m6A Modification Prevents Formation of Endogenous Double-Stranded RNAs and Deleterious Innate Immune Responses during Hematopoietic Development.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant RNA modification, but little is known about its role in mammalian hematopoietic development. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the m6A writer METTL3 in murine fetal liver resulted in hematopoietic failure and perinatal lethality. Loss of METTL3 and m6A activated an aberrant innate immune response, mediated by the formation of endogenous double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). The aberrantly formed dsRNAs were long, highly m6A modified in their native state, characterized by low folding energies, and predominantly protein coding. We identified coinciding activation of pattern recognition receptor pathways normally tasked with the detection of foreign dsRNAs. Disruption of the aberrant immune response via abrogation of downstream Mavs or Rnasel signaling partially rescued the observed hematopoietic defects in METTL3-deficient cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that m6A modification protects against endogenous dsRNA formation and a deleterious innate immune response during mammalian hematopoietic development.

Correlation between serum sex hormone-binding globulin levels and nutrition indicators and malnutrition exposure risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to investigate the correlation between serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels and nutrition indicators and the malnutrition exposure risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted, involving patients diagnosed with T2DM at the Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between May 2018 and December 2019. RESULTS: The study comprised 551 participants (363 men, mean age of 55.55 ± 11.57 years), among whom 167 (30.31%) were classified as with malnutrition exposure risk (GNRI ≤ 98). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that SHBG (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.05, P < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.22-1.51, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94-0.97, P < 0.001), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.23-0.73, P < 0.003) were independently associated with the malnutrition exposure risk. SHBG was inversely correlated with body mass index (males: r = -0.34; postmenopausal females: r = -0.22), albumin (males: r = -0.30; postmenopausal females: r = -0.20), transferrin (males: r = -0.28; postmenopausal females: r = -0.19), and prealbumin (males: r = -0.35; postmenopausal females: r = -0.30) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Serum SHBG levels are correlated with nutritional indicators and the risk of malnutrition in men and postmenopausal women with T2DM. A multicenter prospective study is imperative to verify this result in the future.

Up-regulation of Dsg2 confered stem cells with malignancy through wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

In the previous study, we originally developed cancer stem cells (CSCs) models from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) by culturing miPSCs in the conditioned medium of cancer cell lines, which mimiced as carcinoma microenvironment. However, the molecular mechanism of conversion in detail remains to be uncovered. Microarray analysis of the CSCs models in this study revealed Dsg2, one of the members of the desmosomal cadherin family, was up-regulated when compared with the original miPSCs. Moreover, the expression of key factors in Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway were also found up-regulated in one of the CSCs models, named miPS-LLCcm. An autocrine loop was implied between Dsg2 and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway when miPSCs were treated with Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway activators, Wnt3a and CHIR99021, and when the CSCs model were treated with inhibitors, IWR-1 and IWP-2. Furthermore, the ability of proliferation and self-renewal in the CSCs model was markedly decreased in vitro and in vivo when Dsg2 gene was knocked down by shRNA. Our results showed that the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway is activated by the up-regulation of Dsg2 expresssion during the conversion of miPSCs into CSCs implying a potential mechanism of the tranformation of stem cells into malignant phenotype.

Diagnostic significance of cerebrospinal fluid flow cytometry in Chinese children with B lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) is one of the major causes of the poor prognosis of childhood leukemia. We aimed to compare the sensitivity of cytomorphology (CM) and flow cytometry (FCM) in diagnosing CNSL, emphasizing the importance of FCM in the diagnosis process. METHODS: One-hundred-sixty-five children with newly diagnosed B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-cell ALL) were included in this study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were taken for routine CSF analysis, CM analysis, and FCM examination. Computed tomography scans and/or magnetic resonance imaging were performed at diagnosis. Patients with CNS2, CNS3, and traumatic lumbar puncture (TLP) at diagnosis received two additional courses of triple intrathecal injections during induction treatment. We compared the sensitivity of FCM and CM in the diagnosis of children with CNSL. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight (77.58%) CSF samples were negative by either CM or FCM (CM-/FCM-), four (2.42%) were positive by both CM and FCM (CM+/FCM+), and thirty-three (20%) displayed a single positive finding by FCM (CM-/FCM+) (p = 0.044). By adding two intrathecal injections in the induction treatment, ten children with TLP+ had no CNS relapse, like those with TLP-. However, compared to CNS1 and TLP, the event-free survival (EFS) did not significantly improve in patients with CNS2 and CNS3. Moreover, CNSL status was associated with worse 3-year EFS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We have validated that FCM is more accurate in stratifying the status of the CNS compared to CM analysis. However, to improve the EFS rate of childhood leukemia, it is necessary to combine CM examination, FCM, and cranial imaging for the early diagnosis of CNSL.

Telitacicept for Recalcitrant Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Telitacicept is a novel humanized, recombinant transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor and the Fc portion (TACI-Fc) fusion protein, designed to neutralize the activity of both B-cell lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). On March 9, 2021, telitacicept received its first approval in China for the treatment of adult patients with active, autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Additionally, on April 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted fast track designation to telitacicept for the treatment of SLE. Clinical studies of telitacicept in several other indications, including IgA nephropathy, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome are underway in China. This is the first case that reports telitacicept successfully treated a SLE patient with refractory cutaneous involvement, which provides a potential therapeutic option for recalcitrant cutaneous manifestations of SLE. Furthermore, we review reported studies of BLyS targeted treatments for mucocutaneous lupus. Telitacicept appears to have activity in refractory cutaneous involvement of SLE and clinical trials are warranted to further assess this potential therapy.

Identification of a Novel Hb H Disease with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Using Whole Genome Sequencing.

With the development of sequencing technology, more and more rare thalassemia types have been found. In this article, we found a novel Hb H disease combined with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency through whole genome sequencing (WGS), which was verified by Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot-blot hybridization, respectively.

Treatment try of simulated agricultural surface runoff pollution by using a novel biomass concentrator reactor.

Increased agricultural surface runoff in rural watersheds is a leading cause of nonpoint source pollution. In this study, a new biomass concentrator reactor (BCR) is conducted to degrade simulated agricultural surface runoff for both start-up process and treatment process. The results show that both in the start-up phase and in the stable phase, BCR had a good degradation effect on simulated agricultural surface runoff. Within 13 days-15 days of completed start-up of BCR, degradation of COD can be considered to the first-order kinetics: lnCt=lnC0-0.1377t (R2 = 0.78). During the stabilization phase, the average removal rate of COD, NH4+-N, NO3--N, TN and TP from the effluents through the BCR membrane was 94.58%, 85.79%, 53.58%, 37.87%, and 60.62%, respectively, which was increased by 7.4%, 2.5%, 5.1%, 0.18% and 11.4%, respectively, compared to control experiment which the effluents without membrane. The pollutants degradation by BCR in stable phase show a partly relative model of Lawrence-McCarty equation, which the nitrogen and phosphorus degradation is vN=(4.1+S)/(2.53×S) (R2 = 0.69) and vP=(8.78+S)/(3.0×S) (R2 = 0.67), respectively. In the stable phase, the operation cost of BCR is about $0.08/(L•d). Future research on improved BCR maybe focus on the membrane pollution and cleaning, optimized operation conditions, new materials of membrane.

The effects of Anisodamine-Tirofiban Combined Therapy in acute myocardial infarction treated with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

Objectives: To study the effects of anisodamine-tirofiban combined therapy on cardiac function and serological expression of serum NGF and ESM-1 in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Eighty patients with myocardial infarction treated in Cangzhou Medical College, Hebei, China from February 2015 to April 2017 were selected and divided into the control group and the research group according to the principle of random draw, 40 patients per group. The patients in the control group received symptomatic routine treatment, while the patients in the research group received anisodamine-tirofiban combined therapy on the top of symptomatic routine treatment. Differences between the two groups in TIMI flow grades, cardiac function, levels of NGF and ESM-1 and adverse response were observed. Results: The recovery of cardiac function in the research group was statistically significant with P value (p<0.05) and better than the control group in TIMI flow grades, myocardial perfusion capacity and cardiac function. The serological indicators in the research group had a higher level of NGF and a lower level of ESM-1 than the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). In terms of safety, neither group showed significant hepatorenal disorders. Conclusion: The combined treatment of anisodamine-tirofiban in patients with acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can recover NGF and ESM-1 related proteins, improve postoperative myocardial perfusion, and accelerate the recovery of cardiac function. It is worth promoting in clinic.

Efficacy and Safety of Emergent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients with Acute Decompensated Aortic Stenosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy and safety of emergent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with decompensated aortic stenosis (AS) by comparing the clinical outcomes with the patients who had received the elective TAVI. METHODS: By searching PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases, we obtained the studies comparing the clinical outcomes of emergent TAVI and elective TAVI. Finally, 14 studies were included. RESULTS: A total of 14 eligible articles with 73,484 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Emergent TAVI was associated with a higher mortality during hospitalization (HR 2.09, 95% CI [1.39 to 3.14]), 30 days (HR 2.29, 95% CI [1.69 to 3.10]), and 1 year (HR 1.96, 95% CI [1.55 to 2.49]). Consistently, the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) (RR 2.48, 95% CI [1.85 to 3.32]), dialysis (RR 2.37, 95% CI [1.95 to 2.88]), bleeding (RR 1.62, 95% CI [1.27 to 2.08]), major bleeding (RR 1.05, 95% CI [1.00 to 1.10]), and 30-day rehospitalization (RR 1.30, 95% CI [1.07, 1.58]) were more common in patients receiving emergent TAVI. No statistical differences were found in the occurrence rate of vascular complications (RR 1.11, 95% CI [0.90, 1.36]), major vascular complications (RR 1.14, 95% CI [0.52, 2.52]), permanent pacemaker (PPM) placement (RR 1.05, 95% CI [0.99, 1.11]), cerebrovascular events (RR 1.11, 95% CI [0.98, 1.25]), moderate to severe paravalvular leakage (PVL) (RR 1.23, 95% [CI 0.94 to 1.61]), and device success (RR 0.99, 95% CI [0.97, 1.01]). CONCLUSION: Emergent TAVI is associated with some postoperative complications and increased mortality compared with elective TAVI. Emergent TAVI should be implemented cautiously and individually.

Identification of selective ligands targeting two GPCRs by receptor-affinity chromatography coupled with high-throughput sequencing techniques.

The rapid growth of demands for drug discovery has necessitated the ongoing pursuit of new methods for specific ligands screening and identification. This work combined receptor-affinity chromatography (RAC) with high-throughput sequencing techniques to rapidly screen and identify the specific ligands. By this method, immobilized angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) and endothelin receptor A (ETAR) based on RAC were utilized for lead screening from a DNA-encoded library. The specific ligands of AT1R (ligand A1, A2) and ETAR (ligand B1, B2) were synthesized after decoding by high-throughput sequencing techniques. The dissociation rate constants (kd) of ligand A1, A2 to AT1R and B1, B2 to ETAR were 9.65 × 10-4, 31.1 × 10-4 and 0.66, 1.22 s-1 by peak profiling assay. The association constant (KA) to the receptors of four ligands was 5.4 × 106, 3.3 × 106 and 1.6 × 106, 2.2 × 105 by injection amount dependent method. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the four specific ligands are similar to those of the positive drugs. This indicates that they are promising to drug candidates. The druggability of the four ligands through pharmacokinetic investigation by HPLC-MS/MS presented desired pharmacokinetic behavior including the fast absorption, the relatively slow elimination. These results, taking together, indicated that the RAC combined with high-throughput sequencing techniques can screen and identify the specific ligands according to various proteins, thus creating a general strategy for rapid discovery of promising drug candidates.

Rapidly identifying bioactive compounds from Zhisou oral liquid by immobilized receptor-based high-performance affinity chromatography.

The identification of bioactive compounds in complex matrices remains a major challenge due to the lack of highly efficient and specific methods. This work developed an approach based on high-performance affinity chromatography to identify the potential antitussive compounds from Zhisou oral liquid . The main methods include the synthesis of immobilized beta2-adrenoceptor by a one-step method, the screening and identification of the potential bioactive compounds by the receptor column coupled with mass spectrometry, and the binding mechanism analysis of the compounds to the receptor by the in vivo experiment, injection amount dependent method and molecular simulation. We identified the potential bioactive compounds of Zhisou oral liquid as glycyrrhizic acid, platycodin D, tuberostemonine, and hesperidin. In vivo experiment showed that the combinational utilization of the four compounds was possible to present an equivalent antitussive effect to the formula. The docking results demonstrated that hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals forces were the main forces to drive the binding of the four compounds to beta2-adrenoceptor. We concluded that the four compounds are the effective components in Zhisou oral liquid. The proposed strategy is possible to provide an alternative for the development of highly efficient methods to pursue the bioactive compounds of complex matrices.

Carbon dioxide and methane emission of denitrification bioreactor filling waste sawdust and industrial sludge for treatment of simulated agricultural surface runoff.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) produced by denitrification bioreactors in processing agricultural surface runoff have contributed to increasing proportion of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. It is the first time to monitor and quantify the emission flux of CO2 and CH4 produced by laboratory-scale denitrification bioreactors which recycled waste Cunninghamia lanceolata sawdust (CLS) and industrial sludge (IS) as fillers to process simulated agricultural surface runoff. Sludge-water ratio, inflow rate and water flow direction are used as experimental factors to study the effect on the emission flux of CO2 and CH4. Results show that emission flux of CO2 from denitrification bioreactors with different sludge-water ratio approached 20 mg m-2h-1, simultaneously the average emission flux of CH4 produced by all bioreactors was 1.785 mg m-2h-1. The addition of sludge increased the emission flux of CH4 and had no significant effect on the emission flux of CO2. Increasing the inflow rate reduced the CO2 emission flux from 21.57 to 1.27 mg m-2h-1, and at the same time increased the CH4 emission flux from 0.007 to 9.54 mg m-2h-1. The gravity flow of wastewater reduced the emission flux of CO2 and CH4. The emissions of CO2 and CH4 from folded plate denitrification bioreactor with CLS and industrial sludge with a volume ratio of 1:2 can be reduced by 24.67% and 73.3%, respectively. There was no need to add special gas collection and treatment devices because CO2 and CH4 emission fluxes produced by the folded plate denitrification bioreactor and gravity denitrification bioreactor are not enough to increase the greenhouse effect. This study quantified the CO2 and CH4 produced by denitrification bioreactors filling CLS and IS, and provided a reference for future research on the gases produced by the denitrification process.

Ras inhibits TGF-ß-induced KLF5 acetylation and transcriptional complex assembly via regulating SMAD2/3 phosphorylation in epithelial cells.

Acetylated Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) is essential for transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) to properly regulate gene transcription in the inhibition of cell proliferation and tumor growth. Ras oncogenic signaling can convert TGF-ß from a tumor suppressor to a tumor promoter; however, its ability to utilize the KLF5 transcription factor to modulate TGF-ß functions is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, we sought to determine whether Ras signaling altered TGF-ß-induced KLF5 acetylation and the assembly of the p300-KLF5-SMADs transcriptional complex in gene regulation. Not only did we determine that Ras signaling inhibited TGF-ß-induced KLF5 acetylation and interfered with TGF-ß function in p15 induction and Myc repression, but also TGF-ß-induced SMAD3 C-terminal region phosphorylation was necessary for TGF-ß to induce KLF5 acetylation. Moreover, Ras activation further interrupted the interactions amongst p300, KLF5, and SMAD4, as well as the binding of p300-KLF5-SMADs complex onto the TGF-ß-responsive promoter elements for both p15 and Myc. These findings suggested that KLF5 mediated the crosstalk between TGF-ß and Ras signaling, and that suppression of TGF-ß-induced KLF5 acetylation by Ras activation; this altered TGF-ß-induced assembly of p300-KLF5-SMADs complex onto gene promoters to convert the function of TGF-ß in gene regulation.

Covalent Inhibitor-Based One-Step Method for Endothelin Receptor A Immobilization: from Ligand Recognition to Lead Identification.

Protein immobilization is particularly significant in proteomics, interactomics, and in vitro drug screening. It is an essential primary step for numerous biological techniques that rely on immobilized proteins with controlled orientation, high conformational stability, and high activity (CHH). These have challenged the current immobilization strategy and demanded increasing efforts for an efficient method to meet the CHH immobilization in a single step. Herein, we proposed a covalent inhibitor-based, one-step method for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) immobilization inspired by the covalent reaction between an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tag and its inhibitor ibrutinib. We immobilized endothelin receptor A (ETA) containing a fusion EGFR tag onto an ibrutinib-coated macroporous silica gel. The immobilized ETA proved to have demonstrable ligand-binding activity and specificity, thus resulting in a chromatographic technology allowing receptor-ligand interaction analysis and lead identification. Such immobilization method is attractable, owing to the properties of mild reacting conditions, fast rate, high yield, and good stability of the conjugated protein. It will be applicable to biochips, biosensors, and biocatalysts.

Integrative genomic analysis predicts novel functional enhancer-SNPs for bone mineral density.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and deterioration of bone microarchitecture. To identify novel genetic loci underlying osteoporosis, an effective strategy is to focus on scanning of variants with high potential functional impacts. Enhancers play a crucial role in regulating cell-type-specific transcription. Therefore, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in enhancers (enhancer-SNPs) may represent strong candidate functional variants. Here, we performed a targeted analysis for potential functional enhancer-SNPs that may affect gene expression and biological processes in bone-related cells, specifically, osteoblasts, and peripheral blood monocytes (PBMs), using five independent cohorts (n = 5905) and the genetics factors for osteoporosis summary statistics, followed by comprehensive integrative genomic analyses of chromatin states, transcription, and metabolites. We identified 15 novel enhancer-SNPs associated with femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD, including 5 SNPs mapped to novel genes (e.g., rs10840343 and rs10770081 in IGF2 gene) and 10 novel SNPs mapped to known BMD-associated genes (e.g., rs2941742 in ESR1 gene, and rs10249092 and rs4342522 in SHFM1 gene). Interestingly, enhancer-SNPs rs10249092 and rs4342522 in SHFM1 were tightly linked, but annotated to different enhancers in PBMs and osteoblasts, respectively, suggesting that even tightly linked SNPs may regulate the same target gene and contribute to the phenotype variation in cell-type-specific manners. Importantly, ten enhancer-SNPs may also regulate BMD variation by affecting the serum metabolite levels. Our findings revealed novel susceptibility loci that may regulate BMD variation and provided intriguing insights into the genetic mechanisms of osteoporosis.

Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and serum testosterone levels in adult males 20-39 years old in the United States.

BACKGROUND: This population-based study was designed to investigate whether consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with lower serum total testosterone concentration in men 20-39 years old. METHODS: All data for this study were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012. The primary outcome was serum testosterone concentration, and main independent variable was SSB intake. Other variables included age, race/ethnicity, poverty/income ratio, body mass index (BMI), serum cotinine, heavy drinking, and physical activity. RESULTS: Among all subjects (N = 545), 486 (90.4%) had normal testosterone levels (defined as ≥231 ng/dL) and 59 (9.6%) had low testosterone levels (defined as < 231 ng/dL). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the odds of low testosterone was significantly greater with increasing SSB consumption (Q4 [≥442 kcal/day] vs. Q1 [≤137 kcal/day]), adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.29, p = 0.041]. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, BMI was an independent risk factor for low testosterone level; subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had a higher risk of having a low testosterone level than those with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (aOR = 3.68, p = 0.044). CONCLUSION: SSB consumption is significantly associated with low serum testosterone in men 20-39 years old in the United States.

[Exogenous H2O2 regulated secondary metabolism of Scutellaria baicalensis and enhanced drug quality].

The increasing demand of Chinese materia medica could not be supplied by wild resource, and the cultivated medicinal materials become popular, which led to decreased quality of many medicinal materials due to the difference of the circumstance between the wild and the cultivated. How to improve quality becomes key points of Chinese medicine resource. The leaves of Scutellaria baicalensis were sprayed with H2O2, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) changed little, but there had been a marked decrease of peroxidase (POD) and ascorbic oxidase (APX), which showed that the antioxidase system declined. Meanwhile, H2O2, as enhanced the expression of phenylalnine ammonialyase (PAL) and ß-glucuronidase (GUS) as well as activity of PAL, promoted the biosynthesis and biotransformation of flavonoids. At the day 2 after treated, H2O2 of 0.004 µmol·L⁻¹ the contents of the baicalin and the wogonoside decreased slightly, but the contents of the baicalein and the wogonin increased significantly, the baicalein from 0.094% to 0.324%, the wogonin from 0.060% to 0.110%, i. e. increased 246% and 83.3%, respectively.