Brain Cell-based Genetic Subtyping and Drug Repositioning for Alzheimer Disease.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is characterized by its complex and heterogeneous etiology and gradual progression, leading to high drug failure rates in late-stage clinical trials. In order to better stratify individuals at risk for AD and discern potential therapeutic targets we employed a novel procedure utilizing cell-based co-regulated gene networks and polygenic risk scores (cbPRSs). After defining genetic subtypes using extremes of cbPRS distributions, we evaluated correlations of the genetic subtypes with previously defined AD subtypes defined on the basis of domain-specific cognitive functioning and neuroimaging biomarkers. Employing a PageRank algorithm, we identified priority gene targets for the genetic subtypes. Pathway analysis of priority genes demonstrated associations with neurodegeneration and suggested candidate drugs currently utilized in diabetes, hypertension, and epilepsy for repositioning in AD. Experimental validation utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocytes demonstrated the modifying effects of estradiol, levetiracetam, and pioglitazone on expression of APOE and complement C4 genes, suggesting potential repositioning for AD.

Jellyfish-inspired Polyurea Ionogel with Mechanical Robustness, Self-Healing, and Fluorescence Enabled by Hyperbranched Cluster Aggregates.

Ionogels are promising for soft iontronics, with their network structure playing a pivotal role in determining their performance and potential applications. However, simultaneously achieving mechanical toughness, low hysteresis, self-healing, and fluorescence using existing network structures is challenging. Drawing inspiration from jellyfish, we propose a novel hierarchical crosslinking network structure design for in situ formation of hyperbranched cluster aggregates (HCA) to fabricate polyurea ionogels to overcome these challenges. Leveraging the disparate reactivity of isocyanate groups, we induce the in situ formation of HCA through competing reactions, enhancing toughness and imparting the clustering-triggered emission of ionogel. This synergy between supramolecular interactions in the network and plasticizing effect in ionic liquid leads to reduced hysteresis of the ionogel. Furthermore, the incorporation of NCO-terminated prepolymer with dynamic oxime-urethane bonds (NPU) enables self-healing and enhances stretchability. Our investigations highlight the significant influence of HCA on ionogel performance, showcasing mechanical robustness including high strength (3.5 MPa), exceptional toughness (5.5 MJ m-3), resistance to puncture, and low hysteresis, self-healing, as well as fluorescence, surpassing conventional dynamic crosslinking approaches. This network design strategy is versatile and can meet the various demands of flexible electronics applications.

Effect of Nursing Intervention on Pregnancy Outcomes, Blood Pressure, Postpartum Self-efficacy, and Quality of Life in Patients with Preeclampsia: An Observational Study.

Objective: To analyze the intervention effects of targeted nursing based on goal management theory on pregnancy outcomes, blood pressure, postpartum self-efficacy, and quality of life in patients with preeclampsia. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 90 cases of preeclampsia admitted to Huzhou Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital from January 2022 to June 2023. All patients met the complete inclusion criteria. They were divided into 2 groups based on different nursing interventions: the control group (n = 45) received routine nursing interventions, and the observation group (n = 45) received targeted nursing based on goal management theory. Pregnancy outcomes, blood pressure, postpartum self-efficacy, and quality of life were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes was 28.89% in the control group and was significantly lower in the observation group at 11.11% (P < .001). Before intervention, there were no significant differences in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure between the 2 groups (P > .05). After intervention, the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < .001). Before intervention, there was no significant difference in Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale scores between the 2 groups (P > .05). After intervention, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale scores were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < .001). Before intervention, there was no significant difference in the Short Form 36 Health Survey scores between the 2 groups (P > .05). After intervention, the Short Form 36 Health Survey scores were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < .001). Conclusion: Compared with routine nursing, targeted nursing based on goal management theory had superior intervention effects on preeclampsia. It can further alleviate patients' blood pressure, promote postpartum self-efficacy, improve quality of life, and reduce the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is worthy of clinical application and promotion.

Comprehensive profiles of sulfur cycling microbial communities along a mangrove sediment depth.

The sulfur (S) cycle is an important biogeochemical cycle with profound implications for both cellular- and ecosystem-level processes by diverse microorganisms. Mangrove sediments are a hotspot of biogeochemical cycling, especially for the S cycle with high concentrations of S compounds. Previous studies have mainly focused on some specific inorganic S cycling processes without paying specific attention to the overall S-cycling communities and processes as well as organic S metabolism. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the distribution, ecological network and assembly mechanisms of S cycling microbial communities and their changes with sediment depths using metagenome sequencing data. The results showed that the abundance of gene families involved in sulfur oxidation, assimilatory sulfate reduction, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) cleavage and demethylation decreased with sediment depths, while those involved in S reduction and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) transformation showed an opposite trend. Specifically, glpE, responsible for converting S2O32- to SO32-, showed the highest abundance in the surface sediment and decreased with sediment depths; in contrast, high abundances of dmsA, responsible for converting dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to DMS, were identified and increased with sediment depths. We identified Pseudomonas and Streptomyces as the main S-cycling microorganisms, while Thermococcus could play an import role in microbial network connections in the S-cycling microbial community. Our statistical analysis showed that both taxonomical and functional compositions were generally shaped by stochastic processes, while the functional composition of organic S metabolism showed a transition from stochastic to deterministic processes. This study provides a novel perspective of diversity distribution of S-cycling functions and taxa as well as their potential assembly mechanisms, which has important implications for maintaining mangrove ecosystem functions.

The interplay between mitophagy and mitochondrial ROS in acute lung injury.

Mitochondria orchestrate the production of new mitochondria and the removal of damaged ones to dynamically maintain mitochondrial homeostasis through constant biogenesis and clearance mechanisms. Mitochondrial quality control particularly relies on mitophagy, defined as selective autophagy with mitochondria-targeting specificity. Most ROS are derived from mitochondria, and the physiological concentration of mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) is no longer considered a useless by-product, as it has been proven to participate in immune and autophagy pathway regulation. However, excessive mtROS appears to be a pathogenic factor in several diseases, including acute lung injury (ALI). The interplay between mitophagy and mtROS is complex and closely related to ALI. Here, we review the pathways of mitophagy, the intricate relationship between mitophagy and mtROS, the role of mtROS in the pathogenesis of ALI, and their effects and related progression in ALI induced by different conditions.

A Rigorous Multi-Laboratory Study of Known PDAC Biomarkers Identifies Increased Sensitivity and Specificity Over CA19-9 Alone.

A blood test that enables surveillance for early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an urgent need. Independent laboratories have reported PDAC biomarkers that could improve biomarker performance over CA19-9 alone, but the performance of the previously reported biomarkers in combination is not known. Therefore, we conducted a coordinated case/control study across multiple laboratories using common sets of blinded training and validation samples (132 and 295 plasma samples, respectively) from PDAC patients and non-PDAC control subjects representing conditions under which surveillance occurs. We analyzed the training set to identify candidate biomarker combination panels using biomarkers across laboratories, and we applied the fixed panels to the validation set. The panels identified in the training set, CA19-9 with CA199.STRA, LRG1, TIMP-1, TGM2, THSP2, ANG, and MUC16.STRA, achieved consistent performance in the validation set. The panel of CA19-9 with the glycan biomarker CA199.STRA improved sensitivity from 0.44 with 0.98 specificity for CA19-9 alone to 0.71 with 0.98 specificity (p < 0.001, 1000-fold bootstrap). Similarly, CA19-9 combined with the protein biomarker LRG1 and CA199.STRA improved specificity from 0.16 with 0.94 sensitivity for CA19-9 to 0.65 with 0.89 sensitivity (p < 0.001, 1000-fold bootstrap). We further validated significantly improved performance using biomarker panels that did not include CA19-9. This study establishes the effectiveness of a coordinated study of previously discovered biomarkers and identified panels of those biomarkers that significantly increased the sensitivity and specificity of early-stage PDAC detection in a rigorous validation trial.

Cellular senescence induced by cholesterol accumulation is mediated by lysosomal ABCA1 in APOE4 and AD.

Background: Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging and has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Cholesterol accumulation drives cellular senescence; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) plays an important role in cholesterol homeostasis. ABCA1 expression and its trafficking is afiltered in APOE4 and AD cellular and mouse models. However, whether ABCA1 trafficking is involved in cellular senescence in APOE4 and AD remains unknown. Methods: We examined the association between cellular senescence and ABCA1 expression in human postmortem brain samples using transcriptomic, histological, and biochemical analyses. An unbiased proteomic screening was performed to identify targets that mediate cellular ABCA1 trafficking. APOE4-TR mice, immortalized, primary and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models were used to examine the cholesterol-ABCA1-senescence pathways. Results: Bulk and single nuclei transcriptomic profiling of the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from the Religious Order Study/Memory Aging Project (ROSMAP) revealed upregulation of cellular senescence transcriptome signatures in AD, which was strongly correlated with ABCA1 expression. Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analyses confirmed increased ABCA1 expression in AD brain tissues, which was associated with lipofuscin-stained lipids and mTOR phosphorylation. Using discovery proteomics, caveolin-1, a sensor of cellular cholesterol accumulation, was identified to promote ABCA1 endolysosomal trafficking. Greater caveolin-1 expression was found in both APOE4-TR mouse models and AD human brains. Cholesterol induced mTORC1 activation was regulated by ABCA1 expression or its lysosomal trapping. Reducing cholesterol by cyclodextrin in APOE4-TR mice reduced ABCA1 lysosome trapping and increased ABCA1 recycling to efflux cholesterol to HDL particles, reducing mTORC1 activation and senescence-associated neuroinflammation. In human iPSC-derived astrocytes, the reduction of cholesterol by cyclodextrin attenuated inflammatory responses. Conclusions: Cholesterol accumulation in APOE4 and AD induced caveolin-1 expression, which traps ABCA1 in lysosomes to activate mTORC1 pathways and induce cellular senescence. This study provided novel insights into how cholesterol accumulation in APOE4 and AD accelerates senescence.

The effect of the concurrent use of Dexmedetomidine (DEX) during the perioperative period on the renal function of patients following craniocerebral interventional surgery.

BACKGROUND: Craniocerebral interventional surgery is a common and essential treatment for cerebrovascular diseases. Despite continuous progress in interventional diagnosis and treatment technology, there is no effective method to alleviate contrast-induced kidney injuries. In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the effect of the concurrent use of Dexmedetomidine (DEX) during the perioperative period on the renal function of patients following craniocerebral interventional surgery. METHODS: We identified 228 cases of patients underwent craniocerebral interventional surgery from January 2018 to March 2022. Patients who used DEX during general anesthesia were in the DEX group (DEX group) or that did not use dexmedetomidine as the control group (CON group). The markers of kidney injury were recorded before and within 48 h after surgery. RESULTS: Compared with CON group, the urea nitrogen (BUN) of the DEX group decreased significantly on the first day and the second day after surgery (p < 0.05). The serum cystatin-C and the blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio (BUN/Cr) was significantly lower than that in CON group on the second day (p < 0.05). The urine output in the DEX group increased significantly, and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was higher than the CON group (p < 0.01). There was no difference in postoperative complications, ICU stay time and hospitalization time between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The combined use of dexmedetomidine in general anesthesia for craniocerebral interventional surgery can reduce BUN levels within 48 h after surgery, significantly increase intraoperative urine volume, maintain intraoperative circulation stability.

An End-to-End Inclination State Monitoring Method for Collaborative Robotic Drilling Based on Resnet Neural Network.

The collaborative robot can complete various drilling tasks in complex processing environments thanks to the high flexibility, small size and high load ratio. However, the inherent weaknesses of low rigidity and variable rigidity in robots bring detrimental effects to surface quality and drilling efficiency. Effective online monitoring of the drilling quality is critical to achieve high performance robotic drilling. To this end, an end-to-end drilling-state monitoring framework is developed in this paper, where the drilling quality can be monitored through online-measured vibration signals. To evaluate the drilling effect, a Canny operator-based edge detection method is used to quantify the inclination state of robotic drilling, which provides the data labeling information. Then, a robotic drilling inclination state monitoring model is constructed based on the Resnet network to classify the drilling inclination states. With the aid of the training dataset labeled by different inclination states and the end-to-end training process, the relationship between the inclination states and vibration signals can be established. Finally, the proposed method is verified by collaborative robotic drilling experiments with different workpiece materials. The results show that the proposed method can effectively recognize the drilling inclination state with high accuracy for different workpiece materials, which demonstrates the effectiveness and applicability of this method.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) family in physiological and pathophysiological process and diseases.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 (PGC-1) family (PGC-1s), consisting of three members encompassing PGC-1α, PGC-1ß, and PGC-1-related coactivator (PRC), was discovered more than a quarter-century ago. PGC-1s are essential coordinators of many vital cellular events, including mitochondrial functions, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, and inflammation. Accumulating evidence has shown that PGC-1s are implicated in many diseases, such as cancers, cardiac diseases and cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, kidney diseases, motor system diseases, and metabolic disorders. Examining the upstream modulators and co-activated partners of PGC-1s and identifying critical biological events modulated by downstream effectors of PGC-1s contribute to the presentation of the elaborate network of PGC-1s. Furthermore, discussing the correlation between PGC-1s and diseases as well as summarizing the therapy targeting PGC-1s helps make individualized and precise intervention methods. In this review, we summarize basic knowledge regarding the PGC-1s family as well as the molecular regulatory network, discuss the physio-pathological roles of PGC-1s in human diseases, review the application of PGC-1s, including the diagnostic and prognostic value of PGC-1s and several therapies in pre-clinical studies, and suggest several directions for future investigations. This review presents the immense potential of targeting PGC-1s in the treatment of diseases and hopefully facilitates the promotion of PGC-1s as new therapeutic targets.

The correlation between brain structure characteristics and emotion regulation ability in children at high risk of autism spectrum disorder.

As indicated by longitudinal observation, autism has difficulty controlling emotions to a certain extent in early childhood, and most children's emotional and behavioral problems are further aggravated with the growth of age. This study aimed at exploring the correlation between white matter and white matter fiber bundle connectivity characteristics and their emotional regulation ability in children with autism using machine learning methods, which can lay an empirical basis for early clinical intervention of autism. Fifty-five high risk of autism spectrum disorder (HR-ASD) children and 52 typical development (TD) children were selected to complete the skull 3D-T1 structure and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The emotional regulation ability of the two groups was compared using the still-face paradigm (SFP). The classification and regression models of white matter characteristics and white matter fiber bundle connections of emotion regulation ability in the HR-ASD group were built based on the machine learning method. The volume of the right amygdala (R2 = 0.245) and the volume of the right hippocampus (R2 = 0.197) affected constructive emotion regulation strategies. FA (R2 = 0.32) and MD (R2 = 0.34) had the predictive effect on self-stimulating behaviour. White matter fiber bundle connection predicted constructive regulation strategies (positive edging R2 = 0.333, negative edging R2 = 0.334) and mother-seeking behaviors (positive edging R2 = 0.667, negative edging R2 = 0.363). The emotional regulation ability of HR-ASD children is significantly correlated with the connections of multiple white matter fiber bundles, which is a potential neuro-biomarker of emotional regulation ability.

T-type voltage-gated channels, Na+/Ca2+-exchanger, and calpain-2 promote photoreceptor cell death in inherited retinal degeneration.

Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are a group of untreatable and commonly blinding diseases characterized by progressive photoreceptor loss. IRD pathology has been linked to an excessive activation of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGC) leading to Na+- and Ca2+-influx, subsequent activation of voltage-gated Ca2+-channels (VGCC), and further Ca2+ influx. However, a connection between excessive Ca2+ influx and photoreceptor loss has yet to be proven.Here, we used whole-retina and single-cell RNA-sequencing to compare gene expression between the rd1 mouse model for IRD and wild-type (wt) mice. Differentially expressed genes indicated links to several Ca2+-signalling related pathways. To explore these, rd1 and wt organotypic retinal explant cultures were treated with the intracellular Ca2+-chelator BAPTA-AM or inhibitors of different Ca2+-permeable channels, including CNGC, L-type VGCC, T-type VGCC, Ca2+-release-activated channel (CRAC), and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX). Moreover, we employed the novel compound NA-184 to selectively inhibit the Ca2+-dependent protease calpain-2. Effects on the retinal activity of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), sirtuin-type histone-deacetylase, calpains, as well as on activation of calpain-1, and - 2 were monitored, cell death was assessed via the TUNEL assay.While rd1 photoreceptor cell death was reduced by BAPTA-AM, Ca2+-channel blockers had divergent effects: While inhibition of T-type VGCC and NCX promoted survival, blocking CNGCs and CRACs did not. The treatment-related activity patterns of calpains and PARPs corresponded to the extent of cell death. Remarkably, sirtuin activity and calpain-1 activation were linked to photoreceptor protection, while calpain-2 activity was related to degeneration. In support of this finding, the calpain-2 inhibitor NA-184 protected rd1 photoreceptors.These results suggest that Ca2+ overload in rd1 photoreceptors may be triggered by T-type VGCCs and NCX. High Ca2+-levels likely suppress protective activity of calpain-1 and promote retinal degeneration via activation of calpain-2. Overall, our study details the complexity of Ca2+-signalling in photoreceptors and emphasizes the importance of targeting degenerative processes specifically to achieve a therapeutic benefit for IRDs. Video Abstract.

Hyaluronic Acid Unveiled: Exploring the Nanomechanics and Water Retention Properties at the Single-Molecule Level.

Hyaluronic acid (HA), a vital glycosaminoglycan in living organisms, possesses remarkable mechanical and viscoelastic properties that have garnered significant attention in therapeutic, biomedical, and cosmetic applications. However, a comprehensive picture of the physicochemical and biocharacterization of HA at the single-molecule level remains elusive. In this work, atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were used to investigate the nanomechanics and water retention properties of HA at the single-molecule level. The present study aims to unravel the intricate details of the influence of molecular structure on HA behavior and shed light on its unique attributes. According to the force measurements, the energy used to stretch a HA chain in water is 8.45 kJ/mol, significantly surpassing that of Curdlan (3.45 kJ/mol) and chitin (2.23 kJ/mol), both of which possess molecular structures partially similar to that of HA. Intriguingly, the strength of the intrachain interaction of HA (5.54 kJ/mol) was considerably weaker compared to Curdlan (11.06 kJ/mol) and chitin (or cellulose, 10.76 kJ/mol). This result indicates that HA exhibits a preference for interacting with water rather than with itself, thereby showing enhanced water affinity. Moreover, the force measurements demonstrated that changing the glycosidic bond from ß-(1-3) (Curdlan) or ß-(1-4) (chitin or cellulose) to ß-(1-3) + ß-(1-4) (HA) resulted in polysaccharides displaying improved water affinity and more extended conformation. These conclusions were further verified by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Overall, our work sheds new light on the nanomechanics and water retention properties of HA at the single-molecule level, offering valuable insights for future research in this field.

Advanced strategies in high-throughput droplet screening for enzyme engineering.

Enzymes, as biocatalysts, play a cumulatively important role in environmental purification and industrial production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. However, natural enzymes are limited by their physiological properties in practice, which need to be modified driven by requirements. Screening and isolating certain enzyme variants or ideal industrial strains with high yielding of target product enzymes is one of the main directions of enzyme engineering research. Droplet-based high-throughput screening (DHTS) technology employs massive monodisperse emulsion droplets as microreactors to achieve single strain encapsulation, as well as continuous monitoring for the inside mutant library. It can effectively sort out strains or enzymes with desired characteristics, offering a throughput of 108 events per hour. Much of the early literature focused on screening various engineered strains or designing signalling sorting strategies based on DHTS technology. However, the field of enzyme engineering lacks a comprehensive overview of advanced methods for microfluidic droplets and their cutting-edge developments in generation and manipulation. This review emphasizes the advanced strategies and frontiers of microfluidic droplet generation and manipulation facilitating enzyme engineering development. We also introduce design for various screening signals that cooperate with DHTS and devote to enzyme engineering.

Iridium-Catalyzed Enantioselective Transfer Hydrogenation of 1,1-Dialkylethenes with Ethanol: Scope and Mechanism.

Despite half a century's advance in the field of transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric alkene hydrogenation, the enantioselective hydrogenation of purely alkyl-substituted 1,1-dialkylethenes has remained an unmet challenge. Herein, we describe a chiral PCNOx-pincer iridium complex for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of this alkene class with ethanol, furnishing all-alkyl-substituted tertiary stereocenters. High levels of enantioselectivity can be achieved in the reactions of substrates with secondary/primary and primary/primary alkyl combinations. The catalyst is further applied to the redox isomerization of disubstituted alkenols, producing a tertiary stereocenter remote to the resulting carbonyl group. Mechanistic studies reveal a dihydride species, (PCNOx)Ir(H)2, as the catalytically active intermediate, which can decay to a dimeric species (κ3-PCNOx)IrH(µ-H)2IrH(κ2-PCNOx) via a ligand-remetalation pathway. The catalyst deactivation under the hydrogenation conditions with H2 is much faster than that under the transfer hydrogenation conditions with EtOH, which explains why the (PCNOx)Ir catalyst is effective for the transfer hydrogenation but ineffective for the hydrogenation. The suppression of di-to-trisubstituted alkene isomerization by regioselective 1,2-insertion is partly responsible for the success of this system, underscoring the critical role played by the pincer ligand in enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of 1,1-dialkylethenes. Moreover, computational studies elucidate the significant influence of the London dispersion interaction between the ligand and the substrate on enantioselectivity control, as illustrated by the complete reversal of stereochemistry through cyclohexyl-to-cyclopropyl group substitution in the alkene substrates.

Surprising Nanomechanical and Conformational Transition of Neutral Polyacrylamide in Monovalent Saline Solutions.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is one of the most important water-soluble polymers that has been extensively applied in water treatment, drug delivery, and flexible electronic devices. The basic properties, e.g., microstructure, nanomechanics, and solubility, are deeply involved in the performance of PAM materials. Current research has paid more attention to the development and expansion of the macroscopic properties of PAM materials, and the study of the mechanism involved with the roles of water and ions on the properties of PAM is insufficient, especially for the behaviors of neutral amide side groups. In this study, single molecule force spectroscopy was combined with molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, atomic force microscope imaging, and dynamic light scattering to investigate the effects of monovalent ions on the nanomechanics and molecular conformations of neutral PAM (NPAM). These results show that the single-molecule elasticity and conformation of NPAM exhibit huge variation in different monovalent salt solutions. NPAM adopts an extended conformation in aqueous solutions of strong hydrated ion (acetate), while transforms into a collapse globule in the existence of weakly hydrated ion (SCN-). It is believed that the competition between intramolecular and intermolecular weak interactions plays a key role to adjust the molecular conformation and elasticity of NPAM. The competition can be largely influenced by the type of monovalent ions through hydration or a chaotropic effect. Methods utilized in this study provide a means to better understand the Hofmeister effect of ions on other macromolecules containing amide groups at the single-molecule level.

Mechanism Insights of Antibacterial Surfaces Coated with Dead Probiotics.

To understand the antimicrobial effect of surfaces fabricated with dead probiotics, we prepared surfaces decorated with dead probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) with varied inactivation methods and explored their inhibitory interactions with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1). By combining several techniques, i.e., digital holographic microscopy (DHM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), RNA sequencing, and metabolomic analysis, we studied the three-dimensional (3D) swimming behaviors, surface adhesion, biofilm formation, and adaptive responses of PAO1 near such surfaces. The results show that planktonic PAO1 decreases their flick and reverse motions by downregulating the chemotaxis pathway and accelerates with less accumulation near dead LGG surfaces by upregulating the flagellar assembly pathway and decreasing cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Distinct from live siblings, the surfaces decorated with dead LGG show a significant reduction in adhesion strength with PAO1 and inhibit biofilm formation with more downregulated genes in the Pseudomonas quinolone signal and biofilm formation pathway. We demonstrate that the antibacterial ability of such surfaces stems from the gradually released lysate from the dead LGG that is unfavorable to PAO1 in close proximity. The releasing rate and order depend on the cell membrane integrity, which closely relates to the inactivation methods.

Identification of A Novel Gene Signature Combining Ferroptosis- and Immunity-Related Genes for Prognostic Prediction, Immunotherapy and Potential Therapeutic Targets in Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Ferroptosis and the immune status of tumor tissue play vital roles in the initiation and progression of GC. However, the role and functional mechanisms of ferroptosis- and immunity-related genes (FIRGs) in GC pathogenesis and their correlations with GC prognosis have not been elucidated. We aim to establish a prognostic prediction model based on the FIRGs signature for GC patients. Differentially expressed genes were screened from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) GC cohorts. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to establish a FIRGs-based risk model. This gene signature with 7 FIRGs was identified as an independent prognostic factor. A nomogram incorporating clinical parameters and the FIRG signature was constructed to individualize outcome predictions. Finally, we provided in vivo and in vitro evidence to verify the reliability of FIRG signature for GC prognosis, and validate the expression and function of FIRGs contributing to the development and progression of GC. Herein, our work represents great therapeutic and prognostic potentials for GC.

Decrypting the circular RNAs does a favor for us: Understanding, diagnosing and treating diabetes mellitus and its complications.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel type of single-stranded noncoding RNAs with a covalently closed loop structure, are generated in a circular conformation via non-canonical splicing or back-splicing events. Functionally, circRNAs have been elucidated to soak up microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA binding proteins (RBPs), serve as protein scaffolds, maintain mRNA stability, and regulate gene transcription and translation. Notably, circRNAs are strongly implicated in the regulation of ß-cell functions, insulin resistance, adipocyte functions, inflammation as well as oxidative stress via acting as miRNA sponges and RBP sponges. Basic and clinical studies have demonstrated that aberrant alterations of circRNAs expressions are strongly associated with the initiation and progression of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. Here in this review, we present a summary of the biogenesis, transportation, degradation and functions of circRNAs, and highlight the recent findings on circRNAs and their action mechanisms in DM and its complications. Overall, this review should contribute greatly to our understanding of circRNAs in DM pathogenesis, offering insights into the further perspectives of circRNAs for DM diagnosis and therapy.

Revealing the Control Mechanisms of pH on the Solution Properties of Chitin via Single-Molecule Studies.

Chitin is one of the most common polysaccharides and is abundant in the cell walls of fungi and the shells of insects and aquatic organisms as a skeleton. The mechanism of how chitin responds to pH is essential to the precise control of brewing and the design of smart chitin materials. However, this molecular mechanism remains a mystery. Results from single-molecule studies, including single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), AFM imaging, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, have shown that the mechanical and conformational behaviors of chitin molecules show surprising pH responsiveness. This can be compared with how, in natural aqueous solutions, chitin tends to form a more relaxed spreading conformation and show considerable elasticity under low stretching forces in acidic conditions. However, its molecular chain collapses into a rigid globule in alkaline solutions. The results show that the chain state of chitin can be regulated by the proportions of inter- and intramolecular H-bonds, which are determined via the number of water bridges on the chain under different pH values. This basic study may be helpful for understanding the cellular activities of fungi under pH stress and the design of chitin-based drug carriers.