Phytochrome-interacting factors orchestrate hypocotyl adventitious root initiation in Arabidopsis.

Adventitious roots (ARs) are an important type of plant root and display high phenotypic plasticity in response to different environmental stimuli. It is known that photoreceptors inhibit darkness-induced hypocotyl adventitious root (HAR) formation by directly stabilizing Aux/IAA proteins. In this study, we further report that phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) plays a central role in HAR initiation by simultaneously inducing the expression of genes involved in auxin biosynthesis, auxin transport and the transcriptional control of root primordium initiation. We found that, on the basis of their activity downstream of phytochrome, PIFs are required for darkness-induced HAR formation. Specifically, PIFs directly bind to the promoters of some genes involved in root formation, including auxin biosynthesis genes YUCCA2 (YUC2) and YUC6, the auxin influx carrier genes AUX1 and LAX3, and the transcription factors WOX5/7 and LBD16/29, to activate their expression. These findings reveal a previously uncharacterized transcriptional regulatory network underlying HAR formation.

A genome-wide association study identifies a transporter for zinc uploading to maize kernels.

The Zn content in cereal seeds is an important trait for crop production as well as for human health. However, little is known about how Zn is loaded to plant seeds. Here, through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identify the Zn-NA (nicotianamine) transporter gene ZmYSL2 that is responsible for loading Zn to maize kernels. High promoter sequence variation in ZmYSL2 most likely drives the natural variation in Zn concentrations in maize kernels. ZmYSL2 is specifically localized on the plasma membrane facing the maternal tissue of the basal endosperm transfer cell layer (BETL) and functions in loading Zn-NA into the BETL. Overexpression of ZmYSL2 increases the Zn concentration in the kernels by 31.6%, which achieves the goal of Zn biofortification of maize. These findings resolve the mystery underlying the loading of Zn into plant seeds, providing an efficient strategy for breeding or engineering maize varieties with enriched Zn nutrition.

CO-Assisted Methane Oxidation into Oxygenates over Surface Platinum-Titanium Alloyed Layers.

Methane oxidation using molecular oxygen remains a grand challenge in which the obstacle is not only the activation of methane but also the reaction with oxygen, considering the mismatch of the ground spin states. Herein, we report TiO2-supported Pt nanocrystals (Pt/TiO2) with surface Pt-Ti alloyed layers that directly convert methane into oxygenates by using O2 as the oxidant with the assistance of CO. The oxygenate yield reached 749.8 mmol gPt-1 in a H2O aqueous solution over 0.1% Pt/TiO2 under 31 bar of mixed gas (20:5:6 CH4:CO:O2) at 150 °C for 3 h, while the CH3OH selectivity was 62.3%. On the basis of the control experiments and spectroscopic results, we identified the surface Pt-Ti alloy as the active sites. Moreover, CO promoted the dissociation of O2 on the surface of Pt-Ti alloyed layers and the subsequent activation of CH4 to form oxygenated products.

Impact of stress on cardiac phenotypes in mice harboring an ankyrin-B disease variant.

Encoded by ANK2, ankyrin-B (AnkB) is a multifunctional adapter protein critical for the expression and targeting of key cardiac ion channels, transporters, cytoskeletal-associated proteins, and signaling molecules. Mice deficient for AnkB expression are neonatal lethal, and mice heterozygous for AnkB expression display cardiac structural and electrical phenotypes. Human ANK2 loss-of-function variants are associated with diverse cardiac manifestations; however, human clinical 'AnkB syndrome' displays incomplete penetrance. To date, animal models for human arrhythmias have generally been knock-out or transgenic overexpression models and thus the direct impact of ANK2 variants on cardiac structure and function in vivo is not clearly defined. Here, we directly tested the relationship of a single human ANK2 disease-associated variant with cardiac phenotypes utilizing a novel in vivo animal model. At baseline, young AnkBp.E1458G+/+ mice lacked significant structural or electrical abnormalities. However, aged AnkBp.E1458G+/+ mice displayed both electrical and structural phenotypes at baseline including bradycardia and aberrant heart rate variability, structural remodeling, and fibrosis. Young and old AnkBp.E1458G+/+ mice displayed ventricular arrhythmias following acute (adrenergic) stress. In addition, young AnkBp.E1458G+/+ mice displayed structural remodeling following chronic (transverse aortic constriction) stress. Finally, AnkBp.E1458G+/+ myocytes harbored alterations in expression and/or localization of key AnkB-associated partners, consistent with the underlying disease mechanism. In summary, our findings illustrate the critical role of AnkB in in vivo cardiac function as well as the impact of single AnkB loss-of-function variants in vivo. However, our findings illustrate the contribution and in fact necessity of secondary factors (aging, adrenergic challenge, pressure-overload) to phenotype penetrance and severity.

Integrative omics studies revealed synergistic link between sucrose metabolic isogenes and carbohydrates in poplar roots infected by Fusarium wilt.

Advances in carbohydrate metabolism prompted its essential role in defense priming and sweet immunity during plant-pathogen interactions. Nevertheless, upstream responding enzymes in the sucrose metabolic pathway and associated carbohydrate derivatives underlying fungal pathogen challenges remain to be deciphered in Populus, a model tree species. In silico deduction of genomic features, including phylogenies, exon/intron distributions, cis-regulatory elements, and chromosomal localization, identified 59 enzyme genes (11 families) in the Populus genome. Spatiotemporal expression of the transcriptome and the quantitative real-time PCR revealed a minuscule number of isogenes that were predominantly expressed in roots. Upon the pathogenic Fusarium solani (Fs) exposure, dynamic changes in the transcriptomics atlas and experimental evaluation verified Susy (PtSusy2 and 3), CWI (PtCWI3), VI (PtVI2), HK (PtHK6), FK (PtFK6), and UGPase (PtUGP2) families, displaying promotions in their expressions at 48 and 72 h of post-inoculation (hpi). Using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based non-targeted metabolomics combined with a high-performance ion chromatography system (HPICS), approximately 307 metabolites (13 categories) were annotated that led to the quantification of 46 carbohydrates, showing marked changes between three compared groups. By contrast, some sugars (e.g., sorbitol, L-arabitol, trehalose, and galacturonic acid) exhibited a higher accumulation at 72 hpi than 0 hpi, while levels of α-lactose and glucose decreased, facilitating them as potential signaling molecules. The systematic overview of multi-omics approaches to dissect the effects of Fs infection provides theoretical cues for understanding defense immunity depending on fine-tuned Suc metabolic gene clusters and synergistically linked carbohydrate pools in trees.

Magnetic Activation: A Novel Approach to Enhance Hydrogen Evolution Activity of Co0.85Se@CNTs Heterostructured Catalyst.

The heterostructure strategy is currently an effective method for enhancing the catalytic activity of materials. However, the challenge that is how to further improve their catalytic performance, based on the principles of material modification is must addressed. Herein, a strategy is introduced for magnetically regulating the catalytic activity to further enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity for Co0.85Se@CNTs heterostructured catalyst. Building on heterostructure modulation, an external alternating magnetic field (AMF) is introduced to enhance the electronic localization at the active sites, which significantly boosts catalytic performance (71 to 43 mV at 10 mA cm-2). To elucidate the catalytic mechanism, especially under the influence of the AMF, in situ Raman spectroscopy is innovatively applied to monitor the HER process of Co0.85Se@CNTs, comparing conditions with and without the AMF. This study demonstrates that introducing the AMF does not induce a change in the true active site. Importantly, it shows that the Lorentz force generated by the AMF enhances HER activity by promoting water molecule adsorption and O─H bond cleavage, with the Stark tuning rate indicating increased water interaction and bond cleavage efficiency. Theoretical calculations further support that the AMF optimizes energy barriers for key reaction intermediates (steps of *H2O-TS and *H+*1/2H2).

Polysaccharide-Targeting Lipid Nanoparticles to Kill Gram-Negative Bacteria.

The rapid increase and spread of Gram-negative bacteria resistant to many or all existing treatments threaten a return to the preantibiotic era. The presence of bacterial polysaccharides that impede the penetration of many antimicrobials and protect them from the innate immune system contributes to resistance and pathogenicity. No currently approved antibiotics target the polysaccharide regions of microbes. Here, describe monolaurin-based niosomes, the first lipid nanoparticles that can eliminate bacterial polysaccharides from hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, are described. Their combination with polymyxin B shows no cytotoxicity in vitro and is highly effective in combating K. pneumoniae infection in vivo. Comprehensive mechanistic studies have revealed that antimicrobial activity proceeds via a multimodal mechanism. Initially, lipid nanoparticles disrupt polysaccharides, then outer and inner membranes are destabilized and destroyed by polymyxin B, resulting in synergistic cell lysis. This novel lipidic nanoparticle system shows tremendous promise as a highly effective antimicrobial treatment targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

IFIT1 + neutrophil is a causative factor of immunosuppressive features of poorly cohesive carcinoma (PCC).

The importance of the immune microenvironment in poorly cohesive carcinoma (PCC) has been highlighted due to its limited response rate to conventional therapy and emerging treatment resistance. A combination of clinical cohorts, bioinformatics analyses, and functional/molecular experiments revealed that high infiltration of Interferon Induced Protein with Tetratricopeptide Repeats 1 (IFIT1) + tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) is a distinguishing feature of PCC patients. Upregulation of IFIT1 + TANs promote migration and invasion of gastric cancer (GC) cell lines (MKN45 and MKN74) and stimulates the growth of cell-derived xenograft models. Besides, by promoting macrophage secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) expression and facilitating cancer-associated fibroblast and endothelial cell recruitment and activation through TANs, IFIT1 promotes a mesenchymal phenotype, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Importantly, compared to non-PCC (NPCC), PCC tumors is more immunosuppressive. Mechanistically, IFIT1 can be stimulated by IFN-γ and contributes to the expression of Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand (PDL1) in TANs. We demonstrated in mouse models that IFIT1 + PDL1 + TANs can induce acquired resistance to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, which may be responsible for the difficulty of PCC patients to benefit from immunotherapy. This work highlights the role of IFIT1 + TANs in mediating the remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapeutic resistance and introduces IFIT1 + TANs as a promising target for precision therapy of PCC.

Correlative proteomics identify the key roles of stress tolerance strategies in Acinetobacter baumannii in response to polymyxin and human macrophages.

The opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii possesses stress tolerance strategies against host innate immunity and antibiotic killing. However, how the host-pathogen-antibiotic interaction affects the overall molecular regulation of bacterial pathogenesis and host response remains unexplored. Here, we simultaneously investigate proteomic changes in A. baumannii and macrophages following infection in the absence or presence of the polymyxins. We discover that macrophages and polymyxins exhibit complementary effects to disarm several stress tolerance and survival strategies in A. baumannii, including oxidative stress resistance, copper tolerance, bacterial iron acquisition and stringent response regulation systems. Using the spoT mutant strains, we demonstrate that bacterial cells with defects in stringent response exhibit enhanced susceptibility to polymyxin killing and reduced survival in infected mice, compared to the wild-type strain. Together, our findings highlight that better understanding of host-pathogen-antibiotic interplay is critical for optimization of antibiotic use in patients and the discovery of new antimicrobial strategy to tackle multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Mobile genetic elements contributing to horizontal gene transfer of blaNDM among Escherichia coli in the community setting.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) in the community and to describe the genomic characteristics. METHODS: CRE screened from fecal samples in healthy people at the health examination center of a tertiary hospital in China underwent Whole genome sequencing (WGS) to analyze genotypic characteristics of CRE. The flanking DNA sequence of blaNDM-5 and mcr1.1 genes were analyzed by Gcluster software. RESULTS: A total of 7187 fecal samples were screened, and CRE carriage was detected in 0.4 % of the sampled population. In total, 30 Escherichia coli, one Citrobacter freundii and one Klebsiella aerogene were screened. The 30 carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC) isolates displayed slight resistance to amikacin (13.3 %) and aztreonam (20.0 %). All the CRE isolates contained blaNDM, and blaNDM-5 (84.4 %) was the most common one. B1 (n = 11) and A (n = 7) were predominant phylogroups. Furthermore, 34 distinct plasmid replicons, 67 different VFs, 22 distinct STs, 17 different FimH types, 26 O:H serotypes as well as 74 MGEs including 61 insertion sequences and 13 transposons were identified. The flanking DNA sequence analysis of blaNDM-5 and mcr1.1 genes indicates the key role of horizontal transfer of blaNDM-5 in the CRE development evidenced by diverse STs and phylogenetic tree. CONCLUSION: E. coli was the most predominant CRE isolates in community setting, and blaNDM (blaNDM-5) was the main CHßL encoding genes. The high prevalence of ARGs was associated with high resistance to commonly used antimicrobials. Besides, the genetic diversity of these isolates suggested the key role of blaNDM horizontal transfer in the CRE development. Thus, active screening of blaNDM in communities is particularly important for the prevention and control of CRE.

Serum deprivation protein response intervenes in the proliferation, motility, and extracellular matrix production in keloid fibroblasts by blocking the amplification of TGF-ß1/SMAD signal cascade via ERK1/2.

Keloid formation has been linked to abnormal fibroblast function, such as excessive proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. Serum deprivation protein response (SDPR) is a crucial regulator of cellular function under diverse pathological conditions, yet its role in keloid formation remains unknown. The current work investigated the function of SDPR in regulating the proliferation, motility, and ECM production of keloid fibroblasts (KFs), as well as to decipher the mechanisms involved. Analysis of RNA sequencing data from the GEO database demonstrated significant down-regulation of SDPR in KF compared to normal fibroblasts (NFs). This down-regulation was also observed in clinical keloid specimens and isolated KFs. Overexpression of SDPR suppressed the proliferation, motility, and ECM production of KFs, while depletion of SDPR exacerbated the enhancing impact of TGF-ß1 on the proliferation, motility, and ECM production of NFs. Mechanistic studies revealed that SDPR overexpression repressed TGF-ß/Smad signal cascade activation in KFs along with decreased levels of phosphorylated Samd2/3, while SDPR depletion exacerbated TGF-ß/Smad activation in TGF-ß1-stimulated NFs. SDPR overexpression also repressed ERK1/2 activation in KFs, while SDPR depletion exacerbated ERK1/2 activation in TGF-ß1-stimulated NFs. Inhibition of ERK1/2 abolished SDPR-depletion-induced TGF-ß1/Smad activation, cell proliferation, motility, and ECM production in NFs. In conclusion, SDPR represses the proliferation, motility, and ECM production in KFs by blocking the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. The findings highlight the role of SDPR in regulating abnormal behaviors of fibroblasts associated with keloid formation and suggest it as a potential target for anti-keloid therapy development.

TS-1@MCM-48 Core-Shell Catalysts for Efficient Oxidation of p-Diethylbenzene to High Value-Added Derivatives.

To expand the market capacity of p-diethylbenzene (PDEB), core-shell zeolite (TS-1@MCM-48) is designed as a catalyst for PDEB oxidation. TS-1@MCM-48 catalyst is synthesized by in-situ crystallization method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 adsorption-desorption, in-situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si MAS-NMR). Oxidation of PDEB by H2O2 was investigated systematically in liquid phase. The conversion of PDEB over TS-1@MCM-48 was 28.1 % and the total selectivity was 72.6 %, where the selectivity of EAP (p-ethylacetophenone) and EPEA (4-ethyl-α-methylbenzyl alcohol) was 28.6 % and 44.0 %, respectively. Compared with TS-1 and MCM-48 zeolite, the conversion rate of reactants and the selectivity of products have been significantly improved. The catalytic performance of TS-1@MCM-48 is derived from its well-crystallized microporous core and mesoporous shell with regular channels, which make active sites of TS-1 zeolite in the catalyst be fully utilized and mass transfer resistance be largely reduced. Further through theoretical calculation, we propose that the oxidation of PDEB is the result of the combination and mutual transformation of free radical process and carbocation process. Core-shell structure ensures the conversion rate of raw materials and improves the selectivity of products.

Ultrathin endoscope equipped with ultrasonic miniprobe for upper GI US in a porcine model.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ultrathin EGD (UT-EGD) is an ideal tool for unsedated upper GI examination and pediatric gastroenterology but is rarely competent for EUS miniprobe (EUS-MP). We developed a UT-EGD US method (UT-EUS) and verified its clinical application value through animal experiments. METHODS: Five Bama miniature pigs were selected. Using an acoustic medium, we performed US on the duodenum, stomach, and esophagus, respectively, with conventional 20-MHz EUS miniprobe (EUS-MP-20), 20-MHz UT-EUS (UT-EUS-20), and 30-MHz UT-EUS (UT-EUS-30). The times to acquire 5 consecutive stable US images, number of identifiable wall layers, and quality and penetration depth of the images were recorded. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in the time required to obtain images between EUS-MP-20 and UT-EUS-20 at each site (P > .05). UT-EUS-30 showed more wall levels than UT-EUS-20 (P < .05). No significant differences were noted between EUS-MP-20 and UT-EUS-20 in imaging quality and penetration depth (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The UT-EUS is easy to use with a satisfactory image quality and has potential clinical application value.

Recombinant human growth hormone promotes wound angiogenesis in burned mice through the ERK signaling pathway.

Burns are the most severe type of trauma, and the resulting ischemia and hypoxia damage can promote the dysfunction and even failure of tissues and organs throughout the body, endangering patients' life safety. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has the functions of promoting protein synthesis to reverse negative nitrogen balance, accelerating wound healing, and improving immune function, which is widely used in the treatment of burns. However, the exact mechanism and pathway of rhGH's action is not yet fully understood. In this study, we observed the wound repair effect of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on burned mice and further analyzed the mechanism of action, which can provide more comprehensive reference opinions for clinical practice. First, by establishing a burn mouse model and and intervening with different doses of rhGH, we found that the wound healing capacity of mice was significantly enhanced and the inflammatory and oxidative stress responses were obviously alleviated, confirming the excellent promotion of wound repair and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of rhGH. Subsequently, we found that the expression of p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2, EGF, TGF-ß, and VEGF proteins was elevated in the traumatic tissues of mice after rhGH intervention, suggesting that the pathway of action of rhGH might be related to the activation of ERK pathway to promote the regeneration of traumatic capillaries.

Music training affects listeners' processing of different types of accentuation information: Evidence from ERPs.

Previous studies found that prolonged musical training can promote language processing, but few studies have examined whether and how musical training affects the processing of accentuation in spoken language. In this study, a vocabulary detection task was conducted, with Chinese single sentences as materials, to investigate how musicians and non-musicians process corrective accent and information accent in the sentence-middle and sentence-final positions. In the sentence-middle position, results of the cluster-based permutation t-tests showed significant differences in the 574-714 ms time window for the control group. In the sentence-final position, the cluster-based permutation t-tests revealed significant differences in the 612-810 ms time window for the music group and in the 616-812 ms time window for the control group. These significant positive effects were induced by the processing of information accent relative to that of corrective accent. These results suggest that both groups were able to distinguish corrective accent from information accent, but they processed the two accent types differently in the sentence-middle position. These findings show that musical training has a cross-domain effect on spoken language processing and that the accent position also affects its processing.

Green and efficient catalytic oxidation of ethylbenzene to acetophenone over cobalt oxide supported on a carbon material derived from sugar.

The use of biomass as a carbon source to support metal oxides has significant advantages in environmental protection and reducing the cost of the catalyst. The critical point lies on the development of highly active and recyclable catalysts. In this study, sugar was used as a carbon source, and cobalt oxide was loaded via an in situ method and an impregnation method to prepare the catalyst, respectively. The catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman, in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (in situ EPR) and N2 adsorption-desorption. The characterization results show that the macroporous carbon-supported cobalt oxide catalyst prepared by the in situ method contains CoOx nanoparticles on the support, but the dispersion of cobalt oxide on the support is more uniform compared with the catalyst prepared by the impregnation method. The catalytic performance of the prepared catalyst was evaluated through the oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) to acetophenone (AP) as a probe reaction. Under the optimized reaction conditions, temperature (T) = 80 °C, m(catalyst) : m(EB) = 0.15, n(H2O2) : n(EB) : n(KBr) = 14.4 : 1 : 0.1, t = 8 h, and V(EB) : V(CH3COOH) = 1 : 10, the conversion of EB and the selectivity of AP were 84.1% and 81.3%, respectively. CoOx/SC-10-in situ exhibits improved reactivity of EB oxidation owing to cobalt ions on the carbon support that promote the free radical and acid catalytic reaction pathway. The cobalt oxide catalyst supported by biomass carbon has decent recycling and regeneration ability, which provides a new idea for the application of biomass.

Association of serum uric acid with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in chronic kidney disease stages 3-5.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The role of serum uric acid (SUA) in the prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is inconclusive. To explore the association of SUA level with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with CKD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Leveraging data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) and linked national death records up to December 31 2019, we explored the association of SUA with all-cause and CVD mortality using weighted cox proportional hazards regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models in patients with CKD stages 3-5. The study finally included 2644 patients with CKD stages 3-5, with a median SUA level of 6.5 mg/dL. After a median follow-up of 55 months, a total of 763 deaths were recorded, with 279 of them attributed to CVD. In the fully adjusted model, per 1 mg/dL increment in SUA concentration was found to be associated with increased HRs (95% CIs) of 1.07 (1.00, 1.14) for all-cause mortality and 1.11 (1.00, 1.24) for CVD mortality. Compared to Q2 (reference), those in Q4 had adjusted HRs of 1.72 (1.36, 2.17) for all-cause mortality and 2.17 (1.38, 3.41) for CVD mortality, while those in Q1 had adjusted HRs of 1.49 (1.19, 1.85) for all-cause mortality and 1.93 (1.26, 2.98) for CVD mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Both higher and lower SUA levels were associated with increased risks of all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with CKD stages 3-5.

Value of the Air Bronchogram Sign and Other Computed Tomography Findings in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to explore the application value of the air bronchogram (AB) sign and other computed tomography (CT) signs in the early diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHOD: The pathological information and CT images of 130 patients diagnosed with N 0 and M 0 solitary pulmonary nodules (diameter ≤3 cm) and treated with surgical resection in our hospital between June 2021 and June 2022 were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients were divided into the benign pulmonary nodule (BPN) group (14 cases), the AIS group (30 cases), the MIA group (10 cases), and the IAC group (76 cases). Among the 116 patients with AIS and LUAD, 96 showed an AB sign. Among the 14 patients with BPN, only 4 patients showed an AB sign. The average CT value and maximum diameter were significantly higher in the IAC group than in the AIS and MIA groups. In the BPN group, 5 patients had an average CT value of >80 HU. Among all LUAD-based groups, there was only 1 patient with a CT value of >60 HU. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of the AB sign based on CT imaging facilitates the differentiation between benign and malignant nodules. The CT value and maximum diameter of pulmonary adenocarcinoma nodules increase with the increase of the malignancy degree. The nodule type, CT value, and maximum diameter are useful for predicting the pathological type and prognosis. If the average CT value of pulmonary nodules is >80 HU, LUAD may be excluded.

Retracted: MicroRNA-495 Confers Increased Sensitivity to Chemotherapeutic Agents in Gastric Cancer via the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Signaling Pathway by Interacting with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (ERBB2).

The Editors of Medical Science Monitor wish to inform you that the above manuscript has been retracted from publication due to concerns with the credibility and originality of the study, the manuscript content, and the Figure images. Reference: Na Li, Mei Han, Ning Zhou, Yong Tang, Xu-Shan Tang. MicroRNA-495 Confers Increased Sensitivity to Chemotherapeutic Agents in Gastric Cancer via the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Signaling Pathway by Interacting with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (ERBB2). Med Sci Monit, 2018; 24: CLR5990-5972. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.909458.

Optical coherence tomography angiography for microaneurysms in anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treated diabetic macular edema.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate microaneurysms (MAs) after treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy to understand causes of chronic edema and anti-VEGF resistance. METHODS: Patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with or without macular edema were recruited. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) MAs-related parameters were observed, including the maximum diameter of overall dimensions, material presence, and flow signal within the lumen. OCTA parameters also included central macular thickness (CMT), foveal avascular zone, superficial and deep capillary plexuses, and non-flow area measurements on the superficial retinal slab. RESULTS: Overall, 48 eyes from 43 patients were evaluated. CMT differed significantly between the diabetic macular edema (DME ) and non-DME (NDME) groups at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th months of follow-up (P < 0.001; <0.001; 0.003; <0.001, respectively). A total of 55 and 59 MAs were observed in the DME (mean = 99.40 ± 3.18 µm) and NDME (mean maximum diameter = 74.70 ± 2.86 µm) groups at baseline, respectively (significant between-group difference: P < 0.001). Blood flow signal was measurable for 46 (83.6%) and 34 (59.3%) eyes in the DME and NDME groups, respectively (significant between-group difference: P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the NDME group, the DME group had larger MAs and a higher blood-flow signal ratio. Following anti-VEGF therapy, changes in the diameter of MAs were observed before changes in CMT thickness.