GroupMorph: Medical Image Registration via Grouping Network with Contextual Fusion.

Pyramid-based deformation decomposition is a promising registration framework, which gradually decomposes the deformation field into multi-resolution subfields for precise registration. However, most pyramid-based methods directly produce one subfield per resolution level, which does not fully depict the spatial deformation. In this paper, we propose a novel registration model, called GroupMorph. Different from typical pyramid-based methods, we adopt the grouping-combination strategy to predict deformation field at each resolution. Specifically, we perform group-wise correlation calculation to measure the similarities of grouped features. After that, n groups of deformation subfields with different receptive fields are predicted in parallel. By composing these subfields, a deformation field with multi-receptive field ranges is formed, which can effectively identify both large and small deformations. Meanwhile, a contextual fusion module is designed to fuse the contextual features and provide the inter-group information for the field estimator of the next level. By leveraging the inter-group correspondence, the synergy among deformation subfields is enhanced. Extensive experiments on four public datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of GroupMorph. Code is available at https://github.com/TVayne/GroupMorph.

Golgi-targeted NIR fluorescent probe with large stokes shift for real-time monitoring of nitric oxide in depression model.

Depression is a debilitating mental illness that poses a serious threat to human health. Nitric Oxide (NO), as an important gasotransmitter, is closely associated with the pathogenesis of depressive disorders. Effective monitoring of NO fluctuation is beneficial for the diagnosis of depression and therapy assessment of antidepressants. Currently, there is a lack of effective methods for rapidly and sensitively identifying NO and elucidating its relationship with depression diseases. Herein, we developed a NIR dye TJ730-based fluorescent probe TJ730-Golgi-NO incorporating benzenesulfonamide as a Golgi-targeted moiety and the thiosemicarbazide group for NO detection. The probe exhibited turn-on fluorescence ability and a large Stokes shift of 158 nm, which shows high sensitivity, selectivity, and rapid response (<1 min) for NO detection. TJ730-Golgi-NO could detect exogenous and endogenous NO in cells stimulated by Glu and LPS, and target Golgi apparatus. Moreover, we disclose a significant increase of NO in the depression model and a weak fluorescence evidenced in the fluoxetine-treated depression mice. This study provides a competent tool for studying the function of NO and helping improve the effective treatment of depression diseases.

Effects of rosiglitazone on quality of life and prognosis of patients with early stage glottic laryngeal carcinoma.

Early-stage glottic laryngeal carcinoma refers to Tis-T2 lesions without cervical lymph nodes involvement and distant metastasis. Rosiglitazone facilitates expression of anti-inflammatory substances in the body, protecting immune system and improving patient's treatment efficacy and prognosis. We aimed to clarify the influence of rosiglitazone on prognosis of early-stage glottic laryngeal carcinoma. The control group received low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation and the observation group additionally received rosiglitazone; 4 mg, 2 times/day for 6 months. After treatment, the observation group showed reduction in the fundamental frequency perturbation and amplitude perturbation and increase in the harmonic-to-noise ratio relative to the control group. Total effective rate was 80.31% and 77.14% for observation and control groups, respectively (P > 0.05). Peripheral blood immune makers were higher in the observation group. The incidence rates of adverse reactions were lower in the observation group. The median survival time was 33 months in control group and 47 months in observation group (P < 0.05). The five-year survival rate was 77.14% in the observation group and 54.29% in the control group (P < 0.05). Rosiglitazone can prolong the survival of early-stage glottic laryngeal carcinoma patients, improving immune function and reducing adverse reactions during treatment.

A robust transformer-based pipeline of 3D cell alignment, denoise and instance segmentation on electron microscopy sequence images.

Germline cells are critical for transmitting genetic information to subsequent generations in biological organisms. While their differentiation from somatic cells during embryonic development is well-documented in most animals, the regulatory mechanisms initiating plant germline cells are not well understood. To thoroughly investigate the complex morphological transformations of their ultrastructure over developmental time, nanoscale 3D reconstruction of entire plant tissues is necessary, achievable exclusively through electron microscopy imaging. This paper presents a full-process framework designed for reconstructing large-volume plant tissue from serial electron microscopy images. The framework ensures end-to-end direct output of reconstruction results, including topological networks and morphological analysis. The proposed 3D cell alignment, denoise, and instance segmentation pipeline (3DCADS) leverages deep learning to provide a cell instance segmentation workflow for electron microscopy image series, ensuring accurate and robust 3D cell reconstructions with high computational efficiency. The pipeline involves five stages: the registration of electron microscopy serial images; image enhancement and denoising; semantic segmentation using a Transformer-based neural network; instance segmentation through a supervoxel-based clustering algorithm; and an automated analysis and statistical assessment of the reconstruction results, with the mapping of topological connections. The 3DCADS model's precision was validated on a plant tissue ground-truth dataset, outperforming traditional baseline models and deep learning baselines in overall accuracy. The framework was applied to the reconstruction of early meiosis stages in the anthers of Arabidopsis thaliana, resulting in a topological connectivity network and analysis of morphological parameters and characteristics of cell distribution. The experiment underscores the 3DCADS model's potential for biological tissue identification and its significance in quantitative analysis of plant cell development, crucial for examining samples across different genetic phenotypes and mutations in plant development. Additionally, the paper discusses the regulatory mechanisms of Arabidopsis thaliana's germline cells and the development of stamen cells before meiosis, offering new insights into the transition from somatic to germline cell fate in plants.

E93 is indispensable for reproduction in ametabolous and hemimetabolous insects.

Ecdysone-induced protein 93 (E93), known as the 'adult-specifier' transcription factor in insects, triggers metamorphosis in both hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects. Although E93 is conserved in ametabolous insects, its spatiotemporal expression and physiological function remain poorly understood. In this study, we first discover that, in the ametabolous firebrat Thermobia domestica, the previtellogenic ovary exhibits cyclically high E93 expression, and E93 mRNA is broadly distributed in previtellogenic ovarioles. E93 homozygous mutant females of T. domestica exhibit severe fecundity deficiency due to impaired previtellogenic development of the ovarian follicles, likely because E93 induces the expression of genes involved in ECM (extracellular matrix)-receptor interactions during previtellogenesis. Moreover, we reveal that in the hemimetabolous cockroach Blattella germanica, E93 similarly promotes previtellogenic ovarian development. In addition, E93 is also essential for vitellogenesis that is necessary to guarantee ovarian maturation and promotes the vitellogenesis-previtellogenesis switch in the fat body of adult female cockroaches. Our findings deepen the understanding of the roles of E93 in controlling reproduction in insects, and of E93 expression and functional evolution, which are proposed to have made crucial contributions to the origin of insect metamorphosis.

Triglyceride-glucose index in the prediction of new-onset arthritis in the general population aged over 45: the first longitudinal evidence from CHARLS.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance (IR) imposes a significant burden on inflammatory diseases, and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, which is an easily accessible indicator for detecting IR, holds great application potential in predicting the risk of arthritis. The aim of this study is to analyze the association between the TyG index and the risk of new-onset arthritis in the common population aged over 45 using a prospective cohort study design. METHOD: This population-based cohort study involved 4418 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (from Wave 1 to Wave 4). Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to investigate the association between the TyG index and new-onset arthritis, and RCS analyses were used to investigate potential non-linear relationships. Moreover, decision trees were utilized to identify high-risk populations for incident arthritis. RESULT: Throughout a 7-year follow-up interval, it was found that 396 participants (8.96%) developed arthritis. The last TyG index quartile group (Q4) presented the highest risk of arthritis (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01, 1.91). No dose-response relationship between the TyG index and new-onset arthritis was identified (Poverall=0.068, Pnon-linear=0.203). In the stratified analysis, we observed BMI ranging from 18.5 to 24 exhibited a heightened susceptibility to the adverse effects of the TyG index on the risk of developing arthritis (P for interaction = 0.035). CONCLUSION: The TyG index can be used as an independent risk indicator for predicting the start of new-onset arthritis within individuals aged 45 and above within the general population. Improving glucose and lipid metabolism, along with insulin resistance, may play a big part in improving the primary prevention of arthritis.

Infection-specific transcriptional patterns of the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus unravel genes involved in asexual development and virulence.

Southern corn leaf blight (SCLB) caused by Cochliobolus heterostrophus is a destructive disease that threatens global maize (Zea mays) production. Despite many studies being conducted, very little is known about molecular processes employed by the pathogen during infection. There is a need to understand the fungal arms strategy and identify novel functional genes as targets for fungicide development. Transcriptome analysis based on RNA sequencing was carried out across conidia germination and host infection by C. heterostrophus. The present study revealed major changes in C. heterostrophus gene expression during host infection. Several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced during C. heterostrophus infection could be involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, peroxisome, energy metabolism, amino acid degradation and oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, histone acetyltransferase, secreted proteins, peroxisomal proteins, NADPH oxidase and transcription factors were selected for further functional validation. Here, we demonstrated that histone acetyltransferases (Hat2 and Rtt109), secreted proteins (Cel61A and Mep1), peroxisomal proteins (Pex11A and Pex14), NADPH oxidases (NoxA, NoxD and NoxR) and transcription factors (Crz1 and MtfA) play essential roles in C. heterostrophus conidiation, stress adaption and virulence. Taken together, our study revealed major changes in gene expression associated with C. heterostrophus infection and identified a diverse repertoire of genes critical for successful infection.

Flavor characteristics of large yellow croaker soup served with different dried edible fungi.

The effects of different edible fungi on the flavor profiles of fish soups were analyzed by sensory evaluation, non-volatile and volatile flavor compounds. The sensory attributes of fish soups were modified by adding edible fungi, with the highest total scores obtained for AAFS and DFS. Compared with pure fish soup, the amounts of free amino acids, nucleotides, organic acids and inorganic ions were increased with fungi addition, especially AAFS. The different mushroom fish soups could be clearly distinguished by E-nose analysis, and a total of 52 flavor compounds, mainly composed of aldehydes (27), ketones (11), alcohols (8), esters (4), and others (2), were then identified by GC-IMS. Eventually, fish soup samples were classified into three groups based on OPLS-DA analysis: Ⅰ (LEFS), Ⅱ (BFS and BEFS) and Ⅲ (ABFS, AAFS and DFS). The results showed that Agrocybe aegerita had high suitability for improving the flavor of Large yellow croaker soups.

Plateau pika fecal microbiota transplantation ameliorates inflammatory bowel disease manifestations in a mouse model of colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a serious global public health concern. Although the pathogenesis of the disease is currently unknown, it has been reported to be associated with both intestinal microbiota and inflammatory mediators. There is evidence suggesting that the feces of the Plateau pika is useful for treating gastrointestinal injuries and pain. Although fecal microbiota transplantation is highly efficacious intervention for IBD prevention, however, potential the transfer of pathogenic microbes or toxic substances is potentially hazardous. Fortunately, micropore filtering of the donor feces can minimize the risk of bacterial infection allowing retention of the therapeutic effects of the residual bacteriophages. Here, we demonstrated that Plateau pika feces not only alleviated the IBD symptoms but also promoted optimal structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota. Additionally, Plateau pika feces transfer also enhanced phenotypic features, such as, body-weight, disease activity index, and histological scores. In conclusion, Plateau pika feces was found to protect mice against colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate by reducing inflammation and regulating microbial dysbiosis. These findings suggest the potential of Plateau pika feces as an alternative therapy for IBD.

A novel registration method for long-serial section images of EM with a serial split technique based on unsupervised optical flow network.

MOTIVATION: The registration of serial section electron microscope images is a critical step in reconstructing biological tissue volumes, and it aims to eliminate complex nonlinear deformations from sectioning and replicate the correct neurite structure. However, due to the inherent properties of biological structures and the challenges posed by section preparation of biological tissues, achieving an accurate registration of serial sections remains a significant challenge. Conventional nonlinear registration techniques, which are effective in eliminating nonlinear deformation, can also eliminate the natural morphological variation of neurites across sections. Additionally, accumulation of registration errors alters the neurite structure. RESULTS: This article proposes a novel method for serial section registration that utilizes an unsupervised optical flow network to measure feature similarity rather than pixel similarity to eliminate nonlinear deformation and achieve pairwise registration between sections. The optical flow network is then employed to estimate and compensate for cumulative registration error, thereby allowing for the reconstruction of the structure of biological tissues. Based on the novel serial section registration method, a serial split technique is proposed for long-serial sections. Experimental results demonstrate that the state-of-the-art method proposed here effectively improves the spatial continuity of serial sections, leading to more accurate registration and improved reconstruction of the structure of biological tissues. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code and data are available at https://github.com/TongXin-CASIA/EFSR.

Prevalence and Characterization of Serratia marcescens Isolated from Clinical Bovine Mastitis Cases in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and genetic characterization of Serratia marcescens isolates from clinical bovine mastitis in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. Methods: S. marcescens was identified by the polymerase-chain reaction of 16S rRNA gene and sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by the disk diffusion method. Genes of resistance and virulence were determined by the PCR. Results: Overall, S. marcescens were confirmed from 32 of 2897 (1.1%) mastitis milk samples. These isolates showed high resistance to cefazolin (30/32, 93.8%) and chloramphenicol (28/32, 87.5%). A 12.5% (4/32) of the isolates displayed multidrug resistance (MDR). The most prevalent resistant genes found in S. marcescens were TEM (32/32, 100%) and CTX-M (24/32, 75.0%; CTX-M-15, 14/32, 43.8%; CTX-M-14, 8/32, 25.0%; CTX-M-65, 2/32, 6.3%) for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, cmlA (28/32, 87.5%) and floR (16/32, 50.0%) for chloramphenicol resistance, SIM-1 (2/32, 6.3%) for carbapenemases, and sdeB (28/32, 87.5%), sdeY (26/32, 81.3%), sdeR (26/32, 81.3%) and sdeD (20/32, 62.5%) for efflux pumps. Moreover, all isolates carried virulence genes flhD, entB, and kpn, and most of them contained mrkD (30/32, 93.8%), ycfM (26/32, 81.3%), bsmB (26/32, 81.3%), pigP (26/32, 81.3%), kfu (24/32, 75.0%) and shlB (24/32, 75.0%). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic determinants for antimicrobial resistance and virulence in S. marcescens isolated from bovine mastitis cases in China. These findings are useful for developing strategies for prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis caused by S. marcescens in China.

Quercetin Reprograms Immunometabolism of Macrophages via the SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway to Ameliorate Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Oxidative Damage.

The redox system is closely related to changes in cellular metabolism. Regulating immune cell metabolism and preventing abnormal activation by adding antioxidants may become an effective treatment for oxidative stress and inflammation-related diseases. Quercetin is a naturally sourced flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. However, whether quercetin can inhibit LPS-induced oxidative stress in inflammatory macrophages by affecting immunometabolism has been rarely reported. Therefore, the present study combined cell biology and molecular biology methods to investigate the antioxidant effect and mechanism of quercetin in LPS-induced inflammatory macrophages at the RNA and protein levels. Firstly, quercetin was found to attenuate the effect of LPS on macrophage proliferation and reduce LPS-induced cell proliferation and pseudopodia formation by inhibiting cell differentiation, as measured by cell activity and proliferation. Subsequently, through the detection of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors and antioxidant enzyme activity, it was found that quercetin can improve the antioxidant enzyme activity of inflammatory macrophages and inhibit their ROS production and overexpression of inflammatory factors. In addition, the results of mitochondrial morphology and mitochondrial function assays showed that quercetin could upregulate the mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production and ATP synthase content decrease induced by LPS, and reverse the mitochondrial morphology damage to a certain extent. Finally, Western blotting analysis demonstrated that quercetin significantly upregulated the protein expressions of SIRT1 and PGC-1α, that were inhibited by LPS. And the inhibitory effects of quercetin on LPS-induced ROS production in macrophages and the protective effects on mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential were significantly decreased by the addition of SIRT1 inhibitors. These results suggested that quercetin reprograms the mitochondria metabolism of macrophages through the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway, thereby exerting its effect of alleviating LPS-induced oxidative stress damage.

Effect of oat ß-glucan on gel properties and protein conformation of silver carp surimi.

BACKGROUND: Polysaccharides are the most widely used additives to enhance the quality of surimi gels. Oat ß-glucan (OG), a functional polysaccharide, is known to affect the gelation characteristics of surimi. However, it has been rarely reported. Therefore, the effect of OG at different levels on gelling properties, protein conformation, and microstructures of silver carp surimi gels were investigated. RESULTS: An increase in the OG content from 0 to 1.0% significantly improved the hardness, springiness, chewiness, puncture properties, storage modulus, and loss modulus of surimi gels. Moreover, the incorporation of OG (0-1.0%) facilitated the unfolding of proteins, resulting in the conformational transformation from α-helix to ß-sheet and ß-turn. Consequently, surimi-OG gels displayed a denser network structure with smaller and more uniform voids. Furthermore, partial free water in the gel network was converted into immobile water, increasing the water-holding capacity. However, a further increase in the OG concentration (1.0-2.0%) resulted in a looser and more uneven network structure with large and numerous cavities. In addition, the whiteness of composite gels decreased with increasing content of OG. CONCLUSION: The addition of 1.0% OG dramatically improved the gelation performance of silver carp surimi, providing a theoretical foundation for the exploitation and manufacture of functional surimi products. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of low-dose CT-driven biopsy for pulmonary nodules.

Introduction: The diagnosis of pulmonary nodules (PNs) has traditionally relied on computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy. To reduce radiation exposure, low-dose CT-guided PN biopsy has been employed. Aim: This meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of low-dose CT-guided biopsy in the diagnosis of PNs. Material and methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Wanfang were searched for relevant articles until June 2023. Comparing low-dose CT to normal-dose CT, we considered factors such as diagnostic yield, diagnostic accuracy, biopsy process time, dose-length product (DLP) value, the frequency of pneumothorax and pulmonary bleeding, and the frequency with which complications necessitated the placement of a chest tube. Results: This meta-analysis included data from a total of 6 investigations. There was a total of 459 patients who had a CT-guided PN biopsy performed at a low dosage, and 384 patients who had a normal-dose CT-guided PN biopsy. There were no statistically significant differences between the low-dose CT and normal-dose CT groups in terms of diagnostic accuracy (p = 0.08), diagnostic yield (p = 0.55), biopsy procedure duration (p = 0.30), pneumothorax (p = 0.61), pulmonary hemorrhage (p = 0.29), or complications requiring a chest tube (p = 0.48). Low-dose CT patients obtained a DLP that was 91% lower than those in the standard-dose CT group (p = 0.01). According to Egger's test, there is a significant possibility of publication bias in DLP (p = 0.034). Conclusions: The diagnostic and safety results of low-dose CT-driven PN biopsy are equivalent to those of the standard one, although patients are much less exposed to radiation.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Mediate Bovine Endometrial Epithelial Cell Pyroptosis in Dairy Cows with Endometritis.

Neutrophils are involved in the development of endometritis, but it remains unknown how neutrophils induce inflammation and tissue damage. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) clear invading pathogens during infection but induce pyroptosis, leading to inflammation and tissue damage. Thus, our objective was to investigate whether NETs participate in bovine endometrial epithelial cell (BEEC) pyroptosis during endometritis. To confirm this, NETs and caspase-1/4; apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain(ASC); nod-like receptor protein-3 (NLRP3); and gasdermin D N-terminal (GSDMD-N), TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-18 in endometrial tissue were detected. Pathological section and vaginal discharge smears were performed to visually determine endometritis in the uterus. BEECs were stimulated with NETs to induce pyroptosis, which was treated with DNase I against pyroptosis. Caspase-1/4, ASC, NLRP3, GSDMD-N, TNF-a, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-18 in BEECs were analyzed in endometrial tissue. The results showed that NET formation, as well as pyroptosis-related proteins and proinflammatory, cytokines were elevated in the endometrial tissue of cows with endometritis. Pathological sections and vaginal discharge smears showed increased neutrophils and plasma cells in the uterus, as well as tissue congestion. In BEECs, NETs increased the level of pyroptosis-related proteins and proinflammatory cytokines and were diminished by DNase I. In summary NETs participate BEEC pyroptosis during endometritis in dairy cows.

A Novel Technique for the Preparation of Iron Carbide and Carbon Concentrate from Blast Furnace Dust.

Blast furnace (BF) dust is a typical refractory iron resource. A novel technology-based utilization of BF dust as iron carbide and carbon concentrate by applying carburization roasting followed by magnetic separation and acid leaching is proposed. Under optimized conditions, an electric arc furnace (EAF) burden assaying 80.79% Fe and 7.63% C with a corresponding iron recovery rate of 87.26% and a carbon concentrate assaying 67.06% C with a corresponding carbon recovery rate of 81.23% were prepared. Furthermore, the carburization behavior and separation mechanism were revealed using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. The results show that the separation efficiency of iron carbide, gangue, and carbon is very low. Na2SO4 is a highly effective additive to strengthen the separation efficiency as it can enhance the carburization index, enlarge the iron carbide particle size, improve the embed embedded relationship of iron carbide and gangue, and promote the gangue leaching efficiency. The study demonstrates that preparation of iron carbide and carbon concentrate from BF dust using the proposed technology is a feasible method.

Temozolomide hexadecyl ester targeted plga nanoparticles for drug-resistant glioblastoma therapy via intranasal administration.

Introduction: Temozolomide (TMZ) is the first-line drug for glioblastoma (GBM), but it is limited in clinical use due to the drug resistance, poor brain targeting, and side effects. Temozolomide hexadecyl ester (TMZ16e), a TMZ derivative with high lipophilicity, membrane permeability, and high anti-glioma properties, has the potential to reverse drug resistance. In this study, anti-ephrin type-A receptor 3 (EphA3) modified TMZ16e loaded nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared for targeted GBM therapy via intranasal administration to deliver TMZ16e to the brain, treat drug-resistant glioma effectively, and reduce peripheral toxicity. Methods: TMZ16e loaded NPs were prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation method followed by modified with anti-EphA3 (anti-EphA3-TMZ16e-NPs). In vitro evaluations were performed by an MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. The orthotopic nude mice models were used to evaluate the anti-glioma effect in vivo. Additionally, we investigated the anti-drug resistant mechanism by western blot analysis. Results: The particle size of the prepared NPs was less than 200 nm, and the zeta potential of TMZ16e-NPs and anti-EphA3-TMZ16e-NPs were -23.05 ± 1.48 mV and -28.65 ± 1.20mV, respectively, which is suitable for nasal delivery. In vitro studies have shown that anti-EphA3 modification increased the cellular uptake of nanoparticles in T98G cells. The cytotoxicity in the anti-EphA3-TMZ16e-NPs treated group was significantly higher than that of the TMZ16e-NPs, TMZ16e, and TMZ groups (p < 0.01), and the cell cycle was blocked. Western blotting analysis showed that the TMZ16e-loaded NPs were able to effectively downregulate the expression level of O6-methylguanine-deoxyribonucleic acid-methyltransferase (MGMT) protein in T98G cells and reverse drug resistance. In vivo studies showed that the median survival time of tumor-bearing nude mice in the anti-EphA3-TMZ16e-NPs group was extended to 41 days, which was 1.71-fold higher than that of the saline group and the TUNEL staining results of the brain tissue section indicated that the TMZ16e-loaded NPs could elevate apoptosis in T98G cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, the TMZ16e-loaded NPs can be effectively delivered to the brain and targeted to gliomas, exhibiting better anti-glioma activity, indicating they possess great potential in the treatment of drug-resistant glioma.

Improvement of the gel properties and flavor adsorption capacity of fish myosin upon yeast ß-glucan incorporation.

The potential effects of yeast ß-glucan (YG) on heat-induced gel properties, microstructure and flavor adsorption capacity of fish myosin at different NaCl concentrations were investigated in this study. The incorporation of YG significantly improved the texture properties, gel strength, water holding capacity (WHC), storage modulus and loss modulus of myosin gels, especially at a high salt level, whereas the whiteness declined. Furthermore, myosin gels containing YG displayed a more compact and ordered three-dimensional network structure, accompanied by the increasing immobilization of water in gels. The binding abilities of gels to selected flavor compounds at high salt content were inferior to those at the low salt content. Regardless of the salt level, YG addition boosted the flavor binding capacity of gels, which might be attributed to the unfolding of the protein conformation by exposing more flavor-binding sites, as well as the porous sponge structure of YG with unique adsorption capacity.

Improvement of human myeloid and natural killer cell development in humanized mice via hydrodynamic injection of transposon plasmids containing multiple human cytokine genes.

Humanized mice reconstituted with a functional human immune system (HIS) are instrumental in studying human immunity and immune disorders in vivo. The poor or lack of cross-reactivity between mouse cytokines and human cells limits the development and/or function of human immune cell subsets including human myeloid, natural killer and B cells. Here we explored the potential to achieve long-term production of human cytokines in immunodeficient mice using a transposon-plasmid-based hydrodynamic injection approach. We constructed a transposon-plasmid carrying five human cytokine coding sequences (named PB-5F), and observed that four of the cytokines (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin (IL)-15, IL-6 and IL-3) were detectable in sera and three (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-15 and IL-6) showed long-term production in immunodeficient mice that received a single hydrodynamic injection of PB-5F plus the transposase plasmid (Super PB). Furthermore, a single injection of PB-5F/Super PB markedly enhanced the reconstitution of human myeloid cells and natural killer cells, and promoted human B-cell maturation in HIS mice. Taken together, our data revealed that hydrodynamic injection of the PB-5F/Super PB vectors may serve as a convenient and efficacious means to promote human immune function in HIS mice.

Cangpu Oral Liquid as a Possible Alternative to Antibiotics for the Control of Undifferentiated Calf Diarrhea.

Antibiotics are essential in the prevention of calf diarrhea epidemics. As more antibiotics become ineffective due to drug-resistant bacteria, attention must be directed toward alternative treatments for calf diarrhea. Natural antibiotic alternatives, such as Chinese herbal medicine, have become a research hotspot in the clinical treatment of diseases such as calf diarrhea due to their characteristics of fewer side effects, low cost, little residue, and no drug resistance. The Cangpu Oral Liquid (CP) was modified from a traditional herbal formula that had been widely used in ancient China to treat gastrointestinal diseases in animals. In order to evaluate the treatment effect of CP on neonatal calf diarrhea, a randomized controlled field trial was performed. Two hundred and forty-six diarrheal Holstein calves of 2-15 days old were selected and randomly divided into two treatment groups receiving either apramycin or CP. 101 out of 123 calves recovered from diarrhea in the CP group, whereas 77 out of 123 calves showed recovery after antibiotic therapy. There were no differences in initial weight between both groups, while the final weight was significantly different (P = 0.892, P = 0.025, respectively). The mean average daily gain (ADG) of calves (211.45 gram/day) in the CP group was significantly higher compared to the antibiotic group (164.56 gram/day) (P = 0.001). The CP group also showed a shorter recovery time from diarrhea (3.90 days vs. 6.62 days, P = 0.001). The current results indicate that the CP has a beneficial clinical effect on the treatment of diarrhea in neonatal calves and is an effective alternative treatment option.