Cascaded compression of size distribution of nanopores in monolayer graphene.

Monolayer graphene with nanometre-scale pores, atomically thin thickness and remarkable mechanical properties provides wide-ranging opportunities for applications in ion and molecular separations1, energy storage2 and electronics3. Because the performance of these applications relies heavily on the size of the nanopores, it is desirable to design and engineer with precision a suitable nanopore size with narrow size distributions. However, conventional top-down processes often yield log-normal distributions with long tails, particularly at the sub-nanometre scale4. Moreover, the size distribution and density of the nanopores are often intrinsically intercorrelated, leading to a trade-off between the two that substantially limits their applications5-9. Here we report a cascaded compression approach to narrowing the size distribution of nanopores with left skewness and ultrasmall tail deviation, while keeping the density of nanopores increasing at each compression cycle. The formation of nanopores is split into many small steps, in each of which the size distribution of all the existing nanopores is compressed by a combination of shrinkage and expansion and, at the same time as expansion, a new batch of nanopores is created, leading to increased nanopore density by each cycle. As a result, high-density nanopores in monolayer graphene with a left-skewed, short-tail size distribution are obtained that show ultrafast and ångström-size-tunable selective transport of ions and molecules, breaking the limitation of the conventional log-normal size distribution9,10. This method allows for independent control of several metrics of the generated nanopores, including the density, mean diameter, standard deviation and skewness of the size distribution, which will lead to the next leap in nanotechnology.

3D Imaging Reveals Complex Microvascular Remodeling in the Right Ventricle in Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pathogenic concepts of right ventricular (RV) failure in pulmonary arterial hypertension focus on a critical loss of microvasculature. However, the methods underpinning prior studies did not take into account the 3-dimensional (3D) aspects of cardiac tissue, making accurate quantification difficult. We applied deep-tissue imaging to the pressure-overloaded RV to uncover the 3D properties of the microvascular network and determine whether deficient microvascular adaptation contributes to RV failure. METHODS: Heart sections measuring 250-µm-thick were obtained from mice after pulmonary artery banding (PAB) or debanding PAB surgery and properties of the RV microvascular network were assessed using 3D imaging and quantification. Human heart tissues harvested at the time of transplantation from pulmonary arterial hypertension cases were compared with tissues from control cases with normal RV function. RESULTS: Longitudinal 3D assessment of PAB mouse hearts uncovered complex microvascular remodeling characterized by tortuous, shorter, thicker, highly branched vessels, and overall preserved microvascular density. This remodeling process was reversible in debanding PAB mice in which the RV function recovers over time. The remodeled microvasculature tightly wrapped around the hypertrophied cardiomyocytes to maintain a stable contact surface to cardiomyocytes as an adaptation to RV pressure overload, even in end-stage RV failure. However, microvasculature-cardiomyocyte contact was impaired in areas with interstitial fibrosis where cardiomyocytes displayed signs of hypoxia. Similar to PAB animals, microvascular density in the RV was preserved in patients with end-stage pulmonary arterial hypertension, and microvascular architectural changes appeared to vary by etiology, with patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease displaying a lack of microvascular complexity with uniformly short segments. CONCLUSIONS: 3D deep tissue imaging of the failing RV in PAB mice, pulmonary hypertension rats, and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension reveals complex microvascular changes to preserve the microvascular density and maintain a stable microvascular-cardiomyocyte contact. Our studies provide a novel framework to understand microvascular adaptation in the pressure-overloaded RV that focuses on cell-cell interaction and goes beyond the concept of capillary rarefaction.

RNA-binding protein Nocte regulates Drosophila development by promoting translation reinitiation on mRNAs with long upstream open reading frames.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are linked to multiple human disorders, but their mechanisms of action remain unclear. Here, we report that one such protein, Nocte, is essential for Drosophila eye development by regulating a critical gene expression cascade at translational level. Knockout of nocte in flies leads to lethality, and its eye-specific depletion impairs eye size and morphology. Nocte preferentially enhances translation of mRNAs with long upstream open reading frames (uORFs). One of the key Nocte targets, glass mRNA, encodes a transcription factor critical for differentiation of photoreceptor neurons and accessory cells, and re-expression of Glass largely rescued the eye defects caused by Nocte depletion. Mechanistically, Nocte counteracts long uORF-mediated translational suppression by promoting translation reinitiation downstream of the uORF. Nocte interacts with translation factors eIF3 and Rack1 through its BAT2 domain, and a Nocte mutant lacking this domain fails to promote translation of glass mRNA. Notably, de novo mutations of human orthologs of Nocte have been detected in schizophrenia patients. Our data suggest that Nocte family of proteins can promote translation reinitiation to overcome long uORFs-mediated translational suppression, and disruption of this function can lead to developmental defects and neurological disorders.

Effective inhibition of PDCoV infection in chimeric APN gene-edited neonatal pigs.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), an emerging enteropathogenic coronavirus, is a serious threat to piglets and has zoonotic potential. Here, we aimed to further explore the role of aminopeptidase N (APN) as a receptor for PDCoV and test the inhibitory effect of a chimeric APN protein strategy on PDCoV infection. PK-15 cells and LLC-PK1 cells expressing chimeric APN were selected and infected with PDCoV. Viral replication was significantly decreased in these chimeric APN cells compared with that in control group cells. To further characterize the effect of the chimeric APN strategy on PDCoV infection in vitro, primary intestinal epithelial cells isolated from chimeric APN pigs were inoculated with PDCoV. Viral challenge of these cells led to decreased PDCoV infection. More importantly, virally challenged chimeric APN neonatal piglets displayed reduced viral load, significantly fewer microscopic lesions in the intestinal tissue, and no diarrhea. Taken together, these findings deepen our understanding of the mechanism of PDCoV infection and provide a valuable model for the production of disease-resistant animals. IMPORTANCE: Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), an emerging enteropathogenic coronavirus, causes diarrhea in piglets and possesses the potential to infect humans. However, there are currently no effective measures for the prevention or control of PDCoV infection. Here, we have developed PK-15 cells, LLC-PK1 cells, and primary intestinal epithelial cells expressing chimeric APN, and viral challenge of these cells led to decreased PDCoV infection. Furthermore, virally challenged chimeric APN neonatal piglets displayed reduced viral load, significantly fewer microscopic lesions in the intestinal tissue, and no diarrhea. These data show that chimeric APN is a promising strategy to combat PDCoV infection.

ISM1 protects lung homeostasis via cell-surface GRP78-mediated alveolar macrophage apoptosis.

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are critical for lung immune defense and homeostasis. They are orchestrators of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), with their number significantly increased and functions altered in COPD. However, it is unclear how AM number and function are controlled in a healthy lung and if changes in AMs without environmental assault are sufficient to trigger lung inflammation and COPD. We report here that absence of isthmin 1 (ISM1) in mice (Ism1-/- ) leads to increase in both AM number and functional heterogeneity, with enduring lung inflammation, progressive emphysema, and significant lung function decline, phenotypes similar to human COPD. We reveal that ISM1 is a lung resident anti-inflammatory protein that selectively triggers the apoptosis of AMs that harbor high levels of its receptor cell-surface GRP78 (csGRP78). csGRP78 is present at a heterogeneous level in the AMs of a healthy lung, but csGRP78high AMs are expanded in Ism1-/- mice, cigarette smoke (CS)-induced COPD mice, and human COPD lung, making these cells the prime targets of ISM1-mediated apoptosis. We show that csGRP78high AMs mostly express MMP-12, hence proinflammatory. Intratracheal delivery of recombinant ISM1 (rISM1) depleted csGRP78high AMs in both Ism1-/- and CS-induced COPD mice, blocked emphysema development, and preserved lung function. Consistently, ISM1 expression in human lungs positively correlates with AM apoptosis, suggesting similar function of ISM1-csGRP78 in human lungs. Our findings reveal that AM apoptosis regulation is an important physiological mechanism for maintaining lung homeostasis and demonstrate the potential of pulmonary-delivered rISM1 to target csGRP78 as a therapeutic strategy for COPD.

Transferable Optical Enhancement Nanostructures by Gapless Stencil Lithography.

Optical spectroscopy techniques are central for the characterization of two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials. However, the reduced volume of atomically thin samples often results in a cross section that is far too low for conventional optical methods to produce measurable signals. In this work, we developed a scheme based on the stencil lithography technique to fabricate transferable optical enhancement nanostructures for Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Equipped with this new nanofabrication technique, we designed and fabricated plasmonic nanostructures to tailor the interaction of few-layer materials with light. We demonstrate orders-of-magnitude increase in the Raman intensity of ultrathin flakes of 2D semiconductors and magnets as well as selective Purcell enhancement of quenched excitons in WSe2/MoS2 heterostructures. We provide evidence that the method is particularly effective for air-sensitive materials, as the transfer can be performed in situ. The fabrication technique can be generalized to enable a high degree of flexibility for functional photonic devices.

Boosting Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Growth by Hydrogen-Free Ramping during Chemical Vapor Deposition.

The controlled vapor-phase synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is essential for functional applications. While chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques have been successful for transition metal sulfides, extending these methods to selenides and tellurides often faces challenges due to uncertain roles of hydrogen (H2) in their synthesis. Using CVD growth of MoSe2 as an example, this study illustrates the role of a H2-free environment during temperature ramping in suppressing the reduction of MoO3, which promotes effective vaporization and selenization of the Mo precursor to form MoSe2 monolayers with excellent crystal quality. As-synthesized MoSe2 monolayer-based field-effect transistors show excellent carrier mobility of up to 20.9 cm2/(V·s) with an on-off ratio of 7 × 107. This approach can be extended to other TMDs, such as WSe2, MoTe2, and MoSe2/WSe2 in-plane heterostructures. Our work provides a rational and facile approach to reproducibly synthesize high-quality TMD monolayers, facilitating their translation from laboratory to manufacturing.

A chromosome-level genome reveals genome evolution and molecular basis of anthraquinone biosynthesis in Rheum palmatum.

BACKGROUND: Rhubarb is one of common traditional Chinese medicine with a diverse array of therapeutic efficacies. Despite its widespread use, molecular research into rhubarb remains limited, constraining our comprehension of the geoherbalism. RESULTS: We assembled the genome of Rheum palmatum L., one of the source plants of rhubarb, to elucidate its genome evolution and unpack the biosynthetic pathways of its bioactive compounds using a combination of PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore, Illumina, and Hi-C scaffolding approaches. Around 2.8 Gb genome was obtained after assembly with more than 99.9% sequences anchored to 11 pseudochromosomes (scaffold N50 = 259.19 Mb). Transposable elements (TE) with a continuous expansion of long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTRs) is predominant in genome size, contributing to the genome expansion of R. palmatum. Totally 30,480 genes were predicted to be protein-coding genes with 473 significantly expanded gene families enriched in diverse pathways associated with high-altitude adaptation for this species. Two successive rounds of whole genome duplication event (WGD) shared by Fagopyrum tataricum and R. palmatum were confirmed. We also identified 54 genes involved in anthraquinone biosynthesis and other 97 genes entangled in flavonoid biosynthesis. Notably, RpALS emerged as a compelling candidate gene for the octaketide biosynthesis after the key residual screening. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings offer not only an enhanced understanding of this remarkable medicinal plant but also pave the way for future innovations in its genetic breeding, molecular design, and functional genomic studies.

Herpes simplex virus 1 accelerates the progression of Alzheimer's disease by modulating microglial phagocytosis and activating NLRP3 pathway.

Accumulating evidence implicates that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has been linked to the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). HSV-1 infection induces ß-amyloid (Aß) deposition in vitro and in vivo, but the effect and precise mechanism remain elusive. Here, we show that HSV-1 infection of the brains of transgenic 5xFAD mice resulted in accelerated Aß deposition, gliosis, and cognitive dysfunction. We demonstrate that HSV-1 infection induced the recruitment of microglia to the viral core to trigger microglial phagocytosis of HSV-GFP-positive neuronal cells. In addition, we reveal that the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway induced by HSV-1 infection played a crucial role in Aß deposition and the progression of AD caused by HSV-1 infection. Blockade of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling reduces Aß deposition and alleviates cognitive decline in 5xFAD mice after HSV-1 infection. Our findings support the notion that HSV-1 infection is a key factor in the etiology of AD, demonstrating that NLRP3 inflammasome activation functions in the interface of HSV-1 infection and Aß deposition in AD.

Th2 and Th17-associated immunopathology following SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection in Spike-vaccinated ACE2-humanized mice.

Vaccines have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in protecting against COVID-19; however, concerns regarding vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory diseases (VAERD) following breakthrough infections have emerged. Spike protein subunit vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 induce VAERD in hamsters, where aluminum adjuvants promote a Th2-biased immune response, leading to increased type 2 pulmonary inflammation in animals with breakthrough infections. To gain a deeper understanding of the potential risks and the underlying mechanisms of VAERD, we immunized ACE2-humanized mice with SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein adjuvanted with aluminum and CpG-ODN. Subsequently, we exposed them to increasing doses of SARS-CoV-2 to establish a breakthrough infection. The vaccine elicited robust neutralizing antibody responses, reduced viral titers, and enhanced host survival. However, following a breakthrough infection, vaccinated animals exhibited severe pulmonary immunopathology, characterized by a significant perivascular infiltration of eosinophils and CD4+ T cells, along with increased expression of Th2/Th17 cytokines. Intracellular flow cytometric analysis revealed a systemic Th17 inflammatory response, particularly pronounced in the lungs. Our data demonstrate that aluminum/CpG adjuvants induce strong antibody and Th1-associated immunity against COVID-19 but also prime a robust Th2/Th17 inflammatory response, which may contribute to the rapid onset of T cell-mediated pulmonary immunopathology following a breakthrough infection. These findings underscore the necessity for further research to unravel the complexities of VAERD in COVID-19 and to enhance vaccine formulations for broad protection and maximum safety.

Long noncoding RNA ANRIL alleviates hypoxia-induced pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell damage.

BACKGROUND: High-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) is a form of noncardiogenic pulmonary oedema. Studies have found that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in HAPE. ANRIL is significant in pulmonary illnesses, which implies that alterations in ANRIL expression levels may be involved in the beginning and development of HAPE. However, the specific mechanism is indistinct. The present study is meant to explore the effect and mechanism of ANRIL on hypoxic-induced injury of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMEVCs). METHODS: In the hypoxic model of PMVECs, overexpression of ANRIL or knockdown of miR-181c-5p was performed to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. Furthermore, the levels of apoptosis-related proteins, inflammatory factors, and vascular active factors were also measured. RESULTS: The results showed that, after 24 h of hypoxia, PMVECs proliferation and migration were suppressed in comparison to the control group, along with an increase in apoptosis, a decrease in the expression of ANRIL, and an increase in the expression of miR-181c-5p (all p < .05). The damage caused by hypoxia in PMVECs can be lessened by overexpressing ANRIL, which also inhibits the production of TNF-α, iNOS, and VEGF as well as BAX and cleaved caspase-3 (all p < .05). Further experimental results showed that overexpression of ANRIL and knockdown of miR-181c-5p had the same protection against hypoxic injury in PMVECs (all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that ANRIL may prevent hypoxia injury to PMVECs in HAPE through the negative regulation of miR-181c-5p.

Left Ventricular Vertical Run-Length Nonuniformity MRI Adds Prognostic Value to MACE in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease.

BACKGROUND: Vertical run-length nonuniformity (VRLN) is a texture feature representing heterogeneity within native T1 images and reflects the extent of cardiac fibrosis. In uremic cardiomyopathy, interstitial fibrosis was the major histological alteration. The prognostic value of VRLN in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remains unclear. PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of VRLN MRI in patients with ESRD. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: A total of 127 ESRD patients (30 participants in the major adverse cardiac events, MACE group). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0 T/steady-state free precession sequence, modified Look-Locker imaging. ASSESSMENT: MRI image qualities were assessed by three independent radiologists. VRLN values were measured in the myocardium on the mid-ventricular short-axis slice of T1 mapping. Left ventricular (LV) mass, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume, as well as LV global strain cardiac parameters were measured. STATISTICAL TESTS: The primary endpoint was the incident of MACE from enrollment time to January 2023. MACE is a composite endpoint consisting of all-cause mortality, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure hospitalization, and life-threatening arrhythmia. Cox proportional-hazards regression was performed to test whether VRLN independently correlated with MACE. The intraclass correlation coefficients of VRLN were calculated to evaluate intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility. The C-index was computed to examine the prognostic value of VRLN. P-value <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Participants were followed for a median of 26 months. VRLN, age, LV end-systolic volume index, and global longitudinal strain remained significantly associated with MACE in the multivariable model. Adding VRLN to a baseline model containing clinical and conventional cardiac MRI parameters significantly improved the accuracy of the predictive model (C-index of the baseline model: 0.781 vs. the model added VRLN: 0.814). DATA CONCLUSION: VRLN is a novel marker for risk stratification toward MACE in patients with ESRD, superior to native T1 mapping and LV ejection fraction. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.

Three-Dimensional Multifrequency MR Elastography for Microvascular Invasion and Prognosis Assessment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Pretreatment identification of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important when selecting treatment strategies. PURPOSE: To improve models for predicting MVI and recurrence-free survival (RFS) by developing nomograms containing three-dimensional (3D) MR elastography (MRE). STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: 188 patients with HCC, divided into a training cohort (n = 150) and a validation cohort (n = 38). In the training cohort, 106/150 patients completed a 2-year follow-up. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5T 3D multifrequency MRE with a single-shot spin-echo echo planar imaging sequence, and 3.0T multiparametric MRI (mp-MRI), consisting of diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging, T2-weighted fast spin echo, in-phase out-of-phase T1-weighted fast spoiled gradient-recalled dual-echo and dynamic contrast-enhanced gradient echo sequences. ASSESSMENT: Multivariable analysis was used to identify the independent predictors for MVI and RFS. Nomograms were constructed for visualization. Models for predicting MVI and RFS were built using mp-MRI parameters and a combination of mp-MRI and 3D MRE predictors. STATISTICAL TESTS: Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests, multivariable analysis, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), DeLong test, Kaplan-Meier analysis and log rank tests. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Tumor c and liver c were independent predictors of MVI and RFS, respectively. Adding tumor c significantly improved the diagnostic performance of mp-MRI (AUC increased from 0.70 to 0.87) for MVI detection. Of the 106 patients in the training cohort who completed the 2-year follow up, 34 experienced recurrence. RFS was shorter for patients with MVI-positive histology than MVI-negative histology (27.1 months vs. >40 months). The MVI predicted by the 3D MRE model yielded similar results (26.9 months vs. >40 months). The MVI and RFS nomograms of the histologic-MVI and model-predicted MVI-positive showed good predictive performance. DATA CONCLUSION: Biomechanical properties of 3D MRE were biomarkers for MVI and RFS. MVI and RFS nomograms were established. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Fractal Analysis of Left Ventricular Trabeculae in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Random Survival Tree Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of left ventricular (LV) trabeculae is related to the prognosis of several cardiovascular diseases. PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of LV trabecular complexity in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). STUDY TYPE: Prospective outcome study. POPULATION: 207 participants on maintenance dialysis, divided into development (160 patients from 2 centers) and external validation (47 patients from a third center) cohorts, and 72 healthy controls. FIELD STRENGTH: 3.0T, steady-state free precession (SSFP) and modified Look-Locker imaging sequences. ASSESSMENT: All participants had their trabecular complexity quantified by fractal analysis using cine SSFP images. Patients were followed up every 2 weeks until April 2023, or endpoint events happened. Random Forest (RF) and Cox regression models including age, diabetes, LV mass index, mean basal fractal dimension (FD), and left atrial volume index, were developed to predict major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Patients were divided into low- and high-risk groups based on scores derived from the RF model and survival compared. STATISTICAL TESTS: Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis; Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log rank tests; Harrel's C-index to assess model performance. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients (26.57%) experienced MACE during a median follow-up time of 21.83 months. An increased mean basal FD (≥1.324) was associated with a significantly higher risk of MACE. The RF model (C-index: 0.81) had significantly better discrimination than the Cox regression model (C-index: 0.74). Participants of the external validation dataset classified into the high-risk group had a hazard of experiencing MACE increased by 12.29 times compared to those in the low-risk group. DATA CONCLUSION: LV basal FD was an independent predictor for MACE in patients with ESRD. Reliable risk stratification models could be generated based on LV basal FD and other MRI variables using RF analysis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Identification of Six Pathogenic Genes for Tibetan Familial Ventricular Septal Defect by Whole Exome Sequencing.

INTRODUCTION: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital heart malformation in children. This study aimed to investigate potential pathogenic genes associated with Tibetan familial VSD. METHODS: Whole genomic DNA was extracted from eight Tibetan children with VSD and their healthy parents (a total of 16 individuals). Whole-exome sequencing was performed using the Illumina HiSeq platform. After filtration, detection, and annotation, single nucleotide variations and insertion-deletion markers were examined. Comparative evaluations using the Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant, PolyPhen V2, Mutation Taster, and Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion databases were conducted to predict harmful mutant genes associated with the etiology of Tibetan familial VSD. RESULTS: A total of six missense mutations in genetic disease-causing genes associated with the development of Tibetan familial VSD were identified: activin A receptor type II-like 1 (c.652 C > T: p.R218 W), ATPase cation transporting 13A2 (c.1363 C > T: p.R455 W), endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (c.481 G > A: p.G161 R), MRI1 (c.629 G > A: p.R210Q), tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (c.224 G > A: p.R75H), and FBN2 (c.2260 G > A: p.G754S). The Human Gene Mutation Database confirmed activin A receptor type II-like 1, MRI1, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 as pathogenic mutations, while FBN2 was classified as a probable pathogenic mutation. CONCLUSIONS: This novel study directly screens genetic variations associated with Tibetan familial VSD using whole-exome sequencing, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of VSD.

Circular RNA circFCHO2(hsa_circ_0002490) promotes the proliferation of melanoma by directly binding to DND1.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been documented to play crucial roles in the biology of various cancers. However, their investigation in melanoma is still at an early stage, particularly as a broader mechanism beyond acting as miRNA sponges needs to be explored. We report here that circFCHO2(hsa_circ_0002490), a circRNA encompassing exons 19 and 20 of the FCHO2 gene, exhibited a consistent overexpression in melanoma tissues. Furthermore, elevated circFCHO2 levels demonstrated a positive correlation with the malignant phenotype and poor prognosis among the 158 melanoma patients studied. Besides, we observed that heightened levels of circFCHO2 promoted melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, along with contributing to tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we found differences in the secondary structure of circFCHO2 compared to most other circular RNA structures. It has fewer miRNA binding sites, while it has more RNA binding protein binding sites. We therefore speculate that circFCHO2 may have a function of interacting with RNA binding proteins. Mechanistically, it was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RNA-pull down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and western blotting assays that circFCHO2 interacts with dead end protein homolog 1 (DND1) and reverses the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by binding to DND1. Our findings reveal that circFCHO2 drives melanoma progression by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through direct binding to DND1 and may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma.

Multi-omics analyses uncover metabolic signatures and gene expression profiles of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: We explore molecular and metabolic pathways involved in interstitial cystitis (IC) with integrating multi-omics analysis for identifying potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. METHODS: Mouse models of IC/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) were established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide and bladder tissue samples were collected for metabolomics and transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: We found a total of 82 and 145 differential metabolites in positive ion modes and negative ion modes, respectively. Glycerophospholipid metabolism, choline metabolism in cancer, and nucleotide metabolism pathways were significantly enriched in the IC/BPS group. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that 1069 upregulated genes and 1087 downregulated genes were detected. Importantly, the stronger enrichment for cell cycle pathway was observed in IC/BPS than that in normal bladder tissue, which may be involved in the process of bladder remodeling. Moreover, the inflammatory response and inflammatory factors related pathways were enriched in the IC/BPS group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide critical directions for further exploration of the molecular pathology underlying IC/BPS.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Vaginal Cryotherapy for the Treatment of Pelvic Floor Myofascial Pain.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Pelvic floor myofascial pain (PFMP) is a common but underrecognized component of chronic pelvic pain and pelvic floor disorders symptoms with limited, well-studied treatment modalities. Our objective was to determine the effect of vaginal cryotherapy on PFMP with palpation. METHODS: Following a standardized PFMP screening examination, individuals with a pain score ≥4/10 in ≥1 of four muscle groups were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial comparing patients undergoing vaginal cryotherapy with controls. Participants in both arms could choose to participate in a single in-office treatment; a 2-week, at-home daily treatment; or both. RESULTS: Between March 2019 and September 2021, a total of 163 participants were enrolled and randomized: 80 to cryotherapy, and 83 to the control group. Sixty-three (28 cryotherapy; 35 controls) completed in-office treatment and 56 (32 cryotherapy; 24 controls) completed at-home therapy. In the in-office comparison, mean pain scores decreased significantly in both arms: cryotherapy (5.13 vs 4.10; p=0.02) and controls (5.60 vs 4.72; p<0.01), with a similar magnitude of reduction between arms (p=0.75). In the at-home comparison, mean pain scores decreased significantly in the cryotherapy arm (6.34 vs 4.75; p<0.01), and nonsignificantly in the control arm (5.41 vs 4.66; p=0.07), resulting in a nonsignificant difference between arms (p=0.14). CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic floor myofascial pain with palpation improved following both a single cryotherapy session and 2 weeks of daily cryotherapy. Interestingly, pain scores also improved with room temperature therapy. Whether these findings reflect a therapeutic effect of both cold and room temperature intravaginal therapy or a placebo effect is unclear but should be explored in larger studies.

Half-spectrum OFDM to quadruple the spectral efficiency of underwater wireless optical communication with digital power division multiplexing.

Improving the spectrum efficiency (SE) is an effective method to further enhance the data rate of bandwidth-limited underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) systems. Non-orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (NOFDM) with a compression factor of 0.5 can save half of the bandwidth without introducing any inter-carrier-interference (ICI) only if the total number of subcarriers is large enough, and we termed it as half-spectrum OFDM (HS-OFDM). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported work on a closed-form HS-OFDM signal in the discrete domain from the perspective of a correlation matrix. Due to the special mathematical property, no extra complex decoding algorithm is required at the HS-OFDM receiver, making it as simple as the conventional OFDM receiver. Compared with traditional OFDM, HS-OFDM can realize the same data rate, but with a larger signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) margin. To fully use the SNR resource of the communication system, we further propose a digital power division multiplexed HS-OFDM (DPDM-HS-OFDM) scheme to quadruple the SE of conventional OFDM for the bandwidth-starved UWOCs. The experimental results show that HS-OFDM can improve the receiver sensitivity by around 4 dB as opposed to conventional 4QAM-OFDM with the same data rate and SE. With the help of the DPDM-HS-OFDM scheme, the data rate of multi-user UWOC can reach up to 4.5 Gbps under the hard-decision forward error correction (HD-FEC) limit of a bit error rate (BER) of 3.8×10-3. Although there is some performance degradation in comparison with single-user HS-OFDM, the BER performance of multi-user DPDM-HS-OFDM is still superior to that of conventional single-user 4QAM-OFDM. Both single-user HS-OFDM and multi-user DPDM-HS-OFDM successfully achieve 2 Gbps/75 m data transmission, indicating that the DPDM-HS-OFDM scheme is of great importance in bandwidth-limited UWOC systems and has guiding significance to underwater wireless optical multiple access.

Association Between CYP24A1 Polymorphisms and Bladder Cancer Risk in the Chinese Han Population.

In this cohort of 217 bladder cancer patients and 484 healthy controls, we explored the association between CYP24A1 variants (rs2762934, rs1570669, rs6068816, rs2296241) and bladder cancer risk in the Chinese Han population. Utilizing the Agena MassARRAY system, we genotyped four selected CYP24A1 polymorphisms. Logistic regression revealed a significant association of rs2762934 and rs1570669 with elevated bladder cancer risk, while rs6068816 exhibited a protective effect. Bioinformatics analysis of CYP24A1 expression in normal and cancerous bladder tissues indicated higher expression in normal tissue. In conclusion, our findings highlight the potential role of CYP24A1 variants in bladder cancer susceptibility.