Prediction and Interpretation Microglia Cytotoxicity by Machine Learning.

Ameliorating microglia-mediated neuroinflammation is a crucial strategy in developing new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. Plant compounds are an important screening target for the discovery of drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the spatial complexity of phytochemicals, it becomes particularly important to evaluate the effectiveness of compounds while avoiding the mixing of cytotoxic substances in the early stages of compound screening. Traditional high-throughput screening methods suffer from high cost and low efficiency. A computational model based on machine learning provides a novel avenue for cytotoxicity determination. In this study, a microglia cytotoxicity classifier was developed using a machine learning approach. First, we proposed a data splitting strategy based on the molecule murcko generic scaffold, under this condition, three machine learning approaches were coupled with three kinds of molecular representation methods to construct microglia cytotoxicity classifier, which were then compared and assessed by the predictive accuracy, balanced accuracy, F1-score, and Matthews Correlation Coefficient. Then, the recursive feature elimination integrated with support vector machine (RFE-SVC) dimension reduction method was introduced to molecular fingerprints with high dimensions to further improve the model performance. Among all the microglial cytotoxicity classifiers, the SVM coupled with ECFP4 fingerprint after feature selection (ECFP4-RFE-SVM) obtained the most accurate classification for the test set (ACC of 0.99, BA of 0.99, F1-score of 0.99, MCC of 0.97). Finally, the Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) method was used in interpreting the microglia cytotoxicity classifier and key substructure smart identified as structural alerts. Experimental results show that ECFP4-RFE-SVM have reliable classification capability for microglia cytotoxicity, and SHAP can not only provide a rational explanation for microglia cytotoxicity predictions, but also offer a guideline for subsequent molecular cytotoxicity modifications.

High-Intensity Progressive Rehabilitation Versus Routine Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of high-intensity progressive rehabilitation training with routine training in the early treatment of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: There were 78 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty and were randomized into high-intensity progressive training and routine rehabilitation training groups (RRT). The primary outcome measures were the American Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS), with secondary outcomes including patient satisfaction, visual analog pain score, first time of standing after surgery, 6-minute walk test, 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), and length of hospital stay. The incidence of postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: The HSS scores were higher in the intervention group at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months postoperatively (P < .001). The RRT group had higher visual analog pain scores than the intervention group at 24 hours, 3 days, and 2 weeks after surgery (P < .001). The intervention group had an earlier the first time of standing after surgery and a longer 6-minute walk test distance (P < .001, P = .028, P < .001, P < .001). Patient satisfaction was higher in the intervention group, with a higher quality of life rating at 3 months postoperatively (P < .001). However, 1 year after surgery, the 2 groups had no significant differences in mental component summaries. The length of hospital stay was shorter in the intervention group than in the RRT group. CONCLUSION: Compared to routine training, high-intensity progressive rehabilitation training is more effective. It reduces postoperative patient pain, accelerates recovery of joint function, increases patient satisfaction, improves quality of life, shortens hospital stays, and promotes rapid recovery.

Crowned dens syndrome: A rare form of acute neck pain and headache that can be misdiagnosed or missed.

Crowned dens syndrome (CDS) occurs due to the deposition of calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) in the ligament tissue around the odontoid process of the axis. CDS is characterized by acute neck pain, stiffness, fever, and elevated inflammatory markers. It is a rare cause of neck pain among older people. We report a 71-year-old female patient who presented with acute neck pain, headache, with dizziness. Body temperature showed normal, with elevated C-reactive protein and ESR in the blood. Over the past 5 years, the patient has experienced neck and head pain several times.MRI of the head and CT scan of the neck showed calcification of the transverse atlantoaxial and cruciate ligament in combination with mild compression of the medulla oblongata. The patient was given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine for 10 days, with significant symptom improvement and no recurrence at 10 months of follow-up.

Anti-neuroinflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo, and chemical profile of Jatropha curcas L.

The ethyl acetate extract of the stems of Jatropha curcas (ESJ) exerted prominent anti-neuroinflammatory effect through inhibiting microglial overactivation, and reducing mRNA expression of inflammatory factors, including nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase, and interleukin-1ß in the cortex and the formation of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes in C57BL/6 mice. Phytochemical research afforded twenty-three major constituents, including five undescribed components (diterpenes 1-3, 7 and a triterpene 18) and a new natural product [a diterpene, (3S,5S,10R)-3-hydroxy-12-methoxy-13-methylpodopcarpa-8,11,13-trien-7-one (8)], by comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data. Bioassay showed that ESJ (IC50: 6.49 µg/mL), diterpenes 1, 5, 12, 14, 15, 17, triterpenes 18, 19, preussomerin 22, and lactone 23 (IC50 values from 0.10 to 49.05 µM) inhibited NO production more strongly than the positive control in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated BV-2 cells. HPLC experiment further substantiated that 1, 5, 12, 14-15, 17-19, 22-23 are the characteristic constituents of ESJ, suggesting they might possess the potential for the treatment of neuroinflammation.

Sesquiterpene coumarins isolated from Ferula bungeana and their anti-neuroinflammatory activities.

This is the first study to profile natural sesquiterpene coumarins (SCs) in Ferula bungeana, a medicinal plant of the genus Ferula in China. Eight undescribed sesquiterpene coumarins (1-8), along with six known ones (9-14) were obtained from the whole plant of F. bungeana. These unreported SCs (1-8) enriched the structural diversity of natural SCs, especially these with the hydroxy or carbonyl group at C-7' and a hydroperoxy group at C-7' or C-8'. Compounds (9-14) were reported for the first time from this plant. The in vitro anti-neuroinflammatory activity assay showed that compounds 2 and 9 showed stronger inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglia, compared with positive control minocycline, and compounds 5 and 10 showed moderate inhibitory effects.

Inhibition effects of eight anti-coronavirus drugs on glycosides metabolism and glycosidases in human gut microflora.

The effects of eight oral anti-coronavirus drugs (lopinavir, ritonavir, chloroquine, darunavir, ribavirin, arbidol, favipiravir, oseltamivir) on the metabolism of four specific glycosides (polydatin, geniposide, quercitrin, glycyrrhizin) and on the activities of three major glycosidases (ß-glucosidase, α-rhamnosidase, ß-glucuronidase) from gut microflora were explored in vitro and determined by LC-MS/MS. The metabolism of polydatin, geniposide, quercitrin and glycyrrhizin was significantly inhibited by one or several anti-coronavirus drugs of 100 µM around 1 h and 4 h (P<0.05), among which darunavir could strongly reduce the production of genipin (70.6% reduction), quercitin (80.6% reduction) and glycyrrhetinic acid (37.9% reduction), which may cause a high risk of herb-drug interactions (HDI). Additionally, chloroquine reduced the production of genipin and quercitin by more than 75% (P<0.05), whereas arbidol had no significant influence on the metabolism of polydatin, quercitrin and glycyrrhizin (P>0.05) so that its risk may be lower. The inhibition of darunavir on ß-glucosidase was relatively strong (IC50 = 193±23 µM), and the inhibition became weaker on ß-glucuronidase and α-rhamnosidase (IC50>500 µM). The consistency between gut microflora and glycosidase system indicated that the inhibition of darunavir on the activity of ß-glucosidase and ß-glucuronidase may be the main reason for affecting the metabolism of geniposide, glycyrrhizin and polydatin in gut microflora. However, for the inhibition of darunavir and chloroquine on the metabolism of quercetrin, there was no correlation between gut microflora and α-rhamnosidase system. Assessing the risk of HDI mediated by glycosidases in gut microflora may be conducive to the safety and efficacy of combining traditional herbal and Western medicine for the treatment of patients with Covid-19.

PPAR-γ Activation Exerts an Anti-inflammatory Effect by Suppressing the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Spinal Cord-Derived Neurons.

Persistent inflammation disrupts functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) activation promotes functional recovery in SCI rats by inhibiting inflammatory cascades and increasing neuronal survival. We sought to clarify the relationship between PPAR-γ activation and NACHT, LRR and PYD domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome suppression, and the role of NF-κB in activating the NLRP3 inflammasome in neurons. In SCI rats, we found that rosiglitazone (PPAR-γ agonist) inhibited the expression of caspase-1. In in vitro neurons, G3335 (PPAR-γ antagonist) reversed the rosiglitazone-induced inhibition of caspase-1, interleukin 1 (IL-1ß), and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Rosiglitazone inhibited the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-6. However, the activator of NLRP3 could counteract this inhibition induced by PPAR-γ activation. NF-κB did not participate in the process of rosiglitazone-induced inhibition of NLRP3. Consistent with our in vitro results, we verified that locomotor recovery of SCI rats in vivo was regulated via PPAR-γ, NLRP3, and NF-κB. These results suggest that PPAR-γ activation exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome-but not NF-κB-in neurons and that PPAR-γ activation is a promising therapeutic target for SCI.

Ambient PM2.5 exposure exacerbates severity of allergic asthma in previously sensitized mice.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies have shown that elevated concentrations of ambient particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm; PM2.5) correlates with increased incidence of asthma. The aim of this study was to determine whether PM2.5 participates in the exacerbation of asthma. METHODS: Effects of 1, 10 and 100 µg PM2.5 instilled intratracheally in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized or asthmatic mice were compared. RESULTS: PM2.5 exposure in the OVA-sensitized and especially asthmatic groups increased Mch responsiveness in a dose-dependent manner. In OVA-sensitized groups, exposure to 1 µg of PM2.5 caused no detectable lung inflammation, while 10 and 100 µg of PM2.5 resulted in a slightly increased trend in numbers of neutrophils and macrophages. Compared with the asthmatic control group, both 10 and 100 µg of PM2.5 provoked a significant increase in eosnophils and neutrophils whereas only 100 µg of PM2.5 noticeably enhanced lymphocytes. In asthmatic groups, administration of 100 µg of PM2.5 greatly increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and Th2-related cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, but it decreased Th1-related INF-γ. In addition, 10 and 100 µg of PM2.5 exacerbated inflammatory infiltration, goblet cell metaplasia and lung ultrastructure lesions in asthmatic mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that acute exposure of PM2.5 could synergize with allergens in the subsequent challenge to aggravate the severity of asthma in sensitized mice, possibly by promoting a Th2-biased immune response.

Enhanced recovery after surgery combined with quantitative rehabilitation training in early rehabilitation after total knee replacement: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The number of patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) is increasing yearly; however, there is still a relative lack of specific, individualized, and standardized protocols for functional exercise after TKR. Quantitative rehabilitation training was developed to improve the recovery of postoperative joint function, increase patient satisfaction, shorten the length of the hospital stay, improve the quality of life, and promote rapid patient recovery. AIM: We aimed to compare the effectiveness of quantitative rehabilitation training based on the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) concept with conventional rehabilitation training in the early rehabilitation of patients with TKR. DESIGN: This was a single-centre, prospective, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Inpatient department. POPULATION: Participants were patients who underwent unilateral total knee replacement. METHODS: Based on the ERAS concept, a quantitative rehabilitation training program was developed for the quantitative group, and the control group underwent conventional rehabilitation training. Seventy-eight patients undergoing TKR were randomly divided into two blinded groups: the quantitative rehabilitation group and the conventional rehabilitation group. The analysis was performed according to per-protocol practice. The primary outcome metric was the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSS Score), and secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction, Visual Analog Pain Score (VAS), time to get out of bed for the first time after surgery, 6-minute-walk test (6MWT), quality-of-life score (SF-36), and number of days in the hospital. The incidence of postoperative complications was also recorded. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in HSS scores between the two groups before surgery (P=0.967), but the quantitative rehabilitation training group had significantly higher scores at two weeks (P=0.031), 3 months (P<0.01), and 12 months (P<0.01) after surgery than did the conventional rehabilitation training group, and both groups had higher HSS scores than before surgery. The quantitative training group had significantly higher VAS scores at 24 hours and three days postoperatively than the conventional training group (P<0.01), while there was no statistical significance at any other time points. The quantitative rehabilitation group had an earlier time to get out of bed for the first time after surgery (P<0.01), a longer 6MWT distance (P=0.028), and higher patient satisfaction and quality of life scores (SF-36) (P<0.01) that did the control group. The number of days in the hospital was lower in the quantitative training group than in the control group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional rehabilitation training, quantitative rehabilitation training based on the ERAS concept was found to be safe and effective and can accelerate the recovery of joint function after surgery, shorten hospitalization time, improve patient satisfaction, and promote rapid recovery. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: The quantitative rehabilitation training based on the ERAS concept provides a new program for rehabilitation exercises after total knee arthroplasty, which is safe and reliable, accelerates the recovery of joint function, and should be considered for clinical promotion.

Identification of aging-related genes in diagnosing osteoarthritis via integrating bioinformatics analysis and machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the main causes of pain and disability in the world, it may be caused by many factors. Aging plays a significant role in the onset and progression of OA. However, the mechanisms underlying it remain unknown. Our research aimed to uncover the role of aging-related genes in the progression of OA. METHODS: In Human OA datasets and aging-related genes were obtained from the GEO database and the HAGR website, respectively. Bioinformatics methods including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, and Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were used to analyze differentially expressed aging-related genes (DEARGs) in the normal control group and the OA group. And then weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and the Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithms were used to find the hub genes. RESULTS: Four overlapping hub genes: HMGB2, CDKN1A, JUN, and DDIT3 were identified. According to the nomogram model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, four hub DEARGs had good diagnostic value in distinguishing normal from OA. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR test demonstrated that HMGB2, CDKN1A, JUN, and DDIT3 mRNA expression levels were lower in OA group than in normal group. CONCLUSION: Finally, these four-hub aging-related genes may help us understand the underlying mechanism of aging in osteoarthritis and could be used as possible diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Treponema pallidum recombinant protein Tp47 activates NOD-like receptor family protein 3 inflammasomes in macrophages via glycolysis.

Glycolysis is a key pathway in cellular glucose metabolism for energy supply and regulates immune cell activation. Whether glycolysis is involved in the activation of NOD-like receptor family protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes during Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) infection is unclear. In this study, the effect of T. pallidum membrane protein Tp47 on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in rabbit peritoneal macrophages was analysed and the role of glycolysis in NLRP3 inflammasome activation was explored. The results showed that Tp47 promoted NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1ß mRNA expression in macrophages, enhanced glycolysis and glycolytic capacity of macrophage, and promoted the production of macrophage glycolytic metabolites citrate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and lactate. The M2 pyruvate kinase (PKM2) inhibitor shikonin down-regulated the Tp47-promoted NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1ß mRNA expression in macrophages, and suppressed the Tp47-enhanced glycolysis and glycolytic capacity. Similarly, si-PKM2 significantly inhibited Tp47-promoted NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1ß mRNA expression and the Tp47-enhanced glycolysis and glycolytic capacity in macrophages. In conclusion, Tp47 activated NLRP3 inflammasomes via PKM2-dependent glycolysis and provided a new perspective on the effect of T. pallidum infection on host macrophages, which would contribute to the understanding of the infection mechanism and host immune mechanism of T. pallidum.

Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of an immunochromatographic test for Chlamydia trachomatis.

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of different brands of immunochromatographic test (ICT) reagents for Chlamydia trachomatis using homogenized samples to provide a reference for reagent quality control. Methods: Eight commercially available ICT reagents were evaluated, of which three used the latex method and five used the colloidal gold method. Analytical performance evaluation using a pure culture broth of C. trachomatis, as well as clinical application validation using cervical epithelial cell samples acquired from the research subjects, were conducted. The concentration of C. trachomatis was quantified using a nucleic acid amplification test. Results: The limit of detection (LOD) of different ICT reagents in the analytical performance evaluation varied from 9.5 × 103 to 1 × 105 IFU/mL, and only one reagent met the LOD specified in the manufacturer's instructions. Likewise, only one reagent in the clinical application validation achieved the analytical LOD, four reagents were 2.1-4.2-fold of the analytical LODs, and three reagents failed to detect positive results in clinical samples. Conclusions: The diagnostic performance of different methods and different brands of ICT reagents in clinical practice was different from the manufacturer's instructions and the results of laboratory evaluation. The diagnostic performance of reagents should be evaluated before they are actually used in clinical practice.

Platelet-derived major histocompatibility complex class I coating on Treponema pallidum attenuates natural killer cell lethality.

The evasive tactics of Treponema pallidum pose a major challenge in combating and eradicating syphilis. Natural killer (NK) cells mediate important effector functions in the control of pathogenic infection, preferentially eliminating targets with low or no expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. To clarify T. pallidum's mechanisms in evading NK-mediated immunosurveillance, experiments were performed to explore the cross-talk relations among T. pallidum, NK cells, and platelets. T. pallidum adhered to, activated, and promoted particle secretion of platelets. After preincubation with T. pallidum, platelets expressed and secreted high levels of MHC class I, subsequently transferring them to the surface of T. pallidum, potentially inducing an immune phenotype characterized by the "pseudo-expression" of MHC class I on the surface of T. pallidum (hereafter referred to a "pseudo-expression" of MHC class I). The polA mRNA assay showed that platelet-preincubated T. pallidum group exhibited a significantly higher copy number of polA transcript than the T. pallidum group. The survival rate of T. pallidum mirrored that of polA mRNA, indicating that preincubation of T. pallidum with platelets attenuated NK cell lethality. Platelets pseudo-expressed the MHC class I ligand on the T. pallidum surface, facilitating binding to killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors with two immunoglobulin domains and long cytoplasmic tail 3 (KIR2DL3) on NK cells and initiating dephosphorylation of Vav1 and phosphorylation of Crk, ultimately attenuating NK cell lethality. Our findings elucidate the mechanism by which platelets transfer MHC class I to the T. pallidum surface to evade NK cell immune clearance.

Americanin B inhibits pyroptosis in lipopolysaccharide-induced septic encephalopathy mice through targeting NLRP3 protein.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is considered as a severe illness due to its high mortality. Sepsis can cause septic encephalopathy, thus leading to brain injury, behavioral and cognitive dysfunction. Pyroptosis is a type of regulated cell death (RCD) and takes a crucial part in occurrence and development of sepsis. Americanin B (AMEB) is a lignan compounds, which is extracted from Vernicia fordii. In our previous study, AMEB could inhibit microglial activation in inflammatory cell model. However, the function of AMEB in septic encephalopathy mice is uncertain. It would be worthwhile to ascertain the role and mechanism of AMEB in sepsis. PURPOSE: Current study designs to certify the relationship between pyroptosis and septic encephalopathy, and investigate whether AMEB can restrain NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation and restrict pyroptosis by targeting NLRP3 in septic mice model. STUDY DESIGN: C57BL/6 mice were utilized to perform sepsis model in vivo experiments. BV-2 cell lines were used for in vitro experiments. METHODS: In vivo sepsis model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intraperitoneal injection in male C57BL/6 J mice and in vitro model was exposed by LPS plus ATP in BV-2 cells. The survival rate was monitored on the corresponding days. NLRP3, apoptosis associated Speck-like protein (ASC), caspase-1, GasderminD (GSDMD), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) level were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis. Molecular docking, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiments, RNAi transfection and quantitative real-time PCR were applied to confirm the potential target of AMEB. RESULTS: The results suggested that AMEB could rise survival percentage and lighten brain injury in LPS-induced sepsis mice. In addition, AMEB could inhibit pyroptosis and the activiation of NLRP3 inflammasome. The inhibiting function of AMEB on the activiation of NLRP3 inflammasome is weakened following si-NLRP3 transfection. Moreover, AMEB exerted anti-pyroptosis effect via targeting NLRP3 protein. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings first indicate NLRP3 is an effective druggable target for septic encephalopathy related brain injury, and also provide a candidate-AMEB for the treatment of septic encephalopathy. These emerging findings on AMEB in models of sepsis suggest an innovative approach that may be beneficial in the prevention of septic encephalopathy.

Anti-inflammatory effects of quinolinyl analog of resveratrol targeting TLR4 in MCAO/R ischemic stroke rat model.

BACKGROUND: Among adults, stroke is the main causes of mortality and permanent disability. Neuroinflammation is one of the main causes of stoke-mediated neuronal death. Our previous study revealed that (E)-5-(2-(Quinolin-4-yl) vinyl) benzene-1, 3-diol (RV01), a quinolinyl analog of resveratrol, inhibits microglia-induced neuroinflammation and safeguards neurons from inflammatory harm. The preventive role of RV01 in ischemic stroke and its underlying cellular mechanisms and molecular targets remain poorly understood. PURPOSE: To investigate whether RV01 alleviates ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury by inhibiting microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and determine the potential molecular mechanisms and targets by which RV01 inhibits the I/R-mediated microglia activation. METHODS: Rat middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) and BV-2 or primary microglial cells oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) models were established. The neurological behavior scores, 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and immunofluorescence were used to detect the neuroprotective effect of RV01 in the MCAO/R rats. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß were detected to reveal the antineuroinflammatory effect of RV01. Moreover, a western blot assay was performed to explore the protein expression changes in NF-κB-mediated neuroinflammation. Finally, we identified TLR4 as an RV01 target through molecular docking, drug sensitivity target stability analysis, cellular thermal shift analysis, and surface plasmon resonance techniques. RESULTS: RV01 reduced the infarct volume and neurological deficits, increased the rotarod duration, and decreased the number of rightward deflections in the MCAO/R rats. RV01 inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, as demonstrated by the reduction in the transcription factor p65-mediated expression of several inflammatory factors including IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. Further studies showed that its protective effect was associated with targeting the TLR4 protein. Notably, the anti-inflammatory effect of RV01 was markedly reinforced by the TLR4 knockdown, but inhibited by the overexpression of TLR4. Results revealed that the conditioned medium derived from the RV01-treated BV-2 cells significantly decreased the OGD/R-mediated neuronal damage. CONCLUSION: Our results are the first to reveal the protective effects of RV01 on cerebral ischemia, depending on its inhibitory effect on the NF-κB pathway by targeting TLR4. RV01 could be a potential protective agent in ischemic stroke treatment.

Chemical profile of the roots of Clausena lansium and their inhibitory effects of the over-activation in BV-2 microglial cells.

From the 95% ethanol aqueous extract of the roots of Clausena lansium, six previously undescribed alkaloids (1, 2a, 2b, 15, 24a, 24b), a pair of prenylated phenylpropenols (26a, 26b), two coumarins (27, 28), and two undescribed sesquiterpenes (37, 38) were isolated and identified using spectroscopic and electron circular dichroism data, together with thirty-two known compounds. The absolute configurations of three alkaloids (3a, 3b, 4a) were determined for the first time. In vitro assay showed that alkaloids 7, 10, 12, 19, and furanocoumarins 34, 35 displayed inhibitory effects on the production of nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglial cells, which were stronger than that of the minocycline (positive control). RT-PCR results indicated that indizoline (7) could inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6) in LPS-treated BV-2 cells.

A quinolinyl resveratrol derivative alleviates acute ischemic stroke injury by promoting mitophagy for neuroprotection via targeting CK2α'.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a serious threat to human health. The naturally derived small molecule (E)-5-(2-(quinolin-4-yl) ethenyl) benzene-1,3-diol (RV01) is a quinolinyl analog of resveratrol with great potential in the treatment of IS. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential mechanisms and targets for the protective effect of the RV01 on IS. The mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) and oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) models were employed to evaluate the effects of RV01 on ischemic injury and neuroprotection. RV01 was found to significantly increase the survival of SH-SY5Y cells and prevent OGD/R-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, RV01 reduced oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage by promoting mitophagy in OGD/R-exposed SH-SY5Y cells. Knockdown of CK2α' abolished the RV01-mediated promotion on mitophagy and alleviation on mitochondrial damage as well as neuronal injury after OGD/R. These results were further confirmed by molecular docking, drug affinity responsive target stability and cellular thermal shift assay analysis. Importantly, in vivo study showed that treatment with the CK2α' inhibitor CX-4945 abolished the RV01-mediated alleviation of cerebral infarct volume, brain edema, cerebral blood flow and neurological deficit in MCAO/R mice. These data suggest that RV01 effectively reduces damage caused by acute ischemic stroke by promoting mitophagy through its interaction with CK2α'. These findings offer valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms through which RV01 exerts its therapeutic effects on IS.

De Novo Generation and Identification of Novel Compounds with Drug Efficacy Based on Machine Learning.

One of the main challenges in small molecule drug discovery is finding novel chemical compounds with desirable activity. Traditional drug development typically begins with target selection, but the correlation between targets and disease remains to be further investigated, and drugs designed based on targets may not always have the desired drug efficacy. The emergence of machine learning provides a powerful tool to overcome the challenge. Herein, a machine learning-based strategy is developed for de novo generation of novel compounds with drug efficacy termed DTLS (Deep Transfer Learning-based Strategy) by using dataset of disease-direct-related activity as input. DTLS is applied in two kinds of disease: colorectal cancer (CRC) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). In each case, novel compound is discovered and identified in in vitro and in vivo disease models. Their mechanism of actionis further explored. The experimental results reveal that DTLS can not only realize the generation and identification of novel compounds with drug efficacy but also has the advantage of identifying compounds by focusing on protein targets to facilitate the mechanism study. This work highlights the significant impact of machine learning on the design of novel compounds with drug efficacy, which provides a powerful new approach to drug discovery.

Characteristic biflavonoids from Daphne kiusiana var. atrocaulis (Rehd.) F. Maekawa.

Structurally diverse biflavonoids have attracted significant research interest for drug discovery over past decades. Biflavonoid oriented phytochemistry research on the stems of Daphne kiusiana var. atrocaulis (Rehd.) F. Maekawa was carried out, which resulted in the identification of ten major effective components (1-10), including the undescribed biflavonoids, daphnodorin Q (1), daphnodorin R (2) and flavane, daphnekiuslin A (10). The known structures were identified from this herb for the first time. Their structures were determined by combination of multiple spectroscopic data as well as calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). All the identified compounds were evaluated for the anti-neuroinflammatory effects. Compound 9 could inhibit the overactivation of BV-2 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide with IC50 value at 26.32 µM.

The role of neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio in predicting 1-year mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture and external validation.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between the neutrophil percentage to albumin ratio (NPAR) on the day of admission and mortality 1 year after surgery in elderly patients with hip fractures. Methods: Clinical characteristics and blood markers of inflammation were retrospectively collected from October 2016 to January 2022 in elderly patients with hip fractures at two different regional tertiary medical centers. It is divided into a training set and an external validation set. Multivariate Nomogram models such as NPAR were constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression results and multi-factor logistic regression analysis. In addition, multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to explore the relationship between NPAR values and mortality within 1 year in elderly patients with hip fractures. The predictive performance of the Nomogram was evaluated using the concordance index (C Index) and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and validated by Bootstrap, Hosmer-Lemesow goodness of fit test, calibration curve, decision curve, and clinical impact curve analysis. Results: The study included data from 1179 (mean age, 80.34 ± 8.06 years; 61.4[52.1%] male) patients from the Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital affiliated with Jinan University and 476 (mean age, 81.18 ± 8.33 years; 233 [48.9%] male) patients from the Xiaogan Central Hospital affiliated with Wuhan University of Science and Technology. The results showed that NPAR has good sensitivity and specificity in assessing patients' prognosis 1 year after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression models based on influencing factors such as NPAR have good discrimination and calibration ability (AUC=0.942, 95% CI:0.927-0.955; Hosmer-Lemeshow test: P >0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the training and validation sets showed that patients in the high NPAR group had a higher mortality rate at 1 year compared to the low NPAR group (P< 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression showed that high NPAR values were an independent risk factor for death within 1 year in elderly hip fracture patients (P< 0.001, HR =2.38,95%CI:1.84-3.08). Conclusion: Our study showed that NPAR levels were significantly higher in patients who died within 1 year after surgery in both the training and validation sets. NPAR has good clinical value in assessing 1-year postoperative prognosis in elderly patients with hip fractures.