Effects of propofol versus sevoflurane on surgical field visibility during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: During arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR), clear surgical field visibility (SFV) is the basis of successful surgery, but the choice of anesthesia maintenance drugs may have different effects on SFV. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of propofol- and sevoflurane-based general anesthesia on SFV in patients undergoing ARCR. METHODS: Patients (n = 130) undergoing elective ARCR in the lateral decubitus position were randomized into either the propofol group or sevoflurane group (65 per group). The duration of surgery and increased pressure irrigation (IPI), Boezaart score, rocuronium consumption and usage of remifentanil were recorded. The time of both spontaneous respiration recovery and extubation and the incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting and agitation were also recorded. RESULTS: The Boezaart score, duration of IPI and ratio of the duration of IPI to the duration of surgery (IPI/S ratio) were similar between the groups (P > 0.05). Rocuronium consumption, number of patients requiring remifentanil infusion and total remifentanil consumption were significantly lower in the sevoflurane group (P < 0.05). The spontaneous respiration recovery time was significantly longer in the propofol group (P < 0.05), but there were no differences in the extubation time between the groups(P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with propofol, sevoflurane provides equally clear SFV while improving the convenience of anesthesia maintenance in ARCR patients with interscalene plexus (ISB) combined with general anesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This single-center, prospective, RCT was retrospective registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration number ChiCTR2300072110 (02/06/2023).

Deciphering essential druggable genes reveals potential immune-inflammatory axis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate and poor prognosis in patients. Its pathogenesis is a complex process of multi-factors and multi-steps. However, the etiology and exact molecular mechanism are not completely clear. METHODS: Here, we constructed a specific-expressed network based on RNA sequencing data. Gene and miRNA expression profiles and clinical evidence were integrated to detect hepatocellular carcinoma survival modules. Finally, we attempted to identify potential key biomarkers and drug targets by integrating drug sensitivity analysis and immune infiltration analysis. RESULTS: A total of 42 prognostic modules for hepatocellular carcinoma were detected. The prognostic modules were significantly enriched with known cancer-related molecules and 12.93 % molecules of prognostic modules had been found were the targets of small molecule drug. In addition, we found that 38 of 42 (90.48 %) essential genes were associated with the proportions of at least one of the 7 immune cell types. CONCLUSION: We integrated clinical prognosis information, RNA sequencing data, and drug activity data to explore risk modules of hepatocellular carcinoma. Through drug sensitivity analysis and immune infiltration analysis, we assessed the value of hub genes in the modules as potential biomarkers and drug targets for hepatocellular carcinoma. The protocol provides new insight into parsing the molecular mechanism and theoretical basis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The ovarian-related effects of polystyrene nanoplastics on human ovarian granulosa cells and female mice.

Nanoplastics (NPs) have recently emerged in the context of global plastic pollution. They may be more toxic than macroplastics litter and microplastic fragments due to its abundances, tiny sizes, and cellular accessibility. The female reproductive toxicity of NPs has been widely documented for aquatic animals, but their effects and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood in mammals. This study aimed to explore the effects of NPs on female reproduction using human ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) and female mice. The accumulation of polystyrene NPs (PS-NPs) in human granulosa-like tumor cells (KGN cells) and the ovaries of female Balb/c mice were evaluated by exposure to fluorescent PS-NPs. Proliferation and apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and Hippo signaling pathway-related factors were analyzed in KGN cells. In addition, fertility rate, litter size, ovarian weight and microstructure, follicle development, serum level of anti-Mullerian hormone, and apoptosis in ovaries were examined in female mice. Here, the PS-NPs can penetrate the KGN cells and accumulate in the ovaries. In vitro, 100 µg/ml PS-NPs inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, accumulated ROS, activated three key regulators of the Hippo signaling pathway (MST1, LATS1, and YAP1), and downregulated the mRNA levels of CTGF and Cyr61 in KGN cells. Furthermore, salidroside, an antioxidative compound extracted from Rhodiola rosea, alleviated the damage of PS-NPs to KGN and inhibited the activation of the Hippo signal pathway. In vivo, exposure to 1 mg/day PS-NPs resulted in decreased fertility, abnormal ovarian function, and increased ovarian apoptosis in female mice. Overall, our data suggest that PS-NPs cause granulosa cell apoptosis and affect ovarian functions, leading to reduced fertility in female mice, by inducing oxidative stress and dysregulating the Hippo pathway.

Novel Pectic Polysaccharides Isolated from Immature Honey Pomelo Fruit with High Immunomodulatory Activity.

A novel pectic polysaccharide (HPP-1) with high immunomodulatory activity was extracted and isolated from the immature honey pomelo fruit (Citrus grandis). Characterization of its chemical structure indicated that HPP-1 had a molecular weight of 59,024 D. In addition, HPP-1 was primarily composed of rhamnose, arabinose, fucose, mannose, and galactose at a molar ratio of 1.00:11.12:2.26:0.56:6.40. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, periodic acid oxidation, and Smith degradation results showed that HPP-1 had α- and ß-glycosidic linkages and 1 → 2, 1 → 4, 1 → 6, and 1 → 3 glycosidic bonds. 13C NMR and 1H NMR analyses revealed that the main glycogroups included 1,4-D-GalA, 1,6-ß-D-Gal, 1,6-ß-D-Man, 1,3-α-L-Ara, and 1,2-α-L-Rha. Immunomodulatory bioactivity analysis using a macrophage RAW264.7 model in vitro revealed that NO, TNF-α, and IL-6 secretions were all considerably increased by HPP-1. Moreover, RT-PCR results showed that HPP-1-induced iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression was significantly increased in macrophages. HPP-1-mediated activation in macrophages was due to the stimulation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways based on western blot analyses. HPP-1 extracted from immature honey pomelo fruit has potential applications as an immunomodulatory supplement.

Effects of Casein Phosphopeptide-Selenium Complex on the Immune Functions in Beagle Dogs.

The health of pets is becoming a growing concern for the pet industry and its owners. Immunity is one of the foundational supports for health, thus developing a functional bioactive substance that can boost pets' immunity is essential. Many studies have shown that casein phosphopeptide (CPP) and selenium (Se) can individually regulate immunity in many species, but there has been no reported research on the immunomodulatory function of casein phosphopeptide-selenium complex (CPP-Se). The objective of this study was to investigate the function of CPP-Se on immunomodulation in dogs. Twenty Beagle dogs were equally divided into two groups and fed either a control snack or a test snack supplemented with 0.03% CPP-Se for 30 days. Anticoagulated blood, serum and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were collected from dogs at 0 d, 10 d, 20 d and 30 d to detect the change in the number of immune cells and the expression of cytokine-related mRNAs and proteins. PBL isolated from blood were exposed to CPP-Se in vitro to measure the proliferative responses and cytokine-related mRNAs expression. During the time the test snack was fed, the number of lymphocytes increased significantly, whereas neutrophils and monocytes remained unaltered. The expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), CD4 molecule (CD4) and CD8α molecule (CD8α) was up-regulated, while interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) was down-regulated, and interleukin-10 (IL-10) declined initially and subsequently increased. ELISA detection revealed a significant increment in serum IL-4, IL-6, Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IFN-γ, except for IgG. Furthermore, CPP-Se treatment increased the proliferation and the expression of cytokine-related mRNAs in PBL cultured in vitro. This is the first study to demonstrate that CPP-Se can improve immunity in the dog.

Comparative Analysis of piRNA Profiles Helps to Elucidate Cryoinjury Between Giant Panda and Boar Sperm During Cryopreservation.

Cryopreservation induces sperm cryoinjuries, including physiological and functional changes. However, the molecular mechanisms of sperm cryoinjury and cryoresistance are still unknown. Cryoresistance or the freeze tolerance of sperm varies across species, and boar sperm is more susceptible to cold stress. Contrary to boar sperm, giant panda sperm appears to be strongly freeze-tolerant and is capable of surviving repeated cycles of freeze-thawing. In this study, differentially expressed (DE) PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) of fresh and frozen-thawed sperm with different freeze tolerance capacity from giant panda and boar were evaluated. The results showed that 1,160 (22 downregulated and 1,138 upregulated) and 384 (110 upregulated and 274 downregulated) DE piRNAs were identified in giant panda and boar sperm, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that the target DE messenger RNAs (mRNAs) of DE piRNAs were mainly enriched in biological regulation, cellular, and metabolic processes in giant panda and boar sperm. Moreover, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that the target DE mRNAs of DE piRNAs were only distributed in DNA replication and the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway in giant panda, but the cAMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in boar sperm were considered as part of the olfactory transduction pathway. In conclusion, we speculated that the difference in the piRNA profiles and the DE piRNAs involved in the cAMP signaling pathway in boar and giant panda may have contributed to the different freeze tolerance capacities between giant panda and boar sperm, which helps to elucidate the molecular mechanism behind sperm cryoinjury and cryoresistance.

Context-Specific Coordinately Regulatory Network Prioritize Breast Cancer Genetic Risk Factors.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common tumors, leading the causes of cancer death in women. However, the pathogenesis of BC still remains unclear, and the atlas of BC-associated risk factors is far from complete. In this study, we constructed a BC-specific coordinately regulatory network (CRN) to prioritize potential BC-associated protein-coding genes (PCGs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). We integrated 813 BC sample transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and eight types of regulatory relationships to construct BC-specific CRN, including 387 transcription factors (TFs), 174 microRNAs (miRNAs), 407 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and 905 PCGs. After that, the random walk with restart (RWR) method was performed on the CRN by using the known BC-associated factors as seeds, and potential BC-associated risk factors were prioritized. The leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) was utilized on the BC-specific CRN and achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92. The performances of common CRN, common protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and BC-specific PPI network were also evaluated, demonstrating that the context-specific CRN prioritizes BC risk factors. Functional analysis for the top 100-ranked risk factors in the candidate list revealed that these factors were significantly enriched in cancer-related functions and had significant semantic similarity with BC-related gene ontology (GO) terms. Differential expression analysis and survival analysis proved that the prioritized risk factors significantly associated with BC progression and prognosis. In total, we provided a computational method to predict reliable BC-associated risk factors, which would help improve the understanding of the pathology of BC and benefit disease diagnosis and prognosis.