CXCL10 is a prognostic marker for pancreatic adenocarcinoma and tumor microenvironment remodeling.

BACKGROUND: The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in the progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, challenges remain regarding the role played by TME associated genes in the prognosis of PAAD. METHODS: The scores of tumor infiltrating immune cells (TICs), the immune and stroma scores of 182 PAAD patients in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were determined using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE calculations. The final genes were identified by protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and univariate Cox regression of differentially expressed genes. Finally, the correlation between gene expression and TCGA and clinical characteristics of patients in local hospital database was discussed. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), the association between CXCL10 expression and TICs components were conducted. RESULTS: In TCGA database and local hospital data, CXCL10 expression was correlated with the survival rate and TNM classification of patients with PAAD. Immune-related activities were enriched in the CXCL10 high expression group, while metabolic pathways were enriched in the CXCL10 low expression group. The expression of CXCL10 correlated with the proportion of TICs. CXCL10 expression was correlated with the proportion of TICs. CONCLUSION: CXCL10 is a potential prognostic marker for PAAD and provide additional insights into the treatment of PAAD based on TME transformation. However, more independent experimentation with the CXCL10 is need.

Spinosyn A and Its Derivative Inhibit Colorectal Cancer Cell Growth via the EGFR Pathway.

Spinosyn A (SPA), derived from a soil microorganism, Saccharopolyspora spinosa, and its derivative, LM2I, has potential inhibitory effects on a variety of cancer cells. However, the effects of SPA and LM2I in inhibiting the growth of human colorectal cancer cells and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. Cell viability was tested by using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and a colony formation assay. On the basis of the IC50 values of SPA and LM2I in seven colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines, sensitive (HT29 and SW480) and insensitive (SW620 and RKO) cell lines were screened. The GSE2509 and GSE10843 data sets were used to identify 69 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between sensitive and insensitive cell lines. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interactions (PPI) were performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the DEGs. The hub gene of the DEGs was detected by Western blot analysis and verified using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Our data indicate that SPA and its derivative LM2I have significant antiproliferative activity in seven colorectal cancer cell lines and colorectal xenograft tumors. On the basis of bioinformatics analysis, it was demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was the hub gene of the DEGs and was associated with the inhibitory effects of SPA and LM2I in CRC cell lines. The study also revealed that SPA and LM2I inhibited the EGFR pathway in vitro and in vivo.

A Practical Model for Predicting Esophageal Variceal Rebleeding in Patients with Hepatitis B-Associated Cirrhosis.

Background: Variceal rebleeding is a significant and potentially life-threatening complication of cirrhosis. Unfortunately, currently, there is no reliable method for stratifying high-risk patients. Liver stiffness measurements (LSM) have been shown to have a predictive value in identifying complications associated with portal hypertension, including first-time bleeding. However, there is a lack of evidence to confirm that LSM is reliable in predicting variceal rebleeding. The objective of our study was to evaluate the ability of generating a extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm model to improve the prediction of variceal rebleeding. Methods: This retrospective analysis examined a cohort of 284 patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis. XGBoost models were developed using laboratory data, LSM, and imaging data to predict the risk of rebleeding in the patients. In addition, we compared the XGBoost models with traditional logistic regression (LR) models. We evaluated and compared the two models using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and other model performance parameters. Lastly, we validated the models using nomograms and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: During a median follow-up of 66.6 weeks, 72 patients experienced rebleeding, including 21 (7.39%) and 61 (21.48%) patients who rebleed within 6 weeks and 1 year, respectively. In brief, the AUC of the LR models in predicting rebleeding at 6 weeks and 1 year was 0.828 (0.759-0.897) and 0.799 (0.738-0.860), respectively. In contrast, the accuracy of the XGBoost model in predicting rebleeding at 6 weeks and 1 year was 0.985 (0.907-0.731) and 0.931 (0.806-0.935), respectively. LSM and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels differed significantly between the rebleeding and nonrebleeding groups, with LSM being a reliable predictor in those models. The XGBoost models outperformed the LR models in predicting rebleeding within 6 weeks and 1 year, as demonstrated by the ROC and DCA curves. Conclusion: The XGBoost algorithm model can achieve higher accuracy than the LR model in predicting rebleeding, making it a clinically beneficial tool. This implies that the XGBoost model is better suited for predicting the risk of esophageal variceal rebleeding in patients.

A new finding in the key prognosis-related proto-oncogene FYN in hepatocellular carcinoma based on the WGCNA hub-gene screening trategy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third-most deadly cancer worldwide. More breakthroughs are needed in the clinical practice for liver cancer are needed, and new treatment strategies are required. This study aims to determine the significant differences in genes associated with LIHC and further analyze its prognostic value further. METHODS: Here, we used the TCGA-LIHC database and the profiles of GSE25097 from GEO to explore the differentially co-expressed genes in HCC tissues compared with paratumor (or healthy) tissues. Then, we utilized WGCNA to screen differentially co-expressed genes. Finally, we explored the function of FYN in HCC cells and xenograft tumor models. RESULTS: We identified ten hub genes in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, but only three (COLEC10, TGFBR3, and FYN) appeared closely related to the prognosis. The expression of FYN was positively correlated with the prognosis of HCC patients. The xenograft model showed that overexpression of FYN could significantly inhibit malignant tumor behaviors and promote tumor cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Thus, FYN may be central to the development of LIHC and maybe a novel biomarker for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Short-term effects of two types of goggles on intraocular pressure and anterior eye segment biometrics.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate and compare the changes in intraocular pressure and anterior eye segment biometrics during and after wearing two types of commonly used swimming goggles. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a total of 40 healthy adults aged between 18 and 60 years old were selected to wear two kinds of common swimming goggles (ocular socket and orbital goggles). Intraocular pressure and anterior segment biometry were evaluated before wearing, at 2 and 5 min of wearing, and at 5 min after removing the goggles. Intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal front keratometry values (K1, K2, Km), central corneal thickness (CCT), central anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV), and anterior chamber angle (ACA) were measured. RESULTS: The IOP at 2 min (21.0 ± 2.2 mmHg) and 5 min (21.2 ± 2.3 mmHg) was significantly higher than before wearing goggles (17.7 ± 2.1 mmHg). The IOP after the goggles were removed and at 5 min after the goggles were removed was 18.4 ± 2.3 mmHg and 17.7 ± 2.1 mmHg, respectively. ACV, ACD, and ACA values all decreased while the googles were worn. After the goggles were removed, these changes gradually returned to baseline values, with no significant difference in the values before and after. CONCLUSION: This study proves that wearing orbital goggles can lead to an acute increase in IOP and a slight decrease in ACV, ACD, and ACA. However, once the goggles are removed, these indicators return to baseline levels, showing that wearing orbital goggles has no significant lasting effect on IOP and anterior segment parameters.

Accounting for Uncertainty in the Evolutionary Timescale of Green Plants Through Clock-Partitioning and Fossil Calibration Strategies.

Establishing an accurate evolutionary timescale for green plants (Viridiplantae) is essential to understanding their interaction and coevolution with the Earth's climate and the many organisms that rely on green plants. Despite being the focus of numerous studies, the timing of the origin of green plants and the divergence of major clades within this group remain highly controversial. Here, we infer the evolutionary timescale of green plants by analyzing 81 protein-coding genes from 99 chloroplast genomes, using a core set of 21 fossil calibrations. We test the sensitivity of our divergence-time estimates to various components of Bayesian molecular dating, including the tree topology, clock models, clock-partitioning schemes, rate priors, and fossil calibrations. We find that the choice of clock model affects date estimation and that the independent-rates model provides a better fit to the data than the autocorrelated-rates model. Varying the rate prior and tree topology had little impact on age estimates, with far greater differences observed among calibration choices and clock-partitioning schemes. Our analyses yield date estimates ranging from the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic for crown-group green plants, and from the Ediacaran to Middle Ordovician for crown-group land plants. We present divergence-time estimates of the major groups of green plants that take into account various sources of uncertainty. Our proposed timeline lays the foundation for further investigations into how green plants shaped the global climate and ecosystems, and how embryophytes became dominant in terrestrial environments.

Serum lactate level predicts 6-months mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus-related decompensated cirrhosis: a retrospective study.

The prediction of prognosis is an important part of management in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related decompensated cirrhosis patients with high long-term mortality. Lactate is a known predictor of outcome in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of lactate in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. We performed a single-centre, observational, retrospective study of 405 HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. Individuals were evaluated within 24 h after admission and the primary outcome was evaluated at 6-months. Multivariable analyses were used to determine whether lactate was independently associated with the prognosis of HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients. The area under the ROC (AUROC) was calculated to assess the predictive accuracy compared with existing scores. Serum lactate level was significantly higher in non-surviving patients than in surviving patients. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that lactate was an independent risk factor of 6-months mortality (odds ratio: 2.076, P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the discriminative ability of lactate for 6-months mortality (AUROC: 0.716, P < 0.001). Based on our patient cohort, the new scores (Model For End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) + lactate score, Child-Pugh + lactate score) had good accuracy for predicting 6-months mortality (AUROC = 0.769, P < 0.001; AUROC = 0.766, P < 0.001). Additionally, the performance of the new scores was superior to those of existing scores (all P < 0.001). Serum lactate at admission may be useful for predicting 6-months mortality in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis patients, and the predictive value of the MELD score and Child-Pugh score was improved by adjusting lactate. Serum lactate should be part of the rapid diagnosis and initiation of therapy to improve clinical outcome.

Change of soluble acid invertase gene (SAI-1) haplotype in hybrid sorghum breeding program in China.

Sugar metabolism is the most important and core one which drives plant growth and development. Invertases are key enzymes that regulate sugar metabolism. A still-growing number of studies have revealed that invertases play a crucial role in various aspects of plant growth and development. Crop yield is the product of sugar metabolism; it could be deduced that invertase also regulated the yield formation. So we have done a series of research on soluble acid invertase in sweet sorghum from enzyme activity to gene cloning and functional marker development. In this paper, we sequenced full length of SAI-1 gene in 69 grain sorghum parent lines, trying to see how it differs in their gene sequences and their distribution in related hybrid varieties released in the past. To our surprise, the result showed that B-lines and restore lines (R-line) have almost different SAI-1 haplotype distribution. The change of haplotype of SAI-1 gene is associated with yield gain as with grain sorghum breeding progress, which proved that SAI-1 may take a very important role in yield formation. And we also found the SAI-1 gene tends to become shorter as with the breeding advance, which means short sequence in introns, while exon remains unchanged leading to higher gene efficiency. The best SAI-1 haplotype combination of sorghum hybrid was also found for different planting regions. These findings are of great significance for improving breeding efficiency, understanding heterosis, and germplasm enhancement. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-021-01231-2.

Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerators Using Metal-doped ZnO-PVDF Films.

Piezoelectric nanomaterial-polymer composites represent a unique paradigm for making flexible energy harvesting and sensing devices with enhanced devices' performance. In this work, we studied various metal doped ZnO nanostructures, fabricated and characterized ZnO nanoparticle-PVDF composite thin film, and demonstrated both enhanced energy generation and motion sensing capabilities. Specifically, a series of flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) were designed based on these piezoelectric composite thin films. The voltage output from cobalt (Co), sodium (Na), silver (Ag), and lithium (Li) doped ZnO-PVDF composite as well as pure ZnO-PVDF samples were individually studied and compared. Under the same experimental conditions, the Li-ZnO based device produces the largest peak-to-peak voltage (3.43 Vpp) which is about 9 times of that of the pure ZnO based device, where Co-ZnO, Na-ZnO and Ag-ZnO are 1.2, 4.9 and 5.4 times, respectively. In addition, the effect of doping ratio of Li-ZnO is studied, and we found that 5% is the best doping ratio in terms of output voltage. Finally, we demonstrated that the energy harvested by the device from finger tapping at ~2 Hz can charge a capacitor with a large output power density of 0.45 W/cm3 and light up an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diode (LED). We also showed the device as a flexible wearable motion sensor, where different hand gestures were detected by the device with distinctive output voltage amplitudes and patterns.

A novel one-step quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay for selective amplification of hepatitis B virus pregenomic RNA from a mixture of HBV DNA and RNA in serum.

Current antiviral therapies against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, such as treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) and interferon alpha, can significantly lower HBV DNA titers, eventually to undetectable levels. However, it is still difficult to completely eliminate the stable template of HBV, the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), and this contributes to viral rebound when treatment is discontinued. HBV pregenomic RNA (pgRNA), which was recently found to be present in the enveloped mature HBV viral particle in blood, is tentatively regarded, with still accumulating clinical evidence, as a novel bona fide virological marker reflecting the amount and status of cccDNA when serum HBV DNA becomes undetectable. HBV pgRNA and DNA share almost identical sequences, and it is therefore difficult to differentiate pgRNA from viral DNA using normal PCR methods. To exclude interference from viral DNA, methods for measuring pgRNA usually require a selective DNA degradation step, which is complicated and time-consuming and also compromises the accuracy of detection. In this study, we developed a simplified quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay with improved accuracy achieved by probing the polyA tail of pgRNA. Using clinical serum samples, we observed that not all patients share the same 3' sequence, suggesting slight differences between HBV strains in the way they end transcription. We then designed and evaluated a universal primer and probe set for distinguishing HBV pgRNA from HBV DNA. Our results demonstrated that a one-step qRT-PCR assay could selectively amplify HBV pgRNA from a mixture of HBV RNA and DNA, which is valuable for clinical applications.

Microfluidic continuous flow synthesis of functional hollow spherical silica with hierarchical sponge-like large porous shell.

Microfluidics brings unique opportunities for engineering micro-/nanomaterials with well-controlled physicochemical properties. Herein, using a miniaturized multi-run spiral-shaped microreactor, we develop a flow synthesis strategy to continuously produce hollow spherical silica (HSS) with hierarchical sponge-like pore sizes ranging from several nanometers to over one hundred nanometers. The formation of HSS is realized by mixing two reactant flows, one containing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and diluted ammonia and the other 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) and diluted tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), at a flow rate as high as 5 mL/min. The effect of the reactant concentration and the flow rate on the structural change of the resultant materials is examined. Functional small-sized nanoparticles (magnetic nanoparticle, quantum dot, and silver nanoparticle) can be separately assembled into HSS and high molecular weight protein (bovine serum albumin) can be successfully loaded into HSS and delivered into cancer cells afterward, making them promising in the fields of separation and purification, bioimaging, catalysis, and theranostics.

Microfluidics-enabled rational design of ZnO micro-/nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalysis, cytotoxicity, and piezoelectric properties.

Microfluidics-based reactors enables the controllable synthesis of micro-/nanostructures for a broad spectrum of applications from materials science, bioengineering to medicine. In this study, we first develop a facile and straightforward flow synthesis strategy to control zinc oxide (ZnO) of different shapes (sphere, ellipsoid, short rod, long rod, cube, urchin, and platelet) on a few seconds time scale, based on the 1.5-run spiral-shaped microfluidic reactor with a relative short microchannel length of ca. 92 mm. The formation of ZnO is realized simply by mixing reactants through two inlet flows, one containing zinc nitrate and the other sodium hydroxide. The structures of ZnO are tuned by choosing appropriate flow rates and reactant concentrations of two inlet fluids. The formation mechanism behind microfluidics is proposed. The photocatalysis, cytotoxicity, and piezoelectric capabilities of as-synthesized ZnO from microreactors are further examined, and the structure-dependent efficacy is observed, where higher surface area ZnO structures generally behave better performance. These results bring new insights not only in the rational design of functional micro-/nanoparticles from microfluidics, but also for deeper understanding of the structure-efficacy relationship when translating micro-/nanomaterials into practical applications.

Biomimetic hierarchical walnut kernel-like and erythrocyte-like mesoporous silica nanomaterials: controllable synthesis and versatile applications.

We developed a facile and controllable strategy to fabricate biomimic walnut kernel-like mesoporous silica nanomaterial (WMSN) and erythrocyte-like mesoporous silica nanomaterial (EMSN). The former possesses unique multi-shell hollow structure and surface wrinkles while the latter has special multi-stack structure and bowl-shaped depression. These hierarchical materials with distinct structures can be finely tuned by changing the molar ratios of two surfactants, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. The mechanism of structural formation through intermolecular interactions was revealed and validated experimentally. The promising potential applications of WMSN and EMSN in adsorption, cellular imaging, drug delivery, and cancer theranostics were further identified.

ASS1 inhibits triple-negative breast cancer by regulating PHGDH stability and de novo serine synthesis.

Argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1), a critical enzyme in the urea cycle, acts as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. To date, the anticancer mechanism of ASS1 has not been fully elucidated. Here, we found that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), a key rate-limiting enzyme in serine synthesis, is a pivotal protein that interacts with ASS1. Our results showed that ASS1 directly binds to PHGDH and promotes its ubiquitination-mediated degradation to inhibit serine synthesis, consequently suppressing tumorigenesis. Importantly, the tumor suppressive effects of ASS1 were strongly abrogated by PHGDH knockout. In addition, ASS1 knockout and knockdown partially rescued cell proliferation when serine and glycine were depleted, while the inhibitory effect of ASS1 overexpression on cell proliferation was restored by the addition of serine and glycine. These findings unveil a novel role of ASS1 and suggest that the ASS1/PHGDH serine synthesis pathway is a promising target for cancer therapy.

[Reliving refractory pain of spinal metastasis patients with radiofrequency ablation through transforaminal endoscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the short-term outcomes of radiofrequency ablation treatment of bone metastasis. METHODS: Between November 2011 and November 2012, a total of 18 cases were retrospectively reviewed. They underwent resection of bone metastasis with radiofrequency ablation through transforaminal endoscopic spine system. According to the Tomita classification system, the classifications were type 5 (n = 8), type 6 (n = 4) and type 7 (n = 6). There were 8 males and 10 females with a median age of 52.1 (32-76) years. The primary lesions were breast cancer (n = 5), carcinoma of prostate (n = 3), digestive cancer (n = 4), thyroid carcinoma (n = 2)and lung cancer (n = 4). And two cases had pathologic fracture. RESULTS: The operative duration was 118 (90-180) min and blood loss volume 30.6 (10-60) ml. All incisions achieved excellent healing.One case of pneumonia recovered with antibiotic. The postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were 2.4 ± 0.4, 2.6 ± 0.6, 3.0 ± 0.3 and 2.8 ± 0.7. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency ablation through transforaminal endoscopy may be a safe and efficacious option for refractory pain with bone metastasis, especially for those with uncontrolled pain. This procedure is mini-invasive and causes less bleeding.

Dual fluorescent hollow silica nanofibers for in situ pH monitoring using an optical fiber.

This study reports a sensitive and robust pH sensor based on dual fluorescent doped hollow silica nanofibers (hSNFs) for in situ and real-time pH monitoring. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)dichlororuthenium(ii) hexahydrate (Ru(BPY)3) were chosen as a pH sensitive dye and reference dye, respectively. hSNFs were synthesized using a two-step method in a reverse micelle system and were shown to have an average length of 6.20 µm and average diameter of 410 nm. The peak intensity ratio of FITC/Ru(BPY)3 was used to calibrate to solution pH changes. An optical-fiber-based fluorescence detection system was developed that enabled feasible and highly efficient near-field fluorescence detection. The developed system enables fully automated fluorescence detection, where components including the light source, detector, and data acquisition unit are all controlled by a computer. The results show that the developed pH sensor works in a linear range of pH 4.0-9.0 with a fast response time of less than 10 s and minimal sample volume of 50 µL, and can be stored under dark conditions for one month without failure. In addition, the as-prepared hSNF-based pH sensors also have excellent long-term durability. Experimental results from ratiometric sensing confirm the high feasibility, accuracy, stability and simplicity of the dual fluorescent hSNF sensors for the detection of pH in real samples.

An Isoxazoloquinone Derivative Inhibits Tumor Growth by Targeting STAT3 and Triggering Its Ubiquitin-Dependent Degradation.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, with shorter five-year survival than other breast cancer subtypes, and lacks targeted and hormonal treatment strategies. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is up-regulated in various tumors, including TNBC, and plays a vital role in regulating the expression of multiple proliferation- and apoptosis-related genes. RESULTS: By combining the unique structures of the natural compounds STA-21 and Aulosirazole with antitumor activities, we synthesized a class of novel isoxazoloquinone derivatives and showed that one of these compounds, ZSW, binds to the SH2 domain of STAT3, leading to decreased STAT3 expression and activation in TNBC cells. Furthermore, ZSW promotes STAT3 ubiquitination, inhibits the proliferation of TNBC cells in vitro, and attenuates tumor growth with manageable toxicities in vivo. ZSW also decreases the mammosphere formation of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by inhibiting STAT3. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the novel isoxazoloquinone ZSW may be developed as a cancer therapeutic because it targets STAT3, thereby inhibiting the stemness of cancer cells.

Increased Serum Levels of sCD206 Are Associated with Adverse Prognosis in Patients with HBV-Related Decompensated Cirrhosis.

Background: HBV-associated decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DeCi) is attracting considerable attention due to disease acceleration and substantial mortality. Macrophages regulate the fibrotic process in DeCi. Soluble CD206 (sCD206) is primarily expressed by macrophages. We aimed to investigate whether sCD206 predicts mortality in patients with HBV-DeCi. Materials and Methods: A total of 382 patients were enrolled between February 2020 and February 2021 and divided into nonsurviving and surviving groups according to 28-day, 3-month, and 6-month outcomes. Cox regression analysis was performed to confirm the independent prognostic factors of HBV-DeCi, and Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to draw survival curves of sCD206. The predictive value of sCD206 was assessed at three time points according to the AUROC. Results: The serum sCD206 level was significantly higher in deceased patients than surviving patients. Multivariate analysis showed that the level of sCD206 was related to an increased risk of 28-day, 3-month, and 6-month mortality (HR = 3.914, P < 0.001; HR = 3.895, P < 0.001; and HR = 4.063, P < 0.001, respectively). Patients with higher sCD206 levels had a worse prognosis than those with lower sCD206 levels. The best separation between the decedents and survivors was obtained by using the sCD206 level (AUROC: 0.830, 0.802, and 0.784, respectively) at 28 days, 3 months, and 6 months. Conclusion: The macrophage-related marker serum sCD206 was associated with mortality in HBV-DeCi patients. High levels of serum sCD206 indicated a poor prognosis in these patients. Serum sCD206 has great predictive value for short-term and midterm mortality compared with the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores.

Engineering Biomimetic Extracellular Matrix with Silica Nanofibers: From 1D Material to 3D Network.

Biomaterials at nanoscale is a fast-expanding research field with which extensive studies have been conducted on understanding the interactions between cells and their surrounding microenvironments as well as intracellular communications. Among many kinds of nanoscale biomaterials, mesoporous fibrous structures are especially attractive as a promising approach to mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) for cell and tissue research. Silica is a well-studied biocompatible, natural inorganic material that can be synthesized as morpho-genetically active scaffolds by various methods. This review compares silica nanofibers (SNFs) to other ECM materials such as hydrogel, polymers, and decellularized natural ECM, summarizes fabrication techniques for SNFs, and discusses different strategies of constructing ECM using SNFs. In addition, the latest progress on SNFs synthesis and biomimetic ECM substrates fabrication is summarized and highlighted. Lastly, we look at the wide use of SNF-based ECM scaffolds in biological applications, including stem cell regulation, tissue engineering, drug release, and environmental applications.

A practical nomogram based on serum interleukin-6 for the prognosis of liver failure.

Background: Liver failure (LF) is a serious liver function damage caused by various factors, mainly jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, coagulation disorders and multiple organ failure, with the clinical characteristic of high short-term mortality. LF is often accompanied by excessive activation of inflammatory factors, and an excessive systemic inflammatory response (i.e., inflammatory storm) is considered to be the trigger of LF. However, a specific prognostic model including inflammatory factors for patients with LF has not been well established. Aim: To establish and validate a nomogram for predicting 28-day, 90-day, and 180-day mortality in patients with LF. Methods: A total of 423 eligible LF patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Independent predictors were identified using a multivariate logistic model and then integrated into a nomogram to predict 28-day, 90-day, and 180-day mortality. The concordance index, receiver operating characteristic curves, and calibration plots were used to evaluate the performance of the model. Results: Sex, age, total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, international normalized ratio, Child-Pugh score, and serum interleukin-6 were independent risk factors for death at 28, 90, and 180 days in LF patients. The nomogram showed good calibration and discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.927. The calibration curve fit as well, indicating that the nomogram had good clinical application value. Conclusion: This nomogram model for predicting the 28-day, 90-day, and 180-day mortality of LF patients could help optimize treatment strategies and improve prognosis.