[Methodological and reporting quality of randomized controlled trials on the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with traditional Chinese medicine].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the methodological quality and reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCT) on the treatment of BPH with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), in order to provide some methodological reference for clinical practice and research. METHODS: We searched CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data and PubMed for RCTs on the treatment of BPH with TCM published in China from January 2013 to November 2023. Two researchers screened the literature separately, and evaluated the methodological and reporting quality of the RCTs based on the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool and CONSORT TCM compound. RESULTS: Totally, 88 RCTs were included in this study. In terms of methodological quality, according to the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool, 27 biases in the process of randomization were identified as of low-risk and the other 61 of a certain risk. Among the allocation-related biases deviating from the established interventions, 76 were of low risk, 10 of a certain risk and 2 of high risk; among the compliance-related biases deviating from the established interventions, 76 were of low risk and 12 of a certain risk; among the biases due to missing outcome data, 86 were of low risk and 2 of a certain risk, while all the biases due to outcome measurement were of low risk; and among the biases from selective reporting, 65 were of low-risk, 2 of a certain risk and 21 of high-risk. In terms of reporting quality, according to the evaluation criteria of consort TCM compound, appropriate key words were used in 1 RCT (0.01%), the random assignment sequence method described in 27 (30.68%), the details of assignment limitation given in 5 (5.68%), assignment concealment mentioned in 3 (3.41%), the blind method and assignment concealment employed in 3 (3.41%), fall-offs recorded in 10 (11.36%), adverse events reported in 38 (43.18%), and limitations of the trials analyzed in 18 (20.45%). All the RCTs lacked complete intervention measures, subject flow chart, clinical trial registration and research schemes. CONCLUSION: At present, the methodological quality and reporting quality of RCTs on the treatment of BPH with TCM are generally low, with the main problems of incomplete experimental designs, lack of detailed description of randomized and blind methods, and insufficient TCM symptom evaluation of outcome indicators. Researchers should be cautious in adopting and applying the results reported, follow the CONSORT statement in design, registration, implement and reporting of the scheme, fully consider the clinical characteristics of TCM in the treatment of BPH, and reasonably design and report the evaluation indicators.

Systematic analysis of the adverse effects of commonly used clinical tetracycline drugs based on the FAERS database.

BACKGROUND: Tetracyclines are a class of antibacterial drugs commonly used in clinical practice, but there is no systematic analysis of the adverse effects (AEs) of these drugs. We performed such pharmacovigilance analyses using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to explore tetracycline-related AEs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used the pharmacovigilance analysis tool Open Vigil 2.1 to access FAERS data and obtained AE reports from January 2004 to June 2023, including doxycycline, minocycline, tigecycline, omadacycline, sarecycline, and eravacycline as the top suspect drugs. The signal value of the AE of the analyzed drug was calculated by the reporting odds ratio (ROR). RESULTS: A total of 15,020 cases were identified by analyzing drugs. In terms of adverse signals, doxycycline caused gastrointestinal mucosal necrosis (ROR = 1699.652); minocycline was reported to cause bone hyperpigmentation (ROR = 30976.223); tigecycline is responsible for blood fibrinogen decreased (ROR = 1714.078). CONCLUSIONS: AE reports of tetracycline drugs varied significantly. We found some AEs not mentioned in the instruction, such as the ototoxicity of tetracyclines. Doxycycline was associated with psychiatric side effects; minocycline presented in thyroid and skin tissue-associated tumors; abnormal signals were detected with eravacycline in the blood system.

Expression of Iron Metabolism Genes Is Potentially Regulated by DOF Transcription Factors in Dendrocalamus latiflorus Leaves.

Transcription factors (TFs) are crucial pre-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that can modulate the expression of downstream genes by binding to their promoter regions. DOF (DNA binding with One Finger) proteins are a unique class of TFs with extensive roles in plant growth and development. Our previous research indicated that iron content varies among bamboo leaves of different colors. However, to our knowledge, genes related to iron metabolism pathways in bamboo species have not yet been studied. Therefore, in the current study, we identified iron metabolism related (IMR) genes in bamboo and determined the TFs that significantly influence them. Among these, DOFs were found to have widespread effects and potentially significant impacts on their expression. We identified specific DOF members in Dendrocalamus latiflorus with binding abilities through homology with Arabidopsis DOF proteins, and established connections between some of these members and IMR genes using RNA-seq data. Additionally, molecular docking confirmed the binding interactions between these DlDOFs and the DOF binding sites in the promoter regions of IMR genes. The co-expression relationship between the two gene sets was further validated using q-PCR experiments. This study paves the way for research into iron metabolism pathways in bamboo and lays the foundation for understanding the role of DOF TFs in D. latiflorus.

E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF128 attenuates colitis and colorectal tumorigenesis by triggering the degradation of IL-6 receptors.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal immune dysregulation is strongly linked to the occurrence and formation of tumors. RING finger protein 128 (RNF128) has been identified to play distinct immunoregulatory functions in innate and adaptive systems. However, the physiological roles of RNF128 in intestinal inflammatory conditions such as colitis and colorectal cancer (CRC) remain controversial. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the function and mechanism of RNF128 in colitis and CRC. METHODS: Animal models of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and azoxymethane (AOM)/DSS-induced CRC were established in WT and Rnf128-deficient mice and evaluated by histopathology. Co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination analyses were employed to investigate the role of RNF128 in IL-6-STAT3 signaling. RESULTS: RNF128 was significantly downregulated in clinical CRC tissues compared with paired peritumoral tissues. Rnf128-deficient mice were hypersusceptible to both colitis induced by DSS and CRC induced by AOM/DSS or APC mutation. Loss of RNF128 promoted the proliferation of CRC cells and STAT3 activation during the early transformative stage of carcinogenesis in vivo and in vitro when stimulated by IL-6. Mechanistically, RNF128 interacted with the IL-6 receptor α subunit (IL-6Rα) and membrane glycoprotein gp130 and mediated their lysosomal degradation in ligase activity-dependent manner. Through a series of point mutations in the IL-6 receptor, we identified that RNF128 promoted K48-linked polyubiquitination of IL-6Rα at K398/K401 and gp130 at K718/K816/K866. Additionally, blocking STAT3 activation effectively eradicated the inflammatory damage of Rnf128-deficient mice during the transformative stage of carcinogenesis. CONCLUSION: RNF128 attenuates colitis and colorectal tumorigenesis by inhibiting IL-6-STAT3 signaling, which sheds novel insights into the modulation of IL-6 receptors and the inflammation-to-cancer transition.

T3SS protein EsrC binds to the lacI-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon to suppress adhesion of Edwardsiella piscicida.

Type 1 fimbria, the short hair-like appendage assembled on the bacterial surface, plays a pivotal role in adhesion and invasion in Edwardsiella piscicida. The type III secretion system (T3SS), another bacterial surface appendage, facilitates E. piscicida's replication in vivo by delivering effectors into host cells. Our previous research demonstrated that E. piscicida T3SS protein EseJ inhibits adhesion and invasion of E. piscicida by suppressing type 1 fimbria. However, how EseJ suppresses type 1 fimbria remains elusive. In this study, a lacI-like operator (nt -245 to -1 of fimA) upstream of type 1 fimbrial operon in E. piscicida was identified, and EseJ inhibits type 1 fimbria through the lacI-like operator. Moreover, through DNA pull-down and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, an AraC-type T3SS regulator, EsrC, was screened and verified to bind to nt -145 to -126 and nt -50 to -1 of fimA, suppressing type 1 fimbria. EseJ is almost abolished upon the depletion of EsrC. EsrC and EseJ impede type 1 fimbria expression. Intriguingly, nutrition and microbiota-derived indole activate type 1 fimbria through downregulating T3SS, alleviating EsrC or EseJ's inhibitory effect on lacI-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon. By this study, it is revealed that upon entering the gastrointestinal tract, rich nutrients and indole downregulate T3SS and thereof upregulate type 1 fimbria, stimulating efficient adhesion and invasion; upon being internalized into epithelium, the limit in indole and nutrition switches on T3SS and thereof switches off type 1 fimbria, facilitating effector delivery to guarantee E. piscicida's survival/replication in vivo.IMPORTANCEIn this work, we identified the lacI-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon in E. piscicida, which was suppressed by the repressors-T3SS protein EseJ and EsrC. We unveiled that E. piscicida upregulates type 1 fimbria upon sensing rich nutrition and the microbiota-derived indole, thereof promoting the adhesion of E. piscicida. The increase of indole and nutrition promotes type 1 fimbria by downregulating T3SS. The decrease in EseJ and EsrC alleviates their suppression on type 1 fimbria, and vice versa.

Exploring the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Tryptanthrin by Regulating TLR4/MyD88/ROS/NF-κB, JAK/STAT3, and Keap1/Nrf2 Signaling Pathways.

Tryptanthrin (TRYP) is the main active ingredient in Indigo Naturalis. Studies have shown that TRYP had excellent anti-inflammatory activity, but its specific mechanism has been unclear. In this work, the differentially expressed proteins resulting from TRYP intervention in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells were obtained based on tandem mass tag proteomics technology. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of TRYP was further validated by a combination of experiments using the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell model in vitro and the DSS-induced UC mouse model (free drinking 2.5% DSS) in vivo. The results demonstrated that TRYP could inhibit levels of NO, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Twelve differential proteins were screened out. And the results indicated that TRYP could inhibit upregulated levels of gp91phox, p22phox, FcεRIγ, IKKα/ß, and p-IκBα and reduce ROS levels in vitro. Besides, after TRYP treatment, the health conditions of colitis mice were all improved. Furthermore, TRYP inhibited the activation of JAK/STAT3, nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65, and promoted the nuclear expression of Nrf2 in vitro and in vivo. This work preliminarily indicated that TRYP might suppress the TLR4/MyD88/ROS/NF-κB and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways to exert anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, TRYP could achieve antioxidant effects by regulating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Exploration of Antimicrobial Peptides in the Treatment of Gentamicin-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection.

Introduction: The emergence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and the decline of effective antibiotics lead to the urgent need for new antibacterial agents. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effect of antimicrobial peptides against gentamicin-resistant (RT) K. pneumoniae and to screen effective antimicrobial peptides. Methods: In this study, the RT strains were induced by gradient gentamicin, and the RT strains were selected by detecting the expression levels of efflux pump genes, porin genes, and biofilm formation genes of the strains combined with their effects on the cells. Then the effects of four antimicrobial peptides on the efflux pump activity, biofilm formation level and cell condition after infection were detected to explore the effects of antimicrobial peptides on RT strains. Finally, the RT strain was used to induce a mouse model of pneumonia, and the four antimicrobial peptides were used to treat pneumonia mice for in vivo experiments. The pathological changes in lung tissues in each group were detected to explore the antimicrobial peptide with the most significant effect on the RT strain in vivo. Results: The results showed that the minimal inhibitory concentrations of the RT strains (strain C and strain I) were significantly higher than those of the wild-type strain, and the expression of efflux pump, porin and biofilm formation genes was significantly increased. The antimicrobial peptides could effectively inhibit the biofilm formation and efflux pump protein function of the RT strains. In addition, the antimicrobial peptides showed promising antibacterial effects both in vitro and in vivo. Discussion: Our study provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of gentamicin resistant K. pneumoniae infection with antimicrobial peptides, and found that KLA was significantly superior to LL37, Magainin I, KLA and Dermaseptin (10 µg/mL in cells, 50 µg in mice).

Study on vertical variation characteristics of soil phosphorus adsorption and desorption in black soil region of Northeast China.

The adsorption and desorption of phosphorus (P) in soil constitute a crucial internal cycle that is closely associated with soil fertility, exerting direct influence on the quantity, form, and availability of P within the soil. The vertical spatial variation characteristics of soil adsorption and desorption were investigated for the 0-100 cm soil layer in the northeast black soil region in this study. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) and maximum adsorption buffer capacity (MBC) of black soil in the study area ranged from 313.8 to 411.9 mg kg-1 and from 3.1 to 28.8 L kg-1, respectively, within the soil layer of 0-100 cm depth, exhibiting an increasing trend with greater soil depth. The degree of P adsorption saturation (DPS) exhibited a contrasting trend with the variations in Qmax and MBC, ranging from 3.8% to 21.6%. The maximum desorption capacity (Dmax) and desorption rate (Dr) of soil P ranged from 112.8 to 215.7 mg kg-1 and 32.1% to 52.5%, respectively, while the readily desorbable P (RDP) in soil was within the range of 1.02 to 3.35 mg kg-1. Both Dmax, Dr, and RDP exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing soil depth before showing an upward trend. These research findings not only provide essential background data for the systematic investigation of soil P in the black soil region but also serve as a valuable reference for assessing soil quality in this area.

Sulfated Laminarin Polysaccharides Reduce the Adhesion of Nano-COM Crystals to Renal Epithelial Cells by Inhibiting Oxidative and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Purpose: Adhesion between calcium oxalate crystals and renal tubular epithelial cells is a vital cause of renal stone formation; however, the drugs that inhibit crystal adhesion and the mechanism of inhibition have yet to be explored. Methods: The cell injury model was constructed using nano-COM crystals, and changes in oxidative stress levels, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress levels, downstream p38 MAPK protein expression, apoptosis, adhesion protein osteopontin expression, and cell-crystal adhesion were examined in the presence of Laminarin polysaccharide (DLP) and sulfated DLP (SDLP) under protected and unprotected conditions. Results: Both DLP and SDLP inhibited nano-COM damage to human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2), increased cell viability, decreased ROS levels, reduced the opening of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore, markedly reduced ER Ca2+ ion concentration and adhesion molecule OPN expression, down-regulated the expression of ER stress signature proteins including CHOP, Caspase 12, and p38 MAPK, and decreased the apoptosis rate of cells. SDLP has a better protective effect on cells than DLP. Conclusions: SDLP protects HK-2 cells from nano-COM crystal-induced apoptosis by reducing oxidative and ER stress levels and their downstream factors, thereby reducing crystal-cell adhesion interactions and the risks of kidney stone formation.

Phosphine-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Regioselective Addition of Cyclopropenones with Amides.

A series of amides, including α-bromo hydroxamates, N-alkoxyamides, and N-aryloxyamides, were subjected to phosphine-catalyzed ring-opening O-selective addition with cyclopropenones, producing various special α,ß-unsaturated esters containing oxime ether motif, in moderate to excellent yields, with high regioselectivity, and exclusive O-selectivity. The methodology is highly atom-economical, with simple operation procedures, and compatible with a wide substrate scope (more than 44 examples).

Association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of hospital visits for acute upper respiratory tract infections among adults: a time-series study in Ningbo, China.

OBJECTIVES: Acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs) are prevalent in the general population. However, studies on the association of short-term exposure to air pollution with the risk of hospital visits for AURTIs in adults are limited. This study aimed to explore the short-term exposure to air pollutants among Chinese adults living in Ningbo. METHODS: Quasi-Poisson time serious regressions with distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) were applied to explore the association between ambient air pollution and AURTIs cases. Patients ≥ 18 years who visit three hospitals, being representative for urban, urban-rural junction and rural were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: In total, 104,441 cases with AURTIs were enrolled in hospital during 2015-2019. The main results showed that particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen dioxide (SO2), were positively associated to hospital visits for AURTIs, except for nitrogen dioxide (O3), which was not statistically significant. The largest single-lag effect for PM2.5 at lag 8 days (RR = 1.02, 95%CI: 1.08-1.40), for NO2 at lag 13 days (RR = 1.03, 95%CI: 1.00-1.06) and for SO2 at lag 5 days (RR = 1.27, 95%CI: 1.08-1.48), respectively. In the stratified analysis, females, and young adults (18-60 years) were more vulnerable to PM2.5 and SO2 and the effect was greater in rural areas and urban-rural junction. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ambient air pollution was significantly associated with hospital visits for AURTIs. This study provides epidemiological evidence for policymakers to control better air quality and establish an enhanced system of air pollution alerts.

Effect of the combined intervention of low-FODMAPs diet and probiotics on IBS symptoms in Western China: A randomized controlled trial.

The effect of low-FODMAPs diet on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western China has not been reported. We aimed to investigate the effect of low-FODMAPs diet on IBS patients in the area and whether low-FODMAPs diet-induced alterations of microbiota could be improved through probiotics. IBS patients were randomized to the control group, low-FODMAPs diet group, probiotics group, or combined group. IBS Symptom Severity Score questionnaire (IBS-SSS) and IBS Quality of Life Score questionnaire (IBS-QOL) were completed at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks to evaluate the severity of symptoms. Fresh feces were collected for analyses of gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids at baseline and 4 weeks after intervention. Seventy-three patients were included in the per protocol analysis. After intervention, there was significant improvement in IBS-SSS in the low-FODMAPs group (37.5%, 44.2%), probiotics group (51.4%, 62.0%), and combined group (34.1%, 40.4%) at both 2 weeks and 4 weeks, compared with the baseline (p < .05). In the low-FODMAPs group, the abundance of several microbiota (Lachnoclostridium, Enterococcus, etc.) was significantly decreased. Furthermore, after the supplementation of probiotics in the combined group, the abundance of Genus_Ruminococcus, Coprococcus, Acidaminococcus, Ruminiclostridium, Akkermansia, Eggerthella, and Oxalobacter was significantly increased, which was associated with the improvements of symptoms score in the Pearson correlation analysis. Our study confirmed the effectiveness and safety of short-term low-FODMAPs diet in IBS symptoms based on the Chinese diet in Western China. The combination of low-FODMAPs and probiotics plays a beneficial role in gut microbiota in IBS.

Soybean protein isolate-sodium alginate double network emulsion gels: Mechanism of formation and improved freeze-thaw stability.

Soybean protein isolate (SPI) is widely used in the food industry. However, SPI-based emulsion gels tend to aggregate and undergo oiling-off during freeze-thawing. In this study, emulsion gels were prepared by a combination of heat treatment and ionic cross-linking using SPI and sodium alginate (SA) as raw materials. The focus was on exploring the mechanistic effects of the SPI-SA double network structure on the freeze-thaw stability of emulsion gels. The results showed that the addition of SA could form different types of network structures with SPI, due to different degrees of phase separation. In addition, SA appearing on the SPI network indicated that the addition of Ca2+ shielded the electrostatic repulsion between SPI and SA to form SPI-SA complexes. The disappearance of the characteristic peaks of SA and SPI in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis also confirmed this view. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance data revealed that SA played a role in restricting water migration within the emulsion gels, increasing bound water content, and thereby improving the water-holding capacity of the emulsion gels. Therefore, the incorporation of SA improved the freeze-thaw stability of SPI emulsion gels. These findings offer a theoretical basis and technical support for SPI application in frozen products.

Epigenetic regulation of immune cells in systemic lupus erythematosus: insight from chromatin accessibility.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-dimensional autoimmune disease involving numerous tissues throughout the body. The chromatin accessibility landscapes in immune cells play a pivotal role in governing their activation, function, and differentiation. Aberrant modulation of chromatin accessibility in immune cells is intimately associated with the onset and progression of SLE. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we described the chromatin accessibility landscapes in immune cells, summarized the recent evidence of chromatin accessibility related to the pathogenesis of SLE, and discussed the potential of chromatin accessibility as a valuable option to identify novel therapeutic targets for this disease. EXPERT OPINION: Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility are intimately related to the pathogenesis of SLE and have emerged as a new direction for exploring its epigenetic mechanisms. The differently accessible chromatin regions in immune cells often contain binding sites for transcription factors (TFs) and cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers and promoters, which may be potential therapeutic targets for SLE. Larger scale cohort studies and integrating epigenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data can provide deeper insights into SLE chromatin biology in the future.

Recently, there has been a growing body of studies that explore the influence of epigenetic factors including DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, and non-coding RNA regulation on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Unusual regulation of these common epigenetic modifications would change the chromatin accessibility landscapes in SLE immune cells. Many studies have mapped the chromatin accessibility of various immune cells in SLE patients to uncover potential regulators like transcription factors (TFs) and cis-regulatory elements. Higher chromatin accessibility of immune cells in SLE patients compared to healthy individuals provides new avenues for diagnosing this disease. TFs identified in differentially accessible chromatin regions and their regulated genes might serve as novel targets for therapies, where the phenotypes affected by these genes, like inflammatory cytokine release and immune activation, are reliable bases for evaluating the prognosis of such targeted therapies.In this review, we described the chromatin accessibility landscape in immune cells, summarized the recent evidence of chromatin accessibility related to the process by which SLE develops, and discussed the potential of chromatin accessibility as a valuable option to identify novel therapeutic targets for this disease. Larger scale studies and combining epigenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data can provide deeper insights into SLE chromatin biology in the future.

Phosphine-catalyzed dearomative [3+2] cycloaddition of 4-nitroisoxazoles with allenoates or Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates.

An efficient phosphine-catalyzed dearomative [3+2] annulation of 4-nitroisoxazoles with allenoates or Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates has been established for the convenient synthesis of bicyclic isoxazoline derivatives. This reaction approach showed a broad substrate scope, high functional group compatibility, and excellent regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. Furthermore, the success at the gram-scale and synthetic applications of the obtained compound 3a demonstrate the great potential of this methodology for practical applications in organic synthesis.

Single-center retrospective study of the diagnostic value of double-balloon enteroscopy in Meckel's diverticulum with bleeding.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to analyze the characteristic clinical manifestations of patients with intestinal disease Meckel's diverticulum (MD) complicated by digestive tract hemorrhage. Moreover, we aimed to evaluate the value of double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) in MD diagnosis and the prognosis after laparoscopic diverticula resection. AIM: To evaluate the value of DBE in the diagnosis and the prognosis after laparoscopic diverticula resection for MD with bleeding. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed relevant data from 84 MD patients treated between January 2015 and March 2022 and recorded their clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, and follow-up after laparoscopic resection of diverticula. RESULTS: (1) Among 84 MD patients complicated with hemorrhage, 77 were male, and 7 were female with an average age of 31.31 ± 10.75 years. The incidence was higher in men than in women of different ages; (2) Among the 84 MD patients, 65 (78.40%) had defecated dark red stools, and 50 (58.80%) had no accompanying symptoms during bleeding, indicating that most MD bleeding appeared a dark red stool without accompanying symptoms; (3) The shock index of 71 patients (85.20%) was < 1, suggesting that the blood loss of most MD patients was less than 20%-30%, and only a few patients had a blood loss of > 30%; (4) The DBE-positive rate was 100% (54/54), 99mTc-pertechnetate-positive scanning rate was 78% (35/45) compared with capsule endoscopy (36%) and small intestine computed tomography (19%). These results suggest that DBE and 99mTc-pertechnetate scans had significant advantages in diagnosing MD and bleeding, especially DBE was a highly precise examination method in MD diagnosis; (5) A total of 54 MD patients with hemorrhage underwent DBE examination before surgery. DBE endoscopy revealed many mucosal manifestations including normal appearance, inflammatory changes, ulcerative changes, diverticulum inversion, and nodular hyperplasia, with ulcerative changes being the most common (53.70%). This suggests that diverticular mucosal ulcer was the main cause of MD and bleeding; and (6) Laparoscopic dissection of diverticulae was performed in 76 patients, The patients who underwent postoperative follow-up did not experience any further bleeding. Additionally, follow-up examination of the 8 cases who had declined surgery revealed that 3 of them experienced a recurrence of digestive tract bleeding. These findings indicate that laparoscopic diverticula resection in MD patients complicated by bleeding had a favorable prognosis. CONCLUSION: Bleeding associated with MD was predominantly observed in male adolescents, particularly at a young age. DBE was a highly precise examination method in MD diagnosis. Laparoscopic diverticula resection effectively prevented MD bleeding and had a good prognosis.

Klebsiella pneumoniae alters zebrafish circadian rhythm via inflammatory pathways and is dependent on light cues.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen causing severe infections. The circadian rhythm is the internal rhythm mechanism of an organism and plays an important role in coping with changes in the 24-h circadian rhythm. Disruption of the circadian rhythm can lead to immune, behavioral, mental, and other related disorders. Whether K. pneumoniae can disrupt the circadian rhythm after infection remains unclear. Here, we examined the effects of K. pneumoniae NTUH-K2044 infection on biological rhythm and inflammation in zebrafish using behavioral assays, quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, neutrophil and macrophage transgenic fish, and drug treatment. The results showed that K. pneumoniae infection decreased the motor activity of zebrafish and reduced the circadian rhythm amplitude, phase, and period. The expression of core circadian rhythm-associated genes increased under light-dark conditions, whereas they were downregulated under continuous darkness. Analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae-mediated inflammation using Tg(mpx:EGFP) and Tg(mpeg:EGFP) transgenic zebrafish, expressing fluorescent neutrophils and macrophages, respectively, showed increased induction of inflammatory cells, upregulated expression of inflammatory factor genes, and stronger inflammatory responses under light-dark conditions. These effects were reversed by the anti-inflammatory drug G6PDi-1, and the expression of clock genes following K. pneumoniae treatment was disrupted. We determined the relationship among K. pneumoniae, inflammation, and the circadian rhythm, providing a theoretical reference for studying circadian rhythm disorders caused by inflammation.

Ion Dynamics at the Intermediate Charging State of the Sodium Vanadium Fluorophosphate Cathode.

Na super ionic conductor (NASICON)-type polyanionic vanadium fluorophosphate Na3V2O2(PO4)2F (NVOPF) is a promising cathode material for high-energy sodium-ion batteries. The dynamic diffusion and exchange of sodium ions in the lattice of NVOPF are crucial for its electrochemical performance. However, standard characterizations are mostly focused on the as-synthesized material without cycling, which is different from the actual battery operation conditions. In this work, we investigated the hopping processes of sodium in NVOPF at the intermediate charging state with 23Na solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our experimental characterizations revealed six distinct sodium coordination sites in the intermediate structure and determined the exchange rates among these sites at variable temperatures. The theoretical calculations showed that these dynamic processes correspond to different ion transport pathways in the crystalline lattice. Our combined experimental and theoretical study uncovered the underlying mechanisms of the ion transport in cycled NVOPF and these understandings may help the optimization of cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF128 negatively regulates the IL-3/STAT5 signaling pathway by facilitating K27-linked polyubiquitination of IL-3Rα.

IL-3/STAT5 signaling pathway is crucial for the development and activation of immune cells, contributing to the cellular response to infections and inflammatory stimuli. Dysregulation of the IL-3/STAT5 signaling have been associated with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and organ damage. IL-3 receptor α (IL-3Rα) specifically binds to IL-3 and initiates intracellular signaling, resulting in the phosphorylation of STAT5. However, the regulatory mechanisms of IL-3Rα remain unclear. Here, we identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF128 as a negative regulator of IL-3/STAT5 signaling by targeting IL-3Rα for lysosomal degradation. RNF128 was shown to selectively bind to IL-3Rα, without interacting with the common beta chain IL-3Rß, which shares the subunit with GM-CSF. The deficiency of Rnf128 had no effect on GM-CSF-induced phosphorylation of Stat5, but it resulted in heightened Il-3-triggered activation of Stat5 and increased transcription of the Id1, Pim1, and Cd69 genes. Furthermore, we found that RNF128 promoted the K27-linked polyubiquitination of IL-3Rα in a ligase activity-dependent manner, ultimately facilitating its degradation through the lysosomal pathway. RNF128 inhibited the activation and chemotaxis of macrophages in response to LPS stimulation, thereby attenuating excessive inflammatory responses. Collectively, these results reveal that RNF128 negatively regulates the IL-3/STAT5 signaling pathway by facilitating K27-linked polyubiquitination of IL-3Rα. This study uncovers E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF128 as a novel regulator of the IL-3/STAT5 signaling pathway, providing potential molecular targets for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

An Expert-Knowledge-Based Graph Convolutional Network for Skeleton- Based Physical Rehabilitation Exercises Assessment.

Physical therapists play a crucial role in guiding patients through effective and safe rehabilitation processes according to medical guidelines. However, due to the therapist-patient imbalance, it is neither economical nor feasible for therapists to provide guidance to every patient during recovery sessions. Automated assessment of physical rehabilitation can help with this problem, but accurately quantifying patients' training movements and providing meaningful feedback poses a challenge. In this paper, an Expert-knowledge-based Graph Convolutional approach is proposed to automate the assessment of the quality of physical rehabilitation exercises. This approach utilizes experts' knowledge to improve the spatial feature extraction ability of the Graph Convolutional module and a Gated pooling module for feature aggregation. Additionally, a Transformer module is employed to capture long-range temporal dependencies in the movements. The attention scores and weight matrix obtained through this approach can serve as interpretability tools to help therapists understand the assessment model and assist patients in improving their exercises. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified on the KIMORE dataset, achieving state-of-the-art performance compared to existing models. Experimental results also illustrate the interpretability of the method in both spatial and temporal dimensions.