Shell Modulation of Hollow Metal Sulfide Nanocomposite for Stable Potassium Storage at Room and High Temperature.

The large size of K-ion makes the pursuit of stable high-capacity anodes for K-ion batteries (KIBs) a formidable challenge, particularly for high temperature KIBs as the electrode instability becomes more aggravated with temperature climbing. Herein, we demonstrate that a hollow ZnS@C nanocomposite (h-ZnS@C) with a precise shell modulation can resist electrode disintegration to enable stable high-capacity potassium storage at room and high temperature. Based on a model electrode, we identify an interesting structure-function correlation of the h-ZnS@C: with an increase in the shell thickness, the cyclability increases while the rate and capacity decrease, shedding light on the design of high-performance h-ZnS@C anodes via engineering the shell thickness. Typically, the h-ZnS@C anode with a shell thickness of 60 nm can deliver an impressive comprehensive performance at room temperature; the h-ZnS@C with shell thickness increasing to 75 nm can achieve an extraordinary stability (88.6 % capacity retention over 450 cycles) with a high capacity (450 mAh g-1) and a superb rate even at an extreme temperature of 60 °C, which is much superior than those reported anodes. This contribution envisions new perspectives on rational design of functional metal sulfides composite toward high-performance KIBs with insights into the significant structure-function correlation.

Biomimetic NIR-II fluorescent proteins created from chemogenic protein-seeking dyes for multicolor deep-tissue bioimaging.

Near-infrared-I/II fluorescent proteins (NIR-I/II FPs) are crucial for in vivo imaging, yet the current NIR-I/II FPs face challenges including scarcity, the requirement for chromophore maturation, and limited emission wavelengths (typically < 800 nm). Here, we utilize synthetic protein-seeking NIR-II dyes as chromophores, which covalently bind to tag proteins (e.g., human serum albumin, HSA) through a site-specific nucleophilic substitution reaction, thereby creating proof-of-concept biomimetic NIR-II FPs. This chemogenic protein-seeking strategy can be accomplished under gentle physiological conditions without catalysis. Proteomics analysis identifies specific binding site (Cys 477 on DIII). NIR-II FPs significantly enhance chromophore brightness and photostability, while improving biocompatibility, allowing for high-performance NIR-II lymphography and angiography. This strategy is universal and applicable in creating a wide range of spectrally separated NIR-I/II FPs for real-time visualization of multiple biological events. Overall, this straightforward biomimetic approach holds the potential to transform fluorescent protein-based bioimaging and enables in-situ albumin targeting to create NIR-I/II FPs for deep-tissue imaging in live organisms.

CwJAZ4/9 negatively regulates jasmonate-mediated biosynthesis of terpenoids through interacting with CwMYC2 and confers salt tolerance in Curcuma wenyujin.

Plant JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN (JAZ) genes play crucial roles in regulating the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites and stressful responses. However, understanding of JAZs controlling these biological processes lags due to numerous JAZ copies. Here, we found that two leaf-specific CwJAZ4/9 genes from Curcuma wenyujin are strongly induced by methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) and negatively correlated with terpenoid biosynthesis. Yeast two-hybrid, luciferase complementation imaging and in vitro pull-down assays confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 proteins interact with CwMYC2 to form the CwJAZ4/9-CwMYC2 regulatory cascade. Furthermore, transgenic hairy roots showed that CwJAZ4/9 acts as repressors of MeJA-induced terpenoid biosynthesis by inhibiting the terpenoid pathway and jasmonate response, thus reducing terpenoid accumulation. In addition, we revealed that CwJAZ4/9 decreases salt sensitivity and sustains the growth of hairy roots under salt stress by suppressing the salt-mediated jasmonate responses. Transcriptome analysis for MeJA-mediated transgenic hairy root lines further confirmed that CwJAZ4/9 negatively regulates the terpenoid pathway genes and massively alters the expression of genes related to salt stress signaling and responses, and crosstalks of multiple phytohormones. Altogether, our results establish a genetic framework to understand how CwJAZ4/9 inhibits terpenoid biosynthesis and confers salt tolerance, which provides a potential strategy for producing high-value pharmaceutical terpenoids and improving resistant C. wenyujin varieties by a genetic approach.

Site-specific albumin tagging with NIR-II fluorogenic dye for high-performance and super-stable bioimaging.

Synthetic near-infrared-II (NIR-II) dyes are promising for deep tissue imaging, yet they are generally difficult to target a given biomolecule with high specificity. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism between albumin and cyanine molecules, which is usually regarded as uncertain "complexes" such as crosslinked nanoparticles, remains poorly understood. Methods: Here, we propose a new class of NIR-II fluorogenic dyes capable of site-specific albumin tagging for in situ albumin seeking/targeting or constructing high-performance cyanine@albumin probes. We further investigate the interaction mechanism between NIR-II fluorogenic dyes and albumin. Results: We identify CO-1080 as an optimal dye structure that produces a stable/bright NIR-II cyanine@albumin probe. CO-1080 exhibits maximum supramolecular binding affinity to albumin while catalyzing their covalent attachment. The probe shows exact binding sites located on Cys476 and Cys101, as identified by proteomic analysis and docking modeling. Conclusion: Our cyanine@albumin probe substantially improves the pharmacokinetics of its free dye counterpart, enabling high-performance NIR-II angiography and lymphography. Importantly, the site-specific labeling tags between NIR-II fluorogenic dyes and albumin occur under mild conditions, offering a specific and straightforward synthesis strategy for NIR-II fluorophores in the fields of targeting bioimaging and imaging-guided surgery.

Gut microbiota: A double-edged sword in immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy against tumors.

Tumor cells can evade immune surveillance by expressing immune checkpoint molecule ligands, resulting in effective immune cell inactivation. Immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) have dramatically improved survival of patients with multiple types of cancers. However, responses to ICB immunotherapy are heterogeneous with lower patient response rates. The advances have established that the gut microbiota can be as a promising target to overcome resistance to ICB immunotherapy. Furthermore, some bacterial species have shown to promote improved responses to ICBs. However, gut microbiota is critical in maintaining gut and systemic immune homeostasis. It not only promotes differentiation and function of immunosuppressive immune cells but also inhibits inflammatory cells via gut microbiota derived products such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan (Trp) and bile acid (BA) metabolites, which play an important role in tumor immunity. Since the gut microbiota can either inhibit or enhance immune against tumor, it should be a double-edged sword in ICBs against tumor. In this review, we discuss the effects of gut microbiota on immune cells and also tumor cells, especially enhances of gut microbiota on ICB immunotherapy. These discussions can hopefully promote the development of ICB immunotherapy.

NIR-II Protein-Escaping Dyes Enable High-Contrast and Long-Term Prognosis Evaluation of Flap Transplantation.

Real-time vascular positioning, postoperative flap monitoring, and vascular reconstruction assessment are of great importance in flap transplantation. Cyanine dyes offer the advantage of high resolution in the Near-infrared-II (NIR-II) imaging window. However, the nonspecific binding of many cyanine dyes to endogenous albumin leads to high organ accumulation and skin absorption, resulting in low-quality imaging and poor reproducibility of contrast during long-term (e.g., 7 days) postoperative monitoring. Here, a novel strategy is proposed that can be widely applied to prevent protein binding for NIR-I/II Cl-containing cyanine dyes. This strategy produces protein-escaping dyes, ensuring high fluorescence enhancement in the blood with rapid clearance and no residual fluorescence, allowing for short-term repeatable injections for vascular imaging. This strategy in the perioperative monitoring of pedicle perforator flap models in mice and rats is successfully applied. Furthermore, leveraging the universality of this strategy, multiple nonoverlapping protein-escaping probes that achieve dual-excitation (808 and 1064 nm) interference-free imaging of nerve-vessel and tumor-vessel simultaneously are designed and synthesized. These protein-escaping dyes enable long-term repeatable dual-color imaging of tumor localization, resection, and tumor-vessel reconstruction at the wound site.

Inflammatory response in mouse lungs to haze episodes under different backgrounds of particulate matter exposure.

Particulate matter (PM) toxicity has mostly been investigated through in vitro exposure or tracheal infusion in animal models. However, given the complexity of ambient conditions, most animal studies do not mimic real-life PM exposure. In this work, we established a novel integrated exposure model to study the dynamic inflammatory response and defense strategies in ambient PM-exposed mice. Three groups of male C57BL/6 mice were kept in three chambers with pre-exposure to filtered air (FA), unfiltered air (UFA), or the air with a low PM concentration (PM2.5 ≤ 75 µg/m3) (LPM), respectively, for 37 days. Then all three groups of mice were exposed to haze challenge for 3 days, followed by exposure in filtered air for 7 days to allow recovery. Our results suggest that following a haze challenge, the defense strategies of mice of filtered air (FA) and low PM (LPM) groups comprised a form of "counterattack", whereas the response of the unfiltered air (UFA) group could be viewed as a "silence". While the latter strategy protected the lung tissues of mice from acute inflammatory damage, it also foreshadowed the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. These findings contribute to explaining previously documented PM-associated pathogenic mechanisms.

A Service-Learning Project Based on a Community-Oriented Intelligent Health Promotion System for Postgraduate Nursing Students: Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Service learning (SL) is a pedagogical approach that combines community service with cognitive learning for professionals. Its efficacy in promoting community health has gained broad recognition in nursing education. The application of postgraduate nursing SL programs in community-based intelligent health remains underexplored. Thus, additional investigation is necessary to assess the influence of the SL project based on a community-oriented intelligent health promotion system (SLP-COIHPS) on postgraduate nursing students and health service recipients. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess how SLP-COIHPS influences the scientific awareness and research innovation abilities of postgraduate nursing students. In addition, the study sought to examine the experiences of both participating students and health service recipients. METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods investigation by using web-based surveys and conducting interviews. The web-based surveys aimed to explore the differences in scientific awareness and research innovation capabilities between 2 distinct groups: an experimental group of 23 postgraduate nursing students actively participated in SLP-COIHPS, while 23 postgraduate students (matched one-to-one with the experimental group in terms of grade, sex, and research methods) served as control participants. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 65% (15/23) of postgraduate students and 3% (12/405) of community residents who received health services, aiming to assess the project's impact on them. The community-based intelligent health promotion system installed in intelligent health cabins can be conceptualized as an expert system providing valuable references for student health education. It has the capability to generate comprehensive assessments and personalized health guidance plans. Following training, students were involved in offering health assessments, health education, and related services. Subsequently, after the web-based surveys and semistructured interviews, quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS (IBM Corp) software package, using 2-tailed t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests; qualitative data underwent analysis using the constructivist grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Postgraduate nursing students participating in this program scored 12.83 (Cohen d>0.8; P<.001) and 10.56 (Cohen d>0.8; P=.004) points higher than postgraduate students in the control group in research awareness and research innovation capability, respectively. On the basis of the qualitative results, postgraduate students reported improvement in this program. Analysis of the interviews revealed a total of 12 subcategories across three primary domains: (1) specialized skills, (2) scientific research ability, and (3) comprehensive qualities. Community residents reported high satisfaction and positive experiences. Analysis of the interviews with community residents identified two primary categories: (1) satisfaction and (2) perceived benefits. CONCLUSIONS: SLP-COIHPS had a positive impact on students' development of scientific awareness and research innovation ability. Qualitative study findings also support the further development of practical programs that integrate intelligent health and SL theories in the field of medical education. This includes exploring the potential factors influencing postgraduate nursing students' research capabilities or investigating the long-term effects of the project.

Immune signatures of the POLE mutation in endometrial carcinomas: a systematic study based on TCGA data and clinical cohort validation.

Background: POLE is a critical biomarker for endometrial cancer (ECs) prognosis and therapeutic decision. However, the immune infiltration and immunotherapy-related gene expression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of POLE-mutated ECs remain unresolved. Methods: The TCGA database was used to characterize the TME of POLE mutants, which primarily included immune cells and co-expression genes. We used immunohistochemistry (IHC) to determine immune cell abundance and PD-L1 expression in 104 EC tissues, including 11 POLE mutants and 93 wild-type. Results: The bioinformatic study found significant differences in gene expression of the chemokine family, immune-cell markers, and lysozyme in POLE mutants, along with immune response activation. In POLE-mutated ECs, the abundance of CD4+T, CD8+T, M1 macrophages, and dendritic cells increased considerably. Furthermore, POLE mutations may enhance immune cell recruitment or activation and lymphocyte homing in ECs. POLE mutants also had increased expression of immune-checkpoint suppressor genes such as PD-L1, CTLA-4, TIM-3, and others. The tumor mutation burden (TMB) was higher in ECs with POLE mutation. In the validation cohort, we discovered that POLE mutations were related to the immune infiltration abundance of CD8+, CD4+, and Foxp3+ cells and PD-L1 expression by IHC. The prognosis of TCGA-ECs showed that the survival time of the CD8, CD4, PD-L1, or Foxp3 over-expression subgroup of the POLE mutants was significantly prolonged compared to the down-regulation subgroup or the POLE wild-type. Conclusion: The infiltration abundance of CD8+ T, CD4+ T, Foxp3+ T cells, and the expression of PD-L1 harbor crucial value for the prognosis or individualized therapy of POLE-mutated ECs.

Protein@Cyanine-Based NIR-II Lymphography Enables the Supersensitive Visualization of Lymphedema and Tumor Lymphatic Metastasis.

Visualization of the lymphatic system is clinically indispensable for the diagnosis and/or treatment of lymphatic diseases. Although indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography becomes an alternate imaging modality compared to traditional lymphoscintigraphy, it is still far from ideal due to the insufficient detection depth and low spatiotemporal resolution. Herein, protein@cyanine probes are rationally developed to solve the limitations of the current near-infrared-I (NIR-I) lymphography. The protein@cyanine probes are synthesized following a chlorine-containing dye-labeling strategy based on structure-selectivity (facile covalent binding between the dye and protein with a 1:1 molar ratio). As expected, the probes display exceptional NIR-II imaging ability with much-improved imaging contrast/resolution and controllable pharmacokinetics, superior to the clinical ICG. The protein@cyanine probes locate lymph nodes and delineate lymphatic vessels with super-high sensitivity and signal-to-background ratio, enabling real-time diagnosing lymphatic diseases such as lymphedema and tumor lymphatic metastasis. In particular, the NIR-II lymphography provides an opportunity to discover the disparate morbidity rate of primary lymphedema in different types of mice. Given the fact of lacking clinically transferable NIR-II probes, this work not only provides a promising strategy for enriching of the current library of NIR-II probes, but also promotes the clinical translation of NIR-II lymphography technology.

Gut-Microbiota-Derived Metabolites Maintain Gut and Systemic Immune Homeostasis.

The gut microbiota, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses and phages, inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. This commensal microbiota can contribute to the regulation of host immune response and homeostasis. Alterations of the gut microbiota have been found in many immune-related diseases. The metabolites generated by specific microorganisms in the gut microbiota, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan (Trp) and bile acid (BA) metabolites, not only affect genetic and epigenetic regulation but also impact metabolism in the immune cells, including immunosuppressive and inflammatory cells. The immunosuppressive cells (such as tolerogenic macrophages (tMacs), tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs), myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), regulatory B cells (Breg) and innate lymphocytes (ILCs)) and inflammatory cells (such as inflammatory Macs (iMacs), DCs, CD4 T helper (Th)1, CD4Th2, Th17, natural killer (NK) T cells, NK cells and neutrophils) can express different receptors for SCFAs, Trp and BA metabolites from different microorganisms. Activation of these receptors not only promotes the differentiation and function of immunosuppressive cells but also inhibits inflammatory cells, causing the reprogramming of the local and systemic immune system to maintain the homeostasis of the individuals. We here will summarize the recent advances in understanding the metabolism of SCFAs, Trp and BA in the gut microbiota and the effects of SCFAs, Trp and BA metabolites on gut and systemic immune homeostasis, especially on the differentiation and functions of the immune cells.

Establishment of a risk model by integrating hypoxia genes in predicting prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a dismal prognosis, and hypoxia plays a key role in metastasis and proliferation of ESCC. Thus, we aimed to develop a hypoxia-based gene signature to assist in the treatment decisions and prognosis. METHODS: We performed consensus clustering analysis on samples from GSE53625 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to filter out candidate modules, which were then intersected with differentially expressed genes from clustered subgroups to obtain hypoxia-related genes (HRGs). After that, the aforementioned genes were used to construct risk score models and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Cox regression analysis were used to construct a nomogram. Immunohistochemical was used to detect protein expression levels of relevant genes. Moreover, the relationship between risk scores and tumor microenvironment was explored. RESULTS: A hypoxia risk model containing six genes (PNPLA1, CARD18, IL-18, SLC37A2, ADAMTS18, and FAM83C) was constructed by screening key HRGs. Poorer prognosis in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group. And Cox regression analysis showed that risk score was an independent prognostic factor. The nomogram based on risk scores could well predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. P53, Wnt, and hypoxia signaling pathways may be some regulatory mechanisms of hypoxia associated with the tumor microenvironment. In addition, we confirmed the high expression of BGN and low expression of IL-18 in ESCC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our study determined the prognostic value of a 6-hypoxia gene signature and a prognostic model, providing potential prognostic predictors and therapeutic targets for ESCC.

Gene coexpression networks allow the discovery of two strictosidine synthases underlying monoterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in Uncaria rhynchophylla.

Plant-derived monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) from Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR) have huge medicinal properties in treating Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression. Although many bioactive UR-MIA products have been isolated as drugs, their biosynthetic pathway remains largely unexplored. In this study, untargeted metabolome identified 79 MIA features in UR tissues (leaf, branch stem, hook stem, and stem), of which 30 MIAs were differentially accumulated among different tissues. Short time series expression analysis captured 58 pathway genes and 12 hub regulators responsible for UR-MIA biosynthesis and regulation, which were strong links with main UR-MIA features. Coexpression networks further pointed to two strictosidine synthases (UrSTR1/5) that were coregulated with multiple MIA-related genes and highly correlated with UR-MIA features (r > 0.7, P < 0.005). Both UrSTR1/5 catalyzed the formation of strictosidine with tryptamine and secologanin as substrates, highlighting the importance of key residues (UrSTR1: Glu309, Tyr155; UrSTR5: Glu295, Tyr141). Further, overexpression of UrSTR1/5 in UR hairy roots constitutively increased the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs (rhynchophylline, isorhynchophylline, corynoxeine, etc), whereas RNAi of UrSTR1/5 significantly decreased UR-MIA biosynthesis. Collectively, our work not only provides candidates for reconstituting the biosynthesis of bioactive UR-MIAs in heterologous hosts but also highlights a powerful strategy for mining natural product biosynthesis in medicinal plants.

Novel tumor-associated macrophage populations and subpopulations by single cell RNA sequencing.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are present in almost all solid tumor tissues. 16They play critical roles in immune regulation, tumor angiogenesis, tumor stem cell activation, tumor invasion and metastasis, and resistance to therapy. However, it is unclear how TAMs perform these functions. With the application of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), it has become possible to identify TAM subpopulations associated with distinct functions. In this review, we discuss four novel TAM subpopulations in distinct solid tumors based on core gene signatures by scRNA-seq, including FCN1 +, SPP1 +, C1Q + and CCL18 + TAMs. Functional enrichment and gene expression in scRNA-seq data from different solid tumor tissues found that FCN1 + TAMs may induce inflammation; SPP1 + TAMs are potentially involved in metastasis, angiogenesis, and cancer cell stem cell activation, whereas C1Q + TAMs participate in immune regulation and suppression; And CCL18 + cells are terminal immunosuppressive macrophages that not only have a stronger immunosuppressive function but also enhance tumor metastasis. SPP1 + and C1Q + TAM subpopulations can be further divided into distinct populations with different functions. Meanwhile, we will also present emerging evidence highlighting the separating macrophage subpopulations associated with distinct functions. However, there exist the potential disconnects between cell types and subpopulations identified by scRNA-seq and their actual function.

Surfactant-chaperoned donor-acceptor-donor NIR-II dye strategy efficiently circumvents intermolecular aggregation to afford enhanced bioimaging contrast.

Fluorescence emission in the near-infrared-II (NIR-II) optical window affords reduced autofluorescence and light scattering, enabling deep-tissue visualization for both disease detection and surgical navigation. Small-molecule NIR-II dyes are preferable for clinical bioimaging applications, as the flexibility in their molecular synthesis allows for precise control of their optical and pharmacokinetic properties. Among the various types of dye, donor-acceptor-donor-based (D-A-D) dyes demonstrate exceptional photostability, whereas the frequently used PEGylation approach does not keep their intrinsic brightness enough in water environments due to their inherent effect of self-assembly. Here, we demonstrate that the commercially-available surfactants can serve as a dispersant to prevent molecular aggregation of PEGylated D-A-D dyes. Due to the favorable energetics for co-assembly between D-A-D dyes and surfactants, the formed surfactant-chaperoned dye strategy dramatically increases dye brightness. Accordingly, this effect provides remarkably improved performance for in vivo bioimaging applications. In parallel, we also investigate the D-A-D dye uptake and signal enhancement properties in the liver of murine models and demonstrate that the lumen-lining Kupffer cells can potentially disassemble PEGylated D-A-D aggregates such that their inherent brightness is restored. This phenomenon is similar to the surfactant-chaperoned dye strategy and our investigations provide a positive addition to better use of the current NIR-II fluorophores, especially for visualizing high-brightness required events.

Development and validation of nodal staging score in pN0 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A population study from the SEER database and a single-institution cohort.

BACKGROUND: Patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) with lymph node metastasis may be misclassified as pN0 due to an insufficient number of lymph nodes examined (LNE). The purpose of this study was to confirm that patients with ESCC are indeed pN0 and to propose an adequate number for the correct nodal stage using the nodal staging score (NSS) developed by the beta-binomial model. METHODS: A total of 1249 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2000 and 2017, and 1404 patients diagnosed with ESCC in our database between 2005 and 2018 were included. The NSS was developed to assess the probability of pN0 status based on both databases. The effectiveness of NSS was verified using survival analysis, including Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox models. RESULTS: Many patients were misclassified as pN0 based on our algorithm due to insufficient LNE. As the number of LNE increased, false-negative findings dropped; accordingly, the NSS increased. In addition, NSS was an independent prognostic indicator for pN0 in patients with ESCC in the SEER database (hazard ratio [HR] 0.182, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.046-0.730, p = 0.016) and our database (HR 0.215, 95% CI 0.055-0.842, p = 0.027). A certain number of nodes must be examined to achieve 90% of the NSS. CONCLUSIONS: NSS could determine the probability of true pN0 status for patients, and it was sufficient in predicting survival and obtaining adequate numbers for lymphadenectomy.

Near-Infrared Carbonized Polymer Dots for NIR-II Bioimaging.

Carbon dots (CDs) or carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) are an emerging class of optical materials that have exceptional applications in optoelectronic devices, catalysis, detection, and bioimaging. Although cell studies of CPDs have produced impressive results, in vivo imaging requires available CPDs to fluoresce in the near-infrared-II (NIR-II) window (1000-1700 nm). Here, a two-step bottom-up strategy is developed to synthesize NIR-CPDs that provide bright emissions in both NIR-I and NIR-II transparent imaging windows. The designed strategy includes a hydrothermal reaction to form a stable carbon core with aldehyde groups, followed by the Knoevenagel reaction to tether the molecular emission centers. This procedure is labor-saving, cost-efficient, and produces a high yield. The NIR-CPDs enable high-performance NIR-II angiography and real-time imaging of the disease degree of colitis noninvasively. This technology may therefore provide a next-generation synthesis strategy for CPDs with rational molecular engineering that can accurately tune the absorption/emission properties of NIR-emissive CPDs.

Clinicopathological Features, Staging Classification, and Clinical Outcomes of Esophageal Melanoma: Evaluation of a Pooled Case Series.

Studies that have attempted to validate the staging systems and the predictors of survival for patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) have been underpowered given their scarcity and small scale. We aimed to review a large number of PMME cases to know more about its clinicopathological features, TNM staging systems, and survival predictors of PMME. Case reports on PMME were extracted from PubMed/Medline through bibliography search and our center. A total of 287 PMME cases were identified. The majority of the patient population was male (72.08%). The most common location of PMME was the lower esophagus (50.62%) and middle esophagus (35.39%). Among the patients, 82.28% received surgical intervention. The median overall survival (OS) duration was 15 months (0.5-244). The American Joint Commission on Cancer staging classification (AJCC) for the mucosal melanoma of the upper aerodigestive tract with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA showed better distribution of OS than that for esophageal carcinoma. T stage, N stage, and surgery had significant impacts on OS duration in univariate analysis. However, only T stage and N stage were identified as independent factors for OS duration in the multivariate Cox models. PMME is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. The AJCC staging system for mucosal melanoma with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA may be a better option for staging PMME patients. T stage and N stage are independent factors for OS.

The Effect of Task Performance and Partnership on Interpersonal Brain Synchrony during Cooperation.

Interpersonal brain synchrony (IBS) during cooperation has not been systematically investigated. To address this research gap, this study assessed neural synchrony during a cooperative jigsaw puzzle solving task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning. IBS was measured for successful and failed tasks in 31 dyads in which the partners were familiar or unknown to each other. No significant difference in IBS was observed between the different types of cooperative partnership; however, stronger IBS within regions of the pars triangularis Broca's area, right frontopolar cortex, and right temporoparietal junction was observed during task success. These results highlight the effect of better task performance on cooperative IBS for the first time and further extend understanding of the neural basis of cooperation.

CSF2RB Is a Unique Biomarker and Correlated With Immune Infiltrates in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Background: The tumor microenvironment plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, there are gaps in understanding the molecular and cellular interactions between tumor cells and the immune tumor microenvironment (TME). The aim of this study was to identify a novel gene that played an important role in the tumor microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: The gene expression profile and clinical data for LUAD were downloaded from TCGA database. First, we used the ESTIMATE algorithm to evaluate the immune and stromal scores accordingly. Also, we analyzed differentially expressed immune-related genes (IRGs) in the high and low immune/stromal score groups. Then, we used the protein-protein interaction network (PPI network) and a univariate Cox regression analysis to identify the hub gene. After that, we analyzed the relationship between CSF2RB expression and TNM stage/prognosis. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the pathway regulated by CSF2RB and the Pearson correlation analysis method was used to analyze the correlation between the CSF2RB and immune cells. Finally, we used Western blot, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to validate CSF2RB expression in cancer and para-cancerous tissues. Results: We identified that CSF2RB played an important role in the tumor microenvironment of LUAD. The expression of CSF2RB in tumor tissues was lower than that in normal tissues. Furthermore, the Kaplan-Meier plotter showed that a low CSF2RB expression was associated with poor survival and multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that the CSF2RB gene was an independent risk factor for prognosis, independent of whether patients received chemotherapy or radiotherapy. More importantly, a high expression of CSF2RB was related to early T, N, and clinical stages. GSEA analysis revealed that CSF2RB associated with diverse immune-related pathways, including T-cell receptor signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and B-cell receptor signaling pathway. CSF2RB expression levels were also positively related with the levels of infiltrating CD4+ T cells, macrophages, NK cells, and monocytes in LUAD. Finally, tumor tissues from LUAD patients were used for the assessment of CSF2RB expression. It was significantly lower in tumor sites than in adjacent normal tissues, which was consistent with data analysis. Conclusion: CSF2RB effectively predicted the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma which could also be a potential target for cancer treatment and prevention. However, further studies are required to elucidate the function and regulatory mechanisms of CSF2RB and to develop some novel treatment strategies.