Ferroptosis in Liver Disease: Natural Active Compounds and Therapeutic Implications.

Ferroptosis is an emerging type of regulated cell death usually accompanied by the accumulation of ferrous ions (Fe2+) and lipid peroxides. As the metabolic hub of the body, the liver is crucial for iron storage and lipid metabolism. The liver seems to be closely related to ferroptosis through iron and lipid metabolism. Liver disease greatly threatens host health, and exploring effective interventions is essential. Mounting studies have demonstrated that ferroptosis is one of the possible pathogenic mechanisms involved in liver disease. Targeting ferroptosis may provide a promising opportunity for treating liver disease. However, drugs targeting ferroptosis are extremely limited. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop new and safe ferroptosis regulators. Natural active compounds (NAC), especially those derived from traditional Chinese medicine, have recently shown great therapeutic potential in liver disease via modulating ferroptosis-related genes or pathways. Here, we outline the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and systematically summarize the regulatory function of NAC on ferroptosis in liver disease. Finally, we discuss the application prospects and potential problems concerning NAC as ferroptosis regulators for managing liver disease.

New phenylbutenoids and terpene glycosides from Ginkgo biloba leaves.

Our continued works on the chemical constituents of Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) leaves has led to the isolation of two novel phenylbutenoids (1, 2), along with five previously unidentified terpene glycosides (3-7). Among them, compounds 1 and 2 represent unique (Z)-phenylbutenoids, 3-6 are megastigmane glycosides, and 7 is identified as a rare bilobanone glycoside (Fig. 1). This study marks the first reported isolation of phenylbutenoid and bilobanone glycoside from G. biloba. The chemical structures of these compounds were elucidated through extensive spectroscopic analysis, including HR-ESI-MS and various 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Furthermore, the absolute configurations of these molecules were determined using Mosher's method, ECD experiments, and Cu-Kα X-ray crystallographic analyses.

Toehold-Containing Three-Way Junction-Initiated Multiple Exponential Amplification and CRISPR/Cas14a Assistant Magnetic Separation Enhanced Visual Detection of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.

Rapid and simple nucleic acid detection is significant for disease diagnosis and pathogen screening, especially under specific conditions. However, achieving highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid detection to meet the time and equipment demand remains technologically challenging. In this study, we proposed a magnetic separation enhanced colorimetry biosensor based on a toehold-containing three-way junction (TWJ) induced multiple isothermal exponential amplification and the CRISPR/Cas14a (C-TEC) biosensor. The TWJ template was designed as a Y-X-Y structure. In the presence of the target, the formation of toehold-containing TWJ complex induced primer extension, leading to the generation of amplified single-stranded DNA; this amplified DNA could then bind to either the free TWJ template for EXPAR reaction or the toehold of the TWJ complex for toehold-mediated strand displacement, thereby enabling the recycling of the target. The amplification products could trigger CRISPR/Cas14a for efficient trans-cleavage and release the magnetically bound gold nanoparticle probes for colorimetry detection. Using Mycobacterium tuberculosis 16S rDNA as the target, the proposed C-TEC could detect 16S rDNA down to 50 fM by the naked eye and 20.71 fM by UV-vis detector at 520 nm within 90 min under optimal conditions. We successfully applied this biosensor to clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, the C-TEC biosensor also showed feasibility for the detection of RNA viruses. In conclusion, the proposed C-TEC is a convenient, fast, and versatile platform for visual detection of pathogen DNA/RNA and has potential clinical applications.

The associated factors of earphone usage on hearing impairment among students aged 14 to 28 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the relationship between the use of earphone and hearing impairment and its influencing factors among students aged 14-28, so as to provide a reference for appropriate earphone usage and hearing impairment prevention.@*Methods@#A cross sectional survey was conducted through the questionnaire star platform, and 983 students aged 14 to 28 were recruited across China by snowball sampling during April 3 to May 1, 2022. The χ 2 test was used to identify indicators affecting hearing, the Logistic regression model was used to further selection.@*Results@#There were 366 students with hearing impairment, accounting for 37.23%. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in hearing impairment by gender, earphone usage duration and volume, wearing during sleep, and replacement frequency ( χ 2=6.03, 6.86, 14.87, 12.22, 11.15, P <0.05). The Logistic regression model analysis showed that girls ( OR=1.43, 95%CI =1.10-1.88), maximum earphone volume ( OR=3.08, 95%CI = 1.56- 6.08), earphone usage for >1.5-3 h each time ( OR=1.44, 95%CI =1.04-1.99), sleep with headphone ( OR= 1.53 , 95%CI = 1.11- 2.11) were positively associated with hearing impairment ( P <0.05), earphone replacement every 4-<6 months ( OR= 0.38, 95%CI =0.17-0.86) and earphone replacement every six months or longer ( OR=0.39, 95%CI =0.18-0.85) were negatively associated with hearing impairment ( P < 0.05 ).@*Conclusion@#Students aged 14 to 28 earphone usage shows adverse impact on hearing. When using earphone, it is recommended to limit time spent on earphone usage, low the volume of earphone, avoid sleeping with earphone and replace earphone frequently.