Long-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics reduces macrophages and affects the microbiota-gut-brain axis in mice.

The remarkably increase in plastic use has led to worldwide pollution involving microplastics (MPs), which have been shown to be potentially hazardous substances. Although several studies have focused on the effects of small MPs on the brain and behavior of aquatic species, their effects on the mouse brain and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our study's aim was to investigate the effects of long-term oral ingestion of different sizes of MPs (0.1, 5, and 50 µm) on mouse colon tissue. Of these sizes, the smallest (0.1 µm) had the greatest effect. Pre-administration of MP promotes colitis but reduces tumor growth in a colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) mouse mode. MPs can increase inflammation in mice via activation of the very late antigen 4-vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VLA4-VCAM1) signaling pathway in macrophages, while also inducing macrophage reduction in the late phase of inflammation. In the microbiota-gut-brain axis, polystyrene MP treatment altered bile acid and carbohydrate metabolism in the intestine, inhibited intestinal motility, reduced water reabsorption, and led to a certain degree of depression in mice. These findings suggest that small MPs can induce macrophage reduction, thereby affecting the physical and mental health by modulating the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Perianal Mucinous Adenocarcinoma: A Case of Recurrent Anal Fistula.

An anal fistula is a fairly common clinical condition, with a very low incidence of malignant transformation. Mucinous adenocarcinoma is a subtype of adenocarcinoma, and its occurrence within perianal fistula tracts is quite rare. This case report describes a 54-year-old male patient with recurrent anal fistula, initially suspected of Crohn's disease (CD), and ultimately diagnosed with perianal mucinous adenocarcinoma. After our joint internal medicine, surgery, and imaging reassessment, the diagnosis was confirmed. Anal fistula is usually considered a benign lesion, but it may also be associated with other diseases. Due to overlapping symptoms of related diseases, the investigation of malignant lesions is often overlooked. This case report emphasizes the importance of timely referral and multidisciplinary management for disease diagnosis and early treatment.

Dietary patterns, metabolomics and frailty in a large cohort of 120 000 participants.

Objective: To examine the associations of dietary patterns with frailty and whether metabolic signatures (MSs) mediate these associations. Methods: We used UK Biobank data to examine (1) the associations of four dietary patterns (i.e., alternate Mediterranean diet [aMED], Recommended Food Score [RFS], Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH] and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay [MIND] diet) with frailty (measured by the frailty phenotype and the frailty index) using multivariable logistic regression (analytic sample 1: N = 124 261; mean age = 57.7 years), and (2) the mediating role of MSs (weighted sums of the metabolites selected from 168 plasma metabolites using the LASSO algorithm) in the above associations via mediation analysis (analytic sample 2: N = 26 270; mean age = 57.7 years). Results: Four dietary patterns were independently associated with frailty (all P < 0.001). For instance, compared to participants in the lowest tertile for RFS, those in the intermediate (odds ratio [OR]: 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.74, 0.89) and highest (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.56, 0.68) tertiles had a lower risk of frailty. We found that 98, 68, 123 and 75 metabolites were associated with aMED, RFS, DASH and MIND, respectively, including 16 common metabolites (e.g., fatty acids, lipoproteins, acetate and glycoprotein acetyls). The MSs based on these metabolites partially mediated the association of the four dietary patterns with frailty, with the mediation proportion ranging from 26.52% to 45.83%. The results were robust when using another frailty measure, the frailty index. Conclusions: The four dietary patterns were associated with frailty, and these associations were partially mediated by MSs. Adherence to healthy dietary patterns may potentially reduce frailty development by modulating metabolites.

Accelerated Bone Regeneration on the Metal Surface through Controllable Surface Potential.

Surface potential is rarely investigated as an independent factor in influencing tissue regeneration on the metal surface. In this work, the surface potential on the titanium (Ti) surface was designed to be tailored and adjusted independently, which arises from the ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity of poled poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVTF). Notably, it is found that such controllable surface potential on the metal surface significantly promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro as well as bone regeneration in vivo. In addition, the intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration measurement further proves that such controllable surface potential on the metal surface could activate the transmembrane calcium channels and allow the influx of extracellular Ca2+ into the cytoplasm. That might be the reason for improved osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and bone regeneration. These findings reveal the potential of the metal surface with improved bioactivity for stimulation of osteogenesis and show great prospects for fabricable implantable medical devices with adjustable surface potential.

Immunometabolism in the tumor microenvironment and its related research progress.

The tumor immune microenvironment has been a research hot spot in recent years. The cytokines and metabolites in the microenvironment can promote the occurrence and development of tumor in various ways and help tumor cells get rid of the surveillance of the immune system and complete immune escape. Many studies have shown that the existence of tumor microenvironment is an important reason for the failure of immunotherapy. The impact of the tumor microenvironment on tumor is a systematic study. The current research on this aspect may be only the tip of the iceberg, and a relative lack of integrity, may be related to the heterogeneity of tumor. This review mainly discusses the current status of glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism in the tumor microenvironment, including the phenotype of glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism in the microenvironment; the effects of these metabolic methods and their metabolites on three important immune cells Impact: regulatory T cells (Tregs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), natural killer cells (NK cells); and the impact of metabolism in the targeted microenvironment on immunotherapy. At the end of this article,the potential relationship between Ferroptosis and the tumor microenvironment in recent years is also briefly described.