Acetylation coordinates the crosstalk between carbon metabolism and ammonium assimilation in Salmonella enterica.

Enteric bacteria use up to 15% of their cellular energy for ammonium assimilation via glutamine synthetase (GS)/glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) in response to varying ammonium availability. However, the sensory mechanisms for effective and appropriate coordination between carbon metabolism and ammonium assimilation have not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that in Salmonella enterica, carbon metabolism coordinates the activities of GS/GDH via functionally reversible protein lysine acetylation. Glucose promotes Pat acetyltransferase-mediated acetylation and activation of adenylylated GS. Simultaneously, glucose induces GDH acetylation to inactivate the enzyme by impeding its catalytic centre, which is reversed upon GDH deacetylation by deacetylase CobB. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that adenylylation is required for acetylation-dependent activation of GS. We show that acetylation and deacetylation occur within minutes of "glucose shock" to promptly adapt to ammonium/carbon variation and finely balance glutamine/glutamate synthesis. Finally, in a mouse infection model, reduced S. enterica growth caused by the expression of adenylylation-mimetic GS is rescued by acetylation-mimicking mutations. Thus, glucose-driven acetylation integrates signals from ammonium assimilation and carbon metabolism to fine-tune bacterial growth control.

Fecal Signatures of Streptococcus anginosus and Streptococcus constellatus for Noninvasive Screening and Early Warning of Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Most patients with gastric cancer (GCa) are diagnosed at an advanced stage. We aimed to investigate novel fecal signatures for clinical application in early diagnosis of GCa. METHODS: This was an observational study that included 1043 patients from 10 hospitals in China. In the discovery cohort, 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis was performed in paired samples (tissues and feces) from patients with GCa and chronic gastritis (ChG) to determine differential abundant microbes. Their relative abundances were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to test them as bacterial candidates in the training cohort. Their diagnostic efficacy was validated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: Significant enrichments of Streptococcus anginosus (Sa) and Streptococcus constellatus (Sc) in GCa tumor tissues (P < .05) and feces (P < .0001) were observed in patients with intraepithelial neoplasia, early and advanced GCa. Either the signature parallel test Sa∪Sc or single signature Sa/Sc demonstrated superior sensitivity (Sa: 75.6% vs 72.1%, P < .05; Sc: 84.4% vs 64.0%, P < .001; and Sa∪Sc: 91.1% vs 81.4%, P < .01) in detecting early GCa compared with advanced GCa (specificity: Sa: 84.0% vs 83.9%, Sc: 70.4% vs 82.3%, and Sa∪Sc: 64.0% vs 73.4%). Fecal signature Sa∪Sc outperformed Sa∪CEA/Sc∪CEA in the discrimination of advanced GCa (sensitivity: 81.4% vs 74.2% and 81.4% vs 72.3%, P < .01; specificity: 73.4% vs 81.0 % and 73.4% vs 81.0%). The performance of Sa∪Sc in the diagnosis of both early and advanced GCa was verified in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Fecal Sa and Sc are noninvasive, accurate, and sensitive signatures for early warning in GCa. (ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT04638959).

Immunohistochemical analysis of HNF4A and ß-catenin expression to predict low-grade dysplasia in the colitis-neoplastic sequence.

Animal studies indicated that P1 promoter-driven hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HFN4A) prevents carcinogenesis in colitis. But the function of total HNF4A protein has not been fully investigated, and it was assumed to be involved in the colitis-neoplastic sequence. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical value of total P1-/P2-driven HNF4A combined with ß-catenin in the colitis-neoplastic sequence. A total of 69 samples, including 4 normal colon tissues, 16 sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues, 35 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) tissues, and 14 IBD-associated low-grade dysplasia tissues, were collected to assess P1-/P2-driven HNF4A and ß-catenin expressions by immunohistochemical assay. In addition, a colonic epithelial cell line Caco2 with stable P1-/P2-driven HNF4A knockdown was constructed. ß-Catenin expression and skeleton structure were determined in the transfected cells by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay respectively. Increased expression of nuclear P1-/P2-driven HNF4A was observed in the colitis-associated colorectal neoplasm and sporadic CRC samples, compared with that in colitis samples. The parallel alterations between cytoplasmic ß-catenin and nuclear P1-/P2-driven HNF4A were also verified. Silencing of P1-/P2-driven HNF4A expression in Caco2 cells decreased ß-catenin expression and F-actin formation. Our results confirmed the elevated expressions of nuclear P1-/P2-driven HNF4A and cytoplasmic ß-catenin in the colitis-neoplastic sequence, and both of them may be used as potential biomarkers to predict low-grade dysplasia.

Nicotine promotes tumor progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by regulating the miR-155-5p/NDFIP1 axis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine, the major component of cigarette smoke, has been reported to promote pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) growth and invasion. Deregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression is found in many cancers, including PDAC. The effects of nicotine on miRNAs change in PDAC progression remain unknown. METHODS: The effects of cigarette smoking/nicotine exposure on PDAC cell lines and tissues were evaluated. Quantitative real-time PCR and in situ hybridization assays were used to determine miR-155-5p expression in human PDAC tissue and cell lines upon cigarette smoking/nicotine exposure. Bioinformatics, loss-of-function experiments, luciferase reporter assay were performed to validate Nedd4 family interacting protein 1 (NDFIP1) as a direct target of miR-155-5p. The potentials of systemic miR-155-5p inhibitor-based therapy in overcoming nicotine exposure were evaluated in tumor xenograft model. RESULTS: Nicotine promoted PDAC cells proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in a dose-response manner. MiR-155-5p was found to be highly expressed in PDAC cell lines and tissues upon cigarette smoking/nicotine exposure. Functional studies showed that miR-155-5p knockdown could override the enhancement of oncogenic activity due to nicotine exposure in vitro and in vivo by directly interacting with the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of NDFIP1. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that nicotine-regulated miR-155-5p/NDFIP1 promotes tumor progression and EMT of PDAC.

Pretreatment with probiotic Bifico ameliorates colitis-associated cancer in mice: Transcriptome and gut flora profiling.

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease are at high risk of developing colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Strategies to block the process from inflammatory bowel disease to CAC should be considered. In the experiment, we aim to explore the chemopreventive efficacy of the probiotic cocktail Bifico and its potential mechanism in azoxymethane and dextran sodium sulphate-induced CAC in mice. Oral pretreatment of Bifico was adopted to evaluate its protective effect. The colorectums of 35 C57BL/6 mice were collected and examined for the degree of inflammation and tumorigenesis. Comparative 16S rRNA sequencing was carried out to observe Bifico-target alterations in gene expression and microbiota structure. We found that pretreatment of Bifico alleviated intestinal inflammation and reduced tumor formation. Furthermore, we identified a subset of genes as potential targets of Bifico treatment, including CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, and CXCL5, which are all ligands of C-X-C motif receptor 2 (CXCR2). The 16S rRNA sequencing showed that Bifico decreased the abundance of genera Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum, and Odoribacter, and a bloom of genus Lactobacillus was detected. Notably, we found that an abundance of these Bifico-target taxa was significantly associated with the expression of CXCR2 ligand genes. Our studies indicate that Bifico, given orally, can ameliorate CAC in mice through intervening with the possible link between Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum, Odoribacter, Lactobacillus, and CXCR2 signaling.

The value of EUS in combination with cytological, flow cytometry, and gene rearrangement in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal lymphoma.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) have a great value in clinical practice of gastrointestinal lymphoma (GIL). Auxiliary methods such as flow cytometry (FCM) and gene rearrangement provide additional information for the diagnosis. Current study aims to explore the diagnostic value of EUS-FNA combined with FCM and gene rearrangement for GIL in our single institution. Suspected GIL cases, which were referred to EUS, FNA, FCM, or gene rearrangement examination, were retrospectively reviewed from January 2011 to May 2014. Definitive final diagnosis was included based on the pathological and immunostaining evidence. The gene scan analysis was applied for fragment detection in gene rearrangement. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were considered and calculated. Fifty-three EUS cases were identified, including 38 GIL, 10 inflammations, 4 linitis plastica, and one multiple myeloma. EUS-FNA was successfully conducted in 39 out of 53 cases. After combined with FCM, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were increased from 60.7% to 76.9%, 90.9% to 100%, and from 69.2% to 81.8% respectively. Among 33 cases for FCM, 11 of them gained positive B or T non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, and 28 out of 53 specimens were delivered for gene rearrangement. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of gene rearrangement were 68.2%, 100%, and 75% respectively. EUS-FNA is a possible technique for the diagnosis of GIL, With additional FCM examination may further improve the diagnostic efficiency and facilitate subclassification. Moreover, gene rearrangement assay by gene scan is also a considerable method in the specimens from GIL. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Type IV collagen drives alveolar epithelial-endothelial association and the morphogenetic movements of septation.

BACKGROUND: Type IV collagen is the main component of the basement membrane that gives strength to the blood-gas barrier (BGB). In mammals, the formation of a mature BGB occurs primarily after birth during alveologenesis and requires the formation of septa from the walls of the saccule. In contrast, in avians, the formation of the BGB occurs rapidly and prior to hatching. Mutation in basement membrane components results in an abnormal alveolar phenotype; however, the specific role of type IV collagen in regulating alveologenesis remains unknown. RESULTS: We have performed a microarray expression analysis in late chick lung development and found that COL4A1 and COL4A2 were among the most significantly upregulated genes during the formation of the avian BGB. Using mouse models, we discovered that mutations in murine Col4a1 and Col4a2 genes affected the balance between lung epithelial progenitors and differentiated cells. Mutations in Col4a1 derived from the vascular component were sufficient to cause defects in vascular development and the BGB. We also show that Col4a1 and Col4a2 mutants displayed disrupted myofibroblast proliferation, differentiation and migration. Lastly, we revealed that addition of type IV collagen protein induced myofibroblast proliferation and migration in monolayer culture and increased the formation of mesenchymal-epithelial septal-like structures in co-culture. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that type IV collagen and, therefore the basement membrane, play fundamental roles in coordinating alveolar morphogenesis. In addition to its role in the formation of epithelium and vasculature, type IV collagen appears to be key for alveolar myofibroblast development by inducing their proliferation, differentiation and migration throughout the developing septum.

Oridonin inhibits pancreatic cancer cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by suppressing Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Oridonin (ORI) can inhibit proliferation and migration in various types of cancer cell lines. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the migration inhibitory effect of ORI on human pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells and dissected the possible molecular mechanism(s). METHODS: CCK-8 assay was used to observe the cell viability. Wound healing assay, transwell assay and spontaneous metastasis model were used to observe the migration activities. Real-time PCR, immunofluorescence, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry methods were used to observe the expression of genes or proteins. RESULTS: ORI inhibited the migration of SW1990 cells. Real-time PCR and immuno-fluorescence analyses of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were compared between control group and ORI group. The expression of mesenchymal molecular markers, such as vimentin, snail and slug decreased. The expression of epithelial-related marker E-cadherin increased. Wnt/ß-catenin signalling was inhibited by ORI using luciferase reporter assay. ORI can decrease the ß-catenin protein level not only in the nucleus, but also in the cytoplasm and the whole cell after the treatment with ORI and glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß) was increased in the ORI-treated group. CHIR could attenuate the effects of ORI in SW1990 cells. We established a mice model by injecting 1 × 10(6) SW1990 cells into nude mice intraperitoneally to test whether ORI affects tumour metastasis. Metastatic formation was inhibited by ORI (5 and 10 mg/kg) compared with the control group. Tumour sections stained with anti-E-cadherin, anti-vimentin and anti-ß-catenin antibodies revealed that ORI inhibited EMT, as well as the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: ORI can inhibit pancreatic cancer cell SW1990 migration and EMT by down-regulating Wnt/ß-catenin signal transduction in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, it can be potentially and effectively used in the clinical management of pancreatic cancer.

Dietary fiber intake reduces risk for colorectal adenoma: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Reports on the association between dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal adenoma (CRA), the precursor of colorectal cancer, have been inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies to analyze this association. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases to identify relevant studies published through July 2013. A random-effects model was used to estimate summary relative risks (SRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between fiber intake and CRA risk. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Cochran Q and I(2) statistics. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis included 20 studies involving 10,948 subjects with CRA. The SRRs of CRA for total dietary fiber were 0.72 (95% CI, 0.63-0.83) in a high- vs low-intake analysis and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.87-0.95) per 10-g/day increase in fiber intake in a dose-response model. Subgroup analyses indicated a significant inverse association between total fiber intake and CRA risk in case-control studies (SRR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.56-0.77), but not in cohort studies (SRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.76-1.10). The SRRs of CRA were 0.84 for fruit fiber (95% CI, 0.76-0.94; n = 6 studies), 0.93 for vegetable fiber (95% CI, 0.84-1.04; n = 6 studies), and 0.76 for cereal fiber (95% CI, 0.62-0.92; n = 9 studies) in high- vs low-intake analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that high dietary fiber intake is associated inversely with CRA risk. Further studies with prospective designs that use validated questionnaires and control for important confounders are warranted.

Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification of Vapor Sorption and Diffusion in Heterogeneous Polymers.

A high-fidelity model of kinetic and equilibrium sorption and diffusion is developed and exercised. The gas-diffusion model is coupled with a triple-sorption mechanism: Henry's law absorption, Langmuir adsorption, and pooling or clustering of molecules at higher partial pressures. Sorption experiments are conducted and span a range of relative humidities (0-95 %) and temperatures (30-60 °C). Kinetic and equilibrium sorption properties and effective diffusivity are determined by minimizing the absolute difference between measured and modeled uptakes. Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis methods are described and exercised herein to demonstrate the capability of this modeling approach. Water uptake in silica-filled and unfilled poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks is investigated; however, the model is versatile enough to be used with a wide range of materials and vapors.

Oridonin's therapeutic effect: suppressing Th1/Th17 simultaneously in a mouse model of Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Oridonin is an effective component isolated from Rabdosia rubescens. It can inhibit the activation of transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B and suppress the over expression of cytokines. We postulated that oridonin may be a potential therapeutic candidate for Crohn's disease. METHODS: To confirm the postulation, we investigated clinical and immunologic modulations of oridonin in a mouse model of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis. RESULTS: It was found that oridonin attenuated trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis as represented by a reduction in colonic interferon-γ/inteleukin-17 secretion and a decrement in splenic Th1/Th17 cells and effector memory CD4(+) T cells. Oridonin treatment inhibited the proliferation of CD4(+) T cells and upregulated the apoptosis of lymphocytes by inhibiting nuclear translocation of transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B. CONCLUSIONS: Oridonin is a potential modulator for trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis and other Th1/Th17 mediated inflammatory diseases.

A chemo-mechanical model for describing sorption hysteresis in a glassy polyurethane.

Hysteretic sorption and desorption of water is observed from 0 to 95% relative humidity and 298-333 K on a glassy polyurethane foam. It is postulated that sorption-induced swelling of the glassy polyurethane increases the concentration of accessible hydrogen-bonding adsorption sites for water. The accessibility of sites is kinetically controlled due to the restricted thermal motions of chains in the glassy polymer, causing a difference in accessible site concentrations during sorption and desorption. This discrepancy leads to hysteresis in the sorbed concentrations of water. A coupled chemo-mechanical model relating volumetric strain, adsorption site concentration, and sorbed water concentration is employed to describe water sorption hysteresis in the glassy polyurethane. This model not only describes the final mass uptake for each relative humidity step, but also captures the dynamics of water uptake, which exhibit diffusion and relaxation rate-controlled regimes.

Upregulation of circRNA_0023685 promotes gastric cancer progression via a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been extensively studied for their critical roles as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we focused on the expression, function and molecular mechanism of circRNA_0023685 in gastric cancer (GC) to provide new ways for the diagnosis and treatment of GC. Firstly, a novel differentially expressed circRNA, circRNA_0023685, was identified, and its differential expression in GC plasma, tissue, and cell lines was further verified by RT-qPCR. Next, circRNA_0023685 was verified to promote the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of GC cells in vitro. CircRNA_0023685 was also proved to enhance the growth of GC tumors in xenograft models. Finally, for excavating the mechanism to promote GC, downstream microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs were screened by bioinformatics analyses. After intersecting the target genes and genes enriched in GO analysis, a circRNA competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) network was built. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was then constructed to find the candidate gene, APP. Our study confirmed that the highly expressed circRNA_0023685 could promote GC, which provided a new clinical diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.

Efficacy of real-time artificial intelligence-aid endoscopic ultrasonography diagnostic system in discriminating gastrointestinal stromal tumors and leiomyomas: a multicenter diagnostic study.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) represent the most prevalent type of subepithelial lesions (SELs) with malignant potential. Current imaging tools struggle to differentiate GISTs from leiomyomas. This study aimed to create and assess a real-time artificial intelligence (AI) system using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) images to differentiate between GISTs and leiomyomas. Methods: The AI system underwent development and evaluation using EUS images from 5 endoscopic centers in China between January 2020 and August 2023. EUS images of 1101 participants with SELs were retrospectively collected for AI system development. A cohort of 241 participants with SELs was recruited for external AI system evaluation. Another cohort of 59 participants with SELs was prospectively enrolled to assess the real-time clinical application of the AI system. The AI system's performance was compared to that of endoscopists. This study is registered with Chictr.org.cn, Number ChiCT2000035787. Findings: The AI system displayed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.948 (95% CI: 0.921-0.969) for discriminating GISTs and leiomyomas. The AI system's accuracy (ACC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) reached 91.7% (95% CI 87.5%-94.6%), 90.3% (95% CI 83.4%-94.5%), 93.0% (95% CI 87.2%-96.3%), 91.9% (95% CI 85.3%-95.7%), and 91.5% (95% CI 85.5%-95.2%), respectively. Moreover, the AI system exhibited excellent performance in diagnosing ≤20 mm SELs (ACC 93.5%, 95% CI 0.900-0.969). In a prospective real-time clinical application trial, the AI system achieved an AUC of 0.865 (95% CI 0.764-0.966) and 0.864 (95% CI 0.762-0.966) for GISTs and leiomyomas diagnosis, respectively, markedly surpassing endoscopists [AUC 0.698 (95% CI 0.562-0.834) for GISTs and AUC 0.695 (95% CI 0.546-0.825) for leiomyomas]. Interpretation: We successfully developed a real-time AI-assisted EUS diagnostic system. The incorporation of the real-time AI system during EUS examinations can assist endoscopists in rapidly and accurately differentiating various types of SELs in clinical practice, facilitating improved diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making. Funding: Science and Technology Commission Foundation of Shanghai Municipality, Science and Technology Commission Foundation of the Xuhui District, the Interdisciplinary Program of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Research Funds of Shanghai Sixth people's Hospital.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a major role in apoptotic leukocyte-induced immune modulation.

Several APCs participate in apoptotic cell-induced immune modulation. Whether plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are involved in this process has not yet been characterized. Using a mouse model of allogeneic bone marrow engraftment, we demonstrated that donor bone marrow PDCs are required for both donor apoptotic cell-induced engraftment and regulatory T cell (Treg) increase. We confirmed in naive mice receiving i.v. syngeneic apoptotic cell infusion that PDCs from the spleen induce ex vivo Treg commitment. We showed that PDCs did not interact directly with apoptotic cells. In contrast, in vivo macrophage depletion experiments using clodronate-loaded liposome infusion and coculture experiments with supernatant from macrophages incubated with apoptotic cells showed that PDCs required macrophage-derived soluble factors--including TGF-ß--to exert their immunomodulatory functions. Overall, PDCs may be considered as the major APC involved in Treg stimulation/generation in the setting of an immunosuppressive environment obtained by apoptotic cell infusion. These findings show that like other APCs, PDC functions are influenced, at least indirectly, by exposure to blood-borne apoptotic cells. This might correspond with an additional mechanism preventing unwanted immune responses against self-antigens clustered at the cell surface of apoptotic cells occurring during normal cell turnover.

Predictive value of ferroptosis-related biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease: a prospective observational study.

AIMS: To explore the predictive value of ferroptosis-related (FR) biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This prospective observational study enrolled patients with T2DM at the Second Hospital of Jilin University between December 2021 and March 2022. DKD was measured by the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the predictive value of ferroptosis-related biomarkers for DKD.The risk factors for massive proteinuria were performed by multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Finally, 118 patients (53.0 ± 12.2 years, 76 males) were enrolled, 52 of them without DKD (had normal proteinuria), while 66 with DKD. (Forty-one had microproteinuria, and 25 had massive proteinuria.) FR biomarkers, including acyl-CoA synthase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4), malondialdehyde (MDA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), were significantly higher in the massive proteinuria group than in the other groups, while glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) was significantly lower (all P < 0.05). The area under the ROC of the combination of GPX4, ACSL4, MDA, and ROS for predicting DKD was 0.804 (P < 0.001). Additionally, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the course of disease and ferritin levels were independent risk factors for massive proteinuria, while high serum iron, transferrin, and GPX4 levels were independent protective factors for massive proteinuria in patients with T2DM (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The GPX4, ACSL4, MDA, and ROS combination might have a good predictive value for DKD. Additionally, the course of disease, ferritin levels, serum iron, transferrin, and GPX4 were independently associated with massive proteinuria.

Muse cells decrease the neuroinflammatory response by modulating the proportion of M1 and M2 microglia in vitro.

Neuroinflammation hinders repair of the central nervous system (CNS). Stem cell transplantation is a very promising approach for treatment of CNS injuries. However, it is difficult to select seed cells that can both facilitate nerve regeneration and improve the microenvironment in the CNS. In this study, we isolated multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We explored the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of Muse cells in vitro by coculture of Muse cells with lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglia. Our results showed that Muse cells effectively reduced the transcription and secretion of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-1ß and increased the expression of transforming growth factor-ß and interleukin-10 in microglia. In addition, Muse cells decreased the number of M1 microglia and increased the proportion of M2 microglia in an inflammatory environment more effectively than bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. We also show that Muse cells inhibited the protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary response protein (MyD88) and inhibited the expression of the phosphorylated forms of transcription factor p65, nuclear factor (NF)-κB inhibitor alpha, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in microglia. Therefore, we suggest Muse cells cause antineuroinflammatory effects by inhibition of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways in microglia. Our results shed light on the function of Muse cells in relation to CNS diseases and provide insight into the selection of seed cells.

CircRNA DICAR as a novel endogenous regulator for diabetic cardiomyopathy and diabetic pyroptosis of cardiomyocytes.

In this study, we identified that a conserved circular RNA (circRNA) DICAR, which was downregulated in diabetic mouse hearts. DICAR had an inhibitory effect on diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), as the spontaneous cardiac dysfunction, cardiac cell hypertrophy, and cardiac fibrosis occurred in DICAR deficiency (DICAR+/-) mice, whereas the DCM was alleviated in DICAR-overexpressed DICARTg mice. At the cellular level, we found that overexpression of DICAR inhibited, but knockdown of DICAR enhanced the diabetic cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. At the molecular level, we identified that DICAR-VCP-Med12 degradation could be the underlying molecular mechanism in DICAR-mediated effects. The synthesized DICAR junction part (DICAR-JP) exhibited a similar effect to the entire DICAR. In addition, the expression of DICAR in circulating blood cells and plasma from diabetic patients was lower than that from health controls, which was consistent with the decreased DICAR expression in diabetic hearts. DICAR and the synthesized DICAR-JP may be drug candidates for DCM.

Exploring the challenge of early gastric cancer diagnostic AI system face in multiple centers and its potential solutions.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) performed variously among test sets with different diversity due to sample selection bias, which can be stumbling block for AI applications. We previously tested AI named ENDOANGEL, diagnosing early gastric cancer (EGC) on single-center videos in man-machine competition. We aimed to re-test ENDOANGEL on multi-center videos to explore challenges applying AI in multiple centers, then upgrade ENDOANGEL and explore solutions to the challenge. METHODS: ENDOANGEL was re-tested on multi-center videos retrospectively collected from 12 institutions and compared with performance in previously reported single-center videos. We then upgraded ENDOANGEL to ENDOANGEL-2022 with more training samples and novel algorithms and conducted competition between ENDOANGEL-2022 and endoscopists. ENDOANGEL-2022 was then tested on single-center videos and compared with performance in multi-center videos; the two AI systems were also compared with each other and endoscopists. RESULTS: Forty-six EGCs and 54 non-cancers were included in multi-center video cohort. On diagnosing EGCs, compared with single-center videos, ENDOANGEL showed stable sensitivity (97.83% vs. 100.00%) while sharply decreased specificity (61.11% vs. 82.54%); ENDOANGEL-2022 showed similar tendency while achieving significantly higher specificity (79.63%, p < 0.01) making fewer mistakes on typical lesions than ENDOANGEL. On detecting gastric neoplasms, both AI showed stable sensitivity while sharply decreased specificity. Nevertheless, both AI outperformed endoscopists in the two competitions. CONCLUSIONS: Great increase of false positives is a prominent challenge for applying EGC diagnostic AI in multiple centers due to high heterogeneity of negative cases. Optimizing AI by adding samples and using novel algorithms is promising to overcome this challenge.