Unraveling the multifaceted role of SIRT7 and its therapeutic potential in human diseases.

Sirtuins, as NAD+-dependent deacetylases, are widely found in eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, and they play key roles in regulating cellular functions. Among these, SIRT7 stands out as a member discovered relatively late and studied less extensively. It is localized within the nucleus and displays enzymatic activity as an NAD+-dependent deacetylase, targeting a diverse array of acyl groups. The role of SIRT7 in important cellular processes like gene transcription, cellular metabolism, cellular stress responses, and DNA damage repair has been documented in a number of studies conducted recently. These studies have also highlighted SIRT7's strong correlation with human diseases like aging, cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, a variety of inhibitors against SIRT7 have been reported, indicating that targeting SIRT7 may be a promising strategy for inhibiting tumor growth. The purpose of this review is to thoroughly look into the structure and function of SIRT7 and to explore its potential value in clinical applications, offering an essential reference for research in related domains.

[NUT cancer of nasal cavity and sinuses: a case report and literature review].

NUT Carcinoma（NC） is a rare malignant tumor of unknown origin, which is highly aggressive. It is characterized by chromosome rearrangement accompanied by NUTM1 gene. The pathological manifestations were sudden and focal squamous in poorly differentiated or undifferentiated carcinoma. NUTM1gene rearrangement can be used to diagnose NC. The prognosis of NUT cancer is poor. Clinically, there is no established treatment plan. treatment options mainly comprise surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A 74-year-old patient with NC of the nasal cavity and sinuses was reported. Her clinical presentation was right nasal congestion with facial swelling. Sinus CT and MRI showed soft tissue density in the right nasal cavity and maxillary sinus with bone destruction. After admission, the patient underwent nasal endoscopic biopsy, and the postoperative pathological FISH staining showed BRD4/NUT fusion t（15, 19）. The tumor was significantly reduced after two courses of sequential chemoradiotherapy. Two months later, the patient underwent a partial maxillary resection due to the rapid regrowth of sinusoidal mass, invading the hard palate. The patient died 2 months after surgery due to multiple organ failure resulted from tumor metastasis, with a survival time of 11 months. The clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of this case were reported and related literature was reviewed.

Mini Endoscopic Septoplasty for High Localized Nasal Septum Deviation: Surgical Technique, Outcomes, and Comparison With Regular Septoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: This prospective cohort study aimed to describe the technique of mini endoscopic septoplasty for patients with a high localized nasal septum deviation in front of the middle turbinate and chronic sinusitis or nasal sinus fungus ball. Our primary objective was to investigate the indications and outcomes of this procedure, and the secondary objective was to compare it with regular endoscopic septoplasty. METHODS: Patients with chronic sinusitis or nasal sinus fungus ball and high localized nasal septum deviation underwent mini endoscopic septoplasty, while those with a broad deviation of the nasal septum underwent regular endoscopic septoplasty. The study evaluated the procedure duration, blood loss, and complications associated with both methods. All patients were followed up for 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty patients underwent mini endoscopic septoplasty; another 30 underwent regular endoscopic septoplasty. Mini endoscopic septoplasty demonstrated a significantly shorter procedure duration and lower blood loss than regular endoscopic septoplasty. Neither group experienced operative complications, such as nasal septum perforation or hematoma. CONCLUSION: Mini endoscopic septoplasty is a safe, time-efficient, and effective technique indicated for highly localized nasal septum deviations in patients with chronic sinusitis or nasal sinus fungus ball. This procedure offers advantages in terms of the surgical approach and postoperative debridement. Future research could explore the broader clinical implications of these findings.

Down-conversion and frequency spectrum convolution of the broadband signal based on active mode-locking technology.

A multifunction processor for a broadband signal based on the active mode-locking optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The central frequency down-conversion and frequency spectrum convolution of the target broadband signal (TBS) are realized by just tuning the wavelength of the optical carrier or by the time domain product, respectively. To achieve the central frequency down-conversion of the TBS, an optical tunable delay line (OTDL) is adopted to match the delay time of the OEO loop with the repetition period of the TBS. Then the spectrum convolution of the TBS is produced by just injecting a lower frequency signal consistent with the free spectral range (FSR) of the OEO loop. Moreover, the frequency convolution repetition is also greatly increased by harmonic mode-locking injection. The equivalent bandwidth of the TBS is enlarged by ∼50 times, benefiting from the frequency convolution. The central frequency conversion flexibility and the bandwidth compatibility are also discussed in detail. This work provides a multifunction processor system and may have potential usage in multifunctional integrated radar systems.

Endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid nasopharyngectomy: Anatomical considerations and technical note.

BACKGROUND: The study was designed to identify new landmarks in the parapharyngeal segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA) for nasopharyngectomy and describe a surgical procedure of endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid nasopharyngectomy (EETPN). METHODS: Four cadaveric specimens were injected with colored silicone and subjected to CT scanning before dissection. The nasopharyngeal skull base was exposed using the endoscopic endonasal transpterygoid approach. The clinical data of four patients with nasopharyngeal malignances who underwent EETPN were reviewed. RESULTS: The lateral edge of the longus capitis muscle medially; the foramen lacerum, petrous apex spine and the stump of the levator veli palatini muscle superior laterally; and the upper parapharyngeal ICA laterally constitute the ICA-longus capitis muscle-petrous apex spine triangle which was a novel landmark for the upper parapharyngeal segment of the ICA. CONCLUSION: The ICA-longus capitis muscle-petrous apex spine triangle are important landmarks of the upper parapharyngeal segment of the ICA.

Polymethoxyflavones in citrus extract has a beneficial effect on hypercholesterolemia rats by promoting liver cholesterol metabolism.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hyperlipidemia is characterized by the disorder of lipid metabolism accompanied by oxidative stress damage, and low-grade inflammation, with the pathway of cholesterol and bile acid metabolic are an important triggering mechanism. Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) are the active constituents of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus, which have many biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activities, anti-obesity, suppressing adipogenesis in adipocytes, and ameliorate type 2 diabetes, with potential roles for regulation of lipid metabolism. However, its associated mechanisms on hyperlipidemia remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to identify the anti-hypercholesterolemia effects and mechanisms of PMFs in a hypercholesterolemia model triggered by high-fat compounds in an excessive alcohol diet (HFD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hypercholesterolemia rat model was induced by HFD, and PMFs was intragastric administered at 125 and 250 mg/kg daily for 16 weeks. The effects of PMFs on hypercholesterolemia were assessed using serum lipids, inflammatory cytokines, and oxidative stress levels. Hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and Oil Red O staining were performed to evaluate histopathological changes in the rat liver. The levels of total cholesterol (TC) and total bile acid (TBA) in the liver and feces were determined to evaluate lipid metabolism. RAW264.7 and BRL cells loaded with NBD-cholesterol were used to simulate the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) process in vitro. The signaling pathway of cholesterol and bile acid metabolic was evaluated by Western Blotting (WB) and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Lipid metabolism disorders, oxidative stress injury, and low-grade inflammation in model rats were ameliorated by PMFs administration. Numerous vacuoles and lipid droplets in hepatocytes were markedly reduced. In vitro experiments results revealed decreased NBD-cholesterol levels in RAW264.7 cells and increased NBD-cholesterol levels in BRL cells following PMFs intervention. PMFs upregulated the expression of proteins associated with the RCT pathway, such as LXRα, ABCA1, LDLR, and SR-BI, thereby promoting TC entry into the liver. Meanwhile, the expression of proteins associated with cholesterol metabolism and efflux pathways such as CYP7A1, CYP27A1, CYP7B1, ABCG5/8, ABCB1, and BSEP were regulated, thereby promoting cholesterol metabolism. Moreover, PMFs treatment regulated the expression of proteins related to the pathway of enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, such as ASBT, OSTα, NTCP, FXR, FGF15, and FGFR4, thereby maintaining lipid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: PMFs might ameliorate hypercholesterolemia by promoting the entry of cholesterol into the liver through the RCT pathway, followed by excretion via metabolism pathways of cholesterol and bile acid. These findings provide a promising therapeutic potential for PMFs to treat hypercholesterolemia.

Transcriptomic landscape based on annotated clinical features reveals PLPP2 involvement in lipid raft-mediated proliferation signature of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Image-based screening improves the detection of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD)but also highlights the issue of high false-positive diagnoses, which puts patients at a risk of unnecessary over-treatment. Therefore, more precise discrimination criteria are required to ensure that patients with early-stage LUAD receive appropriate treatments. METHODS: We integrated 158 early-stage LUAD cases from 2 independent cohorts, including 30 matched resected specimens with complete radiological and pathological information, and 128 retrospective pathological pair-samples with partial follow-up data. This integration allowed us to conduct a correlation analysis between clinical phenotype and transcriptome landscape. Immunohistochemistry was performed using tissue microarrays to examine the expression of phospholipid phosphatase 2 (PLPP2) and lipid-raft markers. Lipidomics analysis was used to determine the changes of lipid components in PLPP2-overexpressed cells. To assess the effects of PLPP2 on the malignant phenotypes of LUAD cells, we conducted mice tumor-bearing experiments and in vitro cellular experiments by knocking down PLPP2 and inhibiting lipid raft synthesis with MßCD, respectively. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the co-occurrence of lipid raft formation and rapid cell proliferation might exhibit synergistic effects in driving oncogenesis from lung preneoplasia to adenocarcinoma. The enhanced activation of the cell cycle promoted the transition from non-invasive to invasive status in early-stage LUAD, which was related to an increase in lipid rafts within LUAD cells. PLPP2 participated in lipid raft formation by altering the component contents of lipid rafts, such as esters, sphingomyelin, and sphingosine. Furthermore, elevated PLPP2 levels were identified as an independent prognostic risk factor for LUAD patients. Further results from in vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that PLPP2 could induce excessive cell proliferation by enhancing lipid raft formation in LUAD cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has revealed the characteristics of gene expression profiles in early-stage LUAD patients with the different radiological and pathological subtypes, as well as deciphered transcriptomic evolution trajectory from preneoplasia to invasive LUAD. Furthermore, it suggests that PLPP2-mediated lipid raft synthesis may be a significant biological event in the initiation of early-stage LUAD, offering a potential target for more precise diagnosis and therapy in clinical settings.

Application of a Novel Versatile Mini Posterior Nasoseptal Graft in Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Pituitary Adenoma Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Skull base reconstruction is a key technique in patients undergoing endoscopic transnasal skull base surgery. Although a pedicled nasoseptal flap (PNSF) is often used to repair large skull base defects with high-flow cerebrospinal fluid leakage, bone exposure of the donor site of the PNSF can result in long-term crusting. OBJECTIVE: To design a novel and versatile mini posterior nasoseptal graft for the reconstruction of defects in the sellar floor or PNSF or pedicled nasoseptal rescue flap (PNSRF) donor site in patients undergoing pituitary adenoma surgery. METHODS: Patients who underwent pituitary adenoma removal through an endoscopic endonasal approach and repair of a sellar defect or PNSF/PNSRF donor site using the mini posterior nasoseptal graft technique from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Pituitary adenomas were removed using a binostril 4-hand technique through a transnasal transsphenoidal transsellar approach or an expanded transsellar approach. RESULTS: Mini posterior nasoseptal grafts were successfully used in 70 patients who underwent pituitary adenoma removal through an endoscopic transsphenoidal sellar approach. Mini posterior nasoseptal grafts repaired sellar defects in 40 patients and donor site defects of the contralateral PNSF/PNSRF in 30 patients. None of these patients experienced cerebrospinal fluid leakage or major complications. CONCLUSIONS: A mini posterior nasoseptal graft is a safe and effective technique for repairing sellar defects after endoscopic transnasal pituitary adenoma surgery. This technique can also be used to repair defects in PNSF/PNSRF donor sites.