Experimental Generation of Spin-Photon Entanglement in Silicon Carbide.

A solid-state approach for quantum networks is advantageous, as it allows the integration of nanophotonics to enhance the photon emission and the utilization of weakly coupled nuclear spins for long-lived storage. Silicon carbide, specifically point defects within it, shows great promise in this regard due to the easy of availability and well-established nanofabrication techniques. Despite of remarkable progresses made, achieving spin-photon entanglement remains a crucial aspect to be realized. In this Letter, we experimentally generate entanglement between a silicon vacancy defect in silicon carbide and a scattered single photon in the zero-phonon line. The spin state is measured by detecting photons scattered in the phonon sideband. The photonic qubit is encoded in the time-bin degree of freedom and measured using an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Photonic correlations not only reveal the quality of the entanglement but also verify the deterministic nature of the entanglement creation process. By harnessing two pairs of such spin-photon entanglement, it becomes straightforward to entangle remote quantum nodes at long distance.

Melanocortin-4 receptor regulation of pain.

An increasingly high occurrence of chronic pain in patients highlights the importance of fundamental research. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) regulation of pain has attracted much attention in recent years due to its high expression in the mammalian brain regions related to nociception and pain. This review is devoted to anatomic distribution of MC4R in the brain and interaction between MC4R and other pathways for pain modulation. The experimental evidence available at present had expanded our understanding of melanocortin-4 receptor regulation of pain. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Melanocortin Receptors - edited by Ya-Xiong Tao.

Norovirus Infection and Histo-blood Group Antigens in Children Hospitalized with Diarrhea in Lulong and Chenzhou in China.

Norovirus (NoV) is a pathogen that commonly causes viral diarrhea in children. Studies indicate that NoV recognizes human histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) as cell attachment factors. In order to explore the correlation between of NoV infection and HBGAs, a cross-sectional study was conducted in children less than five years old who were hospitalized with diarrhea in two areas of China between November 2014 and February 2015. Of the paired stool and saliva samples taken from 424 children, NoV was detected in 24 (6%) children, with viral genotypes GII.3 (n=5), GII.4 (n=14), GII.12 (n=1), and GII.17 (n=4). All of the individuals having NoV infection were either secretors (Lea-b+/Lex-y+) or partial secretors (Lea+b+/Lex+y+) except one GII.3 infection of a non-secretor (Lea+b-/Lex+y-). These results suggest that secretor positive is associated with NoV infection, although non-secretors are not absolutely protected from NoV infection.

The Application of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease on the Motor Pathway: A Bibliometric Analysis across 10 Years.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Since its initial report by James Parkinson in 1817, Parkinson's disease (PD) has remained a central subject of research and clinical advancement. The disease is estimated to affect approximately 1% of adults aged 60 and above. Deep brain stimulation, emerging as an alternative therapy for end-stage cases, has offered a lifeline to numerous patients. This review aimed to analyze publications pertaining to the impact of deep brain stimulation on the motor pathway in patients with PD over the last decade. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection through the library of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China). The search strategy encompassed the following keywords: "deep brain stimulation", "Parkinson's disease", "motor pathway", and "human", from January 1, 2012, to December 1, 2022. Additionally, this review visualized the findings using the Citespace software. RESULTS: The results indicated that the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and China were the primary contributors to this research field. University College London, Capital Medical University, and Maastricht University were the top 3 research institutions in the research area. Tom Foltynie ranked first with 6 publications, and the journals of Brain and Brain Stimulation published the greatest number of relevant articles. The prevailing research focal points in this domain, as determined by keywords "burst analysis", "encompassed neuronal activity", "nucleus", "hyper direct pathway", etc. CONCLUSION: This study has provided a new perspective through bibliometric analysis of the deep brain stimulation therapy for treating patients with PD, which can shed light on future research to advance our comprehension of this particular field of study.

Prognostic value of TIMM50 expression in colorectal cancer.

Introduction: Translocase of the inner mitochondrial membrane 50 (TIMM50) is universally considered to play a key role in several malignancies. However, its role in predicting colorectal cancer (CRC) patient prognosis remains unclear. Material and methods: A total of 192 CRC patients (123 men and 69 women) who underwent radical resection participated in this study. The patients were followed up every 3 months after surgery for 5 years. TIMM50 expression in tumour tissues was measured by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. TIMM50 expression was studied to assess correlations with clinicopathological factors and survival time. Results: TIMM50 expression increased significantly in CRC tumour tissues. Moreover, high TIMM50 expression was related to pathologic stage (p = 0.043), N stage (p = 0.048) and distant metastasis (p = 0.015), but TIMM50 expression was not related to other clinical factors. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with low TIMM50 expression had a longer overall survival than those with high TIMM50 expression (p = 0.002). Furthermore, distant metastasis and high TIMM50 expression were confirmed as independent prognostic factors for the overall survival of CRC patients in a multivariate analysis (p = 0.003). Conclusions: TIMM50 may be a key factor for monitoring CRC and a new prognosis indicator for CRC patients.

Caveolae-dependent endocytosis is required for class A macrophage scavenger receptor-mediated apoptosis in macrophages.

SR-A (class A macrophage scavenger receptor) is a transmembrane receptor that can bind many different ligands, including modified lipoproteins that are relevant to the development of vascular diseases. However, the precise endocytic pathways of SR-A/mediated ligands internalization are not fully characterized. In this study, we show that the SR-A/ligand complex can be endocytosed by both clathrin- and caveolae-dependent pathways. Internalizations of SR-A-lipoprotein (such as acLDL) complexes primarily go through clathrin-dependent endocytosis. In contrast, macrophage apoptosis triggered by SR-A-fucoidan internalization requires caveolae-dependent endocytosis. The caveolae-dependent process activates p38 kinase and JNK signaling, whereas the clathrin-mediated endocytosis elicits ERK signaling. Our results suggest that different SR-A endocytic pathways have distinct functional consequences due to the activation of different signaling cascades in macrophages.

Corrigendum: Efficacy and Safety of Shenqu Xiaoshi Oral Liquid Compared With Domperidone Syrup in Children With Functional Dyspepsia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.831912.].

Efficacy and Safety of Shenqu Xiaoshi Oral Liquid Compared With Domperidone Syrup in Children With Functional Dyspepsia.

Background: Treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) in children is generally symptomatic and unsatisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicines, such as Shenqu Xiaoshi Oral Liquid (SXOL), have been recommended to alleviate dyspeptic symptoms. However, evidence of their safety and efficacy remains limited to date. AIM: To assess whether 2 weeks of therapy with SXOL was non-inferior to domperidone syrup in children with FD. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, double-simulated, non-inferiority, multi-center clinical trial, we recruited children (3-14 years) with FD according to the Rome IV criteria from 17 tertiary medical centers across China. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive SXOL or domperidone syrup for 2 weeks. We compared the participants' clinical scores from both groups based on the severity and frequency of dyspepsia symptoms according to Rome IV criteria (0, 1, 2, and 4 weeks after randomization). The primary endpoint was the total response rate, which was defined as the proportion of patients with a decrease of 30% or more in the FD symptoms clinical score from baseline, at the end of the 2-weeks treatment. A non-inferiority margin of -10% was set. Secondary endpoints and adverse events were assessed. This trial is registered with www.Chictr.org.cn, number ChiCTR1900022654. Results: Between February 2019 and March 2021, a total of 373 patients were assessed for eligibility, and 356 patients were enrolled and randomized. The clinical response rate at week two was similar for SXOL [118 (83.10%) of 142] and domperidone [128 (81.01%) of 158]; difference 2.09; 95% CI -6.74 to 10.71, thereby establishing non-inferiority. The total FD symptom scores were significantly improved in the two groups at 1-, 2-, and 4-weeks follow-up periods (p < 0.005). The decrease in symptom score compared with the baseline were similar between these two groups. Over the total study period, 10 patients experienced at least one treatment-related adverse event [six (3.37%)] in the SXOL group, four [(2.25%) in the domperidone group], although no serious adverse event was noted. Conclusion: Treatment with SXOL effectively improves dyspeptic symptoms and is well tolerated. In addition, it is not inferior to domperidone syrup and leads to sustained improvement in Chinese children with FD.

Characterization of novel lncRNAs in upper thoracic spinal cords of rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a significant problem in clinical cardiology, and refers to a more serious myocardial injury caused by blood recanalization after a period of myocardial ischemia, as compared with injury caused by vascular occlusion. The spinal cord, as the primary afferent and efferent center of cardiac sensory and sympathetic nerve fibres, has received increased attention in recent years with regards to the regulation of MIRIs. Previous studies have revealed that MIRI has a strong correlation with the abnormal expression of long non-coding (lnc)RNAs in the myocardium; however, there are limited reports on the effects of the altered expression of lncRNAs in the spinal cord following MIRI. To investigate the expression patterns of lncRNAs in the spinal cord after MIRI and their potential role in the early stage of reperfusion, a MIRI model was established in rats. After 30 min of myocardial ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion, the upper thoracic spinal cord tissues were immediately dissected and isolated. lncRNAs and mRNAs in spinal cord tissues were screened using transcriptome sequencing technology, and the expression of several highly deregulated mRNAs, including Frs3, Zfp52, Dnajc6, Nedd4l, Tep1, Myef2, Tgfbr1, Fgf12, Mef2c, Tfdp1 and lncRNA, including ENSRNOT00000080713, ENSRNOT00000090564, ENSRNOT00000082588, ENSRNOT00000091080, ENSRNOT00000091570, ENSRNOT00000087777, ENSRNOT00000082061, ENSRNOT00000091108, ENSRNOT00000087028, ENSRNOT00000086475, were further validated via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The number of altered expressed lncRNAs was 126, among which there were 41 upregulated probe sets and 85 downregulated sets. A total of 470 mRNAs were differentially expressed, in which 231 probe sets were upregulated and 239 were downregulated. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that dysregulated transcripts related to biological processes were mainly associated with 'cell-cell signaling'. Moreover, pathway analysis demonstrated significant changes in the 'PI3K/Akt signaling pathway' and the 'p53 signaling pathway'. Thus, the altered expression of lncRNAs in the spinal cord may be of considerable importance in the process of MIRI. The present results could provide an insight into the potential roles and mechanism of lncRNAs during the early stage of reperfusion.

Fungal community diversity and fermentation characteristics in regional varieties of traditional fermentation starters for Hong Qu glutinous rice wine.

Hong Qu glutinous rice wine (HQ wine) is a traditional alcoholic beverage produced in China by fermenting cooked rice using a fermentation starter prepared with the fungus Monascus purpureus. This starter (Hong Qu, HQ) is made empirically by open spontaneous fermentation that is hard to control and standardize, resulting in inconsistent wine quality. This study investigates representative HQ samples from a large geographic region. It explores fungal microbiome compositions, identifies characteristic differences important for the production of various HQ wine styles, and reveals the key fungi responsible for HQ wine fermentation characteristics. The source of the HQ inoculum was found to be the main factor influencing fungal community composition and diversity, followed by processing technology and geographical distribution. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) uncovered 14 genera as potential biomarkers to distinguish regional varieties of HQ. Significant differences were also found in fermentation characteristics such as liquefying power (LP), saccharifying power (SP), fermenting power (FP), total acid content (TA) and liquor-producing power (LPP). The key fungi responsible for LP (5 genera), SP (3 genera), FP (1 genera), LPP (4 genera), and TA (4 genera) were determined using redundancy correlation analysis. Finally, Spearman's correlation analysis indicated that LPP shows a strong positive correlation with FP and LP, while TA displays a strong negative correlation with FP. The results of this study may be utilized to prepare consistently high quality, next-generation HQ by better controlling fungal community structures, and to design fermentation processes for HQ wines with desirable oenological characteristics.

Mast Cell Tryptase Promotes Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Induced Intestinal Fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal fibrosis is the final pathological outcome of chronic intestinal inflammation without specific therapeutic drugs, which leads to ileus and surgical intervention. Intestinal fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). The role of mast cells (MCs), which are members of the sentinel immune cell population, is unknown in intestinal fibrosis. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed changes in MCs, tryptase proteins, and ECM components in human fibrotic and control patient intestines. We constructed dextran sodium sulfate-induced intestinal fibrosis models using wild-type mice, MC-reconstituted mice, and MC-deficient mice to explore the role of MCs and tryptase in intestinal fibrosis. The roles and mechanisms of MCs and tryptase on fibroblasts were evaluated using human MCs (HMC-1 and LAD-2), commercial tryptase proteins, human colon fibroblasts (CCD-18Co fibroblasts), the tryptase inhibitor APC366, and the protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) antagonist ENMD-1068. RESULTS: Regardless of whether the colon was a human colon or a mouse colon, the fibrotic intestinal tissue had increased MC infiltration and a higher expression of ECM proteins or genes than that of the control group. The dextran sodium sulfate-induced intestinal fibrosis in MC-deficient mice was alleviated compared with that in wild-type mice. After MC reconstruction in MC-deficient mice, the alleviating effect disappeared. Tryptase, as a content stored in MC granules, was released into fibrotic intestinal tissues in the form of degranulation, resulting in an increased expression of tryptase. Compared with the control group, the tryptase inhibition group (the APC366 group) had reduced intestinal fibrosis. The CCD-18Co fibroblasts, when cocultured with MCs or treated with tryptase proteins, were activated to differentiate into myofibroblasts and secrete more ECM proteins (such as collagen and fibronectin). The underlying mechanism of fibroblast activation by tryptase was the activation of the PAR-2/Akt/mTOR pathway. CONCLUSIONS: We found that MC tryptase promotes inflammatory bowel disease-induced intestinal fibrosis. The underlying mechanism is that tryptase promotes the differentiation of fibroblasts into fibrotic-phenotype myofibroblasts by activating the PAR-2/Akt/ mTOR pathway of fibroblasts.

Comparison of microbial communities and amino acid metabolites in different traditional fermentation starters used during the fermentation of Hong Qu glutinous rice wine.

Hong Qu glutinous rice wine (HQGRW) is produced from glutinous rice with the addition of the traditional fermentation starter Hong Qu (mainly Gutian Hong Qu and Wuyi Hong Qu) has been added. It is unpalatable and rejected by consumers because the bitter and umami tastes are too high. The objective of this study was to compare the dynamics of the microbial communities and amino acids especially those in the different traditional fermentation starters used during HQGRW fermentation, and elucidate the key microbes responsible for amino acids. Three widely-used types of Hong Qu starters were used which can make different bitterness and umami in our previous studies, namely, black Wuyi Hong Qu (WB), red Wuyi Hong Qu (WR), and Gutian Hong Qu (GT). The living dynamics of fungal and bacterial communities during the fermentation were determined by high-throughput sequencing and rRNA gene sequencing technology for the first time. The content of amino acids in the HQGRW were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The results showed that there were differences between fungal communities during the fermentation process in Wuyi Hong Qu and Gutian Hong Qu starters and between bacterial communities during the fermentation process in the three types of starters. The amino acid content of the samples showed an increasing trend in each group. The total amino acids, as well as the bitter, sweet, umami, astringent amino acids, in the GT Hong Qu group increased more slowly during fermentation, as comparerd to those in WB and WR groups. Furthermore, Meyerozyma, Saccharomyces, Bacillus, Rhizopus, Pediococcus, Monascus, and Halomonas were strongly positively correlated with the content of bitter and umami amino acids (|r| > 0.6 with FDR adjusted P < 0.05) by Spearman's correlation analysis. To conclude, these findings may contribute to a better understanding of the bitter and umami amino acid production mechanism during traditional fermentation and helpful in improving the taste of HQGRW.

Specific Patterns of Spinal Metabolite Ratio Underlying α-Me-5-HT-evoked Pruritus Compared with Compound 48/80 Based on Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Mechanisms of pruritus are implicated in the dysregulation of the metabolites in the spinal cord. We investigated pruritus behavioral testing in three groups of young adult male C57Bl/6 mice, including one group treated with normal saline, while the other groups intradermally injected with α-Me-5-HT (histamine-independent pruritogen), compound 48/80 (histamine-dependent pruritogen) at the nape skin of the neck, respectively. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to compare spinal metabolites from the vertebral cervical among three groups, and to study the association of spinal metabolite ratio and pruritus intensity. The MRS-measured N-acetylaspartate-to-myoinositol ratio (NAA/Ins) was significantly correlated with the number of scratches between normal saline group and 48/80 group or α-Me-5-HT group (both P<0.0001), indicating that NAA/Ins may be a robust surrogate marker of histamine-independent/dependent pruritogen. There was significant difference in Glu/Ins between normal saline group and 48/80 group (P=0.017), indicating that Glu/Ins may be a surrogate marker of histamine-dependent pruritogen, while GABA/Ins was highly significantly different between normal saline group and α-Me-5-HT group (P=0.008), suggesting that GABA/Ins may be a surrogate marker of histamine-independent pruritogen. MRS may reflect the extent of pruritus intensity elicited by α-Me-5-HT and compound 48/80 with sensitivity similar to the number of scratches, and above potential markers need to be further validated in pre-clinical and clinical treatment trials.