Cell-excreted proteins mediate the interactions of differently sized silica nanoparticles during cellular uptake.

Exposure to different types of nanoparticles (NPs) results in their deposition in human bodies. While most studies have examined the cellular uptake of only one type of NP at a time, how the dynamics of NP uptake may change in the presence of other types of NPs remains unclear. We therefore investigated the interplay of two differently sized SiO2 NPs during their uptake by A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Both NPs contained a CdSeTe core, which was labeled with different Cd isotopes to differentiate between them. Our study showed that the uptake of one size of SiO2 NPs either increased or decreased with the concentration of the other size of SiO2 NPs. This variation in uptake was attributable to the concentration-dependent aggregation of SiO2 NPs, as determined by the amount of cell-excreted proteins adsorbed on the NP surface. Further, the effects of the protein corona on the attachment of SiO2 NPs to the cell surface and uptake competition between differently sized SiO2 NPs also played important roles. Cell-excreted proteins were then analyzed by proteomics. Overall, the complex interactions between coexisting NPs of different physicochemical properties and cell-excreted proteins should be considered during bio-applications and bio-safety evaluations of NPs.

The novel HLA-B*48:01:13 allele, identified by Sanger dideoxy nucleotide sequencing in a Chinese individual.

HLA-B*48:01:13 differs from HLA-B*48:01:01:01 by one nucleotide in exon 5.

The novel HLA-A*11:448 allele, identified by Sanger dideoxy nucleotide sequencing in a Chinese individual.

HLA-A*11:448 differs from HLA-A*11:01:01:01 by one nucleotide in exon 5.

Spinal cord stimulation and deep brain stimulation for disorders of consciousness: a systematic review and individual patient data analysis of 608 cases.

The application of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for disorders of consciousness (DoC) has been increasingly reported. However, there is no sufficient evidence to determine how effective and safe SCS and DBS are for DoC owing to various methodological limitations. We conducted a systematic review to elucidate the safety and efficacy of SCS and DBS for DoC by systematically reviewing related literature by searching PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, and Cochrane Library. Twenty eligible studies with 608 patients were included in this study. Ten studies with 508 patients reported the efficacy of SCS for DoC, and the estimated overall effectiveness rate was 37%. Five studies with 343 patients reported the efficacy of SCS for VS, and the estimated effectiveness rate was 30%. Three studies with 53 patients reported the efficacy of SCS for MCS, and the estimated effectiveness rate was 63%. Five studies with 92 patients reported the efficacy of DBS for DoC, and the estimated overall effectiveness rate was 40%. Four studies with 63 patients reported the efficacy of DBS for VS, and the estimated effectiveness rate was 26%. Three studies with 19 patients reported the efficacy of DBS for MCS, and the estimated effectiveness rate was 74%. The adverse event rate of DoC was 8.1% and 18.2% after SCS and DBS, respectively. These results suggest that SCS and DBS can be considered reasonable treatments for DoC with considerable efficacy and safety.

Stereotactic neurosurgery as a symptomatic treatment for autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review.

Stereotactic neurosurgery has been employed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, its safety and effectiveness remain unclear owing to limited sample size and other methodological limitations. We aimed to systematically investigate the safety and efficacy of stereotactic neurosurgery for ASD. Eleven studies with 36 patients were included. Stereotactic neurosurgery alleviated the obsessive-compulsive disorder and aggressive behavior symptoms in ASD, with a mean improvement of 42.74% and 59.59% in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and Overt Aggression Scale scores, respectively. Systematic studies are necessary to explore the role of deep brain stimulation for social and communication difficulties in ASD.

Construction of a high-density bin-map and identification of fruit quality-related quantitative trait loci and functional genes in pear.

Pear (Pyrus spp.) is one of the most common fruit crops grown in temperate regions worldwide. Genetic enhancement of fruit quality is a fundamental goal of pear breeding programs. The genetic control of pear fruit quality traits is highly quantitative, and development of high-density genetic maps can facilitate fine-mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and gene identification. Bin-mapping is a powerful method of constructing high-resolution genetic maps from large-scale genotyping datasets. We performed whole-genome sequencing of pear cultivars 'Niitaka' and 'Hongxiangsu' and their 176 F 1 progeny to identify genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for constructing a high-density bin-map of pear. This analysis yielded a total of 1.93 million SNPs and a genetic bin-map of 3190 markers spanning 1358.5 cM, with an average adjacent interval of 0.43 cM. This bin-map, along with other high-density genetic maps in pear, improved the reference genome assembly from 75.5 to 83.7% by re-anchoring the scaffolds. A quantitative genetic analysis identified 148 QTLs for 18 fruit-related traits; among them, QTLs for stone cell content, several key monosaccharides, and fruit pulp acids were identified for the first time in pear. A gene expression analysis of six pear cultivars identified 399 candidates in the identified QTL regions, which showed expression specific to fruit developmental stages in pear. Finally, we confirmed the function of PbrtMT1, a tonoplast monosaccharide transporter-related gene responsible for the enhancement of fructose accumulation in pear fruit on linkage group 16, in a transient transformation experiment. This study provides genomic and genetic resources as well as potential candidate genes for fruit quality improvement in pear.

Xiyanping injection combined with acitretin for psoriasis vulgaris: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Psoriasis represents the chronic, recurrent and inflammatory disorder. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Xiyanping injection (XYP) is extensively applied in China for treating diverse inflammatory disorders, such as bronchitis, viral pneumonia or upper respiratory tract infection. XYP may offer a potential treatment for psoriasis vulgaris (PV). This study focused on analyzing whether XYP combined with acitretin was effective and safe. Methods: The present meta-analysis was carried out in line with guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022333273). Besides, relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared XYP plus acitretin with acitretin alone for treating PV were searched from several databases from their inception till May 2022. In addition, this work utilized RevMan5.4 to conduct risk assessment as well as meta-analysis. Results: This meta-analysis selected altogether 10 RCTs including 815 subjects. Upon quality assessment, the RCTs mainly had low or unclear risk. According to our meta-analysis results, relative to acitretin monotherapy, XYP plus acitretin increased the total clinical effective rate, as evidenced by Psoriasis area and severity index score (PASI)-20, PASI-30 and PASI-60 in patients with PV [risk ratio (RR) = 1.23 Z = 4.87, p < 0.00001, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-1.34; RR = 1.29, Z = 3.89, p = 0.009, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.55; and RR = 1.31, Z = 3.89, p = 0.0001, 95% CI: 1.14-1.49]; the reduced levels of TNF-α, MCP-1 and RANTES, the alleviated side effects resulting from acitretin like itchiness (RR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.4 to 0.74, Z = 3.94, p < 0.0001), and the increased levels of aminotransferases and dyslipidemia (RR = 0.5, 95%CI = 0.29, 0.86, p = 0.01; and RR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.75, p = 0.004). Conclusion: As suggested in the present meta-analysis, XYP combined with acitretin effectively and safely treats PV. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022333273, identifier PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022333273.

DNA Methylation: A Target in Neuropathic Pain.

Neuropathic pain (NP), caused by an injury or a disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system of the central and peripheral nervous systems, has become a global health concern. Recent studies have demonstrated that epigenetic mechanisms are among those that underlie NP; thus, elucidating the molecular mechanism of DNA methylation is crucial to discovering new therapeutic methods for NP. In this review, we first briefly discuss DNA methylation, demethylation, and the associated key enzymes, such as methylases and demethylases. We then discuss the relationship between NP and DNA methylation, focusing on DNA methyltransferases including methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) family proteins and ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes. Based on experimental results of neuralgia in animal models, the mechanism of DNA methylation-related neuralgia is summarized, and useful targets for early drug intervention in NP are discussed.

Deep brain stimulation for chorea-acanthocytosis: a systematic review.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a reversible treatment for chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc). Its safety and efficacy remain elusive due to the low prevalence of ChAc. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of DBS for ChAc by systematically reviewing literature through PubMed and EMBASE. Inclusion criteria were reports on the efficacy or safety of DBS for ChAc and English language articles, and exclusion criteria were other movement disorders, non-human subjects, and studies without original data. Most studies were published as case reports, and we therefore pooled these cases in one cohort. Twenty studies with 34 patients were included. The mean age of symptom onset was 29.3 years (range, 17-48). The median follow-up was 12 months (range, 2-84). Twenty-nine patients underwent GPi-DBS, two received STN-DBS, and one underwent Vop-DBS. Electrodes were implanted into the ventralis oralis complex of the thalamus and the pallidal in two patients. Symptoms seemed to be easier relieved in chorea (88.5%) and dystonia (76.9%) but dysarthria of most patients (85.7%) was no response after DBS. The Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale-Motor Score was used to assess the efficacy of DBS in 25 patients; the mean score decreased from 43.2 to 22.3 and the median improvement rate was 46.7%. Of 24 patients with data on adverse events, complications occurred in 9 patients (37.5%; mostly transient and mild events). DBS is a promising treatment for ChAc with satisfactory efficacy and safety based on the review. Pallidal and thalamic DBS have been applied in ChAc; GPi-DBS seems to be more widely used.

Genetic analysis of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in ferroptosis from psoriasis.

Introduction: Ferroptosis is associated with multiple pathophysiological processes. Inhibition of ferroptosis has received much concern for some diseases. Nonetheless, there is no study comprehensively illustrating functions of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) in psoriasis. Methods: In this study, FRGs together with psoriasis-associated data were obtained in Ferroptosis Database (FerrDb) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) database separately. This work identified altogether 199 psoriasis-associated DE-FRGs, and they were tightly associated with immunity and autophagy modulation. Thereafter, the present study utilized SVM-RFE and LASSO algorithms to identify NR5A2, CISD1, GCLC, PRKAA2, TRIB2, ABCC5, ACSF2, TIMM9, DCAF7, PEBP1, and MDM2 from those 199 DE-FRGs to be marker genes. As revealed by later functional annotation, the marker genes possibly had important effects on psoriasis through being involved in diverse psoriasis pathogenesis-related pathways such as cell cycle, toll-like receptor (TLR), chemokine, and nod-like receptor (NLR) pathways. Moreover, altogether 37 drugs that targeted 11 marker genes were acquired. Besides, based on CIBERSORT analysis, alterations of immune microenvironment in psoriasis cases were possibly associated with PRKAA2, PEBP1, CISD1, and ACSF2. Discussion: Taken together, this work established the diagnostic potency and shed more lights on psoriasis-related mechanism. More investigations are warranted to validate its value in diagnosing psoriasis before it is applied in clinic.

Construction of Two Stable Co(II)-Based Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks as a Luminescent Probe for Recognition of Fe3+ and Cr2O72- in H2O.

A pair of cobalt(II)-based hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), [Co(pca)2(bmimb)]n (1) and [Co2(pca)4(bimb)2] (2), where Hpca = p-chlorobenzoic acid, bmimb = 1,3-bis((2-methylimidazol-1-yl)methyl)benzene, and bimb = 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene were hydrothermally synthesized and characterized through infrared spectroscopy (IR), elemental and thermal analysis (EA), power X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analyses. X-ray diffraction structural analysis revealed that 1 has a one-dimensional (1D) infinite chain network through the deprotonated pca- monodentate chelation and with a µ2-bmimb bridge Co(II) atom, and 2 is a binuclear Co(II) complex construction with a pair of symmetry-related pca- and bimb ligands. For both 1 and 2, each cobalt atom has four coordinated twisted tetrahedral configurations with a N2O2 donor set. Then, 1 and 2 are further extended into three-dimensional (3D) or two-dimensional (2D) hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks through C-H···Cl interactions. Topologically, HOFs 1 and 2 can be simplified as a 4-connected qtz topology with a Schläfli symbol {64·82} and a 4-connected sql topology with a Schläfli symbol {44·62}, respectively. The fluorescent sensing application of 1 was investigated; 1 exhibits high sensitivity recognition for Fe3+ (Ksv: 10970 M-1 and detection limit: 19 µM) and Cr2O72- (Ksv: 12960 M-1 and detection limit: 20 µM). This work provides a feasible detection platform of HOFs for highly sensitive discrimination of Fe3+ and Cr2O72- in aqueous media.

Assisted Partner Notification and Uptake of HIV Testing among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China.

BACKGROUND: Assisted partner notification (PN) is an effective approach for increasing HIV testing among heterosexual partners. There is sparse evidence on its effect among sexual partners of men who have sex with men (MSM). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the effect of assisted PN and passive PN interventions on uptake of HIV testing among male and female sexual partners of newly HIV-diagnosed MSM. In the passive PN group, participants were encouraged to disclose their HIV status and refer and persuade sexual partners to access HIV testing services (HTS). In the assisted PN group, participants were further provided with HIV self-testing kits for sexual partners to take a test at home or allow a community health worker from MSM-serving community-based organization (CBO) to anonymously refer and persuade their sexual partners to access HTS. The primary outcome was the proportion of index cases who had any sexual partner accessing HTS within four months after randomization. This trial is registered with chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800017813. FINDINGS: Between August 2017 and January 2019, 187 MSM newly diagnosed with HIV in a large city Shenyang in northern China were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to either passive PN (n=90) or assisted PN (n=97) study groups. The proportion of index cases who disclosed their HIV status to any sexual partners within three months of randomization was similar between passive PN (57%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 46-67%) and assisted PN groups (58%, 95% CI: 48-68%). During four months of follow-up, the number of sexual partners named, referred to HTS, tested and testing positive per index case was 3•2, 0•7, 0•2 and 0•03 in the passive PN group, and 4•0, 1•0, 0•5 and 0•10 in the assisted PN group. Thirty-five percent of index cases in the assisted PN group had any sexual partners accessing HIV testing compared to 17% in the passive PN group (P = 0•004); 49% sexual partners who were disclosed by index cases in the assisted PN group had access HTS compared to 28% in the passive PN group (P = 0•007). INTERPRETATION: The assisted PN strategy incorporating HIV self-testing and CBO outreach can increase uptake of HIV testing among sexual partners of MSM who were recently diagnosed with HIV. FUNDING: National Science and Technology Major Project of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Project for Overseas Visiting Research of Liaoning Province.

Triple network hypothesis-related disrupted connections in schizophrenia: A spectral dynamic causal modeling analysis with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The symptom-related neurobiology characteristic of schizophrenia in the brain from a network perspective is still poorly understood, leading to a lack of potential biologically-based markers and difficulty identifying therapeutic targets. We aim to test the dysregulated cross-network interactions among the Salience Network (SN), Central Executive Network (CEN) and Default Mode Network (DMN) and how they contributed to different symptoms in schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We examined network interactions among the SN, CEN and DMN in 76 patients with schizophrenia vs. 80 well-matched controls using dynamic causal modeling (DCM). We further analyzed the relation between network dynamics and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: We observed that the DMN, CEN and SN across healthy controls and schizophrenia patients showed several similarities within or between-network pattern in the resting state. Comparing schizophrenia to controls, SN-centered cross-network interactions were most significantly reduced. Crucially, the strength of connections from CEN subnetwork 1 to DMN subnetwork 1 was positively correlated with the Positive Score of PANSS. The connection from the DMN subnetwork 2 to CEN subnetwork 2 was negatively correlated with the Negative Score of PANSS. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides strong evidence for the dysregulation among SN, CEN and DMN in a triple-network perspective in schizophrenia. The connection between DMN and CEN could be clinically-relevant neurobiological signature of schizophrenia symptoms. Our study indicated that the description of brain triple network hypothesis could be a novel and possible bio-marker for schizophrenia.

Two 6/10-connected Cu12S6 cluster-based organic frameworks: crystal structure and proton conduction.

Nowadays, although the exploration of proton conductive materials has ranged from traditional sulfonated polymers to novel crystalline solid materials such as MOFs, COFs, and HOFs, research on crystalline cluster-based organic framework materials is very limited. Here, a pair of homologues Cu(i)-based organic framework containing a Cu12S6 cluster, [Cu12(MES)6(H2O)3]n (1) and {[Cu12(MPS)6(H2O)4]·6H2O}n (2) (H2MES = 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate acid and H2MPS = 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate acid), were hydrothermally synthesized under the same conditions and fully investigated for their proton conduction. Their structures were characterized by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analyses, and PXRD measurements. The two MOFs show significant structural differences in the topological fashions. MOF 1 has a three-dimensional network and can be simplified into two topology types: a 10-connected gpu structure with a Schläfli symbol (312·426·57) and a 3,12-connected new topology with a point symbol {3·42}2{310·418·519·614·74·9}. MOF 2 also has a three-dimensional framework and topology as a 6-connected pcu primitive cubic network with a Schläfli symbol {412·63}. The two MOFs show different proton conduction parameters, but both indicate temperature-dependent proton conductive features. Intriguingly, the two MOFs exhibit high water stability and their proton conductivities are 3.63 × 10-5 and 2.75 × 10-5 S cm-1 under 333 K and 98% RH, respectively. The suggested mechanism for the synthesis for 1 and 2, and their proton conductivity performance comparison has been discussed in detail. In addition, Hirshfeld surface and fingerprint analysis on the two MOFs were computed to compare contacts between the molecules, which is essential for analyzing the relationships between their hydrogen bonds and proton conductivity properties.

Effects of supplementing sow diets during late gestation with Pennisetum purpureum on antioxidant indices, immune parameters and faecal microbiota.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding Pennisetum purpureum (P. purpureum, also known as Napier grass or elephant grass) to the diets of late gestation on the antioxidant indexes, immune indexes and faecal microbiota of sows. At the 90 days of gestation, 300 healthy sows were randomly divided into three groups, and they received the basic commercial diet or added 5% P. purpureum and 10% P. purpureum, respectively. The experiment started from 90 days of gestation to parturition. The results showed that the total antioxidant capacity, immunoglobulins and serum equol concentrations of sows on 100 days of gestation and at parturition increased linearly (p < .05) with the increase of the content of P. purpureum in the gestation diet. The 5% P. purpureum increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (p = .027) and Actinobacteria (p < .001) at phylum level, Coriobacteriaceae (p < .001) at family level and Prevotellaceae_UCG_001 (p = .004) at genus level, and decreased the relative abundance of Escherichia_Shigella (p < .001) at genus level. In summary, this study shows that the additive of P. purpureum can increase the concentration of serum equol, improve the antioxidant capacity and immune function of sow in late gestation. In addition, the additive of 5% P. purpureum in the diet might change the composition of intestinal microbiota of sows, particularly the relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae (p < .001) increased.

Highly selective sensing of Fe3+/Hg2+ and proton conduction using two fluorescent Zn(ii) coordination polymers.

A pair of homologues, [Zn(Hssa)(1,4-bib)·H2O]n (1) and [Zn3(ssa)2(1,4-bib)3·4H2O]n (2), were successfully assembled using the same metals and ligands [H3ssa = 5-sulfosalicylic acid; 1,4-bib = 1,4-bis(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene] under solvothermal conditions. Polymer 1 is a two-dimensional (2D) sql network and polymer 2 is a three-dimensional (3D) framework. Polymer 2 can be simplified into two topology types: bct and tfc. The two polymers show significant differences in the fluorescence sensing of metal ions and proton conductivity. Their applications in detecting metal ions and proton conductivity were explored. Polymer 1 shows high sensitivity and selectivity for Fe3+, while polymer 2 can detect Hg2+ ions. The limit of detection was 1.66 µM with Fe3+ for 1 and 0.23 µM with Hg2+ for 2 in water. In addition, both 1 and 2 exhibit high water stability and proton conductivity. At 60 °C and 95% relative humidity, their conductivities were 3.45 × 10-5 and 6.26 × 10-6 S cm-1, respectively. A detailed analysis of the Hirshfeld surface and fingerprints was carried out for 1 and 2 to compare the interactions between the molecules, which is essential for analysing the relationship between their structures and material properties.

Self-absorption reduction in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using laser-stimulated absorption: publisher's note.

This publisher's note contains corrections to Opt. Lett.40, 5224 (2015).OPLEDP0146-959210.1364/OL.40.005224.

Incapacity to control emotion in major depression may arise from disrupted white matter integrity and OFC-amygdala inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Disturbances in emotion regulation are the hallmarks of major depressive disorder (MDD). The incapacity to control negative emotion in patients has been associated with abnormal hyperactivation of the limbic system and hypoactivation of the frontal cortex. The amygdala and orbital frontal cortex (OFC) are two critical regions of the emotion regulation neural systems. METHODS: This study investigated the anatomical basis of abnormal emotion regulation by tracking the fiber tracts connecting the amygdala and OFC. In addition, using dynamic casual modeling on resting-state fMRI data of 20 MDD patients and equivalent controls, we investigated the exact neural mechanism through which abnormal communications between these two nodes were mediated in MDD. KEY RESULTS: The results revealed disrupted white matter integrity of fiber tracts in MDD, suggesting that functional abnormalities were accompanied by underlying anatomical basis. We also detected a failure of inhibition of the OFC on the activity of the amygdala in MDD, suggesting dysconnectivity was mediated through "top-down" influences from the frontal cortex to the amygdala. Following 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment, the patients showed significant clinical improvement and normalization of the abnormal OFC-amygdala structural and effective connectivity in the left hemisphere. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Our findings suggest that pathways connecting these two nodes may be core targets of the antidepressant treatment. In particular, it raised the intriguing question: Does the reversal of structural markers of connectivity reflect a response to antidepressant medication or activity-dependent myelination following a therapeutic restoration of effective connectivity?