Assessment of the Safety and Probiotic Properties of Enterococcus faecium B13 Isolated from Fermented Chili.

Enterococcus faecium B13, selected from fermentation chili, has been proven to promote animal growth by previous studies, but it belongs to opportunistic pathogens, so a comprehensive evaluation of its probiotic properties and safety is necessary. In this study, the probiotic properties and safety of B13 were evaluated at the genetic and phenotype levels in vitro and then confirmed in vivo. The genome of B13 contains one chromosome and two plasmids. The average nucleotide identity indicated that B13 was most closely related to the fermentation-plant-derived strain. The strain does not carry the major virulence genes of the clinical E. faecium strains but contains aac(6')-Ii, ant (6)-Ia, msrC genes. The strain had a higher tolerance to acid at pH 3.0, 4.0, and 0.3% bile salt and a 32.83% free radical DPPH clearance rate. It can adhere to Caco-2 cells and reduce the adhesion of E. coli to Caco-2 cells. The safety assessment revealed that the strain showed no hemolysis and did not exhibit gelatinase, ornithine decarboxylase, lysine decarboxylase, or tryptophanase activity. It was sensitive to twelve antibiotics but was resistant to erythromycin, rifampicin, tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline. Experiments in vivo have shown that B13 can be located in the ileum and colon and has no adverse effects on experiment animals. After 28 days of feeding, B13 did not remarkable change the α-diversity of the gut flora or increase the virulence genes. Our study demonstrated that E. faecium B13 may be used as a probiotic candidate.

Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of acute liver injury in hospitalized adults with acute kidney injury: a large multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute liver injury (ALI) were associated with poor outcomes during hospitalization, respectively. However, the clinical outcome of AKI combined with ALI (AKI-ALI) remains unknown. The current study aimed to describe AKI-ALI's incidences, risk factors, and outcomes. METHODS: The study population included patients aged 18-99 years with enough serum creatinine and liver testing hospitalized at 19 medical centers throughout China between 2000 and 2021. AKI was defined by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes and ALI was defined by the change of liver enzymes based on Asia Pacific Association of Study of Liver consensus guidelines. Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify risk factors for AKI-ALI, and a time-dependent Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the association between AKI-ALI and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Among the 18,461 patients with AKI, 1689 (9.1%) combined with ALI. Male patients or those who have used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or vasopressors, and who have heart failure or shock, with higher AST or GGT values, were associated with an increased risk of AKI-ALI. Compared with AKI-nonALI, patients with AKI-ALI were at higher risk of in-hospitalized mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54, 2.00). In addition, a stronger association between AKI-ALI and in-hospital mortality was found in those with lower AKI grades (p for interaction = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: ALI was not uncommon among patients with AKI, especially in patients who used vasopressors and had shock. This study highlights the association between AKI-ALI and a significantly increased risk of mortality. It suggests that dynamic monitoring of liver function is essential, particularly in patients with AST and GGT exceeding the normal upper limit, to improve the in-hospital prognosis of AKI patients.

Conditional reprogrammed human limbal epithelial cell model for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug screening.

To minimize the global pandemic COVID-19 spread, understanding the possible transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 and discovery of novel antiviral drugs are necessary. We describe here that the virus can infect ocular surface limbal epithelial, but not other regions. Limbal supports wild type and mutant SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication depending on ACE2, TMPRSS2 and possibly other receptors, resulting in slight CPE and arising IL-6 secretion, which symbolizes conjunctivitis in clinical symptoms. With this limbal model, we have screened two natural product libraries and discovered several unreported drugs. Our data reveal important commonalities between COVID-19 and ocular infection with SARS-CoV-2, and establish an ideal cell model for drug screening and mechanism research.

Quantitative reconstruction of a single super rainstorm using daily resolved δ18O of land snail shells.

A "once-in-a-millennium" super rainstorm battered Zhengzhou, central China, from 07/17/2021 to 07/22/2021 (named "7.20" Zhengzhou rainstorm). It killed 398 people and caused billions of dollars in damage. A pressing question is whether rainstorms of this intensity can be effectively documented by geological archives to understand better their historical variabilities beyond the range of meteorological data. Here, four land snail shells were collected from Zhengzhou, and weekly to daily resolved snail shell δ18O records from June to September of 2021 were obtained by gas-source mass spectrometry and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The daily resolved records show a dramatic negative shift between 06/18/2021 and 09/18/2021, which has been attributed to the "7.20" Zhengzhou rainstorm. Moreover, the measured amplitude of this shift is consistent with the theoretical value estimated from the flux balance model and instrumental data for the "7.20" Zhengzhou rainstorm. Our results suggest that the ultra-high resolution δ18O of land snail shells have the potential to reconstruct local synoptic scale rainstorms quantitatively, and thus fossil snail shells in sedimentary strata can be valuable material for investigating the historical variability of local rainstorms under different climate backgrounds.

Iron-catalyzed benzylic C-H thiolation via photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge-transfer.

Here, we describe an iron-catalyzed benzylic C-H thiolation of alkylarenes via photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge-transfer. The protocol features operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions, and the use of FeCl3 as catalyst and thiols/disulfides as sulfur sources, which enables the transformation of diverse benzylic C-H bonds into C-S bonds with a high efficiency.

Dynamic changes in the non-volatile and flavour compounds in withered tea leaves of three different colour cultivars based on multi-omics.

In this study, metabolomics and proteomics were performed to investigate the fluctuations of non-volatile compounds and proteins in tea leaves from three tea cultivars with varying colours during withering. A total of 2798 compounds were detected, exhibiting considerable variations in amino acids, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids. The ZH1 cultivar displayed increased levels of amino acids but decreased levels of polyphenols, which might be associated with the up-regulation of enzymes responsible for protein degradation and subsequent amino acid production, as well as the down-regulation of enzymes involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. The FUD and ZH1 cultivars had elevated levels of flavanols and flavanol-O-glycosides, which were regulated by the upregulation of FLS. The ZJ and ZH1 cultivars displayed elevated levels of theaflavin and peroxidase. This work presents a novel investigation into the alterations of metabolites and proteins between tea cultivars during withering, and helps with the tea cultivar selection and manufacturing development.

A Versatile Strategy for the Controlled Synthesis of Atomically Precise Palladium Nanoclusters.

The study of the structures, applications, and structure-property relationships of atomically precise metal nanoclusters relies heavily on their controlled synthesis. Although great progress has been made in the controlled synthesis of Group 11 (Cu, Ag, Au) metal nanoclusters, the preparation of Pd nanoclusters remains a grand challenge. Herein, a new, simple, and versatile synthetic strategy for the controlled synthesis of Pd nanoclusters is reported with tailorable structures and functions. The synthesis strategy involves the controllable transformations of Pd4(CO)4(CH3COO)4 in air, allowing the discovery of a family of Pd nanoclusters with well-defined structure and high yield. For example, by treating the Pd4(CO)4(CH3COO)4 with 2,2-dipyridine ligands, two clusters of Pd4 and Pd10 whose metal framework describes the growth of vertex-sharing tetrahedra have been selectively isolated. Interestingly, chiral Pd4 nanoclusters can be gained by virtue of customized chiral pyridine-imine ligands, thus representing a pioneering example to shed light on the hierarchical chiral nanostructures of Pd. This synthetic methodology also tolerates a wide variety of ligands and affords phosphine-ligated Pd nanoclusters in a simple way. It is believed that the successful exploration of the synthetic strategy would simulate the research enthusiasm on both the synthesis and application of atomically precise Pd nanoclusters.

PQR309, a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, synergizes with gemcitabine by impairing the GSK-3ß and STAT3/HSP60 signaling pathways to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

End-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has unsatisfactory survival. The limited benefit of chemotherapy and the scarcity of targeted drugs are major challenges in NPC. New approaches to treat late-stage NPC are urgently required. In this study, we explored whether the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, PQR309, exerted a favorable antineoplastic effect and sensitized the response to gemcitabine in NPC. We observed that PI3K expression was positive and elevated in 14 NPC cell lines compared with that in normal nasopharygeal cell lines. Patients with NPC with higher PI3K levels displayed poorer prognosis. We subsequently showed that PQR309 alone effectively decreased the viability, invasiveness, and migratory capability of NPC cells and neoplasm development in mice xenograft models, and dose-dependently induced apoptosis. More importantly, PQR309 remarkably strengthened the anti-NPC function of gemcitabine both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, PQR309 sensitized NPC to gemcitabine by increasing caspase pathway-dependent apoptosis, blocking GSK-3ß and STAT3/HSP60 signaling, and ablating epithelial-mesenchyme transition. Thus, targeting PI3K/mTOR using PQR309 might represent a treatment option to promote the response to gemcitabine in NPC, and provides a theoretical foundation for the study of targeted drugs combined with chemotherapy for NPC.

Remodeling the tumor-immune microenvironment by anti-CTLA4 blockade enhanced subsequent anti-PD-1 efficacy in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Sequential immunotherapy has shown certain advantages in malignancy. Here, we aim to evaluate the efficacy of sequential anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (R/M NPC). We retrospectively analysis 2 phase I trial of ipilimumab and camrelizumab in Chinese R/M NPC patients. These patients were initially treated with ipilimumab, a CTLA4 blockade, followed by anti-PD-1 treatment. We observed a durable tumor remission in these patients (mPFS: 12.3 months; mDoR: 20.9 months). Multimodal investigations of biopsy samples disclosed remodeling of tumor-immune microenvironment triggered by ipilimumab. In responders, we found increased tumoral PD-L1/PD-L2 expression and T-cell infiltration after ipilimumab treatment, accompanied by reduced stroma and malignant cell components. In contrast, non-responders exhibited increased B-cell infiltration and increased peripheral CD19 + B cells, suggesting a defective transition from memory B cells to plasma cells. This study proposes that sequential therapy can potentially enhance treatment efficacy in chemotherapy-resistant NPC patients and provides insights into how preexisting anti-CTLA4 blockade can influence subsequent anti-PD-1 efficacy by remodeling the TME. Additionally, our results highlight the need for therapeutic strategies targeting naïve/memory B cells.

Efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine, Buyang Huanwu Decoction, at preventing taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer patients: A prospective, randomized, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) is a traditional Chinese prescription, originally derived from Yi Lin Gai Cuo during the Qing Dynasty. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BYHWD in the prevention of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN) in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This single-center, statistician-blinded, parallel-group, simple randomized, no-treatment controlled study was conducted at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing. Sixty breast cancer patients scheduled to receive nab-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned to either the BYHWD group (N = 30) or the control group (N = 30) using simple randomization procedures. The data analysts were unaware of the treatment allocation. The primary efficacy endpoints were the incidence and severity of TIPN in the 2 groups, assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and Patients' Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (PNQ). The secondary efficacy endpoint was the score of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast for both groups. The primary safety endpoints were routine blood test results and liver and renal functions. Both groups were subjected to 4 chemotherapy cycles. Efficacy and safety analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: The incidence of TIPN in the BYHWD group was 50.0%, which was lower than the 80.0% incidence in the control group (ß = -1.881 [95%CI -3.274, -.488]; P = .008, adjusted). The probability of TIPN in the BYHWD group was 15.2% of that in the control group, representing a significant reduction in incidence (odds ratio = .152, [95%CI .038, 0.614]; P = .008, adjusted). The CTCAE and PNQ grades of the BYHWD group were 1.527 and 1.495 points lower than those of the control group at the same cycle, respectively (CTCAE: ß = -1.527 [95%CI -2.522, -.533]; P = .003, adjusted; PNQ: ß = -1.495 [95%CI -2.501, -.489]; P = .004, adjusted, respectively). After treatment, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast scores in the BYHWD group were significantly better than those in the control group (P = .003), especially in the physiological, functional, and additional concerns domains. CONCLUSION: Buyang Huanwu decoction (BYHWD) can effectively prevent TIPN and improve the quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

Preclinical characterization and phase 1 results of ADG106 in patients with advanced solid tumors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

ADG106, a ligand-blocking agonistic antibody targeting CD137 (4-1BB), exhibits promising results in preclinical studies, demonstrating tumor suppression in various animal models and showing a balanced profile between safety and efficacy. This phase 1 study enrolls 62 patients with advanced malignancies, revealing favorable tolerability up to the 5.0 mg/kg dose level. Dose-limiting toxicity occurs in only one patient (6.3%) at 10.0 mg/kg, resulting in grade 4 neutropenia. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events include leukopenia (22.6%), neutropenia (22.6%), elevated alanine aminotransferase (22.6%), rash (21.0%), itching (17.7%), and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (17.7%). The overall disease control rates are 47.1% for advanced solid tumors and 54.5% for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Circulating biomarkers suggest target engagement by ADG106 and immune modulation of circulating T, B, and natural killer cells and cytokines interferon γ and interleukin-6, which may affect the probability of clinical efficacy. ADG106 has a manageable safety profile and preliminary anti-tumor efficacy in patients with advanced cancers (this study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03802955).

A Functionally Asymmetric Janus Hygro-Photothermal Hybrid for Atmospheric Water Harvesting in Arid Regions.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are high-performance adsorbents for atmospheric water harvesting but have poor water-desorption ability, requiring excess energy input to release the trapped water. Addressing this issue, a Janus-structured adsorbent with functional asymmetry is presented. The material exhibits contrasting functionalities on either face - a hygroscopic face interfaced with a photothermal face. Hygroscopic aluminum fumarate MOF and photothermal CuxS layers are in-situ grown on opposite sides of a Cu/Al bimetallic substrate, resulting in a CuxS-Cu/Al-MOF Janus hygro-photothermal hybrid. The two faces serve as independent "factories" for photothermal conversion and water adsorption-desorption respectively, while the interfacing bimetallic layer serves as a "heat conveyor belt" between them. Due to the high porosity and hydrophilicity of the MOF, the hybrid exhibits a water-adsorption capacity of 0.161 g g-1 and a fast adsorption rate (saturation within 52 min) at 30% relative humidity. Thanks to the photothermal CuxS, the hybrid can reach 71.5 °C under 1 Sun in 20 min and desorb 97% adsorbed water in 40 min, exhibiting a high photothermal conversion efficiency of over 90%. CuxS-Cu/Al-MOF exhibits minimal fluctuations after 200 cycles, and its water-generation capacity is 3.21 times that of powdery MOF in 3 h in a self-designed prototype in one cycle.

Genomic and transcriptomic profiling of combined small-cell lung cancer through microdissection: unveiling the transformational pathway of mixed subtype.

BACKGROUND: Combined small-cell lung carcinoma (cSCLC) represents a rare subtype of SCLC, the mechanisms governing the evolution of cancer genomes and their impact on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) within distinct components of cSCLC remain elusive. METHODS: Here, we conducted whole-exome and RNA sequencing on 32 samples from 16 cSCLC cases. RESULTS: We found striking similarities between two components of cSCLC-LCC/LCNEC (SCLC combined with large-cell carcinoma/neuroendocrine) in terms of tumor mutation burden (TMB), tumor neoantigen burden (TNB), clonality structure, chromosomal instability (CIN), and low levels of immune cell infiltration. In contrast, the two components of cSCLC-ADC/SCC (SCLC combined with adenocarcinoma/squamous-cell carcinoma) exhibited a high level of tumor heterogeneity. Our investigation revealed that cSCLC originated from a monoclonal source, with two potential transformation modes: from SCLC to SCC (mode 1) and from ADC to SCLC (mode 2). Therefore, cSCLC might represent an intermediate state, potentially evolving into another histological tumor morphology through interactions between tumor and TIME surrounding it. Intriguingly, RB1 inactivation emerged as a factor influencing TIME heterogeneity in cSCLC, possibly through neoantigen depletion. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings delved into the clonal origin and TIME heterogeneity of different components in cSCLC, shedding new light on the evolutionary processes underlying this enigmatic subtype.

Hemoadsorption and Coagulation Systemic Rebalance in Patients Undergoing Nonelective Cardiac Surgery and Treated with Antithrombotics.

INTRODUCTION: Insufficient withdrawal duration of antithrombotics leads to excessive bleeding after major surgery. We hypothesize that intraoperative hemoadsorption (HA) can reduce postoperative allogeneic transfusion requirements and excessive bleeding events (EBE), without an increase in ischemic/thromboembolic events (ITE) in patients who have taken antithrombotics and undergone nonelective cardiac surgery. METHODS: A total of 460 patients admitted to our hospital from 2018 to 2022 were included in this study and divided into two groups: HA and non-HA. Because of the risk of bias due to differences in antithrombotic type, withdrawal duration, or basic coagulation function, propensity score matching was used for analyses. RESULTS: Out of 154 cases in the HA group, 144 pairs were successfully matched. No HA safety events such as hemolysis, hypotension, or device failure occurred. After matching, the two groups were found to be comparable in preoperative antithrombotic type, withdrawal duration, platelets and coagulation function, and demographic and perioperative characteristics. Although the HA group did not have a reduced incidence of EBE, this group exhibited significant decreases in the transfusion rate and volume, the incidence of ITE, acute kidney injury, and central nervous system injury. CONCLUSIONS: For patients who have undergone nonelective cardiac surgery and taken antithrombotics, HA can simply and safely rebalance the postoperative coagulation system and have associations with reduced transfusion and postoperative ITE.

Integrating ecology, physiology and transcriptomics reveals the response of Zostera marina to rusting of iron transplantation frame.

Frame Transplantation System (FTS) is considered an efficient method for seagrass restoration, but the effect of the rusting of iron frame on seagrass restoration remains unclear. We transplanted Zostera marina plants using iron FTS treated with fluorocarbon paint (painted treatment, PT) and traditional unpainted iron FTS (unpainted treatment, UT) under controlled mesocosm conditions for 24 days. Our results showed that the survival rate of Z. marina under the UT was significantly 31.2 % lower than that of the plants under the PT. Soluble sugar content in Z. marina rhizomes under the UT was significantly 2.19 times higher than that of the plants under the PT. Transcriptome analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in photosynthesis, metabolism and signal transduction functions. The results provide valuable data that could prove helpful in the development of efficient restoration techniques for Z. marina beds.

The BCL-2 inhibitor APG-2575 resets tumor-associated macrophages toward the M1 phenotype, promoting a favorable response to anti-PD-1 therapy via NLRP3 activation.

The main challenges in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are ascribed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and the lack of sufficient infiltration of activated CD8+ T cells. Transforming the tumor microenvironment (TME) from "cold" to "hot" and thus more likely to potentiate the effects of ICIs is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. We found that the selective BCL-2 inhibitor APG-2575 can enhance the antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in syngeneic and humanized CD34+ mouse models. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we found that APG-2575 polarized M2-like immunosuppressive macrophages toward the M1-like immunostimulatory phenotype with increased CCL5 and CXCL10 secretion, restoring T-cell function and promoting a favorable immunotherapy response. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that APG-2575 directly binds to NF-κB p65 to activate NLRP3 signaling, thereby mediating macrophage repolarization and the activation of proinflammatory caspases and subsequently increasing CCL5 and CXCL10 chemokine production. As a result, APG-2575-induced macrophage repolarization could remodel the tumor immune microenvironment, thus improving tumor immunosuppression and further enhancing antitumor T-cell immunity. Multiplex immunohistochemistry confirmed that patients with better immunotherapeutic efficacy had higher CD86, p-NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 levels, accompanied by lower CD206 expression on macrophages. Collectively, these data provide evidence that further study on APG-2575 in combination with immunotherapy for tumor treatment is required.