Response of Elymus nutans Griseb. seedling physiology and endogenous hormones to drought and salt stress.

Elymus nutans Griseb. (E. nutans), a pioneer plant for the restoration of high quality pasture and vegetation, is widely used to establish artificial grasslands and ecologically restore arid and salinized soils. To investigate the effects of drought stress and salt stress on the physiology and endogenous hormones of E. nutans seedlings, this experiment configured the same environmental water potential (0 (CK), - 0.04, - 0.14, - 0.29, - 0.49, - 0.73, and - 1.02 MPa) of PEG-6000 and NaCl stress to investigate the effects of drought stress and salt stress, respectively, on E. nutans seedlings under the same environmental water potential. The results showed that although the physiological indices and endogenous hormones of the E. nutans seedlings responded differently to drought stress and salt stress under the same environmental water potential, the physiological indices of E. nutans shoots and roots were comprehensively evaluated using the genus function method, and the physiological indices of the E. nutans seedlings under the same environmental water potential exhibited better salt tolerance than drought tolerance. The changes in endogenous hormones of the E. nutans seedlings under drought stress were analyzed to find that treatment with gibberellic acid (GA3), gibberellin A7 (GA7), 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), 6-(y,y-dimethylallylaminopurine) (2.IP), trans-zeatin (TZ), kinetin (KT), dihydrozeatin (DHZ), indole acetic acid (IAA), and 2,6-dichloroisonicotininc acid (INA) was more effective than those under drought stress. By analyzing the amplitude of changes in the endogenous hormones in E. nutans seedlings, the amplitude of changes in the contents of GA3, GA7, 6-BA, 2.IP, TZ, KT, DHZ, IAA, isopentenyl adenosine (IPA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and abscisic acid was larger in drought stress compared with salt stress, which could be because the endogenous hormones are important for the drought tolerance of E. nutans itself. The amplitude of the changes in the contents of DHZ, TZR, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid was larger in salt stress compared with drought stress. Changes in the content of melatonin were larger in salt stress compared with drought stress, which could indicate that endogenous hormones and substances are important for the salt tolerance of E. nutans itself.

Cu Single-Atom Nanozyme-Mediated Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor for Highly Sensitive Detection of MicroRNA-622.

MicroRNA (miRNA) detection is a critical aspect of disease diagnosis, and recent studies indicate that miRNA-622 could be a potential target for lung cancer. Herein, Cu single atoms were anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (Cu SAs@CN) as a coreaction accelerator applied in luminol-H2O2 system, thereby establishing an efficient and sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for miRNA-622 detection. Cu SAs@CN was explored to possess excellent enzyme-like activities that promote the generation of abundant reactive oxygen species, which amplified ECL emission. Meanwhile, in order to improve the accuracy and sensitivity for miRNA-622 detection, the highly specific trans-cleavage ability of CRISPR/Cas12a was combined with a catalytic hairpin assembly strategy. Therefore, an ECL biosensor for miRNA-622 detection was systematically constructed as a proof of concept, achieving an ultralow limit of detection of 1.09 fM, and the feasibility was demonstrated in human serum samples. The findings of this research provide a promising strategy to enhance the ECL response using versatile single-atom catalysts, thus advancing the development of ECL biosensing applications.

A study on the relationship between yoga exercise intervention and the comprehensive well-being of female college students.

Background: Due to the influence of theories, tools, and methodologies in studying well-being, sports science has predominantly focused on subjective well-being, with less attention given to psychological well-being and even less to the integrated study of comprehensive well-being. This study aims to analyze the relationship between yoga exercise intervention and the comprehensive well-being of college students and to explore the mechanism of a yoga exercise intervention to improve the comprehensive well-being of female college students. Methods: With 92 female college students as subjects, the "Comprehensive Well-being Scale" was used, and research methods such as yoga exercise intervention, questionnaire surveys, qualitative analysis, expert interviews, and statistical analysis were employed to investigate the role of a yoga exercise intervention on the comprehensive well-being of female college students. Results: Among the nine dimensions of comprehensive well-being, the three dimensions of subjective well-being and the two dimensions of psychological well-being (health concern and personality growth) of female college students were significantly improved. Additionally, four other dimensions of psychological well-being also showed significant improvement. Furthermore, the improvement in the life satisfaction of female college students' subjective well-being was mainly achieved through yoga meditation, while partner yoga posture practice could help individuals gradually form a stable pattern of altruistic behavior. Conclusion: Yoga exercise intervention can improve the comprehensive well-being of female college students and can be an effective counseling method for college students' mental health education.

ESE-YOLOv8: A Novel Object Detection Algorithm for Safety Belt Detection during Working at Heights.

To address the challenges associated with supervising workers who wear safety belts while working at heights, this study proposes a solution involving the utilization of an object detection model to replace manual supervision. A novel object detection model, named ESE-YOLOv8, is introduced. The integration of the Efficient Multi-Scale Attention (EMA) mechanism within this model enhances information entropy through cross-channel interaction and encodes spatial information into the channels, thereby enabling the model to obtain rich and significant information during feature extraction. By employing GSConv to reconstruct the neck into a slim-neck configuration, the computational load of the neck is reduced without the loss of information entropy, allowing the attention mechanism to function more effectively, thereby improving accuracy. During the model training phase, a regression loss function named the Efficient Intersection over Union (EIoU) is employed to further refine the model's object localization capabilities. Experimental results demonstrate that the ESE-YOLOv8 model achieves an average precision of 92.7% at an IoU threshold of 50% and an average precision of 75.7% within the IoU threshold range of 50% to 95%. These results surpass the performance of the baseline model, the widely utilized YOLOv5 and demonstrate competitiveness among state-of-the-art models. Ablation experiments further confirm the effectiveness of the model's enhancements.

Bacillus subtilis Feed Supplementation Combined with Oral E. coli Immunization in Sows as a Tool to Reduce Neonatal Diarrhea in Piglets.

To investigate the effects of B. subtilis on the specific immune response of lactating sows to E. coli and the diarrhea rate in suckling piglets, thirty large white sows with similar farrowing dates were randomly divided into two groups: a feedback feeding (i.e., feeding a homogenate of intestinal contents and tissues from E. coli-infected piglets to sows; FB) group and a feedback feeding with B. subtilis (FB + BS) group. Serum, colostrum, and intestinal tissues from sows and piglets were collected to assess the immune response and intestinal barrier function at weaning. T and B cells from Peyer's patches (PPs) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) in lactating mice (with treatments consistent with the sows') were isolated to explore the underlying mechanism. The results showed that, compared with the FB group, the reproductive performance of sows and the growth performance of their offspring were effectively improved in the FB + BS group. Moreover, the levels of IgG/IgA and those of IgG/IgA against E. coli in the serum and colostrum of sows in the FB+BS group were increased (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the ratio of CD4+/CD8+, CD4+CXCR5+PD1+, and B220+IgA+ cells in MLNs and PPs, and the IgA levels in the mammary glands of mice, were also increased in the FB + BS group (p < 0.05). Notably, in suckling piglets in the FB + BS group, the diarrhea rate was decreased (p < 0.05), and the intestinal barrier function and intestinal flora composition at weaning were significantly improved. Overall, these results indicated that B. subtilis feed supplementation combined with feedback feeding in pregnant and lactating sows can reduce diarrhea in suckling piglets by enhancing the maternal immune response against E. coli and intestinal barrier function in their offspring, improving survival rates and pre-weaning growth.

[Mechanism of astragaloside â £ modulation of Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathway to inhibit ferroptosis and ameliorate atherosclerosis in ApoE~(-/-) mice].

The intervention effect of astragaloside Ⅳ(AS-Ⅳ) on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E gene knockout(ApoE)~(-/-) mice was observed based on the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)/glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4) signaling pathway to explore the potential mechanism of AS-Ⅳ in improving ferroptosis in atherosclerotic mice. This study established an atherosclerosis mouse model by feeding them a high-fat diet. After modeling for 8 weeks, ApoE~(-/-) mice were randomly divided into the model group, AS-Ⅳ group, AS-Ⅳ+Nrf2 inhibitor(ML385) group, and ferrostatin-1(Fer-1) group. Additionally, a blank control group was also established. Corresponding drugs were administered via intraperitoneal injection, with the control group receiving an equivalent amount of normal saline injection as the model group. After the experiment, serum biochemical levels were measured using an automatic blood lipid analyzer, hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe morphological changes in aortic sinus tissues, colorimetric methods were used to detect levels of ferrous ion(Fe~(2+)), malondialdehyde(MDA), glutathione(GSH), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) in mouse serum, immunofluorescence was used to observe the expressions of ferritin heavy chain 1(FTH1) and ferritin light chain(FTL) proteins in the aortic sinus of mice, Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1, and GPX4 in mouse aortic tissues, and transmission electron microscopy was used to observe ultrastructural changes in aortic tissues. RESULTS:: showed that compared to the control group, the model group of mice had significantly increased calcification and plaque deposition areas in the aortic sinus, increased mitochondrial membrane density, decreased or disappeared mitochondrial cristae, elevated levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), Fe~(2+), and MDA, decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), SOD, and GSH, and significant inhibition of Nrf2, HO-1, GPX4 proteins, as well as iron storage proteins FTH1 and FTL expressions in the aorta. Compared to the model group, AS-Ⅳ treatment resulted in decreased serum TC, TG, LDL-C, Fe~(2+), and MDA levels, increased HDL-C, SOD, and GSH levels, increased expressions of Nrf2, HO-1, and GPX4 proteins, and iron storage proteins FTH1 and FTL, and significant improvement in aortic tissue morphology. Compared to the AS-Ⅳ group, the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 could reverse the therapeutic effect of AS-Ⅳ on atherosclerosis mice. These findings suggest that AS-Ⅳ can inhibit ferroptosis and improve atherosclerosis in ApoE~(-/-) mice, and its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway.

Association of Hyperoxia During Cardiopulmonary Bypass and Postoperative Delirium in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU.

OBJECTIVE: ICU delirium commonly complicates critical illness associated with factors such as cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time and the requirement of mechanical ventilation (MV). Recent reports associate hyperoxia with poorer outcomes in critically ill children. This study sought to determine whether hyperoxia on CPB in pediatric patients was associated with a higher prevalence of postoperative delirium. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data obtained from a prospective cohort study. SETTING: Twenty-two-bed pediatric cardiac ICU in a tertiary children's hospital. PATIENTS: All patients (18 yr old or older) admitted post-CPB, with documented delirium assessment scores using the Preschool/Pediatric Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and who were enrolled in the Precision Medicine in Pediatric Cardiology Cohort from February 2021 to November 2021. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 148 patients, who underwent cardiac surgery, 35 had delirium within the first 72 hours (24%). There was no association between hyperoxia on CPB and postoperative delirium for all definitions of hyperoxia, including hyperoxic area under the curve above 5 predetermined Pao2 levels: 150 mm Hg (odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.176 [0.605-2.286], p = 0.633); 175 mm Hg (OR 1.177 [95% CI, 0.668-2.075], p = 0.572); 200 mm Hg (OR 1.235 [95% CI, 0.752-2.026], p = 0.405); 250 mm Hg (OR 1.204 [95% CI, 0.859-1.688], p = 0.281), 300 mm Hg (OR 1.178 [95% CI, 0.918-1.511], p = 0.199). In an additional exploratory analysis, comparing patients with delirium within 72 hours versus those without, only the z score for weight differed (mean [sd]: 0.09 [1.41] vs. -0.48 [1.82], p < 0.05). When comparing patients who developed delirium at any point during their ICU stay (n = 45, 30%), MV days, severity of illness (Pediatric Index of Mortality 3 Score) score, CPB time, and z score for weight were associated with delirium (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative delirium (72 hr from CPB) occurred in 24% of pediatric patients. Hyperoxia, defined in multiple ways, was not associated with delirium. On exploratory analysis, nutritional status (z score for weight) may be a significant factor in delirium risk. Further delineation of risk factors for postoperative delirium versus ICU delirium warrants additional study.

Biological functions and potential mechanisms of miR­143­3p in cancers (Review).

In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have been increasingly studied for their role in cancer and have shown potential as cancer biomarkers. miR­143­3p and miR­143­5p are the mature miRNAs derived from pre­miRNA­143. At present, there are numerous studies on the function of miR­143­3p in cancer progression, but there are no systematic reviews describing the function of miR­143­3p in cancer. It is widely considered that miR­143­3p is downregulated in most malignant tumors and that upstream regulators can act on this gene, which in turn regulates the corresponding target to act on the tumor. In addition, miRNA­143­3p can regulate target genes to affect the biological process of tumors through various signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/Akt, Wnt/ß­catenin, AKT/STAT3 and Ras­Raf­MEK­ERK pathways. The present review comprehensively described the biogenesis of miR­143­3p, the biological functions of miR­143­3p and the related roles and mechanisms in different cancer types. The potential of miR­143­3p as a biomarker for cancer was also highlighted and valuable future research directions were discussed.

Evaluation of artificial intelligence-assisted morphological analysis for platelet count estimation.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess the performance of the platelet count estimation using artificial intelligence technology on the MC-80 digital morphology analyzer. METHODS: Digital morphology analyzer uses two different computational principles for platelet count estimation: based on PLT/RBC ratio (PLT-M1) and estimate factor (PLT-M2). 977 samples with various platelet counts (low, median, and high) were collected. Out of these, 271 samples were immunoassayed using CD61 and CD41 antibodies. The platelet counts obtained from the hematology analyzer (PLT-I and PLT-O), digital morphology analyzer (PLT-M1 and PLT-M2), and flow cytometry (PLT-IRM) were compared. RESULTS: There was no significant deviation observed before and after verification for both PLT-M1 and PLT-M2 across the analysis range (average bias: -0.845/-0.682, 95% limit of agreement (LOA): -28.675-26.985/-29.420-28.056). When platelet alarms appeared, PLT-M1/PLT-M2 showed the strongest correlation with PLT-IRM than PLT-I with PLT-IRM (r: 0.9814/0.9796 > 0.9601). The correlation between PLT-M1/PLT-M2 and PLT-IRM was strong for samples with interference, such as large platelets or RBC fragments, but relatively weak in small RBCs. The deviation between PLT-M1 and PLT-M2 is related to the number of RBCs. Compared with PLT-I, PLT-M1/PLT-M2 showed higher accuracy for platelet transfusion decisions, especially for samples with low-value PLT. CONCLUSION: The novel platelet count estimation on the MC-80 digital morphology analyzer provides high accuracy, especially the reviewed result, which can effectively confirm suspicious platelet count.

An electrochemical H2S sensor based on the screen printing Fe@Pt/C/PTFE sensing electrode.

A novel electrochemical gas sensor for sensitive detection of H2S at room temperature is constructed based on the Fe@Pt/C composite material. The core-shell structured Fe@Pt catalyst was synthesized by a two-step reduction method and physically dispersed in Vulcan XC-72 carbon powders. The core-shell structure increases the effective catalytic surface area of Pt while significantly reducing the usage of the noble metal Pt, leading to improved catalytic performance and decreased production costs. Additionally, the mature screen-printing process is used to coat the catalyst film. A waterproof and breathable PTFE film was used as the substrate and the parameters in the screen printing process were also optimized to achieve the best gas sensing performance of the electrode film. Through the detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with different concentrations, it is found that the sensor strictly shows linear correlation in the range of 1-20 ppm, R2 = 0.99974. Notably, the sensor exhibits high sensitivity (658.45 nA ppm-1) and a low detection limit of 0.33 ppm. Moreover, the consistency and stability of the sensor are satisfactory. The constructed gas sensor is expected to be well applied to industrial H2S detection.

Potential Early Effect Biomarkers for Ambient Air Pollution Related Mental Disorders.

Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to health, with 99% of the world's population living where the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines were not met. In addition to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, the brain is another potential target of air pollution. Population- and experiment-based studies have shown that air pollution may affect mental health through direct or indirect biological pathways. The evidence for mental hazards associated with air pollution has been well documented. However, previous reviews mainly focused on epidemiological associations of air pollution with some specific mental disorders or possible biological mechanisms. A systematic review is absent for early effect biomarkers for characterizing mental health hazards associated with ambient air pollution, which can be used for early warning of related mental disorders and identifying susceptible populations at high risk. This review summarizes possible biomarkers involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and epigenetic changes linking air pollution and mental disorders, as well as genetic susceptibility biomarkers. These biomarkers may provide a better understanding of air pollution's adverse effects on mental disorders and provide future research direction in this arena.

Combining CD38 antibody with CD47 blockade is a promising strategy for treating hematologic malignancies expressing CD38.

Background: CD38 and CD47 are expressed in many hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM), B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we evaluated the antitumor activities of CD38/CD47 bispecific antibodies (BsAbs). Methods: Five suitable anti-CD38 antibodies for co-targeting CD47 and CD38 BsAb were developed using a 2 + 2 "mAb-trap" platform. The activity characteristics of the CD38/CD47 BsAbs were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo systems. Results: Using hybridoma screening technology, we obtained nine suitable anti-CD38 antibodies. All anti-CD38 antibodies bind to CD38+ tumor cells and kill tumor cells via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). Five anti-CD38 antibodies (4A8, 12C10, 26B4, 35G5, and 65A7) were selected for designing CD38/CD47 BsAbs (IMM5605) using a "mAb-trap" platform. BsAbs had higher affinity and binding activity to the CD38 target than those to the CD47 target, decreasing the potential on-target potential and off-tumor effects. The CD38/CD47 BsAbs did not bind to RBCs and did not induce RBC agglutination; thus, BsAbs had much lower blood toxicity. The CD38/CD47 BsAbs had a greater ability to block the CD47/SIRPα signal in CD38+/CD47+ tumor cells than IMM01 (SIRPα Fc fusion protein). Through Fc domain engineering, CD38/CD47 BsAbs were shown to kill tumors more effectively by inducing ADCC and ADCP. IMM5605-26B4 had the strongest inhibitory effect on cellular CD38 enzymatic activity. IMM5605-12C10 had the strongest ability to directly induce the apoptosis of tumor cells. The anti-CD38 antibody 26B4 combined with the SIRPα-Fc fusion proteins showed strong antitumor effects, which were better than any of the mono-therapeutic agents used alone in the NCI-H929 cell xenograft model. The CD38/CD47 BsAbs exhibited strong antitumor effects; specifically, IMM5605-12C10 efficiently eradicated all established tumors in all mice. Conclusion: A panel of BsAbs targeting CD38 and CD47 developed based on the "mAb-tarp" platform showed potent tumor-killing ability in vitro and in vivo. As BsAbs had lower affinity for binding to CD47, higher affinity for binding to CD38, no affinity for binding to RBCs, and did not induce RBC agglutination, we concluded that CD38/CD47 BsAbs are safe and have a satisfactory tolerability profile.

The joint effects of local, climatic, and spatial variables determine soil oribatid mite community assembly along a temperate forest elevational gradient.

Numerous factors influence mountain biodiversity variation across elevational gradients and recognizing the relative importance is vital for understanding species distribution mechanisms. We examined oribatid mites at nine elevations (from 600 to 2200 m a.s.l) and four vegetation types from mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests to alpine tundra on Changbai Mountain. We assessed the contribution of environmental factors (climatic and local factors) and spatial processes (geographic or elevation distances) to oribatid mite community assembly and identified 59 oribatid mite species from 38 families and 51 genera. With increasing elevation, species richness and the Shannon index declined significantly, whereas abundance followed a hump-shaped trend. Soil TP, NH4 +-N, MAT, MAP, and elevation were the critical variables shaping oribatid mite communities based on random forest analysis. Moreover, environmental and spatial factors, and oribatid mite communities were significantly correlated based on Mantel and partial Mantel tests. Local characteristics (3.9%), climatic factors (1.9%), and spatial filtering (8.8%) played crucial roles in determining oribatid mite communities across nine elevational bands (based on variation partitioning analyses of abundance data). Within the same vegetation types, spatial processes had relatively little effects, with local characteristics the dominant drivers of oribatid mite community variation. Environmental and spatial filters together shape oribatid mite community assembly and their relative roles varied with elevation and vegetation type. These findings are crucial for the conservation, restoration, and management of Changbai mountain ecosystems in the context of climate change, along with the prediction of future vertical biotic gradient pattern evolution.

The p38/MAPK pathway as a therapeutic target to prevent therapeutic escape of breast cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in metastasis development, tumor recurrence, and treatment resistance, and are essential for the eradication of cancer. Currently, therapies fail to eradicate CSCs due to their therapeutic stress-induced cellular escape, which leads to enhanced aggressive behaviors compared with CSCs that have never been treated. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating the therapeutic escape remain unknown. To this end, we established a model to isolate the therapeutic escaped CSCs (TSCSCs) from breast CSCs and performed the transcription profile to reveal the mechanism. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that the behavior of therapeutic escape was regulated through the p38/MAPK signaling pathway, resulting in TSCSCs exhibiting enhanced motility and metastasis. Notably, blocking the p38/MAPK signaling pathway effectively reduced motility and metastasis ability both in vitro and in vivo, which were further supported by downregulated motility-related genes and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins vimentin and N-cadherin. The obtained findings reveal the p38/MAPK pathway as a potential therapeutic target for TSCSCs and would provide profound implications for cancer therapy.

Oxygen-to-ammonium-nitrogen ratio as an indicator for oxygen supply management in microoxic bioanodic ammonium oxidation.

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) have been proven effective for oxidizing ammonium (NH4+), where the anode acts as an electron acceptor, reducing the energy input by substituting oxygen (O2). However, O2 has been proved to be essential for achieving high removal rates MECs. Thus, precise control of oxygen supply is crucial for optimizing treatment performance and minimizing energy consumption. Unlike previous studies focusing on dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, this study introduces the O2/NH4+-N ratio as a novel control parameter for balancing oxidation rates and the selectivity of NH4+ oxidation towards dinitrogen gas (N2) under limited oxygen condition. Our results demonstrated that the O2/NH4+-N ratio is a more relevant oxygen supply indicator compared to DO level. Oxygen served as a more favorable electron acceptor than the electrode, increasing NH4+ oxidation rates but also resulting in more oxidized products such as nitrate (NO3-). Additionally, nitrous oxide (N2O) and N2 production were higher with the electrode as the electron acceptor compared to oxygen alone. An O2/NH4+-N ratio of 0.5 was found to be optimal, achieving a balance between product selectivity for N2 (51.4 % ± 4.5 %) and oxidation rates (344.6 ± 14.7 mg-N/L*d), with the columbic efficiency of 30.7 % ± 2.0 %. Microbial community analysis revealed that nitrifiers and denitrifiers were the primary bacteria involved, with oxygen promoting the growth of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, thus facilitating complete NH4+ oxidation to NO3-. Our study provides new insights and guidelines on the appropriate oxygen dosage, offering strategies into optimizing operational conditions for NH4+ removal using MECs.

Identification of the ferroptosis-related gene signature and the associated regulation axis in lung cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an elevated risk of lung cancer compared to the healthy population. However, there are few studies on the relationship between RA and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), especially the mechanisms at the genetic level. In this study, we investigated the link between RA and LUAD regarding Ferroptosis-Related Genes. The RNA-seq data of RA (GSE77298 and GSE 82107) and LUAD(GSE75037) in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were obtained. 259 ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from the website ( http://www.zhounan.org/ferrdb/ ).The differential genes obtained from the RA and LUAD datasets were intersected with ferroptosis-related genes to obtain the ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs). Next, the mRNA-miRNA network was constructed, then Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) for target genes were performed. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to analyze the immune infiltration. Finally, the results were validated using external datasets (GSE89408 and GSE48780) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. We obtained FRDEGs common to LUAD and RA: FANCD2, HELLS, RRM2, G6PD, VLDLR. These five genes play important roles in the progression of RA and LUAD. They also hold great diagnostic value for both diseases. Also, we found that LUAD and RA share common signaling pathways and similar immune mechanisms.

Compositions and sources of fluorescent water-soluble and water-insoluble organic aerosols.

Brown carbon (BrC), the light-absorbing component of organic aerosols, plays a significant role in climate change and atmospheric photochemistry. However, the water-insoluble fractions of BrC have not been extensively studied, limiting the assessment of the overall climate effects of BrC. In this study, water-soluble and -insoluble organic carbon (i.e., WSOC and WIOC) in wintertime aerosols in Hefei were subsequently fractionated, and their fluorescence properties were comparatively investigated with the excitation-emission matrix method. WIOC contributing 57.1 % was the major component of organic carbon. WSOC with the largest contribution from humic-like regions exhibited a redshift compared to WIOC. Three humic-like substances (HULIS) with different oxidation degrees and one protein-like substances (PRLIS) were identified as the major fluorescent components by the parallel factor analysis. WSOC had more highly oxygenated HULIS, whereas low-oxygenated HULIS dominated WIOC. Nighttime WIOC contained more less-oxygenated species. The positive matrix factorization analysis suggested that biomass burning (43 %) was the largest source of both fluorescent WSOC and WIOC. Coal combustion contributed much more to fluorescent WIOC (40 %), whereas secondary formation contributed more to fluorescent WSOC (12 %). During aerosol pollution episodes, the increase in fluorescence efficiency was much greater for WIOC (25 %) than for WSOC (12 %), and WSOC and WIOC experienced a redshift and blueshift in emission wavelength, respectively. WSOC had more highly oxygenated HULIS, while WIOC had more less-oxygenated HULIS in aerosol episodes than the non-episodic periods. In addition, aerosol pollution was accompanied by the increased contributions of biomass burning and coal combustion to both fluorescent WSOC and WIOC, while the decreased relative contribution of secondary formation to fluorescent WSOC. Our findings highlighted the different fluorescence properties, compositions and sources of fluorescent WSOC and WIOC, providing a comprehensive view of BrC aerosols.

Natural soil biotin application activates soil beneficial microorganisms to improve the thermotolerance of Chinese cabbage.

Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. syn. B. rapa), a widely cultivated leafy vegetable, faces significant challenges in annual production due to high-temperature stress, which adversely affects plant weight and quality. The need for an effective solution to mitigate these impacts is imperative for sustainable horticulture. This study explored the effects of a novel biofertilizer, natural soil biotin (NSB), on Chinese cabbage under high-temperature conditions. NSB, rich in organic matter-degrading enzymes, was applied to assess its impact on crop yield, growth, nutrient use efficiency, product quality, and safety. The study also examined the soil microbial community response to NSB application, particularly the changes in the rhizosphere soil's fungal population. The application of NSB led to an increase in the abundance of Oleomycetes, which was associated with a decrease in the diversity and abundance of harmful fungi in the rhizosphere soil. This microbial shift promoted the growth of Chinese cabbage, enhancing both plant weight and quality by fostering a more favorable growth environment. Furthermore, NSB was found to reduce lipid peroxidation in Chinese cabbage leaves under high-temperature stress (40°C/30°C, 16 h/8 h, 24 h) by boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and osmoregulatory substance content. The findings suggest that the NSB application offers a promising approach to environmentally friendly cultivation of Chinese cabbage during high-temperature seasons. It contributes to improving the crop's adaptation to climate change and soil degradation, supporting the development of sustainable agricultural practices. The integration of NSB into agricultural practices presents a viable strategy for enhancing the resilience of Chinese cabbage to high-temperature stress, thereby potentially increasing yield and improving the quality of the produce, which is crucial for the advancement of sustainable horticulture.

Antiplatelet drug ticagrelor suppresses triple negative breast cancer metastasis by targeting PI3K.

Metastatic recurrence is still a major challenge in breast cancer treatment. Patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) develop early recurrence and relapse more frequently. Due to the lack of specific therapeutic targets, new targeted therapies for TNBC are urgently needed. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is one of the active pathways involved in chemoresistance and survival of TNBC, being considered as a potential target for TNBC treatment. Our present study identified ticagrelor, an anti-platelet drug, as a pan-PI3K inhibitor with potent inhibitory activity against four isoforms of class I PI3K. At doses normally used in clinic, ticagrelor showed weak cytotoxicity against a panel of breast cancer cells, but significantly inhibited the migration, invasion and the actin cytoskeleton organization of human TNBC MDA-MB-231 and SUM-159PT cells. Mechanistically, ticagrelor effectively inhibited PI3K downstream mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 signaling by targeting PI3K and decreased the protein expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. In vivo, ticagrelor significantly suppressed tumor cells lung metastasis in 4T1 tumor bearing BALB/c mice model and experimental lung metastasis model which was established by tail vein injection of GFP-labeled MDA-MB-231 cells. The above data demonstrated that ticagrelor can inhibit the migration and invasion of TNBC both in vitro and in vivo by targeting PI3K, suggesting that ticagrelor, a pan-PI3K inhibitor, might represent a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of metastatic TNBC.

Associations of 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk scores with cerebral small vessel disease: the PolyvasculaR Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and vaScular Events (PRECISE) study.

BACKGROUND: 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores were useful for predicting large vessel disease, but the relationships between them and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) were unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate associations of 10-year ASCVD risk scores with CSVD and its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers. METHODS: Community-dwelling residents from the PolyvasculaR Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and vaScular Events study were included in this cross-sectional study. At baseline, we collected data related to the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), pooled cohort equation (PCE), prediction for ASCVD risk in China (China-PAR) and Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation model 2 (SCORE2), and classified participants into low, moderate and high groups. Participants underwent brain MRI scans. We evaluated white matter hyperintensity (WMH), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and enlarged perivascular spaces in basal ganglia (BG-EPVS) according to criteria of Wardlaw and Rothwell, and calculated total CSVD score and modified total CSVD score. RESULTS: A total of 3063 participants were included, and 53.5% of them were female. A higher FRS was associated with higher total CSVD score (moderate vs. low: cOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.53-2.34; high vs. low: cOR 3.23, 95%CI 2.62-3.97), and the PCE, China-PAR or SCORE2 score was positively related to total CSVD score (P < 0.05). Moreover, higher 10-year ASCVD scores were associated with higher odds of WMH (P < 0.05), lacunes (P < 0.05), CMBs (P < 0.05) and BG-EPVS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The 10-year ASCVD scores were positively associated with CSVD and its MRI markers. These scores provided a method of risk stratification in the population with CSVD.