Irisin inhibits CCK-8-induced TNF-α production via integrin αVß5-NF-κB signaling pathways in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Irisin, a secreted myokine generated by fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5, has recently shown the potential to alleviate inflammation. Cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8) is closely associated with the inflammatory factor TNF-α, a central cytokine in inflammatory reactions. However, the interactions between irisin and CCK-8 in regulating TNF-α production and the underlying mechanism have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, irisin treatment inhibited the basal and the CCK-8-induced TNF-α production in vivo. Additionally, neutralizing circulating irisin using an irisin antiserum significantly augmented the CCK-8-induced stimulation of TNF-α levels. Moreover, the incubation of head kidney cells with irisin or CCK-8 has opposite effects on TNF-α secretion. Notably, irisin treatment inhibited basal and CCK-8-stimulated TNF-α release and gene transcription in head kidney cells. Mechanistically, the inhibitory actions of irisin on basal and CCK-8-induced TNF-α production could be negated by co-administered with the selective integrin αVß5 inhibitor cilengitide. In addition, the inhibitory effect of irisin on basal and CCK-8-triggered TNF-α production could be abolished by the inhibition of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Furthermore, irisin impeded CCK-8-induced phosphorylation and degradation of IκBα, simultaneously inhibiting NF-κB phosphorylation, preventing its translocation into the nucleus, and suppressing its DNA-binding activity induced by CCK-8. Collectively, these results suggest that the inhibitory effect of irisin on TNF-α production caused by CCK-8 is mediated via the integrin αVß5-NF-κB signaling pathways in tilapia.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Spreading Depolarization and its Correlation with Brain Injury During the Acute Stage of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice.

OBJECTIVE: Spreading depolarization (SD) has been regarded as one cause of neuronal injury in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, SD in the hyperacute phase of SAH is still unclear. The objective of this study was to detect real-time spatial-temporal patterns of SD, assess the effect of SD on cerebral blood flow, and test the relationship between SD and brain injury in the acute phase of SAH. METHODS: Twenty-eight mice were separated into two groups: 16 animals in the SAH group and 12 animals in the sham group. Experimental SAH was done with an endovascular filament perforation model. Changes in optical reflection were registered with intrinsic optical signal imaging (IOSI) after SAH. Spatial-temporal patterns of SDs were analyzed and brain injury including brain edema and infarction was tested. RESULTS: Totally, 117 SDs occurred after SAH. According to the hemodynamic response and duration, SDs could be classified into Type I (short SD), Type II (intermediate SD), and Type III (persistent SD). Most of SDs originated from the somatosensory and visual cortex. SDs demonstrated distinct spreading patterns. Moreover, the number and duration of SDs associated with brain water content (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). SDs, especially, persistent SDs associated with infarct volume in the hyperacute phase of SAH (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SD occurs with a high incidence during the acute stage of SAH in mice. And the lissencephalic mouse brain is capable of different SD propagation patterns. Additionally, SD may aggravate brain edema and induce brain infarction, contributing to early brain injury after SAH.

Low temperature inhibits food intake via TRPA1 channel activation in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Low temperatures significantly influence feeding behavior in ectothermic vertebrates, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This study investigated the role of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channels in mediating the appetite-suppressing effects of low temperature in Nile tilapia. TRPA1 was found to be highly expressed in the hypothalamus and co-localized with neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons. Exposure to low temperatures reduced feeding frequency and increased TRPA1 expression. In vitro experiments demonstrated that low temperature and TRPA1 agonists induced calcium influx, which was blocked by a TRPA1 inhibitor. TRPA1 expression exhibited post-prandial increases and was downregulated by fasting. TRPA1 activation dose-dependently inhibited food intake, while its inhibition restored feeding suppressed by low temperature. TRPA1 activation downregulated orexigenic factors and upregulated anorexigenic factors through Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent pathways. These findings suggest that TRPA1 plays a crucial role in sensing low temperatures and regulating feeding behavior in tilapia.

MXene@Hydrogel composite nanofibers with the photo-stimulus response and optical monitoring functions for on-demand drug release.

The photo-stimulus response has the advantage of non-invasiveness, which could be used to control the "on" and "off" of drug release achieving on-demand release. Herein, we design a heating electrospray during electrospinning to prepare photo-stimulus response composite nanofibers consisting of MXene@Hydrogel. This heating electrospray enables to spray MXene@Hydrogel during the electrospinning process, and the hydrogel is uniformly distributed which cannot be achieved by the traditional soaking method. In addition, this heating electrospray can also overcome the difficulty that hydrogels are hard to be uniformly distributed in the inner fiber membrane.The "on" and "off" state of drug release could be controlled by light. Not only near infrared (NIR) light but also sunlight could trigger the drug release, which could benefit outdoor use when cannot find NIR light. Evidence by hydrogen bond has been formed between MXene and Hydrogel, the mechanical property of MXene@Hydrogel composite nanofibers is significantly enhanced, which is conducive to the application of human joints and other parts that need to move. These nanofibers also possess fluorescence property, which is further used to real-time monitor the in-vivo drug release. No matter the fast or slow release, this nanofiber can achieve sensitive detection, which is superior to the current absorbance spectrum method.

Machine learning to predict dynamic changes of pathogenic Vibrio spp. abundance on microplastics in marine environment.

Microplastics are widely found in the marine environment. Recent studies have shown that pathogenic microorganisms can hitchhike on microplastics, which might act as a vector for the spread of pathogens. Vibrio spp. are known to be pathogenic to humans and can cause serious foodborne diseases. In this study, using datasets from an estuary and a mariculture zone in China, five machine learning models were established to predict the relative abundance of Vibrio spp. on microplastics. The results showed that deep neural network (DNN) model and RandomForest algorithm achieved the best predictive performance. Different data sources, data sampling, and processing methods had a little impact on the prediction performance of DNN and RandomForest models. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) indicated that salinity and temperature are the primary factors affecting the relative abundance of Vibrio spp. The prediction performances of the five machine learning models were further improved by feature selection, providing information to support future experimental research. The results of this study could help establish a long-term and dynamic monitoring system for the relative abundance of Vibrio spp. on microplastics in response to environmental factors as well as provide useful information for assessing the potential health impacts of microplastics on marine ecology and humans.

Supersensitive and reusable perovskite nanocomposite fiber paper for time-resolved single-droplet detection.

Traditional test paper cannot be reusable and needs much sample solution. In this study, a reusable perovskite nanocomposite fiber paper consisting of CsPbBr3 quantum dots in-situ growing in the solid polymer fibers with high concentration is fabricated via microwave and electrospinning methods. RhoB is used as the sample solution because it is a hazardous matter but often occurs in printing and dyeing wastewater or appears in food as additives, and traditional detection system generally requires much sample solution (>1 ml) to concentrate for higher concentrations due to the low detection sensitivity. Just need a droplet of sample solution (<25 µl) can this perovskite fiber paper achieve 0.01 ppm of supersensitive detection, which is superior to a majority of reported detection limit. Different from traditional detection based on luminescence intensity, this detection is a new kind of time-resolved method, so that it gets rid of complex and time-consuming calibration (>1 h) usually in traditional detection, and this time-resolved detection can be achieved within ~3 min. Moreover, this perovskite fiber paper is endowed with recyclable property without losing advantages of supersensitive detection (~0.01 ppm), rapid measuring speed (<3 min), and tiny dosage (<25 µl), which is another advantage than conventional detection systems.

Dual Antibacterial Effect of In Situ Electrospun Curcumin Composite Nanofibers to Sterilize Drug-Resistant Bacteria.

Bacterial infection especially caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria still endangers human life. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can effectively kill bacteria, and nanofiber-based PDT can effectively reduce damage to normal tissues. However, current photosensitizers coated on the surfaces of fibers would release to the wound, causing some side effects. And nanofibers prepared by traditional method exhibit poor adhesion on the wound, which severely reduces the PDT effect due to its short-range effect. Herein, core-shell curcumin composite nanofibers are prepared by in situ electrospinning method via a self-made portable electrospinning device. The obtained composite nanofibers show superior adhesiveness on different biological surface than that of traditional preparation method. Upon 808-nm irradiation, these composite nanofibers effectively produced singlet oxygen (1O2) without curcumin falling off. After these composite nanofibers' exposure to drug-resistant bacteria, they exhibit dual antibacterial behaviors and efficiently kill the drug-resistant bacteria. These dual antibacterial nanofiber membranes with excellent adhesiveness may benefit the application of wound infection as antibacterial dressing.

Eluting mode of photodynamic nanofibers without photosensitizer leakage for one-stop treatment of outdoor hemostasis and sterilizing superbacteria.

Bleeding in outdoor environments is often accompanied by bacterial infection. Due to poor outdoor conditions, it is essential to use the same materials to achieve one-stop treatment of fast hemostasis and simultaneously sterilizing bacteria, especially multidrug-resistant bacteria. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can kill superbacteria, and local PDT through a nanofiber platform can effectively reduce damage to normal tissue. However, current photosensitizers whether in the interior or on the surface of fibers would leak into the wound and inhibit collagen regeneration. Herein, we use a battery-powered handheld electrospinning device that can work outdoors. It directly spins fibers onto the wound, which facilitates fast hemostasis due to its excellent adhesion to the wound. Eluting holes in the hydrophobic fibers by wound tissue fluid are also proposed to accelerate the escape of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the interior of the fibers to the wound. After photosensitizers were coated on upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs), they formed clusters whose size (∼55 nm) was much larger than the uniform elution hole (∼4 nm), which prevented photosensitizers from leaking out into the wound tissue. This cluster structure can also tailor the photosensitizers to be triggered by near infrared (NIR) light, whose deeper penetration depth in tissue can facilitate treating deep infections. Because of the combination of the in situ fiber deposition method with the designed elution mode, ROS is effectively poured out onto the fiber surface and is quickly delivered to the wound. Thus, after rapid hemostasis (<7 s), this one-stop treatment followed by photodynamic sterilizing of superbacteria can promote collagen regeneration and reduce wound healing time from 24 to 16 days.

Synergistic antibacterial polyacrylonitrile/gelatin nanofibers coated with metal-organic frameworks for accelerating wound repair.

Bacterial infections prolong the wound healing time and increase the suffering of patients, thus it is important to develop wound dressing that can inhibit bacterial infection. Herein, we use two methods including "doping method" and "secondary growth method" to prepare ZIF-8@gentamicin embedded in and coated on polyacrylonitrile/gelatin (PG) nanofibers, separately. Composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method achieve higher drug loading than that of the doping method, and the release rate can be adjusted by pH. Simultaneously increasing drug loading and regulating its release rate are achieved in the secondary growth method, which cannot be achieved by the doping method. Furthermore, synergistic antibacterial property occurs in the composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method, and gentamicin loaded on ZIF-8 promotes the antibacterial effect, which shows better antibacterial effect than the doping method. As a result, during the wound infection of mouse, composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method exhibit a faster recovery effect than the doping method, which effectively shortened the wound healing time from 21 days to 16 days.

Low avidity and level of serum anti-Aß antibodies in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related cerebral hemorrhage.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by the deposition of the beta-amyloid protein (Aß) in small cerebral vessels, which is considered a common cause of intracerebral hemorrhage (CAAH) in elderly people. Little is known about the properties of serum naturally occurring anti-Aß antibodies in patients with CAAH. We investigated the avidity and levels of anti-Aß antibodies in 20 patients and 20 age-matched healthy controls by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with thiocyanate elution. Our study revealed that both the levels and the avidity of these endogenous anti-Aß antibodies were lower in patients with CAAH than in controls, which may be a new mechanism for the impaired clearance of cerebral Aß and have important implications for the development of immune-based therapeutic strategies for CAA.

Appliance of preoperative diffusion tensor imaging and fiber tractography in patients with brainstem lesions.

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection of brainstem lesions has a high risk of morbidity, because vital fasciculi in the brainstem can be damaged along the entry routes. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an in vivo method for mapping white matter fiber tracts in the brain. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience of surgical treatment of brainstem lesions with the assistance of DTI and fiber tractography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis clinical data of nine patients with brainstem lesions were investigated between July 2007 and September 2009. The analysis included age distribution, clinical presentation, pre- and postoperative modified Rankin score (mRS), and surgical approach. DTI and fiber tractography were used to reconstruct the corticospinal tracts and the medial lemnisci. RESULTS: DTI and fiber tractography showed that most of the corticospinal tracts were compressed anteriorly or anterolaterally, except for one case (posteriorly). All the medial lemnisci were displaced posteriorly or posterolaterally. Individualized surgical approaches were designed according to the information provided by DTI and fiber tractography. Total resection was achieved in two patients with brainstem cavernomas and two patients with pilocytic astrocytoma. Partial resection was performed in the other patients. The neurological functional status was better than preoperative period in eight patients, one patient with medulla oblongata astrocytoma deteriorated. The preoperative average mRS score was 2.22 points. At the time of the last follow-up, the average postoperative score had improved by 0.56 to 1.66 points. CONCLUSIONS: DTI and fiber tractography can provide valuable information regarding the relationship between the principal fiber tracts and brainstem lesions, which is useful in neurosurgical planning.

Immunohistochemical Profiles of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Overexpression in the Antoni B Area of Vestibular Schwannomas.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical manifestations of cystic vestibular schwannomas (VSs), investigate the immunohistochemical profiles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in Antoni A and B areas, and speculate the pathogenesis of cystic formation and intratumoral hemorrhage. METHODS: Clinical features and outcomes of 24 cases of cystic VSs and 38 cases of solid VSs were retrospectively compared. Immunohistochemical studies were conducted to evaluate the characteristics of MMPs and VEGF in cystic and solid VSs. RESULTS: The tumor size was 38.92 ± 1.86 mm and 31.95 ± 1.74 mm in the cystic and solid VSs group, respectively (P = 0.011). Cystic VSs were rich in the Antoni B area. MMP-9 expression was low in the Antoni A and B areas. MMP-2 was moderately expressed. No significant difference in MMP-2 expression existed between the Antoni A and B areas (P > 0.05). VEGF and MMP-14 expression were moderate in the Antoni A area and intense in the Antoni B area, and the expression of both was significantly greater in the Antoni B area than in the Antoni A area (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MMP-14 and VEGF expression were significantly greater in the Antoni B area than in the Antoni A area. Upregulated MMP-14 may degrade loose collagen in the Antoni B area and contribute to cystic formation. MMP-14 can enhance VEGF activity, which may induce extravasation of a plasma ultrafiltrate, cystic expansion, and intratumoral hemorrhage. Therefore, MMP-14 inhibition may be a therapeutic strategy for treating cystic VSs.

Pathological laughter in a patient with Rathke cleft cyst.

Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) arise from embryonic remnants of Rathke's pouch, and usually manifest as headaches, visual impairments and endocrine disturbances. We report a rare case of suprasellar RCC with the main symptom of pathological laughter. A 14-year-old girl presented with involuntary laughter, ataxia in the right arm and slightly impaired speech articulation. MRI revealed a huge suprasellar cyst causing severe compression of the midbrain and pons. The cyst was removed via a sphenoid ridge keyhole approach. Histologic examination resulted in a diagnosis of RCC. The spontaneous laughing spells disappeared immediately after surgery. In this case, compression of the upper brainstem might have been the cause of the pathological laughter.

[Application of 4-wavelength optical intrinsic signal imaging in monitoring peri-infarct depolarizations in GFAP(⁺/⁺)Vim(⁺/⁺) mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging of peri-infarct depolarizations (PIDs) in mice and investigate the influence of knockout of glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin on PIDs. METHODS: GFAP(⁺/⁺)Vim(⁺/⁺) mice and GFAP(⁺/⁺)Vim(⁺/⁺) mice were subjected to MCAO by standard intraluminal filament method. The main characteristics of PIDs in 4 h were studied by 4-wavelength OIS imaging technique. RESULTS: PIDs were identified as consistent, red and blue interaction waves in the cortical reflectance that slowly propagated peripherally from the origin site. There were 5 patterns of PID propagation, namely rostro-caudal, latero-medial, caudo-rostral, contralateral and medial-lateral. No significant differences were found in PID frequency, propagation patterns, velocity or duration time between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The 4-wavelength OIS system allows acquisition of high temporal-spatial resolution color images for analyzing temporal-spatial characteristics of PIDs in detail. Knockout of GFAP and vimentin do not affect PIDs in 4 h following middle cerebral artery occlusion.

[Therapeutic effects of aspiration with a directional soft tube and conservative treatment on mild hemorrhage in the basal ganglion].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effects of aspiration via a directional soft tube and conservative treatment in patients with mild hemorrhage in the basal ganglion. METHODS: Seventy-five patients with mild cerebral hemorrhage (10~30 ml) were randomly divided into two groups for aspiration treatment with minimally invasive directional soft tube placement (minimally invasive group, n=36) and conservative treatment (medication group, n=39). The patients in the two groups had comparable mean GCS scores of 11-15 on admission. The clinical outcomes of the patients were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the minimally invasive group, complete removal or absorption of the hematoma occurred within an average of 3.8 days, significantly shortened in comparison with the 24 days in the medication group. The short-term (1 month) follow-up of the patients showed good neurological recovery in 58% of the patients in the minimally invasive group, significantly greater than the rate of 29% in the medication group; 6 months after the treatment, good neurological recovery was achieved in 50% of the patients in the minimally invasive group, but only 16% in the medication. No death occurred in the minimally invasive group, and 2 patients died in the medication group. The cost of hospitalization averaged 5136.3 Yuan in the minimally invasive group and 11843.6 Yuan in the medication group. CONCLUSION: Compared with conservative treatment, the minimally invasive treatment with soft tube placement can significantly shorten the hospital stay, promote neurological function recovery, lower the mortality rate, and reduce the cost of hospitalization.