Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy post breast-conserving surgery: clinical efficacy, adverse effects, and cosmetic outcomes in breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) is an innovative technique delivering a higher dose to the tumor bed while irradiating the entire breast. This study aims to assess the clinical outcomes, adverse effects, and cosmetic results of SIB-IMRT following breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 308 patients with stage 0-III breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery and SIB-IMRT from January 2016 to December 2020. The prescribed doses included 1.85 Gy/27 fractions to the whole breast and 2.22 Gy/27 fractions or 2.20 Gy/27 fractions to the tumor bed. Primary endpoints included overall survival (OS), local-regional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), acute and late toxicities, and cosmetic outcomes. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 36 months. The 3-year OS, LRC, and DMFS rates were 100%, 99.6%, and 99.2%, respectively. Five patients (1.8%) experienced local recurrence or distant metastasis, and one patient succumbed to distant metastasis. The most common acute toxicity was grade 1-2 skin reactions (91.6%). The most common late toxicity was grade 0-1 skin and subcutaneous tissue reactions (96.7%). Five patients (1.8%) developed grade 1-2 upper limb lymphedema, and three patients (1.1%) had grade 1 radiation pneumonitis. Among the 262 patients evaluated for cosmetic outcomes at least 2 years post-radiotherapy, 96.9% achieved excellent or good results, while 3.1% had fair or poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: SIB-IMRT after breast-conserving surgery in breast cancer patients demonstrated excellent clinical efficacy, mild acute and late toxicities, and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes in our study. SIB-IMRT appears to be a feasible and effective option for breast cancer patients suitable for breast-conserving surgery.

IGF2BP2-modified circular RNA circCHD7 promotes endometrial cancer progression via stabilizing PDGFRB and activating JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a class of covalently closed, single-stranded RNAs and have been linked to cancer progression. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is a ubiquitous RNA modification in cancer cells. Increasing evidence suggests that m6A can mediate the effects of circRNAs in cancer biology. In contrast, the post-transcriptional systems of m6A and circRNA in the progression of endometrial cancer (EC) remain obscure. The current study identified a novel circRNA with m6A modification, hsa_circ_0084582 (circCHD7), which was upregulated in EC tissues. Functionally, circCHD7 was found to promote the proliferation of EC cells. Mechanistically, circCHD7 interacted with insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein (IGF2BP2) to amplify its enrichment. Moreover, circCHD7 increased the mRNA stability of platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) in an m6A-dependent manner, thereby enhancing its expression. In addition, the circCHD7/IGF2BP2/PDGFRB axis activated the JAK/STAT signaling pathway and promoted EC cell proliferation. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights into the regulation of circRNA-mediated m6A modification, and the new "circCHD7-PDGFRB" model of regulation offers new perspectives on circCHD7 as a potential target for EC therapy.

Effect of oxygen-containing functional group contents on sorption of lead ions by acrylate-functionalized hydrochar.

The surface functional groups of hydrochar are crucial to its surface properties, and their contents are strongly positively correlated with the adsorption performance. In this study, acrylate-functionalized hydrochar (AHC) with varying contents of O-containing functional groups (OFGs) was synthesized via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of bamboo, acrylic acid and an initiator, and then deprotonated with NaOH. The AHCs were analyzed by various characterization techniques. During HTC, the higher amount of acrylic acid added led to higher carbon, oxygen and carboxyl contents, and to the larger specific surface area and pore volume of AHC. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamic, ionic strength and pH effects of Pb(II) on AHC were studied. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics obeyed Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, respectively, indicating adsorption is monolayer chemical process. The adsorptive ability was well linearly related to the OFG contents of AHC. When acrylic acid was added to 25 mL during HTC, the adsorbing ability of AHC over Pb(II) reached 193.90 mg g-1. Hence, direct HTC of acrylic acid, biomass and an initiator can prepare hydrochar with controllable OFG contents, which is a prospective adsorbent for treating metal cations.

Self-Reinforced Bimetallic Mito-Jammer for Ca2+ Overload-Mediated Cascade Mitochondrial Damage for Cancer Cuproptosis Sensitization.

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), metal ion accumulation, and tricarboxylic acid cycle collapse are crucial factors in mitochondria-mediated cell death. However, the highly adaptive nature and damage-repair capabilities of malignant tumors strongly limit the efficacy of treatments based on a single treatment mode. To address this challenge, a self-reinforced bimetallic Mito-Jammer is developed by incorporating doxorubicin (DOX) and calcium peroxide (CaO2) into hyaluronic acid (HA) -modified metal-organic frameworks (MOF). After cellular, Mito-Jammer dissociates into CaO2 and Cu2+ in the tumor microenvironment. The exposed CaO2 further yields hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and Ca2+ in a weakly acidic environment to strengthen the Cu2+-based Fenton-like reaction. Furthermore, the combination of chemodynamic therapy and Ca2+ overload exacerbates ROS storms and mitochondrial damage, resulting in the downregulation of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels and blocking of Cu-ATPase to sensitize cuproptosis. This multilevel interaction strategy also activates robust immunogenic cell death and suppresses tumor metastasis simultaneously. This study presents a multivariate model for revolutionizing mitochondria damage, relying on the continuous retention of bimetallic ions to boost cuproptosis/immunotherapy in cancer.

Overexpressed Gαi1 exerts pro-tumorigenic activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The current study tested the expression and potential functions of Gαi1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database results demonstrate that Gαi1 transcripts' number in NPC tissues is significantly higher than that in the normal nasal epithelial tissues. Its overexpression correlates with poor survival in certain NPC patients. Moreover, Gαi1 is significantly upregulated in NPC tissues of local primary patients and in different primary human NPC cells. Whereas its expression is relatively low in cancer-surrounding normal tissues and in primary nasal epithelial cells. Genetic silencing (via shRNA strategy) or knockout (via CRISPR-sgRNA method) of Gαi1 substantially suppressed viability, proliferation, cell cycle progression, and migration in primary NPC cells, causing significant caspase-apoptosis activation. Contrarily, ectopic Gαi1 expression exerted pro-tumorigenic activity and strengthened cell proliferation and migration in primary NPC cells. Gαi1 is important for Akt-mTOR activation in NPC cells. Akt-S6K phosphorylation was downregulated after Gαi1 shRNA or KO in primary NPC cells, but strengthened following Gαi1 overexpression. In Gαi1-silenced primary NPC cells, a S473D constitutively-active mutant Akt1 (caAkt1) restored Akt-S6K phosphorylation and ameliorated Gαi1 shRNA-induced proliferation inhibition, migration reduction and apoptosis. Bioinformatics analyses proposed zinc finger protein 384 (ZNF384) as a potential transcription factor of Gαi1. In primary NPC cells, ZNF384 shRNA or knockout (via CRISPR-sgRNA method) decreased Gαi1 mRNA and protein expression, whereas ZNF384 overexpression upregulated it. Importantly, there was an increased binding between ZNF384 protein and the Gαi1 promoter in human NPC tissues and different NPC cells. In vivo studies showed that intratumoral injection of Gαi1-shRNA-expressing adeno-associated virus (AAV) impeded subcutaneous NPC xenograft growth in nude mice. Gαi1 downregulation, Akt-mTOR inactivation, and apoptosis induction were detected in Gαi1-silenced NPC xenograft tissues. Gαi1 KO also effectively inhibited the growth of NPC xenografts in nude mice. Together, overexpressed Gαi1 exerts pro-tumorigenic activity in NPC possibly by promoting Akt-mTOR activation.

Pomolic acid and its glucopyranose ester promote apoptosis through autophagy in HT-29 colon cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer remains a leading cause of death globally. Pomolic acid (PA) can be separated from the ethyl acetate fraction of achyrocline satureioides. AIM: To determine the effects of PA and its glucopyranose ester, pomolic acid-28-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl ester (PAO), on colon cancer HT-29 cells. METHODS: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay was used to measure cell viability. Apoptosis was detected via hoechst 33342 staining. PI single staining was identified by flow cytometry to determine the cycle and scratch assay was used to observe the migration of HT-29 cells. The levels of mRNA and proteins were evaluated by q polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: PA and PAO considerably inhibited the growth of the HT-29 cell line in a time and dose-dependent manner. After the administration of PA and PAO for 24 and 48 h, cell apoptosis was significantly promoted and HT-29 cells were arrested in the G0/G1 stage. The Bax/Bcl2 ratio was also increased, which activated cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3, leading to apoptosis; it also increased the expression of light chain 3 II/I and Beclin1, which activated autophagy and caused cell death. This in turn increased the expression of p62 to promote cell apoptosis, inhibiting the levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and p-STAT3, suppressing the level of Bcl2, and promoting cell. CONCLUSION: Both PA and PAO provide novel therapeutic strategies for treating colorectal cancer.

Treatment of stroke in aged male and female rats with Vepoloxamer and tPA reduces neurovascular damage.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, mainly affecting the elderly. Unfortunately, current treatments for acute ischemic stroke warrant improvement. To date, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is of limited use in stroke patients mainly due to its narrow therapeutic window and potential for hemorrhagic complication. The adjuvant treatment with Vepoloxamer, a purified amphipathic polymer has been shown to enhance the thrombolytic efficacy of tPA treatment in young adult male rats after embolic stroke. However, most stroke patients are aged; therefore, the current study investigated the therapeutic effect of the combined tPA and Vepoloxamer treatment in aged male and female rats subjected to embolic stroke. Methods: Male and female Wistar rats at 18 months of age were subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion and treated either with monotherapy of tPA or Vepoloxamer, a combination of these two agents, or saline at 4 h after stroke onset. Neurological outcomes were evaluated with a battery of behavioral tests including adhesive removal, foot-fault, and modified neurological severity score tests at 1 and 7 days after stroke onset, followed by histopathological analysis of infarct volume. Residual clot size and vascular patency and integrity were analyzed. Results: The combination treatment with Vepoloxamer and tPA significantly reduced infarct volume and neurological deficits in male and female rats compared to rats treated with saline and the monotherapies of tPA and Vepoloxamer. While Vepoloxamer monotherapy moderately reduced neurological deficits, monotherapies with tPA and Vepoloxamer failed to reduce infarct volume compared to saline treatment. Furthermore, the combination treatment with tPA and Vepoloxamer accelerated thrombolysis, reduced ischemia and tPA-potentiated microvascular disruption, and concomitantly improved cerebrovascular integrity and perfusion in the male ischemic rats. Conclusion: Combination treatment with tPA and Vepoloxamer at 4 h after stroke onset effectively reduces ischemic neurovascular damage by accelerating thrombolysis and reducing ischemia and tPA potentiated side effects in the aged rats. This funding suggests that the combination treatment with tPA and Vepoloxamer represents a promising strategy to potentially apply to the general population of stroke patients.

Trithiocyanurate-functionalized hydrochar for effectively removing methylene blue and Pb (II) cationic pollutants.

Functionalization can change the physicochemical properties of hydrochar and improve its ability to adsorb pollutants. Herein, a trithiocyanurate-functionalized hydrochar (TTHC) was obtained from acylation of chloroacetyl chloride and hydrochar and modification with trithiocyanuric acid in alkaline conditions. TTHC can efficiently remove cationic methylene blue (MB) and Pb(II) from wastewater. The removal can be expressed with pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir models. The MB and Pb(II) removed uptakes by TTHC at 298 K exceeded 909.9 and 182.8 mg g-1 respectively, and the removal rates reached 90% and 98% within 120 min respectively. Characterizations show TTHC is functionalized with trithiocyanurate, and rich in thiolate and aromaticity, and tends to adsorb MB/Pb(II) via multiple adsorption mechanisms. After five sorption-desorption regeneration cycles, TTHC maintained 80% and 99% adsorption capacities for MB and Pb(II) respectively. Therefore, TTHC is a promising efficient sorbent for removing MB and Pb(II) from effluents.

Fatty acid metabolism decreased while sexual selection increased in brown rats spreading south.

For mammals that originate in the cold north, adapting to warmer environments is crucial for southwards invasion. The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) originated in Northeast China and has become a global pest. R. n. humiliatus (RNH) spread from the northeast, where R. n. caraco (RNC) lives, to North China and diverged to form a subspecies. Genomic analyses revealed that subspecies differentiation was promoted by temperature but impeded by gene flow and that genes related to fatty acid metabolism were under the strongest selection. Transcriptome analyses revealed downregulated hepatic genes related to fatty acid metabolism and upregulated those related to pheromones in RNH vs. RNC. Similar patterns were observed in relation to cold/warm acclimation. RNH preferred mates with stronger pheromone signals intra-populationally and more genetic divergence inter-populationally. We concluded that RNH experienced reduced fat utilization and increased pheromone-mediated sexual selection during its invasion from the cold north to warm south.

The role of left ventricular hypertrophy measured by echocardiography in screening patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries: a cross-sectional study.

Many patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) have a poor prognosis. This study aims to explore the diagnostic value of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)-related ultrasound parameters in INOCA patients. The study group consisted of 258 patients with INOCA in this retrospective cross-sectional study, and these patients were free of obstructive coronary artery disease, previous revascularization, atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction < 50%, major distortions of left ventricular geometry, suspected non-ischaemic causes. Control individuals were matched 1:1 with study group according to age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, and time of hospital stay. According to left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness, left ventricular geometry was composed of concentric hypertrophy, eccentric hypertrophy, concentric remodeling and normal geometry. LVH-related parameters, left ventricular geometry, demographic characteristics, laboratory parameters and other echocardiographic indicators were compared between the two groups. Subgroup analysis was performed based on sex. LVMI in the study group was higher than that in the control group (86.86 ± 18.83 g/m2 vs 82.25 ± 14.29 g/m2, P = 0.008). The ratio of LVH was higher in the study group (20.16% vs 10.85%, P = 0.006). After subgroup analysis based on sex, LVMI differences (85.77 ± 18.30 g/m2 vs 81.59 ± 14.64 g/m2, P = 0.014) and the ratio of LVH differences (25.00% vs 14.77%, P = 0.027) still existed in females between the two groups. There was no difference in the constituent ratio of left ventricular geometry between the two groups (P = 0.157). Sex-based subgroup analysis showed no difference in the constituent ratio of left ventricular geometry between the two groups in females (P = 0.242). The degree of LVH in the study group was higher than that in the control group, suggesting that LVH may play an important role in the occurrence and development of INOCA. Moreover, LVH-related ultrasound parameters may be of higher diagnostic value for female INOCA patients than for male INOCA patients.

PTC-MAS: A Deep Learning-Based Preoperative Automatic Assessment of Lymph Node Metastasis in Primary Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Identifying cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) in primary thyroid cancer preoperatively using ultrasound is challenging. Therefore, a non-invasive method is needed to assess LNM accurately. PURPOSE: To address this need, we developed the Primary Thyroid Cancer Lymph Node Metastasis Assessment System (PTC-MAS), a transfer learning-based and B-mode ultrasound images-based automatic assessment system for assessing LNM in primary thyroid cancer. METHODS: The system has two parts: YOLO Thyroid Nodule Recognition System (YOLOS) for obtaining regions of interest (ROIs) of nodules, and LMM assessment system for building the LNM assessment system using transfer learning and majority voting with extracted ROIs as input. We retained the relative size features of nodules to improve the system's performance. RESULTS: We evaluated three transfer learning-based neural networks (DenseNet, ResNet, and GoogLeNet) and majority voting, which had the area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.802, 0.837, 0.823, and 0.858, respectively. Method III preserved relative size features and achieved higher AUCs than Method II, which fixed nodule size. YOLOS achieved high precision and sensitivity on a test set, indicating its potential for ROIs extraction. CONCLUSIONS: Our proposed PTC-MAS system effectively assesses primary thyroid cancer LNM based on preserving nodule relative size features. It has potential for guiding treatment modalities and avoiding inaccurate ultrasound results due to tracheal interference.

Facile solvent-free radical polymerization to prepare itaconate-functionalized hydrochar for efficient sorption of methylene blue and Pb(II).

An itaconate-functionalized hydrochar (IFHC) was prepared from one-step solvent-free radical copolymerization of bamboo hydrochar, itaconic acid, ammonium persulphate and sodium hydroxide in solvent-free environment, and was employed to absorb methylene blue (MB) and Pb(II) from wastewater. Characterizations show IFHC has rich carboxylate and tends to adsorb cationic contaminants. The largest adsorbed quantities of MB and Pb(II) by IFHC are up to 1036 and 291.8 mg·g-1 at 298 K respectively as per the Langmuir isotherm. Sorption of MB and Pb(II) onto IFHC can be expressed well by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-2nd-order kinetics equations. The high sorption performance depends on the rich carboxylate, which can adsorb MB/Pb(II) through an electrostatic interaction/inner-surface complexation mechanism. The sorptive capacity of regenerated IFHC decreased below 10% after 5 desorption-resorption cycles. Thus, the solvent-free free radical copolymerization is an environmentally-friendly strategy to synthesize novel efficient sorbents that can clean cationic contaminants from wastewater.

Manipulating PP2Acα-ASK-JNK signaling to favor apoptotic over necroptotic hepatocyte fate reduces the extent of necrosis and fibrosis upon acute liver injury.

In the widely used Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury (ALI) mouse model, hepatocytes are known to die from programmed cell death (PCD) processes including apoptosis and necroptosis. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that CCl4 treatment could induce both apoptosis and necroptosis. Treatment of mice with the apoptosis inducer SMAC mimetic reduced necroptosis, led to less pronounced liver damage, and improved overall liver function. By LC-MS/MS, we found that PP2Acα expression was increased in ALI mice liver, and we confirmed its high expression in subacute hepatitis patients. We observed that ALI severity (including aggravated fibrogenesis) was significantly alleviated in hepatocyte-specific PP2Acα conditional knockout (PP2Acα cKO) mice. Furthermore, the relative extent of apoptosis over necroptosis was increased in the PP2Acα cKO ALI mice. Pursuing the idea that biasing the type of PCD towards apoptosis may reduce liver damage, we found that treatment of PP2Acα cKO ALI mice with the apoptosis inhibitor z-Vad-fmk increased the extent of necroptosis and caused severer damage. Mechanistically, disruption of PP2Acα prevents the dephosphorylation of pASK1(Ser967), thereby preventing the sustained activation of JNK. Inhibition of PP2Acα prevents CCl4-induced liver injury and fibrogenesis by disrupting ASK/JNK pathway mediated PCD signaling, ultimately improving liver function by biasing hepatocytes towards an apoptotic rather than necroptotic cell fate. Thus, targeting PP2A and/or ASK1 to favor apoptotic over necroptotic hepatocyte fate may represent an attractive therapeutic strategy for treating ALI.

WDR73 Depletion Destabilizes PIP4K2C Activity and Impairs Focal Adhesion Formation in Galloway-Mowat Syndrome.

(1) Background: Galloway-Mowat syndrome (GAMOS) is a rare genetic disease, classically characterized by a combination of various neurological symptoms and nephrotic syndrome. WDR73 is the pathogenic gene responsible for GAMOS1. However, the pathological and molecular mechanisms of GAMOS1, especially nephrotic syndrome caused by WDR73 deficiency, remain unknown. (2) Methods and Results: In this study, we first observed remarkable cellular morphological changes including impaired cell adhesion, decreased pseudopodia, and G2/M phase arrest in WDR73 knockout (KO) HEK 293 cells. The differentially expressed genes in WDR73 KO cells were enriched in the focal adhesion (FA) pathway. Additionally, PIP4K2C, a phospholipid kinase also involved in the FA pathway, was subsequently validated to interact with WDR73 via protein microarray and GST pulldown. WDR73 regulates PIP4K2C protein stability through the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. The stability of PIP4K2C was significantly disrupted by WDR73 KO, leading to a remarkable reduction in PIP2 and thus weakening the FA formation. In addition, we found that podocyte-specific conditional knockout (Wdr73 CKO) mice showed high levels of albuminuria and podocyte foot process injury in the ADR-induced model. FA formation was impaired in primary podocytes derived from Wdr73 CKO mice. (3) Conclusions: Since FA has been well known for its critical roles in maintaining podocyte structures and function, our study indicated that nephrotic syndrome in GAMOS1 is associated with disruption of FA caused by WDR73 deficiency.

Cerebral endothelial cell derived small extracellular vesicles improve cognitive function in aged diabetic rats.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) mediate cell-cell communication by transferring their cargo biological materials into recipient cells. Diabetes mellitus (DM) induces cerebral vascular dysfunction and neurogenesis impairment, which are associated with cognitive decline and an increased risk of developing dementia. Whether the sEVs are involved in DM-induced cerebral vascular disease, is unknown. Therefore, we studied sEVs derived from cerebral endothelial cells (CEC-sEVs) of aged DM rats (DM-CEC-sEVs) and found that DM-CEC-sEVs robustly inhibited neural stem cell (NSC) generation of new neuroblasts and damaged cerebral endothelial function. Treatment of aged DM-rats with CEC-sEVs derived from adult healthy normal rats (N-CEC-sEVs) ameliorated cognitive deficits and improved cerebral vascular function and enhanced neurogenesis. Intravenously administered N-CEC-sEVs crossed the blood brain barrier and were internalized by neural stem cells in the neurogenic region, which were associated with augmentation of miR-1 and -146a and reduction of myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 and thrombospondin 1 proteins. In addition, uptake of N-CEC-sEVs by the recipient cells was mediated by clathrin and caveolin dependent endocytosis signaling pathways. The present study provides ex vivo and in vivo evidence that DM-CEC-sEVs induce cerebral vascular dysfunction and neurogenesis impairment and that N-CEC-sEVs have a therapeutic effect on improvement of cognitive function by ameliorating dysfunction of cerebral vessels and increasing neurogenesis in aged DM rats, respectively.

Novel variants in OSGEP leading to Galloway-Mowat syndrome by altering its subcellular localization.

Galloway-Mowat syndrome (GAMOS) is an extremely rare clinically heterogeneous autosomal or X-linked inherited recessive disease characterized by early-onset steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), microcephaly and neurological impairment. In this study, two siblings mainly presenting with decreased head circumference, hypotonia, gross motor delay, and dysmorphic features were initially detected without pathogenic variants by karyotyping, SNP-array and WES. After a 3 year's follow-up, the proband manifested additional proteinuria, hematuria and "deeper sulci" with a sign of brain atrophy. By reanalysis on the proband's previous WES data, two novel compound heterozygous variants of OSGEP (c.133dupA; c.608C > T) were identified. Furthermore, functional studies showed that the variants reduced the expression of OSGEP protein and activated the DNA damage response (DDR) signaling in the lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) obtained from the patient. The analysis of protein localization with confocal microscopy revealed that the EGFP-tagged/HA-tagged mutant OSGEP proteins were abnormal aggregation or retained inside the cytosol, respectively. Our study not only expanded the pathogenic variant spectrum of OSGEP but also carried on regular follow-up for kidney involvement and established a strategy for evaluation on the function of mutant OSGFP by subcellular localization assay.

Enhanced removal of Cr(VI) by nitrogen-doped hydrochar prepared from bamboo and ammonium chloride.

N-doped biochar can effectively eliminate toxic Cr(VI). Here, N-doped hydrochar (NHC) was successfully synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of NH4Cl and bamboo, and employed to adsorb Cr(VI). The specific surface area, pore volume, and carbon and nitrogen contents of NHC all increase compared with the undoped hydrochar (HC). NH4Cl acts as a cheap nitrogen source to enhance the nitrogen content of hydrochar and as an acid catalyst to accelerate hydrochar carbonization. Adsorption experiments show NHC has higher adsorption capacity than HC for Cr(VI). XPS and FTIR imply the dominant mechanisms of adsorbing Cr(VI) onto two hydrochars are electrostatic attraction, reduction and complexation, but the contributions of surface functional groups in two hydrochars for elimination of Cr(VI) differ. The doped nitrogen in NHC is pivotal in adsorbing and reducing Cr(VI). Hence, NHC prepared from bamboo and NH4Cl by one-step HTC is a cheap and efficient adsorbent to eliminate aqueous Cr(VI).

Therapeutic effect of Cerebrolysin on reducing impaired cerebral endothelial cell permeability.

Cerebrolysin has been shown to promote neurovascular protection and repair in preclinical models of stroke and neural injury and is demonstrating promise for stroke and neural injury therapeutic application in the clinic. The effect of Cerebrolysin on the human cerebral endothelial cell function has not been investigated. Using an in-vitro cerebral endothelial cell permeability assay and western blot analyses of tight junction and proinflammatory and procoagulant proteins, the present study showed that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and fibrin substantially impaired human cerebral endothelial cell barrier function and increased permeability, which persisted for at least 24 h. western blot analysis revealed that tPA and fibrin significantly increased proinflammatory and procoagulation proteins of intercellular adhesion molecule 1, high mobility group box 1, tumor necrosis factor α and phosphorylated nuclear factor kappa B-p65, and significantly reduced tight junction proteins zonular 1, occludin and claudin. However, Cerebrolysin significantly diminished and reversed tPA- and fibrin-impaired endothelial cell permeability, which was associated with significant reductions of tPA- and fibrin-augmented proinflammatory and procoagulation proteins and significant elevations of tPA- and fibrin-decreased tight junction proteins. The beneficial effect of Cerebrolysin appears specific because cerebroprotein hydrolysate, with a distinct peptide composition, failed to show the reduction of tPA- and fibrin-impaired permeability. These data indicate that cererbrolysin has a therapeutic effect on tPA- and fibrin-impaired cerebral endothelial cell permeability by reducing proinflammatory and procoagulation proteins and by elevating tight junction proteins.

N-Acetyl-Seryl-Aspartyl-Lysyl-Proline Augments Thrombolysis of tPA (Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator) in Aged Rats After Stroke.

Background and Purpose- Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, mainly affecting the elderly. However, preclinical studies in aged ischemic animals are limited. N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (AcSDKP) is a naturally occurring tetrapeptide with vascular-protective properties. The present study investigated the effect of AcSDKP on tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator)-induced thrombolysis in aged rats after ischemic stroke. Methods- Aged male rats (18 months) were subjected to embolic middle cerebral artery occlusion. Rats subjected to 4 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion were randomized into the following groups: (1) AcSDKP; (2) tPA; (3) AcSDKP in combination with tPA; and (4) saline. Neurological deficits, cerebral microvascular patency and integrity, and infarction were examined at 1 day and 7 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. In vitro experiments were performed to examine the effect of AcSDKP on aged cerebral endothelial cell permeability. Results- Compared with saline, AcSDKP, or tPA as monotherapy did not have any therapeutic effects, whereas AcSDKP in combination with tPA significantly reduced cerebral tissue infarction and improved neurological outcome without increasing cerebral hemorrhage. Concurrently, the combination treatment significantly augmented microvascular perfusion and reduced thrombosis and blood-brain barrier leakage. In vitro, compared with cerebral endothelial cells from ischemic adult rats, the endothelial cells from ischemic aged rats exhibited significantly increased leakage. AcSDKP suppressed tPA-induced aged endothelial cell leakage and reduced expression of ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1) and NF (nuclear factor)-κB. Conclusions- The present study provides evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of AcSDKP in combination tPA for the treatment of embolic stroke in aged rats at 4 hours after stroke onset. AcSDKP likely acts on cerebral endothelial cells to enhance the benefits of tPA by increasing tissue perfusion and augmenting the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Visual Overview- An online visual overview is available for this article.

Diagnostic performance of two-dimensional shear wave elastography for evaluating tibial nerve stiffness in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the stiffness of the tibial nerve with two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) and to determine whether 2D-SWE can be used to diagnose diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). METHODS: The study included 70 consecutive diabetic patients with DPN or without DPN and 20 healthy volunteers. The tibial nerve stiffness measured with 2D-SWE was studied. The differences in stiffness values among patients with DPN, patients with clinically defined DPN, patients without DPN, and healthy volunteers based on clinical features and electrodiagnostic tests were evaluated with the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Inter- and intraobserver variability was evaluated, and a receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed. RESULTS: The tibial nerve stiffness based on mean (EMean), minimum (EMin), and maximum (EMax) shear elasticity indices was significantly higher in patients with DPN and clinically defined DPN than that in patients without DPN and control subjects (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for the SWE measurements of EMean, EMin, and EMax was 0.846, 0.867, and 0.821, respectively. An EMin cutoff value of 45.7 kPa had a sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of 74.0%, 87.6%, 6.0, and 0.3, respectively. The inter- and intraobserver agreements were excellent for the SWE measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Tibial nerve stiffness is significantly higher in diabetic patients with DPN and clinically defined DPN. The EMean and EMin have a good accuracy for identifying DPN. Minor degree of peripheral nerve lesions appear to might exist in patients with clinically defined DPN, not detectable by electrophysiology. 2D-SWE has a potential use for cases with clinically defined DPN and can be detected with 2D-SWE. KEY POINTS: • 2D-SWE elastography is a noninvasive method that can be used to evaluate precise nerve stiffness for diagnosing DPN. • Minor degree of neurologic lesion might exist early in patients with clinically defined DPN and can be detected by 2D-SWE. • E Min and E Mean of SWE elasticity indices have better diagnostic accuracies than E Max for identifying DPN.