Influence and progress of tea pigment research: A comprehensive analysis of application of bibliometrics.

Tea pigment, as a natural pigment component in tea, has attracted much attention because of its unique health benefits. In recent years, with the deepening of scientific research, the research on biological activity, extraction technology and application of tea pigment has made remarkable progress. Through systematic bibliometrics analysis, this paper comprehensively combs and evaluates the research status of tea pigment. The propose is to provide valuable reference for future research and application. In this paper, the chemical structure of tea pigment is firstly summarized, and then its diverse biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor, are deeply discussed, especially its potential application in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In addition, the application prospect of tea pigment in food coloring, textile dyeing and other industrial fields is also discussed in detail. Through the collection and arrangement of a large number of research literatures, this paper analyzes the development trend, research methods and main achievements of tea pigment research, and pays special attention to the dosage and effect of tea pigment in practical application. These analyses not only contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and functions of tea pigments, but also provide scientific basis for the further development and application of tea pigments.

In Silico Screening of Bioactive Peptides in Stout Beer and Analysis of ACE Inhibitory Activity.

Stout beer was selected as the research object to screen angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides. The peptide sequences of stout beer were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry with de novo, and 41 peptides were identified with high confidence. Peptide Ranker was used to score the biological activity and six peptides with a score ≥ 0.5 were screened to predict their potential ACE inhibitory (ACEI) activity. The toxicity, hydrophilicity, absorption, and excretion of these peptides were predicted. In addition, molecular docking between the peptides and ACE revealed a significant property of the peptide DLGGFFGFQR. Furthermore, molecular docking conformation and molecular dynamics simulation revealed that DLGGFFGFQR could be tightly bound to ACE through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. Lastly, the ACEI activity of DLGGFFGFQR was confirmed using in vitro evaluation and the IC50 value was determined to be 24.45 µM.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of uterine sarcoma: a 10-year retrospective single-center study in China.

BACKGROUND: Uterine sarcoma is a rare and heterogeneous gynecological malignancy characterized by aggressive progression and poor prognosis. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and the prognosis of uterine sarcoma in Chinese patients. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of 75 patients with histologically verified uterine sarcoma treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University between 2011 and 2020. Information on clinical characteristics, treatments, pathology and survival was collected. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were visualized in Kaplan-Meier curves. Prognostic factors were identified using the log-rank test for univariate analysis and Cox-proportional hazards regression models for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The histopathological types included 36 endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS,48%), 33 leiomyosarcomas (LMS,44%) and 6 adenosarcomas (8%). The mean age at diagnosis was 50.2 ± 10.7 years. Stage I and low-grade accounted for the majority. There were 26 recurrences and 25 deaths at the last follow-up. The mean PFS and OS were 89.41 (95% CI: 76.07-102.75) and 94.03 (95% CI: 81.67-106.38) months, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that > 50 years, post-menopause, advanced stage, ≥ 1/2 myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion and high grade were associated with shorter survival (P < 0.05). Color Doppler flow imaging positive signals were associated with shorter PFS in the LMS group (P = 0.046). The ESS group had longer PFS than that of the LMS group (99.56 vs. 76.05 months, P = 0.043). The multivariate analysis showed that post-menopause and advanced stage were independent risk factors of both PFS and OS in the total cohort and LMS group. In the ESS group, diagnosis age > 50 years and high-grade were independent risk factors of PFS, while high-grade and lymphovascular space invasion were independent risk factors of OS. CONCLUSION: In Chinese patients with uterine sarcoma, post-menopause and advanced stage were associated with a significantly poorer prognosis. The prognosis of ESS was better than that of LMS. Color Doppler flow imaging positive signals of the tumor helped to identify LMS, which needs to be further tested in a larger sample in the future.

Actinotalea lenta sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from tidal flat sediment.

Two Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, oxidase- and catalase-negative, non-motile, and short rod-shaped actinomycetes, named SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490, were isolated from tidal flat sediment located in Guangdong province, PR China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490 were 99.3, 99.5 and 97.1 %, respectively. Strains SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490 exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Actinotalea ferrariae CF 5-4T (97.1 %/98.2 %), with ANI values of 74.01/73.88 % and dDDH values of 20.5/20.4 %. In the phylogenomic tree, the two isolates were affiliated with the genus Actinotalea. The genomes of strains SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490 were 3.31 and 3.34 Mb, and both had DNA G+C contents of 72.8 mol%, coding 3077 and 3085 CDSs, three and three rRNA genes, and 53 and 51 tRNAs, respectively. Growth occurred at 15-40 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C), pH 4.0-10.0 (optimum, 7.0) and in the presence of 0-7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3 %). The major fatty acids (>10  %) of strains SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490 were anteiso-C15 : 0 and C16 : 0. The major respiratory quinone was identified as MK-10(H4). The polar lipids of strains SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490 were diphosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphoglycolipid, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, two phosphatidylinositol mannosides, two glycolipids and two phospholipids. Based on these data, the two strains (SYSU T00b441T and SYSU T00b490) represent a novel species of the genus Actinotalea, for which the name Actinotalea lenta sp. nov is proposed. The type strain is SYSU T00b441T (=GDMCC 1.3827T=KCTC 49943T).

[Clinical Features and Prognostic of Patients with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical features and prognosis of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma（PCNSL）. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the relationship between clinical features, treatment regimen and prognosis in 46 newly diagnosed patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma who were diagnosed and treated in The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2015 to September 2022. Fisher's exact probability method was used to analyze the differences in clinical data of different subgroups. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate of patients with different treatments, and the factors influencing survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 46 patients with PCNSL, which pathological type were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma（DLBCL）. There were 26(56.5%) cases of male and 20(43.5%) of female, with a median age of 54(17-71) years. In Hans subtypes, 14 cases (30.4%) of GCB subtype, 32 cases (69.6%) of non-GCB subtype. 32 cases (69.6%) of Ki-67≥80%. Among 36 patients who completed at least 2 cycles of treatment with follow-up data, the efficacy evaluation was as follows: overall response rate(ORR) was 63.9%, complete response(CR) rate was 47.2%, 17 cases of CR, 6 cases of PR. The 1-year progression-free survival rate and 1-year overall survival rate was 73.6% and 84.9%, respectively. The 2-year progression-free survival rate and 2-year overall survival rate was 52.2% and 68.9%, respectively. The ORR and CR rate of 17 patients treated with RMT regimen was 76.5% and 52.9% (9 cases CR and 4 cases PR), respectively. Univariate analysis of 3 groups of patients treated with RMT regimen, RM-BTKi regimen, and RM-TT regimen as first-line treament showed that deep brain infiltration was associated with adverse PFS(P =0.032), and treatment regimen was associated with adverse OS in PCNSL patients（P =0.025）. CONCLUSION: Different treatment modalities were independent prognosis predictors for OS, the deep brain infiltration of PCNSL is a poor predictive factor for PFS. Patients with relapse/refractory (R/R) PCNSL have a longer overall survival time because to the novel medication BTKi. They have strong toleration and therapeutic potential as a first-line therapy for high-risk patients.

Desertivirga arenae gen. nov., sp. nov. and Desertivirga brevis sp. nov., isolated from desert soil, and reclassification of Pedobacter xinjiangensis as Desertivirga xinjiangensis comb. nov. and Pedobacter mongoliensis as Paradesertivirga mongoliensis gen.nov., comb. nov.

Two novel bacterial strains, designated as SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T, were isolated from sandy soil of the Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang, north-west China. SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T shared 99.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence identity, and were both most closely related to Pedobacter xinjiangensis 12157T with 96.1 % and 96.0 % similarities, respectively. Phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses revealed that the two isolates and P. xinjiangensis 12157T formed a separate distinct cluster in a stable subclade with the nearby species Pedobacter mongoliensis 1-32T, as well as the genera Pararcticibacter and Arcticibacter. Furthermore, P. mongoliensis 1-32T formed a separate deep-branching lineage and did not form a cluster with members of the genus Pedobacter. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T and related species were well below the thresholds for species delineation (<81.0 % and <24.0 %, respectively). The genomes of SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T were 6.19 and 6.43 Mbp in size with 40.4 % and 40.5 % DNA G+C contents, respectively. The predominant fatty acids (>10 %) of SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c). Menaquinone-7 was the only respiratory quinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, glycosphingolipid, aminoglycolipid/glycolipid, aminophospholipid and three or four unidentified polar lipids. These data indicated that strains SYSU D00823T and SYSU D00873T should be assigned to two novel species of a new genus within the family Sphingobacteriaceae, for which the names Desertivirga arenae gen. nov., sp. nov. and Desertivirga brevis sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are SYSU D00823T (=CGMCC 1.18630T=MCCC 1K04973T=KCTC 82278T) and SYSU D00873T (=CGMCC 1.18629T=MCCC 1K04974T=KCTC 82281T), respectively. Accordingly, the reclassification of P. xinjiangensis as Desertivirga xinjiangensis comb. nov., and P. mongoliensis as Paradesertivirga mongoliensis gen. nov., comb. nov. are also proposed.

Insights into the history and tendency of glycosylation and digestive system tumor: A bibliometric-based visual analysis.

BACKGROUND: Glycosylation, a commonly occurring post-translational modification, is highly expressed in several tumors, specifically in those of the digestive system, and plays a role in various cellular pathophysiological mechanisms. Although the importance and detection methods of glycosylation in digestive system tumors have garnered increasing attention in recent years, bibliometric analysis of this field remains scarce. The present study aims to identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. AIM: To find and identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. METHODS: We obtained relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection and employed VOSviewer 1.6.19 and CiteSpace (version 6.1.R6) to perform bibliometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2042 documents spanning from 1978 to the present were analyzed, with the research process divided into three phases: the period of obscurity (1978-1990), continuous development period (1991-2006), and the rapid outbreak period (2007-2023). These documents were authored by researchers from 66 countries or regions, with the United States and China leading in terms of publication output. Reis Celso A had the highest number of publications, while Pinho SS was the most cited author. Co-occurrence analysis revealed the most popular keywords in this field are glycosylation, expression, cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, the Journal of Proteome Research was the most prolific journal in terms of publications, while the Journal of Biological Chemistry had the most citations. CONCLUSION: The bibliometric analysis shows current research focus is primarily on basic research in this field. However, future research should aim to utilize glycosylation as a target for treating tumor patients.

Demographic, biochemical, clinical, and cognitive symptom differences between smokers and non-smokers in Chinese older male patients with chronic schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that smoking may impair cognitive function and worsen psychiatric symptoms in people with schizophrenia, but the results have not been consistent. There have been few studies to date that have examined the effects of smoking in older men with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: The participants in our study consisted of 167 order Chinese males with chronic schizophrenia and 359 normal control subjects. We split them into smoking and non-smoking groups based on whether or not they smoked. Second, we compared their differences in terms of general demographic characteristics (such as age, education, body mass index, age of illness onset, and course of disease), disease information (such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia), lifestyle factors (such as physical exercise and lunch break), blood biochemical indicators (such as albumin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and fasting blood glucose), and medication usage (such as clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and chlorpromazine). Lastly, a neuropsychological test battery was used to assess their psychiatric and cognitive symptoms, for example, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess their overall cognitive functioning. Their depressive symptoms were assessed by the geriatric depression scale (GDS). Activities of daily living (ADL) were used to assess their ability to lead a daily life, while the positive and negative syndrome scales (PANSS) were used to assess their psychiatric symptoms. RESULTS: Smokers who develop schizophrenia at older ages had a higher body mass index than non-smokers. We also found that plasma albumin, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and fasting blood glucose concentrations were significantly higher in smokers. In contrast, smokers with schizophrenia also had lower PANSS total scores, negative symptom scores, and general psychopathology scores. A forward stepwise binary logistics regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between negative symptom scores and smoking status (B = 0.112, p < 0.001, OR = 1.119, 95% confidence interval: 1.059-1.181). Correlation analysis was carried out and it was found that the amount of cigarette consumption per day had a negative correlation with plasma albumin level(r = - 0.290, p = 0.004). However, no such association was found in normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly Chinese men with schizophrenia have a higher percentage of smokers, and although smoking can reduce their plasma albumin levels, it does contribute to the prevention of negative symptoms.

A systematic review of tea pigments: Prevention of major diseases, protection of organs, and potential mechanisms and applications.

With the growing awareness of a healthy life, tea pigments (TPGs) are in focus for their health benefits. TPGs not only provide specific color to tea liquor but also possess health benefits such as anti-obesity, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-oxidative, and bacteriostatic properties. Also, TPGs can benefit bone, liver, kidney, cardiovascular, gut microbiome, and sleep health. Based on previous reports, this review provides a brief introduction to the health benefits of TPGs, focusing on the prevention of human diseases and the protection of organs. Also, the latest research on the functional mechanism(s), practical application, and development strategies of TPGs is discussed.

[The Prognostic Value of Prognostic Nutritional Index Combined with D-dimer in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) combined with D-dimer on the prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: The clinical data of 73 DLBCL patients at initial diagnosis were retrospectively evaluated, and the optimal cut-off point of PNI and D-dimer were determined by ROC curve. The overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate in different subgroups were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with OS. RESULTS: Compared with the low PNI group (PNI<44.775), the high PNI group (PNI≥44.775) had better OS (P =0.022) and PFS (P =0.029), the 2-year OS rates of the two groups were 55.6% and 78.3% respectively (P =0.041). Compared with the high D-dimer group (D-dimer≥0.835), the low D-dimer group (D-dimer<0.835) had better OS (P <0.001) and PFS (P <0.001), the 2-year OS rates of the two groups were 51.4% and 86.8% respectively (P =0.001). Meanwhile, patients in the high PNI+ low D-dimer group had better OS (P =0.003) and PFS (P <0.001) than the other three groups, the 2-year OS rate was statistically different from the other three groups (P <0.05). The multivariate analysis revealed that NCCN-IPI (HR =2.083, 95%CI : 1.034-4.196, P =0.040), PNI (HR =0.267, 95%CI : 0.076-0.940, P =0.040) and PNI+D-dimer (HR =9.082, 95%CI : 1.329-62.079, P =0.024) were the independent risk factors affecting OS in patients with DLBCL. Subgroup analysis showed that PNI, D-dimer, and PNI combined with D-dimer could improve the prognostic stratification in low and low-intermediate risk DLBCL patients. CONCLUSION: High PNI, low D-dimer and combination of high PNI and low D-dimer at initial diagnosis suggest a better prognosis in DLBCL patients.

Stress hyperglycemia is associated with disease severity in COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic that has affected millions of people worldwide. In this paper, we analyse the relationship between stress hyperglycaemia and disease severity in patients with COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 252 patients with COVID-19 were included in this study. The patients were divided into the following groups: COVID-19 with stress hyperglycaemia (SHG), COVID-19 with diabetes (DM), and COVID-19 with normal blood glucose (NG). The stress hyperglycaemia rate (SHR) was calculated using the fasting blood glucose (FBG)/glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ratio. To further compare the disease characteristics of different SHRs, we divided the SHR into low SHR and high SHR according to the SHR median. Correlations between the severity of the disease and other factors were analysed after adjusting for sex and age. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression to analyse the risk factors predicting the severity of COVID-19. RESULTS: Compared with the NG group, the SHG group had higher disease severity (p < 0.001); the SHG group had higher HbA1c, FBG, SHR, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and neutrophil levels, while lymphocyte, CD3+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, CD16+CD56 cell, and CD19+ cell counts were lower (p < 0.05). Compared with the NG group, the DM group had higher HbA1c, blood glucose, BUN, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophils, while CD8+ T cell counts were lower (p < 0.05). Compared with the DM group, the SHG group had higher SHR and lower HbA1c, CD3+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, CD16+CD56 cell, and T cell ratio levels (p < 0.05). Compared to the low SHR group, the high SHR group had patients with more severe COVID-19 (p = 0.004). Also, the high SHR grouphad higher age, HbA1c, FBG, asparate aminotransferaze (AST), BUN, LDH, uric acid (UA), CRP, IL-6, and procalcitonin (PCT), while lymphocyte, CD3+ T cell, CD4+ T cell, CD8+ T cell, and CD19+ cell counts were lower (p < 0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that SHR, gender, and lymphocyte count wererisk factorsfor the severity of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Stress hyperglycaemia, as indicated by a higher SHR, is independently associated with the severity of COVID-19.

Identification and validation of a m7G-related lncRNA signature for predicting the prognosis and therapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is one of the most common RNA posttranscriptional modifications; however, its potential role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. We developed a prediction signature based on m7G-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) to predict HCC prognosis and provide a reference for immunotherapy and chemotherapy. METHODS: RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and relevant clinical data were used. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify m7G-related lncRNAs with prognostic value to build a predictive signature. We evaluated the prognostic value and clinical relevance of this signature and explored the correlation between the predictive signature and the chemotherapy treatment response of HCC. Moreover, an in vitro study to validate the function of CASC19 was performed. RESULTS: Six m7G-related lncRNAs were identified to create a signature. This signature was considered an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with HCC. TIDE analyses showed that the high-risk group might be more sensitive to immunotherapy. ssGSEA indicated that the predictive signature was strongly related to the immune activities of HCC. HCC in high-risk patients was more sensitive to the common chemotherapy drugs bleomycin, doxorubicin, gemcitabine, and lenalidomide. In vitro knockdown of CASC19 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. CONCLUSION: We established a 6 m7G-related lncRNA signature that may assist in predicting the prognosis and response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy of HCC.

Facilitated Drug Repurposing with Artemisinin-Derived PROTACs: Unveiling PCLAF as a Therapeutic Target.

Artemisinin, a prominent anti-malaria drug, is being investigated for its potential as a repurposed cancer treatment. However, its effectiveness in tumor cell lines remains limited, and its mechanism of action is unclear. To make more progress, the PROteolysis-TArgeting chimera (PROTAC) technique has been applied to design and synthesize novel artemisinin derivatives in this study. Among them, AD4, the most potent compound, exhibited an IC50 value of 50.6 nM in RS4;11 cells, over 12-fold better than that of its parent compound, SM1044. This was supported by prolonged survival of RS4;11-transplanted NOD/SCID mice. Meanwhile, AD4 effectively degraded PCLAF in RS4;11 cells and thus activated the p21/Rb axis to exert antitumor activity by directly targeting PCLAF. The discovery of AD4 highlights the great potential of using PROTACs to improve the efficacy of natural products, identify therapeutic targets, and facilitate drug repurposing. This opens a promising avenue for transforming other natural products into effective therapies.

Prospective association of general anesthesia with risk of cognitive decline in a Chinese elderly community population.

As life expectancy increases and the population grows, the number of surgeries performed each year is likely to continue to increase. We evaluated whether surgery with general anesthesia increases risk for cognitive impairment in a Chinese elderly community population. The current data was obtained from the China Longitudinal Aging Study (cohort 1) and Shanghai Brain Aging study (cohort 2). Cohort 1 included 1545 elderly people with normal cognitive function, who underwent a screening process that included physical examination, medical history, baseline and 1-year follow-up assessments of cognitive function by a face-to-face interview. Cohort 2 included an additional 194 elderly people with normal cognitive function, all of whom, unlike cohort 1, underwent T1-phase MR imaging scans. In cohort 1, 127 elderly people with normal cognitive function transformed into mild cognitive impairment, 27 into dementia, while 1391 still maintained normal cognitive function. By using Cox regression analysis, we found that surgery with general anesthesia was a risk factor for cognitive impairment (p = 0.013, HR = 1.506, 95% CI 1.091-2.078); In cohort 2, we found that elderly people with a history of surgery with general anesthesia had lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores and smaller right amygdala volume (p < 0.05). Through correlation analysis, we found that the volume of the right amygdala was significantly correlated (p = 0.003, r = 0.212) with MoCA. Then by using the linear regression analysis (mediation model), we found that surgery with general anesthesia directly affected the MoCA score by affecting the volume of the right amygdala (B = 1.315, p = 0.036 95% CI 0.088-2.542). We confirm surgery with general anesthesia as a risk factor for cognitive impairment, and its mechanism may be related to its effect on the volume of the right amygdala.

Aridibaculum aurantiacum gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the Kumtag Desert soil.

A novel orange-coloured bacterium, designated strain SYSU D00508T, was isolated from a sandy soil sampled from the Kumtag Desert in China. Strain SYSU D00508T was aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-positive, catalase-positive and non-motile. Growth occurred at 4-45°C (optimum 28-30°C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0-8.0) and with 0-2.5 % NaCl (w/v, optimum 0-1.0 %). The major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), unidentified aminolipids (AL1-3) and unidentified polar lipids (L1-5) were also detected. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 1 G. The genomic DNA G+C content was 42.6 %. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SYSU D00508T belonged to the family Chitinophagaceae and showed 93.9 % (Segetibacter koreensis DSM18137T), 92.9 % (Segetibacter aerophilus NBRC 106135T), 93.0 % (Terrimonas soli JCM 32095T) and 92.8 % (Parasegetibacter terrae JCM 19942T) similarities. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain SYSU D00508T is proposed to represent a novel species of a new genus, named Aridibaculum aurantiacum gen. nov., sp. nov., within the family Chitinophagaceae. The type strain is SYSU D00508T (=KCTC 82286T=CGMCC 1.18648T=MCCC 1K05005T).

Nrf2 as a novel diagnostic biomarker for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common thyroid malignancy. However, it is very difficult to distinguish PTC from benign carcinoma. Thus, specific diagnostic biomarkers are actively pursued. Previous studies observed that Nrf2 was highly expressed in PTC. Based on this research, we hypothesized that Nrf2 may serve as a novel specific diagnostic biomarker. A single-center retrospective study, including 60 patients with PTC and 60 patients with nodular goiter, who underwent thyroidectomy at the Central Theater General Hospital from 2018 to July 2020, was conducted. The clinical data of the patients were collected. Nrf2, BRAF V600E, CK-19, and Gal-3 proteins were compared from paraffin samples of the patients. Through this study, we obtained the following results: i) Nrf2 exhibits high abundance expression in PTC, but not in adjacent to PTC and nodular goiter; increased Nrf2 expression could serve as a valuable biomarker for PTC diagnosis; the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of PTC were 96.70% and 89.40%, respectively. ii) Nrf2 also shows higher expression in PTC with lymph node metastasis, but not adjacent to PTC and nodular goiter, thus the increased Nrf2 expression might serve as a valuable predictor for lymph node metastasis in PTC patients; the sensitivity and specificity for the prediction in lymph node metastasis were 96.00% and 88.57%, respectively; excellent diagnostic agreements were found between Nrf2 and other routine parameters including HO-1, NQO1 and BRAF V600E. iii) The downstream molecular expression of Nrf2 including HO-1 and NQO1 consistently increased. In conclusion, Nrf2 displays a high abundance expression in human PTC, which leads to the higher expression of downstream transcriptional proteins: HO-1 and NQO1. Moreover, Nrf2 can be used as an extra biomarker for differential diagnosis of PTC and a predictive biomarker for lymph node metastasis of PTC.

The Effect and Possible Mechanism of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Partial Revascularization Performed on Multiple Coronary Artery Lesions.

Purpose: To observe the effect of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in patients with partial revascularization performed on multiple coronary artery lesions and explore its possible mechanism. Patients and Methods: A total of 400 patients with multiple coronary artery lesions were enrolled and randomly divided into a complete revascularization group and a CR group, with 200 cases in each group. Target lesion revascularization was performed radically in the complete revascularization group, while it was partially completed in the CR group, and postoperative CR was performed. All the patients were put under conventional treatment. Left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVEDD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 6-minute walking distance (6-MWD), quality-of-life scores, safety and levels of serum nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were evaluated and compared between two groups before and after training. Results: There was no significant difference in LVEDD, LVEF, 6-MWD, quality-of-life scores, levels of serum NO, NOS, SOD, and VEGF between two groups before training (p>0.05). 1 year later, compared with the complete revascularization group, the occurrence of major adverse events in the CR group declined (p>0.05); the measurements of LVEDD decreased and LVEF increased (p>0.05), 6-MWD increased significantly (p<0.05), quality-of-life scores were higher (p<0.05), the levels of serum NO, NOS, and SOD increased noticeably, and the levels of serum VEGF decreased significantly in the CR group (p<0.05). There were significant differences within the same group, before and after training (p<0.05). Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation training, not increase in the incidence of adverse events, is effective and safe after partial revascularization in patients with multiple coronary artery lesions, which has notable clinical advantages in promoting patients' exercise endurance and quality-of-life by improving the nitric oxide synthase system and antioxidant system and reducing the level of VEGF.

Construction and validation of a prognostic signature based on necroptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Necroptosis is a necrotic programmed cell death with potent immunogenicity. Due to the dual effects of necroptosis on tumor growth, metastasis and immunosuppression, we evaluated the prognostic value of necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We first analyzed RNA sequencing and clinical HCC patient data obtained to develop an NRG prognostic signature based on the TCGA dataset. Differentially expressed NRGs were further evaluated by GO and KEGG pathway analyses. Next, we conducted univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to build a prognostic model. We also used the dataset obtained from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database to verify the signature. The Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm was used to investigate the immunotherapy response. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between the prediction signature and chemotherapy treatment response in HCC. RESULTS: We first identified 36 differentially expressed genes out of 159 NRGs in hepatocellular carcinoma. Enrichment analysis showed that they were mainly enriched in the necroptosis pathway. Four NRGs were screened by Cox regression analysis to establish a prognostic model. The survival analysis revealed that the overall survival of patients with high-risk scores was significantly shorter than that of patients with low-risk scores. The nomogram demonstrated satisfactory discrimination and calibration. The calibration curves validated a fine concordance between the nomogram prediction and actual observation. The efficacy of the necroptosis-related signature was also validated by an independent dataset and immunohistochemistry experiments. TIDE analysis revealed that patients in the high-risk group were possibly more susceptible to immunotherapy. Furthermore, high-risk patients were found to be more sensitive to conventional chemotherapeutic medicines such as bleomycin, bortezomib, and imatinib. CONCLUSION: We identified 4 necroptosis-related genes and established a prognostic risk model that could potentially predict prognosis and response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in HCC patients in the future.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5-mediated inhibition of inward-rectifying K+ channel 4.1 contributes to orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia following inferior alveolar nerve transection in male mice.

Inward-rectifying K+ channel 4.1 (Kir4.1), which regulates the electrophysiological properties of neurons and glia by affecting K+ homeostasis, plays a critical role in neuropathic pain. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) regulates the expression of Kir4.1 in retinal Müller cells. However, the role of Kir4.1 and its expressional regulatory mechanisms underlying orofacial ectopic allodynia remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the biological roles of Kir4.1 and mGluR5 in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) in orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia and the role of mGluR5 in Kir4.1 regulation. An animal model of nerve injury was established via inferior alveolar nerve transection (IANX) in male C57BL/6J mice. Behavioral tests indicated that mechanical allodynia in the ipsilateral whisker pad lasted at least 14 days after IANX surgery and was alleviated by the overexpression of Kir4.1 in the TG, as well as intraganglionic injection of an mGluR5 antagonist (MPEP hydrochloride) or a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (chelerythrine chloride); Conditional knockdown of the Kir4.1 gene downregulated mechanical thresholds in the whisker pad. Double immunostaining revealed that Kir4.1 and mGluR5 were co-expressed in satellite glial cells in the TG. IANX downregulated Kir4.1 and upregulated mGluR5 and phosphorylated PKC (p-PKC) in the TG; Inhibition of mGluR5 reversed the changes in Kir4.1 and p-PKC that were induced by IANX; Inhibition of PKC activation reversed the downregulation of Kir4.1 expression caused by IANX (p < .05). In conclusion, activation of mGluR5 in the TG after IANX contributed to orofacial ectopic mechanical allodynia by suppressing Kir4.1 via the PKC signaling pathway.