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (n = 22,647 cases, 99,962 single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n = 58,284 cases, 13,108,512 SNPs), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 14,267 cases, 7,071,163 SNPs). Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were carried out by using R language TwoSampleMR version 0.5.7. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods were used to analyze the causal relationship between rheumatic diseases and BMD or fracture. RESULTS: The MR results revealed that there was absence of evidence for causal effect of AS on BMD or fracture. However, there is a positive causal relationship of RA with fracture of femur (95% CI = 1.0001 to 1.077, p = 0.046), and RA and fracture of forearm (95% CI = 1.015 to 1.064, p = 0.001). SLE had positive causal links for fracture of forearm (95% CI = 1.004 to 1.051, p = 0.020). Additionally, increasing in heel bone mineral density (Heel-BMD) and total bone mineral density (Total-BMD) can lead to a reduced risk of AS without heterogeneity or pleiotropic effects. The results were stable and reliable. There was absence of evidence for causal effect of fracture on RA (95% CI = 0.929 to 1.106, p = 0.759), and fracture on SLE (95% CI = 0.793 to 1.589, p = 0.516). CONCLUSIONS: RA and SLE are risk factors for fractures. On the other hand, BMD increasing can reduce risk of AS. Our results indicate that rheumatic diseases may lead to an increased risk of fractures, while increased BMD may lead to a reduced risk of rheumatic diseases. These findings provide insight into the risk of BMD and AS, identifying a potential predictor of AS risk as a reduction in BMD.

Targeted next-generation sequencing reveals the genetic mechanism of Chinese Marfan syndrome cohort with ocular manifestation.

BACKGROUND: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a hereditary connective tissue disorder involving multiple systems, including ophthalmologic abnormalities. Most cases are due to heterozygous mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene (FBN1). Other associated genes include LTBP2, MYH11, MYLK, and SLC2A10. There is significant clinical overlap between MFS and other Marfan-like disorders. PURPOSE: To expand the mutation spectrum of FBN1 gene and validate the pathogenicity of Marfan-related genes in patients with MFS and ocular manifestations. METHODS: We recruited 318 participants (195 cases, 123 controls), including 59 sporadic cases and 88 families. All patients had comprehensive ophthalmic examinations showing ocular features of MFS and met Ghent criteria. Additionally, 754 cases with other eye diseases were recruited. Panel-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) screened mutations in 792 genes related to inherited eye diseases. RESULTS: We detected 181 mutations with an 84.7% detection rate in sporadic cases and 87.5% in familial cases. The overall detection rate was 86.4%, with FBN1 accounting for 74.8%. In cases without FBN1 mutations, 23 mutations from seven Marfan-related genes were identified, including four pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations in LTBP2. The 181 mutations included 165 missenses, 10 splicings, three frameshifts, and three nonsenses. FBN1 accounted for 53.0% of mutations. The most prevalent pathogenic mutation was FBN1 c.4096G>A. Additionally, 94 novel mutations were detected, with 13 de novo mutations in 14 families. CONCLUSION: We expanded the mutation spectrum of the FBN1 gene and provided evidence for the pathogenicity of other Marfan-related genes. Variants in LTBP2 may contribute to the ocular manifestations in MFS, underscoring its role in phenotypic diversity.

Dynamic Nondestructive Detection Models of Apple Quality in Critical Harvest Period Based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Intelligent Algorithms.

Apples are usually bagged during the growing process, which can effectively improve the quality. Establishing an in situ nondestructive testing model for in-tree apples is very important for fruit companies in selecting raw apple materials for valuation. Low-maturity apples and high-maturity apples were acquired separately by a handheld tester for the internal quality assessment of apples developed by our group, and the effects of the two maturity levels on the soluble solids content (SSC) detection of apples were compared. Four feature selection algorithms, like ant colony optimization (ACO), were used to reduce the spectral complexity and improve the apple SSC detection accuracy. The comparison showed that the diffuse reflectance spectra of high-maturity apples better reflected the internal SSC information of the apples. The diffuse reflectance spectra of the high-maturity apples combined with the ACO algorithm achieved the best results for SSC prediction, with a prediction correlation coefficient (Rp) of 0.88, a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.5678 °Brix, and a residual prediction deviation (RPD) value of 2.466. Additionally, the fruit maturity was predicted using PLS-LDA based on color data, achieveing accuracies of 99.03% and 99.35% for low- and high-maturity fruits, respectively. These results suggest that in-tree apple in situ detection has great potential to enable improved robustness and accuracy in modeling apple quality.

Effect of Metaldehyde on Survival, Enzyme Activities, and Histopathology of the Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck 1822).

Pomacea canaliculata, as an invasive exotic species in Asia, can adversely affect crop yields, eco-environment, and human health. Application of molluscicides containing metaldehyde is one effective method for controlling P. canaliculata. In order to investigate the effects of metaldehyde on adult snails, we conducted acute toxicological experiments to investigate the changes in enzyme activities and histopathology after 24 h and 48 h of metaldehyde action. The results showed that the median lethal concentrations (LC) of metaldehyde on P. canaliculata were 3.792, 2.195, 1.833, and 1.706 mg/L at exposure times of 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, respectively. Treatment and time significantly affected acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) activity, with sex significantly affecting AChE, GST, and TAC activity and time significantly affecting carboxylesterase (CarE). In addition, the interaction of treatment and time significantly affected the activity of GST, CarE and TAC. In addition, histopathological changes occurred in the digestive glands, gills and gastropods of apple snail exposed to metaldehyde. Histological examination of the digestive glands included atrophy of the digestive cells, widening of the hemolymph gap, and an increase in basophils. In treated snails, the hemolymph gap in the gills was widely dilated, the columnar cells were disorganized or even necrotic, and the columnar muscle cells in the ventral foot were loosely arranged and the muscle fibers reduced. The findings of this study can provide some references for controlling the toxicity mechanism of invasive species.

A Cullin 5-based complex serves as an essential modulator of ORF9b stability in SARS-CoV-2 replication.

The ORF9b protein, derived from the nucleocapsid's open-reading frame in both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, serves as an accessory protein crucial for viral immune evasion by inhibiting the innate immune response. Despite its significance, the precise regulatory mechanisms underlying its function remain elusive. In the present study, we unveil that the ORF9b protein of SARS-CoV-2, including emerging mutant strains like Delta and Omicron, can undergo ubiquitination at the K67 site and subsequent degradation via the proteasome pathway, despite certain mutations present among these strains. Moreover, our investigation further uncovers the pivotal role of the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane 70 (TOM70) as a substrate receptor, bridging ORF9b with heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90α) and Cullin 5 (CUL5) to form a complex. Within this complex, CUL5 triggers the ubiquitination and degradation of ORF9b, acting as a host antiviral factor, while HSP90α functions to stabilize it. Notably, treatment with HSP90 inhibitors such as GA or 17-AAG accelerates the degradation of ORF9b, leading to a pronounced inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 replication. Single-cell sequencing data revealed an up-regulation of HSP90α in lung epithelial cells from COVID-19 patients, suggesting a potential mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2 may exploit HSP90α to evade the host immunity. Our study identifies the CUL5-TOM70-HSP90α complex as a critical regulator of ORF9b protein stability, shedding light on the intricate host-virus immune response dynamics and offering promising avenues for drug development against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical settings.

Edwardsiella tarda Attenuates Virulence upon Oxytetracycline Resistance.

The relationship between antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence has not yet been fully explored. Here, we use Edwardsiella tarda as the research model to investigate the proteomic change upon oxytetracycline resistance (LTB4-ROTC). Compared to oxytetracycline-sensitive E. tarda (LTB4-S), LTB4-ROTC has 234 differentially expressed proteins, of which the abundance of 84 proteins is downregulated and 15 proteins are enriched to the Type III secretion system, Type VI secretion system, and flagellum pathways. Functional analysis confirms virulent phenotypes, including autoaggregation, biofilm formation, hemolysis, swimming, and swarming, are impaired in LTB4-ROTC. Furthermore, the in vivo bacterial challenge in both tilapia and zebrafish infection models suggests that the virulence of LTB4-ROTC is attenuated. Analysis of immune gene expression shows that LTB4-ROTC induces a stronger immune response in the spleen but a weaker response in the head kidney than that induced by LTB4-S, suggesting it's a potential vaccine candidate. Zebrafish and tilapia were challenged with a sublethal dose of LTB4-ROTC as a live vaccine followed by LTB4-S challenge. The relative percentage of survival of zebrafish is 60% and that of tilapia is 75% after vaccination. Thus, our study suggests that bacteria that acquire antibiotic resistance may attenuate virulence, which can be explored as a potential live vaccine to tackle bacterial infection in aquaculture.

Dietary α-linolenic acid supplementation enhances resistance to Salmonella Typhimurium challenge in chickens by altering the intestinal mucosal barrier integrity and cecal microbes.

Salmonella is an important foodborne pathogen. Given the ban on the use of antibiotics during the egg-laying period in China, finding safe and effective alternatives to antibiotics to reduce Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infections in chickens is essential for the prevention and control of this pathogen and the protection of human health. Numerous studies have shown that unsaturated fatty acids have a positive effect on intestinal inflammation and resistance to infection by intestinal pathogens. Here we investigated the protective effect of α-linolenic acid (ALA) against S. Typhimurium infection in chickens and further explored its mechanism of action. We added different proportions of ALA to the feed and observed the effect of ALA on S. Typhimurium colonization using metagenomic sequencing technology and physiological index measurements. The role of gut flora on S. Typhimurium colonization was subsequently verified by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). We found that ALA protects chickens from S. Typhimurium infection by reducing intestinal inflammation through remodeling the gut microbiota, up-regulating the expression of ileocecal barrier-related genes, and maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelium. Our data suggest that supplementation of feed with ALA may be an effective strategy to alleviate S. Typhimurium infection in chickens.

Elucidating epigenetic mechanisms governing odontogenic differentiation in dental pulp stem cells: an in-depth exploration.

Epigenetics refers to the mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification that influence gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. These epigenetic modifications can regulate gene transcription, splicing, and stability, thereby impacting cell differentiation, development, and disease occurrence. The formation of dentin is intrinsically linked to the odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), which are recognized as the optimal cell source for dentin-pulp regeneration due to their varied odontogenic potential, strong proliferative and angiogenic characteristics, and ready accessibility Numerous studies have demonstrated the critical role of epigenetic regulation in DPSCs differentiation into specific cell types. This review thus provides a comprehensive review of the mechanisms by which epigenetic regulation controls the odontogenesis fate of DPSCs.

NOTCH3 as a prognostic biomarker and its correlation with immune infiltration in gastrointestinal cancers.

NOTCH receptor 3 (NOTCH3) is known to regulate the transcription of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, thereby playing a crucial role in tumor development, invasion, maintenance, and chemotherapy resistance. However, the specific mechanism of how NOTCH3 drives immune infiltration in gastrointestinal cancer remains uncertain. The expression of NOTCH3 was analyzed through Western blot, PCR, Oncomine database, and the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) site. Kaplan-Meier plotter, PrognoScan database, and gene expression profile interactive analysis (GEPIA) were used to assess the impact of NOTCH3 on clinical prognosis. The correlation between NOTCH3 expression and immune infiltration gene markers was investigated using TIMER and GEPIA. NOTCH3 was found to be commonly overexpressed in various types of gastrointestinal tumors and was significantly associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, the expression level of NOTCH3 showed a significant correlation with the tumor purity of gastrointestinal tumors and the extent of immune infiltration by different immune cells. Our findings suggest that NOTCH3 may act as a crucial regulator of tumor immune cell infiltration and can serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker in gastrointestinal cancers.

Mutual communication intervention for colorectal cancer patient-spousal caregiver dyads: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Gender could impact the psychosocial outcomes and coping strategies of cancer patients and their spousal caregivers (SCs). This study aims to develop a gender-concerned program for colorectal cancer (CRC) couple-based mutual communication intervention (MCI) and to assess its effectiveness on the intra-couple relationship and the individual functions of the partners. DESIGN: A randomized clinical trial with two study groups was utilized. METHODS: A total of 144 CRC patients and their SCs were randomly assigned to either MCI or usual care (UC) groups, and all of them were required to complete the measurements at baseline and post-intervention. The primary outcome was for mutual communication, and the secondary outcomes included dyadic coping, relationship satisfaction, anxiety, depression, benefit finding and quality of life. The data were analysed by multi-level modelling. RESULTS: The MCI program was feasible and acceptable for Chinese CRC couples and was effective for the improvement of the intra-couple relationship and the individual functions of each partner. CRC patients showed more improvement in mutual communication and dyadic coping than their SCs in the MCI group. Also, this intervention effectiveness was found to be independent of gender. CONCLUSIONS: The MCI program is beneficial for Chinese CRC couple's adaptation outcomes. This suggests that clinical medical staff should consider the gender tendency during the implementation of interventions. More researches are needed to extend the application of the MCI program to different participants (e.g. patients with the diagnosis of other types of cancer and their SCs).

Physicochemical characterization of a composite flour: Blending purple sweet potato and rice flours.

In this study, the physicochemical characterization of different ratios of purple sweet potato flour (PSPF) and rice flour was investigated to improve the nutritional value and enrich the variety of rice-based staple food. The results showed that adding PSPF increased total dietary fiber and anthocyanin content whereas decreased amylose content of the composite flours. Additionally, the composite flours exhibited lower thermodynamic parameters and displayed darker, redder, and bluer colors. There were no noticeable changes in the functional group structure of the composite flours. The addition of PSPF decreased the crystallinity and water-holding capacity of the composite flours, whereas increased the average particle size and iodine blue value. PSPF increased the pasting temperature of the flours whereas decreased the breakdown and setback values. Overall, the addition of PSPF significantly affects the nutrition, color and physicochemical properties of the composite flours.

Effect of supplementing lysins and methionine to low-protein diets on growth performance, hepatic antioxidant capacity, immune status, and glycolytic activity of tibetan sheep.

Reducing the levels of dietary protein is an effective nutritional approach in lowering feed cost and nitrogen emissions in ruminants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Lys/Met ratio in a low protein diet (10%, dry matter basis) on the growth performance and hepatic function (antioxidant capacity, immune status, and glycolytic activity) in Tibetan lambs. Ninety two-month-old rams with an average weight of 15.37 ± 0.92 kg were randomly assigned to LP-L (dietary Lys/Met = 1:1), LP-M (dietary Lys/Met = 2:1) and LP-H (dietary Lys/Met = 3:1) treatments. The trial was conducted over 100 d, including 10 d of adaption to the diets. Hepatic phenotypes, antioxidant capacity, immune status, glycolytic activity and gene expression profiling was detected after the conclusion of the feeding trials. The results showed that the body weight was higher in the LP-L group when compared to those on the LP-M group (P < 0.05). In addition, the activities of the catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the LP-L group were significantly increased compared with the LP-M group (P < 0.05), while the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in LP-H group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with LP-H group, both hepatic glycogen (P < 0.01) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < 0.05) were significantly elevated in LP-L group. For the LP-L group, the hepatocytes were arranged radially with the central vein in the center, and hepatic plates exhibited tight arrangement. Transcriptome analysis identified 29, 179, and 129 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the LP-M vs. LP-L, LP-H vs. LP-M, and LP-H vs. LP-L groups, respectively (Q-values < 0.05 and |log2Fold Change| > 1). Gene Ontology (GO) and correlation analyses showed that in the LP-L group, core genes (C1QA and JUNB) enriched in oxidoreductase activity were positively correlated with antioxidant indicators, while the MYO9A core gene enriched in the immune response was positively associated with immune indicators, and core genes enriched in molecular function (PDK3 and PDP2) were positively correlated with glycolysis indicators. In summary, low-protein diet with a low Lys/Met ratio (1:1) could reduce the hepatic oxidative stress and improve the glycolytic activity by regulating the expression of related genes of Tibetan sheep.

Trioctylphosphine oxide-based hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent as a novel extractant for the enrichment of primary aromatic amines from juice and environmental water.

In this study, a novel technique utilizing vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with magnetic deep eutectic solvents (MDESs) was established and coupled with HPLC-UV to analyze six primary aromatic amines (PAAs). A novel hydrophobic MDES prepared from trioctylphosphine oxide, octanol, and CoCl2 was used as the extractant, which could be dispersed uniformly during extraction, then floated onto the sample surface and re-aggregated into a single drop spontaneously after the extraction. The variables influencing the efficiency of the extraction process were investigated. When performing under the optimal extraction conditions, this method exhibited excellent linearity, low limits of detection (0.2-0.9 ng mL-1), and high precision (RSD ≤ 8.3 %). The enrichment factors ranged from 56 to 182. Satisfactory recoveries in the range of 91.6-109.2 % with RSDs < 7.1 % were obtained from three apple juices and three environmental water samples. The greenness and practicality of the developed method were assessed by AGREE, AGREEprep, and blue applicability grade index metric tools. Overall, the established procedure demonstrated its simplicity, speediness, environmental friendliness, and effectiveness in analyzing PAAs from aqueous matrices.

Investigation of microplastics in urban rivers of Eastern China in summer: abundance, characteristics and ecological risk assessment.

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly becoming recognized as worldwide environmental contaminants, exerting a substantial impact on the safety of city rivers. This study explored the abundance and characteristics of MPs in summer 2023, including June and August, representing plum rain and typhoon rain seasons. The Qinhuai River exhibits more spatial fluctuations in six sampling sites with average concentrations of 470 ± 119.56 items per L, and the abundance increases with the water flows in the river. Downstream had the highest MP abundance of 484 ± 121.34 items per L, which were positive with the concentration of suspended solids (SS). Transparent and green MPs were more even in the sampling sites, and the shapes of fragments were predominant in the summer. Interestingly, the proportion of fiber and small-sized (38-75 µm) microplastics was predominant in the plum rain seasons, while the percentage of large-sized (270-5000 µm) and polymers of PE occurred in the typhoon rain seasons. The index of hazard scores of plastic polymers (H) revealed that the studied river had a severe pollution level (IV), which was highly influenced by PVC and PC. Besides, the pollution load index PLI value of different rain seasons was slightly polluted (I), while the PLI in autumn rain seasons was relatively higher than that in other seasons due to the higher variance of MPs. Therefore, the ecological risk of microplastics of PVC and PC in the Qinhuai River during varying seasons should be seriously considered. Our research is expected to provide valuable assistance in improving the management of urban rivers.

Clinical implications of CSF-ctDNA positivity in newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

The clinical implications of CSF-ctDNA positivity in newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (ND-DLBCL) remains largely unexplored. One hundred ND-DLBCL patients were consecutively enrolled as training cohort and another 26 ND-DLBCL patients were prospectively enrolled in validation cohort. CSF-ctDNA positivity (CSF(+)) was identified in 25 patients (25.0%) in the training cohort and 7 patients (26.9%) in the validation cohort, extremely higher than CNS involvement rate detected by conventional methods. Patients with mutations of CARD11, JAK2, ID3, and PLCG2 were more predominant with CSF(+) while FAT4 mutations were negatively correlated with CSF(+). The downregulation of PI3K-AKT signaling, focal adhesion, actin cytoskeleton, and tight junction pathways were enriched in CSF(+) ND-DLBCL. Furthermore, pretreatment CSF(+) was significantly associated with poor outcomes. Three risk factors, including high CSF protein level, high plasma ctDNA burden, and involvement of high-risk sites were used to predict the risk of CSF(+) in ND-DLBCL. The sensitivity and specificity of pretreatment CSF-ctDNA to predict CNS relapse were 100% and 77.3%. Taken together, we firstly present the prevalence and the genomic and transcriptomic landscape for CSF-ctDNA(+) DLBCL and highlight the importance of CSF-ctDNA as a noninvasive biomarker in detecting and monitoring of CSF infiltration and predicting CNS relapse in DLBCL.

Antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of chemical constituents from twigs of Mosla chinensis Maxim.

Seven undescribed compounds, including three flavones (1-3), one phenylpropanoid (19), three monoaromatic hydrocarbons (27-29), were isolated from the twigs of Mosla chinensis Maxim together with twenty-eight known compounds. The structures were characterized by HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD spectroscopic techniques. Compound 20 displayed the most significant activity against A/WSN/33/2009 (H1N1) virus (IC50 = 20.47 µM) compared to the positive control oseltamivir (IC50 = 6.85 µM). Further research on the anti-influenza mechanism showed that compound 20 could bind to H1N1 virus surface antigen HA1 and inhibit the early attachment stage of the virus. Furthermore, compounds 9, 22, 23, and 25 displayed moderate inhibitory effects on the NO expression in LPS inducing Raw 264.7 cells with IC50 values of 22.78, 20.47, 27.66, and 30.14 µM, respectively.