Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements and clinical symptoms in prediabetes: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Prediabetes mellitus (PDM) and impaired glucose regulation precedes diabetes and serve as early warning signals. A 2018 Chinese epidemiological survey reported prediabetes at 25.5% prevalence and type 2 diabetes at 10.8%, respectively. Untreated carries one-third of the risk of diabetes progression. This study aimed to understand traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in PDM to guide clinical practice and diabetes prevention. METHODS: We systematically searched the Chinese and English literature in PubMed, EMBASE, Sinomed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang until March 31, 2023. We manually explored the Chinese prediabetes literature, trial registrations, and references, adhering to predefined criteria. The results were independently summarized by 2 researchers. Statistical analysis was performed using EXCEL, IBM SPSS 27.0, and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0, with data mining techniques including association and cluster analysis. RESULTS: Analysis of 23 clinical trials (8943 patients) identified phlegm dampness syndrome as predominant, with qi deficiency, dampness, and phlegm as the principal pathogenic elements. Spleen syndrome elements dominated, with a priori correlation analysis favoring spleen dampness. The prevalent PDM clinical symptoms include amnesia, mental fatigue, limb fatigue, dizziness, and lumbar discomfort. CONCLUSION: Prediabetes is strongly associated with spleen dampness, highlighting its role. Common traditional Chinese medicine syndrome elements include qi deficiency, phlegm, and dampness. Clinical diagnosis and treatment should prioritize syndrome differentiation and emphasize spleen-focused approaches. Although limited research exists on prediabetes syndromes, further exploration of PDM and spleen dampness is crucial.

Enhancing the stability of O/W emulsions by the interactions of casein/carboxymethyl chitosan and its application in whole nutrient emulsions.

The influence of Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) on the emulsification stability mechanism of casein (CN) and its effects on the stability of whole nutrient emulsions were investigated. The complex solutions of CN and CMCS were prepared and the turbidity, ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectrum, fluorescence spectrum, circular dichroism (CD) spectrum, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum, interfacial tension and microstructural observations were used to study the inter-molecular interaction of CMCS and CN. The effects of CMCS on the emulsion stability of CN were further analyzed by particle size, ζ-potential, instability index and rheological properties. Moreover, the accelerated stability of whole nutrient emulsions prepared by CMCS and CN was evaluated. The results revealed that CN-CMCS complexes were mainly formed by hydrogen bonding. The stability of the CN-CMCS composite emulsions were improved, as evidenced by the interfacial tension decreasing from 165.96 mN/m to 158.49 mN/m, the particle size decreasing from 45.85 µm to 12.98 µm, and the absolute value of the potential increasing from 29.8 mV to 33.5 mV. The stability of whole nutrient emulsion was also significantly enhanced by the addition of CN-CMCS complexes. Therefore, CN-CMCS complex could be served as a novel emulsifier to improve the stability of O/W emulsions.

Deletion variants calling in third-generation sequencing data based on a dual-attention mechanism.

Deletion is a crucial type of genomic structural variation and is associated with numerous genetic diseases. The advent of third-generation sequencing technology has facilitated the analysis of complex genomic structures and the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying phenotypic changes and disease onset due to genomic variants. Importantly, it has introduced innovative perspectives for deletion variants calling. Here we propose a method named Dual Attention Structural Variation (DASV) to analyze deletion structural variations in sequencing data. DASV converts gene alignment information into images and integrates them with genomic sequencing data through a dual attention mechanism. Subsequently, it employs a multi-scale network to precisely identify deletion regions. Compared with four widely used genome structural variation calling tools: cuteSV, SVIM, Sniffles and PBSV, the results demonstrate that DASV consistently achieves a balance between precision and recall, enhancing the F1 score across various datasets. The source code is available at https://github.com/deconvolution-w/DASV.

m6A Reader HNRNPC Facilitates Adipogenesis by Regulating Cytoskeletal Remodeling through Enhanced Lcp1 mRNA Stability.

Reduced adipogenesis is a prominent characteristic of aging adipose tissue and is closely tied to the development of metabolic disorders associated with aging. Epigenetic modification plays a crucial role in the aging process, yet the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent RNA modification, in regulating adipose tissue aging remains uncertain. Our study found that levels of m6A and its recognition protein, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (HNRNPC), decrease in adipose tissue as individuals age. Lower levels of HNRNPC were also linked to reduced adipogenesis during aging. Through loss and gain of function experiments with HNRNPC, we established a positive correlation between HNRNPC and adipogenesis in vitro. Hnrnpc-APKO mice displayed decreased adipogenesis, increased insulin resistance, elevated expression of aging-related and inflammation-related genes, decreased lipogenesis-related genes, and other metabolic disorders compared to their littermates. Additionally, we discovered that HNRNPC facilitated the stability of lymphocyte cytosolic protein 1 (Lcp1) mRNA by binding to the m6A motif of LCP1. Overexpression of LCP1 mitigated the inhibition of adipogenesis caused by decreased HNRNPC through modulation of cytoskeletal remodeling. Finally, our findings demonstrate that anti-aging treatments could enhance HNRNPC levels. In conclusion, HNRNPC is positively associated with reduced adipogenesis during aging, and increacing HNRNPC levels through anti-aging treatments highlights its potential as a therapeutic target for addressing metabolic imbalances in adipose tissue related to aging.

Formation, characterization, and application of natural bioactive phytosterol-based oleogels: A review.

Oleogels are innovative structured fat systems that can replace detrimental lipids and saturated fats. Among the various gelators used to construct oleogels, phytosterols are regarded as potential oleogelators due to ability to lower blood cholesterol levels and protect patients from cardiovascular illnesses, although little research has been conducted on phytosterols. This article examines the formation, characterization, and application of phytosterol-based oleogels in detail. The oleogelation behaviors of phytosterol-based oleogels are affected by their formulation, which includes phytosterol type, combined oleogelator, proportion, concentration and oil type. These oleogels exhibit potential applications as solid fat substitutes without affecting the texture or sensory properties of food products or as effective delivery vehicles. To encourage the research and implementation of phytosterol-based oleogels, we will ultimately not only highlight problems related to their use in food processing, but also provide a few viewpoints, with the goal of providing fresh insights for advancing trends.

Telo boxes within the AGAMOUS second intron recruit histone 3 lysine 27 methylation to increase petal number in rose (Rosa chinensis) in response to low temperatures.

The petals of rose (Rosa sp.) flowers determine the ornamental and industrial worth of this species. The number of petals in roses was previously shown to be subject to fluctuations in ambient temperature. However, the mechanisms by which rose detects and responds to temperature changes are not entirely understood. In this study, we identified short interstitial telomere motifs (telo boxes) in the second intron of AGAMOUS (RcAG) from China rose (Rosa chinensis) that play an essential role in precise temperature perception. The second intron of RcAG harbors two telo boxes that recruit telomere repeat binding factors (RcTRBs), which interact with CURLY LEAF (RcCLF) to compose a repressor complex. We show that this complex suppresses RcAG expression when plants are subjected to low temperatures via depositing H3K27me3 marks (trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3) over the RcAG gene body. This regulatory mechanism explains the low-temperature-dependent decrease in RcAG transcript levels, leading to the production of more petals under these conditions. Our results underscore an interesting intron-mediated regulatory mechanism governing RcAG expression, enabling rose plants to perceive temperature cues and establish petal numbers.

Neutrophils in cancer: dual roles through intercellular interactions.

Neutrophils, the most abundant immune cells in human blood, play crucial and diverse roles in tumor development. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer cells regulate the recruitment and behaviors of neutrophils, transforming some of them into a pro-tumor phenotype. Pro-tumor neutrophils interact with cancer cells in various ways to promote cancer initiation, growth, and metastasis, while anti-tumor neutrophils interact with cancer cells to induce senescence and death. Neutrophils can also interact with other cells in TME, including T cells, macrophages, stromal cells, etc. to exert anti- or pro-tumor functions. In this review, we will analyze the anti- and pro-tumor intercellular interactions mediated by neutrophils, with a focus on generalizing the mechanisms underlying the interaction of neutrophils with tumor cells and T cells. Furthermore, we will provide an overview of cancer treatment strategies targeting neutrophil-mediated cellular interactions.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of fatty acids from royal jelly and its effect on the structural and antioxidant property.

Fatty acids are the key active components in royal jelly (RJ) with various biological activities. In this study, a novel ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) method was established to extract fatty acids from RJ and their structural and antioxidant property were further evaluated. The optimum extraction conditions were as follows: liquid-to-solid ratio of 10:1, ultrasonic power of 450 W and ultrasonic duration of 20 min, resulting in a better extraction yield of 16.48 % and 10-hydroxy-2(E)-decenoic acid (10-HDA) content of 4.12 %. Furthermore, compared with the solvent extraction method, the antioxidant activity of extract by ultrasound was enhanced significantly by at least 448 %. GC-MS showed that ultrasound didn't change the chemical composition of fatty acids, while it significantly increased the content of fatty acids. SEM image illustrated that extracts by UAE showed a rougher, looser microstructure compared to the solvent method. Overall, UAE is a promising method to obtain fatty acids in RJ with high efficiency.

Tetrazine-Isonitrile Bioorthogonal Fluorogenic Reactions Enable Multiplex Labeling and Wash-Free Bioimaging of Live Cells.

Developing fluorogenic probes for simultaneous live cell labeling of multiple targets is crucial for understanding complex cellular events. The emerging [4+1] cycloaddition between tetrazine and isonitriles holds promise as a bioorthogonal tool, yet existing tetrazine probes lack reactivity and fluorogenicity. Here, we present the development of a series of tetrazine-functionalized bioorthogonal probes. By incorporating pyrazole adducts into the fluorophore scaffolds, the post-reacted probes displayed remarkable fluorescence turn-on ratios, up to 3184-fold. Moreover, these modifications are generalizable to various fluorophores, enabling a broad emission range from 473 to 659 nm. Quantum chemical calculations further elucidate the turn-on mechanisms. These probes enable the simultaneous labeling of multiple targets in live cells, without the need for a washing step. Consequently, our findings pave the way for advanced multiplex imaging and detection techniques for cellular studies.

L-GrAFT7 has High Accuracy in Predicting Early Allograft Failure after Liver Transplantation: A Multicenter Cohort Study in China.

Background and Aims: Increasing utilization of extended criteria donor leads to an increasing rate of early allograft failure after liver transplantation. However, consensus of definition of early allograft failure is lacking. Methods: A retrospective, multicenter study was performed to validate the Liver Graft Assessment Following Transplantation (L-GrAFT) risk model in a Chinese cohort of 942 adult patients undergoing primary liver transplantation at three Chinese centers. L-GrAFT (L-GrAFT7 and L-GrAFT10) was compared with existing models: the Early Allograft Failure Simplified Estimation (EASE) score, the model of early allograft function (MEAF), and the Early Allograft Dysfunction (EAD) model. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to find risk factors of L-GrAFT high-risk group. Results: L-GrAFT7 had an area under the curve of 0.85 in predicting 90-day graft survival, significantly superior to MEAF [area under the curve (AUC=0.78, p=0.044)] and EAD (AUC=0.78, p=0.006), while there was no statistical significance between the predicting abilities of L-GrAFT7 and EASE (AUC=0.84, p>0.05). Furthermore, L-GrAFT7 maintains good predicting ability in the subgroup of high-donor risk index (DRI) cases (AUC=0.83 vs. MEAF, p=0.007 vs. EAD, p=0.014) and recipients of donors after cardiac death (AUC=0.92 vs. EAD, p<0.001). Through multivariate analysis, pretransplant bilirubin level, units of packed red blood cells, and the DRI score were selected as independent risk factors of a L-GrAFT7 high-risk group. Conclusions: The accuracy of L-GrAFT7 in predicting early allograft failure was validated in a Chinese multicenter cohort, indicating that it has the potential to become an accurate endpoint of clinical practice and transitional study of machine perfusion.

A Preliminary Study on the Microwave Ablation of Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and safety of microwave ablation (MWA) for multifocal papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). METHODS: This was a retrospective study, and the data of patients who underwent MWA for multifocal PTMC from October 2016 to December 2021 were reviewed. After ablation, the changes in tumor size and volume, as well as the rates of technical success, tumor disappearance, disease progression, and complications, were assessed. According to the tumor location, the cases were further divided into a unilateral multifocal disease (UMD) subgroup and a bilateral multifocal disease (BMD) subgroup. Further analyses were carried out. RESULTS: There was a total of 94 cases enrolled in the present study, which included 24 males and 70 females. The median age was 40 years (22-66 years); the median follow-up time was 14 months (6-48 months). Complete ablation was achieved in all enrolled cases. Therefore, the technical success rate was 100%. Due to expanding ablation, the MD and volume of the ablation zone increased at the 1st and 3rd months after ablation and decreased from the 12th month after ablation (p < 0.05 for all). The total complete tumor disappearance rates were 45/94 (47.87%) overall, 40.625% (13/32) in the UMD subgroup and 51.61% (32/62) in the BMD subgroup (p = 0.312). The total disease progression rates were 4.26% (4/94) overall, 6.25% (2/32) in the UMD subgroup and 3.23% (2/62) in the BMD subgroup (p = 0.881). The overall complication rate was 4.26% (4/94). CONCLUSION: This preliminary study indicates that MWA is a safe and effective treatment for multifocal PTMC.

Design and synthesis of novel 3-amino-5-phenylpyrazole derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors targeting the colchicine-binding site.

As the basic unit of microtubules, tubulin is one of the most important targets in the study of anticarcinogens. A novel series of 3-amino-5-phenylpyrazole derivatives were designed and synthesized, and evaluates for their biological activities. Among them, a majority of compounds exerted excellent inhibitory activities against five cancer cell lines in vitro. Especially, compound 5b showed a strong antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 cells, with IC50 value of 38.37 nM. Further research indicated that compound 5b can inhibit the polymerization of tubulin targeting the tubulin colchicine-binding sites. Furthermore, 5b could arrest MCF-7 cells at the G2/M phase and induce MCF-7 cells apoptotic in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manners, and regulate the level of related proteins expression. Besides, compound 5b could inhibit the cancer cell migration and angiogenesis. In addition, 5b could inhibit tumor growth in MCF-7 xenograft model without obvious toxicity. All these results indicating that 5b could be a promising antitumor agent targeting tubulin colchicine-binding site and it was worth further study.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of liver transplant recipients infected by Omicron during the opening up of the dynamic zero-coronavirus disease policy in China: A prospective, observational study.

We analyzed the characteristics, risk factors, outcomes, and post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms in liver transplant recipients in China's late 2022 COVID-19 wave. Recipients with COVID-19 were enrolled from December 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, and followed up until May 31, 2023. Baseline and characteristic data were collected. A total of 930 recipients were included, with a vaccination rate (non-mRNA) of 40.0%. Among 726 (78.1%) recipients with COVID-19, 641 (88.3%) patients were treated at home, 81 (11.2%) patients required hospitalization in general wards, 4 (0.6%) patients required intensive care, and 1 (0.1%) patient died because of COVID-19. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection was related to close contact with confirmed cases (P < .001) and the condition of end-stage kidney disease (P < .046). Older age, male sex, less vaccination, and hypertension were independent risk factors for hospitalization. Fatigue (36.9%) was the most common symptom post-COVID-19, followed by memory loss (35.7%) and sleep disturbance (23.9%). Two doses of vaccines had a protective effect against these post-COVID-19 symptoms (P < .05). During this Omicron outbreak, liver transplant recipients were susceptible to COVID-19, with frequent hospitalization but low mortality. Two doses of non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could protect against liver transplant recipient hospitalization and post-COVID-19 symptoms.

[Mutational Signatures Analysis of Micropapillary Components and Exploration of ZNF469 Gene in Early-stage Lung Adenocarcinoma with Ground-glass Opacities].

BACKGROUND: In China, lung cancer remains the cancer with the highest incidence and mortality rate. Among early-stage lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD), the micropapillary (MPP) component is prevalent and typically exhibits high aggressiveness, significantly correlating with early metastasis, lymphatic infiltration, and reduced five-year survival rates. Therefore, the study is to explore the similarities and differences between MPP and non-micropapillary (non-MPP) components in malignant pulmonary nodules characterized by GGOs in early-stage LUAD, identify unique mutational features of the MPP component and analyze the relationship between the ZNF469 gene, a member of the zinc-finger protein family, and the prognosis of early-stage LUAD, as well as its correlation with immune infiltration. METHODS: A total of 31 malignant pulmonary nodules of LUAD were collected and dissected into paired MPP and non-MPP components using microdissection. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on the components of early-stage malignant pulmonary nodules. Mutational signatures analysis was conducted using R packages such as maftools, Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF), and Sigminer to unveil the genomic mutational characteristics unique to MPP components in invasive LUAD compared to other tumor tissues. Furthermore, we explored the expression of the ZNF469 gene in LUAD using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to investigate its potential association with the prognosis. We also investigated gene interaction networks and signaling pathways related to ZNF469 in LUAD using the GeneMANIA database and conducted Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Lastly, we analyzed the correlation between ZNF469 gene expression and levels of immune cell infiltration in LUAD using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. RESULTS: MPP components exhibited a higher number of genomic variations, particularly the 13th COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) mutational signature characterized by the activity of the cytidine deaminase APOBEC family, which was unique to MPP components compared to non-MPP components in tumor tissues. This suggests the potential involvement of APOBEC in the progression of MPP components in early-stage LUAD. Additionally, MPP samples with high similarity to APOBEC signature displayed a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB), indicating that these patients may be more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. The expression of ZNF469 was significantly upregulated in LUAD compared to normal tissue, and was associated with poor prognosis in LUAD patients (P<0.05). Gene interaction network analysis and GO/KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that COL6A1, COL1A1, COL1A2, TGFB2, MMP2, COL8A2 and C2CD4C interacted with ZNF469 and were mainly involved in encoding collagen proteins and participating in the constitution of extracellular matrix. ZNF469 expression was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration in LUAD (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study has unveiled distinctive mutational signatures in the MPP components of early-stage invasive LUAD in the Asian population. Furthermore, we have identified that the elevated expression of mutated ZNF469 impacts the prognosis and immune infiltration in LUAD, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in LUAD.

ATAD3A gene variations in a family with Harel-Yoon syndrome. / Harel-Yoon综合征一家系临床表型及ATAD3AåŸºå› å˜å¼‚åˆ†æž.

An 11-day-old female neonate was admitted for cough with mouth foaming and feeding difficulties. The laboratory results indicated hyperlactatemia, elevated markers of myocardial injury and inflammation, and high levels of acylcarnitine octanoylcarnitine and decanoylcarnitine in tandem mass spectrometry. Ultrasonography and MRI suggested cardiac insufficiency and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Whole exome sequencing showed that both the proband and her elderly sister had a compound heterozygous variant of c.1492dup (p.T498Nfs*13) and c.1376T>C (p.F459S) in the ATAD3A gene, inherited from their father and mother, respectively. The diagnosis of Harel-Yoon syndrome was confirmed. The proband and her sister were born with clinical manifestations of metabolic acidosis, hyperlactatemia, feeding difficulties, elevated markers of myocardial injury as well as cardiac insufficiency, and both died in early infancy.

Bioactive Peptide Recognition Based on NLP Pre-Train Algorithm.

Bioactive peptides are defined as peptide sequences within a protein that can regulate important bodily functions through their myriad activities. With the development of machine learning, more computational methods were proposed for bioactive peptides recognition so that this task does not only rely on tedious and time-consuming wet-experiment. But the training and testing process of existing models are limited to small datasets, which affects model performance. Inspired by the success of sequence classification in natural language processing with unlabeled data, we proposed a pre-training method for Bioactive peptides recognition. By pre-trained with large-scale of protein sequences, our method achieved the best performance in multiple functional peptides identification including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial peptides. Compared with the advanced model, our model's precision, coverage, accuracy and absolute true are improved by 7.2%, 6.9%, 6.1% and 4.2% in the result of 5-fold cross-validation. In addition, the results indicate the model has superior prediction performance in single functional peptides recognition, especially for anti-cancer peptides and anti-microbial peptides which with longer sequences.

Enhanced Metal-Support Interactions Boost the Electrocatalytic Water Splitting of Supported Ruthenium Nanoparticles on a Ni3 N/NiO Heterojunction at Industrial Current Density.

Developing highly efficient and stable hydrogen production catalysts for electrochemical water splitting (EWS) at industrial current densities remains a great challenge. Herein, we proposed a heterostructure-induced-strategy to optimize the metal-support interaction (MSI) and the EWS activity of Ru-Ni3 N/NiO. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations firstly predicted that the Ni3 N/NiO-heterostructures can improve the structural stability, electronic distributions, and orbital coupling of Ru-Ni3 N/NiO compared to Ru-Ni3 N and Ru-NiO, which accordingly decreases energy barriers and increases the electroactivity for EWS. As a proof-of-concept, the Ru-Ni3 N/NiO catalyst with a 2D Ni3 N/NiO-heterostructures nanosheet array, uniformly dispersed Ru nanoparticles, and strong MSI, was successfully constructed in the experiment, which exhibited excellent HER and OER activity with overpotentials of 190 mV and 385 mV at 1000 mA cm-2 , respectively. Furthermore, the Ru-Ni3 N/NiO-based EWS device can realize an industrial current density (1000 mA cm-2 ) at 1.74 V and 1.80 V under alkaline pure water and seawater conditions, respectively. Additionally, it also achieves a high durability of 1000 h (@ 500 mA cm-2 ) in alkaline pure water.

Assessment of toxic metal pollution in Yueqing Bay and the extent of metal-induced oxidative stress in Tegillarca granosa raised in this water.

Yueqing Bay is an important economic shellfish culture zone in Zhejiang Province, China. However, increased pollution in the water caused by toxic metals has led to the bioaccumulation of toxic metals in cockles such as Tegillarca granosa, and the consequence of toxic metal-associated toxicity in these animals. This study aimed to assess the concentration of toxic metals in the water and sediment in four different sites (Baisha, Qingjiang, Nanyue, and Wengyang) within Yueqing Bay and to evaluate the extent of metal bioaccumulation in T. granosa raised in the aquaculture farms located within the four sites, as well as the changes in biomarkers in T. granosa in response to the metals. The assessment was carried out at two different times of the year, January and July. The water and sediment samples taken from the aquaculture farms in Baisha (S1), Qingjiang (S2) and Nanyue (S3) were found to have a comprehensive toxic metal pollution index (Pc) <1, indicating that these farms were not polluted. However, the water and sediment samples taken from the aquaculture farm in Wengyang (S4) had a Pc between 1 and 2, indicating mild toxic metal pollution. The edible risk assessments (HQ) of T. granosa in all four farms were <1, and therefore, these cockles could be considered safe for human consumption. The toxic metal enrichment in T. granosa exhibited a strong correlation with the toxic metal content in the sediment. In all four farms, CAT and SOD activity levels in the visceral mass of T. granosa were higher than those found in the foot, and a significantly higher level of CAT activity was detected in July compared with January. Similarly, MDA and H2O2 contents in the visceral mass were also higher in July than in January. Tegillarca granosa individuals taken from S4 and S3 farms exhibited significantly higher levels of metallothionein (MT) mRNA and MDA compared with individuals from S1 and S2 farms. Furthermore, the levels of MDA and MT mRNA showed significant positive correlations with Cd, Cr, Hg, and Cu. Elevation of lipid peroxidation in these cockles coincided with increasing levels of endogenous antioxidants. The visceral mass of T. granosa and its MDA level could be used as a tissue indicator and a biochemical marker, respectively, for detecting toxic metal pollution. MT mRNA might also be used as a molecular marker of toxic metal pollution. The integrated biomarker response version 2 (IBRv2) values of the four aquaculture farms in Yueqing Bay showed the order S4 > S3 > S2 > S1, indicating that S4 had the most serious metal-induced stress. Furthermore, the IBRv2 values correlated with the Nemerow composite index (Pc) for all the cockles examined. Thus, as far as the contamination of aquaculture farms in Yueqing Bay by toxic metals is concerned, the aquaculture farm in Wengyang (S4) was mildly contaminated by toxic metals. However, the contamination was relatively low, presenting a low risk for the local population of T. granosa.

CircRNA-SCAF8 promotes vascular endothelial cell pyroptosis by regulating the miR-93-5p/TXNIP axis. / 环状RNA-SCAF8通过miR-93-5p/TXNIPé€šè·¯ä¿ƒè¿›è¡€ç®¡å† çš®ç»†èƒžç„¦äº¡.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role and mechanism of circRNA-SR-related CTD associated factor 8 (SCAF8) in regulating endothelial cell pyroptosis in high glucose environment. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured and divided into six groups. The normal control group and high glucose control group were cultured in cell culture medium with 5 and 33 mmol/L glucose, respectively. The RNA control group, circRNA-SCAF8 inhibition group, miR-93-5p overexpression group and miR-93-5p inhibition group were added with non-functional siRNA, circRNA-SCAF8 inhibitor, miR-93-5p overexpression molecule and miR-93-5p inhibitor in high glucose environment, respectively. Cell viability and pyroptosis were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide fluorescence double staining. Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect the expression of pyroptosis-related factors including apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), cysteine aspartic acid specific protease-1 (caspase-1) and Gasdermin D (GSDMD), NOD like receptor protein 3 (NLRP-3), thioredoxin interacting proteins (TXNIP), IL-18 and IL-1ß. The expression of circRNA-SCAF8, miR-93-5p and TXNIP was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to locate circRNA-SCAF8 and miR-93-5p. Dual luciferase assay was used to verify the targeted regulatory relationship between miR-93-5p and upstream and downstream molecules. RESULTS: Compared with the RNA control group, the cell survival rate of circRNA-SCAF8 inhibition group and miR-93-5p overexpression group increased (both P<0.01), the pyroptosis decreased (both P<0.01), and the expressions of pyroptosis-related factors such as TXNIP, NLRP-3, caspase-1, GSDMD, ASC, IL-18 and IL-1ß were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). The expression of miR-93-5p was significantly increased after inhibition of circRNA-SCAF8 (P<0.01), and the expression of circRNA-SCAF8 tended to decrease after overexpression of miR-93-5p, but with no statistical significance (P>0.05). Dual luciferase assay showed that miR-93-5p downre-gulated circRNA-SCAF8 expression by binding to the 3 ´ UTR region of circRNA-SCAF8, and miR-93-5p downregulated TXNIP expression by binding to the 3 ´ UTR region of TXNIP. FISH showed that circRNA-SCAF8 and miR-93-5p were both located in the cytoplasm and were highly associated in the cells. qRT-PCR showed that the relative expression of TXNIP increased or decreased after overexpression or inhibition of miR-93-5p compared with the RNA control group, respectively (both P<0.05), suggesting that miR-93-5p could regulate TXNIP gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: CircRNA-SCAF8/miR-93-5p/TXNIP axis is involved in the regulation of pyroptosis in HUVECs under high glucose.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of primary bypass surgery compared with bypass surgery after endovascular treatment in peripheral artery disease patients.

OBJECTIVE: Both bypass surgery and endovascular treatment are well-recognized interventions for the treatment of peripheral artery disease; however, the effect of failed endovascular treatment on subsequent surgeries remains controversial. A systematic review was conducted to compare the outcomes of primary bypass and bypass surgery after endovascular treatment. METHODS: Three academic databases (Embase, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched from their inception to August 2022. Two independent investigators searched for studies that reported the outcomes of primary bypass surgery and bypass surgery after endovascular treatment in patients with peripheral artery disease. Abstracts and full-text studies were screened independently using duplicate data abstraction. Dichotomous outcome measures were reported using a random-effects model to generate a summary odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: Seventeen retrospective observational studies were selected from 3911 articles and included 8064 patients, 6252 of whom underwent primary bypass surgery and 1812 underwent bypass surgery after endovascular treatment. The mean age was 69.0 years and 61.2% (n = 4938) were male. For perioperative outcomes, the 30-day results showed no difference in mortality (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-1.10), or amputation (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.67-1.20). For short- to mid-term outcomes, primary patency did not differ at 6 months (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.81-1.19), 1 year (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.97-1.30), or 2 years (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.85-1.61) follow-up. Amputation-free survival did not differ at 6 months (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.82-1.30), 1 year (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.89-1.32), 2 years (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.93-1.50), or 3 years (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.84-1.40) of follow-up. No significant difference was found in overall survival or second patency. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis of retrospective, nonrandomized, observational studies suggests that prior endovascular treatment of lower extremity arterial disease does not result in worse perioperative, short-term, or mid-term clinical outcomes of subsequent infrainguinal bypass surgery compared with patients without prior endovascular treatment.