Spinal-Specific Super Enhancer in Neuropathic Pain.

Dysfunctional gene expression in nociceptive pathways plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. Super enhancers (SEs), composed of a large cluster of transcriptional enhancers, are emerging as new players in the regulation of gene expression. However, whether SEs participate in nociceptive responses remains unknown. Here, we report a spinal-specific SE (SS-SE) that regulates chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain by driving Ntmt1 and Prrx2 transcription in dorsal horn neurons. Peripheral nerve injury significantly enhanced the activity of SS-SE and increased the expression of NTMT1 and PRRX2 in the dorsal horn of male mice in a bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4)-dependent manner. Both intrathecal administration of a pharmacological BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated SE deletion abolished the increased NTMT1 and PRRX2 in CCI mice and attenuated their nociceptive hypersensitivities. Furthermore, knocking down Ntmt1 or Prrx2 with siRNA suppressed the injury-induced elevation of phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the dorsal horn and alleviated neuropathic pain behaviors. Mimicking the increase in spinal Ntmt1 or Prrx2 in naive mice increased p-ERK and GFAP expression and led to the genesis of neuropathic pain-like behavior. These results redefine our understanding of the regulation of pain-related genes and demonstrate that BRD4-driven increases in SS-SE activity is responsible for the genesis of neuropathic pain through the governance of NTMT1 and PRRX2 expression in dorsal horn neurons. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of BRD4 inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT SEs drive gene expression by recruiting master transcription factors, cofactors, and RNA polymerase, but their role in the development of neuropathic pain remains unknown. Here, we report that the activity of an SS-SE, located upstream of the genes Ntmt1 and Prrx2, was elevated in the dorsal horn of mice with neuropathic pain. SS-SE contributes to the genesis of neuropathic pain by driving expression of Ntmt1 and Prrx2 Both inhibition of SS-SE with a pharmacological BRD4 inhibitor and genetic deletion of SS-SE attenuated pain hypersensitivities. This study suggests an effective and novel therapeutic strategy for neuropathic pain.

The Cytidine N-Acetyltransferase NAT10 Participates in Peripheral Nerve Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain by Stabilizing SYT9 Expression in Primary Sensory Neurons.

RNA N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification is increasingly recognized as an important layer of gene regulation; however, the involvement of ac4C in pain regulation has not been studied. Here, we report that N-acetyltransferase 10 protein (NAT10; the only known ac4C "writer") contributes to the induction and development of neuropathic pain in an ac4C-dependent manner. Peripheral nerve injury increases the levels of NAT10 expression and overall ac4C in injured dorsal root ganglia (DRGs). This upregulation is triggered by the activation of upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1), a transcription factor that binds to the Nat10 promoter. Knock-down or genetic deletion of NAT10 in the DRG abolishes the gain of ac4C sites in Syt9 mRNA and the augmentation of SYT9 protein, resulting in a marked antinociceptive effect in nerve-injured male mice. Conversely, mimicking NAT10 upregulation in the absence of injury evokes the elevation of Syt9 ac4C and SYT9 protein and induces the genesis of neuropathic-pain-like behaviors. These findings demonstrate that USF1-governed NAT10 regulates neuropathic pain by targeting Syt9 ac4C in peripheral nociceptive sensory neurons. Our findings establish NAT10 as a critical endogenous initiator of nociceptive behavior and a promising new target for treating neuropathic pain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The cytidine N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C), a new epigenetic RNA modification, is crucial for the translation and stability of mRNA, but its role for chronic pain remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) acts as ac4C N-acetyltransferase and plays an important role in the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. NAT10 was upregulated via the activation of the transcription factor upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) in the injured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) after peripheral nerve injury. Since pharmacological or genetic deleting NAT10 in the DRG attenuated the nerve injury-induced nociceptive hypersensitivities partially through suppressing Syt9 mRNA ac4C and stabilizing SYT9 protein level, NAT10 may serve as an effective and novel therapeutic target for neuropathic pain.

Site-Recognition-Induced Structural and Photoluminescent Evolution of the Gold-Pincer Nanocluster.

The induced structural transformation provides an efficient way to precisely modulate the fine structures and the corresponding performance of gold nanoclusters, thus constituting one of the important research topics in cluster chemistry. However, the driving forces and mechanisms of these processes are still ambiguous in many cases, limiting further applications. In this work, based on the unique coordination mode of the pincer ligand-stabilized gold nanocluster Au8(PNP)4, we revealed the site-recognition mechanism for induced transformations of gold nanoclusters. The "open nitrogen sites" on the surface of the nanocluster interact with different inducers including organic compounds and metals and trigger the conversion of Au8(PNP)4 to Au13 and Au9Ag4 nanoclusters, respectively. Control experiments verified the site-recognition mechanism, and the femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed the electronic and photoluminescent evolution accompanied by the structural transformation.

WSB1, as an E3 ligase, restrains myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by activating ß-catenin signaling via promoting GSK3ß ubiquitination.

BACKGROUND: Reperfusion is the most effective strategy for myocardial infarct, but induces additional injury. WD repeat and SOCS box containing protein 1 (WSB1) plays a protective role in ischemic cells. This study aims to investigate the effects of WSB1 on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. METHODS: The myocardial IR was induced by left anterior descending (LAD) ligation for 45 min and subsequent reperfusion. The overexpression of WSB1 was mediated by tail vein injection of AAV9 loaded with WSB1 encoding sequence two weeks before IR surgery. H9c2 myocardial cells underwent oxygen-sugar deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) to mimic IR, and transfected with WSB1 overexpression or silencing plasmid to alter the expression of WSB1. RESULTS: WSB1 was found highly expressed in penumbra of myocardial IR rats, and the WSB1 overexpression relieved IR-induced cardio dysfunction, myocardial infarct and pathological damage, and cardiomyocyte death in penumbra. The ectopic expression of WSB1 in H9c2 myocardial cells mitigated OGD/R-caused apoptosis, and silencing of WSB1 exacerbated the apoptosis. In addition, WSB1 activated ß-catenin signaling, which was deactivated under the ischemic condition. The co-immunoprecipitation results revealed that WSB1 mediated ubiquitination and degradation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3ß) as an E3 ligase in myocardial cells. The effects of WSB1 on myocardial cells under ischemic conditions were abolished by an inhibitor of ß-catenin signaling. CONCLUSION: WSB1 activated ß-catenin pathway by promoting the ubiquitination of GSK3ß, and restrained IR-induced myocardial injury. These findings might provide novel insights for clinical treatment of myocardial ischemic patients.

An L-type lectin receptor-like kinase promotes starch accumulation during rice pollen maturation.

Starch accumulation is key for the maturity of rice pollen grains; however, the regulatory mechanism underlying this process remains unknown. Here, we have isolated a male-sterile rice mutant, abnormal pollen 1 (ap1), which produces nonviable pollen grains with defective starch accumulation. Functional analysis revealed that AP1 encodes an active L-type lectin receptor-like kinase (L-LecRLK). AP1 is localized to the plasma membrane and its transcript is highly accumulated in pollen during the starch synthesis phase. RNA-seq and phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that the expression/phosphorylation levels of numerous genes/proteins involved in starch and sucrose metabolism pathway were significantly altered in the mutant pollen, including a known rice UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (OsUGP2). We further found that AP1 physically interacts with OsUGP2 to elevate its enzymatic activity, likely through targeted phosphorylation. These findings revealed a novel role of L-LecRLK in controlling pollen maturity via modulating sucrose and starch metabolism.

MXene-Layered Double Hydroxide Reinforced Epoxy Nanocomposite with Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption, Thermal Conductivity, and Flame Retardancy in Electronic Packaging.

Due to the increased integration and miniaturization of electronic devices, traditional electronic packaging materials, such as epoxy resin (EP), cannot solve electromagnetic interference (EMI) in electronic devices. Thus, the development of multifunctional electronic packaging materials with superior electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA), high heat dissipation, and flame retardancy is critical for current demand. This study employs an in-situ growth method to load layered double hydroxides (LDH) onto transition metal carbides (MXene), synthesizing a novel composite material (MXene@LDH). MXene@LDH possesses a sandwich structure and exhibits excellent EMA performance, thermal conductivity, and flame retardancy. By adjusting the load of LDH, under the synergistic effect of multiple factors, such as dielectric and polarization losses, this work achieves an EMA material with a remarkable minimum reflection loss (RL) of -52.064 dB and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.5 GHz. Furthermore, MXene@LDH emerges a bridging effect in EP, namely MXene@LDH/EP, leading to a 118.75% increase in thermal conductivity compared to EP. Simultaneously, MXene@LDH/EP contributes to the enhanced flame retardancy compared to EP, resulting in a 46.5% reduction in the total heat release (THR). In summary, this work provides a promising candidate advanced electronic packaging material for high-power density electronic packaging.

Enhanced Extracellular Electron Transfer in Magnetite-Mediated Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane Coupled to Humic Substances Reduction: The Pivotal Role of Membrane-Bound Electron Transfer Proteins.

Humic substances are organic substances prevalent in various natural environments, such as wetlands, which are globally important sources of methane (CH4) emissions. Extracellular electron transfer (EET)-mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM)-coupled with humic substances reduction plays an important role in the reduction of methane emissions from wetlands, where magnetite is prevalent. However, little is known about the magnetite-mediated EET mechanisms in AOM-coupled humic substances reduction. This study shows that magnetite promotes the reduction of the AOM-coupled humic substances model compound, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS). 13CH4 labeling experiments further indicated that AOM-coupled AQDS reduction occurred, and acetate was an intermediate product of AOM. Moreover, 13CH313COONa labeling experiments showed that AOM-generated acetate can be continuously reduced to methane in a state of dynamic equilibrium. In the presence of magnetite, the EET capacity of the microbial community increased, and Methanosarcina played a key role in the AOM-coupled AQDS reduction. Pure culture experiments showed that Methanosarcina barkeri can independently perform AOM-coupled AQDS reduction and that magnetite increased its surface protein redox activity. The metatranscriptomic results indicated that magnetite increased the expression of membrane-bound proteins involved in energy metabolism and electron transfer in M. barkeri, thereby increasing the EET capacity. This phenomenon potentially elucidates the rationale as to why magnetite promoted AOM-coupled AQDS reduction.

Dietary factors in relation to the risk of cognitive impairment and physical frailty in Chinese older adults: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate the independent associations of dietary factors with cognitive impairment (CI) and physical frailty (PF) among Chinese older adults. METHODS: This study included 10,734 participants (mean age = 78.7 years) free of CI and PF at baseline from the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey. Dietary intake was collected using a simplified food frequency questionnaire every 3-4 years. The Chinese version Mini-Mental State Examination was used to assess cognition function, participants with a score below 18 were defined as CI. PF was defined using the activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and functional limitation-related questions. The outcome was defined as the first onset of either CI or PF. Competing risk models were used to estimate the corresponding hazard ratios (HRs) and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). RESULTS: During the study follow-up (mean = 8.1 years), a total of 1220 CI cases and 1451 PF cases were newly identified. Higher frequency of fruits intake was associated with a lower hazard of CI (HR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.97), whereas higher intake of preserved vegetables demonstrated an opposite association (HR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.07-1.42). In terms of PF, we observed a lower risk associated with higher meat and poultry intake (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.61-0.88). In particular, a significant protective association of fish and aquatic products intake with PF was observed among participants with ≥ 28 natural teeth (HR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.27-0.99). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest divergent roles of major dietary factors in the development of CI and PF among Chinese older adults.

Severe necrotizing tracheobronchitis caused by influenza B and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus co-infection in an immunocompetent patient.

PURPOSE AND METHOD: Necrotizing tracheobronchitis is a rare clinical entity presented as a necrotic inflammation involving the mainstem trachea and distal bronchi. We reported a case of severe necrotizing tracheobronchitis caused by influenza B and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) co-infection in an immunocompetent patient. CASE PRESENTATION: We described a 36-year-old man with initial symptoms of cough, rigors, muscle soreness and fever. His status rapidly deteriorated two days later and he was intubated. Bronchoscopy demonstrated severe necrotizing tracheobronchitis, and CT imaging demonstrated multiple patchy and cavitation formation in both lungs. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) culture supported the co-infection of influenza B and MRSA. We also found T lymphocyte and NK lymphocyte functions were extremely suppressed during illness exacerbation. The patient was treated with antivirals and antibiotics including vancomycin. Subsequent bronchoscopy and CT scans revealed significant improvement of the airway and pulmonary lesions, and the lymphocyte functions were restored. Finally, this patient was discharged successfully. CONCLUSION: Necrotizing tracheobronchitis should be suspected in patients with rapid deterioration after influenza B infection. The timely diagnosis of co-infection and accurate antibiotics are important to effective treatment.

Active Dual Line-Laser Scanning for Depth Imaging of Piled Agricultural Commodities for Itemized Processing Lines.

The accurate depth imaging of piled products provides essential perception for the automated selection of individual objects that require itemized food processing, such as fish, crabs, or fruit. Traditional depth imaging techniques, such as Time-of-Flight and stereoscopy, lack the necessary depth resolution for imaging small items, such as food commodities. Although structured light methods such as laser triangulation have high depth resolution, they depend on conveyor motion for depth scanning. This manuscript introduces an active dual line-laser scanning system for depth imaging static piled items, such as a pile of crabs on a table, eliminating the need for conveyor motion to generate high-resolution 3D images. This advancement benefits robotic perception for loading individual items from a pile for itemized food processing. Leveraging a unique geometrical configuration and laser redundancy, the dual-laser strategy overcomes occlusions while reconstructing a large field of view (FOV) from a long working distance. We achieved a depth reconstruction MSE of 0.3 mm and an STD of 0.5 mm on a symmetrical pyramid stage. The proposed system demonstrates that laser scanners can produce depth maps of complex items, such as piled Chesapeake Blue Crab and White Button mushrooms. This technology enables 3D perception for automated processing lines and offers broad applicability for quality inspection, sorting, and handling of piled products.

Toward Ultrahigh Thermoelectric Performance of Cu2 SnS3 -Based Materials by Analog Alloying.

Cu2 SnS3 is a promising thermoelectric candidate for power generation at medium temperature due to its low-cost and environmental-benign features. However, the high electrical resistivity due to low hole concentration severely restricts its final thermoelectric performance. Here, analog alloying with CuInSe2 is first adopted to optimize the electrical resistivity by promoting the formation of Sn vacancies and the precipitation of In, and optimize lattice thermal conductivity through the formation of stacking faults and nanotwins. Such analog alloying enables a greatly enhanced power factor of 8.03 µW cm-1 K-2 and a largely reduced lattice thermal conductivity of 0.38 W m-1  K-1 for Cu2 SnS3 - 9 mol.% CuInSe2 . Eventually, a peak ZT as high as 1.14 at 773 K is achieved for Cu2 SnS3 - 9 mol.% CuInSe2 , which is one of the highest ZT among the researches on Cu2 SnS3 -based thermoelectric materials. The work implies analog alloying with CuInSe2 is a very effective route to unleash superior thermoelectric performance of Cu2 SnS3 .

Lnc-17Rik promotes the immunosuppressive function of Myeloid-Derived suppressive cells in esophageal cancer.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a population of immature bone marrow cells that accumulate in large numbers in the spleen, peripheral blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and local and metastatic foci of tumors. C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ß (C/EBPß) play key roles in regulating the immunosuppressive function and differentiation of MDSCs. Our study revealed that the long noncoding RNA Lnc-17Rik was able to promote immunosuppression in tumors by facilitating the activation and expression of key genes involved in MDSC differentiation. Lnc-17Rik was shown to directly interact with CHOP and C/EBPß LIP to facilitate their dissociation from the transcriptional repressor complex involving C/EBP LAP/LIP/CHOP. Moreover, Lnc-17Rik increased the association of WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) with C/EBP LAP, promoting H3K4me3 enrichment in the promoter regions of arginase 1 (Arg-1), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) to enhance the expression of these genes. Furthermore, using a CD45 chimeric model we confirmed that Lnc-17Rik promoted the differentiation of monocytic (M)-MDSCs in vivo with the introduction of Lnc-17Rik-overexpressing MDSCs shown to promote tumor growth as a result of enhancing their immunosuppressive function. Notably, human Lnc-17Rik is highly homologous to mouse Lnc-17Rik and fulfills similar functions in human MDSC-like cells. In addition, we also found a high level of Lnc-17Rik in peripheral blood MDSC of patients with esophageal cancer. These findings suggest that Lnc-17Rik plays an important role in controlling the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs in the tumor environment and may further serve as a potential therapeutic target for patients with esophageal cancer.

TRPC6 inhibits renal tubular epithelial cell pyroptosis through regulating zinc influx and alleviates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Canonical transient receptor potential-6 (TRPC6) has been reported to be involved in cell damage after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in target organs. While the effect and of TRPC6 on pyroptosis in renal I/R injury remain unclear. In our study, we first established the renal I/R mouse model and oxygen-glucose deprivation and re-oxygenation (OGD/R) cell model, and investigated the impacts of TRPC6 on the pyroptosis-related proteins using CCK-8, western blot, ELISA, and immunofluorescence probes. Besides, we also explored the mechanism of TRPC6 in pyroptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells through A20 knockdown or overexpression and zinc chloride (ZnCl2 ) or a zinc ion chelator (TPEN) treatment. Our results indicated that I/R injury could cause downregulation of TRPC6 both in vivo and in vitro. In the I/R injury murine model, TRPC6 inhibition exacerbated tissue damage and upregulated NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-18, and IL-1ß, which could be alleviated by the administration of ZnCl2 . In the OGD/R cell model, inhibitor of TRPC6 (SAR7334) reduced zinc ion influx, aggravated cell death and upregulated pyroptosis-related protein. The pyroptosis phenotype also could be alleviated by ZnCl2 and intensified by TPEN. Overexpression of A20 reduced the expression of pyroptosis-related protein, increased cell viability in the sh-TRPC6 and TPEN-treated OGD/R cell models, while A20 deficiency impaired the protective effect of zinc ion. Therefore, our results indicate that TRPC6 could promote zinc ion influx in renal tubular epithelial cells, thereby upregulating intracellular A20, inhibiting the activation of inflammasome NLRP3, and ultimately attenuating renal I/R injury.

Association between gut microbiota and influenza: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Previous observational studies have indicated a correlation between the gut microbiota and influenza; however, the exact nature of the bidirectional causal connection remains uncertain. METHOD: A two-way, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to evaluate the possible causal connection between the gut microbiota and the two outcomes of influenza (pneumonia without influenza and influenza pneumonia). The statistical analysis of gut microbiota is derived from the information of the most extensive meta-analysis (GWAS) conducted by the MiBioGen Alliance, encompassing a sample size of 18,340.The summary statistical data for influenza (not pneumonia, n = 291,090) and influenza pneumonia (n = 342,499) are from GWAS data published by FinnGen consortium R8.Estimate and summarize Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using Inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR Egger, and Weighted median (WM) in bidirectional MR analysis. To assess the heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, and stability of SNPs, we employed Cochran's Q test, MR Egger intercept test, and sensitivity analysis. RESULT: The IVW analysis indicated that there was a significant association between influenza infection and five bacterial taxa. Additionally, the abundance changes of seven gut microbiota were found to be causally related to influenza infection. In addition, seven bacterial taxa showed a significant association with the occurrence of influenza pneumonia. The findings from the WM analysis largely support the outcomes of IVW, however, the results of MR egger analysis do not align with IVW. Furthermore, there is no proof to substantiate the cause-and-effect relationship between influenza pneumonia and the composition of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: This analysis demonstrates a possible bidirectional causal connection between the prevalence of particular gut microbiota and the occurrence of influenza infection. The presence of certain gut microbiota may potentially contribute to the development of pneumonia caused by influenza. Additional investigation into the interaction between particular bacterial communities and influenza can enhance efforts in preventing, monitoring, and treating influenza.

DHX9/DNA-tandem repeat-dependent downregulation of ciRNA-Fmn1 in the dorsal horn is required for neuropathic pain.

Circular RNAs (ciRNAs) are emerging as new players in the regulation of gene expression. However, how ciRNAs are involved in neuropathic pain is poorly understood. Here, we identify the nervous-tissue-specific ciRNA-Fmn1 and report that changes in ciRNA-Fmn1 expression in spinal cord dorsal horn neurons play a key role in neuropathic pain after nerve injury. ciRNA-Fmn1 was significantly downregulated in ipsilateral dorsal horn neurons after peripheral nerve injury, at least in part because of a decrease in DNA helicase 9 (DHX9), which regulates production of ciRNA-Fmn1 by binding to DNA-tandem repeats. Blocking ciRNA-Fmn1 downregulation reversed nerve-injury-induced reductions in both the binding of ciRNA-Fmn1 to the ubiquitin ligase UBR5 and the level of ubiquitination of albumin (ALB), thereby abrogating the nerve-injury-induced increase of ALB expression in the dorsal horn and attenuating the associated pain hypersensitivities. Conversely, mimicking downregulation of ciRNA-Fmn1 in naïve mice reduced the UBR5-controlled ubiquitination of ALB, leading to increased expression of ALB in the dorsal horn and induction of neuropathic-pain-like behaviors in naïve mice. Thus, ciRNA-Fmn1 downregulation caused by changes in binding of DHX9 to DNA-tandem repeats contributes to the genesis of neuropathic pain by negatively modulating UBR5-controlled ALB expression in the dorsal horn.

Association of the number of natural teeth with dietary diversity and nutritional status in older adults: A cross-sectional study in China.

AIM: To investigate the association of the number of natural teeth with overall dietary diversity and nutritional status in a nationally representative study among older adults in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study. According to the self-reported number of natural teeth, participants were categorized into ≥20, 10-19, 1-9 natural teeth, and edentulous. Dietary diversity score (DDS) was constructed based on intake frequencies of 10 food groups assessed by a simplified food frequency questionnaire. The geriatric nutritional risk index was used to measure the malnutrition status (i.e., normal, mild malnutrition, and moderate-to-severe malnutrition) among a subgroup of participants. Linear and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the corresponding associations. RESULTS: Among 54,796 study participants, the mean (SD) age was 87.86 (11.45) years, 82.7% had poor dentition (<20 natural teeth), and 27.3% wore dentures. After multivariable adjustment, participants with poor dentition had lower DDSs (ßedentulous  = -0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.48, -0.30; ß1-9 teeth  = -0.46, 95% CI, -0.55, -0.37; ß10-19 teeth  = -0.36, 95% CI, -0.46, -0.26) than those with 20 natural teeth or more. For individual food items, edentulous, 1-9 and 10-19 natural teeth were associated with lower odds of regular intake of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, meat, fish and aquatic products, eggs, legumes, preserved vegetables, tea, and garlic, but higher odds of regular intake of sugar and sweets. Among participants with poor dentition, individuals without dentures had lower intake frequencies of most food groups than those wearing dentures. In addition, poor dentition was related to lower odds of normal nutritional status (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% CI, 0.27, 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with poor dentition had significantly lower dietary diversity and worse nutritional status. Future studies are warranted to identify effective interventions to improve the dietary quality and nutrition status among partially and fully edentulous individuals, including those with Stage IV periodontitis.

Secretory lipid transfer protein OsLTPL94 acts as a target of EAT1 and is required for rice pollen wall development.

The plant pollen wall protects the male gametophyte from various biotic and abiotic stresses. The formation of a unique pollen wall structure and elaborate exine pattern is a well-organized process, which needs coordination between reproductive cells and the neighboring somatic cells. However, molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain largely unknown. Here, we report a rice male-sterile mutant (l94) that exhibits defective pollen exine patterning and abnormal tapetal cell development. MutMap and knockout analyses demonstrated that the causal gene encodes a type-G non-specific lipid transfer protein (OsLTPL94). Histological and cellular analyses established that OsLTPL94 is strongly expressed in the developing microspores and tapetal cells, and its protein is secreted to the plasma membrane. The l94 mutation impeded the secretory ability of OsLTPL94 protein. Further in vivo and in vitro investigations supported the hypothesis that ETERNAL TAPETUM 1 (EAT1), a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (bHLH TF), activated OsLTPL94 expression through direct binding to the E-box motif of the OsLTPL94 promoter, which was supported by the positive correlation between the expression of EAT1 and OsLTPL94 in two independent eat1 mutants. Our findings suggest that the secretory OsLTPL94 plays a key role in the coordinated development of tapetum and microspores with the regulation of EAT1.

Triclosan exposure induced disturbance of gut microbiota and exaggerated experimental colitis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Triclosan, an antimicrobial agent in personal care products, could be absorbed into the human body through the digestive tract. This animal experiment aimed to clarify the effects of triclosan exposure on the microbiome and intestinal immune functions in healthy and ulcerative colitis models. METHODS: Balb/c mice were maintained on an AIN-93G diet containing 80ppm triclosan dissolved in polyethylene as vehicle or vehicle alone for 1 week or 4 weeks. In the end, the mice were sacrificed, blood samples and colon tissues were collected for analysis of inflammation, and fecal samples were collected for 16 S rRNA sequencing of gut microbiota. To establish ulcerative colitis mice model, at the beginning of the 4th week, mice maintained on the diet with or without triclosan were treated with 2% Dextran sulfate sodium(DSS) in drinking water for 1 week. Then mice were sacrificed for analysis of colitis and gut microbiota. RESULTS: Triclosan exposure to common mice enhanced the levels of p-NF-κb and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and decreased the Occludin in the colon. Triclosan exposure to DSS-induced mice increased the level of inflammatory cytokines, reduced the levels of Occludin, and exacerbated the degree of damage to intestinal mucosa and crypt, infiltration of inflammatory cells and atypia of glandular cells. Low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia appeared. Both in common and DSS-induced mice, triclosan exposure changed the diversity and composition of gut microbiota. Fecal samples showed higher enrichment of sulfate-reducing bacteria and Bacteroides, and less butyrate-producing bacteria. CONCLUSION: Triclosan exposure induced disturbance of gut microbiota and exaggerated experimental colitis in mice. And changes in the composition of gut microbiota were characterized by the increase of harmful bacteria, including sulfate-reducing bacteria and Bacteroides, and the reduction of protective probiotics, butyrate-producing bacteria.

Preoperative CA125 as a risk factor for symptom recurrence of adenomyosis after ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between preoperative CA125 and symptom recurrence in adenomyosis after ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation surgery (FUAS). METHODS: A total of 502 adenomyosis patients after FUAS in Affiliated Nanchong Central Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from June 2017 to March 2021 were reviewed. Factors associated with symptom recurrence of adenomyosis were analyzed by binary logistic regression model. ROC was used to determine the optimal cutpoint. Magnitude of preoperative CA125 relating to timing of symptom recurrence was measured by cox regression and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves. Besides, multiple liner regression model was used to identify the impacting factors for preoperative CA125. RESULTS: Multiple binary logistic analysis showed preoperative CA125 was related to symptom recurrence (OR = 1.002, 95%: 1.000～1.004, p = 0.043). The ROC of preoperative CA125 for recurrence validated 35 U/ml had a high sensitivity (82.5%). Preoperative CA125 was related to timing of symptom recurrence (HR = 2.255, 95%: 1.387-3.667, p = 0.001). K-M curves showed medium recurrence time in preoperative CA125 level >35 U/ml group (38.5 months) was shorter than that in CA125 level ≤35 U/ml group (44.5 months) (p = 0.001). Multiple liner regression analyses showed uterus volume and adenomyotic lesions volume positively correlated to preoperative CA125 level, while age negatively correlated to preoperative CA125 level. CONCLUSION: The higher level of preoperative CA125 was related to an earlier onset of symptom recurrence after FUAS.

lncRNA IL-17RA-1 Attenuates LPS-Induced Sepsis via miR-7847-3p/PRKCG-Mediated MAPK Signaling Pathway.

Sepsis represents a syndrome of systemic inflammatory response, which is mostly a result of infection with various pathogenic microorganisms, characterized by an uncontrolled infection response of the organism leading to life-threatening organ dysfunction. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), as competing endogenous RNA, can affect the binding of microRNA (miRNA) to mRNA, thus influencing the development of sepsis. In this study, based on transcriptome data from GEO database, we screened differentially expressed lncRNAs and constructed lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. And pathway IL-17RA-1/miR-7847-3p/protein kinase C gamma (PRKCG) coexpression network was successfully sorted out. The effect of this network on LPS-induced sepsis model in THP-1 cells was also verified by CCK-8, scratch, ELISA, Western blot, and qRT-PCR assays. Corresponding binding sites of miR-7847-3p to IL-17RA-1 and miR-7847-3p to PRKCG were verified using dual luciferase gene reporter assays, respectively. Compared with control, si-IL-17RA-1 significantly inhibited the cell viability and migration ability of THP-1, and levels of proinflammatory factors IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α secreted were markedly decreased, and the expression of IL-17RA-1, PRKCG, p-MEKK1, and p-JNK were markedly reduced. In addition, IL-17RA-1 could target binding to miR-7847-3p and inhibit its expression, and miR-7847-3p could also bind to PRKCG. Our experiments demonstrate that IL17-RA-1 attenuates the sepsis response through the miR-7847-3p/MAPK pathway, and this competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network may be a potential approach to predict and combat sepsis.