PTER is a N-acetyltaurine hydrolase that regulates feeding and obesity.

Taurine is a conditionally essential micronutrient and one of the most abundant amino acids in humans1-3. In endogenous taurine metabolism, dedicated enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of taurine from cysteine and in the downstream metabolism of secondary taurine metabolites4,5. One taurine metabolite is N-acetyltaurine6. Levels of N-acetyltaurine are dynamically regulated by stimuli that alter taurine or acetate flux, including endurance exercise7, dietary taurine supplementation8 and alcohol consumption6,9. So far, the identities of the enzymes involved in N-acetyltaurine metabolism, and the potential functions of N-acetyltaurine itself, have remained unknown. Here we show that the body mass index associated orphan enzyme phosphotriesterase-related (PTER)10 is a physiological N-acetyltaurine hydrolase. In vitro, PTER catalyses the hydrolysis of N-acetyltaurine to taurine and acetate. In mice, PTER is expressed in the kidney, liver and brainstem. Genetic ablation of Pter in mice results in complete loss of tissue N-acetyltaurine hydrolysis activity and a systemic increase in N-acetyltaurine levels. After stimuli that increase taurine levels, Pter knockout mice exhibit reduced food intake, resistance to diet-induced obesity and improved glucose homeostasis. Administration of N-acetyltaurine to obese wild-type mice also reduces food intake and body weight in a GFRAL-dependent manner. These data place PTER into a central enzymatic node of secondary taurine metabolism and uncover a role for PTER and N-acetyltaurine in body weight control and energy balance.

The effects of community-based home health care on the physical and mental health of older adults with chronic diseases.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the effects of community-based home health care (HHC) on the physical and mental health of older adults with chronic diseases in China. METHODS: The study data were retrieved from the 2018 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Ordinary least squares regression model was used to assess the effects of community-based HHC on the health. Entropy balancing was used to test the robustness of the regression results. RESULTS: A total of 5571 older adults with chronic diseases were included. The results showed that older adults who had received community-based HHC reported significantly better self-rated health (coefficient = 0.051, 95%CI [0.004, 0.098]), less physical discomfort (coefficient = - 0.021, 95%CI [- 0.042, - 0.001]), lower depression scores (coefficient = - 0.263, 95%CI [- 0.490, - 0.037]), and lower anxiety scores (coefficient = - 0.233, 95%CI [- 0.379, - 0.088]) compared with those who had not received community-based HHC. Overall, community-based HHC conferred greater positive effects on the health of rural older adults, older adults with multiple chronic diseases, and older adults with low incomes. CONCLUSION: Community-based HHC was beneficial for improving self-rated health and reducing physical discomfort, depression, and anxiety in older adults with chronic diseases, thus improving their quality of life. It is important to promote its development nationwide in China.

Importance of Chain Length in Propagation Reaction on •OH Formation during Ozonation of Wastewater Effluent.

During the ozonation of wastewater, hydroxyl radicals (•OH) induced by the reactions of ozone (O3) with effluent organic matters (EfOMs) play an essential role in degrading ozone-refractory micropollutants. The •OH yield provides the absolute •OH formation during ozonation. However, the conventional "tert-Butanol (t-BuOH) assay" cannot accurately determine the •OH yield since the propagation reactions are inhibited, and there have been few studies on •OH production induced by EfOM fractions during ozonation. Alternatively, a "competitive method", which added trace amounts of the •OH probe compound to compete with the water matrix and took initiation reactions and propagation reactions into account, was used to determine the actual •OH yields (Φ) compared with that obtained by the "t-BuOH assay" (φ). The Φ were significantly higher than φ, indicating that the propagation reactions played important roles in •OH formation. The chain propagation reactions facilitation of EfOMs and fractions can be expressed by the chain length (n). The study found significant differences in Φ for EfOMs and fractions, precisely because they have different n. The actual •OH yield can be calculated by n and φ as Φ = φ (1 + n)/(nφ + 1), which can be used to accurately predict the removal of micropollutants during ozonation of wastewater.

Cyclodextrin-Confined Supramolecular Lanthanide Photoswitch.

The utilization of azobenzene-based photoisomerization cannot only control the morphology of supramolecular assemblies, but can also regulate many biological processes. However, the design of azobenzene-involved nanoconstructs with switchable photoluminescence remains challenging because of the light-quenching ability of azobenzene. Herein, an azobenzene-derived multicomponent nanosystem is reported and its function as a supramolecular lanthanide photoswitch is explored. The metal chelation between lanthanide ions (Ln3+  = Eu3+ and Tb3+ ) and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid is utilized as the light-emitting center but its inherent fluorescence emission is completely suppressed via the disordered motion of the adjoining azophenyl unit. Interestingly, the hydrophobic cavity of α-cyclodextrin can provide a confined microenvironment to immobilize the molecular conformation of trans-azobenzene, thus leading to the recovery of characteristic lanthanide luminescence both in aqueous solution and the hydrogel state. Also, the luminescence can be reversibly turned off when the cis-azobenzene is expelled from the cavity of α-cyclodextrin upon alternating light irradiation. This mutual cooperation arising from host-guest complexation and metal-ligand coordination confers the desired photoswitchable luminescence abilities on the commonly used azobenzenes, which may hold great promise in the creation of more advanced light-responsive smart materials.

Prognostic Value of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index for Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to collate evidence on the prognostic ability of the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) for predicting overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: The datasets of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar were searched up to 24 May 2022 for English-language studies reporting the association between GNRI and OS or DFS in NSCLC patients. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 2865 patients were included. We noted that low GNRI was a significant predictor of poor OS (HR: 1.96 95% CI 1.66, 2.30 I2 = 0% p < 0.00001) and poor DFS (HR: 1.74 95% CI: 1.36, 2.23 I2 = 34% p < 0.0001) in NSCLC patients. The results did not change on sensitivity analysis. There was no evidence of publication bias. Most results were significant on subgroup analysis based on study location, tumor stage, therapy type, sample size, and GNRI cut-off. CONCLUSION: Data indicate that GNRI has good prognostic ability in patients with NSCLC. Individuals with low GNRI are at an increased risk of poor OS and DFS. GNRI could be incorporated as a simple, easy-to-use tool for the initial stratification of patients thereby allowing focused treatment plans.

Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia manifested by bloody pleural effusion in a previously healthy infant: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in immunocompetent children is a rare occurrence. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, laboratory examinations, and treatment of a child with community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia presented with bloody pleural effusion. RESULTS: The 1-year-old previously healthy patient, who developed community-acquired pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and influenza virus. The patient manifested bloody pleural effusion although his condition improved after anti-infective therapy and closed thoracic drainage. After 10 days of hospitalization, his symptoms worsened, accompanied by hemoptysis, and the pathogen developed resistance to carbapenems. The antibiotic strategy was adjusted to combined antipseudomonal regimen. He developed low-grade fever and was extubated, although these manifestations and imaging were eventually alleviated. CONCLUSIONS: Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in children may be non-septic, with bloody pleural effusion as presentation, and the disease may progress after 10 days of treatment due to drug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Early extubation should be considered after adequate drainage.

Photooxidation-Driven Purely Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Lysosome-Targeted Imaging.

The construction of host-guest-binding-induced phosphorescent supramolecular assemblies has become one of increasingly significant topics in biomaterial research. Herein, we demonstrate that the cucurbit[8]uril host can induce the anthracene-conjugated bromophenylpyridinium guest to form a linear supramolecular assembly, thus facilitating the enhancement of red fluorescence emission by the host-stabilized charge-transfer interactions. When the anthryl group is photo-oxidized to anthraquinone, the obtained linear nanoconstructs can be readily converted into the homoternary inclusion complex, accompanied by the emergence of strong green phosphorescence in aqueous solution. More intriguingly, dual organelle-targeted imaging abilities have been also distinctively achieved in nuclei and lysosomes after undergoing photochemical reaction upon UV irradiation. This photooxidation-driven purely organic room-temperature phosphorescence provides a convenient and feasible strategy for supramolecular organelle identification to track specific biospecies and physiological events in the living cells.

Supramolecular Assembly with Near-Infrared Emission for Two-Photon Mitochondrial Targeted Imaging.

Two-photon supramolecular assembly with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence emission is constructed from tetraphenylethene derivative possessing methoxyl and vinyl pyridine salt (TPE-2SP), cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]), and ß-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid (HA-CD). The obtained experimental results indicate that the TPE-2SP exhibits a very weak fluorescence emission at 650 nm, and then complexes with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) to form 1:2 supramolecular pseudorotaxane with an enhanced NIR fluorescence emission at 660 nm. Compared with CB[7], CB[8] can assemble with TPE-2SP to be two-axial netlike pseudopolyrotaxane, resulting in close packing to increase TPE-2SP fluorescence emission with a redshift of 30 nm. Interestingly, TPE-2SP/CB[8] continues to assemble with cancer cell targeting agent HA-CD into nanoparticles, leading to assembling-induced further enhancement of NIR emission. Surprisingly, supramolecular nanoparticles have the two-photon character, and are successfully applied to mitochondrial targeting imaging. This supramolecular assembly system, with two-photon absorption and assembly-induced enhanced NIR luminescence properties, opens new way for biological targeted imaging.

Maternal Socs3 knockdown attenuates postnatal obesity caused by an early life environment of maternal obesity and intrauterine overnutrition in progeny mice.

Pathological states in the early life environment of mammalian offspring, including maternal obesity and intrauterine overnutrition, can induce obesity and metabolic disorder later in life. Leptin resistance caused by upregulation of Socs3 in the hypothalamus of offspring was believed to be the main mechanism of this effect. In this study, obese mother (OM) and lean mother (LM) models were generated by feeding C57BL/6N female mice a high-fat diet or standard lean diet, respectively. Additionally, an obese mother with intervention (OMI) model was generated by injecting the high-fat diet group with Socs3-shRNA lentivirus during early pregnancy. The offspring of the groups was correspondingly named OM-F1 , LM-F1 , and OMI-F1 , representing progeny mouse models of different early life environments. The offspring were fed a high-fat diet to test their propensity for obesity. The body weight, food intake and fat accumulation were higher, while glucose intolerance and insulin resistance were worse in the OM-F1 group than LM-F1 group. By contrast, the obesity phenotype, hyperphagia and metabolic disorder were alleviated in the OMI-F1 group compared with the OM-F1 group. The mechanism was identified that downregulation of hypothalamic SOCS3 resulted in an increased level of p-STAT3 and p-JAK2, which ameliorated the leptin resistance and restored the lean expression of appetite regulatory genes (Pomc and Agrp) in hypothalamus of OMI-F1 group. Taken together, these results indicate that reducing maternal Socs3 expression during pregnancy can attenuate obesity caused by the early life environment in mice, which may inspire therapies that enable obese mothers to bear metabolically healthy children.

De novo transcriptome assembly and sex-biased gene expression in the gonads of Amur catfish (Silurus asotus).

Amur catfish is extensively distributed and cultured in Asian countries. Despite of economic importance, the genomic information of this species remains limited. A reference transcriptome of Amur catfish was assembled and the sex-biased gene expression in the gonads was characterized using RNA-sequencing. The assembled transcriptome of Amur catfish consisted of 74,840 transcripts. The N50, mean length and max length of transcripts are 1970, 1235 and 16,748 bp. Putative sex-specific transcripts were identified and sex-specific expression of the representative genes was verified by RT-PCR. Differential expression analysis identified 5401 ovary-biased and 5618 testis-biased genes. The ovary-biased genes were mainly enriched in pathways such as RNA transport and ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes. The testis-biased genes were enriched in calcium signaling and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, etc. Our data provide a valuable genomic resource for further investigating the genetic basis of sex determination, sex differentiation and sexual dimorphism of catfish.