Effect of Tai Chi-Based Psychosomatic Rehabilitation Exercise on Physiological Function and Mental Health of Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Tai Chi is an increasingly utilized aerobic rehabilitation exercise in the field of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, there remains debate regarding its effects on physiological function and mental health in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aims to investigate the impact of Tai Chi-based rehabilitation exercises on physical and psychological health outcomes for CHD patients. Methods: By collecting data from 12 databases up to December 2022, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi on the physical function and psychological health among CHD patients. Results: We analyzed twenty qualified studies involving 2095 patients. Meta-analyses revealed that compared with conventional therapy groups, those who participated in Tai Chi-based interventions demonstrated significant improvements in physical function as measured by six-minute walk test (6MWT) [mean difference (MD) = 56.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) (38.50, 74.29), p < 0.01], maximal oxygen consumption ( VO 2 max) [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0. 57, 95% CI (0.12, 1.03), p = 0.01], New York Heart Association (NYHA) class [relative risk (RR) = 1.34, 95% CI (1.18, 1.53), p < 0.01] and physical health components (PHC) [SMD = 1.23, 95% CI (0.76, 1.69), p < 0.01]. Additionally, Tai Chi participants showed greater improvement than control groups across various psychological parameters including anxiety scales [SMD = -0.80, 95% CI (-1.33, -0.28), p = 0.003], depression scales [SMD = -0.77, 95% CI (-1.32, -0.23), p = 0.005] and mental health components (MHC) [SMD = 1.27, 95% CI (0.76, -1.78), p < 0.01]. The GRADEpro (Grade Guideline Development Tool) indicated evidence levels ranging from very low to moderate. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis demonstrates that mind-body rehabilitation exercises based on Tai Chi can improve both physical and psychological health outcomes for CHD patients. These findings suggest that this exercise pattern may be a potential option for cardiovascular rehabilitation. PROSPERO Registration: The protocol for this systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered with PROSPERO International Prospective Systematic Reviews (No: CRD42022370021, http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO).

Synthesis of Structure-Adjustable R-Au/Pt-CdS Nanohybrids with Strong Plasmon Coupling and Improved Photothermal Conversion Performance.

Noble metal nanomaterials with a localized surface plasmon resonance effect exhibit outstanding advantages in areas such as photothermal therapy and photocatalysis. As a unique plasmonic metal nanostructure, gold nanobipyramids have been attracting much interest due to their strong specific local electric field intensity, large optical cross sections, and high refractive index sensitivity. In this study, we propose a novel three-component hetero-nanostructure composed of rough gold nanobipyramids (R-Au NBPs), Pt, and CdS. Initially, purified gold nanobipyramids are regrown to form R-Au NBPs that have a certain degree of roughness. These R-Au NBP substrates with a rough surface provide more hotspots and strengthen the intensity of localized electric fields. Subsequently, Pt and CdS nanoparticles are selectively deposited onto the surface of R-Au NBPs. Pt nanoparticles can provide more active sites. Each component of this hetero-nanostructure directly contacts others, creating multiple electron transfer channels. This novel design allows for tunable localized plasmon resonance wavelengths ranging from the visible to near-infrared regions. These factors contribute to the final superior photothermal conversion performance of the R-Au/Pt-CdS nanohybrids. Under the irradiation of near-infrared light (1064 nm), the photothermal conversion efficiency of R-Au/Pt-CdS reached 38.88%, which is 4.49, 1.5, and 1.22 times higher than that of Au NBPs, R-Au NBPs, and R-Au NBPs/Pt, respectively.

Highly controlled synthesis of symmetrically branched tripod and pentapod nanocrystals with enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Anisotropic nanostructures with tunable optical properties induced by controllable size and symmetry have attracted much attention in many applications. Herein, we report a controlled synthesis of symmetrically branched AuCu alloyed nanocrystals. By varying Au:Cu atom ratio in precursor, Y-shaped tripods with three-fold symmetry and star-shaped pentapods with five-fold symmetry are synthesized, respectively. The growth mechanism of AuCu tripods from icosahedral seeds and AuCu pentapods from decahedral seeds is revealed. Aiming to excellent photocatalytic performance, CdS nanocrystals are controlled grown onto the sharp tips of AuCu tripods and pentapods. In addition, a carrier-selective blocking layer of Ag2S is introduced between AuCu and CdS, for achieving effective charge separation in AuCu-Ag2S-CdS nanohybrids. Through evaluating the photocatalytic performance by hydrogen generation experiments, the AuCu-Ag2S-CdS tripod nanocrystals exhibit an optimized hydrogen evolution rate of 2182 µmol·g-1·h-1. These findings will contribute greatly to the understanding of complex nanoparticle growth mechanism and provide a strategy for the design of anisotropic nanoalloys for widely photocatalytic applications.

Multiomics data reveals the influences of myasthenia gravis on thymoma and its precision treatment.

Thymoma is a rare characterized by a unique association with autoimmune diseases, especially myasthenia gravis (MG). However, little is known about the molecular characteristics of MG-associated thymoma individuals. We aim to examine the influences of MG on thymoma by analyzing multiomics data. A total of 105 samples with thymoma was analyzed from TCGA and these samples were divided into subgroups with MG (MGT) or without MG (MGF) according to clinical information. We then characterized the differential gene expression, pathway activity, somatic mutation frequency, and likelihood of responding to chemotherapies and immunotherapies of the two identified subgroups. MGT subgroup was characterized by elevated inflammatory responses and metabolically related pathways, whereas the MGF subgroup was predicted to be more sensitive to chemotherapy and presented with mesenchymal characteristics. More copy number amplifications and deletions were observed in MGT, whereas GTF2I mutations occur at significantly higher frequencies in MGF. Two molecular subtypes were further identified within MGF samples by unsupervised clustering where one subtype was enriched in TGF-ß and WNT pathways with higher sensitivity to relevant targeted drugs but hardly respond to immunotherapy. For another subtype, a higher recurrence rate of thymoma and more likelihood of responding to immunotherapy were observed. Our findings presented a comprehensive molecular characterization of thymoma patients given the status of MG, and provided potential strategies to help individualized management and treatment.

RNA processing genes characterize RNA splicing and further stratify colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Due to the limited evaluation of the prognostic value of RNA processing genes (RPGs), which are regulators of alternative splicing events (ASEs) that have been shown to be associated with tumour progression, this study sought to determine whether colorectal cancer (CRC) could be further stratified based on the expression pattern of RPGs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The gene expression profiles of CRCs were collected from TCGA (training set) and three external validation cohorts, representing 1060 cases totally. Cox regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty was used to develop an RNA processing gene index (RPGI) risk score. Kaplan-Meier curves, multivariate Cox regression and restricted mean survival (RMS) analyses were harnessed to evaluate the prognostic value of the RPGI. RESULTS: A 22-gene RPGI signature was developed, and its risk score served as a strong independent prognostic factor across all data sets when adjusted for major clinical variables. Moreover, ASEs for certain genes, such as FGFR1 and the RAS oncogene family, were significantly correlated with RPGI. Expression levels of genes involved in splicing- and tumour-associated pathways were significantly correlated with RPGI score. Furthermore, a combination of RPGI with age and tumour stage resulted in significantly improved prognostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted the prognostic value of RPGs for risk stratification of CRC patients and provide insights into specific ASEs associated with the development of CRC.

Epigenetic age acceleration of cervical squamous cell carcinoma converged to human papillomavirus 16/18 expression, immunoactivation, and favourable prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Ageing-associated molecular changes have been assumed to trigger malignant transformations and the epigenetic clock, and the DNA methylation age has been shown to be highly correlated with chronological age. However, the associations between the epigenetic clock and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) prognosis, other molecular characteristics, and clinicopathological features have not been systematically investigated. To this end, we computed the DNA methylation (DNAm) age of 252 CSCC patients and 200 normal samples from TCGA and three external cohorts by using the Horvath clock model. We characterized the differences in human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 expression, pathway activity, genomic alteration, and chemosensitivity between two DNAm age subgroups. We then used Cox proportional hazards regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis to assess the prognostic value of epigenetic acceleration. RESULTS: DNAm age was significantly associated with chronological age, but it was differentiated between tumour and normal tissue (P < 0.001). Two DNAm age groups, i.e. DNAmAge-ACC and DNAmAge-DEC, were identified; the former had high expression of the E6/E7 oncoproteins of HPV16/18 (P < 0.05), an immunoactive phenotype (all FDRs < 0.05 in enrichment analysis), CpG island hypermethylation (P < 0.001), and lower mutation load (P = 0.011), including for TP53 (P = 0.002). When adjusted for chronological age and tumour stage, every 10-year increase in DNAm age was associated with a 12% decrease in fatality (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.99, P = 0.03); DNAmAge-ACC had a 41% lower mortality risk and 47% lower progression rate than DNAmAge-DEC and was more likely to benefit from chemotherapy. RCS revealed a positive non-linear association between DNAm age and both mortality and progression risk (both, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DNAm age is an independent predictor of CSCC prognosis. Better prognosis, overexpression of HPV E6/E7 oncoproteins, and higher enrichment of immune signatures were observed in DNAmAge-ACC tumours.

Genomic characterization of cervical cancer based on human papillomavirus status.

OBJECTIVE: It is uncommon for cervical cancer patients to be diagnosed without a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. As prophylactic vaccines against high-risk HPV types are an ineffective preventive measure for these patients it is essential to identify differential biomarkers that may be associated with detection, prognosis and novel targeted therapies. The objective of this study was to compare the two entities, HPV+ and HPV- cervical cancers, based on TCGA public data. METHODS: We collected and analyzed clinical information of 299 cervical cancer patients as the first step, then identified differential expressed genes and conducted downstream analyses to characterize this tumor based on HPV status, including functional annotation, pathway mapping, survival analysis and comparative somatic mutation landscapes. We further inferred the likelihood of responding to traditional treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. RESULTS: It was found that HPV- tumors were likely to occur at an older age and were often adenocarcinomas or adenosquamous carcinomas, and there was no significant overall survival difference between HPV+ vs. HPV- tumors. Gene expression profiles of HPV+ and HPV- tumors differed especially in ANKRD7, SERPINB3, EMX2, MEI1, RNF212, RP11-13 K12.5, RP11-325F22.2 and ZFR2 which were significantly relevant to cervical cancer prognosis. TP53, ARID5B, ARID1A, CTNNB1 and PTEN were significantly differentially mutated between HPV+ and HPV- tumors. Results of radiotherapy analyses demonstrated that CDO1, PCDHB2 and MYOD1 were different between the two subsets. In addition, RP11-299 L17.3, SLC14A2, FGF18 and OASL represented different drug-sensitivity to cisplatin between both. CONCLUSIONS: These potential biomarkers may offer insights to further personalize therapeutic decision-making to improve survival in HPV- cervical cancer patients.