Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclohexene Oxide and Cycloaddition with CO2 Catalyzed by Amine Triphenolate Iron(III) Complexes.

A series of novel amine triphenolate iron complexes were synthesized and characterized using UV, IR, elemental analysis, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. These complexes were applied to the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclohexene oxide (CHO), demonstrating excellent activity (TOF > 11050 h-1) in the absence of a co-catalyst. In addition, complex C1 maintained the dimer in the presence of the reaction substrate CHO, catalyzing the ring-opening polymerization of CHO to PCHO through bimetallic synergy. Furthermore, a two-component system consisting of iron complexes and TBAB displayed the ability to catalyze the reaction of CHO with CO2, resulting in the formation of cis-cyclic carbonate with high selectivity. Complex C4 exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving 80% conversion of CHO at a CHO/C4/TBAB molar ratio of 2000/1/8 and a CO2 pressure of 3 MPa for 16 h at 100 °C, while maintaining >99% selectivity of cis-cyclic carbonates, which demonstrated good conversion and selectivity.

Identification and Functional Analysis of a de novo IKZF3 Mutation in a Pediatric Patient with Combined Immunodeficiency.

AIOLOS, a vital member of the IKAROS protein family, plays a significant role in lymphocyte development and function through DNA binding and protein-protein interactions. Mutations in the IKZF3 gene, which encodes AIOLOS, lead to a rare combined immunodeficiency often linked with infections and malignancy. In this study, we evaluated a 1-year-4-month-old female patient presenting with recurrent infections, diarrhea, and failure to thrive. Laboratory investigations revealed decreased T lymphocyte and immunoglobulin levels. Through whole-exome and Sanger sequencing, we discovered a de novo mutation in IKZF3 (NM_012481; exon 5 c.571G > C, p.Gly191Arg), corresponding to the third DNA-binding zinc finger region of the encoded protein AIOLOS. Notably, the patient with the AIOLOS G191R mutation showed reduced recent thymic emigrants in naïve CD4+T cells compared to healthy counterparts of the same age, while maintaining normal levels of Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, and Tfh cells. This mutation also resulted in decreased switched memory B cells and lower CD23 and IgM expression. In vitro studies revealed that AIOLOS G191R does not impact the expression of AIOLOS but compromises its stability, DNA binding and pericentromeric targeting. Furthermore, AIOLOS G191R demonstrated a dominant-negative effect over the wild-type protein. This case represents the first reported instance of a mutation in the third DNA-binding zinc finger region of AIOLOS highlighting its pivotal role in immune cell functionality.

Toxic nonpreferred species accelerate the natural restoration of plant productivity and diversity in degraded grasslands.

Long-term overgrazing may lead to the degradation of grasslands which are often characterized by an increase in nonpreferred species, especially toxic plants. However, the impact of these toxic nonpreferred species on the restoration processes of degraded grasslands is not well understood, particularly their interactions with soil properties and other plant functional groups. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted an in situ grazing exclusion experiment in a temperate degraded grassland of Inner Mongolia, China. The objective of this study was to investigate how toxic nonpreferred plants influence the recovery of plant diversity and productivity in degraded grasslands and whether these effects can be explained by changes in soil properties. Our findings revealed that Stellera chamaejasme, a toxic nonpreferred species widely distributed in North China, directly altered plant community composition and improved species diversity in degraded grasslands dominated by Asteraceae plants. The presence of S. chamaejasme could inhibit Asteraceae abundance and increase soil copper content in this study area, because Asteraceae plants have a high copper accumulation capacity. Within the communities with S. chamaejasme, the alleviation of soil copper limitation to plants may subsequently enhance the abundance and aboveground productivity of Poaceae and Forbs. Our study demonstrated that the strong direct and indirect interactions of toxic nonpreferred species with other ecosystem components promoted competitive release in terms of biomass accumulation and species diversity. The change of soil limiting microelements content caused by toxic species exerts an important mediation function during the recovery process of degraded grasslands. Thus, these toxic nonpreferred species can act primarily as accelerators for the restoration of community structure and ecosystem function in degraded grasslands.

Organellophagy regulates cell death:A potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated alterations in organelle structure and function have a significant connection with cell death, as well as the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases. Maintaining cell viability and inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines are essential measures to treat inflammatory diseases. Recently, many studies have showed that autophagy selectively targets dysfunctional organelles, thereby sustaining the functional stability of organelles, alleviating the release of multiple cytokines, and maintaining organismal homeostasis. Organellophagy dysfunction is critically engaged in different kinds of cell death and inflammatory diseases. AIM OF REVIEW: We summarized the current knowledge of organellophagy (e.g., mitophagy, reticulophagy, golgiphagy, lysophagy, pexophagy, nucleophagy, and ribophagy) and the underlying mechanisms by which organellophagy regulates cell death. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: We outlined the potential role of organellophagy in the modulation of cell fate during the inflammatory response to develop an intervention strategy for the organelle quality control in inflammatory diseases.

Biogated mesoporous silica nanoagents for inhibition of cell migration and combined cancer therapy.

Migration is an initial step in tumor expansion and metastasis; suppressing cellular migration is beneficial to cancer therapy. Herein, we designed a novel biogated nanoagents that integrated the migration inhibitory factor into the mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) drug delivery nanosystem to realize cell migratory inhibition and synergistic treatment. Antisense oligonucleotides (Anti) of microRNA-330-3p, which is positively related with cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, not only acted as the locker for blocking drugs but also acted as the inhibitory factor for suppressing migration via gene therapy. Synergistic with gene therapy, the biogated nanoagents (termed as MSNs-Gef-Anti) could achieve on-demand drug release based on the intracellular stimulus-recognition and effectively kill tumor cells. Experimental results synchronously demonstrated that the migration suppression ability of MSNs-Gef-Anti nanoagents (nearly 30%) significantly contributed to cancer therapy, and the lethality rate of the non-small-cell lung cancer was up to 70%. This strategy opens avenues for realizing efficacious cancer therapy and should provide an innovative way for pursuing the rational design of advanced nano-therapeutic platforms with the combination of cancer cell migratory inhibition.

Layer-by-Layer Construction of Antibacterial and Anticoagulant Blood Contacting Materials.

Vascular transplantation is a common treatment for Cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the mismatch of mechanical, structural, or microenvironmental properties of materials limits the clinical application. Therefore, the functional construction of artificial vessels or other blood contact materials remains an urgent challenge. In this paper, the composite nanofibers of polycaprolactone (PCL) with dopamine and polyethylenimine (PEI) coating are first prepared, which are further self-assembled by anticoagulant hirudin (rH) and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) of HHC36 through layer-by-layer (LBL) method. The results of FTIR and XPS analysis show that hirudin and AMP are successfully loaded on PEI-PDA/PCL nanofibers and the hydrophilicity is improved. They also show good mechanical properties that the ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break are better than natural blood vessels. The antibacterial results show that the antibacterial effect is still 93% against E. coli on the fifth day because of the stable and continuous release of HHC36 and rH. The performance of anticoagulant activity also exhibited the same results, which APTT is even 9.7s longer in the experimental group than the control group on the fifth day. The novel materials would be effectively solve the formation of thrombosis around artificial blood vessel grafts and the treatment of inflammation.

m6A demethylation of FOSL1 mRNA protects hepatoma cells against necrosis under glucose deprivation.

Stress-adaptive mechanisms enabling cancer cells to survive under glucose deprivation remain elusive. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification plays important roles in determining cancer cell fate and cellular stress response to nutrient deficiency. However, whether m6A modification functions in the regulation of cancer cell survival under glucose deprivation is unknown. Here, we found that glucose deprivation reduced m6A modification levels. Increasing m6A modification resulted in increased hepatoma cell necrosis under glucose deprivation, whereas decreasing m6A modification had an opposite effect. Integrated m6A-seq and RNA-seq revealed potential targets of m6A modification under glucose deprivation, including the transcription factor FOSL1; further, glucose deprivation upregulated FOSL1 by inhibiting FOSL1 mRNA decay in an m6A-YTHDF2-dependent manner through reducing m6A modification in its exon1 and 5'-UTR regions. Functionally, FOSL1 protected hepatoma cells against glucose deprivation-induced necrosis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, FOSL1 transcriptionally repressed ATF3 by binding to its promoter. Meanwhile, ATF3 and MAFF interacted via their leucine zipper domains to form a heterodimer, which competed with NRF2 for binding to antioxidant response elements in the promoters of NRF2 target genes, thereby inhibiting their transcription. Consequently, FOSL1 reduced the formation of the ATF3-MAFF heterodimer, thereby enhancing NRF2 transcriptional activity and the antioxidant capacity of glucose-deprived-hepatoma cells. Thus, FOSL1 alleviated the necrosis-inducing effect of glucose deprivation-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation. Collectively, our study uncovers the protective role of m6A-FOSL1-ATF3 axis in hepatoma cell necrosis under glucose deprivation, and may provide new targets for cancer therapy.

Efficacy and safety of novel immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combinations versus chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: A network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) have an exceptionally poor prognosis and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with etoposide-platinum is recommended as standard first-line therapy. However, which combination pattern is the best still remains unknown. This network meta-analysis was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of currently available patterns including an antiangiogenic agent containing regimen and probed into the most appropriate therapy for patients. METHODS: Hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) were generated using R software. The outcomes of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events of grade 3 or higher (grade ≥ 3 adverse events [AEs]) were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 5544 patients were included for analysis. Drug combination patterns included adebrelimab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, serplulimab, benmelstobart plus anlotinib, tislelizumab, tiragolumab plus atezolizumab and toripalimab in combination with chemotherapy. The novel antiangiogenic agent containing regimen benmelstobart + anlotinib + chemotherapy showed the highest possibility to present the best PFS and OS versus chemotherapy. Compared with ICI plus chemotherapy, it also achieved significantly better PFS and presented a tendency of OS benefit. As for safety and toxicity, patients treated with benmelstobart + anlotinib + chemotherapy and durvalumab + tremelimumab + chemotherapy suffered a higher likelihood of more grade ≥ 3 AEs without unexpected AEs. CONCLUSION: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors-based combinations are associated with significant improvement in both PFS and OS for treatment-naïve ES-SCLC patients. Benmelstobart plus anlotinib with chemotherapy (CT) yielded better survival benefit versus CT alone or other ICIs + CT with caution for more adverse effects along with the addition of an antiangiogenic agent.

Stress reduction through cortical bone thickening improves bone mechanical behavior in adult female Beclin-1+/- mice.

Fragility fractures, which are more prevalent in women, may be significantly influenced by autophagy due to altered bone turnover. As an essential mediator of autophagy, Beclin-1 modulates bone homeostasis by regulating osteoclast and chondrocyte differentiation, however, the alteration in the local bone mechanical environment in female Beclin-1+/- mice remains unclear. In this study, our aim is to investigate the biomechanical behavior of femurs from seven-month-old female wild-type (WT) and Beclin-1+/- mice under peak physiological load, using finite element analysis on micro-CT images. Micro-CT imaging analyses revealed femoral cortical thickening in Beclin-1+/- female mice compared to WT. Three-point bending test demonstrated a 63.94% increase in whole-bone strength and a 61.18% increase in stiffness for female Beclin-1+/- murine femurs, indicating improved biomechanical integrity. After conducting finite element analysis, Beclin-1+/- mice exhibited a 26.99% reduction in von Mises stress and a 31.62% reduction in maximum principal strain in the femoral midshaft, as well as a 36.64% decrease of von Mises stress in the distal femurs, compared to WT mice. Subsequently, the strength-safety factor was determined using an empirical formula, revealing that Beclin-1+/- mice exhibited significantly higher minimum safety factors in both the midshaft and distal regions compared to WT mice. In summary, considering the increased response of bone adaptation to mechanical loading in female Beclin-1+/- mice, our findings indicate that increasing cortical bone thickness significantly improves bone biomechanical behavior by effectively reducing stress and strain within the femoral shaft.

Tannic acid alleviates 3-nitropropionic acid-induced ovarian damage in Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii).

Tannic acid (TA) is a polyphenol with antioxidant properties present in various plants. In this study, we explored the protective effect of TA against ovarian oxidative stress in Brandt's voles and its underlying mechanism. At various doses, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA) was intraperitoneally injected into Brandt's voles to simulate ovarian oxidative stress. Thereafter, various doses of TA were intragastrically administered to examine the protective effect of TA against 3-NPA-induced ovarian damage. Changes in inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis, and oxidative stress-related factors were investigated through various biochemical and histological techniques. Ovarian oxidative stress was successfully induced by the intraperitoneal administration of 12.5 mg/kg 3-NPA for 18 days. As a result, the ovarian coefficient decreased and ovarian tissue fibrosis was induced. TA treatment effectively alleviated the increase in luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels; the decrease in estradiol, progesterone, and anti-Müllerian hormone levels; and the decline in fertility induced by 3-NPA. Compared to that in the 3-NPA group, TA decreased the expression of autophagy-related proteins beclin-1 and LC3, as well as the level of apoptosis. It also activated the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, downregulated PTEN and p-NF-κB expression, and upregulated Nrf2 expression. In conclusion, our findings indicate that TA could inhibit autophagy via the regulation of AKT/mTOR signaling, suppressing oxidative damage and inflammatory responses through Nrf2 to alleviate 3-NPA-induced ovarian damage. Collectively, the current findings highlight the protective effects of TA in Brandt's vole, where it promotes the maintenance of normal ovarian function.

Irisin alters D-galactose-induced apoptosis by increasing caveolin-1 expression in C2C12 myoblasts and skeletal muscle fibroblasts.

Muscle atrophy and skeletal muscle fibrosis are significant pathological manifestations of primary sarcopenia. The regulation of C2C12 myoblast and skeletal muscle fibroblast apoptosis is associated with these pathological changes. Previous studies have indicated that irisin, the cleaved form of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), can alleviate primary sarcopenia. However, the mechanisms of the effect of irisin in age-related apoptosis remain unknown. Our present research aimed to explore the effect of irisin and the underlying mechanism of D-galactose (D-gal)-induced apoptosis in skeletal muscle fibroblasts and C2C12 myoblasts. We found the opposite effects of D-gal on C2C12 myoblasts and fibroblasts. We also found that irisin suppressed C2C12 cell apoptosis and promoted fibroblast apoptosis. Mechanistically, irisin altered D-gal-induced apoptosis by increasing caveolin-1 expression. Taken together, these findings further demonstrated that irisin is a potential agent that can treat aged-relative muscle atrophy and fibrosis.

Microbial metabolite deoxycholic acid-mediated ferroptosis exacerbates high-fat diet-induced colonic inflammation.

High-fat diet (HFD) has long been recognized as risk factors for the development and progression of ulcerative colitis (UC), but the exact mechanism remained elusive. Here, HFD increased intestinal deoxycholic acid (DCA) levels, and DCA further exacerbated colonic inflammation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that DCA triggered ferroptosis pathway in colitis mice. Mechanistically, DCA upregulated hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) and divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT1) expression, causing the ferrous ions accumulation and ferroptosis in intestinal epithelial cells, which was reversed by ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1. DCA failed to promote colitis and ferroptosis in intestine-specific HIF-2α-null mice. Notably, byak-angelicin inhibited DCA-induced pro-inflammatory and pro-ferroptotic effects through blocking the up-regulation of HIF-2α by DCA. Moreover, fat intake was positively correlated with disease activity in UC patients consuming HFD, with ferroptosis being more pronounced. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that HFD exacerbated colonic inflammation by promoting DCA-mediated ferroptosis, providing new insights into diet-related bile acid dysregulation in UC.

Expression of USP25 associates with fibrosis, inflammation and metabolism changes in IgG4-related disease.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) has complex clinical manifestations ranging from fibrosis and inflammation to deregulated metabolism. The molecular mechanisms underpinning these phenotypes are unclear. In this study, by using IgG4-RD patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), IgG4-RD cell lines and Usp25 knockout mice, we show that ubiquitin-specific protease 25 (USP25) engages in multiple pathways to regulate fibrotic and inflammatory pathways that are characteristic to IgG4-RD. Reduced USP25 expression in IgG4-RD leads to increased SMAD3 activation, which contributes to fibrosis and induces inflammation through the IL-1ß inflammatory axis. Mechanistically, USP25 prevents ubiquitination of RAC1, thus, downregulation of USP25 leads to ubiquitination and degradation of RAC1. Decreased RAC1 levels result in reduced aldolase A release from the actin cytoskeleton, which then lowers glycolysis. The expression of LYN, a component of the B cell receptor signalosome is also reduced in USP25-deficient B cells, which might result in B cell activation deficiency. Altogether, our results indicate a potential anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic role for USP25 and make USP25 a promising diagnostic marker and potential therapeutic target in IgG4-RD.

Long-term variations in surface ozone at the Longfengshan Regional Atmosphere Background Station in Northeast China and related influencing factors.

Surface ozone (O3) is a crucial air pollutant that affects air quality, human health, agricultural production, and climate change. Studies on long-term O3 variations and their influencing factors are essential for understanding O3 pollution and its impact. Here, we conducted an analysis of long-term variations in O3 during 2006-2022 at the Longfengshan Regional Atmosphere Background Station (LFS; 44.44°N, 127.36°E, 330.5 m a.s.l.) situated on the northeastern edge of the Northeast China Plains. The maximum daily 8-h average (MDA8) O3 fluctuated substantially, with the annual MDA8 decreasing significantly during 2006-2015 (-0.62 ppb yr-1, p < 0.05), jumping during 2015-2016 and increasing clearly during 2020-2022. Step multiple linear regression models for MDA8 were obtained using meteorological variables, to decompose anthropogenic and meteorological contributions to O3 variations. Anthropogenic activities acted as the primary drivers of the long-term trends of MDA8 O3, contributing 73% of annual MDA8 O3 variability, whereas meteorology played less important roles (27%). Elevated O3 at LFS were primarily associated with airflows originating from the North China Plain, Northeast China Plain, and coastal areas of North China, primarily occurring during the warm months (May-October). Based on satellite products of NO2 and HCHO columns, the O3 photochemical regimes over LFS revealed NOx-limited throughout the period. NO2 increased first, reaching peak in 2011, followed by substantial decrease; while HCHO exhibited significant increase, contributing to decreasing trend in MDA8 O3 during 2006-2015. The plateauing NO2 and decreasing HCHO may contribute to the increase in MDA8 O3 in 2016. Subsequently, both NO2 and HCHO exhibited notable fluctuations, leading to significant changes in O3. The study results fill the gap in the understanding of long-term O3 trends in high-latitude areas in the Northeast China Plain and offer valuable insights for assessing the impact of O3 on crop yields, forest productivity, and climate change.

Ferrate(VI)/percarbonate for the oxidation of micropollutants: Interactive activation and release of low-concentration hydrogen peroxide for efficient electron utilization.

A novel "ferrate/percarbonate (Fe(VI)/SPC) co-oxidation process" was used to treat ciprofloxacin (CIP) and various micropollutants (MPs), which owned better performance than mixture of Fe(VI), Na2CO3 and H2O2. The mechanism investigation found that the low-concentration H2O2 (1-2 µM) released by SPC can promote the high-valent iron intermediates (Fe(IV)/Fe(V)) of Fe(VI) to the MP oxidation, and Fe(VI) products can also activate SPC to produce hydroxyl radical (·OH). The interactive activation of Fe(VI) and SPC was realized, which retained the high selectivity of Fe(VI) to electron-rich pollutants, and also made up the oxidation of electron-deficient pollutants through •OH, improving the degradation effect of various MPs by 20-30%, and the rate constant was increased by 1 to 3 times. Moreover, non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC) determination confirmed that â€¢OH participation reduced the NPOC value of CIP from 5.43 mg/L to 4.37 mg/L. The transformation pathway of CIP showed that Fe(VI)/SPC resulted in more hydroxylation intermediates of CIP than Fe(VI) alone. Acute toxicity assays found that the photoinhibition rate of CIP treated with Fe(VI) alone was 14.5%, while the sample treated with Fe(VI)/SPC showed no significant photoinhibition effect, which proved that the new process had good detoxification properties for CIP.

CircFOXO3 mediates hypoxia-induced autophagy of endometrial stromal cells in endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease that shares some common features of malignancy. Autophagy plays vital roles in endometriosis and influences endometrial cell metastasis, and hypoxia was identified as the initiator of this pathological process through hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). A newly discovered circular RNA FOXO3 (circFOXO3) is critical in cell autophagy, migration, and invasion of various diseases and is reported to be related to hypoxia, although its role in endometriosis remains to be elucidated up to now. In this study, a lower circFOXO3 expression in ectopic endometrium was investigated. Furthermore, we verified that circFOXO3 could regulate autophagy by downregulating the level of p53 protein to mediate the migration and invasion of human endometrial stromal cells (T HESCs). Additionally, the effects of HIF-1α on circFOXO3 and autophagy were examined in T HESCs. Notably, overexpression of HIF-1α could induce autophagy and inhibit circFOXO3 expression, whereas overexpressing of circFOXO3 under hypoxia significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced autophagy. Mechanistically, the direct combination between HIF-1α and HIF-1α-binding site on adenosine deaminase 1 acting on RNA (ADAR1) promoter increased the level of ADAR1 protein, which bind directly with circFOXO3 pre-mRNA to block the cyclization of circFOXO3. All these results support that hypoxia-mediated ADAR1 elevation inhibited the expression of circFOXO3, and then autophagy was induced upon loss of circFOXO3 via inhibition of p53 degradation, participating in the development of endometriosis.

Decoupling and Parameter Extraction Methods for Conical Micro-Motion Object Based on FMCW Lidar.

Micro-Doppler time-frequency analysis has been regarded as an important parameter extraction method for conical micro-motion objects. However, the micro-Doppler effect caused by micro-motion can modulate the frequency of lidar echo, leading to coupling between structure and micro-motion parameters. Therefore, it is difficult to extract parameters for micro-motion cones. We propose a new method for parameter extraction by combining the range profile of a micro-motion cone and the micro-Doppler time-frequency spectrum. This method can effectively decouple and accurately extract the structure and the micro-motion parameters of cones. Compared with traditional time-frequency analysis methods, the accuracy of parameter extraction is higher, and the information is richer. Firstly, the range profile of the micro-motion cone was obtained by using an FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) lidar based on simulation. Secondly, quantitative analysis was conducted on the edge features of the range profile and the micro-Doppler time-frequency spectrum. Finally, the parameters of the micro-motion cone were extracted based on the proposed decoupling parameter extraction method. The results show that our method can effectively extract the cone height, the base radius, the precession angle, the spin frequency, and the gravity center height within the range of a lidar LOS (line of sight) angle from 20° to 65°. The average absolute percentage error can reach below 10%. The method proposed in this paper not only enriches the detection information regarding micro-motion cones, but also improves the accuracy of parameter extraction and establishes a foundation for classification and recognition. It provides a new technical approach for laser micro-Doppler detection in accurate recognition.

Bone age assessment based on different MRI modalities of the proximal humerus epiphysis: the comparisons of T1WI, T2WI, and PDWI.

Bone age assessment (BAA) is crucial in various fields, including legal proceedings, athletic competitions, and clinical medicine. However, the use of X-ray methods for age estimation without medical indication is subject to ethical debate, especially in forensic and athletic fields. The application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with non-ionizing radiation can overcome this limitation in BAA. This study aimed to compare the application value of several MRI modalities of proximal humeral in BAA. A total of 468 patients with shoulder MRIs were retrospectively collected from a Chinese Han population aged 12-30 years (259 males and 209 females) for training and testing, including T1 weighted MRI (T1WI), T2 weighted MRI (T2WI), and Proton density weighted MRI (PDWI). Optimal regression models were established for age estimation, yielding mean absolute error (MAE) values below 2.0 years. The MAE values of T1WI were the lowest, with 1.700 years in males and 1.798 years in females. The area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy values of different MRI modalities of 16-year and 18-year thresholds were all around 0.9. For the 18-year threshold, T1WI outperformed T2WI and PDWI. In conclusion, the three MRI modalities of the proximal humerus can serve as reliable indicators for age assessment, while the T1WI performed better in age assessment and classification.

RNA-seq transcriptome analysis provides new insights into the negative effects of tannic acid on the intestinal function of Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii).

Tannic acid (TA), a significant plant secondary metabolite, is contained in the daily food of Brandt's voles. Its adverse effect on gut function has been shown in earlier research, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain uncertain. In this study, male Brandt's vole (13 weeks old) were divided into two groups and given 0 (control) or 1,200 (TA-treated) mg•kg-1 TA for 18 days. Then RNA sequencing was used to conduct a thorough transcriptome analysis on the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of Brandt's voles. Results showed that TA significantly increased serum total cholesterol concentration (P < 0.05) and decreased the nutrient digestibility (P < 0.05) of Brandt's voles. Furthermore, there were 174 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the duodenum, 96 DEGs in the jejunum, and 88 DEGs in the ileum between the control and TA-treated groups. Enrichment analysis revealed that many genes associated with bile secretion, fat digestion and absorption, innate immune response, and tight junction such as ABCG2, ABCG8, PEAK1, and IFR2, etc. were altered after TA treatment, which were verified by quantitative real-time PCR. These findings suggested that TA can change the expression of intestinal genes, thereby, altering nutrition metabolism and immunological function, eventually hindering the growth of Brandt's voles. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for explaining how TA affects the gut function of Brandt's voles at the molecular level.