Impact of Taekwondo training on cognitive and physical function in elderly individuals: A comprehensive review of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have investigated the physical and psychosocial advantages of Taekwondo for older adults. However, prior studies of Taekwondo's impact on physical function and psychological well-being in this demographic have produced inconsistent findings. Thus, this systematic review aimed to assess how Taekwondo practice affects the physical function and psychological well-being of older adults. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Korea Education and Research Information Service, Korean Studies Information Service System, Korean National Assembly Library, Research Information Sharing Service, National Digital Science Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from their inception to December 2023. Two reviewers independently selected and extracted data from each study. We calculated effect sizes using a random-effects model with a 95 % confidence interval (CI) and evaluated study quality using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. RESULTS: This review included ten studies with 227 participants aged 66.1-73.6 years. The meta-analysis revealed significant enhancements in cognitive function [Korean Version of Mini-Mental State Examination, standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.700, 95 % CI (0.364-1.037), I2 = 0 %, p < .001], blood indicators [ß-amyloid, SMD = 0.613, 95 % CI (0.103-1.123), I2 = 34.920 %, p < .05; brain-derived neurotrophic factor, SMD = 0.566, 95 % CI (0.166-0.966), I2 = 0 %, p < .01; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, SMD = 0.677, 95 % CI (0.357-0.966), I2 = 0 %, p < .001; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, SMD = 0.809, 95 % CI (0.376-1.242), I2 = 42.621 %, p < .001; and total cholesterol, SMD = 0.979, 95 % CI (0.603-1.356), I2 = 22.221 %, p < .001], and physical function [lean body mass, SMD = 0.465, 95 % CI (0.109-0.821), I2 = 0 %, p < .05, and handgrip strength, SMD = 0.929, 95 % CI (0.194-1.663), I2 = 48.217 %, p < .05]. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that Taekwondo training is a beneficial therapy with protective effects on cognitive function, physical function, and body composition in older adults. These findings highlight its potential significance in cognitive rehabilitation and physiological health promotion among this demographic population.

EIF4A3-Induced Circ_0059914 Promoted Angiogenesis and EMT of Glioma via the miR-1249/VEGFA Pathway.

Gliomas are common brain tumors. Despite extensive research, the 5-year survival rate of glioma remains low. Many studies have reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a role in promoting the malignant progression of glioma; however, the role of circ_0059914 in this process remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function and underlying mechanism of circ_0059914 in glioma. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to determine the levels of circ_0059914, miR-1249, VEGFA, N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail, and EIF4A3. EDU and colony formation assays were conducted to evaluate cell proliferation. Transwell assays were used to explore cell migration and invasion and tube formation assays were used to analyze angiogenesis. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the relationship between EIF4A3, circ_0059914, miR-1249, and VEGFA. A xenograft tumor assay was performed to determine the role of circ_0059914 in vivo. Circ_0059914 expression was upregulated in gliomas. Knockdown of gliomal circ_0059914 expression reduced the proliferation, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and growth of glioma cells in vivo. Circ_0059914 sponged miR-1249, and miR-1249 inhibition reversed the circ_0059914 knockdown-mediated effects in glioma cells. VEGFA was found to be a target gene of miR1249; overexpression of VEGFA reversed the effect of miR-1249 up-regulation in glioma. Finally, EIF4A3 increased the expression of circ_0059914. EIF4A3-induced circ_0059914 expression plays a role in promoting glioma via the miR-1249/VEGFA axis.

Neural network model for prediction of possible sarcopenic obesity using Korean national fitness award data (2010-2023).

Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is characterized by concomitant sarcopenia and obesity and presents a high risk of disability, morbidity, and mortality among older adults. However, predictions based on sequential neural network SO studies and the relationship between physical fitness factors and SO are lacking. This study aimed to develop a predictive model for SO in older adults by focusing on physical fitness factors. A comprehensive dataset of older Korean adults participating in national fitness programs was analyzed using sequential neural networks. Appendicular skeletal muscle/body weight was defined as SO using an anthropometric equation. Independent variables included body fat (BF, %), waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and various physical fitness factors. The dependent variable was a binary outcome (possible SO vs normal). We analyzed hyperparameter tuning and stratified K-fold validation to optimize a predictive model. The prevalence of SO was significantly higher in women (13.81%) than in men, highlighting sex-specific differences. The optimized neural network model and Shapley Additive Explanations analysis demonstrated a high validation accuracy of 93.1%, with BF% and absolute grip strength emerging as the most influential predictors of SO. This study presents a highly accurate predictive model for SO in older adults, emphasizing the critical roles of BF% and absolute grip strength. We identified BF, absolute grip strength, and sit-and-reach as key SO predictors. Our findings underscore the sex-specific nature of SO and the importance of physical fitness factors in its prediction.

MXene Synthesis and Carbon Capture Applications: Mini-Review.

MXenes, a class of two-dimensional transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, have garnered significant attention due to their remarkable potential for energy storage, electrocatalysis, and gas separation applications. The fabrication processes of MXene involve building up the MXene structure from constituent elements and the selective elimination of M-A bonds from the precursor MAX. However, considerable efforts are still required to design and develop efficient MXene-based technologies. This review article aims to briefly analyse the synthesis methods employed for MXene production, ranging from direct synthesis and conventional chemical wet etching approach to the more recent molten salt etching technique. The review highlights the advancements made in achieving precise control over the terminal groups, which is paramount for tailoring the properties of MXenes for specific applications. Furthermore, the potential of MXene-based materials for carbon capture applications, particularly in developing advanced adsorbents, is emphasized. The in-depth examination of MXene synthesis techniques and their implications for carbon capture applications provides a solid foundation for developing and optimizing these promising materials.

Comparison of face mask effects on cardiorespiratory responses between physically active and sedentary individuals.

BACKGROUND: Alterations caused by face masks on physiological responses vary among different population groups. This study aimed to investigate whether physically active and sedentary individuals respond differently to face mask use during exercise. METHODS: Sixteen healthy college students were divided into two groups: Physically active group (N.=10; 26.50±2.80 years) and Sedentary group (N.=6; 26.33±2.81 years). They performed three maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)s following the Bruce protocol: one without a face mask (NON), one with a surgical mask (SUR) and one with a cloth mask (CLO). Cardiorespiratory parameters and heart rate were monitored continuously during the test. Blood pressure, oxygen saturation and lactate level were measured immediately before and after exertion. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the Physically active and the Sedentary group in peak VO2 (VO2peak) in NON (P=0.030). However, this difference disappeared when the face masks were used. Furthermore, VO2/kg (P=0.002) and METs (P=0.002) decreased significantly at the respiratory compensation point (RCP) only in the Physically active group with face masks. No significant differences were found between the two groups for exercise time, lactate level and dyspnea (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory responses, particularly VO2peak, due to face mask use was greater in physically active individuals compared to sedentary individuals. Population group characteristics should be considered when adapting face masks to daily life.

Effects of Exercise on Urinary AD7c-NTP (Alzheimer-Associated Neuronal Thread Protein) Levels and Cognitive Function Among Active Korean Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7c-NTP) has been demonstrated to have high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients from healthy individuals. However, it is yet unclear whether exercise can lower the level of AD7c-NTP in urine among active Korean elderly. Objective: To assess the effect of exercise on AD7c-ntp levels in urine and cognitive function among active Korean elderly. Methods: In total, 40 Korean elderly (≥65 years) were divided into Active Control group (CG, n = 10), Aerobic exercise group (AG, n = 18), and combined Resistance/Aerobic exercise group (RAG, n = 12). A total of 12 weeks of exercise intervention was implemented. At week 0 and 12, cognitive performance (Korean Mini-Mental State Examination, Korean-Color Word Stroop test), grip strength, and body composition (muscle mass and body fat percentage) were measured. Also, a morning urine sample was obtained from each subject. The level of AD7c-NTP was measured using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: After 12 weeks of exercise intervention, there was a significant difference of AD7c-NTP levels between RAG and CG (p = 0.026), AG and CG (p = 0.032), respectively. Furthermore, the AD7c-NTP levels in urine showed negative correlation with K-MMSE scores (r = -0.390, p = 0.013) and grip strength (r = -0.376, p = 0.017), among all participants after exercise intervention. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate urine biomarker through exercise intervention. In future stuides, participants who have low cognitive function and low activity levels need to be recruited to observe more significant 'Exercise' effect.

How Does Physical Activity Enhance the Subjective Well-Being of University Students? A Chain Mediation of Cognitive Reappraisal and Resilience.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity is an effective means to enhance university students' subjective well-being. However, current research needs to understand how physical activity enhances the subjective well-being of Chinese university students. Therefore, the study investigated the mechanism of physical activity's impact on university students' subjective well-being and the mediating roles of cognitive reappraisal and resilience in this mechanism. METHODS: The physical activity scale, subjective well-being scale, cognitive reappraisal scale and resilience scale were used to investigate 1350 university students, and the relationship between physical activity, cognitive reappraisal, resilience and university students' subjective well-being was verified through correlation analysis, regression analysis and a Bootstrap method. RESULTS: (1) There is a significant positive correlation between physical activity, cognitive reappraisal, resilience and university students' subjective well-being (p < 0.01); (2) physical activity, cognitive reappraisal and resilience all have a significant positive effects on university students' subjective well-being (p < 0.01); (3) cognitive reappraisal and resilience have significant mediating roles in the process of physical activity affecting university students' well-being, with mediating-effect values of 0.052 and 0.285; (4) the chain-mediating role of cognitive reappraisal and resilience in the process of physical activity affecting university students' well-being is significant, with the chain-mediating effect value of 0.062. CONCLUSION: Promoting university students' participation in physical activity not only directly enhances university students' subjective well-being but also indirectly improves university students' subjective well-being through cognitive reappraisal and resilience.

Ultra-sensitive molecular residual disease detection through whole genome sequencing with single-read error correction.

While whole genome sequencing (WGS) of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) holds enormous promise for molecular residual disease (MRD) detection, its performance is limited by WGS error rate. Here we introduce AccuScan, an efficient cfDNA WGS technology that enables genome-wide error correction at single read level, achieving an error rate of 4.2×10 -7 , which is about two orders of magnitude lower than a read-centric de-noising method. When applied to MRD detection, AccuScan demonstrated analytical sensitivity down to 10 -6 circulating tumor allele fraction at 99% sample level specificity. In colorectal cancer, AccuScan showed 90% landmark sensitivity for predicting relapse. It also showed robust MRD performance with esophageal cancer using samples collected as early as 1 week after surgery, and predictive value for immunotherapy monitoring with melanoma patients. Overall, AccuScan provides a highly accurate WGS solution for MRD, empowering circulating tumor DNA detection at parts per million range without high sample input nor personalized reagents. One Sentence Summary: AccuScan showed remarkable ultra-low limit of detection with a short turnaround time, low sample requirement and a simple workflow for MRD detection.

FBXO38 mediates FGL1 ubiquitination and degradation to enhance cancer immunity and suppress inflammation.

Upregulation of FGL1 helps tumors escape from immune surveillance, and therapeutic antibodies targeting FGL1 have potential as another immune checkpoint inhibitor. However, the underlying mechanism of high FGL1 protein level in cancers is not well defined. Here, we report that FBXO38 interacts with and ubiquitylates FGL1 to negatively regulate its stability and to mediate cancer immune response. Depletion of FBXO38 markedly augments FGL1 abundance, not only suppressing CD8+ T cell infiltration and enhancing immune evasion of tumor but also increasing inflammation in mice. Importantly, we observe a negative correlation of FBXO38 with FGL1 and IL-6 in non-small cell lung cancer specimens. FGL1 and IL-6 levels positively correlate with TNM (tumor, lymph node, metastasis) stages, while FBXO38 and the infiltrating CD8+ T cells negatively correlate with TNM stages. Our study identifies a mechanism regulating FGL1 stability and a target to enhance the immunotherapy and suggests that the combination of anti-FGL1 and anti-IL-6 is a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

Profiling the metabolic disorder and detection of colorectal cancer based on targeted amino acids metabolomics.

BACKGROUND: The morbidity of cancer keeps growing worldwide, and among that, the colorectal cancer (CRC) has jumped to third. Existing early screening tests for CRC are limited. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic strategy for CRC by plasma metabolomics. METHODS: A targeted amino acids metabolomics method was developed to quantify 32 plasma amino acids in 130 CRC patients and 216 healthy volunteers, to identify potential biomarkers for CRC, and an independent sample cohort comprising 116 CRC subjects, 33 precancerosiss patients and 195 healthy volunteers was further used to validate the diagnostic model. Amino acids-related genes were retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus and Molecular Signatures Database and analyzed. RESULTS: Three were chosen out of the 32 plasma amino acids examined. The tryptophan / sarcosine / glutamic acid -based receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.955 (specificity 83.3% and sensitivity 96.8%) for all participants, and the logistic regression model were used to distinguish between early stage (I and II) of CRC and precancerosiss patients, which showed superiority to the commonly used carcinoembryonic antigen. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis proved many alterations in amino acids metabolic pathways in tumorigenesis. CONCLUSION: This altered plasma amino acid profile could effectively distinguish CRC patients from precancerosiss patients and healthy volunteers with high accuracy. Prognostic tests based on the tryptophan/sarcosine/glutamic acid biomarkers in the large population could assess the clinical significance of CRC early detection and intervention.

Dissecting Mitochondrial Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease Using Gene Dependency Network and Its Implications for Discovering Nutrients Combatting the Disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, with its prevalence increasing as the global population ages. AD is a multifactorial and intricate neurodegenerative disease with pathological changes varying from person to person. Because the mechanism of AD is highly controversial, effective treatments remain a distant prospect. Currently, one of the most promising hypotheses posits mitochondrial dysfunction as an early event in AD diagnosis and a potential therapeutic target. OBJECTIVE: Here, we adopted a systems medicine strategy to explore the mitochondria-related mechanisms of AD. Then, its implications for discovering nutrients combatting the disease were demonstrated. METHODS: We employed conditional mutual information (CMI) to construct AD gene dependency networks. Furthermore, the GeneRank algorithm was applied to prioritize the gene importance of AD patients and identify potential anti-AD nutrients targeting crucial genes. RESULTS: The results suggested that two highly interconnected networks of mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs) play an important role in the regulation of AD pathology. The close association between mitochondrial ribosome dysfunction and AD was identified. Additionally, we proposed seven nutrients with potential preventive and ameliorative effects on AD, five of which have been supported by experimental reports. CONCLUSIONS: Our study explored the important regulatory role of MRP genes in AD, which has significant implications for AD prevention and treatment.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Sarcopenia in Older Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior, fruit and vegetable intake, and the risk of sarcopenia among older Chinese adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 5418 older Chinese adults who participated in the Study on Global Aging and Adult Health (SAGE). Participants reported information about their physical activity, sedentary behavior, and dietary habits (fruit and vegetable intake). Sarcopenia was defined as the presence of low skeletal muscle mass and either a slow gait speed or weak handgrip strength. A multiple logistic regression model was employed to determine the relationship between MVPA, sedentary behavior, fruit and vegetable intake, and the risk of sarcopenia. RESULTS: Only 32.63% of participants met all three recommendations (for MVPA, sedentary behavior, and fruit and vegetable intake). Compared with meeting none of the recommendations, meeting all three recommendations was associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41-0.98). Moreover, meeting the recommendation for sufficient fruit and vegetable intake (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.58-0.83), MVPA and fruit/vegetable intake (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.52-0.86), and sedentary behavior and fruit/vegetable intake (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.48-0.98) was associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that in this large representative sample of older Chinese adults, meeting lifestyle recommendations for MVPA, sedentary behavior, and fruit and vegetable intake protected against sarcopenia.

Bi Nanosheets on Porous Carbon Cloth Composites for Ultrastable Flexible Nickel-Bismuth Batteries.

The use of bismuth (Bi) as an anode material in nickel-metal batteries has gained significant attention due to its highly reversible redox reaction and suitable operating conditions. However, the cycling stability and flexibility of nickel-bismuth (Ni//Bi) batteries need to be further improved. This paper employs a facile electrodeposition technique to prepare Bi nanosheets uniformly grown on a porous carbon cloth (PCC), denoted as Bi-PCC electrodes. The Bi-PCC electrode portrays a specific surface area and good wettability that enable fast charge transfer and ion transport channels. Consequently, the Bi-PCC electrode demonstrates a high specific capacity of up to 297.1 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1, with a capacity retention of up to 71.5% at 2-40 A g-1 and an impressive capacity retention of 79.9% after 1000 cycles at 2-40 A g-1. More importantly, the flexible rechargeable Ni//Bi battery (denoted as Ni(OH)2-PCC//Bi-PCC) with Bi-PCC as the anode and Ni(OH)2-PCC as the cathode has excellent electrochemical performance. The Ni(OH)2-PCC//Bi-PCC battery boasts a remarkable capacity retention of 93.6% after 3000 cycles at 10 A g-1. Further, the cell presents a maximum energy density of 73.1 Wh kg-1 and an impressive power density of 11.9 kW kg-1.

Prediction models of grip strength in adults above 65 years using Korean National Physical Fitness Award Data from 2009 to 2019.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the best machine learning (ML) regression model for predicting grip strength in adults above 65 years using various independent variables, such as body composition, blood pressure, and physical performance. METHODS: The data comprised 107,290 participants, of whom 33.3% were male and 66.7% were female in Korean National Fitness Award Data from 2009 to 2019. The dependent variable was grip strength, which was calculated as the mean of right and left grip strength values. RESULTS: The results showed that the CatBoost Regressor had the lowest mean squared error (M [Formula: see text] SE:16.659 ± 0.549) and highest R2 value (M [Formula: see text] SE:0.719 ± 0.009) among the seven prediction models tested. The importance of independent variables in facilitating model learning was also determined, with the Figure-of-8 walk test being the most significant. These findings suggest that walking ability and grip strength are closely related, and the Figure-of- 8 walk test is a reasonable indicator of grip strength in older adults. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can be used to develop more accurate predictive models of grip strength in older adults.

Isomerization-induced fluorescence enhancement of two new viologen derivatives: mechanism insight and DFT calculations.

The dark-colored viologen radical cations are unstable in air and easily fade, thus greatly limiting their applications. If a suitable substituent is introduced into the structure, it will have the dual function of chromism and luminescence, which will broaden its application field. Here, Vio1·2Cl and Vio2·2Br were synthesized by introducing aromatic acetophenone and naphthophenone substituents into the viologen structure. The keto group (-CH2CO-) on the substituents is prone to isomerize into the enol structure (-CH[double bond, length as m-dash]COH-) in organic solvents, especially in DMSO, resulting in a larger conjugated system to stabilize the molecular structure and enhance fluorescence. The time-dependent fluorescence spectrum shows obvious keto-to-enol isomerization-induced fluorescence enhancement. The quantum yield also increased significantly (T = 1 day, ΦVio1 = 25.81%, ΦVio2 = 41.44%; T = 7 days, ΦVio1 = 31.48%, and ΦVio2 = 54.40%) in DMSO. The NMR and ESI-MS data at different times further confirmed that the fluorescence enhancement was caused by isomerization, and no other fluorescent impurities were produced in solution. DFT calculations show that the enol form is almost coplanar throughout the molecular structure, which is conducive to stabilizing the structure and enhancing fluorescence. The fluorescence emission peaks of the keto and enol structures of Vio12+ and Vio22+ were at 416-417 nm and 563-582 nm, respectively. The fluorescence relative oscillator strength of Vio12+ and Vio22+ enol structures is significantly higher than that of keto structures (f value changes from 1.53 to 2.63 for Vio12+ and from 1.62 to 2.81 for Vio22+), indicating stronger fluorescence emission of the enol structure. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Vio1·2Cl and Vio2·2Br are the first examples of isomerization-induced fluorescence enhancement of viologen derivatives, which shows strong solvatofluorochromism under UV light, making up for the disadvantage that it is easy for a viologen radical to fade in air, and providing a new strategy for designing and synthesizing viologen materials with strong fluorescence.

Sub-terahertz scanning near-field optical microscope using a quartz tuning fork based probe.

We report a sub-terahertz scattering-type scanning near-field microscope (sub-THz s-SNOM) which uses a 6 mm long metallic tip driven by a quartz tuning fork as the near-field probe. Under continuous-wave illumination by a 94 GHz Gunn diode oscillator, terahertz near-field images are obtained by demodulating the scattered wave at both the fundamental and the second harmonic of the tuning fork oscillation frequency together with the atomic-force-microscope (AFM) image. The terahertz near-field image of a gold grating with a period of 2.3 µm obtained at the fundamental modulation frequency agrees well with the AFM image. The experimental relationship between the signal demodulated at the fundamental frequency and the tip-sample distance is well fitted with the coupled dipole model indicating that the scattered signal from the long probe is mainly contributed by the near-field interaction between the tip and the sample. This near-filed probe scheme using quartz tuning fork can adjust the tip length flexibly to match the wavelength over the entire terahertz frequency range and allows for operation in cryogenic environment.

Discovery of extracellular vesicle-delivered miR-185-5p in the plasma of patients as an indicator for advanced adenoma and colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate whether extracellular vesicles (EV)-derived microRNAs (miRNAs) can be used as biomarkers for advanced adenoma (AA) and colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: We detected the changes in the plasma EV-delivered miRNA profiles in healthy donor (HD), AA patient, and I-II stage CRC patient groups using miRNA deep sequencing assay. We performed the TaqMan miRNA assay using 173 plasma samples (two independent cohorts) from HDs, AA patients, and CRC patients to identify the candidate miRNA(s). The accuracy of candidate miRNA(s) in diagnosing AA and CRC was determined using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) values. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of candidate miRNA(s) as an independent factor for the diagnosis of AA and CRC. The role of candidate miRNA(s) in the malignant progression of CRC was explored using functional assays. RESULTS: We screened and identified four prospective EV-delivered miRNAs, including miR-185-5p, which were significantly upregulated or downregulated in AA vs. HD and CRC vs. AA groups. In two independent cohorts, miR-185-5p was the best potential biomarker with the AUCs of 0.737 (Cohort I) and 0.720 (Cohort II) for AA vs. HD diagnosis, 0.887 (Cohort I) and 0.803 (Cohort II) for CRC vs. HD diagnosis, and 0.700 (Cohort I) and 0.631 (Cohort II) for CRC vs. AA diagnosis. Finally, we demonstrated that the upregulated expression of miR-185-5p promoted the malignant progression of CRC. CONCLUSION: EV-delivered miR-185-5p in the plasma of patients is a promising diagnostic biomarker for colorectal AA and CRC. Trial registration The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Changzheng Hospital, Naval Medical University, China (Ethics No. 2022SL005, Registration No. of China Clinical Trial Registration Center: ChiCTR220061592).

Deciphering tissue heterogeneity from spatially resolved transcriptomics by the autoencoder-assisted graph convolutional neural network.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the complex and heterogeneous tissue organization. However, it is challenging for a single model to learn an effective representation within and across spatial contexts. To solve the issue, we develop a novel ensemble model, AE-GCN (autoencoder-assisted graph convolutional neural network), which combines the autoencoder (AE) and graph convolutional neural network (GCN), to identify accurate and fine-grained spatial domains. AE-GCN transfers the AE-specific representations to the corresponding GCN-specific layers and unifies these two types of deep neural networks for spatial clustering via the clustering-aware contrastive mechanism. In this way, AE-GCN accommodates the strengths of both AE and GCN for learning an effective representation. We validate the effectiveness of AE-GCN on spatial domain identification and data denoising using multiple SRT datasets generated from ST, 10x Visium, and Slide-seqV2 platforms. Particularly, in cancer datasets, AE-GCN identifies disease-related spatial domains, which reveal more heterogeneity than histological annotations, and facilitates the discovery of novel differentially expressed genes of high prognostic relevance. These results demonstrate the capacity of AE-GCN to unveil complex spatial patterns from SRT data.

Comparison of the short- and long-term prognosis of early-onset colorectal cancer compared with later-onset colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and Aims: The annual incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is increasing at an alarming rate. The prognosis of EOCRC remains controversial, and whether the early onset is a risk factor for colorectal cancer remains unclear. Methods: We searched four electronic bibliographic databases from database inception to April 25, 2022 for studies that included both early- and later-onset patients and performed a prognostic analysis. Random-effects models were used to summarize the prognostic information extracted by the investigators, including overall survival (OS), cancer-special survival (CSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Network meta-analysis (NMA) was used to compare patients' long-term prognoses in different age subgroups. Results: After 694 reports were screened, 13 studies were included in the final analysis, with a total of 448,781 CRC cases. In the meta-analysis of the 5-year OS, EOCRC had a better prognosis compared to LOCRC (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.99; relative risk [RR] 0.83, 95% CI, 0.78-0.89). No difference in prognosis was found between the two groups in terms of 5-year CSS (RR 0.99, 95% CI, 0.93-1.05), 5-year DFS (RR 0.90, 95% CI, 0.74-1.09), and short-term OS. In the NMA, patients aged <30 years had the worst outcome (surface under the cumulative ranking curve [SUCRA], 15.8%) in 5-year OS; consistent results were observed in the analysis of 5-year CSS (<30 years, SUCRA 4.5%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Although patients with early-onset CRC had better OS than those with later-onset CRC, there was no difference in the CSS. Meanwhile, the trend for survival was worse in younger patients, especially in those ages 18-29 years. Thus, more attention should be paid to early diagnosis and treatment of EOCRC. Systematic Review and Meta­Analysis Registration: The systematic review and Meta-analysis protocol was registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022334697).