Causal association of basal metabolic rate on systemic sclerosis: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study.

Prior evidence suggests that altered energy metabolism plays a crucial role in the development of fibrotic diseases. Recent research indicates that systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients have potentially benefited from energy management, implying that basal metabolic rate (BMR), a vital energy metabolic parameter, may be related to SSc. However, the causal effect of BMR on SSc remains unknown. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the causal links between BMR and SSc. Based on summary statistics from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to explore causality between BMR and SSc. The causal relationships were assessed employing inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median (WM) methods. Meanwhile, several sensitivity analyses were carried out to ensure the robustness of the findings. There was an underlying genetic association of BMR on SSc (OR = 0.505, 95% CI: 0.272-0.936, P = 0.030). Moreover, no significant causal effect between SSc and BMR was observed in the reverse MR analysis (OR = 0.999, 95% CI: 0.997-1.001, P = 0.292). According to the sensitivity analysis, the presence of heterogeneity and genetic pleiotropy was not detected. Our findings, derived from a genetic perspective, provide robust evidence of a causal connection between BMR and SSc. To verify these results and clarify the potential mechanisms, further research is warranted.

Overexpression of miR-20a-5p in mesenchymal stem cell derived-exosomes from systemic lupus erythematosus patients restored therapeutic effect and Treg immune regulation.

We and other groups have documented that bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) from Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients demonstrated signs of senescence, including reduced ability of regulating Treg. Treg cell defects or Treg cell deficiency are regarded as significant factors in the progression of SLE. Exosomes, nanoscale vesicles, abound in molecular and genetic contents, play a critical role in intercellular communications. The purpose of this research is to investigate the mechanism of MSCs-exosomes regulating Tregs cells in SLE, further elucidate the mechanism of immune dysregulation of aging BM-MSCs, and provide theoretical basis and data support for new targets of SLE treatment. In the study, BM-MSCs and exosomes were isolated successfully. Exosomes could be up-taken by naïve CD4+T cells. MSCs-exosomes attenuated SLE clinical manifestation in vivo, but MSCs-exosomes from SLE patients were ineffective. MSCs-exosomes from SLE patients dysregulated Treg cells differentiation in vivo and in vitro. Exosomal miR-20a-5p contributed to the effect of MSCs-exosomes regulating Treg cells. Up-regulating the expression of miR-20a-5p in SLE MSCs-exosomes can restore their ability to promote Treg differentiation and treatment effect. This study further elucidated the role of in the immunomodulatory mechanism of BM-MSCs-exosomes and provided new ideas for the non-cellular autologous transplantation therapy of SLE.

Urine-Derived Stem Cells Reverse Bleomycin­Induced Experimental Pulmonary Fibrosis by Inhibition of the TGF-ß1-Smad2/3 Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by progressive lung interstitial lesions with the disease pathophysiology incompletely understood, which is a serious and fatal disorder with limited treatment options. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have exhibited promising therapeutic capability for IPF. While most types of MSCs are obtained invasively, urine-derived stem cells (USCs) can be gained in a safe, noninvasive, and inexpensive procedure, which are readily available and reported to exhibit no risk of teratoma formation or oncogenic potential in vivo, sounding alternative to other MSCs. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of USCs on IPF, using a bleomycin (BLM)-induced IPF model in mice. METHODS: Cell surface marker examination by flow cytometry analysis and cell differentiation culture were used to characterize USCs obtained from healthy individuals. BLM was instilled endotracheally in adult C57BL/6 mice, followed by USCs or human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) treatment by tail vein injection on day 14. Mice were euthanized on day 14 before administration or day 21 for the evaluation of pulmonary histopathology and hydroxyproline (HYP) content. Inflammatory factors of the lung, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, TNF-α, IL-6, MMP2 were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Additionally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting (WB) were applied to evaluate the expression of α-SMA and activation of TGF-ß1-Smad2/3 in lung. RESULTS: USCs highly expressed CD29 and CD90, showing negative expression of hematopoietic stem cell markers (CD45, CD34) and could differentiate into, at least, bone and fat in vitro. In mice challenged with BLM, septal thickening and prominent fibrosis were observed on day 14, with higher HYP content and mRNA levels of TGF-ß1, TNF-α and IL-6 exhibited, compared to untreated mice. USCs could migrate to lung and accumulate there in mouse model after intravenous injection. Transplantation of USCs into BLM-induced mice improved their pulmonary histopathology, decreasing Ashcroft score, Szapiel score, HYP content and mRNA levels of TGF-ß1 and MMP2 of lung, similar to the effects of BMSCs. IHC and WB further revealed that USCs could inhibit activation of the TGF­ß1-Smad2/3 pathway of lung in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Transplantation of USCs effectively reverses pulmonary fibrotic phenotype in an experimental IPF model, inhibiting the TGF-ß1-Smad2/3 pathway, a key driver of fibrosis. These results suggest the therapeutic application of USCs for IPF, instead of other types of MSCs obtained invasively.

A novel LVPA-UNet network for target volume automatic delineation: An MRI case study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Accurate delineation of Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) is crucial for radiotherapy. Deep learning-driven GTV segmentation technologies excel in rapidly and accurately delineating GTV, providing a basis for radiologists in formulating radiation plans. The existing 2D and 3D segmentation models of GTV based on deep learning are limited by the loss of spatial features and anisotropy respectively, and are both affected by the variability of tumor characteristics, blurred boundaries, and background interference. All these factors seriously affect the segmentation performance. To address the above issues, a Layer-Volume Parallel Attention (LVPA)-UNet model based on 2D-3D architecture has been proposed in this study, in which three strategies are introduced. Firstly, 2D and 3D workflows are introduced in the LVPA-UNet. They work in parallel and can guide each other. Both the fine features of each slice of 2D MRI and the 3D anatomical structure and spatial features of the tumor can be extracted by them. Secondly, parallel multi-branch depth-wise strip convolutions adapt the model to tumors of varying shapes and sizes within slices and volumetric spaces, and achieve refined processing of blurred boundaries. Lastly, a Layer-Channel Attention mechanism is proposed to adaptively adjust the weights of slices and channels according to their different tumor information, and then to highlight slices and channels with tumor. The experiments by LVPA-UNet on 1010 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) MRI datasets from three centers show a DSC of 0.7907, precision of 0.7929, recall of 0.8025, and HD95 of 1.8702 mm, outperforming eight typical models. Compared to the baseline model, it improves DSC by 2.14 %, precision by 2.96 %, and recall by 1.01 %, while reducing HD95 by 0.5434 mm. Consequently, while ensuring the efficiency of segmentation through deep learning, LVPA-UNet is able to provide superior GTV delineation results for radiotherapy and offer technical support for precision medicine.

Fractionated radiation therapy alters energy metabolism and induces cellular quiescence exit in patient-derived orthotopic xenograft models of high-grade glioma.

Radiation is one of the standard therapies for pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG), of which the prognosis remains poor. To gain an in-depth understanding of biological consequences beyond the classic DNA damage, we treated 9 patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) models, including one with DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, with fractionated radiations (2 Gy/day x 5 days). Extension of survival time was noted in 5 PDOX models (P < 0.05) accompanied by γH2AX positivity in >95 % tumor cells in tumor core and >85 % in the invasive foci as well as ∼30 % apoptotic and mitotic catastrophic cell death. The model with DNA MMR (IC-1406HGG) was the most responsive to radiation with a reduction of Ki-67(+) cells. Altered metabolism, including mitochondria number elevation, COX IV activation and reactive oxygen species accumulation, were detected together with the enrichment of CD133+ tumor cells. The latter was caused by the entry of quiescent G0 cells into cell cycle and the activation of self-renewal (SOX2 and BMI1) and epithelial mesenchymal transition (fibronectin) genes. These novel insights about the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fractionated radiation in vivo should support the development of new radio-sensitizing therapies.

The Impact of Nanomaterials on Photosynthesis and Antioxidant Mechanisms in Gramineae Plants: Research Progress and Future Prospects.

As global food security faces challenges, enhancing crop yield and stress resistance becomes imperative. This study comprehensively explores the impact of nanomaterials (NMs) on Gramineae plants, with a focus on the effects of various types of nanoparticles, such as iron-based, titanium-containing, zinc, and copper nanoparticles, on plant photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant enzyme activity. We found that the effects of nanoparticles largely depend on their chemical properties, particle size, concentration, and the species and developmental stage of the plant. Under appropriate conditions, specific NMs can promote the root development of Gramineae plants, enhance photosynthesis, and increase chlorophyll content. Notably, iron-based and titanium-containing nanoparticles show significant effects in promoting chlorophyll synthesis and plant growth. However, the impact of nanoparticles on oxidative stress is complex. Under certain conditions, nanoparticles can enhance plants' antioxidant enzyme activity, improving their ability to withstand environmental stresses; excessive or inappropriate NMs may cause oxidative stress, affecting plant growth and development. Copper nanoparticles, in particular, exhibit this dual nature, being beneficial at low concentrations but potentially harmful at high concentrations. This study provides a theoretical basis for the future development of nanofertilizers aimed at precisely targeting Gramineae plants to enhance their antioxidant stress capacity and improve photosynthesis efficiency. We emphasize the importance of balancing the agricultural advantages of nanotechnology with environmental safety in practical applications. Future research should focus on a deeper understanding of the interaction mechanisms between more NMs and plants and explore strategies to reduce potential environmental impacts to ensure the health and sustainability of the ecosystem while enhancing the yield and quality of Gramineae crops.

High expression of PPP1CC promotes NHEJ-mediated DNA repair leading to radioresistance and poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit gamma (PPP1CC) promotes DNA repair and tumor development and progression, however, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the molecular mechanism of PPP1CC's involvement in DNA repair and the potential clinical implications. High expression of PPP1CC was significantly correlated with radioresistance and poor prognosis in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. The mechanistic study revealed that PPP1CC bound to Ku70/Ku80 heterodimers and activated DNA-PKcs by promoting DNA-PK holoenzyme formation, which enhanced nonhomologous end junction (NHEJ) -mediated DNA repair and led to radioresistance. Importantly, BRCA1-BRCA2-containing complex subunit 3 (BRCC3) interacted with PPP1CC to enhance its stability by removing the K48-linked polyubiquitin chain at Lys234 to prevent PPP1CC degradation. Therefore, BRCC3 helped the overexpressed PPP1CC to maintain its high protein level, thereby sustaining the elevation of DNA repair capacity and radioresistance. Our study identified the molecular mechanism by which PPP1CC promotes NHEJ-mediated DNA repair and radioresistance, suggesting that the BRCC3-PPP1CC-Ku70 axis is a potential therapeutic target to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy.

Engineering Co-N-Cr Cross-Interfacial Electron Bridges to Break Activity-Stability Trade-Off for Superdurable Bifunctional Single Atom Oxygen Electrocatalysts.

Atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts have exhibited encouraging oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Nevertheless, the insufficient long-term stability remains a widespread concern owing to the inevitable 2-electron byproducts, H2O2. Here, we construct Co-N-Cr cross-interfacial electron bridges (CIEBs) via the interfacial electronic coupling between Cr2O3 and Co-N-C, breaking the activity-stability trade-off. The partially occupied Cr 3d-orbitals of Co-N-Cr CIEBs induce the electron rearrangement of CoN4 sites, lowering the Co-OOH* antibonding orbital occupancy and accelerating the adsorption of intermediates. Consequently, the Co-N-Cr CIEBs suppress the two-electron ORR process and approach the apex of Sabatier volcano plot for four-electron pathway simultaneously. As a proof-of-concept, the Co-N-Cr CIEBs is synthesized by the molten salt template method, exhibiting dominant 4-electron selectively and extremely low H2O2 yield confirmed by Damjanovic kinetic analysis. The Co-N-Cr CIEBs demonstrates impressive bifunctional oxygen catalytic activity (▵E=0.70 V) and breakthrough durability including 100 % current retention after 10 h continuous operation and cycling performance over 1500 h for Zn-air battery. The hybrid interfacial configuration and the understanding of the electronic coupling mechanism reported here could shed new light on the design of superdurable M-N-C catalysts.

Single-Cell Profiling of Bone Marrow B Cells and Early B Cell Developmental Disorders Associated With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: The peripheral B cell compartment is heavily disturbed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but whether B cells develop aberrantly in the bone marrow (BM) is largely unknown. METHODS: We performed single-cell RNA/B cell receptor (BCR) sequencing and immune profiling of BM B cells and classified patients with SLE into two groups: early B cell (Pro-B and Pre-B) normal (EBnor) and EB defective/low (EBlo) groups. RESULTS: The SLE-EBlo group exhibited more severe disease activity and proinflammatory status, overaction of type I interferon signaling and metabolic pathways within the B cell compartment, and aberrant BCR repertoires compared with the SLE-EBnor group. Moreover, in one patient with SLE who was initially classified in the SLE-EBlo group, early B cell deficiency and associated abnormalities were largely rectified in a second BM sample at the remission phase. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study suggests that early B cell loss in BM defines a unique pathological state in a subset of patients with SLE that may play an active role in the dysregulated autoimmune responses.

Anatomic prognostic factors and their potential roles in refining M1 classification for de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To identify anatomic prognostic factors and their potential roles in refining M1 classification for de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (M1-NPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All M1-NPC treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy between 2010 and 2019 from two centers (training and validation cohort) were included. The prognostic value of metastatic disease extent and involved organs for overall survival (OS) were assessed by several multivariable analyses (MVA) models. A new M1 classification was proposed and validated in a separate cohort who received immuno-chemotherapy. RESULTS: A total of 197 M1-NPC in the training and 307 in the validation cohorts were included for M1 subdivision study with median follow-up of 46 and 57 months. MVA model with "≤2 organs/≤5 lesions" as the definition of oligometastasis had the highest C-index (0.623) versus others (0.606-0.621). Patients with oligometastasis had better OS versus polymetastasis (hazard ratio [HR] 0.47/0.63) while liver metastases carried worse OS (HR 1.57/1.45) in MVA in the training/validation cohorts, respectively. We proposed to divide M1-NPC into M1a (oligometastasis without liver metastases) and M1b (liver metastases or polymetastasis) with 3-year OS of 66.5%/31.7% and 64.9%/35.0% in the training/validation cohorts, respectively. M1a subset had a better median progress-free survival (not reach vs. 17 months, p < 0.001) in the immuno-chemotherapy cohort (n = 163). CONCLUSION: Oligometastasis (≤2 organs/≤5 lesions) and liver metastasis are prognostic for M1-NPC. Subdivision of M1-NPC into M1a (oligometastasis without liver metastasis) and M1b (liver metastasis or polymetastasis) depicts the prognosis well in M1-NPC patients who received immuno-chemotherapy.

Silencing GMPPB Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of GBM via Hippo/MMP3 Pathways.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive malignancy and represents the most common brain tumor in adults. To better understand its biology for new and effective therapies, we examined the role of GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase B (GMPPB), a key unit of the GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GDP-MP) that catalyzes the formation of GDP-mannose. Impaired GMPPB function will reduce the amount of GDP-mannose available for O-mannosylation. Abnormal O-mannosylation of alpha dystroglycan (α-DG) has been reported to be involved in cancer metastasis and arenavirus entry. Here, we found that GMPPB is highly expressed in a panel of GBM cell lines and clinical samples and that expression of GMPPB is positively correlated with the WHO grade of gliomas. Additionally, expression of GMPPB was negatively correlated with the prognosis of GBM patients. We demonstrate that silencing GMPPB inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo and that overexpression of GMPPB exhibits the opposite effects. Consequently, targeting GMPPB in GBM cells results in impaired GBM tumor growth and invasion. Finally, we identify that the Hippo/MMP3 axis is essential for GMPPB-promoted GBM aggressiveness. These findings indicate that GMPPB represents a potential novel target for GBM treatment.

Interference Effects of Commercial Persistent Luminescence Materials on Rice Germination and Seedling Growth.

Persistent luminescence materials (PLMs) are widely used across a multitude of fields due to their distinct optical properties. However, like other micron-sized materials such as microplastics, the production and recycling processes of PLMs can lead to their accumulation in soil and water, potentially posing detrimental effects on plant growth and development. In this study, we investigated the impact of commercially available blue PLM (bPLM), green PLM (gPLM), and red PLM (rPLM) on germination, seedling growth, and oxidative stress responses in rice. Our findings demonstrate that the morphology and size of PLMs do not significantly differ in their effects on rice growth. All three types of PLMs significantly inhibited root length and stem length, disrupted root cell structures, and decreased seedling biomass. Interestingly, gPLM and bPLM were found to stimulate the synthesis of osmolytes and chlorophyll in rice, while rPLM had the opposite effect. Changes in the antioxidant enzyme system in rice clearly indicated that the three types of PLMs induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage in rice. This study enhances our understanding of the potential environmental impacts of PLMs, offering valuable insights for the safe and responsible use of these materials in various applications.

Puerarin improves busulfan-induced disruption of spermatogenesis by inhibiting MAPK pathways.

Male infertility is a global concern, with a noticeable increase in the decline of spermatogenesis and sperm quality. However, there are limited clinically effective treatments available. This study aimed to investigate the potential effectiveness of puerarin in treating male infertility, which leads to gonadal changes. The results obtained from various analyses such as CASA, immunofluorescence, DIFF-Quick, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining demonstrated that puerarin supplementation significantly alleviated the busulfan-induced reduction in spermatogenesis and sperm quality in both young and adult mice. Furthermore, puerarin exhibited a marked improvement in the damage caused by busulfan to the architecture of seminiferous tubules, causal epididymis, blood-testicular barrier (BTB), as well as spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. Similarly, puerarin significantly reduced the levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and caspase-3 in the testes of busulfan-induced mice, as determined by microplate reader analysis. Additionally, RNA-seq data, RT-qPCR, and western blotting revealed that puerarin restored the abnormal gene expressions induced by busulfan to nearly healthy levels. Notably, puerarin significantly reversed the impact of busulfan on the expression of marker genes involved in spermatogenesis and oxidative stress. Moreover, puerarin suppressed the phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2, and JNK in the testes, as observed through testicular analysis. Consequently, this study concludes that puerarin may serve as a potential alternative for treating busulfan-induced damage to male fertility by inactivating the testicular MAPK pathways. These findings may pave the way for the use of puerarin in addressing chemotherapy- or other factors-induced male infertility in humans.

MRI-based deep learning model predicts distant metastasis and chemotherapy benefit in stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Chemotherapy remains controversial for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma because of its considerable prognostic heterogeneity. We aimed to develop an MRI-based deep learning model for predicting distant metastasis and assessing chemotherapy efficacy in stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This multicenter retrospective study enrolled 1072 patients from three Chinese centers for training (Center 1, n = 575) and external validation (Centers 2 and 3, n = 497). The deep learning model significantly predicted the risk of distant metastases for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma and was validated in the external validation cohort. In addition, the deep learning model outperformed the clinical and radiomics models in terms of predictive performance. Furthermore, the deep learning model facilitates the identification of high-risk patients who could benefit from chemotherapy, providing useful additional information for individualized treatment decisions.

Design, Synthesis, and Biomedical Application of Multifunctional Fluorescent Polymer Nanomaterials.

Luminescent polymer nanomaterials not only have the characteristics of various types of luminescent functional materials and a wide range of applications, but also have the characteristics of good biocompatibility and easy functionalization of polymer nanomaterials. They are widely used in biomedical fields such as bioimaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. Designing and constructing new controllable synthesis methods for multifunctional fluorescent polymer nanomaterials with good water solubility and excellent biocompatibility is of great significance. Exploring efficient functionalization methods for luminescent materials is still one of the core issues in the design and development of new fluorescent materials. With this in mind, this review first introduces the structures, properties, and synthetic methods regarding fluorescent polymeric nanomaterials. Then, the functionalization strategies of fluorescent polymer nanomaterials are summarized. In addition, the research progress of multifunctional fluorescent polymer nanomaterials for bioimaging is also discussed. Finally, the synthesis, development, and application fields of fluorescent polymeric nanomaterials, as well as the challenges and opportunities of structure-property correlations, are comprehensively summarized and the corresponding perspectives are well illustrated.

Targeting Mitochondrial IDH2 Enhances Antitumor Activity of Cisplatin in Lung Cancer via ROS-Mediated Mechanism.

Mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) is an important metabolic enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle. Our previous study showed that high expression of wild-type IDH2 promotes the proliferation of lung cancer cells. This study aims to test the potential of targeting IDH2 as a therapeutic strategy to inhibit lung cancer in vitro and in vivo. First, we analyzed the available data from the databases gene expression omnibus (GEO) database to evaluate the clinical relevance of IDH2 expression in affecting lung cancer patient survival. We then generated a stable IDH2-knockdown lung cancer cell line using a lentivirus-based method for in vitro and in vivo study. Cell growth, apoptosis, cell viability, and colony formation assays were conducted to test the sensitivity of lung cancer cells with different IDH2 expression status to cisplatin or radiation treatment in vitro. For mechanistic study, Cellular oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates were measured using a Seahorse metabolic analyzer, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was analyzed using flow cytometry. An animal study using a xenograft tumor model was performed to further evaluate the in vivo therapeutic effect on tumor growth. We found that high IDH2 expression was associated with poor survival in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Inhibition of IDH2 significantly enhanced the anticancer activity of cisplatin and also increased the effect of radiation against lung cancer cells. IDH2 was upregulated in cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells, which could be sensitized by targeted inhibition of IDH2. Mechanistic study showed that abrogation of IDH2 caused only minimal changes in oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in lung cancer cells, but induced a significant increase in ROS, which rendered the cancer cells more sensitive to cisplatin. Pretreatment of lung cancer cells with the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine could partially rescue cells from the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin and IDH2 inhibition. Importantly, abrogation of IDH2 significantly increased the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to cisplatin in vivo.

Knockdown of FBLN2 suppresses TGF-ß1-induced MRC-5 cell migration and fibrosis by downregulating VTN.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common chronic and progressive lung disease. Fibulin-2 (FBLN2) is upregulated in patients with IPF; however, its exact role in IPF remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role and the regulatory mechanism of FBLN2 in TGF-ß1-induced fibrogenesis using human lung fibroblast-derived MRC-5 cells. Cell transfection was performed to regulate FBLN2 expression. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analyses were performed to detect the expression levels of FBLN2 and vitronectin (VTN). Cell viability and migration were determined via the Cell Counting Kit-8 and wound healing assays, respectively. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive cells. The STRING database was used to predict the interaction between FBLN2 and VTN, which was verified via the protein immunoprecipitation assay. The results demonstrated that inhibition of FBLN2 notably inhibited TGF-ß1-induced proliferation and migration, as well as downregulating the protein expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 in MRC-5 cells. In addition, inhibition of FBLN2 suppressed the expression levels of α-SMA, collagen type 1 α1 and fibronectin. FBLN2 was demonstrated to bind to VTN and negatively regulate its expression. Furthermore, overexpression of VTN partly abolished the inhibitory effects of FBLN2 knockdown on TGF-ß1-induced proliferation, migration and fibrosis, as well as the activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that FBLN2 knockdown can attenuate TGF-ß1-induced fibrosis in MRC-5 cells by downregulating VTN expression via FAK signaling. Thus, FBLN2 may be a potential therapeutic target for IPF treatment.

A Quantitative Study of Decision Thresholds for Initiation of Antibiotics in Suspected Sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians' decision thresholds for initiating antibiotics in patients with suspected sepsis have not been quantified. We aimed to define an average threshold of infection likelihood at which clinicians initiate antibiotics when treating a patient with suspected infection and to evaluate the influence of severity of illness and clinician-related factors on the threshold. DESIGN: This was a prospective survey of 153 clinicians responding to 8 clinical vignettes constructed from real-world data from 3 health care systems in the United States. We treated each hour in the vignette as a decision to treat or not treat with antibiotics and assigned an infection probability to each hour using a previously developed infection prediction model. We then estimated decision thresholds using regression models based on the timing of antibiotic initiation. We compared thresholds across categories of severity of illness and clinician-related factors. RESULTS: Overall, the treatment threshold occurred at a 69% probability of infection, but the threshold varied significantly across severity of illness categories-when patients had high severity of illness, the treatment threshold occurred at a 55% probability of infection; when patients had intermediate severity, the threshold for antibiotic initiation occurred at an infection probability of 69%, and the threshold was 84% when patients had low severity of illness (P < 0.001 for group differences). Thresholds differed significantly across specialty, highest among infectious disease and lowest among emergency medicine clinicians and across years of experience, decreasing with increasing years of experience. CONCLUSIONS: The threshold infection probability above which physicians choose to initiate antibiotics in suspected sepsis depends on illness severity as well as clinician factors. IMPLICATIONS: Incorporating these context-dependent thresholds into discriminating and well-calibrated models will inform the development of future sepsis clinical decision support systems. Clinician-related differences in treatment thresholds suggests potential unwarranted variation and opportunities for performance improvement. HIGHLIGHTS: Decision making about antibiotic initiation in suspected sepsis occurs under uncertainty, and little is known about clinicians' thresholds for treatment.In this prospective study, 153 clinicians from 3 health care systems reviewed 8 real-world clinical vignettes representing patients with sepsis and indicated the time that they would initiate antibiotics.Using a model-based approach, we estimated decision thresholds and found that thresholds differed significantly across illness severity categories and by clinician specialty and years of experience.

The role of radiologic extranodal extension in predicting prognosis and chemotherapy benefit for T1-2 N1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This multicenter retrospective study aimed to investigated the prognostic value of unequivocal radiologic extranodal extension (rENE) and the efficacy of chemotherapy for stage T1-2 N1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the IMRT era. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 1,082 patients treated in 2005-2017 from three centers. rENE was recorded as G1 (coalescent nodal mass comprising ≥ 2 inseparable nodes) or G2 (invading beyond perinodal fat to frankly infiltrate adjacent structures). Multivariable analysis (MVA) evaluated the prognostic value of rENE. The value of chemotherapy was assessed in rENE-positive (rENE + ) and rENE-negative (rENE - ) subset separately. RESULTS: Centers 1, 2, and 3 had 139/515 (27.0 %), 100/365 (27.4 %), and 43/202 (21.3 %) cN + patients with rENE, respectively. Compared to rENE-, rENE + patients had a worse distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) (all p < 0.001). MVA confirmed the prognostic of both G1-rENE and G2-rENE for distant metastasis [G1: hazard ratio (HR): 2.933, G2: HR: 6.942, all p < 0.001] and death (G1: HR: 1.587, p = 0.040; G2: HR: 6.162, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference for DMFS and OS between chemo-radiotherapy and radiotherapy alone in rENE + and rENE - groups (all p > 0.1). However, rENE + patients with a cumulative cisplatin/nedaplatin dose (CCND) of > 160 mg/m2 had an improved DMFS (p = 0.033) but no OS (p = 0.197). CONCLUSION: Unequivocal rENE is prognostic in patients with T1-2 N1 NPC. Addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy did not affect DMFS and OS in rENE - patients. Chemotherapy with a CCND of > 160 mg/m2 improved DMFS in rENE + patients.