Construction of dual Z-scheme Ag3VO4-BiVO4/InVO4 photocatalysts using vanadium source from spent catalysts for contaminated water treatment and bacterial inactivation.

Vanadate-based photocatalysts have recently attracted substantial attention owing to their outstanding photocatalytic activity for degrading organic pollutants and generating energy via photocatalytic processes. However, the relatively high price of vanadium has hindered the development of vanadate-based photocatalysts for various applications. Spent catalysts obtained from oil refineries typically contain a significant quantity of vanadium, making them valuable for recovery and utilization as precursors for the production of high-value-added photocatalysts. In this study, we transformed the V present in spent catalysts produced by the petrochemical industry into ternary vanadate-based photocatalysts [BiVO4/InVO4/Ag3VO4 (BVO/IVO/AVO, respectively)] designed for water remediation. The ternary composites revealed an enhanced photocatalytic capability, which was 1.42 and 5.1 times higher than those of the binary BVO/IVO and pristine AVO due to the facilitated charge separation. The ternary photocatalysts not only effectively treated wastewater containing various organic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), rhodamine 6G (R6G), and brilliant green (BG), but also exhibited remarkable photocatalytic performance in the degradation of antibiotics, reduction of Cr(VI), and bacterial inactivation. This paper proposes a feasible route for recycling industrial waste as a source of vanadium to produce highly efficient vanadate-based photocatalysts.

Tumor-specific cytolysis by peptide-conjugated echogenic polymer micelles.

Interest in multifunctional polymer nanoparticles for targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs has grown significantly in recent years. In this study, tumor-targeting echogenic polymer micelles were prepared from poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether-alkyl carbonate (mPEG-AC) derivatives, and their potential in cancer therapy was assessed. Various mPEG derivatives with carbonate linkages were synthesized via an alkyl halide reaction between mPEG and alkyl chloroformate. Micelle formation using polymer amphiphiles in aqueous media and the subsequent carbon dioxide (CO2) gas generation from the micelles was confirmed. Their ability to target neuroblastoma was substantially enhanced by incorporating the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) peptide. RVG-modified gas-generating micelles significantly inhibited tumor growth in a tumor-bearing mouse model owing to CO2 gas generation within tumor cells and resultant cytolytic effects, showing minimal side effects. The development of multifunctional polymer micelles may offer a promising therapeutic approach for various diseases, including cancer.

Sumoylation of SAP130 regulates its interaction with FAF1 as well as its protein stability and transcriptional repressor function.

BACKGROUND: Fas-associated factor 1 (FAF1) is a multidomain protein that interacts with diverse partners to affect numerous cellular processes. Previously, we discovered two Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO)-interacting motifs (SIMs) within FAF1 that are crucial for transcriptional modulation of mineralocorticoid receptor. Recently, we identified Sin3A-associated protein 130 (SAP130), a putative sumoylated protein, as a candidate FAF1 interaction partner by yeast two-hybrid screening. However, it remained unclear whether SAP130 sumoylation might occur and functionally interact with FAF1. RESULTS: In this study, we first show that SAP130 can be modified by SUMO1 at Lys residues 794, 878 and 932 both in vitro and in vivo. Mutation of these three SUMO-accepting Lys residues to Ala had no impact on SAP130 association with Sin3A or its nuclear localization, but the mutations abrogated the association of SAP130 with the FAF1. The mutations also potentiated SAP130 trans-repression activity and attenuated SAP130-mediated promotion of cell growth. Additionally, SUMO1-modified SAP130 was less stable than unmodified SAP130. Transient transfection experiments further revealed that FAF1 mitigated the trans-repression and cell proliferation-promoting functions of SAP130, and promoted SAP130 degradation by enhancing its polyubiquitination in a sumoylation-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results demonstrate that sumoylation of SAP130 regulates its biological functions and that FAF1 plays a crucial role in controlling the SUMO-dependent regulation of transcriptional activity and protein stability of SAP130.

Comparison of assistance preferences of older adults with different functional dependence levels on domestic tasks performed by robots.

BACKGROUND: Robots have the potential to assist older adults in their home-based daily living tasks. Previous studies indicated that older adults generally accept robot assistance. However, the preferences of older adults with different functional dependence levels are lacking. These older adults encounter varying levels of difficulty in daily living and may have distinct preferences for robot assistance. This study aimed to describe and compare the preferences for robot assistance on domestic tasks in older adults with different functional dependence levels. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited a convenience sample of 385 older adults in Hong Kong. They were categorized as independent, partially dependent, and dependent using the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. Their preferences for robot assistance on a list of 48 domestic tasks under six categories were assessed through the Assistance Preference Checklist. Differences in preferences between the three groups were compared using one-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: Findings revealed the differences and similarities in preferences between participants with different dependence levels. In most domestic tasks under the personal care category, dependent and partially dependent older adults reported a significantly lower preferences for human assistance or a higher preferences for robot assistance (p < 0.001), compared with the independent ones. The effect size varied from medium to large (eta squared = 0.07 to 0.52). However, participants, regardless of functional dependence levels, preferred human to assist in some domestic tasks under the health and leisure activities category and preferred robot to assist in most of the domestic tasks under the chores, information management, and manipulating objects category. CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with different levels of functional dependence exhibit different preferences for robotic assistance. To effectively use robots and assist older adults as they age, the specific preferences of older adults must be considered before designing and introducing robots in domestic care.

Multi-Functional Polymer Nanoparticles with Enhanced Adipocyte Uptake and Adipocytolytic Efficacy.

Multi-functional polymer nanoparticles have been widely utilized to improve cellular uptake and enhance therapeutic efficacy. In this study, it is hypothesized that the cellular uptake of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) nanoparticles loaded with calcium carbonate minerals into adipocytes can be improved by covalent modification with nona-arginine (R9 ) peptide. It is further hypothesized that the internalization mechanism of R9 -modified PLG nanoparticles by adipocytes may be contingent on the concentration of R9 peptide present in the nanoparticles. R9 -modified PLG nanoparticles followed the direct penetration mechanism when the concentration of R9 peptide in the nanoparticles reached 38 µM. Notably, macropinocytosis is the major endocytic mechanism when the R9 peptide concentration is ≤ 26 µM. The endocytic uptake of the nanoparticles effectively generated carbon dioxide gas at an endosomal pH, resulting in significant adipocytolytic effects in vitro, which are further supported by the findings in an obese mouse model induced by high-fat diet. Gas-generating PLG nanoparticles, modified with R9 peptide, demonstrated localized reduction of adipose tissue (reduction of 13.1%) after subcutaneous injection without significant side effects. These findings highlight the potential of multi-functional polymer nanoparticles for the development of effective and targeted fat reduction techniques, addressing both health and cosmetic considerations.

Investigating preoperative myoglobin level as predictive factor for acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a retrospective observational study

Abstract Background: Early identification of patients at risk of AKI after cardiac surgery is of critical importance for optimizing perioperative management and improving outcomes. This study aimed to identify the association between preoperative myoglobin levels and postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing valve surgery or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods: This retrospective study included 293 patients aged over 17 years who underwent valve surgery or CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass. We excluded 87 patients as they met the exclusion criteria. Therefore, 206 patients were included in the final analysis. The patients' demographics as well as intraoperative and postoperative data were collected from electronic medical records. AKI was defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network classification system. Results: Of the 206 patients included in this study, 77 developed AKI. The patients who developed AKI were older, had a history of hypertension, underwent valve surgery with concomitant CABG, had lower preoperative hemoglobin levels, and experienced prolonged extracorporeal circulation (ECC) times. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative myoglobin levels and ECC time were correlated with the development of AKI. A higher preoperative myoglobin level was an independent risk factor for the development of cardiac surgery-associated AKI. Conclusions: Higher preoperative myoglobin levels may enable physicians to identify patients at risk of developing AKI and optimize management accordingly.

Environment-friendly organic coordination design of Z-scheme heterojunction N-BOB/BiOIO3 for efficient LED-light-driven photocatalytic and electrochemical performance.

As the climate seriously changes, ecofriendly nanomaterials have attracted tremendous interest in renewable energy as photocatalysis. Herein, we designed a new green bismuth-based Z-scheme Bi2O22+ slabs coordinate with 2-aminoterephthalic acid (N-BOB)/BiOIO3 through a simple anion exchange and postsynthetic hydrothermal reaction. FTIR, XRD, FESEM and TEM were employed to characterize the functional groups, structure, and morphologies. UV-DRS revealed the difference in band energy of the N-BOB and N-BOB/BiOIO3. Toward Rh B, TC and CIP degradation tests, 1-N-BOB/BiOIO3 manifests the best photocatalytic degradation (52.3%, 63.6% and 30.2%) efficiency. Also, 1-N-BOB/BiOIO3 possesses high durability in photocatalytic reactions and can inhibit 32.3% of bacterial growth. The results indicate that the synergistic effect between surface amine groups and Z-scheme heterojunction harvests light absorption to increase solar-to-energy (STE) efficiency, accelerate the charge separation, and increases the active sites with high photoredox potential, thus improving the photocatalytic performance. ROS scavenging tests further elucidated that photogenerated holes and hydroxyl radicals play a critical role. In addition, the surface amine groups and benzene rings can be utilized for supercapacitors and other multidisciplinary applications. 0.5 N-BOB/BiOIO3/GO impressively showed 5 times higher specific capacitance than pure GO electrode. We hope this work provides new sight into designing green nanomaterials to relieve environmental pollution and leave behind a clean future for the next generation.

Identification of Potential Protein Targets in Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from Chemotherapy-Treated Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Despite the ongoing clinical trials and the introduction of novel treatments over the past few decades, ovarian cancer remains one of the most fatal malignancies in women worldwide. Platinum- and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is effective in treating the majority of patients with ovarian cancer. However, more than 70% of patients experience recurrence and eventually develop chemoresistance. To improve clinical outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer, novel technologies must be developed for identifying molecular alterations following drug-based treatment of ovarian cancer. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained prominence as the mediators of tumor progression. In this study, we used mass spectrometry to identify the changes in EV protein signatures due to different chemotherapeutic agents used for treating ovarian cancer. By examining these alterations, we identified the specific protein induction patterns of cisplatin alone, paclitaxel alone, and a combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel. Specifically, we found that drug sensitivity was correlated with the expression levels of ANXA5, CD81, and RAB5C in patients receiving cisplatin with paclitaxel. Our findings suggest that chemotherapy-induced changes in EV protein signatures are crucial for the progression of ovarian cancer.

Identification of a Novel Eight-Gene Risk Model for Predicting Survival in Glioblastoma: A Comprehensive Bioinformatic Analysis.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most progressive and prevalent cancers of the central nervous system. Identifying genetic markers is therefore crucial to predict prognosis and enhance treatment effectiveness in GBM. To this end, we obtained gene expression data of GBM from TCGA and GEO datasets and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were overlapped and used for survival analysis with univariate Cox regression. Next, the genes' biological significance and potential as immunotherapy candidates were examined using functional enrichment and immune infiltration analysis. Eight prognostic-related DEGs in GBM were identified, namely CRNDE, NRXN3, POPDC3, PTPRN, PTPRN2, SLC46A2, TIMP1, and TNFSF9. The derived risk model showed robustness in identifying patient subgroups with significantly poorer overall survival, as well as those with distinct GBM molecular subtypes and MGMT status. Furthermore, several correlations between the expression of the prognostic genes and immune infiltration cells were discovered. Overall, we propose a survival-derived risk score that can provide prognostic significance and guide therapeutic strategies for patients with GBM.

Association of diabetes mellitus with early-onset colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies including 10 million individuals and 30,000 events.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Early-onset colorectal cancer (EoCRC) constitutes 2%-10% of all colorectal cancers and is becoming more common globally. Diabetes mellitus (DM) has increased substantially in younger adults; however, its involvement in EoCRC remains unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to (1) explore the prevalence of DM in individuals with EoCRC and (2) investigate the association between DM and EoCRC. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies published before May 2022 that evaluated the association between DM and EoCRC risk in four databases, including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Results from the studies were summarized in meta-analyses using random effects models. RESULTS: Nineteen eligible studies were included. A total of 33,359 EoCRC cases and 14,259,289 controls in 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio [OR] of 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.8) indicated significant positive association between DM and increased risk of EoCRC. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that diabetes severity was significantly associated with unmanaged DM (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.02-1.6), but not with managed DM (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.84-1.28). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DM is a risk factor for EoCRC, and the higher prevalence of DM among younger adults may contribute to the increasing incidence of EoCRC. Interventions to reduce this bidirectional risk should be further investigated for the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies. PROSPERO registration: CRD42022306347.

The Effect of Maternal Exposure to Air Pollutants and Heavy Metals during Pregnancy on the Risk of Neurological Disorders Using the National Health Insurance Claims Data of South Korea.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of high levels of maternal exposure to ambient air pollution and heavy metals on risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy using the National Health Insurance claims data of South Korea. The data of mothers and their newborns from 2016 to 2018 provided by the National Health Insurance Service were used (n = 843,134). Data on exposure to ambient air pollutants (PM2.5, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3) and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, and As) during pregnancy were matched based on the mother's National Health Insurance registration area. SO2 (OR: 2.723, 95% CI: 1.971-3.761) and Pb (OR: 1.063, 95% CI: 1.019-1.11) were more closely associated with the incidence of ASD when infants were exposed to them in the third trimester of pregnancy. Pb (OR: 1.109, 95% CI: 1.043-1.179) in the first trimester of pregnancy and Cd (OR: 2.193, 95% CI: 1.074-4.477) in the third trimester of pregnancy were associated with the incidence of epilepsy. Thus, exposure to SO2, NO2, and Pb during pregnancy could affect the development of a neurologic disorder based on the timing of exposure, suggesting a relationship with fetal development. However, further research is needed.

Effectiveness of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Systemic Therapy Respondents with Inoperable Pulmonary Oligometastases and Oligoprogression.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) may improve survival in patients with inoperable pulmonary oligometastases. However, the impact of pulmonary oligometastatic status after systemic therapy on SABR outcomes remains unclear. Hence, we investigated the outcomes of SABR in 45 patients with 77 lung tumors and the prognostic value of pulmonary oligoprogression. Eligibility criteria were pulmonary oligometastases (defined as ≤5 metastatic lung tumors), controlled extrapulmonary disease (EPD) after front-line systemic therapy, SABR as primary local treatment for inoperable pulmonary metastases, and consecutive imaging follow-up. Oligometastatic lung tumor was classified into controlled or oligoprogressive status. Overall survival (OS), in-field progression-free survival (IFPFS), out-field progression-free survival (OFPFS), and prognostic variables were evaluated. With 21.8 months median follow-up, the median OS, IFPFS, and OFPFS were 28.3, not reached, and 6.5 months, respectively. Two-year OS, IFPFS, and OFPFS rates were 56.0%, 74.2%, and 17.3%, respectively. Oligoprogressive status (p = 0.003), disease-free interval < 24 months (p = 0.041), and biologically effective dose (BED10) < 100 Gy (p = 0.006) were independently associated with inferior OS. BED10 ≥ 100 Gy (p = 0.029) was independently correlated with longer IFPFS. Oligoprogressive status (p = 0.017) and EPD (p = 0.019) were significantly associated with inferior OFPFS. Grade ≥ 2 radiation pneumonitis occurred in four (8.9%) patients. Conclusively, SABR with BED10 ≥ 100 Gy could provide substantial in-field tumor control and longer OS for systemic therapy respondents with inoperable pulmonary oligometastases. Oligoprogressive lung tumors exhibited a higher risk of out-field treatment failure and shorter OS. Hence, systemic therapy should be tailored for patients with oligoprogression to reduce the risk of out-field treatment failure. However, in the absence of effective systemic therapy, SABR is a reasonable alternative to reduce resistant tumor burden.

Correction: Chen et al. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Modulates Autophagy and Oxidative DNA Damage Stress in Hepatocellular Carcinoma to Overcome Sorafenib Resistance via TLR9/SOD1/hsa-miR-30a-5p/Beclin-1 Axis. Cancers 2021, 13, 3227.

Error in Figure [...].

Investigating preoperative myoglobin level as predictive factor for acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of patients at risk of AKI after cardiac surgery is of critical importance for optimizing perioperative management and improving outcomes. This study aimed to identify the association between preoperative myoglobin levels and postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing valve surgery or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: This retrospective study included 293 patients aged over 17 years who underwent valve surgery or CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass. We excluded 87 patients as they met the exclusion criteria. Therefore, 206 patients were included in the final analysis. The patients... demographics as well as intraoperative and postoperative data were collected from electronic medical records. AKI was defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network classification system. RESULTS: Of the 206 patients included in this study, 77 developed AKI. The patients who developed AKI were older, had a history of hypertension, underwent valve surgery with concomitant CABG, had lower preoperative hemoglobin levels, and experienced prolonged extracorporeal circulation (ECC) times. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that preoperative myoglobin levels and ECC time were correlated with the development of AKI. A higher preoperative myoglobin level was an independent risk factor for the development of cardiac surgery-associated AKI. CONCLUSIONS: Higher preoperative myoglobin levels may enable physicians to identify patients at risk of developing AKI and optimize management accordingly.

Adipocytolytic Polymer Nanoparticles for Localized Fat Reduction.

The demand for body fat reduction is increasing. However, conventional lipolytic approaches fail to control adipose tissue reduction and cause severe side effects in adjacent nonadipose tissues. A strategy to specifically reduce subcutaneous fat using adipocytolytic polymer nanoparticles in a minimally invasive manner is reported here. The polymer nanoparticles are designed to generate carbon dioxide gas when selectively absorbed by adipocytes. The carbon dioxide gas generated within late endosomes/lysosomes induces adipocytolysis, thereby reducing the number of cells. Localized injection of the adipocytolytic nanoparticles substantially reduces subcutaneous fat in a high-fat diet-induced obese mouse model, without significant changes in hematological or serum biochemical parameters. The adipocytolytic efficacy of the nanoparticles is also evaluated in a porcine model. This strategy addresses the need to develop safe and effective adipocytolytic agents using functional polymer nanoparticles.

Intracellular Glucose-Depriving Polymer Micelles for Antiglycolytic Cancer Treatment.

A new anticancer strategy to exploit abnormal metabolism of cancer cells rather than to merely control the drug release or rearrange the tumor microenvironment is reported. An antiglycolytic amphiphilic polymer, designed considering the unique metabolism of cancer cells (Warburg effect) and aimed at the regulation of glucose metabolism, is synthesized through chemical conjugation between glycol chitosan (GC) and phenylboronic acid (PBA). GC-PBA derivatives form stable micellar structures under physiological conditions and respond to changes in glucose concentration. Once the micelles accumulate at the tumor site, intracellular glucose capture occurs, and the resultant energy deprivation through the inhibition of aerobic glycolysis remarkably suppresses tumor growth without significant side effects in vivo. This strategy highlights the need to develop safe and effective cancer treatment without the use of conventional anticancer drugs.

Carboxyl-terminal modulator protein facilitates tumor metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Currently, the survival rate for breast cancer is more than 90%, but once the cancer cells metastasize to distal organs, the survival rate is dramatically reduced, to less than 30%. Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 15-20% of all breast cancers. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognostic and diagnostic outcomes due to the limiting therapeutic strategies, relative to non-TNBC breast cancers. Therefore, the development of targeted therapy for TNBC metastasis remains an urgent issue. In this study, high Carboxyl-terminal modulator protein (CTMP) is significantly associated with recurrence and disease-free survival rate in TNBC patients. Overexpression of CTMP promotes migration and invasion abilities in BT549 cells. Down-regulating of CTMP expression inhibits migration and invasion abilities in MDA-MB-231 cells. In vivo inoculation of high-CTMP cells enhances distant metastasis in mice. The metastasis incidence rate is decreased in mice injected with CTMP-downregulating MDA-MB-231 cells. Gene expression microarray analysis indicates the Akt-dependent pathway is significantly enhanced in CTMP overexpressing cells compared to the parental cells. Blocking Akt activation via Akt inhibitor treatment or co-expression of the dominant-negative form of Akt proteins successfully abolishes the CTMP mediating invasion in TNBC cells. Our findings suggest that CTMP is a potential diagnostic marker for recurrence and poor disease-free survival in TNBC patients. CTMP promotes TNBC metastasis via the Akt-activation-dependent pathway.

Three-dimensional printing of hyaluronate-based self-healing ferrogel with enhanced stretchability.

Hydrogels have been frequently employed for three-dimensional (3D) printing, which is a promising tool for fabricating sophisticated structures useful in many biomedical applications. Ferrogels prepared by combining magnetic nanoparticles with hydrogels also have potential in biomedical engineering because of the responsiveness to a magnetic field and remotely controllable properties. However, typical ferrogels, especially those prepared from natural polysaccharides, have limitations concerning their mechanical properties and the fabrication method of complex structures owing to their rigid and brittle properties. In this study, 3D printable and stretchable ferrogel was designed and prepared to overcome these limitations. Hyaluronic acid (HA) derivatives such as hydrazide-modified HA (hHA) and oxidized HA (oHA) were used as the base materials for gel preparation. Self-healing oHA/hHA hydrogels were prepared by the addition of adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH). Self-healing ferrogels with 3D printability were prepared by adding superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to oHA/hHA/ADH hydrogels, which improved the stretchability owing to the double network formation (2.1 times its original length). Various 3D constructs were fabricated by an extrusion-based printing method using ferrogel (structural integrity = 94.3 ± 1.5%). The potential to fabricate hydrogel/ferrogel hybrid constructs for tissue engineering was also investigated. This approach for developing customized 3D constructs using magnetic field-responsive and 3D printable hydrogel systems may find useful applications in tissue engineering approaches.

Rapid Assessment of Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate Migration from Consumer PVC Products.

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is widely used to produce various consumer goods, including food packaging, toys for children, building materials, and cosmetic products. However, despite their widespread use, phthalate plasticizers have been identified as endocrine disruptors, which cause adverse health effects, thus leading to increasing concerns regarding their migration from PVC products to the environment. This study proposed a method for rapidly measuring the migration of phthalates, particularly di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), from PVC products to commonly encountered liquids. The release of DEHP under various conditions, including exposure to aqueous and organic solvents, different temperatures, and household microwaves, was investigated. The amount of DEHP released from both laboratory-produced PVC films and commercially available PVC products was measured to elucidate the potential risks associated with its real-world applications. Furthermore, tests were performed to evaluate cytotoxicity using estrogen-dependent and -independent cancer cell lines. The results revealed a dose-dependent impact on estrogen-dependent cells, thus emphasizing the potential health implications of phthalate release. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the migration patterns of DEHP from PVC products and forms a basis for further research on the safety of PVC and plasticizers.

Identification of Novel miRNAs, Targeting Genes, Signaling Pathway, and the Small Molecule for Overcoming Oxaliplatin Resistance of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

One of the globally common cancers is colorectal cancer (CRC). At present, a surgical approach remains a good option for CRC patients; however, 20% of surgically treated CRC patients experience metastasis. Currently, even the first-line used drug, oxaliplatin, remains inadequate for treating metastatic CRC, and its side effect of neurotoxicity is a major problem when treating CRC. The Gene Omnibus GSE42387 database contains gene expression profiles of parental and oxaliplatin-resistant LoVo cell lines. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between parental and oxaliplatin-resistance LoVo cells, protein-protein interactions (PPIs), and a pathway analysis were determined to identify overall biological changes by an online DAVID bioinformatics analysis. The ability of DEGs to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was validated by the SPSS 22.0, using liver metastasis CRC patient samples of GSE41258. The bioinformatics web tools of the GEPIA, the Human Protein Atlas, WebGestalt, and TIMER platforms were used. In total, 218 DEGs were identified, among which 105 were downregulated and 113 were upregulated. After mapping the PPI networks and pathways, 60 DEGs were identified as hub genes (with high degrees). Six genes (TGFB1, CD36, THBS1, FABP1, PCK1, and IRS1) were involved with malaria, PPAR signaling, and the adipocytokine signaling pathway. High expressions of CD36 and PCK1 were associated with the poor survival of CRC patients in the GSE41258 database. We predicted specific micro (mi)RNAs that targeted the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of PCK1 by using miRWalk. It was found that three miRNAs, viz., miR-7-5p, miR-20a-3p, and miR-636, may be upstream targets of those genes. High expression levels of miR-7-5p, miR-20a-3p, and miR-636 were associated with poor OS of CRC patients, and the small-molecule compound, mersalyl, is a promising drug for treating oxaliplatin-resistant CRC. In conclusion, miR-7-5p miR-20a-3p, and miR-636 targeted the PCK1 biomarker in the PPAR signaling pathway, which is involved in oxaliplatin-resistant CRC. Meanwhile, mersalyl was identified as a potential drug for overcoming oxaliplatin resistance in CRC. Our findings may provide novel directions and strategies for CRC therapies.