Dynamic Gas-Bridged Bond: An Opportunity of Fabricating Dynamic Assembled Materials with Gas.

Gas molecules, as a family of unique polyatomic building blocks, have long been considered hard to involve in molecular assembly or construct assembled materials due to their structural simplicity yet paucity of defined interacting sites. To solve this non-trivial challenge, a core idea is to break the limit of current ways of bonding gas molecules, endowing them with new modes of interactions that match the basic requirements of molecular assembly. In recent years, a new concept, named the dynamic gas-bridged bond (DGB), has emerged, which allows for gas molecules to constitute a dynamic bridging structure between other building blocks with the aid of frustrated Lewis pairs. This makes it possible to harness gas in a supramolecular or dynamic manner. Herein, this perspective discusses distinct dynamic natures of DGBs and manifests their particular functions in various fields, including the control of molecular/polymeric self-assembly nanostructures, creation of multidimensional assembled materials, and recyclable catalysts. The future research direction and challenges of dynamic gas-bridged chemistry toward gas-programmed self-assembly and gas-constructed adaptive materials are highlighted.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of mismatch repair status in colorectal cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Microsatellite instability (MSI) caused by DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is of great significance in the occurrence, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). AIM: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between mismatch repair status and clinical characteristics of CRC. METHODS: The histopathological results and clinical characteristics of 2029 patients who suffered from CRC and underwent surgery at two centers from 2018 to 2020 were determined. After screening the importance of clinical characteristics through machine learning algorithms, the patients were divided into deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) and proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) groups based on the immunohistochemistry results and the clinical feature data between the two groups were observed by statistical methods. RESULTS: The dMMR and pMMR groups had significant differences in histologic type, TNM stage, maximum tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, differentiation grade, gross appearance, and vascular invasion. There were significant differences between the MLH1 groups in age, histologic type, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor location, and depth of invasion. The MSH2 groups were significantly different in age. The MSH6 groups had significant differences in age, histologic type, and TNM stage. There were significant differences between the PMS2 groups in lymph node metastasis and tumor location. CRC was dominated by MLH1 and PMS2 combined expression loss (41.77%). There was a positive correlation between MLH1 and MSH2 and between MSH6 and PMS2 as well. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of mucinous adenocarcinoma, protruding type, and poor differentiation is relatively high in dMMR CRCs, but lymph node metastasis is rare. It is worth noting that the expression of MMR protein has different prognostic significance in different stages of CRC disease.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node metastasis (LNM) significantly impacts the treatment and prognosis of early gastric cancer (EGC). Consequently, the precise prediction of LNM risk in EGC patients is essential to guide the selection of appropriate surgical approaches in clinical settings. AIM: To develop a novel nomogram risk model for predicting LNM in EGC patients, utilizing preoperative clinicopathological data. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the correlation between clinicopathological factors and LNM in EGC patients. Additionally, univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to assess the influence of clinical factors on EGC prognosis. A predictive model in the form of a nomogram was developed, and its discrimination ability and calibration were also assessed. RESULTS: The incidence of LNM in the study cohort was 19.6%. Multivariate logistic regression identified tumor size, location, degree of differentiation, and pathological type as independent risk factors for LNM in EGC patients. Both tumor pathological type and LNM independently affected the prognosis of EGC. The model's performance was reflected by an area under the curve of 0.750 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.701-0.789] for the training group and 0.763 (95%CI: 0.687-0.838) for the validation group. CONCLUSION: A clinical prediction model was constructed (using tumor size, low differentiation, location in the middle-lower region, and signet ring cell carcinoma), with its score being a significant prognosis indicator.

Click method preserves but EDC method compromises the therapeutic activities of the peptide-activated hydrogels for critical ischemic vessel regeneration.

Peptide-functionalized hydrogel is one of commonly used biomaterials to introduce hydrogel-induced vessel regeneration. Despite many reports about the discoveries of high-active peptides (or ligands) for regeneration, the study on the conjugating methods for the hydrogel functionalization with peptides is limited. Here, we compared the vasculogenic efficacy of the peptide-functionalized hydrogels prepared by two commonly used conjugating methods, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and Click methods, through cell models, organ-on-chips models, animal models, and RNA sequencing analysis. Two vascular-related cell types, the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), have been cultured on the hydrogel surfaces prepared by EDC/Click methods. It showed that the hydrogels prepared by Click method supported the higher vasculogenic activities while the ones made by EDC method compromised the peptide activities on hydrogels. The vasculogenesis assays further revealed that hydrogels prepared by Click method promoted a better vascular network formation. In a critical ischemic hindlimb model, only the peptide-functionalized hydrogels prepared by Click method successfully salvaged the ischemic limb, significantly improved blood perfusion, and enhanced the functional recoveries (through gait analysis and animal behavior studies). RNA sequencing studies revealed that the hydrogels prepared by Click method significantly promoted the PI3K-AKT pathway activation compared to the hydrogels prepared by EDC method. All the results suggested that EDC method compromised the functions of the peptides, while Click method preserved the vascular regenerating capacities of the peptides on the hydrogels, illustrating the importance of the conjugating method during the preparation of the peptide-functionalized hydrogels.

Isobavachalcone: A redox antifungal agent impairs the mitochondria protein of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Isobavachalcone (IBC) is a natural small molecule with various biological activities; however, its inhibitory effects on Cryptococcus neoformans remain unclear. In our study, IBC showed a good antifungal effect. Through in vitro experiments, its minimum inhibitory concentration was 0.5-1 µg/mL. It exhibited the same antifungal effect as Amphotericin B in brain and lung infections in in vivo experiments. IBC also showed a synergistic antifungal effect with emodin with lower toxicity, and C. neoformans did not develop drug resistance to IBC. In the mechanistic study, significantly damaged mitochondria of C. neoformans, a significant reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential and adenosine triphosphate production, and an increase in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) caused by IBC were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Through drug affinity-responsive target stability combined with phenotype detection, riboflavin synthases of aconitase and succinate dehydrogenase were screened. Molecular docking, quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments, target inhibitor and agonist intervention, molecular interaction measurements, and minimum inhibitory concentration detection of the constructed expression strains revealed that IBC targeted the activity of these two enzymes, interfered by the tricarboxylic acid cycle, inhibited the production of adenosine triphosphate, blocked electron transport, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced antioxidation imbalance and reactive oxygen species accumulation, thus producing an antifungal effect. Therefore, IBC is a promising lead drug and redox antifungal agent for C. neoformans.

A Reference Profile of N-Glycosylation for Human Kidney and the Identification of Cell-Cell Interactions between Parietal Epithelial Cells and Capillary Endothelial Cells by Single-Cell Glycosylation-Sequencing.

BACKGROUND: N-glycosylation is one of the most common posttranslational modifications in humans, and these alterations are associated with kidney diseases. METHODS: A novel technological approach, single-cell N-acetyllactosamine sequencing (scLacNAc-seq), was applied to simultaneously detect N-glycosylation expression and the transcriptome at single-cell resolution in three human kidney tissues from zero-time biopsy. Cell clusters, glycation abundance in each cell cluster, functional enrichment analysis, cell-cell crosstalk, and pseudotime analysis were applied. RESULTS: Using scLacNAc-seq, 24,247 cells and 22 cell clusters were identified, and N-glycan abundance in each cell was obtained. Transcriptome analysis revealed a close connection between capillary endothelial cells (CapECs) and parietal epithelial cells (PECs). PECs and CapECs communicate with each other through several pairs of ligand receptors (e.g., TGFB1-EGFR, GRN-EGFR, TIMP1-FGFR2, VEGFB-FLT1, ANGPT2-TEK, and GRN-TNFRSF1A). Finally, a regulatory network of cell-cell crosstalk between PECs and CapECs was constructed, which is involved in cell development. CONCLUSIONS: We here, for the first time, constructed the glycosylation profile of 22 cell clusters in the human kidney from zero-time biopsy. Moreover, cell-cell communication between PECs and CapECs through the ligand-receptor system may play a crucial regulatory role in cell proliferation.

Gas-Responsive and Gas-Releasing Polymer Assemblies.

In order to explore the unique physiological roles of gas signaling molecules and gasotransmitters in vivo, chemists have engineered a variety of gas-responsive polymers that can monitor their changes in cellular milieu, and gas-releasing polymers that can orchestrate the release of gases. These have advanced their potential applications in the field of bio-imaging, nanodelivery, and theranostics. Since these polymers are of different chain structures and properties, the morphology of their assemblies will manifest distinct transitions after responding to gas or releasing gas. In this review, we summarize the fundamental design rationale of gas-responsive and gas-releasing polymers in structure and their controlled transition in self-assembled morphology and function, as well as present some perspectives in this prosperous field. Emerging challenges faced for the future research are also discussed.

Safety and efficacy of a programmed cell death 1 inhibitor combined with oxaliplatin plus S-1 in patients with Borrmann large type III and IV gastric cancers.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common and the fourth most lethal malignant tumour in the world. Most patients are already in the advanced stage when they are diagnosed, which also leads to poor overall survival. The effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced GC is unsatisfactory with a high rate of distant metastasis and local recurrence. AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor combined with oxaliplatin and S-1 (SOX) in the treatment of Borrmann large type III and IV GCs. METHODS: A retrospective analysis (IRB-2022-371) was performed on 89 patients with Borrmann large type III and IV GCs who received neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) from January 2020 to December 2021. According to the different neoadjuvant treatment regimens, the patients were divided into the SOX group (61 patients) and the PD-1 + SOX (P-SOX) group (28 patients). RESULTS: The pathological response (tumor regression grade 0/1) in the P-SOX group was significantly higher than that in the SOX group (42.86% vs 18.03%, P = 0.013). The incidence of ypN0 in the P-SOX group was higher than that in the SOX group (39.29% vs 19.67%, P = 0.05). The use of PD-1 inhibitors was an independent factor affecting tumor regression grade. Meanwhile, the use of PD-1 did not increase postoperative complications or the adverse effects of NAT. CONCLUSION: A PD-1 inhibitor combined with SOX could significantly improve the rate of tumour regression during NAT for patients with Borrmann large type III and IV GCs.

Clinical Effect of Vitamin E Combined with Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor on the Recurrent Oral Ulcer and Effects of Serum Superoxide Dismutase, IL-10, and TNF-α.

Objective: To examine the therapeutic effects of vitamin E combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor on recurrent oral ulcers as well as on the levels of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-α), to provide evidence to facilitate medical management. Method: From June 2021 to May 2022, 84 patients with recurrent oral ulcers assessed and treated in our hospital were assigned to the control group and observation group with 42 cases in each group. Vitamin E was administered to the control group, while recombinant human epidermal growth factor and vitamin E were administered to the observation group. The clinical efficacy, serum SOD level, inflammatory factor level (IL-10, TNF-α), immune function index, clinical symptom improvement, pain disappearance time, healing time of ulcer surface, and adverse reactions were examined. Results: Clinical efficacy of the observation group (92.86%) was considerably greater than the control group (73.81%), (P < .05). Following treatment, the observation group had comparatively higher levels of serum SOD and significantly decreased TNF-α and IL-10 concentrations compared to the control group (P < .05). Similarly, post-treatment, the observation group had substantially higher CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ concentrations and lower CD8+ concentrations compared to the normal control (P < .05). In contrast to the control group, the observation group's pain degree score, ulcer diameter, duration for pain relief, and ulcer surface healing time duration were reduced substantially (P < .05). Notably, the incidence of adverse reactions was fairly similar in both groups (P > .05). Conclusion: Vitamin E combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor has a significant clinical effect on recurrent oral ulcers, can achieve rapid improvement of symptoms in patients, and is relatively safe to be used as a clinical therapy.

Impact of prognostic nutritional index change on prognosis after colorectal cancer surgery under propofol or sevoflurane anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The alteration of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) or the utilization of distinct anesthesia strategies has been linked to the prognosis of various cancer types, but the existing evidence is limited and inconclusive, particularly for colorectal cancer (CRC). Our objective was to evaluate the association between PNI change and progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients treated with CRC surgery after propofol-based or sevoflurane-based anesthesia. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 414 patients with CRC who underwent surgical resection. Among them, 165 patients received propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA-P), while 249 patients received sevoflurane-based inhalation anesthesia (IA-S). The PNI change (ΔPNI) was calculated by subtracting the pre-surgery PNI from the post-surgery PNI, and patients were categorized into high (≥ -2.25) and low (< -2.25) ΔPNI groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to evaluate the effects of the two anesthesia methods, ΔPNI, and their potential interaction on PFS and OS. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was 35.9 months (interquartile range: 18-60 months). The five-year OS rates were 63.0% in the TIVA-P group and 59.8% in the IA-S group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70-1.35; p = 0.864), while the five-year PFS rates were 55.8% and 51.0% (HR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.68-1.26; p = 0.614), respectively. In comparison to patients in the low ΔPNI group, those in the high ΔPNI group exhibited a favorable association with both OS (HR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.40-0.76; p < 0.001) and PFS (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.43-0.79; p < 0.001). Stratified analysis based on ΔPNI revealed significant protective effects in the propofol-treated participants within the high ΔPNI group, whereas such effects were not observed in the low ΔPNI group, for both OS (p for interaction = 0.004) and PFS (p for interaction = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed that among patients who underwent CRC surgery, those treated with TIVA-P exhibited superior survival outcomes compared to those who received IA-S, particularly among individuals with a high degree of PNI change.

Optimizing hepatocellular carcinoma disease staging systems by incorporating tumor micronecrosis: A multi-institutional retrospective study.

Tumor micronecrosis is a pathological feature that reflects malignant biological behavior in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, whether micronecrosis can optimize HCC staging systems remains unilluminated. A total of 1632 HCC patients who underwent curative hepatectomy in four institutions from January 2014 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study. Independent prognostic factors were identified, and optimized staging models were established using a training cohort (n = 934). The performance of optimized staging models was validated using an external cohort consisting of cases from three other institutions (n = 232). In addition, patients from our prospectively collected database (n = 379) tested the application effectiveness of the models. Harrel's c-statistics and the corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc) were used to assess the performance of staging models. In most of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) and tumor (T) stages, HCC patients with tumor micronecrosis showed poorer prognosis than those without. Tumor micronecrosis, microvascular invasion, multiple tumors and tumor size >2 cm were independent prognostic-related factors. The BCLC and T staging models incorporating tumor micronecrosis showed better performance than the original systems (c-statistic, 0.712 and 0.711 vs. 0.664 and 0.679; AICc, 2314.8 and 2322.3 vs. 2338.2 and 2338.1; respectively). Furthermore, the external validation cohort confirmed that the optimized staging models had improved efficiency compared with the original ones. Moreover, the prospective cohort demonstrated the applicability of the optimized staging systems. Tumor micronecrosis plays a stage-ascending role in HCC patients. The BCLC and T staging systems incorporating tumor micronecrosis can improve the prognosis stratification efficiency of patients.

Regulating Tumorigenicity and Cancer Metastasis through TRKA Signaling.

Tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) A, TRKA, is a specific binding receptor of nerve growth factor (NGF), which plays an essential role in the occurrence and progression of human cancers. TRKA overexpression has been proven to be a powerful carcinogenic driver and has been verified in many tumors. The TRKA receptor kinase domain is over-activated in an NGF-dependent manner, accompanied by activation of downstream signal pathways, such as RAS-MAPK, PI3K-AKT, JAK2-STAT3 pathway, PLC γ pathway, and Hippo pathway, which participate in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), perineural invasion (PNI), drug resistance, and cancer pain. In addition, chimeric oncogenes produced by the fusion of NTRK1 and other genes are also the direct cause of tumorigenesis and cancer development. The newly developed TRK inhibitors can improve symptoms and tumor regression in cancer patients with overexpression of TRKA or NTRK1 fusion gene. With the emergence of drug resistance, next generation of TRK inhibitors can still maintain strong clinical efficacy in the case of TRK kinase domain mutations, and these inhibitors are in clinical trials. This review summarizes the characteristics and research progress of TRKA, focusing on the regulatory role of the TRKA signal pathway in different tumors. In addition, we have summarized the clinical significance of TRKA and the TRK inhibitors. This review may provide a new reference for the study of the mechanism of TRKA in different tumors, and also provide a new perspective for the in-depth understanding of the role of TRKA as a biomarker and therapeutic target in human cancer.

Linolenic acid-metronidazole inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori through oxidation.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to antibiotics is one the main factors constraining the treatment and control of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents to replace antibiotics. Our previous study found that linolenic acid-metronidazole (Lla-Met) has a good antibacterial effect against H. pylori, both antibiotic-resistant and sensitive H. pylori. Also, H. pylori does not develop resistance to Lla-Met. Therefore, it could be used for preparing broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. However, since the antibacterial mechanism of Lla-Met is not well understood, we explored this phenomenon in the present study. AIM: To understand the antimicrobial effect of Lla-Met and how this could be applied in treating corresponding infections. METHODS: H. pylori cells were treated with the Lla-Met compound, and the effect of the compound on the cell morphology, cell membrane permeability, and oxidation of the bacteria cell was assessed. Meanwhile, the differently expressed genes in H. pylori in response to Lla-Met treatment were identified. RESULTS: Lla-Met treatment induced several changes in H. pylori cells, including roughening and swelling. In vivo experiments revealed that Lla-Met induced oxidation, DNA fragmentation, and phosphatidylserine ectropionation in H. pylori cells. Inhibiting Lla-Met with L-cysteine abrogated the above phenomena. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Lla-Met treatment up-regulated the expression of superoxide dismutase SodB and MdaB genes, both anti-oxidation-related genes. CONCLUSION: Lla-Met kills H. pylori mainly by inducing oxidative stress, DNA damage, phosphatidylserine ectropionation, and changes on cell morphology.

Association between anion gap and all-cause mortality of critically ill surgical patients: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There are few widely accepted and operationally feasible models for predicting the mortality risk of patients in surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Although serum anion gap (AG) is known to be correlated with severe metabolic acidosis, no investigations have been reported about the association between AG level and the outcome during hospitalization in SICU. This study aimed to explore the predictive power of AG for 90-day all-cause mortality in SICU. METHODS: Data of the eligible patients in SICU from 2008 to 2019 was obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV version 2.0 (MIMIC-IV v2.0) database. Baseline clinical data of the selected patients was compared in different groups stratified by the outcome during their admission via univariate analysis. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was drawn to confirm the relationship of AG and the short-term mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted in different AG level groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were performed, and Cox proportional-hazards models were built to investigate an independent role of AG to predict 90-day all-cause mortality risk in SICU. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of AG on the 90-day prognosis of patients. RESULTS: A total of 6,395 patients were enrolled in this study and the 90-day all-cause mortality rate was 18.17%. Univariate analysis showed that elevated serum AG was associated with higher mortality (P < 0.001). RCS analysis indicated a positively linear relationship between serum AG and the risk of 90-day all-cause mortality in SICU (χ2 = 4.730, P = 0.193). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that low-AG group (with a cutoff value of 14.10 mmol/L) had a significantly higher cumulative survival rate than the counterpart of high-AG group (χ2 = 96.370, P < 0.001). Cox proportional-hazards models were constructed and confirmed the independent predictive role of AG in 90-day all-cause mortality risk in SICU after adjusting for 23 confounding factors gradually (HR 1.423, 1.246-1.625, P < 0.001). In the further subgroup analyses, a significant interaction was confirmed between AG and sepsis as well as surgery on the risk for the 90-day mortality. The ROC curve showed that the optimal cut-off value of AG for predicting 90-day mortality was 14.89 with sensitivity of 60.7% and specificity of 54.8%. The area under curve (AUC) was 0.602. When combined with SOFA score, the AUC of AG for predicting 90-day prognosis was 0.710, with a sensitivity and specificity of 70% and 62.5% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated AG (≥ 14.10 mmol/L) is an independent risk factor for predicting severe conditions and poor prognosis of critical ill surgical patients.

Targeting TLK2 inhibits the progression of gastric cancer by reprogramming amino acid metabolism through the mTOR/ASNS axis.

Several recent studies have suggested that TLKs are related to tumor progression. However, the function and mechanism of action of TLK2 in gastric cancer (GC) remain elusive. In this study, TLK2 was found to be significantly upregulated in patients with GC and was identified as an independent prognostic factor for GC. Consistently, TLK2 knockdown markedly reduced the aggressiveness of GC, whereas its overexpression had the opposite effect. IP-MS revealed that the effects of TLK2 on GC were mainly associated with metabolism reprogramming. TLK2 knockdown suppressed amino acid synthesis by downregulating the mTORC1 pathway and ASNS expression in GC cells. Mechanistically, mTORC1 directly interacts with the ASNS protein and inhibits its degradation. Further experiments validated that the ASNS protein was degraded via ubiquitination instead of autophagy. Inhibiting and activating the mTORC1 pathway can upregulate and downregulate ASNS ubiquitination, respectively, and the mTORC1 pathway can reverse the regulatory effects of TLK2 on ASNS. Furthermore, TLK2 was found to regulate the mRNA expression of ASNS. TLK2 directly interacted with ATF4, a transcription factor of ASNS, and promoted its expression. The kinase inhibitor fostamatinib significantly inhibited the proliferative, invasive, and migratory capabilities of GC cells by inhibiting TLK2 activity. Altogether, this study reveals a novel functional relationship between TLK2 and the mTORC1/ASNS axis in GC. Therefore, TLK2 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for GC.

[Effect of Fire-deposited Charcoal on Soil Organic Carbon Pools and Associated Enzyme Activities in a Recently Harvested Pinus massoniana Plantation Subjected to Broadcast Burning].

Charcoal is a carbonaceous particulate matter with a highly aromatic structure produced by incomplete combustion, and it can cause persistent long-term effects on soil ecological functions. In this study, we determined soil organic carbon pools and associated enzyme activities following five years of different charcoal treatments[charcoal removal (B0), charcoal retained in situ (B1), and the addition of charcoal removed from B0(B2)] and the unburnt control (UB) in a recently harvested Pinus massoniana plantation subjected to broadcast burning. The results showed that dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), coarse and fine particulate organic carbon (CPOC and FPOC), and recalcitrant carbon (RC) contents were significantly lower in B1 than those in UB soil (P<0.05). The MBC and FPOC contents of B2 soil were comparable to those of UB soil, which were significantly higher than those of B0 soil (P<0.001). There was no difference in MBC/TC between the B2 and UB soils, whereas MBC/TC was significantly lower in B0 than in UB soil (P<0.05). ß-glucosidase and peroxidase activities of B0, B1, and B2 soils were significantly lower than that of UB soil (P<0.01), and polyphenol oxidase activity was significantly lower in B0 and B2 soils than in UB soil (P<0.01). No significant difference in soil TC, DOC, readily oxidized carbon (ROC), CPOC, and RC content as well as associated enzyme activities was observed among the charcoal treatments (P>0.05). Redundancy analysis showed that sucrose and polyphenol oxidase were the key drivers influencing soil organic carbon fractions, accounting for 16.3% and 12.7% of the total variance, respectively. Overall, our findings indicated that fire-deposited charcoal played a positive role in enhancing soil microbial biomass carbon recovery, soil organic carbon accumulation, and stability, highlighting the importance of charcoal in the management of subtropical plantations in the future.

Efficacy and prognostic factors of repeated hepatectomy for postoperative intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing initial hepatectomy.

Background: Postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with low survival rates. While HCC treatment options have expanded substantially, they are accompanied by several challenges. This study assessed the outcomes of repeated hepatectomy (RH) for postoperative intrahepatic recurrence of HCC among patients undergoing initial hepatectomy (IH) as well as independent risk factors for HCC recurrence among patients undergoing repeated hepatectomy (RH). Methods: Clinical data from 84 patients undergoing both IH and RH and 66 recurrent HCC patients who had received radiofrequency ablation (RFA) from July 2011 to September 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The following groups were compared: (1) RH Group A (n = 84), (2) IH Group (n = 84, same individuals as RH Group A), (3) RH Group B (n = 45/84 from RH Group A), and (4) RFA Group (n = 66). The clinical pathology and operative characteristics of the patients in RH Group A were compared to those in the IH Group. Meanwhile, the clinical pathology and pre- and post-treatment features of the patients in RH Group B were compared to those in the RFA Group. The tumor-free survival time was compared between patients in RH Group A and the IH Group as well as between patients in RH Group B and the RFA Group. The independent risk factors for the 1-year postoperative tumor-free survival of RH Group A patients were investigated using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Measures of clinical pathology, including AFP, Child-Pugh score, HBV-DNA, tumor number, liver cirrhosis, tumor differentiation, surgical approach, and TNM stage differed significantly between patients in RH Group A and the IH Group (all P < 0.05), with the exception of tumor number and tumor size (both P > 0.05). No significant differences were found in these measures between the patients in RH Group B and the RFA Group (all P > 0.05). While patients in the RH Group A had a longer operation time than those in the IH Group (4.35 ± 1.25 h vs. 3.55 ± 0.92 h, P < 0.001), the level of intraoperative bleeding was similar (400.00 ± 199.25 ml vs. 359.40 ± 213.37 ml, P = 0.204). RH Group B patients had a longer hospitalization time than those in the RFA Group (6.5 ± 0.8 d vs. 5.5 ± 1.1 d, P < 0.001), however, the difference in hospitalization costs was not statistically significant (29,009 ± 3,806 CNY vs. 29,944 ± 3,752 CNY, P = 0.202). Five-day post-operative serum biomarker levels, including direct bilirubin (DB) and albumin (ALB), were significantly higher in RH Group B than in the RFA Group (all P < 0.05), with the exception of ALT, AST, and total bilirubin (TB) (all P > 0.05). Patients in RH Group A had a lower tumor-free survival time than those in the IH Group (median: 12 vs. 22 months, P < 0.001), and patients in the RH Group B had a significantly higher tumor-free survival time than those in the RFA group (median: 15 months vs. 8 months, P < 0.001). Age ≥50 y, Child-Pugh class A, and negative HBV-DNA were independent risk factors that positively impacted the 1-year postoperative tumor-free survival rate of postoperative intrahepatic recurrent HCC patients undergoing RH (P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Due to the potential of harm related to relapse of recurrent HCC for cancer patients, RH is a superior option. RH could offer better outcomes for recurrent HCC patients undergoing IH. Compared with lesion pathology, the better target organ of the liver will be key to ameliorating tumor-free survival for recurrent HCC patients undergoing RH.

Homolog of Pea SGR Controls Stay-Green in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.).

Faba bean is an important legume crop consumed as a vegetable or snack food, and its green cotyledons could present an attractive color for consumers. A mutation in SGR causes stay-green in plants. In this study, vfsgr was identified from a green-cotyledon-mutant faba bean, SNB7, by homologous blast between the SGR of pea and the transcriptome of faba bean. Sequence analysis revealed that a SNP at position 513 of the CDS of VfSGR caused a pre-stop codon, resulting in a shorter protein in the green-cotyledon faba bean SNB7. A dCaps marker was developed according to the SNP that caused the pre-stop, and this marker was completely associated with the color of the cotyledon of faba bean. SNB7 stayed green during dark treatment, while the expression level of VfSGR increased during dark-induced senescence in the yellow-cotyledon faba bean HST. Transient expression of VfSGR in Nicotiana. benthamiana leaves resulted in chlorophyll degradation. These results indicate that vfsgr is the gene responsible for the stay-green of faba bean, and the dCaps marker developed in this study provides a molecular tool for the breeding of green-cotyledon faba beans.

Cyanine Polymersomes Inbreathe Gas Signaling Molecule: SO2 -Driven Bilayer Tubular Deformation for Transmembrane Traffic Regulation.

Fabricating nanoscale assemblies that can respond to gas signaling molecules has emerged as a field of growing interest owing to their unique biomedical applications in gas-guided delivery and gas therapeutics. Yet, among a variety of endogenous gaseous biosignals, exploiting sulfur dioxide (SO2 ) as a cue for controllable self-assembly remains elusive, despite its crucial two-sided roles both in physiology and pathology. Here we show a SO2 -responsive polymersome system assembled from a novel class of cyanine-containing block copolymers. By intake of SO2 gas, the tautomerism of cyanine drives such vesicles to continuously deform, and change into long nanotubes through axial stretching and anisotropic extrusion of the membranes. Unexpectedly, during this order-to-order phase transition, their membranes manifest well SO2 -dose-dependent permselectivity, which allows the cargos of different sizes loaded therein to be selectively transferred across the bilayers. This study would inspire us to better understand and mimic the function of gas signaling molecules in shifting biomembrane shape and managing transmembrane traffic.