Serum ammonia variation predicts mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Background: Hyperammonemia is critical to the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and is associated with mortality in end-stage liver disease. This study investigated the clinical value of ammonia variation in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) patients. Methods: A total of 276 patients with HBV-ACLF were retrospectively recruited. Patients' ammonia levels were serially documented. Baseline ammonia, Peak ammonia (highest level), and Trough ammonia (lowest level) were particularly corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN). The primary endpoint was 28-day mortality. Results: The 28-day, 3-month, and 12-month mortality rates were 19.2, 25.7, and 28.2%, respectively. A total of 51 (18.4%) patients had overt HE (grade 2/3/4). Peak AMM-ULN was significantly higher in patients with overt HE and non-survivors compared with their counterparts (P < 0.001). Following adjustment for significant confounders, high Peak AMM-ULN was an independent predictor of overt HE (hazard ratio, 1.031, P < 0.001) and 28-day mortality (hazard ratio, 1.026, P < 0.001). The cut-off of Peak AMM-ULN was 1.8, determined by using the X-tile. Patients with Peak AMM-ULN appearing on days 1-3 after admission had a higher proportion of overt HE and mortality compared to other groups. Patients with decreased ammonia levels within 7 days had better clinical outcomes than those with increased ammonia. Conclusion: Serum Peak ammonia was independently associated with overt HE and mortality in HBV-ACLF patients. Serial serum ammonia may have prognostic value.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram to Predict the Risk of Tinnitus Severity in Patients With Unilateral Subjective Tinnitus.

Purpose: To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the risk of tinnitus severity in patients with unilateral subjective tinnitus. Methods: The objective of this study was to establish and validate a nomogram specifically designed for patients with unilateral subjective tinnitus. We collected data on unilateral subjective tinnitus from the Air Force Medical Center, including 146 participants between January 2021 and June 2022. Risk factors for unilateral subjective tinnitus severity were evaluated by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and binary logistic regression analysis. Internal verification was used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. The discriminative ability was measured by the consistency index (C-indices) and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: All included patients were randomized according to a 7:3 ratio into the training cohort (104 patients) and the validation cohort (42 patients). The LASSO regression model identified sex, tinnitus loudness, and hearing loss as candidate variables. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that gender (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.6-0.95; P = 0.021) and tinnitus loudness (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.09-1.72; P = 0.009) were significant predictors of unilateral subjective tinnitus severity, while age, tinnitus matching frequency, and tinnitus duration were not. The significant predictors were included in the nomogram. Hearing loss was included in the nomogram based on prior clinical experience and previous studies. The training and validation cohorts C-indexes were 0.707 (95% CI: 0.607-0.806) and 0.706 (95% CI: 0.548-0.863), respectively. The training and validation cohort's AUC of the ROC curves were 0.692 and 0.705, respectively. Conclusion: We have developed and validated a nomogram based on gender, hearing loss, and tinnitus loudness, which can effectively predict the risk of tinnitus severity in patients with unilateral subjective tinnitus. The nomogram provides personalized prediction results for patients with unilateral subjective tinnitus, which is beneficial for clinical decision-making and treatment plan development.

Specific pupylation as IDEntity reporter (SPIDER) for the identification of protein-biomolecule interactions.

Protein-biomolecule interactions play pivotal roles in almost all biological processes. For a biomolecule of interest, the identification of the interacting protein(s) is essential. For this need, although many assays are available, highly robust and reliable methods are always desired. By combining a substrate-based proximity labeling activity from the pupylation pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the streptavidin (SA)-biotin system, we developed the Specific Pupylation as IDEntity Reporter (SPIDER) method for identifying protein-biomolecule interactions. Using SPIDER, we validated the interactions between the known binding proteins of protein, DNA, RNA, and small molecule. We successfully applied SPIDER to construct the global protein interactome for m6A and mRNA, identified a variety of uncharacterized m6A binding proteins, and validated SRSF7 as a potential m6A reader. We globally identified the binding proteins for lenalidomide and CobB. Moreover, we identified SARS-CoV-2-specific receptors on the cell membrane. Overall, SPIDER is powerful and highly accessible for the study of protein-biomolecule interactions.

Endogenous HMGB1 regulates GSDME-mediated pyroptosis via ROS/ERK1/2/caspase-3/GSDME signaling in neuroblastoma.

Pyroptosis, a newly discovered mode of programmed cell death (PCD), is important in the regulation of cancer development. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a non-histone nuclear protein that is closely related to tumor development and chemotherapy resistance. However, whether endogenous HMGB1 regulates pyroptosis in neuroblastoma remains unknown. Here, we showed that HMGB1 showed ubiquitous higher expression in SH-SY5Y cells and clinical tumors, and was positively correlated with the risk factors of patients with neuroblastoma. Knockdown of GSDME or pharmacological inhibition of caspase-3 blocked pyroptosis and cytosolic translocation of HMGB1. Moreover, knockdown of HMGB1 inhibited cisplatin (DDP) or etoposide (VP16)-induced pyroptosis by decreasing GSDME-NT and cleaved caspase-3 expression, resulting in cell blebbing and LDH release. Knockdown of HMGB1 expression increased the sensitivity of SH-SY5Y cells to chemotherapy and switched pyroptosis to apoptosis. Furthermore, the ROS/ERK1/2/caspase-3/GSDME pathway was found to be functionally connected with DDP or VP16-induced pyroptosis. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, a ROS agonist) and EGF (an ERK agonist) promoted the cleavage of GSDME and caspase-3 in DDP or VP16 treatment cells, both of which were inhibited by HMGB1 knockdown. Importantly, these data were further supported by the in vivo experiment. Our study suggests that HMGB1 is a novel regulator of pyroptosis via the ROS/ERK1/2/caspase-3/GSDME pathway and a potential drug target for therapeutic interventions in neuroblastoma.

[Clinical features and prognosis in 20 children with rhabdomyosarcoma]. / 20例横纹肌肉瘤患儿的临床特点及预后分析.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical features of children with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and the influencing factors for prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and follow-up data of 20 children with RMS who were admitted to the Department of Pediatric Hematology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, from June 2014 to September 2020. RESULTS: The most common clinical symptoms of the 20 children with RMS at the first visit were painless mass (13/20, 65%), exophthalmos (4/20, 20%), and abdominal pain (3/20, 15%). According to the staging criteria of Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group (IRSG), there was 1 child (5%) with stage I RMS, 4 (20%) with stage II RMS, 9 (45%) with stage III RMS, and 6 (30%) with stage IV RMS. The median follow-up time was 19 months for the 20 children (range: 3-93 months), with a 2-year overall survival (OS) rate of 79.5% (95%CI: 20.1-24.3) and a 2-year event-free survival (EFS) rate of 72.0% (95%CI: 19.5-23.9). Pleomorphic RMS was associated with the reduced 2-year OS rate (P<0.05), and distant metastasis, IRSG stage IV RMS, and high-risk RMS were associated with the reduced 2-year EFS rate (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: RMS has no specific clinical symptoms at the first visit, with painless mass as the most common symptom. Distant metastasis, IRSG stage, and risk degree may be associated with the prognosis of children with RMS.

Molecular Basis Underlying Hepatobiliary and Renal Excretion of Phenolic Acids of Salvia miltiorrhiza Roots (Danshen).

Phenolic acids are cardiovascular constituents (originating from the Chinese medicinal herb Salvia miltiorrhiza root/Danshen) of DanHong and many other Danshen-containing injections. Our earlier pharmacokinetic investigation of DanHong suggested that hepatic and/or renal uptake of the Danshen compounds was the crucial steps in their systemic elimination. This investigation was designed to survey the molecular basis underlying hepatobiliary and renal excretion of the Danshen compounds, i.e., protocatechuic acid, tanshinol, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid D, salvianolic acid A, lithospermic acid, and salvianolic acid B. A large battery of human hepatic and renal transporters were screened for transporting the Danshen compounds and then characterized for the uptake kinetics and also compared with associated rat transporters. The samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Because the Danshen phenolic acids are of poor or fairly good membrane permeability, their elimination via the liver or kidneys necessitates transporter-mediated hepatic or renal uptake from blood. Several human transporters were found to mediate hepatic and/or renal uptake of the Danshen compounds in a compound-molecular-mass-related manner. Lithospermic acid and salvianolic acid B (both >500 Da) underwent systemic elimination, initiated by organic anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP)1B1/OATP1B3-mediated hepatic uptake. Rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acids D (350-450 Da) underwent systemic elimination, initiated by OATP1B1/OATP1B3/organic anion transporter (OAT)2-mediated hepatic uptake and by OAT1/OAT2-mediated renal uptake. Protocatechuic acid and tanshinol (both <200 Da) underwent systemic elimination, initiated by OAT1/OAT2-mediated renal uptake and OAT2-mediated hepatic uptake. A similar scenario was observed with the rat orthologs. The investigation findings advance our understanding of the disposition of the Danshen phenolic acids and could facilitate pharmacokinetic research on other Danshen-containing injections.

Green and efficient in-situ biosynthesis of antioxidant and antibacterial bacterial cellulose using wine pomace.

Biologically active bacterial cellulose (BC) was efficiently synthesized in situ using wine pomace and its hydrolysate. The structural and biomechanical properties together with the biological functions of the BC were investigated. Functional BC from wine pomace and its enzymatic hydrolysate were of high purity and had higher crystallinity indexes (90.61% and 89.88%, respectively) than that from HS medium (82.26%). FTIR results proved the in-situ bindings of polyphenols to the functionalized BC. Compared to BC from HS medium, wine pomace-based BC had more densely packed ultrafine fibrils, higher diameter range distributions of fiber ribbon, but lower thermal decomposition temperatures, as revealed by the SEM micrographs and DSC data. Meanwhile, wine pomace-based BC exhibited higher loads in tensile strength and higher hardness (4.95 ± 0.31 N and 5.13 ± 0.63 N, respectively) than BC in HS medium (3.43 ± 0.14 N). Furthermore, BC synthesized from wine pomace hydrolysate exhibited a slower release rate of phenolic compounds, and possessed more antioxidant activities and better bacteriostatic effects than BC from wine pomace. These results demonstrate that BC synthesized in situ from wine pomace (especially from enzymatic hydrolysate) is a promising biomolecule with a potential application in wound dressing, tissue engineering, and other biomedical fields.

Effects of lactic acid bacteria fermented yellow whey on the protein coagulation and isoflavones distribution in soymilk.

This study investigated the soymilk coagulation induced by fermented yellow whey (FYW), which is extensively used as a natural tofu coagulant in China. The aggregations involving proteins and isoflavone particles caused by FYW were analyzed using the proteomic technology and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. As indicated, the FYW-induced coagulation of soy proteins mainly occurred at pH 5.80-5.90. When the pH of soymilk decreased, the 7S ß, 11S A3 and some of 11S A1a subunits and SBP, Bd, lectin and TA aggregated the earliest, and later did the 11S A4, other 11S A1a, 11S A2 and 11S A1b subunits. The 7S α and α' subunits and TB showed an obvious delay in aggregation. Moreover, isoflavones in the form of aglycones were more likely to coprecipitate with proteins, compared with glycosides. These results could provide an important reference and assistance for future research on the development of traditional FYW-tofu.

Oxidative Cleavage of Alkene C=C Bonds Using a Manganese Catalyzed Oxidation with H2O2 Combined with Periodate Oxidation.

A one-pot multi-step method for the oxidative cleavage of alkenes to aldehydes/ketones under ambient conditions is described as an alternative to ozonolysis. The first step is a highly efficient manganese catalyzed epoxidation/cis-dihydroxylation of alkenes. This step is followed by an Fe(III) assisted ring opening of the epoxide (where necessary) to a 1,2-diol. Carbon-carbon bond cleavage is achieved by treatment of the diol with sodium periodate. The conditions used in each step are not only compatible with the subsequent step(s), but also provide for increased conversion compared to the equivalent reactions carried out on the isolated intermediate compounds. The described procedure allows for carbon-carbon bond cleavage in the presence of other alkenes, oxidation sensitive moieties and other functional groups; the mild conditions (r.t.) used in all three steps make this a viable general alternative to ozonolysis and especially for use under flow or continuous batch conditions.

Contact Killing of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria on PDMS Provided with Immobilized Hyperbranched Antibacterial Coatings.

Here we describe in detail the preparation and application of antibacterial coatings on PDMS (poly(dimethylsiloxane)) and the contact-killing properties with 10 bacterial strains. Our aim was to develop a generally applicable coating to prevent biomaterial acquired infections, which is the major mode of failure of biomedical implants. In the first step, the surface was provided with a hydrophobic hyperbranched coating resin that was covalently attached to PDMS, mediated by an appropriate coupling agent. The coupling agent contained a siloxane group that reacts covalently with the silanol groups of air-plasma-treated PDMS and a blocked isocyanate enabling covalent coupling with the amino groups of the hyperbranched coating resins. The coating resins were functionalized with a polyethylenimine and subsequently quaternized with bromohexane and iodomethane. The coatings were highly effective against Gram-positive bacteria (five strains) and sufficiently active against Gram-negative bacteria (five stains). The killing effect on the latter group was strongly enhanced by adding a permeabilizer (EDTA). The biocidal efficacy was not influenced by the presence of (saliva) proteins.

Hydrogen-Bonding-Assisted α-F Elimination from Cu-CF3 for in Situ Generation of R3N·HF Reagents: Reaction Design and Applications.

We report herein a strategy of ammonium hydrogen-bonding-assisted α-F elimination from Cu-CF3 compounds that generates R3N·HF reagents in situ. Combining this strategy and Cu(III)-CF3 chemistry with alkynes, dual fluorination and trifluoromethylation of terminal alkynes is enabled by a single Cu(III)-CF3 compound assisted by a tertiary amine with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. This strategy also enables the development of other reaction types involving trapping of the in situ-formed R3N·HF reagents by other electrophilic groups and can be used for the late-stage functionalization of estrone derivatives.

Expression of the Wnt ligands gene family and its relationship to prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The Wnt gene family members are known to participate regulating various normal and pathological processes including tumorigenesis. However, the association between Wnt ligands gene family and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma has not been systematically studied. Therefore, we evaluated the role of Wnt ligands gene family in hepatocellular carcinoma using publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). METHODS: Clinical information and RNA-Seq mRNA expression data were derived from TCGA hepatocellular carcinoma cohort. Differences in overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) between increased and decreased expression groups (defined by X-tile analyses) of Wnt ligands gene family were compared using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model, with p-values calculated via log-rank test. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis adjusted for patient age, sex, BMI, tumor grade, and TMN stage revealed that Wnt1, Wnt3 and Wnt5B expressions were independent prognostic factors for OS and DFS (OS: HR = 0.58, P = 0.006; HR = 0.65, P = 0.03; HR = 0.56, P = 0.023, respectively; DFS: HR = 0.52, P < 0.001; HR = 1.93, P = 0.003; HR = 0.59, P = 0.011, respectively). Furthermore, expression of Wnt1 and Wnt5B was significantly associated with TMN stage (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03 for OS; P = 0.02 and P = 0.02 for DFS). GSEA showed that nucleotide excision repair was differentially enriched in Wnt1 low expression phenotype and aminoacyl trna biosynthesis and basal transcription factors were differentially enriched in Wnt5B low expression phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our results identified associations of several Wnt ligands with prognosis of HCC patients, indicating that these genes could serve as prognostic biomarkers of HCC.

Mechanism and chemoselectivity origins of bioconjugation of cysteine with Au(iii)-aryl reagents.

Organometallic reagents, in particular Pd(ii)- and Au(iii)-aryl reagents, have recently emerged as an efficient tool for bioconjugation. However, the detailed mechanism and origins of chemoselectivity are not well established, but are highly desirable from both synthetic and theoretical viewpoints. In this paper, we report that a computational study dealing with the reaction mechanism of Au(iii)-aryl reagents enabled selective cysteine S-arylation of peptides and proteins developed by Maynard and Spokoyny et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 7065). Our calculation results suggest that the reaction proceeds by a cationic Au(iii)/Au(i) pathway involving elementary steps of (a) binding of the SH residue to the Au(iii) center, (b) deprotonation of the SH residue, and (c) reductive elimination from a key four-coordinate square planar (L)Au(iii)(thiolate)(Ar) (L is a P,N-bidentate ligand) intermediate. Furthermore, the chemoselectivity of S-arylation against arylation of other nucleophilic residues can be rationalized in terms of energy demand of the three elementary steps. For instance, amine N-arylation is more difficult than S-arylation due majorly to the much higher energy required for deprotonation of much more basic N-H bonds than for deprotonation of weakly acidic S-H bonds. Carboxylate O-arylation is challenging due to the high activation energy of reductive elimination from LAu(iii)(carboxylate)(aryl), because carboxylate is much less nucleophilic than thiolate. These results thus identify acidity and nucleophilicity of the residue as two inherent factors for bioconjugation. This study provides a useful and convenient approach for predicting and rationalizing the feasibility and chemoselectivity of related bioconjugation reactions.

Halofunctionalization of alkenes by vanadium chloroperoxidase from Curvularia inaequalis.

The vanadium-dependent chloroperoxidase from Curvularia inaequalis is a stable and efficient biocatalyst for the hydroxyhalogenation of a broad range of alkenes into halohydrins. Up to 1 200 000 TON with 69 s-1 TOF were observed for the biocatalyst. A bienzymatic cascade to yield epoxides as reaction products is presented.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predicts hospital-acquired bacterial infections in decompensated cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infection is a frequent complication and severe burden in cirrhotic patients. We determined the utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict the hospital-acquired (HA) bacterial infections episode in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. METHODS: We retrospectively included 2066 consecutive decompensated cirrhotic patients from two separate tertiary hospitals, divided into training (n=1377) and validation (n=689) set. All data were collected on admission and all overt bacterial infections occurring after >48h of hospital stay were registered. RESULTS: The incidence of HA bacterial infections in training and validation cohort was 35.87% and 31.05% respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that total bilirubin (TBil), albumin, white blood cell count (WBC) and NLR were independent predictors of HA bacterial infections. We established a Model_NTWA using these four variables and a Model_TWA which did not include NLR. Areas under the curves (AUC) of Model_NTWA (0.859) and NLR (0.824) were higher than which of Model_TWA (0.713), WBC (0.675), TBil (0.593) and Albumin (0.583). Consistent with training cohort, validation cohort showed similar results. Patients with NLR of at least 4.33 had a significantly lower survival (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NLR can be used as a novel noninvasive marker to predict the occurrence of HA bacterial infections in decompensated cirrhotic patients.

Oxidation of Vicinal Diols to α-Hydroxy Ketones with H2O2 and a Simple Manganese Catalyst.

α-Hydroxy ketones are valuable synthons in organic chemistry. Here we show that oxidation of vic-diols to α-hydroxy ketones with H2O2 can be achieved with an in situ prepared catalyst based on manganese salts and pyridine-2-carboxylic acid. Furthermore the same catalyst is effective in alkene epoxidation, and it is shown that alkene oxidation with the MnII catalyst and H2O2 followed by Lewis acid ring opening of the epoxide and subsequent oxidation of the alkene to α-hydroxy ketones can be achieved under mild (ambient) conditions.

Geographic variation in wing size and shape of the grasshopper Trilophidia annulata (Orthoptera: Oedipodidae): morphological trait variations follow an ecogeographical rule.

A quantitative analysis of wing variation in grasshoppers can help us to understand how environmental heterogeneity affects the phenotypic patterns of insects. In this study, geometric morphometric methods were used to measure the differences in wing shape and size of Trilophidia annulata among 39 geographical populations in China, and a regression analysis was applied to identify the major environmental factors contributing to the observed morphological variations. The results showed that the size of the forewing and hindwing were significantly different among populations; the shape of the forewing among populations can be divided into geographical groups, however hindwing shape are geographical overlapped, and populations cannot be divided into geographical groups. Environmental PCA and thin-plate spline analysis suggested that smaller individuals with shorter and blunter-tip forewings were mainly distributed in the lower latitudes and mountainous areas, where they have higher temperatures and more precipitation. Correspondingly, the larger-bodied grasshoppers, those that have longer forewings with a longer radial sector, are distributed in contrary circumstances. We conclude that the size variations in body, forewing and hindwing of T. annulata apparently follow the Bergmann clines. The importance of climatic variables in influencing morphological variation among populations, forewing shape of T. annulata varies along an environmental gradient.