Lithium-Doped Titanium Dioxide-Based Multilayer Hierarchical Structure for Accelerating Nerve-Induced Bone Regeneration.

Despite considerable advances in artificial bone tissues, the absence of neural network reconstruction in their design often leads to delayed or ineffective bone healing. Hence, we propose a multilayer hierarchical lithium (Li)-doped titanium dioxide structure, constructed through microarc oxidation combined with alkaline heat treatment. This structure can induce the sustained release of Li ions, mimicking the environment of neurogenic osteogenesis characterized by high brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression. During in vitro experiments, the structure enhanced the differentiation of Schwann cells (SCs) and the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mouse embryo osteoblast progenitor cells (MC3T3-E1). Additionally, in a coculture system, the SC-conditioned media markedly increased alkaline phosphatase expression and the formation of calcium nodules, demonstrating the excellent potential of the material for nerve-induced bone regeneration. In an in vivo experiment based on a rat distal femoral lesion model, the structure substantially enhanced bone healing by increasing the density of the neural network in the tissue around the implant. In conclusion, this study elucidates the neuromodulatory pathways involved in bone regeneration, providing a promising method for addressing bone deformities.

Study on flavor quality formation in green and yellow tea processing by means of UPLC-MS approach.

Yellow tea (YT) has an additional process of yellowing before or after rolling than green tea (GT), making YT sweeter. We analyzed the variations of composition and taste throughout the withering, fixing and rolling steps using UPLC-MS/MS and sensory evaluation, and investigated the influence of various yellowing times on flavor profile of YT. 532 non-volatile metabolites were identified. Withering and fixing were the important processes to form the taste quality of GT. Withering, fixing and yellowing were important processes to form flavor profile of YT. Withering mainly regulated bitterness and astringency, and fixing mainly regulated bitterness, astringency and sweetness of YT and GT. Yellowing mainly regulated sweetness of YT. Trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline and glutathione reduced form as the key characteristic components of YT, increased significantly during yellowing mainly through Arginine and proline metabolism and ABC transporters. The paper offers a systematic insight into intrinsic mechanisms of flavor formation in YT and GT.

Stability and integrity of self-assembled bovine parvovirus virus­like particles (BPV­VLPs) of VP2 and combination of VP1VP2 assisted by baculovirus-insect cell expression: a potential logistical platform for vaccine deployment.

BACKGROUND: Bovine parvovirus (BPV) is an autonomous DNA virus with a smaller molecular size and subtle differences in its structural proteins, unlike other animal parvoviruses. More importantly, this virus has the potential to produce visible to silent economic catastrophes in the livestock business, despite receiving very little attention. Parvoviral virus-like particles (VLPs) as vaccines and as logistical platforms for vaccine deployment are well studied. However, no single experimental report on the role of VP1 in the assembly and stability of BPV-VLPs is available. Furthermore, the self-assembly, integrity and stability of the VLPs of recombinant BPV VP2 in comparison to VP1 VP2 Cap proteins using any expression method has not been studied previously. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the self-assembling ability with which BPV virus-like particles (VLPs) could be synthesized from a single structural protein (VP2) and by integrating both VP2 and VP1 amino acid sequences. METHODS: In silico and experimental cloning methods were carried out. His-tagged and without-His-tag VP2 and V1VP2-encoding amino acid sequences were cloned and inserted into pFastbacdual, and insect cell-generated recombinant protein was evaluated by SDS‒PAGE and western blot. Period of infectivity and expression level were determined by IFA. The integrity and stability of the BPV VLPs were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. The secondary structure of the BPV VLPs from both VP2 and V1VP2 was analyzed by circular dichroism. RESULTS: Our findings show that VP2 alone was equally expressed and purified into detectable proteins, and the stability at different temperatures and pH values was not appreciably different between the two kinds of VLPs. Furthermore, BPV-VP2 VLPs were praised for their greater purity and integrity than BPV-VP1VP2 VLPs, as indicated by SDS‒PAGE. Therefore, our research demonstrates that the function of VP1 has no bearing on the stability or integrity of BPV-VLPs. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, incredible physiochemically stable BPV VP2-derived VLPs have been found to be promising candidates for the development of multivalent vaccines and immunodiagnostic kits against enteric viruses and to carry heterogeneous epitopes for various economically important livestock diseases.

Gastric mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms.

The uncommon tumour known as gastric mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (G-MiNENs) is made up of parts of neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The biological and clinical features are different from those of gastric adenocarcinoma. Their pathophysiology, diagnostic standards, and clinical behaviour have all been the subject of lengthy debates, and their nomenclature has undergone multiple changes. Its emergence has created new challenges in the classification and diagnosis of gastric tumours. This review will update information on the topic, covering molecular aspects, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and prognostic factor discovery. It will also provide a historical context that will aid in understanding the evolution of the idea and nomenclature of mixed gastric tumours. Additionally, it will provide the reader a thorough understanding of this difficult topic of cancer that is applicable to real-world situations.

Multimodal joint deconvolution and integrative signature selection in proteomics.

Deconvolution is an efficient approach for detecting cell-type-specific (cs) transcriptomic signals without cellular segmentation. However, this type of methods may require a reference profile from the same molecular source and tissue type. Here, we present a method to dissect bulk proteome by leveraging tissue-matched transcriptome and proteome without using a proteomics reference panel. Our method also selects the proteins contributing to the cellular heterogeneity shared between bulk transcriptome and proteome. The deconvoluted result enables downstream analyses such as cs-protein Quantitative Trait Loci (cspQTL) mapping. We benchmarked the performance of this multimodal deconvolution approach through CITE-seq pseudo bulk data, a simulation study, and the bulk multi-omics data from human brain normal tissues and breast cancer tumors, individually, showing robust and accurate cell abundance quantification across different datasets. This algorithm is implemented in a tool MICSQTL that also provides cspQTL and multi-omics integrative visualization, available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/MICSQTL .

Interplay of soil characteristics and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity in alpine wetland restoration and carbon stabilization.

Alpine wetlands are critical ecosystems for global carbon (C) cycling and climate change mitigation. Ecological restoration projects for alpine grazing wetlands are urgently needed, especially due to their critical role as carbon (C) sinks. However, the fate of the C pool in alpine wetlands after restoration from grazing remains unclear. In this study, soil samples from both grazed and restored wetlands in Zoige (near Hongyuan County, Sichuan Province, China) were collected to analyze soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), soil properties, and plant biomass. Moreover, the Tea Bag Index (TBI) was applied to assess the initial decomposition rate (k) and stabilization factor (S), providing a novel perspective on SOC dynamics. The results of this research revealed that the mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) was 1.40 times higher in restored sites compared to grazed sites, although no significant difference in particulate organic carbon (POC) was detected between the two site types. Furthermore, the increased MAOC after restoration exhibited a significant positive correlation with various parameters including S, C and N content, aboveground biomass, WSOC, AMF diversity, and NH4+. This indicates that restoration significantly increases plant primary production, litter turnover, soil characteristics, and AMF diversity, thereby enhancing the C stabilization capacity of alpine wetland soils.

Isolation, Identification, and Carbonate Mineralization Characteristics of a Newly Carbonic Anhydrase-Producing Strain.

Carbonic anhydrase-producing microorganisms can rely on their metabolism for carbon sequestration and carbonate precipitation, which is a relatively effective mode among the known microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) methods. A newly carbonic anhydrase-producing strain was isolated from soil samples. 16S rDNA gene sequencing showed this strain had 99.18% sequence identity to Chryseobacterium gambrini. Various culture parameters (temperature, pH, rotational speed, inoculum size, and metal ions) were optimized for optimal microbial growth and CA activities. Optimal culture conditions were as follows: temperature of 30 °C, pH 6-7, rotational speed 150 rpm, and inoculum size 1%. It was observed that Co2+ and Mn2+ can improve CA activity with optimal concentrations of 0.02 mM and 0.01 mM, respectively. Furthermore, the introduction of CO2 for 15 min daily leads to a 36% increase in the final production of biotic CaCO3, reaching 2.884 g/L. Characterization of the mineralization precipitates was conducted to reveal the mechanism of the carbonic anhydrase-producing bacterium. Lastly, an analysis of the crystalline species and content of the biogenic CaCO3 was performed to lay the groundwork for future crystalline adjustments and to offer technical support for the application of the calcium method.

A LATS2 and ALKBH5 positive feedback loop supports their oncogenic roles.

N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A) critically regulates RNA dynamics in various biological processes. The m6A demethylase ALKBH5 promotes tumorigenesis of glioblastoma, while the intricate web that orchestrates its regulation remains enigmatic. Here, we discover that cell density affects ALKBH5 subcellular localization and m6A dynamics. Mechanistically, ALKBH5 is phosphorylated by the large tumor suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2), preventing its nuclear export and enhancing protein stability. Furthermore, phosphorylated ALKBH5 reciprocally erases m6A from LATS2 mRNA, thereby stabilizing this transcript. Unexpectedly, LATS2 depletion suppresses glioblastoma stem cell self-renewal independent of yes-associated protein activation. Additionally, deficiency in either LATS2 or ALKBH5 phosphorylation impedes tumor progression in mouse xenograft models. Moreover, high levels of LATS2 expression and ALKBH5 phosphorylation are associated with tumor malignancy in patients with gliomas. Collectively, our study unveils an oncogenic positive feedback loop between LATS2 and ALKBH5, revealing a non-canonical branch of the Hippo pathway for RNA processing and suggesting potential anti-cancer interventions.

Can the heptapeptide ASSIVSF of the ß2-adrenoceptor recognize ephedrine and pseudoephedrine epimers in a complex system?

Epimer separation is crucial in the field of analytical chemistry, separation science, and the pharmaceutical industry. No reported methods could separate simultaneously epimers or even isomers and remove other unwanted, co-existing, interfering substances from complex systems like herbal extracts. Herein, we prepared a heptapeptide-modified stationary phase for the separation of 1R,2S-(-)-ephedrine [(-)-Ephe] and 1S,2S-(+)-pseudoephedrine [(+)-Pse] epimers from Ephedra sinica Stapf extract and blood samples. The heptapeptide stationary phase was comprehensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The separation efficiency of the heptapeptide column was compared with an affinity column packed with full-length ß2-AR functionalized silica gel (ß2-AR column). The binding affinity of the heptapeptide with (+)-Pse was 3-fold greater than that with (-)-Ephe. Their binding mechanisms were extensively characterized by chromatographic analysis, ultraviolet spectra, circular dichroism analysis, isothermal titration calorimetry, and molecule docking. An enhanced hydrogen bonding was clearly observed in the heptapeptide-(+)-Pse complex. Such results demonstrated that the heptapeptide can recognize (+)-Pse and (-)-Ephe epimers in a complex system. This work, we believe, was the first report to simultaneously separate epimers and remove non-specific interfering substances from complex samples. The method was potentially applicable to more challenging sample separation, such as chiral separation from complex systems.

Removal of RNA viruses from swine wastewater using anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Performance and mechanisms.

The effective removal of viruses from swine wastewater using anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is vital to ecological safety. However, most studies have focused only on disinfectants, whereas the capabilities of the treatment process have not been investigated. In this study, the performance and mechanism of an AnMBR in the removal of porcine hepatitis E virus (HEV), porcine kobuvirus (PKoV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) are systematically investigated. The results show that the AnMBR effectively removes the four viruses, with average removal efficiencies of 1.62, 3.05, 2.41, and 1.34 log for HEV, PKoV, PEDV and TGEV, respectively. Biomass adsorption contributes primarily to the total virus removal in the initial stage of reactor operation, with contributions to HEV and PKoV removal exceeding 71.7 % and 68.2 %, respectively. When the membrane is fouled, membrane rejection dominated virus removal. The membrane rejection contribution test shows the significant contribution of membrane pore foulants (23-76 %). Correlation analysis shows that the surface characteristics and size differences of the four viruses contribute primarily to their different effects on biomass adsorption and membrane rejection. This study provides technical guidance for viral removal during the treatment of high-concentration swine wastewater using an AnMBR.

Decreased glucagon in diabetic peripheral neuropathy patients with long duration type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of fasting C-peptide and glucagon with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: A comprehensive evaluation was conducted on 797 patients with T2DM to assess the various risk factors affecting DPN. The subjects were categorized into short duration and long duration group according to the duration of diabetes with a threshold of 10 years. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between DPN and islet function, as well as other parameters. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive capability of glucagon. RESULTS: The fasting C-peptide levels were significantly lower in the DPN patients with short duration of diabetes, but lost significance in the long duration group. Conversely, a decreased level of glucagon was only observed in DPN patients with long duration of diabetes. For the group with long duration of diabetes, glucagon was the sole risk factor associated with DPN. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that glucagon in the long duration group exhibited a moderate area under the curve of 0.706. CONCLUSIONS: The serum glucagon levels in T2DM patients with DPN exhibited bidirectional changes based on the duration of diabetes. Decreased glucagon was associated with DPN in T2DM patients with long duration of diabetes.

Keratin Formed Bioadhesive Ophthalmic Gel for the Bacterial Conjunctivitis Treatment.

Keratin has the potential to function as the gel matrix in an ophthalmic formulation for the encapsulation of the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin. The quality of this formulation was thoroughly evaluated through various analyses, such as in vitro release assessment, rheological examination, intraocular retention studies in rabbits, assessment of bacteriostatic efficacy, and safety evaluations. It is worth mentioning that the gel demonstrated shear thinning properties and exhibited characteristics of an elastic solid, thereby confirming its structural stability. The gel demonstrated a notable affinity for mucosal surfaces in comparison to traditional azithromycin aqueous solutions. In vitro release testing revealed that drug release transpired via diffusion mechanisms, following a first-order kinetic release pattern. Additionally, the formulated gel exhibited remarkable antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bacteriostatic evaluations. Lastly, safety assessments confirmed that the gel eye drops induced minimal irritation and displayed no apparent cytotoxicity, indicating their good safety and biocompatibility for ocular application. Thus, these findings indicated that the prepared azithromycin gel eye drops complied with the requisite standards for ophthalmic preparations.

Unlocking the potential: A novel prognostic index signature for acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by challenges in treatment, including drug resistance and frequent relapse. Recent research highlights the crucial roles of tumor microenvironment (TME) in assisting tumor cell immune escape and promoting tumor aggressiveness. This study delves into the interplay between AML and TME. Through the exploration of potential driver genes, we constructed an AML prognostic index (AMLPI). Cross-platform data and multi-dimensional internal and external validations confirmed that the AMLPI outperforms existing models in terms of areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves, concordance index values, and net benefits. High AMLPIs in AML patients were indicative of unfavorable prognostic outcomes. Immune analyses revealed that the high-AMLPI samples exhibit higher expression of HLA-family genes and immune checkpoint genes (including PD1 and CTLA4), along with lower T cell infiltration and higher macrophage infiltration. Genetic variation analyses revealed that the high-AMLPI samples associate with adverse variation events, including TP53 mutations, secondary NPM1 co-mutations, and copy number deletions. Biological interpretation indicated that ALDH2 and SPATS2L contribute significantly to AML patient survival, and their abnormal expression correlates with DNA methylation at cg12142865 and cg11912272. Drug response analyses revealed that different AMLPI samples tend to have different clinical selections, with low-AMLPI samples being more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. Finally, to facilitate broader access to our findings, a user-friendly and publicly accessible webserver was established and available at http://bioinfor.imu.edu.cn/amlpi. This server provides tools including TME-related AML driver genes mining, AMLPI construction, multi-dimensional validations, AML patients risk assessment, and figures drawing.

Data-Independent Acquisition-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Potential Salivary Biomarkers of Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Objective As primary Sj?gren's syndrome (pSS) primarily affects the salivary glands, saliva can serve as an indicator of the glands' pathophysiology and the disease's status. This study aims to illustrate the salivary proteomic profiles of pSS patients and identify potential candidate biomarkers for diagnosis.Methods The discovery set contained 49 samples (24 from pSS and 25 from age- and gender-matched healthy controls [HCs]) and the validation set included 25 samples (12 from pSS and 13 from HCs). Totally 36 pSS patients and 38 HCs were centrally randomized into the discovery set or to the validation set at a 2:1 ratio. Unstimulated whole saliva samples from pSS patients and HCs were analyzed using a data-independent acquisition (DIA) strategy on a 2D LC?HRMS/MS platform to reveal differential proteins. The crucial proteins were verified using DIA analysis and annotated using gene ontology (GO) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) analysis. A prediction model for SS was established using random forests.Results A total of 1,963 proteins were discovered, and 136 proteins exhibited differential representation in pSS patients. The bioinformatic research indicated that these proteins were primarily linked to immunological functions, metabolism, and inflammation. A panel of 19 protein biomarkers was identified by ranking order based on P-value and random forest algorichm, and was validated as the predictive biomarkers exhibiting good performance with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.817 for discovery set and 0.882 for validation set.Conclusions The candidate protein panel discovered may aid in pSS diagnosis. Salivary proteomic analysis is a promising non-invasive method for prognostic evaluation and early and precise treatments for pSS patients. DIA offers the best time efficiency and data dependability and may be a suitable option for future research on the salivary proteome.

Targeting cellular senescence as a therapeutic vulnerability in gastric cancer.

AIMS: Cellular senescence (CS) represents an intracellular defense mechanism responding to stress signals and can be leveraged as a "vulnerability" in cancer treatment. This study aims to construct a CS atlas for gastric cancer (GC) and uncover potential therapeutics for GC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 38 senescence-associated regulators with prognostic significance in GC were obtained from the CellAge database to construct Gastric cancer-specific Senescence Score (GSS). Using eXtreme Sum algorism, GSS-based drug repositioning was conducted to identify drugs that could antagonize GSS in CMap database. In vitro experiments were conducted to test the effect of combination of palbociclib and exisulind in eliminating GC cells. KEY FINDINGS: Patients with high GSS exhibited CS-related features, such as CS markers upregulation, adverse clinical outcomes and hypomethylation status. scRNA-seq data showed malignant cells with high GSS exhibited enhanced senescence state and more immunosuppressive signals such as PVR-CD96 compared with malignant cells with low GSS. In addition, the GSS-High cancer associated fibroblasts might secrete cytokines and chemokines such as IL-6, CXCL1, CXCL12, and CCL2 to from an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and GSS could serve as an indicator for immunotherapy resistance. Exisulind exhibited the greatest potential to reverse GSS. In vitro experiments demonstrated that exisulind could induce apoptosis and suppress the proliferation of palbociclib-induced senescent GC cells. SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, GSS offers a framework for better understanding of correlation between senescence and GC, which might provide new insights into the development of novel therapeutics in GC.

Technology empowerment: Digital transformation and enterprise ESG performance-Evidence from China's manufacturing sector.

In light of the long-term constraints posed by the "dual carbon" objective, can digital technology emerge as a transformative solution for enterprises to embark on a sustainable development trajectory? The existing body of research has yet to reach a consensus. In order to shed further light on the intricate relationship between digital transformation and ESG performance of enterprises, this study empirically examines the mechanisms and boundaries through which digital transformation influences ESG performance, based on observational data from A-share manufacturing listed companies in Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange spanning from 2011 to 2021. The findings demonstrate that digital transformation exerts a significant positive impact on the ESG performance of manufacturing enterprises. Mechanism analysis reveals that the enabling effect of digital transformation primarily enhances company transparency, thereby fostering continuous improvements in ESG performance among manufacturing enterprises. The performance expectation gap will give rise to the phenomenon of "stop-loss in time" and impede the promotional impact of digital transformation. Further investigation into industrial characteristics and industry competition intensity indicates that state-owned enterprises and those operating within highly competitive environments experience more pronounced effects of digital transformation on their ESG performance. This study expands the mechanism and boundary of digital transformation on ESG performance of manufacturing enterprises, and provides a new perspective for manufacturing enterprises to realize the collaborative transformation of digital and green.

DNA Framework-Engineered Assembly of Cyanine Dyes for Structural Identification of Nucleic Acids.

DNA nanostructures serve as precise templates for organizing organic dyes, enabling the creation of programmable artificial photonic systems with efficient light-harvesting and energy transfer capabilities. However, regulating the organization of organic dyes on DNA frameworks remains a great challenge. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing the self-assembly behavior of cyanine dye K21 on DNA frameworks. We observed that K21 exhibited diverse assembly modes, including monomers, H-aggregates, J-aggregates, and excimers, when combined with DNA frameworks. By manipulating conditions such as the ion concentration, dye concentration, and structure of DNA frameworks, we successfully achieved precise control over the assembly modes of K21. Leveraging K21's microenvironment-sensitive fluorescence properties on DNA nanostructures, we successfully discriminated between the chirality and topology structures of physiologically relevant G-quadruplexes. This study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing the dynamic assembly behavior of organic dyes on DNA framework nanostructures, offering new perspectives for constructing functional supramolecular aggregates and identifying DNA secondary structures.

Effect of butylphthalide on prevention and treatment of high altitude cerebral edema in rats.

3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) contains one of the main active ingredients of celery seed. It has a series of pharmacological mechanisms, including reconstitution of microcirculation, protection of mitochondrial function, inhibition of oxidative stress, and inhibition of neuronal apoptosis. Based on the complex multi-targeting of NBP pharmacological mechanisms, the clinical applications of NBP are increasing, and more and more clinical studies and animal experiments have focused on NBP. In this study, we used male Sprague Dawley rats as an animal model to elucidate the intervention effect of butylphthalide on high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and also compared the effect of butylphthalide and rhodiola rosea on HACE. Firstly, we measured the changes of body weight and brain water content and observed the pathological changes of brain tissues. In addition, the contents of inflammatory factors, oxidative stress and brain neurotransmitters were assessed by enzyme-linked immunoassay kits, and finally, the expression of apoptotic proteins in brain tissues was determined by western blotting. The results showed that NBP reduced brain water content, attenuated brain tissue damage, altered inflammatory factors, oxidative stress indicators, and brain neurotransmitter levels, and in addition NBP inhibited the expression of Caspase-related apoptotic proteins. Therefore, NBP has the potential to treat and prevent HACE.

Role of ferroptosis in Porphyromonas gingivalis-induced impairment of epithelial junction.

Objectives: This study aims to clarify the effect of ferroptosis by P. gingivalis on periodontal epithelium impairment and potential mechanisms. Materials and methods: The expression of epithelial junction proteins (CDH1, OCLN, ZO-1), FTL and GPX4 in healthy and periodontitis tissues was analyzed using bioinformatics analysis and validated in vivo. An in vitro model was constructed to evaluate ferroptosis by mitochondria morphology, content of iron and GSH, and level of lipid peroxidation, FTL, GPX4 and SLC7A11. The iron concentration was changed with iron chelator DFO and iron supplementation FAC. The epithelial impairment was assessed by protein expression. To investigate the mechanism, si-MYB (a negative transcription factor of SLC7A11) and GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 were employed. Results: CDH1, OCLN, ZO-1 and GPX4 expression was decreased, while FTL expression was elevated in periodontitis tissues. Infected cells showed ferroptosis change of the mitochondria with higher level of lipid peroxidation, iron, FTL and lower level of GPX4, GSH, SLC7A11. FAC augmented ferroptosis and weakened epithelial junction, while DFO exhibited a counteractive effect. Silencing MYB rescued SLC7A11, GPX4 and epithelial junction proteins, which was hindered by RSL3. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that P. gingivalis weakened the oral epithelial barrier by causing ferroptosis via inhibiting SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 axis.

Research on the role and mechanism of IL-17 in intervertebral disc degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of the primary causes of low back pain (LBP), which seriously affects patients' quality of life. In recent years, interleukin (IL)-17 has been shown to be highly expressed in the intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues and serum of patients with IDD, and IL-17A has been shown to promote IDD through multiple pathways. We first searched databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science using the search terms "IL-17 or interleukin 17″ and "intervertebral discs". The search period ranged from the inception of the databases to December 2023. A total of 24 articles were selected after full-text screening. The main conclusion of the clinical studies was that IL-17A levels are significantly increased in the IVD tissues and serum of IDD patients. The results from the in vitro studies indicated that IL-17A can activate signaling pathways such as the NF-κB and MAPK pathways; promote inflammatory responses, extracellular matrix degradation, and angiogenesis; and inhibit autophagy in nucleus pulposus cells. The main finding of the in vivo experiments was that puncture of animal IVDs resulted in elevated levels of IL-17A within the IVD, thereby inducing IDD. Clinical studies, in vitro experiments, and in vivo experiments confirmed that IL-17A is closely related to IDD. Therefore, drugs that target IL-17A may be novel treatments for IDD, providing a new theoretical basis for IDD therapy.