Overexpression of low-density lipoprotein receptor prevents neurotoxic polarization of astrocytes via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation in experimental ischemic stroke.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202502000-00027/figure1/v/2024-05-28T214302Z/r/image-tiff Neurotoxic astrocytes are a promising therapeutic target for the attenuation of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Low-density lipoprotein receptor, a classic cholesterol regulatory receptor, has been found to inhibit NLR family pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in neurons following ischemic stroke and to suppress the activation of microglia and astrocytes in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. However, little is known about the effects of low-density lipoprotein receptor on astrocytic activation in ischemic stroke. To address this issue in the present study, we examined the mechanisms by which low-density lipoprotein receptor regulates astrocytic polarization in ischemic stroke models. First, we examined low-density lipoprotein receptor expression in astrocytes via immunofluorescence staining and western blotting analysis. We observed significant downregulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor following middle cerebral artery occlusion reperfusion and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation. Second, we induced the astrocyte-specific overexpression of low-density lipoprotein receptor using astrocyte-specific adeno-associated virus. Low-density lipoprotein receptor overexpression in astrocytes improved neurological outcomes in middle cerebral artery occlusion mice and reversed neurotoxic astrocytes to create a neuroprotective phenotype. Finally, we found that the overexpression of low-density lipoprotein receptor inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation in oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injured astrocytes and that the addition of nigericin, an NLRP3 agonist, restored the neurotoxic astrocyte phenotype. These findings suggest that low-density lipoprotein receptor could inhibit the NLRP3-meidiated neurotoxic polarization of astrocytes and that increasing low-density lipoprotein receptor in astrocytes might represent a novel strategy for treating cerebral ischemic stroke.

[Effects of Dexmedetomidine on the Recovery Quality of Donors Undergoing Pure Laparoscopic Donor Hepatectomy]. / å³ç¾Žæ‰˜å’ªå®šå¯¹è ¹è ”é•œä¾›è‚èŽ·å–æœ¯ä¾›è€ è‹é†’æœŸæ¢å¤è´¨é‡çš„å½±å“.

Objective: To investigate the effects of intraoperative intravenous administration of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on the recovery quality of donors undergoing pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy. Methods: A total of 56 liver donors who were going to undergo scheduled pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups, a DEX group ( n=28) and a control group ( n=28). Donors in the DEX group received DEX infusion at a dose of 1 µg/kg over 15 minutes through a continuous pump, which was followed by DEX at 0.4 µg/(kg·h) until the disconnection of the portal branch. Donors in the control group were given an equal volume of 0.9% normal saline at the same infusion rate and over the same period of time as those of the dex infusion in the DEX group. The primary outcome was the incidence of emergence agitation (EA). The Aono's Four-point Scale (AFPS) score was used to assess EA. The secondary observation indicators included intraoperative anesthesia and surgery conditions, spontaneous respiration recovery time, recovery time, extubation time, scores for the Ramsay Sedation Scale, the incidence of chills, numeric rating scale (NRS) score for pain, and blood pressure and heart rate after extubation. Results: The incidence of EA was 10.7% and 39.3% in the DEX group and the control group, respectively, and the incidence of EA was significantly lower in the DEX group than that in the control group ( P=0.014). The APFS scores after extubation in the DEX group were lower than those in the control group (1 [1, 1] vs. 2 [1, 3], P=0.005). Compared to the control group, the dosages of intraoperative propofol and remifentanil were significantly reduced in the DEX group ( P<0.05). During the recovery period, the number of donors requiring additional boluses of analgesia, the blood pressure, and the heart rate were all lower in the DEX group than those in the control group ( P<0.05). No significant differences between the two groups were observed in the spontaneous respiration recovery time, recovery time, extubation time, the incidence of chills, NRS score, scores for the Ramsay Sedation Scale, and the length-of-stay in postanesthesia care unit (PACU) ( P>0.05). Conclusion: DEX can reduce the incidence of EA after pure laparoscopic donor hepatectomy and improve the quality of recovery without prolonging postoperative recovery time or extubation time.

Social risk to infant: The role of kin for maternal visual monitoring in Tibetan macaques.

Maternal monitoring of conspecifics is a crucial anti-predator strategy that also protects infants against risks within the social group. This study examines how maternal characteristics, infant characteristics, mother-infant distance, and the social environment affect maternal monitoring behaviors in free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). We observed 12 females with infants and analyzed their visual monitoring patterns. Our findings indicate that maternal rank significantly influences the time allocated to maternal visual monitoring, higher-ranking mothers spending less time than lower-ranking mothers. Maternal experience also played a role in monitoring strategies. Differences in monitoring strategies were observed based on maternal experience: first-time mothers (primiparity) engaged in longer but less frequent monitoring sessions compared to experienced mothers (multiparity). The time and frequency of maternal monitoring decreased as infants aged, and mothers with male infants showed higher levels of monitoring than those with female infants. The distance between mother and infant also affected visual monitoring behavior, with mothers increasing their monitoring levels when infants were nearby (1-5 m), rather than within reach (0-1 m) or beyond nearby (>5 m). Additionally, the presence of kin and non-kin influenced monitoring: as the number of nearby kin increased, monitoring levels decreased, while the presence of more non-kin males led to an increase in monitoring time, and higher-ranking non-kin neighbors increased the frequency of monitoring. These results suggest that Tibetan macaque mothers can adapt their visual monitoring to the social risks faced by their infants, adjusting their strategies to their status and the needs of their offspring.

IFIT1 + neutrophil is a causative factor of immunosuppressive features of poorly cohesive carcinoma (PCC).

The importance of the immune microenvironment in poorly cohesive carcinoma (PCC) has been highlighted due to its limited response rate to conventional therapy and emerging treatment resistance. A combination of clinical cohorts, bioinformatics analyses, and functional/molecular experiments revealed that high infiltration of Interferon Induced Protein with Tetratricopeptide Repeats 1 (IFIT1) + tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) is a distinguishing feature of PCC patients. Upregulation of IFIT1 + TANs promote migration and invasion of gastric cancer (GC) cell lines (MKN45 and MKN74) and stimulates the growth of cell-derived xenograft models. Besides, by promoting macrophage secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) expression and facilitating cancer-associated fibroblast and endothelial cell recruitment and activation through TANs, IFIT1 promotes a mesenchymal phenotype, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Importantly, compared to non-PCC (NPCC), PCC tumors is more immunosuppressive. Mechanistically, IFIT1 can be stimulated by IFN-γ and contributes to the expression of Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand (PDL1) in TANs. We demonstrated in mouse models that IFIT1 + PDL1 + TANs can induce acquired resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, which may be responsible for the difficulty of PCC patients to benefit from immunotherapy. This work highlights the role of IFIT1 + TANs in mediating the remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapeutic resistance and introduces IFIT1 + TANs as a promising target for precision therapy of PCC.

Highly Sensitive Balloon-like Fiber Interferometer Based on Ethanol Coated for Temperature Measurement.

A highly sensitivity balloon-like fiber interferometer based on ethanol coating is presented in this paper. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer is formed by bending a single-mode fiber to a balloon-like structure and nested in the Teflon tube. Then, an ethanol solution was filled into the tube of the balloon-like fiber interferometer by the capillary effect. Due to the high sensitivity of the refractive index (RI) of ethanol solutions to temperature, when the external temperature varies, the optical path difference changes. The change in temperature can be detected by the shift in the interference spectrum. Limited by the size of the balloon-like structure, three kinds of these structures with different sensitive lengths were prepared to select the best parameters. The sensitive lengths were 10, 15 and 20 mm, respectively, and the RI detection performance of each structure in 10~26% NaCl solutions was investigated experimentally. The results show that when the sensitive length is 20 mm, the RI sensitivity of the sensor is the highest, which is 212.88 nm/RIU. Ultimately, the sensitive length filled with ethanol is 20 mm. The experimental results show that the temperature sensitivity of the structure is 1.145 nm/°C in the range of 28.1 °C~35 °C, which is 10.3 times higher than that of an unfilled balloon-like structure (0.111 nm/°C). The system has the advantages of low cost and easy fabrication, which can potentially be used in high-precision temperature monitoring processes.

GJA4 expressed on cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs)-A 'promoter' of the mesenchymal phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Connexin is a transmembrane protein involved in gap junctions (GJs) formation. Our previous study found that connexin 37 (Cx37), encoded by gap junction protein alpha 4 (GJA4), expressed on fibroblasts acts as a promoter of CRC and is closely related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor immune microenvironment. However, to date, the mechanism concerning the malignancy of GJA4 in tumor stroma has not been studied. METHODS: Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were used to validate the expression and localization of GJA4. Using single-cell analysis, enrichment analysis, spatial transcriptomics, immunofluorescence staining (IF), Sirius red staining, wound healing and transwell assays, western blotting (WB), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay and in vivo experiments, we investigated the possible mechanisms of GJA4 in promoting CRC. RESULTS: We discovered that in CRC, GJA4 on fibroblasts is involved in promoting fibroblast activation and promoting EMT through a fibroblast-dependent pathway. Furthermore, GJA4 may act synergistically with M2 macrophages to limit T cell infiltration by stimulating the formation of an immune-excluded desmoplasic barrier. Finally, we found a significantly correlation between GJA4 and pathological staging (P < 0.0001) or D2 dimer (R = 0.03, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We have identified GJA4 expressed on fibroblasts is actually a promoter of the tumor mesenchymal phenotype. Our findings suggest that the interaction between GJA4+ fibroblasts and M2 macrophages may be an effective target for enhancing tumor immunotherapy.

Developing Machine Learning-Based Predictive Models for Hallux Valgus Recurrence Based on Measurements From Radiographs.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning (ML) is increasingly used to predict the prognosis of numerous diseases. This retrospective analysis aimed to develop a prediction model using ML algorithms and to identify predictors associated with the recurrence of hallux valgus (HV) following surgery. METHODS: A total of 198 symptomatic feet that underwent chevron osteotomy combined with a distal soft tissue procedure were enrolled and analyzed from 2 independent medical centers. The feet were grouped according to nonrecurrence or recurrence based on 1-year follow-up outcomes. Preoperative weightbearing radiographs and immediate postoperative nonweightbearing radiographs were obtained for each HV foot. Radiographic measurements (eg, HV angle and intermetatarsal angle) were acquired and used for ML model training. A total of 9 commonly used ML models were trained on the data obtained from one institute (108 feet), and tested on the other data set from another independent institute (90 feet) for external validation. Optimal feature sets for each model were identified based on a 2000-resample bootstrap-based internal validation via an exhaustive search. The performance of each model was then tested on the external validation set. The area under the curve (AUC), classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of each model were calculated to evaluate the performance of each model. RESULTS: The support vector machine (SVM) model showed the highest predictive accuracy compared to other methods, with an AUC of 0.88 and an accuracy of 75.6%. Preoperative hallux valgus angle, tibial sesamoid position, postoperative intermetatarsal angle, and postoperative tibial sesamoid position were identified as the most selected features by several ML models. CONCLUSION: ML classifiers such as SVM could predict the recurrence of HV (an HVA >20 degrees) at a 1-year follow-up while identifying associated predictors in a multivariate manner. This study holds the potential for foot and ankle surgeons to effectively identify individuals at higher risk of HV recurrence postsurgery.

Outcomes and Risk Factors Associated with Pericardiectomy in Patients with Constrictive Pericarditis: A Retrospective Study from China.

PURPOSE: Pericardiectomy is the definitive treatment option for constrictive pericarditis and is associated with a high prevalence of morbidity and mortality. However, information on the associated outcomes and risk factors is limited. We aimed to report the mid-term outcomes of pericardiectomy from a single center in China. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data collected from patients who underwent pericardiectomy at our institute from April 2018 to January 2023. RESULTS: Eighty-six consecutive patients (average age, 46.1 ± 14.7 years; 68.6 men) underwent pericardiectomy through midline sternotomy. The most common etiology was idiopathic (n = 60, 69.8%), and 82 patients (95.3%) were in the New York Heart Association function class III/IV. In all, 32 (37.2%) patients underwent redo sternotomies, 36 (41.9%) underwent a concomitant procedure, and 39 (45.3%) required cardiopulmonary bypass. The 30-day mortality rate was 5.8%, and the 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 88.3% and 83.5%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that preoperative mitral insufficiency (MI) ≥moderate (hazard ratio [HR], 6.435; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.655-25.009]; p = 0.007) and partial pericardiectomy (HR, 11.410; 95% CI [3.052-42.663]; p = 0.000) were associated with increased 5-year mortality. CONCLUSION: Pericardiectomy remains a safe operation for constrictive pericarditis with optimal mid-term outcomes.

Blood flow restriction training improves the efficacy of routine intervention in patients with chronic ankle instability.

As a new means of rehabilitation, blood flow restriction training (BFRT) is widely used in the field of musculoskeletal rehabilitation. To observe whether BFRT can improve the efficacy of routine rehabilitation intervention in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Twenty-three patients with CAI were randomly divided into a routine rehabilitation group (RR Group) and a routine rehabilitation â€‹+ â€‹blood flow restriction training group (RR â€‹+ â€‹BFRT Group) according to the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) score. The RR Group was treated with routine rehabilitation means for intervention, and the RR â€‹+ â€‹BFRT Group was treated with a tourniquet to restrict lower limb blood flow for rehabilitation training based on routine training. Before and after the intervention, the CAIT score on the affected side, standing time on one leg with eyes closed, comprehensive scores of the Y-balance test, and surface electromyography data of tibialis anterior (TA) and peroneus longus (PL) were collected to evaluate the recovery of the subjects. Patients were followed up 1 year after the intervention. After 4 weeks of intervention, the RR â€‹+ â€‹BFRT Group CAIT score was significantly higher than the RR Group (19.33 VS 16.73, p â€‹< â€‹0.05), the time of standing on one leg with eyes closed and the comprehensive score of Y-balance were improved, but there was no statistical difference between groups (p â€‹> â€‹0.05). RR â€‹+ â€‹BFRT Group increased the muscle activation of the TA with maximum exertion of the ankle dorsal extensor (p â€‹< â€‹0.05) and had no significant change in the muscle activation of the PL with maximum exertion of the ankle valgus (p â€‹> â€‹0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of resprains within 1 year between the groups (36.36% VS 16.67%, p â€‹> â€‹0.05). The incidence of ankle pain in the RR â€‹+ â€‹BFRT Group was lower than that in the RR Group (63.64% VS 9.09%, p â€‹< â€‹0.01). Therefore, four-weeks BFRT improves the effect of the routine intervention, and BFRT-related interventions are recommended for CAI patients with severe ankle muscle mass impairment or severe pain.

Safety and effectiveness of the sutureless integrated stented graft prosthesis in an animal model.

Background: Prolonged circulatory arrest time is an independent risk factor for postoperative adverse events of type A aortic dissection (TAAD) surgery. Further reduction of the circulatory arrest time is essential to improve surgical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the novel Sutureless Integrated Stented (SIS) graft prosthesis in an animal experiment. Materials and methods: Straight type of the SIS graft prosthesis was implanted into the descending aorta of 10 adult male sheep, and the use of the device was scored on a scale of 1-10. Aortic digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was performed at 4, 14, and 26 weeks to investigate the prostheses. After 26 weeks, the animals were sacrificed for histological analysis. Results: The immediate success rate of the surgery was 100 %, and the overall mean score of the use of the device was 9.65 ± 0.99. Three animals died from non-device-related causes during follow-up. Aortic DSA showed filling defects in 5 animals. Histological analysis revealed that all prostheses were intact. Except for 2 early deaths, the other 8 prostheses were endothelialized with mild inflammation, foreign body reactions, and intimal fibrosis. The mean cross-sectional area of the sutureless region was reduced by 26.4 % (range, 1.3-39.1 %). Conclusions: The safety and effectiveness of the novel SIS graft prosthesis were acceptable, and the delivery system exhibited a promising performance. Using the SIS graft prosthesis in TAAD surgery was expected to simplify the procedures and shorten the circulatory arrest time. Further large-scale clinical trials are required to verify these findings.

Use of a pH-responsive imatinib mesylate sustained-release hydrogel for the treatment of tendon adhesion by inhibiting PDGFRß/CLDN1 pathway.

Adhesion after tendon injury, which can result in limb movement disorders, is a common clinical complication; however, effective treatment methods are lacking. Hyaluronic acid hydrogels are a new biomedical material used to prevent tendon adhesion owing to their good biocompatibility. In addition, potential drugs that inhibit adhesion formation have gradually been discovered. The anti-adhesion effects of a combination of loaded drugs into hydrogels have become an emerging trend. However, current drug delivery systems usually lack specific regulation of drug release, and the effectiveness of drugs for treating tendon adhesions is mostly flawed. In this study, we identified a new drug, imatinib mesylate (IM), that prevents tendon adhesion and explored its related molecular pathways. In addition, we designed a pH-responsive sustained-release hydrogel for delivery. Using the metal-organic framework ZIF-8 as a drug carrier, we achieved controlled drug release to increase the effective drug dose at the peak of adhesion formation to achieve better therapeutic effects. The results showed that IM blocked the formation of peritendon adhesions by inhibiting the PDGFRß/ERK/STAT3/CLDN1 pathway. Furthermore, the hydrogel with ZIF-8 exhibited better physical properties and drug release curves than the hydrogel loaded only with drugs, showing better prevention and treatment effects on tendon adhesion.

Multi-omics analysis of human tendon adhesion reveals that ACKR1-regulated macrophage migration is involved in regeneration.

Tendon adhesion is a common complication after tendon injury with the development of accumulated fibrotic tissues without effective anti-fibrotic therapies, resulting in severe disability. Macrophages are widely recognized as a fibrotic trigger during peritendinous adhesion formation. However, different clusters of macrophages have various functions and receive multiple regulation, which are both still unknown. In our current study, multi-omics analysis including single-cell RNA sequencing and proteomics was performed on both human and mouse tendon adhesion tissue at different stages after tendon injury. The transcriptomes of over 74 000 human single cells were profiled. As results, we found that SPP1+ macrophages, RGCC+ endothelial cells, ACKR1+ endothelial cells and ADAM12+ fibroblasts participated in tendon adhesion formation. Interestingly, despite specific fibrotic clusters in tendon adhesion, FOLR2+ macrophages were identified as an antifibrotic cluster by in vitro experiments using human cells. Furthermore, ACKR1 was verified to regulate FOLR2+ macrophages migration at the injured peritendinous site by transplantation of bone marrow from Lysm-Cre;R26RtdTomato mice to lethally irradiated Ackr1-/- mice (Ackr1-/- chimeras; deficient in ACKR1) and control mice (WT chimeras). Compared with WT chimeras, the decline of FOLR2+ macrophages was also observed, indicating that ACKR1 was specifically involved in FOLR2+ macrophages migration. Taken together, our study not only characterized the fibrosis microenvironment landscape of tendon adhesion by multi-omics analysis, but also uncovered a novel antifibrotic cluster of macrophages and their origin. These results provide potential therapeutic targets against human tendon adhesion.

The presence and clinical significance of autoantibodies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a narrative review.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating and rapidly fatal neurodegenerative disease, which is characterized by the selective loss of the upper and lower motor neurons. The pathogenesis of ALS remains to be elucidated and has been connected to genetic, environmental and immune conditions. Evidence from clinical and experimental studies has suggested that the immune system played an important role in ALS pathophysiology. Autoantibodies are essential components of the immune system. Several autoantibodies directed at antigens associated with ALS pathogenesis have been identified in the serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid of ALS patients. The aim of this review is to summarize the presence and clinical significance of autoantibodies in ALS.

Prediction model and its application of helium extraction OPEX based on response surface methodology.

Focusing on the situation of the low helium content in natural gas resource in China and the high cost of helium extraction, the OPEX prediction model of helium extraction that based on the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is proposed. This method applies ASPEN-HYSYS software to simulate the helium extraction process flow for a given product composition, pressure, and temperature; Applying the Design Expert module for Response Surface Methodology(RSM) parameter design, combined with OPEX of existing projects, determine the key influencing factors and upper and lower limits of OPEX, and obtaining the corresponding OPEX for different parameter values; Applying the Box Behnken Design (BBD) principle to optimize the helium extraction process parameters of RSM, based on fitting results and parameter significance verification of second-order regression function, the OPEX prediction model is built.This method is applied to a domestic helium extraction project, and the unit helium extraction cost is between 100 and 119.52 yuan/m3, IRR is 13.37%. The result shows the project has economic benefit, and the method presents a good perspective application.

Hidden diversity and potential ecological function of phosphorus acquisition genes in widespread terrestrial bacteriophages.

Phosphorus (P) limitation of ecosystem processes is widespread in terrestrial habitats. While a few auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) in bacteriophages from aquatic habitats are reported to have the potential to enhance P-acquisition ability of their hosts, little is known about the diversity and potential ecological function of P-acquisition genes encoded by terrestrial bacteriophages. Here, we analyze 333 soil metagenomes from five terrestrial habitat types across China and identify 75 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) that encode 105 P-acquisition AMGs. These AMGs span 17 distinct functional genes involved in four primary processes of microbial P-acquisition. Among them, over 60% (11/17) have not been reported previously. We experimentally verify in-vitro enzymatic activities of two pyrophosphatases and one alkaline phosphatase encoded by P-acquisition vOTUs. Thirty-six percent of the 75 P-acquisition vOTUs are detectable in a published global topsoil metagenome dataset. Further analyses reveal that, under certain circumstances, the identified P-acquisition AMGs have a greater influence on soil P availability and are more dominant in soil metatranscriptomes than their corresponding bacterial genes. Overall, our results reinforce the necessity of incorporating viral contributions into biogeochemical P cycling.

Toxicity of Cry- and Vip3Aa-Class Proteins and Their Interactions against Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is one of the most important insect pests affecting corn crops worldwide. Although planting transgenic corn expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins has been approved as being effective against FAW, its populations' resistance to Bt crops has emerged in different locations around the world. Therefore, it is important to understand the interaction between different Bt proteins, thereby delaying the development of resistance. In this study, we performed diet-overlay bioassays to evaluate the toxicity of Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1B, Cry1Ca, Cry1F, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab, Vip3Aa11, Vip3Aa19, and Vip3Aa20, as well as the interaction between Cry1Ab-, Cry1F-, Cry2Ab-, and Vip3Aa-class proteins against FAW. According to our results, the LC50 values of Bt proteins varied from 12.62 ng/cm2 to >9000 ng/cm2 (protein/diet), among which the Vip3Aa class had the best insecticidal effect. The combination of Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa11 exhibited additive effects at a 5:1 ratio. Cry1F and Vip3Aa11 combinations exhibited additive effects at 1:1, 1:2, and 5:1 ratios. The combination of Cry1F and Vip3Aa19 showed an antagonistic effect when the ratio was 1:1 and an additive effect when the ratio was 1:2, 2:1, 1:5, and 5:1. Additionally, the combinations of Cry1F and Vip3Aa20 showed antagonistic effects at 1:2 and 5:1 ratios and additive effects at 1:1 and 2:1 ratios. In addition to the above combinations, which had additive or antagonistic effects, other combinations exhibited synergistic effects, with variations in synergistic factors (SFs). These results can be applied to the establishment of new pyramided transgenic crops with suitable candidates, providing a basis for FAW control and resistance management strategies.

Diamond-Like Carbon Depositing on the Surface of Polylactide Membrane for Prevention of Adhesion Formation During Tendon Repair.

Post-traumatic peritendinous adhesion presents a significant challenge in clinical medicine. This study proposes the use of diamond-like carbon (DLC) deposited on polylactic acid (PLA) membranes as a biophysical mechanism for anti-adhesion barrier to encase ruptured tendons in tendon-injured rats. The results indicate that PLA/DLC composite membrane exhibits more efficient anti-adhesion effect than PLA membrane, with histological score decreasing from 3.12 ± 0.27 to 2.20 ± 0.22 and anti-adhesion effectiveness increasing from 21.61% to 44.72%. Mechanistically, the abundant C=O bond functional groups on the surface of DLC can reduce reactive oxygen species level effectively; thus, the phosphorylation of NF-κB and M1 polarization of macrophages are inhibited. Consequently, excessive inflammatory response augmented by M1 macrophage-originated cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is largely reduced. For biocompatibility evaluation, PLA/DLC membrane is slowly absorbed within tissue and displays prolonged barrier effects compared to traditional PLA membranes. Further studies show the DLC depositing decelerates the release of degradation product lactic acid and its induction of macrophage M2 polarization by interfering esterase and PLA ester bonds, which further delays the fibrosis process. It was found that the PLA/DLC membrane possess an efficient biophysical mechanism for treatment of peritendinous adhesion.

ATPR induces acute promyelocytic leukemia cells differentiation and cycle arrest via the lncRNA CONCR/DDX11/PML-RARα signaling axis.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a high mortality rate, and the production of PML-RARα fusion protein is the cause of its pathogenesis. Our group has synthesized a novel compound, 4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate (ATPR), by structural modification of All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which has strong cell differentiation-inducing effects and inhibits the expression of PML-RARα. In this study, acute promyelocytic leukemia NB4 cells before and after ATPR induction were analyzed by whole transcriptome microarray, and the expression of lncRNA CONCR was found to be significantly downregulated. The role of CONCR in ATPR-induced cell differentiation and cycle arrest was explored through overexpression and silencing of CONCR. And then the database was used to predict that CONCR may bind to DEAD/H-Box Helicase 11 (DDX11) protein to further explore the role of CONCR binding to DDX11. The results showed that ATPR could reduce the expression of CONCR, and overexpression of CONCR could reverse the ATPR-induced cell differentiation and cycle blocking effect, and conversely silencing of CONCR could promote this effect. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) experiments showed that CONCR could bind to DDX11, the protein expression levels of DDX11 and PML-RARα were elevated after overexpression of CONCR. These results suggest that ATPR can regulate the expression of DDX11 through CONCR to affect the expression of PML-RARα fusion protein, which in turn induces the differentiation and maturation of APL cells.

Highly birefringent side-hole fiber Bragg grating for high-temperature pressure sensing.

We demonstrate a novel, to the best of our knowledge, high-temperature pressure sensor based on a highly birefringent fiber Bragg grating (Hi-Bi FBG) fabricated in a dual side-hole fiber (DSHF). The Hi-Bi FBG is generated by a femtosecond laser directly written sawtooth structure in the DSHF cladding along the fiber core through the slow axis (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the dual-hole axis). The sawtooth structure serves as an in-fiber stressor and also generates Bragg resonance due to its periodicity. The DSHF was etched by hydrofluoric acid to increase its pressure sensitivity, and the diameter of two air holes was enlarged from 38.2 to 49.6 µm. A Hi-Bi FBG with a birefringence of up to 1.8 × 10-3 was successfully created in the etched DSHF. Two distinct reflection peaks could be observed by using a commercial FBG interrogator. Moreover, pressure measurement from 0 to 3 MPa at a high temperature of 700°C was conducted by monitoring the birefringence-induced peak splits and achieved a high-pressure sensitivity of -21.2 pm/MPa. The discrimination of the temperature and pressure could be realized by simultaneously measuring the Bragg wavelength shifts and peak splits. Furthermore, a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) Hi-Bi FBG array was also constructed in the DSHF and was used for quasi-distributed high-pressure sensing up to 3 MPa. As such, the proposed femtosecond laser-inscribed Hi-Bi FBG is a promising tool for high-temperature pressure sensing in harsh environments, such as aerospace vehicles, nuclear reactors, and petrochemical industries.

Antiadhesion Biomaterials in Tendon Repair: Application Status and Future Prospect.

The healing process after tendon injury is often accompanied by the formation of peritendinous adhesion, contributing to limb dysfunction and exerting detrimental effects on the individuals, as well as the development of society and economy. With the continuous development of material science, as well as the augmented understanding of tendon healing and the mechanism of peritendinous adhesion formation, materials used for the fabrication of barrier membranes against peritendinous adhesion emerge endlessly. In this article, based on the analysis of the mechanism of adhesion formation, we first review the commonly used natural and synthetic materials, along with their corresponding fabrication strategies, in order to furnish valuable insights for the future optimization and development of antiperitendinous adhesion barrier membranes. This article also discusses the interaction between antiadhesion materials and cells for ameliorating peritendinous adhesion.