Sleep disturbance and internalizing symptoms in adolescents: a moderated mediation model of self-control and mindfulness.

OBJECTIVES: Despite accumulating evidence regarding the impact of sleep disturbance on internalizing symptoms among adolescents, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain inadequately explored. This study aimed to investigate a conceptual framework elucidating how sleep disturbance influences internalizing symptoms in adolescents through the mediating role of self-control, with mindfulness as a moderator. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 1876 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.88 years, SD = 1.47 years, range = 12-19 years, 44.7% boys) completed the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Brief Self-control Scale (BSCS), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-Children (MAAS-C) to provide data on sleep-related variables, internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression), self-control, and mindfulness, respectively. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to perform moderated mediation analysis. RESULTS: Sleep disturbance demonstrated a significant positive correlation with internalizing symptoms in adolescents, including anxiety (ß = 0.481, p < 0.001) and depression (ß = 0.543, p < 0.001). Self-control served as a mediator between sleep disturbance and two forms of internalizing symptoms. Moreover, mindfulness moderated the pathways from self-control to internalizing symptoms (for anxiety symptoms: ß = 0.007, p < 0.001; for depression symptoms: ß = 0.006, p < 0.001), and the mediating relationships were weaker for adolescents exhibiting higher levels of mindfulness. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings enhance understanding of the impact, pathways, and influencing factors of sleep disturbance on adolescent internalizing symptoms, suggesting the importance of enhancing mindfulness levels in addressing self-control deficits and subsequently reducing internalizing symptoms among adolescents.

Negative life events and sleep disturbance among adolescents: Intolerance of uncertainty as mediator and moderator.

BACKGROUND: While negative life events (NLEs) have been linked to an increased risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents, the mechanisms of this impact still lack further examination. The current study aimed to explore whether intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a dispositional transdiagnostic vulnerability factor for psychopathology, could act as a mediator and/or moderator in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance. METHODS: A longitudinal nested subsample of 54,240 Chinese adolescents (aged 9-19) were surveyed at baseline (Timepoint 1) and six months later (Timepoint 2). They completed questionnaires to assess their IU, NLEs, sleep disturbance and sociodemographic characteristics. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to test our hypotheses. RESULTS: Upon adjusting for covariates, IU was found to mediate the relationship between NLEs and residual changes in sleep disturbance over a six-month period, with the mediation effect accounting for 31.8%. Additionally, the moderating role of IU in this relationship was also identified, suggesting that a high level of IU exacerbated the effect of NLEs on sleep disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our findings shed light on the dual roles of IU in the link from NLEs to sleep disturbance, holding significant practical implications for preventing and intervening in sleep disturbance among adolescents. To mitigate the risk of sleep disturbance among adolescents experiencing NLEs, timely assessments of IU and tailored interventions to enhance uncertainty tolerance are necessary.

ILT2 and ILT4 Drive Myeloid Suppression via Both Overlapping and Distinct Mechanisms.

Solid tumors are dense three-dimensional (3D) multicellular structures that enable efficient receptor-ligand trans interactions via close cell-cell contact. Immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT)2 and ILT4 are related immune-suppressive receptors that play a role in the inhibition of myeloid cells within the tumor microenvironment. The relative contribution of ILT2 and ILT4 to immune inhibition in the context of solid tumor tissue has not been fully explored. We present evidence that both ILT2 and ILT4 contribute to myeloid inhibition. We found that although ILT2 inhibits myeloid cell activation in the context of trans-engagement by MHC-I, ILT4 efficiently inhibits myeloid cells in the presence of either cis- or trans-engagement. In a 3D spheroid tumor model, dual ILT2/ILT4 blockade was required for the optimal activation of myeloid cells, including the secretion of CXCL9 and CCL5, upregulation of CD86 on dendritic cells, and downregulation of CD163 on macrophages. Humanized mouse tumor models showed increased immune activation and cytolytic T-cell activity with combined ILT2 and ILT4 blockade, including evidence of the generation of immune niches, which have been shown to correlate with clinical response to immune-checkpoint blockade. In a human tumor explant histoculture system, dual ILT2/ILT4 blockade increased CXCL9 secretion, downregulated CD163 expression, and increased the expression of M1 macrophage, IFNγ, and cytolytic T-cell gene signatures. Thus, we have revealed distinct contributions of ILT2 and ILT4 to myeloid cell biology and provide proof-of-concept data supporting the combined blockade of ILT2 and ILT4 to therapeutically induce optimal myeloid cell reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment.

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Early Neurological Deterioration in Patients With Mild Stroke by Intravenous Alteplase Therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Thrombolysis treatment for patients with mild stroke is controversial. The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of early neurological deterioration (END) in this group of patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on ischemic stroke patients with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in Wenzhou Central Hospital. Subgroup analyses were performed for the mild stroke group and nonmild stroke group, END group, and non-early neurological deterioration group in mild stroke patients, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 498 patients were included in this study. Compared with the control group, the mild stroke group was younger age, less atrial fibrillation, previous history of stroke and less use of antithrombotic drugs, more dyslipidemia, smoking, and drinking. Small artery occlusion type was more common in mild stroke, cardioembolism and stroke of undetermined etiology type were less. In the mild stroke group, the symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) rate was 2.54%, and the END rate was 16.1%. Predictors of END included systolic blood pressure, blood glucose, cardioembolism subtype, sICH, and large vessel occlusion. In END patients, the sICH rate was 10.53%, and 84.21% of cases started to worsen within 12 hours after IVT. There was no statistically significant difference in the time to exacerbation among different subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of mild stroke in young patients was largely related to unhealthy lifestyles. The incidence of END in mild stroke IVT patients was low, with most occurring within 12 hours of IVT. There were many risk factors for END: large vessel occlusion and hyperglycemia were independent risk factors for END after IVT. sICH was an important but rare risk factor for END.

Bioinspired electrically stable, optically tunable thermal management electronic skin via interfacial self-assembly.

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and serves vital functions such as sensation, thermal management, and protection. While electronic skin (E-skin) has made significant progress in sensory functions, achieving adaptive thermal management akin to human skin has remained a challenge. Drawing inspiration from squid skin, we have developed a hybrid electronic-photonic skin (hEP-skin) using an elastomer semi-embedded with aligned silver nanowires through interfacial self-assembly. With mechanically adjustable optical properties, the hEP-skin demonstrates adaptive thermal management abilities, warming in the range of +3.5°C for heat preservation and cooling in the range of -4.2°C for passive cooling. Furthermore, it exhibits an ultra-stable high electrical conductivity of âˆ¼4.5×104 S/cm, even under stretching, bending or torsional deformations over 10,000 cycles. As a proof of demonstration, the hEP-skin successfully integrates stretchable light-emitting electronic skin with adaptive thermal management photonic skin.

A novel self-assembled nanoplatform based on retrofitting poloxamer 188 for triple-negative breast cancer targeting treatment.

Poloxamer 188 is a widely used pharmaceutical excipient, which can be found in a variety of drug formulations. In this study, a novel self-assembled nanoplatform was developed for active targeting of folate receptor-overexpressing triple-negative breast cancer. This platform, FPP NPs, was prepared by the retrofitted poloxamer 188 derivatives, resulting in nanoparticles with an appropriate size (< 100 nm), good stability, and satisfactory biocompatibility. Cellular uptake and in vivo distribution studies showed that the FPP NPs had strong tumor cell uptake and active targeting capabilities. Furthermore, docetaxel (DTX) was loaded into FPP NPs in this research. The resulting DTX/FPP NPs exhibited high drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity, and could rapidly release DTX under slightly acidic conditions, significantly increasing the antitumor activity of the encapsulated drug both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, DTX/FPP NPs could significantly decrease the hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity of DTX. Therefore, this drug delivery nanoplatform, based on retrofitted poloxamer 188 with self-assembly properties in aqueous solution and active targeting capabilities to tumors, may provide a promising approach for targeted treatment of triple-negative breast cancer.

Re-education of myeloid immune cells to reduce regulatory T cell expansion and impede breast cancer progression.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized cancer therapy but has had limited utility in several solid tumors such as breast cancer, a major cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Therefore, there is considerable interest in alternate strategies to promote an anti-cancer immune response. We demonstrate that NR0B2, a protein involved in cholesterol homeostasis, functions within myeloid immune cells to modulate the NLRP3 inflammasome and reduce the expansion of immune-suppressive regulatory T cells (Treg). Loss of NR0B2 increased mammary tumor growth and metastasis. Small molecule agonists, including one developed here, reduced Treg expansion, reduced metastatic growth and improved the efficacy of ICB. This work identifies NR0B2 as a target to re-educate myeloid immune cells providing proof-of-principle that this cholesterol-homeostasis axis may have utility in enhancing ICB.

A wearable electrochemical fabric for cytokine monitoring.

Wearable biosensors monitoring various biomarkers in sweat provide comprehensive and prompt profiling of health states at molecular levels. Cytokines existed in sweat with trace amounts play an important role in cellular activity modulation. Unfortunately, flexible and wearable biosensors for cytokine monitoring have not yet been achieved due to the limitation of membrane-based structure and sensing strategy. Herein, we develop a novel electrochemical fabric based on aptamer-functionalized carbon nanotube/graphene fibers for real-time and in situ monitoring of IL-6, a paramount cytokine biomarker for inflammation and cancer. This fabric system possesses flexibility, anti-fatigue ability and breathability for wearable applications and can apply to different body parts in various forms. Moreover, the electrochemical fabric can track other biomarkers by replacing the coupling aptamer, serving as a universal platform for sweat analysis. This fabric-based platform holds the potential to facilitate an intelligent and personalized health monitoring approach.

Low-Temperature Chemical Bath Deposition of Conformal and Compact NiOX for Scalable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Modules.

A scalable and low-cost deposition of high-quality charge transport layers and photoactive perovskite layers are the grand challenges for large-area and efficient perovskite solar modules and tandem cells. An inverted structure with an inorganic hole transport layer is expected for long-term stability. Among various hole transport materials, nickel oxide has been investigated for highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. However, the reported deposition methods are either difficult for large-scale conformal deposition or require a high vacuum process. Chemical bath deposition is supposed to realize a uniform, conformal, and scalable coating by a solution process. However, the conventional chemical bath deposition requires a high annealing temperature of over 400 °C. In this work, an amino-alcohol ligand-based controllable release and deposition of NiOX using chemical bath deposition with a low calcining temperature of 270 °C is developed. The uniform and conformal in-situ growth precursive films can be adjusted by tuning the ligand structure. The inverted structured perovskite solar cells and large-area solar modules reached a champion PCE of 22.03% and 19.03%, respectively. This study paves an efficient, low-temperature, and scalable chemical bath deposition route for large-area NiOX thin films for the scalable fabrication of highly efficient perovskite solar modules.

Association of long-term time in target range for systolic blood pressure with cardiovascular risk in the elderly: a Chinese veteran cohort study.

AIMS: Short-term blood pressure (BP) time in target range (TTR) independently predicts cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in adults. However, there are limited data regarding long-term TTR for BP among elderly participants. We aimed to determine whether future CV risk varies for those who can maintain a long-term systolic BP (SBP) target range by assessing TTR in elderly individuals with hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Chinese veteran cohort study included 943 elderly participants with hypertension aged over 75 years. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of CV events during annual visits. Time in target range was estimated over 15 years of follow-up using linear interpolation. The target range was defined as 120-140 mmHg according to guidelines. The association between SBP TTR and CV outcomes was estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. During the 15 year follow-up, the probability of CV events gradually decreased with increasing TTR for SBP. After multivariable adjustment for traditional CV risk factors and mean BP, comparing the highest vs. lowest quartiles of TTR for SBP, the hazard ratios (HRs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] were 0.424 (0.289-0.624) for the primary outcome. For each 1 SD increase in TTR, the risk of the primary outcome decreased by 25.4% (HR: 0.746; 95% CI: 0.666-0.834). Consistent findings were observed in sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: Greater long-term TTR for SBP was associated with a decreased risk of CV events in elderly individuals independent of mean BP, suggesting that SBP TTR might serve as a modifiable risk factor for future CV health in elderly patients with hypertension. LAY SUMMARY: This ongoing Chinese veteran cohort study adds to the understanding of the relationship between higher long-term systolic blood pressure (SBP) time in target range (TTR) and cardiovascular benefits among elderly individuals with hypertension.

Higher long-term systolic blood pressure (SBP) time in target range (TTR) is associated with a significantly decreased risk of cardiovascular events independent of mean SBP, suggesting that TTR might serve as an essential measure for monitoring BP status. It might be helpful for lowering the risk of cardiovascular events when the time in SBP target range is maintained after antihypertensive therapy.

Alternative splicing of PSMD13 mediated by genetic variants is significantly associated with endometrial cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence has shown that aberrant alternative splicing events are closely associated with the onset and development of cancer. However, whether genetic variants-associated alternative splicing is linked to risk of endometrial cancer remains largely uncertain. METHODS: We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) locates in the splicing number trait locus (sQTL) of endometrial cancer using the CancerSplicing QTL database. In parallel with bioinformatics analysis, we conducted a case-control study comprising 2,000 cases and 2,013 controls to assess the association between identified SNP which possesses mRNA splicing function and endometrial cancer susceptibility. Furthermore, we used the Kaplan-Meier Plotter, The Human Protein Atlas, SPNR, and Spliceman2 databases for sQTL and differential gene expression analyses to identify the genetic variant which most potentially influence the risk of endometrial cancer through alternative splicing to reveal the potential mechanism by which candidate SNPs regulate the risk of endometrial cancer. RESULTS: The results indicated that SNP rs7128029 A

Extracellular vesicle-derived CircWhsc1 promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart repair by activating TRIM59/STAT3/Cyclin B2 pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Extracellular vesicles (EVs)-mediated cell-to-cell communication is crucial for hypoxia-induced cell proliferation and tissue repair, but its function in endogenous cardiac regeneration is still unknown. OBJECTIVES: Herein, we aimed to determine whether hypoxia-inducible circWhsc1 in endothelial EVs promoted cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation and cardiac regeneration. METHODS: RNA-sequence data was used to identify EV circRNAs that were involved into endogenous cardiac regeneration. Quantitative polymerase chain reactions were conducted to determine circRNA expression in tissue, cells and EVs. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to explore the function of EV-derived circWhsc1 during cardiac regeneration. Western blotting and RNA pulldown assays were used to investigate its underlying mechanism. RESULTS: We found that circWhsc1 was enriched in neonatal mouse hearts, particularly in cardiac ECs, and was further upregulated both in ECs and EC-derived EVs under hypoxic conditions. When cocultured with hypoxia-preconditioned neonatal ECs or their secreted EVs, both neonatal and adult CMs exhibited an increased proliferation rate and G2/M ratio, which could be attenuated by knockdown of circWhsc1 in ECs. In vivo, EC-restricted overexpression of circWhsc1 and EV-mediated delivery of circWhsc1 induced CM proliferation, alleviated cardiac fibrosis and restored cardiac function following myocardial infarction in adult mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that EV-derived circWhsc1 activated TRIM59 by enhancing its phosphorylation, thereby reinforcing the binding of TRIM59 to STAT3, phosphorylating STAT3 and inducing CM proliferation. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible circWhsc1 in EC-derived EVs induces CM proliferation and heart regeneration. EC-CM communication mediated by EV-derived circWhsc1 might represent a prospective therapeutic target for inducing cardiac repair post-myocardial infarction.

Causal associations between gastroesophageal reflux disease and lung cancer risk: A Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Observational epidemiological studies suggest that lung cancer risk may be raised by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); however, the causal relationship between them remains unknown. Our study performed the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to examine the causal relationship between GERD and lung cancer. METHODS: Instrument variables were found to be independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were highly linked with GERD (n = 129,080). Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data were used to determine outcomes for lung cancer (n = 11,348), squamous cell lung cancer (LUSC), and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). In this study, three MR statistical techniques (inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median) were used to examine the potential causative relationship between GERD and the risk of lung cancer. Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, leave-one-out analysis, and the funnel plot were all used in sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: The main IVW method revealed that GERD substantially increased the risk of lung cancer [odds ratio (OR) = 1.37; 95% CI 1.16-1.63, p = 0. 0003], which was also supported by weighted median and MR-Egger analyses. Using IVW estimate, similar causal relationships were also observed between GERD and LUSC (OR = 1.56; 95% CI 1.26-1.93, p = 5.35 × 10-5 ) and LUAD (OR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.09-1.93, p = 0.01). Although potential heterogeneity was observed in some studies, random effect IVW was not violated by the heterogeneity, indicating that the causal effect was robust. CONCLUSION: GERD was positively associated with the risk of lung cancer, for LUSC and LUAD. This study shed light on a new direction for prevent strategy of lung cancer and therapeutic perspectives in patients with GERD.

CoP/Fe-Co9 S8 for Highly Efficient Overall Water Splitting with Surface Reconstruction and Self-Termination.

Highly efficient electrochemical water splitting is of prime importance in hydrogen energy but is suffered from the slow kinetics at the anodic oxygen evolution reaction. Herein, combining the surface activation with the heterostructure construction strategy, the CoP/Fe-Co9 S8 heterostructures as the pre-catalyst for highly efficient oxygen evolution are successfully synthesized. The catalyst only needs 156 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2 and keeps stable for more than 150 h. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, in situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations verify that the introduction of Fe can promote the formation of highly active Co(IV)-O sites and lead to a self-termination of surface reconstruction, which eventually creates a highly active and stable oxygen evolution catalytic surface. Besides, the catalyst also demonstrates high hydrogen evolution reaction activity with an overpotential of 62 mV@10 mA cm-2 . Benefiting from its bifunctionality and self-supporting property, the membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer equipped with these catalysts achieves high overall water splitting efficiency of 1.68 V@1 A cm-2 .

Definition of a new blood cell count score for early survival prediction for non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with atezolizumab: Integrated analysis of four multicenter clinical trials.

Importance: Blood cell count test (BCT) is a robust method that provides direct quantification of various types of immune cells to reveal the immune landscape to predict atezolizumab treatment outcomes for clinicians to decide the next phase of treatment. Objective: This study aims to define a new BCTscore model to predict atezolizumab treatment benefits in non-small lung cell cancer (NSCLC) patients. Design Setting and Participants: This study analyzed four international, multicenter clinical trials (OAK, BIRCH, POPLAR, and FIR trials) to conduct post-hoc analyses of NSCLC patients undergoing atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) single-agent treatment (n = 1,479) or docetaxel single-agent treatment (n = 707). BCT was conducted at three time points: pre-treatment (T1), the first day of treatment cycle 3 (T2), and first day of treatment cycle 5 (T3). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify early BCT biomarkers to predict atezolizumab treatment outcomes in NSCLC patients. Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall survival (OS) was used as the primary end point, whereas progression-free survival (PFS) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), clinical benefit (CB), and objective response rate (ORR) were used as secondary end points. Results: The BCT biomarkers of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at time point T3 and neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) at time point T2 with absolute cutoff values of NLR_T3 = 5, PLR_T3 = 180, and NMR_T2 = 6 were identified as strong predictive biomarkers for atezolizumab (Ate)-treated NSCLC patients in comparison with docetaxel (Dtx)-treated patients regarding OS (BCTscore low risk: HR Ate vs. Dtx = 1.54 (95% CI: 1.04-2.27), P = 0.031; high risk: HR Ate vs. Dtx = 0.84 (95% CI: 0.62-1.12), P = 0.235). The identified BCTscore model showed better OS AUC in the OAK (AUC12month = 0.696), BIRCH (AUC12month = 0.672) and POPLAR+FIR studies (AUC12month = 0.727) than that of each of the three single BCT biomarkers. Conclusion and Relevance: The BCTscore model is a valid predictive and prognostic biomarker for early survival prediction in atezolizumab-treated NSCLC patients.

The nuclear receptor TLX (NR2E1) inhibits growth and progression of triple- negative breast cancer.

Development of targeted therapies will be a critical step towards reducing the mortality associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). To achieve this, we searched for targets that met three criteria: (1) pharmacologically targetable, (2) expressed in TNBC, and (3) expression is prognostic in TNBC patients. Since nuclear receptors have a well-defined ligand-binding domain and are thus highly amenable to small-molecule intervention, we focused on this class of protein. Our analysis identified TLX (NR2E1) as a candidate. Specifically, elevated tumoral TLX expression was associated with prolonged recurrence-free survival and overall survival for breast cancer patients with either estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-negative or basal-like tumors. Using two TNBC cell lines, we found that stable overexpression of TLX impairs in vitro proliferation. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that TLX reduced the expression of genes implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a cellular program known to drive metastatic progression. Indeed, TLX overexpression significantly decreased cell migration and invasion, and robustly decreased the metastatic capacity of TNBC cells in murine models. We identify SERPINB2 as a likely mediator of these effects. Taken together, our work indicates that TLX impedes the progression of TNBC. Several ligands have been shown to regulate the transcriptional activity of TLX, providing a framework for the future development of this receptor for therapeutic intervention.

Robust Hydrogel Adhesion by Harnessing Bioinspired Interfacial Mineralization.

Hydrogels have gained intensive interest in biomedical and flexible electronics, and adhesion of hydrogels to substrates or devices is indispensable in these application scenarios. Although numerous hydrogel adhesion strategies have been developed, it is still challenging to achieve a hydrogel with robust adhesion interface through a universal yet simple method. Here, a strategy for establishing strong interfacial adhesion between various hydrogels and a wide variety of substrates (i.e., soft hydrogels and rigid solids, including glass, aluminum, PET, nylon and PDMS) even under wet conditions, is reported. This strong interfacial adhesion is realized by constructing a bioinspired mineralized transition layer through ion diffusion and subsequent mineral deposition. This strategy is not only generally applicable to a broad range of substrates and ionic pairs, but also compatible with various fabrication approaches without compromising their interfacial robustnesses. This strategy is further demonstrated in the application of single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG), where a robust interface between the hydrogel and elastomer layers is enabled to ensure a reliable signal generation and output.

Elucidation of the Application of Blood Test Biomarkers to Predict Immune-Related Adverse Events in Atezolizumab-Treated NSCLC Patients Using Machine Learning Methods.

Background: Development of severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is a major predicament to stop treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, even though tumor progression is suppressed. However, no effective early phase biomarker has been established to predict irAE until now. Method: This study retrospectively used the data of four international, multi-center clinical trials to investigate the application of blood test biomarkers to predict irAEs in atezolizumab-treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Seven machine learning methods were exploited to dissect the importance score of 21 blood test biomarkers after 1,000 simulations by the training cohort consisting of 80%, 70%, and 60% of the combined cohort with 1,320 eligible patients. Results: XGBoost and LASSO exhibited the best performance in this study with relatively higher consistency between the training and test cohorts. The best area under the curve (AUC) was obtained by a 10-biomarker panel using the XGBoost method for the 8:2 training:test cohort ratio (training cohort AUC = 0.692, test cohort AUC = 0.681). This panel could be further narrowed down to a three-biomarker panel consisting of C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) with a small median AUC difference using the XGBoost method [for the 8:2 training:test cohort ratio, training cohort AUC difference = -0.035 (p < 0.0001), and test cohort AUC difference = 0.001 (p=0.965)]. Conclusion: Blood test biomarkers currently do not have sufficient predictive power to predict irAE development in atezolizumab-treated advanced NSCLC patients. Nevertheless, biomarkers related to adaptive immunity and liver or thyroid dysfunction warrant further investigation.

Tissue distribution of sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzene sulfonate (OBS) in mice via oral exposure.

Environmental risks caused by emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted increasing attention. As an important substitute for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzene sulfonate (OBS) is widely used as a firefighting foam additive and oil recovery agent in China. This study reported the tissue distribution of OBS in KM mice that were administered a dose of OBS at 10 µg/day via daily oral gavage for 7, 14, or 28 days. During exposure, gender-based differences were observed in body weight changes and tissue distribution of OBS. Liver exhibited the highest concentrations (males: 12.57 ± 1.80 µg/g; females: 11.80 ± 5.32 µg/g) and tissue/blood ratios and contributed more than 50% to the whole-body burden of OBS in both male and female mice, showing its ability to enrich PFASs. Furthermore, there were certain differences in the distribution characteristics of the three OBS isomers. Based on its bioaccumulation potential and widespread use, further studies are required on the human exposure risks of OBS.

Aptamers from random sequence space: Accomplishments, gaps and future considerations.

Aptamers are molecular recognition elements made of nucleic acids. Diverse synthetic aptamers have been discovered in a large number of SELEX experiments since 1990. This review begins with the analysis of these SELEX experiments by examining the range of targets as well as the affinity and specificity for these targets by DNA, RNA or modified nucleic acid aptamers generated from these experiments. This is followed by comparisons of synthetic aptamers with natural RNA aptamers from riboswitches and with some of the best naturally occurring protein based recognition elements for proteins and small molecules. These comparisons reveal the gaps between man-made aptamers and natural recognition elements. We then put forward a series of ideas for consideration by the aptamer community towards developing better aptamers to solve real world problems. These include performing aptamer selections with libraries containing larger random sequence domains to derive larger aptamers with more intricate structures, conducting more reselection experiments using mutagenized DNA libraries based on initially selected aptamer sequences to search for better members of an aptamer family, selecting aptamers that are programmed to recognize two or more different epitopes of the same target in order to build multivalent aptamers for increased affinity, expanding the effort of selecting aptamers using modified nucleic acids with enhanced chemical functionalities, innovating SELEX methods to drive for the selection of aptamers with truly outstanding affinity and specificity, and having terminal applications in mind when creating new aptamers so that they are highly functional in the environment where the applications are planned.