The effects of Atractylodes macrocephala extract BZEP self-microemulsion based on gut-liver axis HDL/LPS signaling pathway to ameliorate metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Atractylodes macrocephala extract crystallize (BZEP) and BZEP self-microemulsion (BZEPWR) on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) induced by "high sugar, high fat, and excessive alcohol consumption" based on the gut-liver axis HDL/LPS signaling pathway. METHODS: In this study, BZEP and BZEPWR were obtained via isolation, purification, and microemulsification. Furthermore, an anthropomorphic MAFLD rat model of "high sugar, high fat, and excessive alcohol consumption" was established. The therapeutic effects of BZEPWR and BZEP on the model rats were evaluated in terms of liver function, lipid metabolism (especially HDL-C), serum antioxidant indexes, and liver and intestinal pathophysiology. To determine the lipoproteins in the serum sample, the amplitudes of a plurality of NMR spectra were derived via deconvolution of the composite methyl signal envelope to yield HDL-C subclass concentrations. The changes in intestinal flora were detected via 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. In addition, the gut-liver axis HDL/LPS signaling pathway was validated using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blot. RESULTS: The findings established that BZEPWR and BZEP improved animal signs, serum levels of liver enzymes (ALT and AST), lipid metabolism (TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C), and antioxidant indexes (GSH, SOD, and ROS). In addition, pathological damage to the liver, colon, and ileum was ameliorated, and the intestinal barrier function of the model rats was restored. At the genus level, BZEPWR and BZEP exerted positive effects on beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and norank_f__Muribaculaceae, and inhibitory effects on harmful bacteria, such as unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae and Blautia. Twenty HDL-C subspecies were detected, and their levels were differentially increased in both BZEPWR and BZEP groups, with BZEPWR exhibiting a stronger elevating effect on specific HDL-C subspecies. Also, the gut-liver axis HDL/LPS signaling pathway was studied, which indicated that BZEPWR and BZEP significantly increased the expressions of ABCA1, LXR, occludin, and claudin-1 proteins in the gut and serum levels of HDL-C. Concomitantly, the levels of LPS in the serum and TLR4, Myd88, and NF-κB proteins in the liver were decreased. CONCLUSION: BZEPWR and BZEP exert restorative and reversal effects on the pathophysiological damage to the gut-liver axis in MAFLD rats, and the therapeutic mechanism may be related to the regulation of the intestinal flora and the HDL/LPS signaling pathway.

Diagnostic performance of PIVKA-II in identifying recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma following curative resection: a retrospective cohort study.

Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) plays a critical role in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, studies on its efficacy in diagnosing recurrent HCC were rarely found. A multicenter, retrospective, and observational study was conducted. During the overall follow-up of 5 years, HCC patients who had curative resection were monitored every 3 months in the first year post-surgery and every 6 months thereafter if no recurrence occurred. Tumor markers were collected at the diagnosis of recurrence for those with recurrence and at the last follow-up for those without recurrence. The median serum levels of PIVKA-II and AFP in the recurrence group were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrence group (PIVKA-II: 84.62 vs. 18.76 mAU/ml, p < 0.001; AFP: 4.90 vs. 3.00 ng/ml, p < 0.001) and there is a significant correlation between PIVKA-II and AFP (R = 0.901, p < 0.001). PIVKA-II showed better accuracy than AFP in the diagnosis of overall recurrent HCC (AUC: 0.883 vs. 0.672; p < 0.0001), but also in patients with negative PIVKA-II before curative resection (AUC: 0.878 vs. 0.680, p = 0.001). Clinician should pay more attention to serum PIVKA-II values when following patients after curative HCC resection to detect early recurrence.Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR2300070874.

Abnormal changes in metabolites caused by m6A methylation modification: The leading factors that induce the formation of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and their promising potential for clinical application.

BACKGROUND: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation modifications have been widely implicated in the metabolic reprogramming of various cell types within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are essential for meeting the demands of cellular growth and maintaining tissue homeostasis, enabling cells to adapt to the specific conditions of the TME. An increasing number of research studies have focused on the role of m6A modifications in glucose, amino acid and lipid metabolism, revealing their capacity to induce aberrant changes in metabolite levels. These changes may in turn trigger oncogenic signaling pathways, leading to substantial alterations within the TME. Notably, certain metabolites, including lactate, succinate, fumarate, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), glutamate, glutamine, methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, fatty acids and cholesterol, exhibit pronounced deviations from normal levels. These deviations not only foster tumorigenesis, proliferation and angiogenesis but also give rise to an immunosuppressive TME, thereby facilitating immune evasion by the tumor. AIM OF REVIEW: The primary objective of this review is to comprehensively discuss the regulatory role of m6A modifications in the aforementioned metabolites and their potential impact on the development of an immunosuppressive TME through metabolic alterations. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: This review aims to elaborate on the intricate networks governed by the m6A-metabolite-TME axis and underscores its pivotal role in tumor progression. Furthermore, we delve into the potential implications of the m6A-metabolite-TME axis for the development of novel and targeted therapeutic strategies in cancer research.

Bioinformatics and LC-QTOF-MS based discovery of pharmacodynamic and Q-markers of Pitongshu against functional dyspepsia.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Pitongshu (PTS) is a clinically effective empirical formula for the treatment of FD. The efficacy and safety of PTS have been demonstrated in randomized, controlled, double-blind trials, but there is a lack of understanding of the systematic evaluation of the efficacy of PTS and its material basis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of PTS in Functional dyspepsia (FD) mice and possible Q-markers. METHOD: In this study, we used "irregular feeding + chronic unpredictable chronic stimulation" to establish a mice model of FD with hepatogastric disharmony. The efficacy of PTS was assessed from hair condition, behavioral, pain, gastrointestinal function, and serum 5-HT, GAS, MTL levels in mice by instillation of different doses of PTS. In addition, the composition of drugs in blood was analyzed by LC-QTOF-MS and potential Q-markers were selected by combining network pharmacology, molecular docking and actual content. RESULT: Our study showed that different doses of PTS increased pain threshold and writhing latency, decreased the number of writhings, increased gastric emptying rate and small intestinal propulsion rate, decreased total acidity of gastric contents and gastric acid secretion, and increased serum levels of 5-HT, GAS, and MTL in mice to different degrees. Enrichment analysis showed that PTS may be anti-FD through multiple pathways such as Serotonergic synapse, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, cholinergic synapse, and dopaminergic synapse. In addition, potential active ingredient substances were explored by LC-QTOF-MS combined with bioinformatics. Combined with the actual contentselected six constituents, hesperidin, neohesperidin, naringin, paeoniflorin, magnolol and honokiol, possible as Q-markers. CONCLUSION: PTS may exert its anti-FD effects through multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway". Constituents, hesperidin, neohesperidin, naringin, paeoniflorin, magnolol and honokiol may be the Q-markers of its anti-FD effects.

Demethylases in tumors and the tumor microenvironment: Key modifiers of N6-methyladenosine methylation.

RNA methylation modifications are widespread in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) the most common among them. Demethylases, including Fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) and AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), are important in maintaining the balance between RNA methylation and demethylation. Recent studies have clearly shown that demethylases affect the biological functions of tumors by regulating their m6A levels. However, their effects are complicated, and even opposite results have appeared in different articles. Here, we summarize the complex regulatory networks of demethylases, including the most important and common pathways, to clarify the role of demethylases in tumors. In addition, we describe the relationships between demethylases and the tumor microenvironment, and introduce their regulatory mechanisms. Finally, we discuss evaluation of demethylases for tumor diagnosis and prognosis, as well as the clinical application of demethylase inhibitors, providing a strong basis for their large-scale clinical application in the future.

Enhanced protective efficacy of an OprF/PcrV bivalent DNA vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa using a hydrogel delivery system.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is one of the leading pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired infections. With the increasing antibiotic resistance of PA, clinical treatment has become increasingly challenging. DNA vaccines represent a promising approach for combating PA infection. However, the immune response induced by a single antigen is limited, and combination vaccines hold greater therapeutic potential. The highly conserved OprF and PcrV genes are attractive candidate antigens for vaccine development, but the poor delivery of such vaccines has limited their clinical application. In this study, we constructed an OprF/PcrV bivalent DNA vaccine, and a polyaspartamide/polyethylene glycol di-aldehyde (PSIH/PEG DA) hydrogel was formulated to improve DNA delivery. The OprF/PcrV DNA vaccine formulated with the PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel was carefully characterized in vitro and in vivo and showed suitable compatibility. The PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel formulation induced a mixed Th1/Th2/Th17 immune response in mice, leading to a significant increase in antibody titers, lymphocyte proliferation rates, and cytokine levels compared to those in mice treated with single or combined vaccines. The PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel delivery system significantly enhanced the immune protection of the DNA vaccine in a murine pneumonia model, as revealed by the reduced bacterial burden and inflammation in the mouse lungs and increased survival rate. In conclusion, the PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel delivery system can further enhance the immune efficacy of the combination OprF/PcrV DNA vaccine. This research provides a novel optimized strategy for the prevention and treatment of PA infection using DNA vaccines.

A two-terminal fault location method for gas switch prefire in linear transformer driver.

Large-scale linear transformer drivers (LTDs) are composed of numerous high-power gas switches, and switch prefire is a frequent operational fault. To detect and locate the faulty switch accurately and efficiently, a two-terminal location method is proposed. A B-dot sensor is integrated on the gas switch's shell to collect the discharging signal. All the B-dot sensors are connected in parallel through cables of equal length. The fault position can be determined by the time delay of the signals at the two terminals. A diode is inserted between the B-dot sensor's coil and the cable core to ensure low-loss transmission of the signal. Two methods are applied in fault location, including time-of-arrival (TOA) and time reversal (TR). For the TOA method, an energy criterion and a phase criterion are applied and compared. The accuracy of the energy criterion is greatly influenced by the signal-to-noise ratio, while the phase criterion requires a reasonable estimate of the actual delay to account for the impact of phase periodicity. The TR method based on a precise simulation model is established, which demonstrates high precision in location. The TR method has been tested and validated on a single stage LTD module. Moreover, the location method for double switches prefire is discussed theoretically. The method proposed in this paper will be helpful to improve the efficiency of the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the large-scale LTD devices.

End-to-end prognostication in colorectal cancer by deep learning: a retrospective, multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Precise prognosis prediction in patients with colorectal cancer (ie, forecasting survival) is pivotal for individualised treatment and care. Histopathological tissue slides of colorectal cancer specimens contain rich prognostically relevant information. However, existing studies do not have multicentre external validation with real-world sample processing protocols, and algorithms are not yet widely used in clinical routine. METHODS: In this retrospective, multicentre study, we collected tissue samples from four groups of patients with resected colorectal cancer from Australia, Germany, and the USA. We developed and externally validated a deep learning-based prognostic-stratification system for automatic prediction of overall and cancer-specific survival in patients with resected colorectal cancer. We used the model-predicted risk scores to stratify patients into different risk groups and compared survival outcomes between these groups. Additionally, we evaluated the prognostic value of these risk groups after adjusting for established prognostic variables. FINDINGS: We trained and validated our model on a total of 4428 patients. We found that patients could be divided into high-risk and low-risk groups on the basis of the deep learning-based risk score. On the internal test set, the group with a high-risk score had a worse prognosis than the group with a low-risk score, as reflected by a hazard ratio (HR) of 4·50 (95% CI 3·33-6·09) for overall survival and 8·35 (5·06-13·78) for disease-specific survival (DSS). We found consistent performance across three large external test sets. In a test set of 1395 patients, the high-risk group had a lower DSS than the low-risk group, with an HR of 3·08 (2·44-3·89). In two additional test sets, the HRs for DSS were 2·23 (1·23-4·04) and 3·07 (1·78-5·3). We showed that the prognostic value of the deep learning-based risk score is independent of established clinical risk factors. INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate that attention-based self-supervised deep learning can robustly offer a prognosis on clinical outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer, generalising across different populations and serving as a potentially new prognostic tool in clinical decision making for colorectal cancer management. We release all source codes and trained models under an open-source licence, allowing other researchers to reuse and build upon our work. FUNDING: The German Federal Ministry of Health, the Max-Eder-Programme of German Cancer Aid, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the EU.

Abnormal functional connectivity of the core olfactory network in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis accompanied by olfactory dysfunction.

Objective: To review and analyze the functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities in the brain olfactory network (ON) of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with olfactory dysfunction (CRSwOD) and explore the relationship between these FC abnormalities and olfactory dysfunction, providing clues to the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying CRSwOD. Methods: FC analysis on the ON of patients with CRSwOD and patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without olfactory dysfunction (CRSsOD) identified the regions of the ON with abnormal FC in CRSwOD patients, and the correlation between abnormal FC and clinical scales for chronic rhinosinusitis was analyzed. Results: (1) Compared with the CRSsOD group, CRSwOD patients showed decreased FC between the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the right middle frontal gyrus, (2) Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the FC value between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.852, sensitivity: 0.821, specificity: 0.800, p < 0.001) was more capable of distinguishing whether CRS patients may have olfactory dysfunction than the FC value between the right middle frontal gyrus and the right OFC (AUC = 0.827, sensitivity: 0.893, specificity: 0.667, p < 0.001), and (3) Lund-Kennedy scores were positively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC (r = 0.443, p < 0.018). Lund-Mackay scores were also positively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC (r = 0.468, p < 0.012). Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements scores were negatively correlated with the FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and the left OFC (r = -0.481, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Persistent nasal inflammation affects the FC between the middle frontal gyrus and the OFC, which may serve as a potential imaging marker for identifying CRSwOD. The severity of nasal inflammation and olfactory damage is closely related to the FC between the middle frontal gyrus and OFC, and the abnormal changes in this FC can be used to explain the neurophysiological mechanisms behind the occurrence of olfactory dysfunction in patients.

Trigeminal neuralgia secondary to osteoma and vascular compression: illustrative case.

BACKGROUND: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common neurosurgical issue that has a detrimental impact on patients' quality of life. Osteoma at the petrous apex is a rare etiology of TN. Here, the authors present a case involving the co-occurrence of petrous osteoma and a vascular loop around the trigeminal nerve. Both exerted pressure or compression on the exit of the trigeminal nerve. OBSERVATIONS: A 46-year-old male presented with a 3-year history of persistent severe pain in the right side of his face. Magnetic resonance tomographic angiography of the trigeminal nerve revealed an abnormal signal in the right prepontine cistern, along with a vascular loop accompanying the right trigeminal nerve. A computed tomography scan of the skull indicated a nodular calcified density. The combined anterior transpetrosal approach for petrous osteoma and microvascular decompression (MVD) for the offending vessel were successfully performed. The patient was discharged without any complications or facial pain. LESSONS: Although extremely rare, TN simultaneously secondary to petrous osteoma and offending vessels should be considered in the diagnosis. In this case, the combined surgical removal of petrous osteoma and MVD for the offending vessels proved to be an effective treatment for TN secondary to osteoma and vascular compression.

Combining single-cell RNA sequencing and population-based studies reveals hand osteoarthritis-associated chondrocyte subpopulations and pathways.

Hand osteoarthritis is a common heterogeneous joint disorder with unclear molecular mechanisms and no disease-modifying drugs. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to compare the cellular composition and subpopulation-specific gene expression between cartilage with macroscopically confirmed osteoarthritis (n = 5) and cartilage without osteoarthritis (n = 5) from the interphalangeal joints of five donors. Of 105 142 cells, we identified 13 subpopulations, including a novel subpopulation with inflammation-modulating potential annotated as inflammatory chondrocytes. Fibrocartilage chondrocytes exhibited extensive alteration of gene expression patterns in osteoarthritic cartilage compared with nonosteoarthritic cartilage. Both inflammatory chondrocytes and fibrocartilage chondrocytes showed a trend toward increased numbers in osteoarthritic cartilage. In these two subpopulations from osteoarthritic cartilage, the ferroptosis pathway was enriched, and expression of iron overload-related genes, e.g., FTH1, was elevated. To verify these findings, we conducted a Mendelian randomization study using UK Biobank and a population-based cross-sectional study using data collected from Xiangya Osteoarthritis Study. Genetic predisposition toward higher expression of FTH1 mRNA significantly increased the risk of hand osteoarthritis (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.11) among participants (n = 332 668) in UK Biobank. High levels of serum ferritin (encoded by FTH1), a biomarker of body iron overload, were significantly associated with a high prevalence of hand osteoarthritis among participants (n = 1 241) of Xiangya Osteoarthritis Study (P-for-trend = 0.037). In conclusion, our findings indicate that inflammatory and fibrocartilage chondrocytes are key subpopulations and that ferroptosis may be a key pathway in hand osteoarthritis, providing new insights into the pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets of hand osteoarthritis.

Experimental investigation and theoretical analysis of the breakdown time delay and jitter of multi-gap gas switch gaps.

The gas gap of a multi-gap gas switch can be classified as trigger and self-breakdown gaps based on the breakdown condition. A two-gap gas switch consisting of a trigger gap and a self-breakdown gap is developed to independently study the breakdown characteristics of these two types of switch gaps. Trigger experiments for the switch are conducted under various trigger voltage rise rates and different working coefficients. The experimental results indicate that the trigger gap has significantly more jitter than the self-breakdown gap, and the overall performance of the gas switch is determined primarily by the trigger gap. A novel pre-ionization structure with disks is implemented into the two-gap gas switch, considerably decreasing the breakdown delay of the trigger gap and reducing the jitter to a quarter or even less compared to that without pre-ionization. A calculation model of the breakdown time delay for the trigger gap is provided based on the foundational development of the avalanche. The probability distribution of the time required for the initial electron generation is derived in the absence of pre-ionization. The calculated breakdown time delay agrees well with the experimental results in cases with and without pre-ionization under most trigger settings. The method and principle of calculating the breakdown time delay can analyze the collapse of a gas gap with different electrode configurations (quasi-uniform or uniform electrical fields) and various gas media under a nanosecond pulse voltage.

Microplastics - Back to Reality: Impact of Pristine and Aged Microplastics in Soil on Earthworm Eisenia fetida under Environmentally Relevant Conditions.

Recently, studies have highlighted the potential danger for soil organisms posed by film-derived microplastics (MPs). However, the majority of those does not accurately reflect the field conditions and the degree of MP contamination that can be found in actual settings. To fill the gap between laboratory and field scenarios, the polyethylene (PE) plastic film was made into PE-MPs and aged. Toxicity and molecular mechanisms of pristine PE-MPs (PMPs) and aged PE-MPs (AMPs) with the concentration at 500 mg/kg of dry weight were determined after 14 days of exposure by measuring the oxidative stress, osmoregulation pressure, gut microbiota, and metabolic responses in earthworms under environmentally relevant conditions. Our research showed that, when compared to PMPs (13.13 ± 1.99 items/g), AMPs accumulated more (16.19 ± 8.47 items/g), caused more severe tissue lesions, and caused a higher increase of cell membrane osmotic pressure in earthworms' intestines. Furthermore, the proportion of probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus johnsonii in the gut bacterial communities was 24.26%, 23.26%, and 12.96%, while the proportion of pathogenic bacteria of the phylum Verrucomicrobia was 2.28%, 4.79%, and 10.39% in the control and PMP- and AMP-exposed earthworms, indicating that the decrease in number of probiotic bacteria and the increase in number of pathogenic bacteria were more pronounced in the gut of AMP- rather than PMP-exposed earthworms. Metabolomic analysis showed that AMP exposure reduced earthworm energy metabolites. Consequently, the constant need for energy may result in protein catabolism, which raises levels of some amino acids, disturbs normal cell homeostasis, causes changes of cell membrane osmolarity, and destroys the cell structure. Our studies showed that aged MPs, with the same characteristics as those found in the environment, have greater toxicity than pristine MPs. The results of this study broaden our understanding of the toxicological effects of MPs on soil organisms under environmentally relevant conditions.

Serum Pharmacochemistry Combined with Network Pharmacology-Based Mechanism Prediction and Pharmacological Validation of Zhenwu Decoction on Alleviating Isoprenaline-Induced Heart Failure Injury in Rats.

Zhenwu decoction (ZWD) is a famous classical formula in the treatment of heart failure (HF) with significant clinical effects. Owing to the complex material basis of ZWD, it is challenging to elucidate the pharmacodynamic substances and pharmacological mechanisms of ZWD against HF. Therefore, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography system coupled with a high-resolution orbitrap mass spectrometry method was used to profile the chemical components and the absorbed prototype constituents in ISO-induced HF rat serum after oral administration of ZWD, and 33 out of 115 compounds were identified. In the in vivo study, ZWD could improve cardiac function and reduce the content of serum biochemical indexes, which are heart failure markers. With the help of network pharmacology and molecular docking simulation analysis, 112 ZWD targets oriented by HF were obtained, with STAT3, TNF, AKT1, VEGFA, and ALB as the core targets. Furthermore, we found that paeoniflorin and its derivatives may play a bigger role than other serum migrant components. Enriched pathway analysis yielded multiple HF-related signaling pathways, which indicated that ZWD may attenuate HF through the effect of PI3K-Akt, and MAPK pathways by regulating key targets such as STAT3, TNF, and AKT1. Finally, STAT3/MAPK pathways were experimentally validated in the anti-HF effect of ZWD. The phosphorylation levels of p38, JNK, ERK, and STAT3 were significantly increased in the ISO group and reversed by ZWD intervention. The results provided a reasonable strategy for the rapid screening of bioactive components in ZWD and a reference for quality control and further mechanism study of ZWD.

Decreased Functional Connectivity of the Core Pain Matrix in Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia Patients.

The purpose of this study was to explore the resting-state functional connectivity (FC) changes among the pain matrix and other brain regions in herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients. Fifty-four PHN patients, 52 HZ patients, and 54 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. We used a seed-based FC approach to investigate whether HZ and PHN patients exhibited abnormal FC between the pain matrix and other brain regions compared to HCs. A random forest (RF) model was constructed to explore the feasibility of potential neuroimaging indicators to distinguish the two groups of patients. We found that PHN patients exhibited decreased FCs between the pain matrix and the putamen, superior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, middle cingulate gyrus, amygdala, precuneus, and supplementary motor area compared with HCs. Similar results were observed in HZ patients. The disease durations of PHN patients were negatively correlated with those aforementioned impaired FCs. The results of machine learning experiments showed that the RF model combined with FC features achieved a classification accuracy of 75%. Disrupted FC among the pain matrix and other regions in HZ and PHN patients may affect multiple dimensions of pain processing.

Exploring the Action Mechanism and Validation of the Key Pathways of Dendrobium officinale Throat-clearing Formula for the Treatment of Chronic Pharyngitis Based on Network Pharmacology.

This study investigated the molecular action mechanism of a compound herb, also known as the Dendrobium officinale throat-clearing formula (QYF), by using network pharmacology and animal experimental validation methods to treat chronic pharyngitis (CP). The active ingredients and disease targets of QYF were determined by searching the Batman-TCM and GeneCards databases. Subsequently, the drug-active ingredient-target and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed, and the core targets were obtained through network topology. The Metascape database was screened, and the core targets were enriched with Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. In total, 1403 and 241 potential targets for drugs and diseases, respectively, and 81 intersecting targets were yielded. The core targets included TNF, IL-6, and IL-1ß, and the core pathways included PI3K-Akt. The QYF treatment group exhibited effectively improved general signs, enhanced anti-inflammatory ability in vitro, reduced serum and tissue expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß inflammatory factors, and decreased blood LPS levels and Myd88, TLR4, PI3K, Akt, and NF-κB p65 protein expression in the tissues. QYF could inhibit LPS production, which regulated the expression of the TLR4/PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway to suppress the expression of the related inflammatory factors (i.e., TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß), thereby alleviating the CP process.

Deep learning trained on lymph node status predicts outcome from gastric cancer histopathology: a retrospective multicentric study.

AIM: Gastric cancer (GC) is a tumour entity with highly variant outcomes. Lymph node metastasis is a prognostically adverse biomarker. We hypothesised that GC primary tissue contains information that is predictive of lymph node status and patient prognosis and that this information can be extracted using deep learning (DL). METHODS: Using three patient cohorts comprising 1146 patients, we trained and validated a DL system to predict lymph node status directly from haematoxylin and eosin-stained GC tissue sections. We investigated the concordance between the DL-based prediction from the primary tumour slides (aiN score) and the histopathological lymph node status (pN). Furthermore, we assessed the prognostic value of the aiN score alone and when combined with the pN status. RESULTS: The aiN score predicted the pN status reaching area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.71 in the training cohort and 0.69 and 0.65 in the two test cohorts. In a multivariate Cox analysis, the aiN score was an independent predictor of patient survival with hazard ratios of 1.5 in the training cohort and of 1.3 and 2.2 in the two test cohorts. A combination of the aiN score and the pN status prognostically stratified patients by survival with p-values <0.05 in logrank tests. CONCLUSION: GC primary tumour tissue contains additional prognostic information that is accessible using the aiN score. In combination with the pN status, this can be used for personalised management of GC patients after prospective validation.

Self-assembly of Hyaluronic Acid-Cu-Quercetin flavonoid nanoparticles: synergistic chemotherapy to target tumors.

Background: In this study, a natural compound quercetin (Qu) was investigated for its various antitumor effects. However, due to its poor water solubility and low bioavailability, its clinical application is limited. To overcome this constraint, a modification was to Qu, which resulted in the creation of novel flavonoid self-assembling nanoparticles (HCQ NPs). Methods: HCQ NPs were synthesized by a self-assembly method and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, the Malvern Zetasizer instrument, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric method (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FITR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Extracellular, methylene blue spectrophotometric analysis was used to determine the ability of HCQ NPs to react with different concentrations of H2O2 to form hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Intracellular, DCFH-DA staining was used to detect the ability of HCQ NPs to react with H2O2 to generate reactive oxygen species. Flow cytometry was used to detect the uptake of HCQ NPs by MDA-MB-231 cells at different time points. The biocompatibility of HCQ NPs was evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Calcein AM/PI double staining and the CCK-8 assay were used to evaluate the synergistic antitumor effect of HCQ NPs and H2O2. Results: HCQ NPs showed uniformly sized analogous spherical shapes with a hydrodynamic diameter of 55.36 ± 0.27 nm. XPS revealed that Cu was mainly present as Cu2+ in the HCQ NPs. UV-vis absorption spectrum of the characteristic peak of HCQ NPs was located at 296 nm. Similarly, FTIR spectroscopy revealed a complex formation of Qu and Cu2+ that substantially changed the wavenumber of the 4-position C = O characteristic absorption peak. Based on the proportion of Qu and Cu2+ (1:2), the total drug loading of Qu and Cu2+ in the HCQ NPs for therapeutic purposes was calculated to be 9%. Methylene blue spectrophotometric analysis of •OH indicated that Cu can lead to the generation of •OH by triggering Fenton-like reactions. HCQ NPs rapidly accumulated in MDA-MB-231 cells with the extension of time, and the maximum accumulation concentration was reached at about 0.5 h. Calcein AM/PI double staining and CCK-8 revealed synergistic antitumor effects of HCQ NPs including the chemotherapeutic effect of Qu and chemodynamic therapy by Cu2+ in a simulated tumor microenvironment. HCQ NPs demonstrated very low toxicity in LO2 cells in the biocompatibility experiment. Conclusion: This study show cases a new method of creating self-assembled flavonoid HCQ NPs that show great for fighting cancer.

Shark IgNAR: The Next Broad Application Antibody in Clinical Diagnoses and Tumor Therapies?

Antibodies represent a relatively mature detection means and serve as therapeutic drug carriers in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of cancer-among which monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) currently occupy a dominant position. However, the emergence and development of small-molecule monodomain antibodies are inevitable due to the many limitations of mAbs, such as their large size, complex structure, and sensitivity to extreme temperature, and tumor microenvironments. Thus, since first discovered in Chondroid fish in 1995, IgNAR has become an alternative therapeutic strategy through which to replace monoclonal antibodies, thus entailing that this novel type of immunoglobulin has received wide attention with respect to clinical diagnoses and tumor therapies. The variable new antigen receptor (VNAR) of IgNAR provides an advantage for the development of new antitumor drugs due to its small size, high stability, high affinity, as well as other structural and functional characteristics. In that respect, a better understanding of the unique characteristics and therapeutic potential of IgNAR/VNAR in clinical and anti-tumor treatment is needed. This article reviews the advantages of its unique biochemical conditions and molecular structure for clinical diagnoses and novel anti-tumor drugs. At the same time, the main advantages of the existing conjugated drugs, which are based on single-domain antibodies, are introduced here, thereby providing new ideas and methods for the development of clinical diagnoses and anti-tumor therapies in the future.

Aberrant functional and causal connectivity of the amygdala in herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia patients.

OBJECTIVE: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and Granger causality analysis (GCA) were used to observe the characteristics of amygdala and whole-brain effect connections in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and to determine their relationship with clinical features. METHODS: Rs-fMRI scans were performed on 50 HZ; 50 PHN; and 50 age-, sex- and education-year-matched healthy controls (HCs). Bilateral amygdala subregions were used as seeds for functional connectivity (FC). GCA was used to analyze the effective connection of brain regions that were significantly different among groups. Then, the correlation between FC, and GCA values and clinical indices was investigated. RESULTS: PHN had impaired FC between the amygdala subregion with the putamen, cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to HCs and reduced FC of medial amygdala (MeA) with the parieto-occipital lobe and motor cortex to HZ; HZ had reduced FC of the lateral amygdala (LA) with the insula to HCs. GCA values from the bilateral LA to the bilateral ACC, left MeA to the bilateral ACC and left putamen, and right ACC to the bilateral MeA were reduced in PHN patients compared to HCs. Compared with HCs, the GCA values from the left MeA to the left ACC and right putamen were reduced in HZ. The GCA values from the amygdala subregion to the ACC were positively correlated with HAMA or HAMD scores in PHN. CONCLUSION: PHN showed reduced FC between the amygdala subregions and cortico-putamen and decreased effective connectivity from the amygdala subregion to the ACC and putamen. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: HZ and PHN patients had significant changes in effective connectivity in brain regions, including diverse functional areas emanating from and projecting to the amygdala. The current findings will provide a new perspective for understanding the neuropathophysiological mechanism HZ and PHN.