A phase 1 dose-escalation study of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor senaparib in Australian patients with advanced solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: Senaparib is a novel, selective poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1/2 inhibitor with strong antitumor activity in preclinical studies. This first-in-human, phase 1, dose-escalation study examined the safety and preliminary efficacy of senaparib in patients with advanced solid tumors. METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled from three centers in Australia, using a conventional 3 + 3 design. Dose-escalation cohorts continued until the maximum tolerated dose or a recommended phase 2 dose was determined. Patients received one dose of oral senaparib and, if no dose-limiting toxicity occurred within 7 days, they received senaparib once daily in 3-week cycles. The primary end points were safety and tolerability. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were enrolled at 10 dose levels ranging from 2 to 150 mg. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed in any cohort. Most treatment-emergent adverse events were grade 1-2 (91%). Seven patients (17.9%) reported hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in eight patients (20.5%), and the most frequent was nausea (7.7%). Two deaths were reported after the end of study treatment, one of which was considered a complication from senaparib-related bone marrow failure. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that senaparib the accumulation index was 1.06-1.67, and absorption saturation was 80-150 mg daily. In 22 patients with evaluable disease, the overall response rate was 13.6%, and the disease control rate was 81.8%. The overall response rate was 33.3% for the BRCA mutation-positive subgroup and 6.3% for the nonmutated subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Senaparib was well tolerated in Australian patients with advanced solid tumors, with encouraging signals of antitumor activity. The recommended phase 2 dose for senaparib was determined to be 100 mg daily. GOV ID: NCT03507543.

Magnetic Field and Gravitational Waves from the First-Order Phase Transition.

We perform the three-dimensional lattice simulation of the magnetic field and gravitational wave productions from bubble collisions during the first-order electroweak phase transition. Except for the gravitational wave, the power-law spectrum of the magnetic field strength is numerically calculated for the first time, which is of a broken power-law spectrum: B_{ξ}∝f^{0.91} for the low-frequency region of ff_{⋆} in the thin-wall limit, with the peak frequency being f_{⋆}∼5 Hz at the phase transition temperature 100 GeV. When the hydrodynamics is taken into account, the generated magnetic field strength can reach B_{ξ}∼10^{-7} G at a correlation length ξ∼10^{-7} pc, which may seed the large scale magnetic fields. Our study shows that the measurements of cosmic magnetic field strength and gravitational waves are complementary to probe new physics admitting electroweak phase transition.

Ethyl pyruvate alleviates NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD-mediated neuronal pyroptosis in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.

Pyroptosis is an inflammation-associated programmed cell death, and neuroinflammation is strongly associated with severe neurological deficits in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Ethyl pyruvate (EP), a known anti-inflammatory agent, has shown promise in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) rats; nevertheless, the therapeutic mechanism of EP and its capacity to suppress neuronal pyroptosis in HIBD rats remain unclear. In both the neonatal Rice-Vannucci rat model and the OGD/R model, this study examined alterations in the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD classical pyroptosis pathway in hippocampal neurons during HIE and the potential inhibitory impact of ethyl pyruvate on this pathway. We used HE staining, immunofluorescence double staining, transmission electron microscopy, and western blot to demonstrate that EP effectively inhibited hippocampal neuronal pyroptosis and attenuated the activation of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD signaling pathway in HIBD rats, which resulted in a reduction of neuroinflammation and facilitated neural recovery. The results suggest that EP may be a promising neuroprotective agent for treating HIE.

The Activation of PKM2 Induces Pyroptosis in Hippocampal Neurons via the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD Pathway in Neonatal Rats With Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) in neonates triggers a strong neuroinflammatory reaction. Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death mechanism associated with inflammation, plays a crucial role in HIBD. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) plays a significant role in connecting metabolic processes and inflammatory responses, but whether it affects hippocampus pyroptosis in HIBD is unclear. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of PKM2 in HIBD and to propose a novel therapeutic approach for neonatal ischemic-hypoxic encephalopathy. METHODS: In this study, we employed neonatal 7-day-old Sprague Dawley rats to establish a model of HIBD using the Rice-Vannucci surgical technique and a hypoxia device. To inhibit the elevation of PKM2, we utilized the PKM2 inhibitor shikonin. The rats were categorized into four groups: Sham, Shikonin, HIBD, and Shikonin + HIBD. Behavioral tests, hematoxylin eosin staining, immunofluorescence staining, ELISA (IL-1ß, IL-18), and LDH were conducted in each group to evaluate neurological function, hippocampal damage, the occurrence of neuronal pyroptosis, and the neuroinflammation. Western blot was used to assess the expression levels of PKM2, NLRP3, Caspase-1, Cleaved Caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMDN, and IL-1ß. RESULTS: The expression of PKM2 elevated in hippocampal tissues of the HIBD model and the localization of PKM2 in the hippocampus was activated in neurons instead of microglia during the HIBD. Meanwhile, the inhibition of PKM2 improved the behavioral test scores and the body weight of rats, the neuronal damage in the CA1 region of hippocampal tissue was also attenuated. In addition, inhibiting PKM2 alleviated neuronal pyroptosis by decreasing the expression of PKM2, NLRP3, Caspase-1, Cleaved Caspase-1, GSDMD, GSDMDN. Furthermore, serum levels of LDH and inflammatory factors IL-1ß and IL-18 decrease with PKM2 inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings, we can conclude that PKM2 plays a crucial role in regulating hippocampal neuronal pyroptosis of HIBD rats via NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway. Therefore, inhibiting PKM2 could be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neonatal ischemic-hypoxic encephalopathy.

Mechanism and Performance Evaluation of a Strain Sensor Made from a Composite Hydrogel Containing Conductive Fibers of Thermoplastic Polyurethane and Polyvinyl Alcohol.

Monitoring human physiological conditions using flexible, stretchable strain sensors is an effective approach to prevent and treat critical illnesses, emergencies, and infectious diseases. However, achieving ultralow detection limits, high sensitivity, and a wide detection range in a cost-effective manner is challenging. In this study, a strain sensor was developed by embedding an adhesive hydrogel composed of polyvinyl alcohol, starch, and glutaraldehyde into conductive fibers made from thermoplastic polyurethane. By leveraging the high sensitivity of the conductive fibers and the wide detection range of the hydrogel, a robust dual-layer continuous conductive network was formed through their synergistic interaction. Tensile strength tests and other assessments indicated that the sensitivity of the sensor increased from a gauge factor of 49.32 (for fiber-based sensors) to 74.18, while the detection range expanded from 250 to 400%. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrated a low detection limit (0.6%), fast response and recovery times (80 ms/120 ms), and durability exceeding 800 cycles. Tests on pulse monitoring, joint movement, and voice recognition confirmed the significant applicability of the sensor for real-time monitoring of various physiological activities throughout a human's life. This study aims to provide technical support for the development of flexible wearable systems.

L-F001, a multifunctional fasudil-lipoic acid dimer, antagonizes hypoxic-ischemic brain damage by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88 signaling pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a serious inflammatory injury. At present, the standard treatment for this disease is hypothermia therapy, and the effect of drug intervention is still limited. L-F001 is a compound of fasudil and lipoic acid. Previous in vitro experiments have confirmed that L-F001 has anti-inflammatory neuroprotective functions. However, its therapeutic effect on neonates with HIBD remains unknown. This study was aimed at exploring the therapeutic effect of L-F001 on HIBD rats. METHODS: The newborn rats were divided into three groups: Sham operation group, HIBD group, and HIBD + L-F001 group. HE staining, Nissil staining, the immunofluorescence of iNOS and COX-2, ELISA (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10), and western blotting analyses were performed to determine the therapeutic effect of L-F001. Finally, we evaluated the growth and development of each group by measuring body weight. RESULTS: The hippocampal structure of HIBD rats was disordered, and the Nissil body was small and shallow. The expressions of iNOS and COX-2 in HIBD rats were increased, whereas the expressions of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α in plasma were upregulated, and the expression of IL-10 was decreased. L-F001 could improve the tissue structure and reduce the expression of iNOS and COX-2 in HIBD rats. Meanwhile, L-F001 could also reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and restore the content of anti-inflammatory cytokines in plasma. We further found that the TLR4 pathway was activated after hypoxic-ischemia in neonatal rats. L-F001 could inhibit the activation of TLR4 pathway. Finally, we found that after L-F001 treatment, the body weight of HIBD rats increased significantly compared with the untreated group. CONCLUSIONS: L-F001 antagonizes the inflammatory response after hypoxic-ischemia by inhibiting the activation of the TLR4 signaling pathway, thus playing a neuroprotective role. L-F001 may be a potential therapeutic agent for neonatal HIBD.

An Estuarine Cyanophage S-CREM1 Encodes Three Distinct Antitoxin Genes and a Large Number of Non-Coding RNA Genes.

Cyanophages play important roles in regulating the population dynamics, community structure, metabolism, and evolution of cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems. Here, we report the genomic analysis of an estuarine cyanophage, S-CREM1, which represents a new genus of T4-like cyanomyovirus and exhibits new genetic characteristics. S-CREM1 is a lytic phage which infects estuarine Synechococcus sp. CB0101. In contrast to many cyanomyoviruses that usually have a broad host range, S-CREM1 only infected the original host strain. In addition to cyanophage-featured auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), S-CREM1 also contains unique AMGs, including three antitoxin genes, a MoxR family ATPase gene, and a pyrimidine dimer DNA glycosylase gene. The finding of three antitoxin genes in S-CREM1 implies a possible phage control of host cells during infection. One small RNA (sRNA) gene and three cis-regulatory RNA genes in the S-CREM1 genome suggest potential molecular regulations of host metabolism by the phage. In addition, S-CREM1 contains a large number of tRNA genes which may reflect a genomic adaption to the nutrient-rich environment. Our study suggests that we are still far from understanding the viral diversity in nature, and the complicated virus-host interactions remain to be discovered. The isolation and characterization of S-CREM1 further our understanding of the gene diversity of cyanophages and phage-host interactions in the estuarine environment.

L-F001, a Multifunctional Fasudil-Lipoic Acid Dimer Prevents RSL3-Induced Ferroptosis via Maintaining Iron Homeostasis and Inhibiting JNK in HT22 Cells.

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of non-apoptotic cell death, plays important roles in cerebral ischemia. Previously we have found that L-F001, a novel fasudil-lipoic acid dimer with good pharmacokinetic characters has good neuroprotection against toxin-induced cell death in vitro and in vivo. Here, we investigated the protective effects of L-F001 against a Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inhibitor Ras-selective lethality 3 (RSL3) -induced ferroptosis in HT22 cells. We performed MTT, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Western blot, and immunofluorescence analyses to determine the protective effects of L-F001 treatment. RSL3 treatment significantly reduced HT22 cell viability and L-F001 significantly protected RSL3-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner and significantly attenuated Mitochondrial shrinkage observed by TEM. Meanwhile, L-F001 significantly decreased RSL3-induced ROS and lipid peroxidation levels in HT22 cells. Moreover L-F001could restore GPX4 and glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM) levels, and significantly deceased Cyclooxygenase (COX-2) levels to rescue the lipid peroxidation imbalance. In addition, FerroOrange fluorescent probe and Western blot analysis revealed that L-F001 treatment decreased the total number of intracellular Fe2+ and restore Ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) level in RSL3-induced HT22 cells. Finally, L-F001 could reduce RSL3-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, which might be a potential drug target for LF-001. Considering that L-F001 has a good anti-ferroptosis effect, our results showed that L-F001 might be a multi-target agent for the therapy of ferroptosis-related diseases, such as cerebral ischemia.

Genome Sequence of Microbacterium sp. Strain R1, Isolated from a Synechococcus Culture.

Synechococcus cultures in the laboratory are often associated with heterotrophic bacteria. Here, we report the genome sequence of the bacterium Microbacterium sp. strain R1, isolated from a culture of the estuarine Synechococcus strain CBW1107. Several secondary metabolites and transporter-related genes were identified in the genome of Microbacterium sp. strain R1.

The role of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor in inflammation-induced tumor metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Expression of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR), a transporter of polymeric IgA and IgM, is commonly increased in response to viral or bacterial infections, linking innate and adaptive immunity. Abnormal expression of pIgR in cancer was also observed, but its clinical relevance remains uncertain. METHODS: A human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue microarray (n = 254) was used to investigate the association between pIgR expression and early recurrence. An experimental lung metastasis model using severe combined immune-deficient mice was applied to determine the metastatic potential of Madin-Darby canine kidney (n = 5 mice per group) and SMMC-7721 (n = 12 mice per group) cells overexpressing pIgR vs control cells. RNA interference, immunoprecipitation, and immunoblotting were performed to investigate the potential role for pIgR in the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In vitro studies (co-immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting, and migration, invasion, and adhesion assays) were used to determine the mechanisms behind pIgR-mediated metastasis. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: High expression of pIgR was statistically significantly associated with early recurrence in early-stage HCC and in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive HCC patients (log-rank P = .02). Mice injected with pIgR-overexpressing cells had a statistically significantly higher number of lung metastases compared with respective control cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney cells: pIgR mean = 29.4 metastatic nodules per lung vs control mean = 0.0 metastatic nodules per lung, difference = 29.4 metastatic nodules per lung, 95% confidence interval = 13.0 to 45.8, P = .001; SMMC-7721 cells: pIgR mean = 10.4 metastatic nodules per lung vs control mean = 2.2 metastatic nodules per lung, difference = 8.2 metastatic nodules per lung, 95% confidence interval = 1.0 to 15.5, P = .03). Furthermore, high expression of pIgR was sufficient to induce EMT through activation of Smad signaling. CONCLUSIONS: pIgR plays a role in the induction of EMT. Our results identify pIgR as a potential link between hepatitis B virus-derived hepatitis and HCC metastasis and provide evidence in support of pIgR as a prognostic biomarker for HCC and a potential therapeutic target.