irGSEA: the integration of single-cell rank-based gene set enrichment analysis.

irGSEA is an R package designed to assess the outcomes of various gene set scoring methods when applied to single-cell RNA sequencing data. This package incorporates six distinct scoring methods that rely on the expression ranks of genes, emphasizing relative expression levels over absolute values. The implemented methods include AUCell, UCell, singscore, ssGSEA, JASMINE and Viper. Previous studies have demonstrated the robustness of these methods to variations in dataset size and composition, generating enrichment scores based solely on the relative gene expression of individual cells. By employing the robust rank aggregation algorithm, irGSEA amalgamates results from all six methods to ascertain the statistical significance of target gene sets across diverse scoring methods. The package prioritizes user-friendliness, allowing direct input of expression matrices or seamless interaction with Seurat objects. Furthermore, it facilitates a comprehensive visualization of results. The irGSEA package and its accompanying documentation are accessible on GitHub (https://github.com/chuiqin/irGSEA).

Investigating the Role of Extracellular Matrix Stiffness in Modulating the Ferroptosis Process in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness modulates a variety of cellular processes, including ferroptosis, a process with significant potential implications for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, the exact relationship between ECM stiffness and HCC ferroptosis is yet unclarified, partially due to the lack of in situ information on key parameters of the ferroptosis process of living HCC cells. This study pioneers the use of in vitro mechanical microenvironment models of HCC and the scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) technique for understanding this interplay. We first cultured HuH7 cells on 4.0, 18.0, and 44.0 kPa polyacrylamide (PA) gels to simulate early, intermediate, and advanced HCC ECM stiffness, respectively. Then, we used SECM to in situ monitor changes in cell membrane permeability, respiratory activity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels of erastin-induced HuH7 cells on PA gels, finding that increasing ECM stiffness potentiates ferroptosis, including increased membrane permeabilization and H2O2 release as well as reduced respiratory activity. Through further transcriptome sequencing and molecular biology measurements, we identified a critical role for focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-mediated yes-associated protein (YAP) in regulating the ferroptosis process dependent on ECM stiffness, which provides novel insights into the mechanical regulation of ferroptosis in HCC cells and may pave the way for innovative therapeutic strategies.

Integrative single-cell transcriptomic analyses reveal the cellular ontological and functional heterogeneities of primary and metastatic liver tumors.

BACKGROUND: The global cellular landscape of the tumor microenvironment (TME) combining primary and metastatic liver tumors has not been comprehensively characterized. METHODS: Based on the scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomic data of non-tumor liver tissues (NTs), primary liver tumors (PTs) and metastatic liver tumors (MTs), we performed the tissue preference, trajectory reconstruction, transcription factor activity inference, cell-cell interaction and cellular deconvolution analyses to construct a comprehensive cellular landscape of liver tumors. RESULTS: Our analyses depicted the heterogeneous cellular ecosystems in NTs, PTs and MTs. The activated memory B cells and effector T cells were shown to gradually shift to inhibitory B cells, regulatory or exhausted T cells in liver tumors, especially in MTs. Among them, we characterized a unique group of TCF7+ CD8+ memory T cells specifically enriched in MTs that could differentiate into exhausted T cells likely driven by the p38 MAPK signaling. With regard to myeloid cells, the liver-resident macrophages and inflammatory monocyte/macrophages were markedly replaced by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), with TREM2+ and UBE2C+ TAMs enriched in PTs, while SPP1+ and WDR45B+ TAMs in MTs. We further showed that the newly identified WDR45B+ TAMs exhibit an M2-like polarization and are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with liver metastases. Additionally, we addressed that endothelial cells display higher immune tolerance and angiogenesis capacity, and provided evidence for the source of the mesenchymal transformation of fibroblasts in tumors. Finally, the malignant hepatocytes and fibroblasts were prioritized as the pivotal cell populations in shaping the microenvironments of PTs and MTs, respectively. Notably, validation analyses by using spatial or bulk transcriptomic data in clinical cohorts concordantly emphasized the clinical significance of these findings. CONCLUSIONS: This study defines the ontological and functional heterogeneities in cellular ecosystems of primary and metastatic liver tumors, providing a foundation for future investigation of the underlying cellular mechanisms.

An enhanced model for environmental dry eye: Exploring pathological features and underlying factors.

This study aimed to develop an enhanced environmental dry eye (EDE) model that accurately reproduces the etiology of prolonged visual fatigue and investigates the underlying pathological features. A total of 40 adult SPF-grade Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control (n = 20) and model (n = 20) groups. Rats in the control group were maintained under normal conditions, while rats in the model group were exposed to a controlled frontal airflow of 2-4 m/s from a fan for 7.5 h daily while placed on a suspended cylindrical wire mesh frame. Various assessments were performed at different time points during the 14-day experiment, including blink frequency, tear secretion (phenol red thread test), tear film breakup time (BUT), fluorescein staining (FL), corneal epithelial status (light microscopy), ultrastructure of corneal epithelial cells (electron microscopy), and expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α) in tears (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Additionally, mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-9, IL1ß, IL6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and caspase-3 in corneal tissues were quantified (real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting). Compared to the control group, the model group rats exhibited significant decreases in blink frequency (P < 0.001), tear secretion (Schirmer I test) values (P < 0.001), and tear film breakup time levels (P < 0.001). There was also a significant increase in fluorescein staining scores (P < 0.001) in the model group. Histological examination revealed distinct differences of the corneal epithelium between groups. The corneal epithelium of the model group appeared thicker, with disorganized cell arrangement in the superficial and basal layers, partial defects or detachment of superficial epithelial cells, and a rough, uneven surface. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed a rough corneal epithelial surface with numerous cracks and scattered vesicular-like structures in the model group. Furthermore, the model group rats exhibited a significant increase in expression of IL-1ß and TNF-α in tears (P < 0.001), and upregulated expression levels of MMP-9, TNF-α, IL-1ß, caspase-3, IL-6, and IFN-γ at both the mRNA and protein levels in corneal tissues (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the modified "wire-meshing cylindrical board" model effectively overcomes the limitations of the traditional "jogging board " dry eye model and successfully simulates the etiology of prolonged visual fatigue. This innovative EDE model demonstrates a high degree of relevance to dry eye conditions resulting from prolonged visual tasks, with a high success rate of model induction. Moreover, it proves to be a simple, practical, and easily replicable model, making it highly suitable for further studies on prolonged visual fatigue and facilitating its widespread adoption in research and clinical applications.

Association Analysis Between Intratumoral and Peritumoral MRI Radiomics Features and Overall Survival of Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The use of peritumoral features to determine the survival time of patients with rectal cancer (RC) is still imprecise. PURPOSE: To explore the correlation between intratumoral, peritumoral and combined features, and overall survival (OS). STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: One hundred sixty-six RC patients (53 women, 113 men; average age: 55 ± 12 years) who underwent radical resection after neoadjuvant therapy. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T; T2WI sagittal, T1WI axial, T2WI axial with fat suppression, and high-resolution T2WI axial sequences, enhanced T1WI axial and sagittal sequences with fat suppression. ASSESSMENT: Radiologist A segmented 166 patients, and radiologist B randomly segmented 30 patients. Intratumoral and peritumoral features were extracted, and features with good stability (ICC ≥0.75) were retained through intra-observer analysis. Seven classifiers, including Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Random Forest (RF), Extremely randomized trees (ET), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and LightGBM (LGBM), were applied to select the classifier with the best performance. Next, the Rad-score of best classifier and the clinical features were selected to establish the models, thus, nomogram was built to identify the association with 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS. STATISTICAL TESTS: LASSO, regression analysis, ROC, DeLong method, Kaplan-Meier curve. P < 0.05 indicated a significant difference. RESULTS: Only Node (irregular tumor nodules in the surrounding mesentery) and ExtraMRF (lymph nodes outside the perirectal mesentery) were significantly different in 20 clinical features. Twelve intratumoral, 3 peritumoral, and 14 combined features related to OS were selected. LR, SVM, and RF classier showed the best efficacy in the intratumoral, peritumoral, and combined model, respectively. The combined model (AUC = 0.954 and 0.821) had better survival association than the intratumoral model (AUC = 0.833 and 0.813) and the peritumoral model (AUC = 0.824 and 0.687). DATA CONCLUSION: The proposed peritumoral model with radiomics features may serve as a tool to improve estimated survival time. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 4.

Long Non-coding RNA LINC00342 Promotes the Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration of Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Regulating the Expression of miRNA-19a-3p, miRNA-545-5p, and miRNA-203a-3p.

This study aimed to investigate the role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00342-207 (LINC00342) in the development and progression of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Forty-two surgically resected HCC tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues were collected from October 2019 to December 2020 and examined for lncRNA LINC00342, microRNA (miR)-19a-3p, miR-545-5p, miR-203a-3p, cell cycle protein D1 (CyclinD1/CCND1), murine double minute 2 (MDM2), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) expression. The disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with HCC were followed up. HCC cell lines and the normal hepatocyte cell line HL-7702 were cultured and the expression level of LINC00342 was measured. HepG2 cells were transfected with LINC00342 siRNA, LINC00342 overexpression plasmid, miR-19a-3p mimics and their corresponding suppressors, miR-545-5p mimics and their corresponding suppressors, and miR-203a-3p mimics and their corresponding suppressors. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of HepG2 cells were detected. Stably transfected HepG2 cells were inoculated into the left axilla of male BALB/c nude mice, and the volume and quality of transplanted tumors as well as the expression levels of LINC00342, miR-19a-3p, miR-545-5p, miR-203a-3p, CCND1, MDM2, and FGF2 were examined. LINC00342 played an oncogenic role in HCC and exhibited inhibitory effects on proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted the apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Moreover, it inhibited the growth of transplanted tumors in vivo in mice. Mechanistically, the oncogenic effect of LINC00342 was associated with the targeted regulation of the miR-19a-3p/CCND1, miR-545-5p/MDM2, and miR-203a-3p/FGF2 axes.

Pubertal exposure to Microcystin-LR arrests spermatogonia proliferation by inducing DSB and inhibiting SIRT6 dependent DNA repair in vivo and in vitro.

The reproduction toxicity of pubertal exposure to Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and the underlying mechanism needs to be further investigated. In the current study, pubertal male ICR mice were intraperitoneally injected with 2 µg/kg MC-LR for four weeks. Pubertal exposure to MC-LR decreased epididymal sperm concentration and blocked spermatogonia proliferation. In-vitro studies found MC-LR inhibited cell proliferation of GC-1 cells and arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase. Mechanistically, MC-LR exposure evoked excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induced DNA double-strand break in GC-1 cells. Besides, MC-LR inhibited DNA repair by reducing PolyADP-ribosylation (PARylation) activity of PARP1. Further study found MC-LR caused proteasomal degradation of SIRT6, a monoADP-ribosylation enzyme which is essential for PARP1 PARylation activity, due to destruction of SIRT6-USP10 interaction. Additionally, MG132 pretreatment alleviated MC-LR-induced SIRT6 degradation and promoted DNA repair, leading to the restoration of cell proliferation inhibition. Correspondingly, N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) pre-treatment mitigated the disturbed SIRT6-USP10 interaction and SIRT6 degradation, causing recovered DNA repair and subsequently restoration of cell proliferation inhibition in MC-LR treated GC-1 cells. Together, pubertal exposure to MC-LR induced spermatogonia cell cycle arrest and sperm count reduction by oxidative DNA damage and simultaneous SIRT6-mediated DNA repair failing. This study reports the effect of pubertal exposure to MC-LR on spermatogenesis and complex mechanism how MC-LR induces spermatogonia cell proliferation inhibition.

Maximizing utility of neuropsychological measures in sex-specific predictive models of incident Alzheimer's disease in the Framingham Heart Study.

INTRODUCTION: Sex differences in neuropsychological (NP) test performance might have important implications for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigates sex differences in neuropsychological performance among individuals without dementia at baseline. METHODS: Neuropsychological assessment data, both standard test scores and process coded responses, from Framingham Heart Study participants were analyzed for sex differences using regression model and Cox proportional hazards model. Optimal NP profiles were identified by machine learning methods for men and women. RESULTS: Sex differences were observed in both summary scores and composite process scores of NP tests in terms of adjusted means and their associations with AD incidence. The optimal NP profiles for men and women have 10 and 8 measures, respectively, and achieve 0.76 mean area under the curve for AD prediction. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that NP tests can be leveraged for developing more sensitive, sex-specific indices for the diagnosis of AD.

The therapeutic effect of Loranthus parasiticus lignan derivatives on collagen-induced arthritis in rats through the SHBG/NFκB pathway.

Lignan-rich beans, nuts, and various seeds are the main foods with antioxidative and hormone-modulating activities. Although the role of lignans in mediating hormone-dependent cancers and cardiovascular diseases is well characterized, the function of lignans in anti-arthritic activity and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Three new lignan derivatives, (-)-nortrachelogenin, trachelogenin, and matairesinol, were extracted from Loranthus parasiticus. After establishing the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model by intradermal injection of collagen, rats were treated with three new lignan derivatives ((-)-nortrachelogenin: 37%; trachelogenin: 27%; matairesinol: 25.7%) at a concentration of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, or methotrexate at 0.3 mg/kg. Mixed lignan derivatives significantly attenuated the immune responses in the joints of CIA rats, leading to lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and higher levels of free androgen in the serum compared to the CIA model. The results of molecular docking using AutoDock Vina showed that the lignan derivative (-)-nortrachelogenin was the most effective compound for binding to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), thus inhibiting the activity of NFκB in LPS-stimulated macrophages. In this study, (-)-nortrachelogenin was identified as a novel natural lignan derivative with previously unrecognized anti-inflammatory activity. Its molecular mechanism appears related to the regulation of the NFκB/SHBG pathway. Our findings suggest that further application of sex hormone-like compounds in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and the potential clinical applications of (-)-nortrachelogenin are promising.

Genomic survey and expression analysis of cellulose synthase superfamily and COBRA-like gene family in Zanthoxylum bungeanum stipule thorns.

The Cellulose Synthase gene (CS) superfamily and COBRA-like (COBL) gene family are essential for synthesizing cellulose and hemicellulose, which play a crucial role in cell wall biosynthesis and the hardening of plant tissues. Our study identified 126 ZbCS and 31 ZbCOBL genes from the Zanthoxylum bungeanum (Zb) genome. Phylogenetic analysis and conservative domain analysis unfolded that ZbCS and ZbCOBL genes were divided into seven and two subfamilies, respectively. Gene duplication data suggested that more than 75% of these genes had tandem and fragment duplications. Codon usage patterns analysis indicated that the ZbCS and ZbCOBL genes prefer ending with A/T base, with weak codon preference. Furthermore, seven key ZbCS and five key ZbCOBL genes were identified based on the content of cellulose and hemicellulose and the expression characteristics of ZbCS and ZbCOBL genes in various stages of stipule thorns. Altogether, these results improve the understanding of CS and COBL genes and provide valuable reference data for cultivating Zb with soft thorns. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-024-01432-x.

In Situ and Quantitatively Monitoring the Dynamic Process of Ferroptosis in Single Cancer Cells by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Ferroptosis, as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancers, has aroused great interest. Quantifying the quick dynamic changes in key parameters during the early course of ferroptosis can provide insights for understanding the underlying mechanisms of ferroptosis and help the development of therapies targeting ferroptosis. However, in situ and quantitatively monitoring the quick responses of living cancer cells to ferroptosis at the single-cell level remains technically challenging. In this work, we selected HuH7 cells (hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells) as a cell model and Erastin as a typical ferroptosis inducer. We utilized scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to quantitatively and in situ monitor the early course of ferroptosis in HuH7 cells by characterizing the three key parameters of cell ferroptosis (i.e., cell membrane permeability, respiratory activity, and the redox state). The SECM results show that the membrane permeability of ferroptotic HuH7 cells continuously increased from 0 to 8.1 × 10-5 m s-1, the cellular oxygen consumption was continuously reduced by half, and H2O2 released from the cells exhibited periodic bursts during the early course of ferroptosis, indicating the gradually destroyed cell membrane structure and intensified oxidative stress. Our work realizes, for the first time, the in situ and quantitative monitoring of the cell membrane permeability, respiratory activity, and H2O2 level of the early ferroptosis process of a single living cancer cell with SECM, which can contribute to the understanding of the physiological process and underlying mechanisms of ferroptosis.

Defining RSV epidemic season in southwest China and assessing the relationship between birth month and RSV infection: A 10-year retrospective study from June 2009 to May 2019.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common causes of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). However, only limited information is available regarding its seasonality and its relationship with birth month. A retrospective hospital-based study was carried out from June 2009 to May 2019 in Chongqing, southwest of China. LRTI cases under 5 years were enrolled in this study and PCR was used to detect 8 respiratory viruses. RSV seasonality was determined using "average annual percentage" (AAP) and "percent positivity" method. A total of 6991 cases were enrolled in this study, with an RSV positivity of 34.5%. From June 2009 to May 2019, we analyzed RSV epidemic season during 10 RSV epidemic years in Chongqing using two methods. The result of AAP method was similar to that of percent positivity method with a 30% threshold, which showed an epidemic season of roughly October to March in the subsequent year, with a small peak in June. On average, the RSV epidemic season in RSV-A dominant years typically started earlier (week 42 for RSV-A vs. week 46 for RSV-B), ended earlier (week 12 for RSV-A vs. week 14 for RSV-B), lasted longer (24 weeks for RSV-A vs. 22 weeks for RSV-B), and reached its peak earlier (week 2 for RSV-A vs. week 3 for RSV-B) than in RSV-B dominant years. The proportion of severe LRTI was higher in cases of single infection with RSV-A compared to those of single infection with RSV-B (26.3% vs. 22.3%, p = 0.024). Among infants under 1 year, those born in May and August through December were more likely to be infected with RSV. Infants born 1-2 months before the epidemic season were relatively more susceptible to RSV infection. In Chongqing, the RSV epidemic was seasonal and usually lasted from October to March of next year with a small peak in summer. Infants born 1-2 months before the epidemic season were relatively more susceptible to RSV infection and this population should be targeted while developing RSV immunization strategies.

The SIRT3 activator ganoderic acid D regulates airway mucin MUC5AC expression via the NRF2/GPX4 pathway.

PURPOSE: The expression of MUC5AC, a highly prevalent airway mucin, is regulated by stimulatory factors such as oxidative stress. Ganoderic acid D (GAD) activates mitochondrial deacetylase SIRT3. SIRT3 regulates mitochondrial function through deacetylation of mitochondrial proteins, thereby playing a significant role in alleviating oxidative stress-related diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mechanisms and rationale underlying the regulation of MUC5AC expression by GAD. METHODS: Human airway epithelial cells (NCI-H292) were exposed to pyocyanin (PCN) to establish an in vitro cell model of airway mucus hypersecretion. The expression of SIRT3, MUC5AC, and NRF2 pathway proteins in cells was assessed. Cellular mitochondrial morphology and oxidative stress markers were analyzed. C57BL/6 mice were induced with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) to establish an in vivo mouse model of airway mucus hypersecretion. The expression of SIRT3 and MUC5AC in the airways was examined. In addition, the differential expression of target genes in the airway epithelial tissues of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was analyzed using publicly available databases. RESULTS: The results revealed a significant upregulation of MUC5AC expression and a significant downregulation of SIRT3 expression in relation to airway mucus hypersecretion. GAD inhibited the overexpression of MUC5AC in PCN-induced NCI-H292 cells and PA-induced mouse airways by upregulating SIRT3. GAD activated the NRF2/GPX4 pathway and inhibited PCN-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial morphological changes in NCI-H292 cells. However, ML385 inhibited the regulatory effects of GAD on MUC5AC expression. CONCLUSION: The SIRT3 activator GAD downregulated MUC5AC expression, potentially through activation of the NRF2/GPX4 pathway. Accordingly, GAD may be a potential treatment approach for airway mucus hypersecretions.

Exploring the Relationship Between Auditory Brainstem Response Testing and Disease Progression in Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to examine auditory brainstem response (ABR) test results in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to provide valuable insights for the future diagnosis and treatment of ASD. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis involving 26 children diagnosed with ASD admitted to our hospital between April 2021 and December 2022 (the observation group) and 38 children who underwent health checkups during the same period (the control group). ABR testing was administered to both groups at our hospital. We assessed differences in ABR test results between the observation and control groups and analyzed the correlation between ABR test results and the outcomes of the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) surveys. Additionally, we examined variations in ABR test results among ASD children across different age groups. Results: In the observation group, we observed higher right ear latencies of waves I and III, as well as differences in left and right ear interpeak latencies (IPLs) of waves I-V compared to the control group (P < .05). However, the left and right ear IPLs of waves III-V were lower in the observation group (P < .05). There were no significant differences in ABR test results among ASD children of different ages (P > .05). Furthermore, we identified positive correlations between the right ear wave III latency, left ear wave I-III IPL, and right ear wave I-III IPL with ABC and CARS scores (P < .05). Conclusions: Children with ASD display abnormal ABR characteristics, indicating the potential of ABR as a valuable tool for evaluating ASD progression in the future.

1-Nitropyrene disrupts testicular steroidogenesis via oxidative stress-evoked PERK-eIF2α pathway.

Our previous study showed 1-Nitropyrene (1-NP) exposure disrupted testicular testosterone synthesis in mouse, but the exact mechanism needs further investigation. The present research found 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inhibitor, recovered 1-NP-induced ER stress and testosterone synthases reduction in TM3 cells. GSK2606414, a protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) kinase inhibitor, attenuated 1-NP-induced PERK-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) signaling activation and downregulation of steroidogenic proteins in TM3 cells. Both 4-PBA and GSK2606414 attenuated 1-NP-induced steroidogenesis disruption in TM3 cells. Further studies used N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as a classical antioxidant to explore whether oxidative stress-activated ER stress mediated 1-NP-induced testosterone synthases reduction and steroidogenesis disruption in TM3 cells and mouse testes. The results showed NAC pretreatment mitigated oxidative stress, and subsequently attenuated ER stress, particularly PERK-eIF2α signaling activation, and downregulation of testosterone synthases in 1-NP-treated TM3 cells. More importantly, NAC extenuated 1-NP-induced testosterone synthesis in vitro and in vivo. The current work indicated that oxidative stress-caused ER stress, particularly PERK-eIF2α pathway activation, mediates 1-NP-downregulated steroidogenic proteins and steroidogenesis disruption in TM3 cells and mouse testes. Significantly, the current study provides a theoretical basis and demonstrates the experimental evidence for the potential application of antioxidant, such as NAC, in public health prevention, particularly in 1-NP-induced endocrine disorder.

Association of embryo aneuploidy and sperm DNA damage in unexplained recurrent implantation failure patients under NGS-based PGT-A cycles.

PURPOSE: Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is one of the most common conditions affecting In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. Aneuploidy embryos, one of the main types of embryos-related factors, was reported to be a major contributor to RIF. The present study aimed to examine the association between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and outcomes of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) in unexplained RIF patients. METHODS: This study analyzed 119 couples with unexplained RIF who underwent 119 PGT-A cycles between January, 2017 and March, 2022. The 119 males were divided into 3 groups according to their sperm DFI levels: Group1 (low, DFI ≤ 15%, n = 50), Group2 (medium, 15% < DFI < 30%, n = 41) and Group3 (high, DFI ≥ 30%, n = 28). Sperm DFI was measured by sperm chromatin structure analysis (SCSA) technique. Trophectoderm biopsy on day 5 or 6 were performed with NGS technique. The following outcomes of PGT-A were analyzed and compared: fertilization, good-quality embryos, aneuploidy rate, miscarriage, live birth and newborn defects. RESULTS: The component of aneuploidy embryos was significantly higher in high DFI group (42.71%) than that of medium group (28.39%) and low group (27.80%). The miscarriage rate of high DFI group (27.27%) and medium group (14.29%) is significantly higher than that of low group (0.00%). No significant differences were found regarding fertility, good-quality embryo rate, pregnancy rate, live birth rate or newborn defects among three groups. CONCLUSION: The sperm DNA damage is associated with blastocyst aneuploidy and miscarriage rate in unexplained RIF cases. Embryo selection by PGT-A and efforts to decrease sperm DFI before IVF/ICSI treatments should be considered for those male patients with high DFI.

Examination of potentially modifiable dementia risk factors across the adult life course: The Framingham Heart Study.

INTRODUCTION: We examined for associations between potentially modifiable risk factors across the adult life course and incident dementia. METHODS: Participants from the Framingham Heart Study were included (n = 4015). Potential modifiable risk factors included education, alcohol intake, smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, social network, diabetes, and hypertension. Cox models were used to examine associations between each factor and incident dementia, stratified by early adult life (33-44 years), midlife (45-65 years), and late life (66-80 years). RESULTS: Increased dementia risk was associated with diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07-2.46) and physical inactivity (HR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.12-2.20) in midlife, and with obesity (HR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.08-2.87) in late life. Having multiple potential modifiable risk factors in midlife and late life was associated with greater risk. DISCUSSION: Potentially modifiable risk factors individually have limited impact on dementia risk in this population across the adult life course, although in combination they may have a synergistic effect. HIGHLIGHTS: Diabetes and physical inactivity in midlife is associated with increased dementia risk. Obesity in late life is associated with increased dementia risk. Having more potentially modifiable risk factors in midlife and late life is associated with greater dementia risk.

Comparison of selected photon shield and organ-based tube current modulation for radiation dose reduction in head computed tomography: A phantom study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the radiation dose and image quality of head CT using SPS and OBTCM techniques. METHODS: Three anthropomorphic head phantoms (1-yr-old, 5-yr-old, and adult) were used. Images were acquired using four modes (Default protocol, OBTCM, SPS, and SPS+OBTCM). Absorbed dose to the lens, anterior brain (brain_A), and posterior brain (brain_P) was measured and compared. Image noise and CNR were assessed in the selected regions of interest (ROIs). RESULTS: Compared with that in the Default protocol, the absorbed dose to the lens reduced by up to 28.33%,71.38%, and 71.12% in OBTCM, SPS, and SPS+OBTCM, respectively. The noise level in OBTCM slightly (≤1.45HU) increased than that in Default protocol, and the SPS or SPS+OBTCM mode resulted in a quantitatively small increase (≤2.58HU) in three phantoms. There was no significant difference in CNR of different phantoms under varies scanning modes (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During head CT examinations, the SPS mode can reduce the radiation dose while maintaining image quality. SPS+OBTCM couldn't further effectively reduce the absorbed dose to the lens for 1-yr and 5-yr-old phantoms. Thus, SPS mode in pediatric and SPS+OBTCM mode in adult are better than other modes, and should be used in clinical practice.

Codon usage bias and genetic diversity in chloroplast genomes of Elaeagnus species (Myrtiflorae: Elaeagnaceae).

Codon usage bias (CUB) reveals the characteristics of species and can be utilized to understand their evolutionary relationship, increase the target genes' expression in the heterologous receptor plants, and further provide theoretic assistance for correlative study on molecular biology and genetic breeding. The chief aim of this work was to analyze the CUB in chloroplast (cp.) genes in nine Elaeagnus species to provide references for subsequent studies. The codons of Elaeagnus cp. genes preferred to end with A/T bases rather than with G/C bases. Most of the cp. genes were prone to mutation, while the rps7 genes were identical in sequences. Natural selection was inferred to have a powerful impact on the CUB in Elaeagnus cp. genomes, and their CUB was extremely strong. In addition, the optimal codons were identified in the nine cp. genomes based on the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, and the optimal codon numbers were between 15 and 19. The clustering analyses based on RSCU were contrasted with the maximum likelihood (ML)-based phylogenetic tree derived from coding sequences, suggesting that the t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding clustering method was more appropriate for evolutionary relationship analysis than the complete linkage method. Moreover, the ML-based phylogenetic tree based on the conservative matK genes and the whole cp. genomes had visible differences, indicating that the sequences of specific cp. genes were profoundly affected by their surroundings. Following the clustering analysis, Arabidopsis thaliana was considered the optimal heterologous expression receptor plant for the Elaeagnus cp. genes. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-023-01289-6.

CRISPR-Edited Stem Cells in a Patient with HIV and Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

The safety of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-based genome editing in the context of human gene therapy is largely unknown. CCR5 is a reasonable but not absolutely protective target for a cure of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection, because CCR5-null blood cells are largely resistant to HIV-1 entry. We transplanted CRISPR-edited CCR5-ablated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) into a patient with HIV-1 infection and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The acute lymphoblastic leukemia was in complete remission with full donor chimerism, and donor cells carrying the ablated CCR5 persisted for more than 19 months without gene editing-related adverse events. The percentage of CD4+ cells with CCR5 ablation increased by a small degree during a period of antiretroviral-therapy interruption. Although we achieved successful transplantation and long-term engraftment of CRISPR-edited HSPCs, the percentage of CCR5 disruption in lymphocytes was only approximately 5%, which indicates the need for further research into this approach. (Funded by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03164135.).