Proton ARC based LATTICE radiation therapy: feasibility study, energy layer optimization and LET optimization.

Objective.LATTICE, a spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT) modality, is a 3D generalization of GRID and delivers highly modulated peak-valley spatial dose distribution to tumor targets, characterized by peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR). Proton LATTICE is highly desirable, because of the potential synergy of the benefit from protons compared to photons, and the benefit from LATTICE compared to GRID. Proton LATTICE using standard proton RT via intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) (with a few beam angles) can be problematic with poor target dose coverage and high dose spill to organs-at-risk (OAR). This work will develop novel proton LATTICE method via proton ARC (with many beam angles) to overcome these challenges in target coverage and OAR sparing, with optimized delivery efficiency via energy layer optimization and optimized biological dose distribution via linear energy transfer (LET) optimization, to enable the clinical use of proton LATTICE.Approach.ARC based proton LATTICE is formulated and solved with energy layer optimization, during which plan quality and delivery efficiency are jointly optimized. In particular, the number of energy jumps (NEJ) is explicitly modelled and minimized during plan optimization for improving delivery efficiency, while target dose conformality and OAR dose objectives are optimized. The plan deliverability is ensured by considering the minimum-monitor-unit (MMU) constraint, and the plan robustness is accounted for using robust optimization. The biological dose is optimized via LET optimization. The optimization solution algorithm utilizes iterative convex relaxation method to handle the dose-volume constraint and the MMU constraint, with spot-weight optimization subproblems solved by proximal descent method.Main results.ARC based proton LATTCE substantially improved plan quality from IMPT based proton LATTICE, such as (1) improved conformity index (CI) from 0.47 to 0.81 for the valley target dose and from 0.62 to 0.97 for the peak target dose, (2) reduced esophagus dose from 0.68 Gy to 0.44 Gy (a 12% reduction with respect to 2 Gy valley prescription dose) and (3) improved PVDR from 4.15 to 4.28 in the lung case. Moreover, energy layer optimization improved plan delivery efficiency for ARC based proton LATTICE, such as (1) reduced NEJ from 71 to 56 and (2) reduction of energy layer switching time by 65% and plan delivery time by 52% in the lung case. The biological target and OAR dose distributions were further enhanced via LET optimization. On the other hand, proton ARC LATTCE also substantially improved plan quality from VMAT LATTICE, such as (1) improved CI from 0.45 to 0.81 for the valley target dose and from 0.63 to 0.97 for the peak target dose, (2) reduced esophagus dose from 0.59 Gy to 0.38 Gy (a 10.5% reduction with respect to 2 Gy valley prescription dose) and (3) improved PVDR from 3.88 to 4.28 in the lung case.Significance.The feasibility of high-plan-quality proton LATTICE is demonstrated via proton ARC with substantially improved target dose coverage and OAR sparing compared to IMPT, while the plan delivery efficiency for ARC based proton LATTICE can be optimized using energy layer optimization.

Overcoming limitations and advancing the therapeutic potential of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs): Current status and future perspectives.

As cancer incidence rises due to an aging population, the importance of precision medicine continues to grow. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) exemplify targeted therapies by delivering cytotoxic agents to specific antigens. Building on this concept, researchers have developed antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs), which combine antibodies with oligonucleotides to regulate gene expression. This review highlights the mechanism of AOCs, emphasizing their unique ability to selectively target and modulate disease-causing proteins. It also explores the components of AOCs and their application in tumor therapy while addressing key challenges such as manufacturing complexities, endosomal escape, and immune response. The article underscores the significance of AOCs in precision oncology and discusses future directions, highlighting their potential in treating cancers driven by genetic mutations and abnormal protein expression.

Sex differences in the molecular profile of adult diffuse glioma are shaped by IDH status and tumor microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Sex differences in adult diffuse glioma (ADG) are well-established clinically, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain inadequately understood. Here, we aim to reveal molecular features and cellular compositions unique to each sex in ADG to comprehend the role of sex in disease etiology. METHODS: We quantified sex differences in transcriptome of ADG using multiple independent glioma patient datasets. Next, we delved into the single-cell landscape to examine sex differences in gene expression and cellular composition. To explore how sex influences disease progression, we analyzed paired samples from primary and recurrent ADG cases, aiming to identify sex-specific differences in molecular and cellular features. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed that mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) genes and the tumor microenvironment emerged as primary influencers of sex-differential molecular enrichments. In IDHwt tumors, genes in neuronal signaling pathway are found to be enriched in male tumors, while genes in hypoxia and inflammatory response pathways are enriched in female tumors. This pattern was reversed in IDHmut gliomas. We hypothesized that these distinctions could be attributed to heterogeneous cellular composition between sexes. Using single-cell data, we observed distinctive patterns of sex differences in cell states, cell composition and cell-cell interaction in IDHwt and IDHmut tumors separately. Further, by comparing molecular changes in paired primary and recurrent ADG samples, we identified sex-specific differences in molecular characteristics and cellular compositions of recurrent tumors. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a comprehensive multi-level characterization of sex differences in ADG, such findings provide novel insights into glioma disease progression in each sex.

Strength in Numbers: A Giant NIR-II AIEgen with One-for-All Phototheranostic Features for Exceptional Orthotopic Bladder Cancer Treatment.

One-for-all phototheranostics that allows the simultaneous implementations of multiple optical imaging and therapeutic modalities by utilizing a single component, is growing into a sparkling frontier in cancer treatment. Of particular interest is phototheranostic agent with emission in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window. Nevertheless, the practical uses of those conventional NIR-II agents are severely impeded by their unsatisfactory features including insufficient stability, low synthetic yield, to be extended absorption/ emission wavelengths, and inefficient phototheranostic outcomes. Developing exceptional phototheranostic agents is thus highly desirable yet remains formidably challenging. Herein, we synthesized two novel N-heteroacenes-based NIR-II luminogens, namely 2TT-PPT and 4TT-PBPT, by respectively employing pyrene-fused phenaziothiadiazoles and pyrene-fused bisphenaziothiadiazoles as acceptor skeletons. There is strength in numbers by increasing the fusing rings in N-heteroacenes moieties and numbers of appended donors. Compared to less ring-fused 2TT-PPT, the giant molecule 4TT-PBPT shows improved photophysical characteristics, such as enhanced light absorbance, red-shifted wavelengths, higher brightness, favorable reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and elevated photothermal conversion efficiency, which render 4TT-PBPT nanoparticles excellent fluorescence-photoacoustic-photothermal trimodal imaging guided photodynamic-photothermal synergistic therapy for orthotopic bladder cancer.

CD73 promotes non-small cell lung cancer metastasis by regulating Axl signaling independent of GAS6.

As catabolic enzyme, CD73 dephosphorylates adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and can also regulate tumor cell proliferation and metastasis. To date, very few studies have explored the role of CD73 in mediating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis, and the underlying transducing signal has not been elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrated that the CD73/Axl axis could regulate Smad3-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote NSCLC metastasis. Mechanically, CD73 can be secreted via the Golgi apparatus transport pathway. Then secreted CD73 may activate AXl by directly bind with site R55 located in Axl extracellular domain independently of GAS6. In addition, we proved that CD73 can stabilize Axl expression via inhibiting CBLB expression. We also identified the distinct function of CD73 activity in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Our findings indicated a role of CD73 in mediating NSCLC metastasis and propose it as a therapeutic target for NSCLC.

IRE1α silences dsRNA to prevent taxane-induced pyroptosis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Chemotherapy is often combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICIs) to enhance immunotherapy responses. Despite the approval of chemo-immunotherapy in multiple human cancers, many immunologically cold tumors remain unresponsive. The mechanisms determining the immunogenicity of chemotherapy are elusive. Here, we identify the ER stress sensor IRE1α as a critical checkpoint that restricts the immunostimulatory effects of taxane chemotherapy and prevents the innate immune recognition of immunologically cold triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). IRE1α RNase silences taxane-induced double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) through regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) to prevent NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis. Inhibition of IRE1α in Trp53-/- TNBC allows taxane to induce extensive dsRNAs that are sensed by ZBP1, which in turn activates NLRP3-GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. Consequently, IRE1α RNase inhibitor plus taxane converts PD-L1-negative, ICI-unresponsive TNBC tumors into PD-L1high immunogenic tumors that are hyper-sensitive to ICI. We reveal IRE1α as a cancer cell defense mechanism that prevents taxane-induced danger signal accumulation and pyroptotic cell death.

Therapeutic effects of single-port thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy on early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the therapeutic effects of single-port thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy on early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty patients with early-stage NSCLC admitted from December 2022 to July 2023 were selected and divided into a lobectomy group (n = 30) and a segmentectomy group (n = 30) according to the different procedures. Their perioperative indicators, pre-operative and post-operative pulmonary function indicators, pain degree 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 day after operation, the incidence of post-operative complications and recurrence, survival and mortality rates 1 year after operation were compared. RESULTS: The segmentectomy group had significantly smaller intraoperative blood loss, shorter length of drainage and length of hospital stay and longer operation time than those of the lobectomy group (P < 0.05). The pulmonary function decreased significantly in both groups 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after operation. Compared with the lobectomy group, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s per cent, forced-vital capacity per cent and maximal voluntary ventilation of the segmentectomy group significantly increased at each time point after operation (P < 0.05). The Visual Analogue Scale scores 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 7 days after operation were significantly lower in the segmentectomy group than those in the lobectomy group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of post-operative complications and recurrence, survival and mortality rates 1 year after operation between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Single-port thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy has obvious therapeutic effects on early-stage NSCLC, characterised by smaller surgical trauma, milder post-operative pain and less impact on pulmonary function.

Surface Ligand Evolution: Sulfur-Directed Covalent Bonding of PPh3 on Pd4S with Improved Semi-hydrogenation of Terminal Alkynes.

Surface modification of metallic nanocatalysts with organic ligands has emerged as an effective strategy to enhance catalytic selectivity, although often at the expense of catalytic activity. In this study, we demonstrate a compelling approach by surface modifying Pd4S nanocrystals with PPh3 ligands, resulting in a catalyst with excellent catalytic activity and durable selectivity for the semi-hydrogenation of terminal alkynes. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the presence of S sites on the Pd surface directs PPh3 ligands to preferentially form covalent bonds with S, creating distinctive surface S=PPh3 motifs. This configuration induces a partial positive charge on Pd, facilitating hydrogen transfer and thus promoting catalytic activity. Furthermore, the covalent bond between the ligand and catalyst surface forms a robust network, ensuring ligand stability and increasing the hydrogenation energy barrier of olefins. Consequently, the Pd4S@PPh3 catalyst exhibits an improved catalytic selectivity with durability in terminal alkyne semi-hydrogenation. This study introduces an effective strategy for designing selective hydrogenation catalysts with an enhanced performance.

Donor polarization engineering of conjugated microporous polymers to boost exciton dissociation for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline.

The misuse and inevitable release of antibiotics can cause significant harm to both human health and the environment, and the use of polymeric semiconductors for photodegradation of antibiotics in aqueous environments is one of the most effective strategies to alleviate the current dilemma. Nevertheless, the inherently high exciton binding energy (Eb) and low photogenerated carrier transfer efficiency for most photocatalysts results in unsatisfactory photodegradation performance. Hence, this work proposes a donor polarization strategy to regulate the exciton dissociation of conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) by minimizing their Eb. Results exhibited that the introduction of the strong donor unit 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) not only reduces the Eb and effectively promotes exciton dissociation, but also broadens the visible light absorption of CMP. Among them, EdtTz-CMP with the lowest Eb (99 meV) delivered an efficiency of 94.6% in photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) with in 90 min, significantly higher than those of its analogues. This work provides a viable approach to design CMPs by tuning the intrinsic dipole of the donor for efficient environmental purification.

Kinematic effects of unilateral TKA on the contralateral knee in Chinese patients with advanced osteoarthritis: a prospective gait analysis study.

Background: Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who receive unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) often report reduced pain and enhanced function in the untreated knee, yet the kinematic mechanisms are not fully understood. Our study aimed to clarify these effects through a gait analysis of the untreated knee following unilateral TKA. Methods: This study enrolled 118 end-stage OA patients with varus deformity scheduled for TKA, categorized into the contralateral osteoarthritis group (Contra-OA), consisting of patients with end-stage OA in both knees requiring surgical treatment, and the contralateral TKA group (Contra-TKA), which included patients who had undergone TKA on one knee and had end-stage OA in the untreated knee awaiting surgery. Kinematic data of the knee joint during treadmill walking were collected using the Opti_Knee gait analysis system, and a comparative analysis was conducted. Results: The Contra-TKA group exhibited improvements in step length, anterior-posterior translation, range of motion, vertical translation, and internal-external rotation compared to the Contra-OA group (p-values ranging from 0.0013 to 0.0463). Notable differences in flexion-extension angles and abduction/adduction rotation were also observed (p = 0.0013 and 0.0166, respectively). At the initial contact (IC), obvious differences in internal-external rotation, anterior/posterior translation, and vertical translation were noted. At the opposite toe-off (OT), significant differences in internal-external rotation. At the tibia vertical (TV) moment, significant differences were observed in all three translation indicators of joint translation. At other pivotal gait cycle points, vertical and anterior/posterior translations in Contra-TKA group continued to exhibit more meaningful decrease. Collectively, these findings underscore the protective kinematic effects of TKA on the untreated contralateral knee, indicating an improved biomechanical adaptation following TKA surgery. Conclusion: In summary, the study's findings indicate that unilateral TKA imparts kinetic effects on the untreated contralateral knee, as evidenced by significant improvements in key gait parameters. These enhancements, observed at both initial contacts and throughout the gait cycle, suggest a positive biomechanical support post-TKA, might contribute to better gait efficiency and reduced load on the contralateral untreated knee.

Death-associated protein kinase 3 modulates migration and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Sixteen patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) were analyzed using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based kinase inhibitor pull-down assay (KIPA), leading to the observation that death-associated protein kinase 3 (DAPK3) is significantly and specifically overexpressed in the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models. Validation studies confirmed enrichment of DAPK3 protein, in both TNBC cell lines and tumors, independent of mRNA levels. Genomic knockout of DAPK3 in TNBC cell lines inhibited in vitro migration and invasion, along with down-regulation of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature, which was confirmed in vivo. The kinase and leucine-zipper domains within DAPK3 were shown by a mutational analysis to be essential for functionality. Notably, DAPK3 was found to inhibit the levels of desmoplakin (DSP), a crucial component of the desmosome complex, thereby explaining the observed migration and invasion effects. Further exploration with immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS) identified that leucine-zipper protein 1 (LUZP1) is a preferential binding partner of DAPK3. LUZP1 engages in a leucine-zipper domain-mediated interaction that protects DAPK3 from proteasomal degradation. Thus, the DAPK3/LUZP1 heterodimer emerges as a newly discovered regulator of EMT/desmosome components that promote TNBC cell migration.

Phytic acid-loaded polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel promotes wound healing of injured corneal epithelium through inhibiting ferroptosis.

As the important barrier of intraocular tissue, cornea is easy to suffer various kinds of injuries. Among them, acute alkali burn is a thorny ophthalmic emergency event, which can lead to corneal persistent epithelial defects, ulcers, and even perforation. Ferroptosis, a mode of regulatory cell death, has been found to play a key role in the process of corneal alkali burn, of which lipid peroxidation and intracellular iron levels are considered to be the possible therapeutic targets. To seek new effective treatments, the study herein focused on the occurrence of oxidative stress and ferroptosis in corneal alkali burn, exploring the role of phytic acid (PA), a natural small molecule with both antioxidant and iron chelating capacity, in the repair of corneal epithelial injury. The in vivo therapeutic results showed that PA eyedrops treatment promoted the recovery of corneal morphology and function, and in vitro experiments proved that PA prompted the repair of oxidative stress induced-corneal epithelial injury through ferroptosis inhibition. In addition, better drug treatment effect could be achieved through hydrogel delivery and sustained release, and our in vivo experiments showed the superior therapeutic effects of PA delivered by PVA hydrogels with larger molecular weights on corneal injury. In summary, this study demonstrated the excellent effect of natural small molecule PA with antioxidant and high efficiency chelating ferrous ions on ferroptosis inhibition, and showed the outstanding application prospect of PVA/PA hydrogels in the treatment of corneal epithelial injury.

Solid tumour-induced systemic immunosuppression involves dichotomous myeloid-B cell interactions.

Solid tumours induce systemic immunosuppression that involves myeloid and T cells. B cell-related mechanisms remain relatively understudied. Here we discover two distinct patterns of tumour-induced B cell abnormality (TiBA; TiBA-1 and TiBA-2), both associated with abnormal myelopoiesis in the bone marrow. TiBA-1 probably results from the niche competition between pre-progenitor-B cells and myeloid progenitors, leading to a global reduction in downstream B cells. TiBA-2 is characterized by systemic accumulation of a unique early B cell population, driven by interaction with excessive neutrophils. Importantly, TiBA-2-associated early B cells foster the systemic accumulation of exhaustion-like T cells. Myeloid and B cells from the peripheral blood of patients with triple-negative breast cancer recapitulate the TiBA subtypes, and the distinct TiBA profile correlates with pathologic complete responses to standard-of-care immunotherapy. This study underscores the inter-patient diversity of tumour-induced systemic changes and emphasizes the need for treatments tailored to different B and myeloid cell abnormalities.

Spatially resolved profiling of protein conformation and interactions by biocompatible chemical cross-linking in living cells.

Unlocking the intricacies of protein structures and interactions within the dynamic landscape of subcellular organelles presents a significant challenge. To address this, we introduce SPACX, a method for spatially resolved protein complex profiling via biocompatible chemical cross(x)-linking with subcellular isolation, designed to monitor protein conformation, interactions, and translocation in living cells. By rapidly capturing protein complexes in their native physiological state and efficiently enriching cross-linked peptides, SPACX allows comprehensive analysis of the protein interactome within living cells. Leveraging structure refinement with cross-linking restraints, we identify subcellular-specific conformation heterogeneity of PTEN, revealing dynamic differences in its dual specificity domains between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Furthermore, by discerning conformational disparities, we identify 83 cytoplasm-exclusive and 109 nucleus-exclusive PTEN-interacting proteins, each associated with distinct biological functions. Upon induction of ubiquitin-proteasome system stress, we observe dynamic alterations in PTEN assembly and its interacting partners during translocation. These changes, including the identification of components and interaction sites, are characterized using the SPACX approach. Notably, SPACX enables identification of unique interacting proteins specific to PTEN isoforms, including PTEN and PTEN-Long, through the determination of sequence-specific cross-linking interfaces. These findings underscore the potential of SPACX to elucidate the functional diversity of proteins within distinct subcellular sociology.

Computational drug discovery pipelines identify NAMPT as a therapeutic target in neuroendocrine prostate cancer.

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is an aggressive advanced subtype of prostate cancer that exhibits poor prognosis and broad resistance to therapies. Currently, few treatment options are available, highlighting a need for new therapeutics to help curb the high mortality rates of this disease. We designed a comprehensive drug discovery pipeline that quickly generates drug candidates ready to be tested. Our method estimated patient response to various therapeutics in three independent prostate cancer patient cohorts and selected robust candidate drugs showing high predicted potency in NEPC tumors. Using this pipeline, we nominated NAMPT as a molecular target to effectively treat NEPC tumors. Our in vitro experiments validated the efficacy of NAMPT inhibitors in NEPC cells. Compared with adenocarcinoma LNCaP cells, NAMPT inhibitors induced significantly higher growth inhibition in the NEPC cell line model NCI-H660. Moreover, to further assist clinical development, we implemented a causal feature selection method to detect biomarkers indicative of sensitivity to NAMPT inhibitors. Gene expression modifications of selected biomarkers resulted in changes in sensitivity to NAMPT inhibitors consistent with expectations in NEPC cells. Validation of these markers in an independent prostate cancer patient dataset supported their use to inform clinical efficacy. Our findings pave the way for new treatments to combat pervasive drug resistance and reduce mortality. Furthermore, this research highlights the use of drug sensitivity-related biomarkers to understand mechanisms and potentially indicate clinical efficacy.

The Effect of the Lysine Acetylation Modification of ClpP on the Virulence of Vibrio alginolyticus.

Acetylation modification has become one of the most popular topics in protein post-translational modification (PTM) research and plays an important role in bacterial virulence. A previous study indicated that the virulence-associated caseinolytic protease proteolytic subunit (ClpP) is acetylated at the K165 site in Vibrio alginolyticus strain HY9901, but its regulation regarding the virulence of V. alginolyticus is still unknown. We further confirmed that ClpP undergoes lysine acetylation (Kace) modification by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis and constructed the complementation strain (C-clpP) and site-directed mutagenesis strains including K165Q and K165R. The K165R strain significantly increased biofilm formation at 36 h of incubation, and K165Q significantly decreased biofilm formation at 24 h of incubation. However, the acetylation modification of ClpP did not affect the extracellular protease (ECPase) activity. In addition, we found that the virulence of K165Q was significantly reduced in zebrafish by in vivo injection. To further study the effect of lysine acetylation on the pathogenicity of V. alginolyticus, GS cells were infected with four strains, namely HY9901, C-clpP, K165Q and K165R. This indicated that the effect of the K165Q strain on cytotoxicity was significantly reduced compared with the wild-type strain, while K165R showed similar levels to the wild-type strain. In summary, the results of this study indicate that the Kace of ClpP is involved in the regulation of the virulence of V. alginolyticus.

Observational and genetic evidence disagree on the association between loneliness and risk of multiple diseases.

Loneliness-the subjective experience of social disconnection-is now widely regarded as a health risk factor. However, whether the associations between loneliness and multiple diseases are consistent with causal effects remains largely unexplored. Here we combined behavioural, genetic and hospitalization data from the UK Biobank to examine the associations of loneliness with a wide range of non-overlapping diseases. During a median 12.2-year follow-up, loneliness was associated with greater risks in 13 of 14 disease categories and 30 of 56 individual diseases considered. Of the 30 diseases significantly associated with loneliness, 26 had genetic data available for Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses. After Benjamini‒Hochberg correction and multiple sensitivity analyses within the MR framework, non-causal associations were identified between genetic liability to loneliness and 20 out of the 26 specific diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, chronic liver diseases, chronic kidney disease, most neurological diseases and the other common diseases. Genetic liability to loneliness was only potentially causally associated with the remaining six diseases. Socioeconomic factors, health behaviours, baseline depressive symptoms and comorbidities largely explained the associations between loneliness and diseases. Overall, our study revealed a dissociation between observational and genetic evidence regarding the associations of loneliness with multiple diseases. These findings suggest that loneliness may serve as a potential surrogate marker rather than a causal risk factor for most diseases tested here.

[Advances in bitterness receptors T2Rs in different diseases].

Bitterness, as one of the most important physiological sensations in animals, is primarily recognized through the mediation of bitter taste receptors. In recent years, it has been found that these receptors are not only expressed in taste bud cells on the tongue but also in the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, reproductive, and nervous systems. They are involved in regulating various fundamental physiological processes and are now considered important targets for the treatment of various diseases. This paper reviewed the structure, classification, distribution, and signaling pathways of bitter taste receptors, their relationship with different diseases, and the role of bitter taste receptors agonists, aiming to provide a basis for scientific research on bitter taste receptors.

How does executive green cognition affect enterprise green technology innovation? The mediating effect of ESG performance.

This study uses data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2021 to empirically examine the impact and action mechanisms of executives' green cognition on enterprises' green technology innovation (GTI). The results of Poisson regression show that executives' green cognition have a significant effect on promoting enterprise GTI, with the conclusion remaining valid after endogenous and robustness tests. Moreover, the mechanism test indicates that executive green cognition could promote enterprise GTI by enhancing their ESG performance. Further analyses find that both government environmental regulation and executive overseas experience have strengthened the promotion effect of executive green cognition on enterprise GTI. These findings provide a new action mechanism path for the relationship between executive cognition and corporate innovation and a micro-level theoretical basis for policy recommendations for promoting enterprises' GTI and ESG practices.

2V-CBCT: Two-Orthogonal-Projection based CBCT Reconstruction and Dose Calculation for Radiation Therapy using Real Projection Data.

This work demonstrates the feasibility of two-orthogonal-projection-based CBCT (2V-CBCT) reconstruction and dose calculation for radiation therapy (RT) using real projection data, which is the first 2V-CBCT feasibility study with real projection data, to the best of our knowledge. RT treatments are often delivered in multiple fractions, for which on-board CBCT is desirable to calculate the delivered dose per fraction for the purpose of RT delivery quality assurance and adaptive RT. However, not all RT treatments/fractions have CBCT acquired, but two orthogonal projections are always available. The question to be addressed in this work is the feasibility of 2V-CBCT for the purpose of RT dose calculation. 2V-CBCT is a severely ill-posed inverse problem for which we propose a coarse-to-fine learning strategy. First, a 3D deep neural network that can extract and exploit the inter-slice and intra-slice information is adopted to predict the initial 3D volumes. Then, a 2D deep neural network is utilized to fine-tune the initial 3D volumes slice-by-slice. During the fine-tuning stage, a perceptual loss based on multi-frequency features is employed to enhance the image reconstruction. Dose calculation results from both photon and proton RT demonstrate that 2V-CBCT provides comparable accuracy with full-view CBCT based on real projection data.