Thyroid dysfunction in the wake of Omicron: understanding its role in COVID-19 severity and mortality.

Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 can invade the thyroid gland. This study was to delineate the risk of thyroid dysfunction amidst the prevalence of the Omicron variant, and to investigate the correlation between thyroid function and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. The study also aimed to ascertain whether thyroid dysfunction persisted during COVID-19 recovery phase. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. COVID-19 patients from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, China during the epidemic of Omicron variants were included, and their thyroid function were analyzed in groups. Results: A history of thyroid disease was not associated with COVID-19 outcomes. COVID-19 can lead to a bimodal distribution of thyroid dysfunction. The severity of COVID-19 was inversely proportional to the levels of thyroid- stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4), leading to a higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunction. Severe COVID-19 was a risk factor for euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS) (OR=22.5, 95% CI, 12.1 - 45.6). Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio mediated the association between severe COVID-19 and ESS (mediation effect ratio = 41.3%, p < 0.001). ESS and decreased indicators of thyroid function were associated with COVID-19 mortality, while high levels of FT3 and FT4 exhibited a protective effect against death. This effect was more significant in women (p < 0.05). During the recovery period, hyperthyroidism was quite uncommon, while a small percentage of individuals (7.7%) continued to exhibit hypothyroidism. Conclusion: COVID-19 severity was linked to thyroid dysfunction. Severe COVID-19 increased the risk of ESS, which was associated with COVID-19 mortality. Post-recovery, hyperthyroidism was rare, but some individuals continued to have hypothyroidism.

Loss of transient receptor potential channel 5 causes obesity and postpartum depression.

Hypothalamic neural circuits regulate instinctive behaviors such as food seeking, the fight/flight response, socialization, and maternal care. Here, we identified microdeletions on chromosome Xq23 disrupting the brain-expressed transient receptor potential (TRP) channel 5 (TRPC5). This family of channels detects sensory stimuli and converts them into electrical signals interpretable by the brain. Male TRPC5 deletion carriers exhibited food seeking, obesity, anxiety, and autism, which were recapitulated in knockin male mice harboring a human loss-of-function TRPC5 mutation. Women carrying TRPC5 deletions had severe postpartum depression. As mothers, female knockin mice exhibited anhedonia and depression-like behavior with impaired care of offspring. Deletion of Trpc5 from oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus caused obesity in both sexes and postpartum depressive behavior in females, while Trpc5 overexpression in oxytocin neurons in knock-in mice reversed these phenotypes. We demonstrate that TRPC5 plays a pivotal role in mediating innate human behaviors fundamental to survival, including food seeking and maternal care.

A pilot randomized controlled trial of major ozone autohemotherapy for patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.

This prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial assessed the therapeutic effects of major ozone autohemotherapy (O3-MAH) in patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). Seventy-three eligible participants were randomly assigned to an O3-MAH plus conventional therapy group (n = 35) or a conventional therapy alone group (n = 38). Symptom score, pulmonary function, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and hematological, biochemical, and immunological parameters were evaluated before and after the interventions. Both groups demonstrated improvements in various parameters post-intervention, but efficacy was greater in the O3-MAH group than the conventional treatment group; with intervention effectiveness defined as a ≥ 50 % reduction in symptom score, 25 of 35 patients (71 %) responded to O3-MAH, while 17/38 patients (45 %) responded to conventional treatment alone (P = 0.0325). Significant improvements in symptom scores (P = 0.0478), tidal volume (P = 0.0374), predicted 6MWD (P = 0.0032), and coagulation and inflammatory indicators were noted in the O3-MAH group compared with the conventional treatment group. O3-MAH was more likely to be effective in patients with elevated CRP levels. Furthermore, O3-MAH markedly improved cellular immunity, and this improvement became more pronounced with extended treatment duration. In summary, combining O3-MAH with conventional treatment was more effective than conventional therapy alone in improving symptoms, pulmonary function, inflammation, coagulation, and cellular immunity in patients with PASC. Further research is now warranted to validate these findings and individualize the regimen.

Mitigation of Parasitic and Drift Capacitance-Induced Nonlinear Current Responses for Stable and Sensitive Perovskite X-ray Detectors.

The development of perovskite direct X-ray detectors shows potential for advancing medical imaging and industrial inspection precision. To ensure the optimal energy conversion efficiency of X-rays for reducing radiation doses, it is necessary for perovskites with thicknesses reaching hundreds of micrometers or even several millimeters to be utilized. However, the nonlinear current response becomes uncertain with such high thicknesses. For instance, the prevailing theory regarding the rapid trapping and release of charges by shallow-level defects falls short in explaining the nonlinear current response observed in high-quality single-crystal samples. Moreover, a significant nonlinear current response can degrade the detection performance. Here, we elucidate peculiar parasitic and drift capacitance-induced nonlinear current responses in perovskites, which arise from bulk structural deficiencies and interface junction width variation in addition to shallow-level defects. Both theoretical analysis and experimental findings demonstrate the effective suppression of nonlinear current responses by establishing bulk heterojunctions and refining interface junctions. Consequently, we have successfully developed highly linear current-responsive detectors based on polycrystalline MAPbI3 thick films. Notably, these detectors achieve a record sensitivity of 2.3 × 104 µC·Gyair-1·cm-2 under 100 kVp X-ray irradiation with a low bias of 0.1 V/µm, enabling enduring and high-resolution X-ray imaging for high-density objects. Successful fabrication and testing of a 64 × 64-pixel flat-panel prototype detector affirm the widespread applicability of these strategies in rectifying nonlinear current responses in perovskite-based X-ray detectors.

A Triple Crosslinked Binder with Hierarchical Stress Dissipation and High Ionic Conductivity for Advanced Silicon Anodes in Lithium-ion Batteries.

Silicon (Si) is a promising anode material for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries, but the significant volume change of Si particles during alloying/dealloying with lithium (Li) undermines the mechanical integrity of Si anode, causing electrode fracture, delamination and rapid capacity decay. Herein, a robust triple crosslinked network (TCN) binder with high ionic conductivity and hierarchical stress dissipation is reported for Si anodes, which is prepared by in situ chemical crosslinking polyacrylic acid (PAA) and melamine (MA). The triple interactions of hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and covalent amide bonds enhance the adhesion of binder to Si and synergistically promote stress dissipation within Si anodes, thus strengthening the dynamic structural stability of Si anodes during cycling. Moreover, the rapid coupling/decoupling of Li+ with the TCN binder enables an impressive Li+ transference number of 0.63 and high ionic conductivity of 1.2 × 10-4 S cm-1. Consequently, the Si-TCN anode delivers specific capacity of 2268 mAh g-1 with a high mass loading of 2 mg cm-2, high-rate performance of 1673 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1, and stable cycling for 250 cycles at 1 A g-1, thus showing great prospects for high-energy-density Si-based batteries.

RiskFormer: Exploring the temporal associations between multi-type aberrant driving events and crash occurrence.

With the development of driving behavior monitoring technologies, commercial transportation enterprises have leveraged aberrant driving event detection results for evaluating crash risk and triggering proactive interventions. The state-of-the-art applications were established based upon instant associations between events and crash occurrence, which assumed crash risk surged with aberrant events. Consequently, the generated crash risk monitoring results merely contain discrete abrupt changes, failing to depict the time-varying trend of crash risk and posing challenges for interventions. Given the multiple types of aberrant events and their various temporal combinations, the key to depict crash risk time-varying trend is the analysis of multi-type events' temporal coupling influence. Existing studies employed event frequency to model combined influence, lacking the capability to differentiate the temporal sequential characteristics of events. Hence, there is an urgent need to further explore multi-type events' temporal coupling influence on crash risk. In this study, the temporal associations between multi-type aberrant driving events and crash occurrence are explored. Specifically, a contrastive learning method, fusing prior domain knowledge and empirical data, was proposed to analyze the single event temporal influence on crash risk. After that, a novel Crash Risk Evaluation Transformer (RiskFormer) was developed. In the RiskFormer, a unified encoding method for different events, as well as a self-attention mechanism, were established to learn multi-type events' temporal coupling influence. Empirical data from online ride-hailing services were employed, and the modeling results unveiled three distinct time-varying patterns of crash risk, including decay, increasing, and increasing-decay pattern. Additionally, RiskFormer exhibited remarkable crash risk evaluation performance, demonstrating a 12.8% improvement in the Area Under Curve (AUC) score compared to the conventional instant-association-based model. Furthermore, the practical utility of RiskFormer was illustrated through a crash risk monitoring sample case. Finally, applications of the proposed methods and their further investigations have been discussed.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of mismatch repair status in colorectal cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite instability (MSI) caused by DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is of great significance in the occurrence, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). AIM: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between mismatch repair status and clinical characteristics of CRC. METHODS: The histopathological results and clinical characteristics of 2029 patients who suffered from CRC and underwent surgery at two centers from 2018 to 2020 were determined. After screening the importance of clinical characteristics through machine learning algorithms, the patients were divided into deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) groups based on the immunohistochemistry results and the clinical feature data between the two groups were observed by statistical methods. RESULTS: The dMMR and pMMR groups had significant differences in histologic type, TNM stage, maximum tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, differentiation grade, gross appearance, and vascular invasion. There were significant differences between the MLH1 groups in age, histologic type, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor location, and depth of invasion. The MSH2 groups were significantly different in age. The MSH6 groups had significant differences in age, histologic type, and TNM stage. There were significant differences between the PMS2 groups in lymph node metastasis and tumor location. CRC was dominated by MLH1 and PMS2 combined expression loss (41.77%). There was a positive correlation between MLH1 and MSH2 and between MSH6 and PMS2 as well. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of mucinous adenocarcinoma, protruding type, and poor differentiation is relatively high in dMMR CRCs, but lymph node metastasis is rare. It is worth noting that the expression of MMR protein has different prognostic significance in different stages of CRC disease.

Hydrogen Sulfide Promotes Platelet Autophagy via PDGFR-α/PI3K/Akt Signaling in Cirrhotic Thrombocytopenia.

Background and Aims: The role of platelet autophagy in cirrhotic thrombocytopenia (CTP) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of platelet autophagy in CTP and elucidate the regulatory mechanism of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on platelet autophagy. Methods: Platelets from 56 cirrhotic patients and 56 healthy individuals were isolated for in vitro analyses. Autophagy markers (ATG7, BECN1, LC3, and SQSTM1) were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while autophagosomes were visualized through electron microscopy. Western blotting was used to assess the autophagy-related proteins and the PDGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway following treatment with NaHS (an H2S donor), hydroxocobalamin (an H2S scavenger), or AG 1295 (a selective PDGFR-α inhibitor). A carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhotic BALB/c mouse model was established. Cirrhotic mice with thrombocytopenia were randomly treated with normal saline, NaHS, or hydroxocobalamin for 15 days. Changes in platelet count and aggregation rate were observed every three days. Results: Cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia exhibited significantly decreased platelet autophagy markers and endogenous H2S levels, alongside increased platelet aggregation, compared to healthy controls. In vitro, NaHS treatment of platelets from severe CTP patients elevated LC3-II levels, reduced SQSTM1 levels, and decreased platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. H2S treatment inhibited PDGFR, PI3K, Akt, and mTOR phosphorylation. In vivo, NaHS significantly increased LC3-II and decreased SQSTM1 expressions in platelets of cirrhotic mice, reducing platelet aggregation without affecting the platelet count. Conclusions: Diminished platelet autophagy potentially contributes to thrombocytopenia in cirrhotic patients. H2S modulates platelet autophagy and functions possibly via the PDGFR-α/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Ganoderic Acid A Mitigates Inflammatory Bowel Disease through Modulation of AhR Activity by Microbial Tryptophan Metabolism.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a complex gastrointestinal condition influenced by genetic, microbial, and environmental factors, among which the gut microbiota plays a crucial role and has emerged as a potential therapeutic target. Ganoderic acid A (GAA), which is a lanostane triterpenoid compound derived from edible mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, has demonstrated the ability to modulate gut dysbiosis. Thus, we investigated the impact of GAA on IBD using a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. GAA effectively prevented colitis, preserved epithelial and mucus layer integrity, and modulated the gut microbiota. In addition, GAA promoted tryptophan metabolism, especially 3-IAld generation, activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and induced IL-22 production. Fecal microbiota transplantation validated the mediating role of the gut microbiota in the IBD protection conferred by GAA. Our study suggests that GAA holds potential as a nutritional intervention for ameliorating IBD by influencing the gut microbiota, thereby regulating tryptophan metabolism, enhancing AhR activity, and ultimately improving gut barrier function.

Constructing Stable Polyvinyl Alcohol/Gelatin/Cellulose Nanocrystals Composite Electrospun Membrane with Excellent Filtration Efficiency for PM2.5.

Considering the high demand for air quality, the development of biomass-based air filtration membranes with high air filtration efficiency and good stability is an urgent task. In this work, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin (GA), and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were mixed and prepared into a membrane through an electrospinning method for air filtration. After a hydrophobic modification, the modified PVA/GA/CNC composite membrane showed excellent filtration efficiency for PM2.5 (97.65%) through the internal three-dimensional structure barrier and the electrostatic capture effect of the CNC with a negative charge, as well as a low-pressure drop (only 50 Pa). In addition, the modified PVA/GA/CNC composite membrane had good mechanical properties (maximum tensile fracture rate of 78.3%) and high stability (air filtration efficiency of above 90% after five wash-filter cycles and a high-temperature treatment at 200 °C). It is worth noting that the whole preparation process is completed without organic solvents, putting forward a new strategy for the construction of green air filtration membranes.

THBru attenuates diabetic cardiomyopathy by inhibiting RAGE-dependent inflammation.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a complication of diabetes mellitus characterized by heart failure and cardiac remodeling. Previous studies show that tetrahydroberberrubine (THBru) retrogrades cardiac aging by promoting PHB2-mediated mitochondrial autophagy and prevents peritoneal adhesion by suppressing inflammation. In this study we investigated whether THBru exerted protective effect against DCM in db/db mice and potential mechanisms. Eight-week-old male db/db mice were administered THBru (25, 50 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 12 weeks. Cardiac function was assessed using echocardiography. We showed that THBru administration significantly improved both cardiac systolic and diastolic function, as well as attenuated cardiac remodeling in db/db mice. In primary neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes (NMCMs), THBru (20, 40 µM) dose-dependently ameliorated high glucose (HG)-induced cell damage, hypertrophy, inflammatory cytokines release, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Using Autodock, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and DARTS analyses, we revealed that THBru bound to the domain of the receptor for advanced glycosylation end products (RAGE), subsequently leading to inactivation of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. Importantly, overexpression of RAGE in NMCMs reversed HG-induced inactivation of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway and subsequently counteracted the beneficial effects mediated by THBru. We conclude that THBru acts as an inhibitor of RAGE, leading to inactivation of the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. This action effectively alleviates the inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes, ultimately leading to ameliorated DCM.

Exercise therapy in postoperative patients with temporomandibular joint internal derangement: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative patients with temporomandibular joint internal derangement (ID) often have problems such as limited mouth opening and pain. Exercise therapy can be advantageous for improving the recovery of patients following surgery. However, there is continuing discussion on the precise aspects of the exercise program, including the optimal timing, length, intensity, and use of assistive equipment. Hence, this study aimed to incorporate pre-existing exercise treatment regimens and investigate their impact. METHODS: Publications that detailed the clinical treatment of patients with temporomandibular joint ID who received postoperative exercise therapy interventions were included. Nine databases were searched until October 1st, 2023. The JBI critical appraisal tools were used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS: Five studies were finally included for subsequent analysis; two were randomised controlled studies, and three were quasi-experimental. Exercises suitable for such patients encompass vertical, transverse, and horizontal stretching, among which vertical stretch can be divided into active and passive movements. The start time ranged from the first to the fifth week after surgery, with a duration of 1-6 months. Although the data in the studies could not be integrated and further analysed, preliminary results showed that maximum mouth opening and pain in patients improved significantly. The therapeutic effect of combining three exercise methods was best and was related to patient compliance. CONCLUSION: Exercise therapy positively affects postoperative rehabilitation in patients with temporomandibular joint ID. It is proposed that targeted, comprehensive studies be conducted to provide a basis for designing more sophisticated exercise therapy regimens and further confirm its curative effect.

WNT16 as a promising biomarker for systemic lupus erythematosus and its role in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression and function of WNT16, a member of the WNT family protein, in the context of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: WNT16 expression was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 35 SLE patients and 25 healthy individuals using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, serum WNT16 protein levels were quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 162 SLE patients, 96 healthy controls (HC), and disease controls comprised 154 individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We investigated the associations between WNT16 protein levels and clinical manifestations, laboratory indices, and disease activity in SLE patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of serum WNT16 for SLE. Furthermore, we performed a knockdown assay on Jeko-1 cells and assessed cell proliferation and apoptosis using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry. RESULTS: WNT16 mRNA in SLE patients' PBMCs were significantly lower than those in HC. Furthermore, serum WNT16 in SLE patients were markedly reduced compared to HC, RA, and SS cohorts. ROC curve analysis indicated that plasma WNT16 levels could serve as a potential biomarker for SLE identification (AUC=0.809, SLE vs. HC; AUC=0.760, SLE vs. RA; AUC=0.710, SLE vs. SS). Notably, a weak positive correlation was observed between WNT16 protein and both alkaline phosphatase and lymphocyte percentages. Conversely, a weak negative correlation existed between WNT16 and low-density lipoprotein, neutrophil percentage, and the incidence of pleurisy and disease activity. Additionally, our study confirmed that WNT16 knockdown impairs cell proliferation and enhances apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Serum WNT16 levels effectively differentiate SLE patients from healthy controls and individuals with other autoimmune disorders. WNT16 serves as a potential biomarker with high sensitivity. The diminished expression of WNT16 in SLE may have a significant role in its pathogenesis through the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Role of lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), an aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis, poses a significant public health challenge. Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of lipid metabolism in HCC development, with enhanced lipid synthesis and uptake contributing to the rapid proliferation and tumorigenesis of cancer cells. Lipids, primarily synthesized and utilized in the liver, play a critical role in the pathological progression of various cancers, particularly HCC. Cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming, an essential adaptation to the tumor microenvironment (TME), with fatty acid metabolism emerging as a key player in this process. This review delves into intricate interplay between HCC and lipid metabolism, focusing on four key areas: de novo lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, dysregulated lipid metabolism of immune cells in the TME, and therapeutic strategies targeting fatty acid metabolism for HCC treatment.

A case report of AQP4-IgG-seropositive refractory neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patient with Sjögren's syndrome and pancytopenia treated with inebilizumab.

Patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) coexisting with both Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and pancytopenia are exceptionally rare. There is no study on the treatment of such patients. We presented a case of AQP4-IgG seropositive refractory NMOSD patient combined with SS and pancytopenia with significant response to inebilizumab. In 2017 the 49-year-old female patient was diagnosed with SS and pancytopenia without any treatment. In August 2022, she had a sudden onset of lower limbs weakness, manifested as inability to walk, accompanied by urinary incontinence. After receiving methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide, she regained the ability to walk. In February 2023, she suffered from weakness of both lower limbs again and paralyzed in bed, accompanied by retention of urine and stool, and loss of vision in both eyes. After receiving methylprednisolone and three plasmapheresis, the condition did not further worsen, but there was no remission. In March 2023, the patient was admitted to our hospital and was formally diagnosed with AQP4-IgG seropositive NMOSD combined with SS and pancytopenia. After receiving two 300 mg injections of inebilizumab, not only the symptoms of NMOSD improved significantly, but also the symptoms of concurrent SS and pancytopenia. In the cases of AQP4-IgG seropositive NMOSD who have recurrent episodes and are comorbid with other autoimmune disorders, inebilizumab may be a good choice.

Assessing a respiratory toxic infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strain: isolation, identification, pathogenicity, and immunological failure insights.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is caused by avian coronavirus and poses a global economic threat to the poultry industry. In 2023, a highly pathogenic IBV strain, IBV/CN/GD20230501, was isolated and identified from chickens vaccinated with IBV-M41 in Guangdong, China. This study comprehensively investigated the biological characteristics of the isolated IBV strain, including its genotype, whole genome sequence analysis of its S1 gene, pathogenicity, host immune response, and serum non-targeted metabolomics. Through the analysis of the S1 gene sequence, serum neutralization tests, and comparative genomics, it was proven that IBV/CN/GD20230501 belongs to the GI-I type of strain and is serotype II. One alanine residue in the S1 subunit of the isolated strain was mutated into serine, and some mutations were observed in the ORF1ab gene and the terminal region of the genome. Animal challenge experiments using the EID50 and TCID50 calculations showed that IBV/CN/GD20230501 possesses strong respiratory pathogenicity, with early and long-term shedding of viruses and rapid viral spread. Antibody detection indicated that chickens infected with IBV/CN/GD20230501 exhibited delayed expression of early innate immune genes, while those infected with M41 showed rapid gene induction and effective viral control. Metabolomics analysis demonstrated that this virus infection led to differential expression of 291 ions in chicken serum, mainly affecting the citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle).IMPORTANCEThis study identified an infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strain isolated from vaccinated chickens in an immunized population that had certain sequence differences compared to IBV-M41, resulting in significantly enhanced pathogenicity and host defense. This strain has the potential to replace M41 as a more suitable challenge model for drug research. The non-targeted metabolomics analysis highlighting the citric acid cycle provides a new avenue for studying this highly virulent strain.

The Impact of Cohort Management on Disease Perception, Fear of Disease Progression, Nutritional Status, and Quality of Life in Patients with Lymphoma.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of cohort management on illness perception, fear of disease progression, nutritional status, and quality of life among patients with lymphoma. Methods: A total of 128 cases of lymphoma patients admitted to Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, between April 2020 and November 2021 were included as research participants. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups: a 64-member control group and a 64-member observation group. The observation group received group management, while the control group received standard nursing care. Before and after the intervention, assessments were conducted to evaluate disease perception, fear of disease progression, nutritional status, and quality of life, with comparisons made between the two groups. Results: No clinically significant differences (P > .05) were observed between the two groups regarding gender, age, chemotherapy cycles, clinical stage, disease type, or other general characteristics. Disease awareness showed no significant disparity between groups pre-intervention (P > .05), but post-intervention, the observation group exhibited marked improvement (P < .05). Initially, fear of disease progression did not differ significantly between groups (P > .05), but post-intervention, the observation group demonstrated lower scores in total fear of disease progression, social, family, and physical health domains compared to the control group (P < .05). While nutritional status comparisons initially resulted in no significant differences (P > .05), levels of serum albumin, prealbumin, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, and ferritin were notably higher in the observation group post-intervention (P < .05). Quality of life assessments showed no significant disparity pre-intervention (P > .05); however, post-intervention, the observation group experienced significantly reduced dyspnea, insomnia, and appetite loss (P < .05). Conclusion: Participation in cohort management interventions benefits lymphoma patients by enhancing emotional coping and improving nutritional health and quality of life.

A Light-Responsive Neural Circuit Suppresses Feeding.

Light plays an essential role in a variety of physiological processes, including vision, mood, and glucose homeostasis. However, the intricate relationship between light and an animal's feeding behavior has remained elusive. Here, we found that light exposure suppresses food intake, whereas darkness amplifies it in male mice. Interestingly, this phenomenon extends its reach to diurnal male Nile grass rats and healthy humans. We further show that lateral habenula (LHb) neurons in mice respond to light exposure, which in turn activates 5-HT neurons in the dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN). Activation of the LHb→5-HTDRN circuit in mice blunts darkness-induced hyperphagia, while inhibition of the circuit prevents light-induced anorexia. Together, we discovered a light-responsive neural circuit that relays the environmental light signals to regulate feeding behavior in mice.

Shen-Qi-Ling-Bi Decoction Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Cell Growth by Inducing Ferroptosis Through Inactivation of PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy with poor prognosis. Shen-Qi-Ling-Bi Decoction (SQLB), a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, was found to exert antitumor effects in CRC. This study aimed to explore the biological functions of SQLB in CRC. Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8), wound healing, and transwell invasion assays in vitro were used to evaluate the antitumor effects of SQLB in CRC cells. In addition, ferroptosis in CRC cells was determined by evaluating Fe2+ content and lipid ROS, MDA, and GSH levels. SQLB treatment partially reduced CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; however, a ferroptosis inhibitor, ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), abolished these effects. In addition, SQLB treatment triggered CRC cell ferroptosis, as evidenced by increased Fe2+, lipid ROS, and MDA levels and decreased GSH levels; conversely, these levels were reversed by Fer-1. Furthermore, SQLB notably suppressed tumor growth in nude mice in vivo. Meanwhile, SQLB decreased phosphorylated PI3K and AKT levels, downregulated Nrf2, GPX4, and SLC7A11 levels, and upregulated ACSL4 levels in CRC cells and in tumor tissues; however, these effects were reversed by Fer-1. Collectively, SQLB inhibited CRC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by triggering ferroptosis through inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings demonstrate a novel mechanism of action for SQLB in the treatment of CRC.