Mechanism of Astragalus mongholicus Bunge ameliorating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury: Based on network pharmacology analysis and experimental verification.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (AMB) is a herb with wide application in traditional Chinese medicine, exerting a wealth of pharmacological effects. AMB has been proven to have an evident therapeutic effect on ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, including cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). However, the specific mechanism underlying AMB in CIRI remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the potential role of AMB in CIRI through a comprehensive approach of network pharmacology and in vivo experimental research. METHODS: The intersection genes of drugs and diseases were obtained through analysis of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was created through the string website. Meanwhile, the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was carried out using R studio, and thereafter the key genes were screened. Then, the molecular docking prediction was made between the main active ingredients and target genes, and hub genes with high binding energy were obtained. In addition, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was used to validate the result of molecular docking. Based on the results of network pharmacology, we used animal experiments to verify the predicted hub genes. First, the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MACO/R) model was established and the effective dose of AMB in CIRI was determined by behavioral detection and 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Then the target proteins corresponding to the hub genes were measured by Western blot. Moreover, the level of neuronal death was measured using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Nissl staining. RESULTS: Based on the analysis of the TCMSP database and GEO database, a total of 62 intersection target genes of diseases and drugs were obtained. The KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the therapeutic effect of AMB on CIRI might be realized through the advanced glycation endproduct-the receptor of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathway in diabetic complications, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and other pathways. Molecular docking results showed that the active ingredients of AMB had good binding potential with hub genes that included Prkcb, Ikbkb, Gsk3b, Fos and Rela. Animal experiments showed that AWE (60 g/kg) could alleviate CIRI by regulating the phosphorylation of PKCß, IKKß, GSK3ß, c-Fos and NF-κB p65 proteins. CONCLUSION: AMB exerts multi-target and multi-pathway effects against CIRI, and the underlying mechanism may be related to anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress and inhibiting calcium overload.

B cell receptor repertoire analysis in primary Sjogren's syndrome salivary glands identifies repertoire features associated with clinical activity.

BACKGROUND: Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex autoimmune disease featuring damage to salivary and lacrimal glands, with the possibility of manifestations across multiple organs. Antibody-producing B cells have long been appreciated to play a significant role in pSS pathogenesis, with a number of autoreactive antibody species having been identified to be elevated in pSS patients. While several studies have attempted to characterize the BCR repertoires of peripheral blood B cells in pSS patients, much remains unknown about the repertoire characteristics of gland-infiltrating B cells. METHODS: Through paired scRNAseq and scBCRseq, we profiled the BCR repertoires of both infiltrating and circulating B cells in a small cohort of patients. We further utilize receptor reconstruction analyses to further investigate repertoire characteristics in a wider cohort of pSS patients previously profiled through RNAseq. RESULTS: Via integrated BCR and transcriptome analysis of B cell clones, we generate a trajectory progression pattern for infiltrated memory B cells in pSS. We observe significant differences in BCR repertoires between the peripheral blood and labial gland B cells of pSS patients in terms of relative expansion, isotype usage, and BCR clustering. We further observe significant decreases in IgA2 isotype usage among pSS patient labial and parotid gland B cells these analyses relative to controls as well as a positive correlation between kappa/lambda light chain usage and clinical disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: Through BCR repertoire analysis of pSS patient salivary glands, we identify a number of novel repertoire characteristics that may serve as useful indicators of clinical disease and disease activity. By collecting these BCR repertoires into an accessible database, we hope to also enable comparative analysis of patient repertoires in pSS and potentially other autoimmune disorders.

Effects of different drying methods on Rubus chingii Hu fruit during processing.

In this study, the dried fruits of Rubus chingii Hu (Chinese name: Fu-Pen-Zi; FPZ) were processed and dried by three methods-in the shade, the sun, and the oven. The composition regarding the standard ingredient, color, and antioxidant capacities were investigated pro- and post-processing. The technique of headspace-solid-phase-microextraction-gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and flavoromics were used to analyze the flavor-conferring metabolites of FPZ. The results obtained revealed that the highest use value and antioxidant capacities were detected in the FPZ fruits processed and dried in the shade. A total of 358 metabolites were detected from them mainly consisting of terpenoids, heterocyclic compounds, and esters. In differential analysis, the down-regulation of the metabolites was much greater than their up-regulation after all three drying methods. In an evaluation of the characteristic compounds and flavors produced after the three methods, there were variations mainly regarding the green and fruity odors. Therefore, considerable insights may be obtained for the development of novel agricultural methods and applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries by analyzing and comparing the variations in the chemical composition detected pre- and post-processing of the FPZ fruits. This paper provides a scientific basis for quality control in fruits and their clinical applications.

Correcting correlation quality of portable X-ray fluorescence to better map heavy metal contamination by spatial co-kriging interpolation.

High-precision mapping based on portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) data is currently being studied extensively; however, owing to poor correlation with soil metal concentration, the original PXRF data directly used for co-kriging interpolation (CKI) cannot accurately map contaminated sites with heterogeneous concentrations. Therefore, this study selected a landfill-contaminated site for research, explored the best correlation mode between PXRF variants and actual heavy metal concentration, analyzed the impact of improving the correlation model on the CKI of the spatial distribution of heavy metals, and explored the most appropriate CKI mode and point density. The results showed the following: (1) After nonlinear transformation, the correlation model between PXRF and the actual concentration was significantly improved, and the correlation coefficients of five heavy metals increased from 0.214-0.232 to 0.936-0.986. (2) The introduction of corrected PXRF data significantly improves the accuracy of CKI. Compared with the original PXRF co-kriging interpolation (OP-CKI), the ME of the corrected PXRF co-kriging interpolation (CP-CKI) for Zn, Pb, and Cu decreased by 78.2 %, 45.5 %, and 65.3 %, respectively. In terms of the spatial distribution of heavy metal pollutant concentrations, CP-CKI effectively improved the influence of local anomalous high-value points on the interpolation accuracy. (3) When the sample density measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was less than 4 boreholes/hm2, CKI accuracy decreased significantly, indicating that the sample density should not be less than a certain threshold during CKI. (4) When the sample density measured by PXRF exceeded 7 boreholes/hm2, the mean error and root mean square error of CKI continued to decrease, suggesting that the introduction of enough sample density measured by PXRF can effectively improve the accuracy of CKI.

Single-cell Clonal Tracing of Glandular and Circulating T cells identifies a population of CD9+CD8+T cells in primary Sjogren's Syndrome.

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex chronic autoimmune disease in which local tissue damage in exocrine glands are combined with broader systemic involvement across the body in tissues including the skin. These combined manifestations negatively impact patient health and quality of life. While studies have previously reported differences in immune cell composition in the peripheral blood of pSS patients relative to healthy controls, a detailed immune cell landscape of the damaged exocrine glands of these patients remains lacking. Through single-cell transcriptomics and repertoire sequencing of immune cells in paired peripheral blood samples and salivary gland biopsies, we present here a preliminary picture of adaptive immune response in pSS. We characterize a number of points of divergence between circulating and glandular immune responses that have been hitherto underappreciated, and identify a novel population of CD8+CD9+ cells with tissue-residential properties that are highly enriched in the salivary glands of pSS patients. Through comparative analyses with other sequencing data, we also observe a potential connection between these cells and the tissue-resident memory cells found in cutaneous vasculitis lesions. Together, these results indicate a potential role for CD8+CD9+ cells in mediating glandular and systemic effects associated with pSS and other autoimmune disorders.

Downregulation of Nogo-B ameliorates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice through regulating microglia polarization via TLR4/NF-kappaB pathway.

Many studies have shown a close association between Nogo-B and inflammation-related diseases. However, uncertainty does exist, regarding Nogo-B function in the pathological progression of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model was utilized in C57BL/6L mice to mimic ischemic stroke in vivo. Using oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (ODG/R) model in microglia cells (BV-2) to establish cerebral I/R injury in vitro. Various methods, including Nogo-B siRNA transfection, mNSS and the rotarod test, TTC, HE and Nissl staining, immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, ELISA, TUNEL and qRT-PCR were employed to probe into the effect of Nogo-B downregulation on cerebral I/R injury and the potential mechanisms. A small amount of Nogo-B expression (protein and mRNA) was observed in cortex and hippocampus before ischemia, then Nogo-B expression increased significantly on day 1, reaching the maximum on day 3, remaining stable on day 14 after I/R, and decreasing gradually after 21 days, but it still rose significantly compared with that observed preischemia. Nogo-B down-regulation could markedly reduce the neurological score and infarct volume, improve the histopathological changes and neuronal apoptosis, lower the number of CD86+/Iba1+ cells and the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, and raise the density of NeuN fluorescence, the number of CD206+/Iba1+ cells, and the level of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-ß in brain of MCAO/R mice. Treatment with Nogo-B siRNA or TAK-242 in BV-2 cells could obviously decrease the CD86 fluorescence density and the mRNA expression of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, increase CD206 fluorescence density and the mRNA expression of IL-10 after OGD/R injury. In addition, the expression of TLR4, p-IκBα and p-p65 proteins significantly increased in the brain after MCAO/R and BV-2 cells exposed to OGD/R. Treatment with Nogo-B siRNA or TAK-242 prominently reduced the expression of TLR4, p-IκBα and p-p65. Our findings suggest that the down-regulation of Nogo-B exerts protective effect on cerebral I/R injury by modulating the microglia polarization through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Nogo-B may be a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.

Folate receptor-mediated targeted therapy for rheumatoid arthritis by methotrexate-phospholipid complex nano-emulsions.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Activated macrophages in arthritic joints play a prominent role in the initiation and persistence of RA. Despite great progress in the clinical treatment of RA, poor response and high discontinuation due to systemic toxicity remain unsolved issues, especially the well-known methotrexate (MTX). Therefore, active targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs to pathogenic cells in arthritic joints is essential to increase in situ activity and decrease systemic toxicity. Here, we developed an MTX-loaded macrophage-targeted nano-emulsion (NE) based on the overexpression of folate receptor (FR) on activated macrophages, the inherent high affinity of FR for folate (FA), as well as the property of MTX and phospholipids to form complexes (MTX@PC). Intravenous injection of DID-labelled MTX@PC-FA NEs into adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) mice, in vivo images and flow cytometry results revealed that the NEs were highly targeted to inflamed joints and macrophages, respectively. Therapeutic studies suggested that this strategy was conducive to achieve high efficacy and low toxicity of MTX in the treatment of RA. Our research highlights MTX@PC-FA NEs as a potential treatment option for RA targeting the FR-expressed activated macrophages.

Immunomodulatory nano-preparations for rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease (AD) caused by the aberrant attack of the immune system on its own joint tissues. Genetic and environmental factors are the main reasons of immune system impairment and high incidence of RA. Although there are medications on the market that lessen disease activity, there is no known cure for RA, and patients are at risk in varying degrees of systemic immunosuppression. By transporting (encapsulating or surface binding) RA-related self-antigens, nucleic acids, immunomodulators, or cytokines, tolerogenic nanoparticles-also known as immunomodulatory nano-preparations-have the potential to gently regulate local immune responses and ultimately induce antigen-specific immune tolerance. We review the recent advances in immunomodulatory nano-preparations for delivering self-antigen or self-antigen plus immunomodulator, simulating apoptotic cell avatars in vivo, acting as artificial antigen-presenting cells, and based on scaffolds and gels, to provide a reference for developing new immunotherapies for RA.

Application of Suctioning Ureteral Access Sheath during Flexible Ureteroscopy for Renal Stones Decreases the Risk of Postoperative Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.

Purpose: To clarify the efficiency and outcomes of suctioning ureteral access sheath (UAS) during flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy (fURL) for the management of renal stones. Methods: Between January 2017 and January 2019, a total of 444 patients with renal stones undergoing fURL were divided into suctioning UAS and nonsuctioning UAS groups. The outcomes of patients in both groups were compared using a matched-pair analysis (1 : 1 scenario). Furthermore, a directed acyclic graph (DAG) was drawn to guide the multivariate logistic regression model and analyze the protective effect of suctioning UAS on the incidence of postoperative systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Results: Before propensity score matching, significant differences were observed between the two groups in blood white cell counts, urine white cell counts, preoperative fever, preoperative indwelling stents, and laterality (P < 0.05). Eighty-one patients in the suctioning UAS group were successfully matched with 81 patients in the nonsuctioning group. The stone-free rate (SFR) on postoperative day 1 after fURL in the suctioning group was higher than that in the nonsuctioning group (86.4% vs. 71.6%; P=0.034), whereas it was comparable between the two groups 1 month after the surgery (88.9% vs. 82.7%; P=0.368). The incidence of postoperative fever or SIRS was lower in the suctioning group (fever: 3.70% vs. 14.8%; P=0.030; SIRS: 1.23% vs. 12.3%; P=0.012). However, the operative duration was similar in both groups (mean (SD)) (72.9 (28.1) min vs. 80.0 (29.5) min; P=0.121). The result of the multivariate logistic regression model guided by DAG revealed that the application of nonsuctioning UAS (odds ratio: 5.28 [1.38-35.07], P=0.034) during fURL was associated with postoperative SIRS. Conclusions: The application of suctioning UAS during fURL was associated with higher SFR on day 1 after surgery and a lower incidence of postoperative fever or SIRS.

Impact of Treatment Modalities on Prognosis in Patients With Renal Collecting Duct Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study.

Objective: Renal collecting duct carcinoma (CDC) is an extremely rare disease with few studies, and the current understanding of its prognosis is limited. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data to explore the prognostic factors and effect of treatment modalities on the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with CDC. Methods: Patients' information of CDCs diagnosed by pathological examination between 2000 and 2018 was extracted from the SEER database. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate OS and CSS and log-rank tests to evaluate the differences in OS and CSS. The associations between clinicopathological variables and survival outcomes were assessed with the Cox proportional hazard model. A directed acyclic graph (DAG) was drawn to recognize confounding factors and to obtain the multivariable regression model, and the impact of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy on OS and CSS was analyzed, respectively. Results: A total of 242 patients with CDC were enrolled. The median OS and CSS time were 17 and 21 months, respectively. The OS rates at 1, 2, and 5 years were 56.9%, 41.9%, and 30.0%, respectively, while the CSS rates at 1, 2, and 5 years were 60.1%, 47.5%, and 34.8%, respectively. Patients who had a large tumor size, poor pathological grade, and advanced TNM classification exhibited worse survival outcomes. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed that surgery, chemotherapy, T stage, N stage, and M stage were independent prognostic factors for OS and CSS. The DAG-guided multivariate Cox regression model revealed that surgery and chemotherapy improved OS and CSS. Conclusions: CDC is an exceedingly rare disease and has malignant behavior. Most patients have a high pathological grade and advanced TNM stage at diagnosis and exhibited poor survival. Resection of all visible tumors including metastatic lesions or chemotherapy can be beneficial to prognosis, while healthier benefits are less likely to receive radiotherapy. More relevant studies with larger samples are needed to verify the value of surgery and adjuvant therapy in the treatment of CDCs.

Clinicopathological Features and Prognostic Outcomes of Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Although papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) is the second common renal malignant tumor, the current understanding of pRCC is poor. This study aims to explore the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors of pRCC. METHODS: From August 2007 and August 2017, 87 patients diagnosed with pRCC by postoperative pathology were enrolled. The clinicopathological features between type1 pRCC and type2 pRCC were compared by Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or t-test. The Kaplan-Meier method was performed to estimate progression-free survival (PFS). Univariate and multivariate cox regression models were used to verify the prognostic factors. RESULTS: Of the 87 cases, the median tumor diameter was 5.3cm. Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed with type1 pRCC and 58 patients with type2 pRCC. According pathological stage, 59 (67.8%) cases were in pT1 stage, 19 (21.8%) in pT2 stage, and 9 (10.4%) in pT3 stage. WHO/ISUP pathological grade revealed that 56 (64.4%) patients were in grade I, 17 (19.5%) in grade II, 7 (8.05%) in grade III, and 7 (8.05%) in grade IV. The median follow-up time was 57.0months, and the 1-, 3-year PFS was 95.4%, and 80.8%, respectively. For type1 and type2 pRCC, 3-years PFS was 93.0% and 74.9%, respectively. Survival of type1 pRCC was better than that of type2 (P= 0.027). Patients with late pT stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, high pathological grade, and large size exhibited worse survival. pTNM stage, pathological grade, and tumor types were potentially related to prognosis for PFS. However, an independent prognostic factor affecting PFS was not found in multivariate regression models. For patients with the pT1 stage, nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) and radical nephrectomy (RN) did not affect the PFS, ignoring tumor types (P=0.45). CONCLUSION: Type2 pRCC is more than type1 pRCC and has an advanced TNM stage and a higher pathological grade. For patients with pRCC with the pT1 stage, the outcome of NSS is not inferior to that of RN.

Trajectory mapping of primary Sjögren's syndrome via transcriptome learning demonstrates limitations of peripheral blood sequencing.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by aberrant immune cell action against secretory glands throughout the body. A number of studies have previously identified unique characteristics in the circulating expression profile of white blood cells of pSS patients. However, the molecular progression pattern of pSS is unclear. Through a systematic analysis of pSS transcriptome information, we found that pSS transcriptomes display broad heterogeneity, but cannot be distinguished from the broad range of possible profiles of healthy controls. Instead, only sample learning using a subset of pre-identified signature genes could achieve partial separation through a trajectory governed by interferon activity. Interestingly, this trajectory is correlated with a decrease in dendritic cell counts. Our study thus highlights a major limitation to the utility of broad blood transcriptome analysis in the context of pSS, while also identifying several factors that influence the divergence between patient samples.

Generation behavior of extracellular polymeric substances and its correlation with extraction efficiency of valuable metals and change of process parameters during bioleaching of spent petroleum catalyst.

The vital functions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been well recognized in bioleaching of sulfide ores. However, no report is available about the role of EPS in bioleaching of spent catalyst. To completely and deeply understand the functions of EPS in bioleaching of spent catalyst, the generation behavior of EPS at various pulp densities during bioleaching was characterized by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3DEEM), and its relevance with bioleaching performance and process parameters were analyzed using mathematical means. The results showed that the EPS contain humus-like substances as main component (>70%) and protein-like substances as minor component (<30%). Both total EPS and humus-like substances mainly keep growing over the whole duration of bioleaching at low pulp density of 5.0% or lower; whereas total EPS and humus-like fraction keep declining at high pulp density of 7.5% or higher. Among the total EPS and its components, humus-like substances only have a positive significant correlation with bioleaching efficiencies of both Co and Mo and affect bioleaching process more greatly due to greater correlation coefficient. Biofilm appears at the spent catalyst surface under 2.5% of pulp density mediated by EPS while no biofilm occurs at 10% of pulp density due to shortage of EPS, accounting for the great difference in bioleaching efficiencies between high and low pulp densities which are 48.3% for Mo and 50.0% for Co at 10% of pulp density as well as 75.9% for Mo and 78.8% for Co at 2.5% of pulp density, respectively.

Quick extracellular biosynthesis of low-cadmium Zn x Cd1-x S quantum dots with full-visible-region tuneable high fluorescence and its application potential assessment in cell imaging.

The biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles/QDs has been universally recognized as environmentally sound and energy-saving, generating less pollution and having good biocompatibility, which is most needed in biological and medical fields. In the arena of chemical routes, however, biosynthesis has long been criticized for its low productivity, time-consuming process, and poor control over size, shape and crystallinity, keeping the much-needed technology away from practical application. In this work, a rapid and extracellular biosynthesis of multi-colour ternary Zn x Cd1-x S QDs by a mixed sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB)-derived supernatant was carried out for the first time to solve the problems plaguing this field of biosynthesis. The results showed that about 3.5 g L-1 of Zn x Cd1-x S QDs with size of 3.50-4.64 nm were achieved within 30 minutes. The PL emission wavelength of Zn x Cd1-x S QDs increased from 450 to 590 nm to yield multicolor QDs by altering the molar ratio of Cd2+ to Zn2+. The SRB-biogenic Zn x Cd1-x S QDs have high stability in gastric acid and at high temperature, as well as excellent biocompatibility and biosafety, successfully entering growing HeLa cells and labelling them without detectable harm to cells. The SRB-secreted peculiar extracellular proteins (EPs) play a decisive function in the time-saving, high-yield biosynthesis of PL-tuned multicolor QDs, which cover an abnormally high concentration of acidic amino acids to provide tremendous negatively charged sites for the absorption of Cd2+/Zn2+ for rapid nucleation and biosynthesis. The strongly electrostatic connection between the QDs and the EPs and the increasing amount of EPs attached to the QDs in response to the increase of Cd2+ concentration account for their high stability and excellent biocompatibility.

Clinical Features and Prognostic Outcome of Renal Collecting Duct Carcinoma: 12 Cases from a Single Institution.

PURPOSE: Collecting duct carcinoma (CDC) is extremely rare and has high malignancy and poor prognosis. The purpose of this research is to explore the clinical characteristic, imaging, pathological diagnosis, treatment and prognostic outcome of CDCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 12 CDC cases who had been surgically treated between August 2007 and August 2017 and verified the diagnosis of CDC by postoperative pathological and/or immunohistochemical staining (IHC) results were retrospectively analyzed, and related works of literature were reviewed. And Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to draw the survival curve and to calculate the survival rate and the median survival time. RESULTS: According to the TNM stage system, 4 cases were in stage I, 2 in stage II,3 in stage III, and 3 in stage IV. On the computed tomograph and magnetic resonance imaging, CDC displayed that various shapes, unclear boundary and invasive growth into the renal parenchyma. Compared with small CDCs which did not change the contour of the kidney, large CDCs presented various imaging features. Microscopically, the typical morphology of CDCs was that collecting ducts or tubules were obviously infiltrated by tumor cells. A tubular, papillary, tubulopapillary or solid architectures with desmoplasia were often presented. And tumor cells had high-grade cytology or an infiltrative growth pattern. Necrosis of tumor cells also was common in many cases. The expression of biomarkers, such as PAX-8, INI-1, 34ßE12, CK19, PAX-2, and vimentin, in most patients was detected by IHC. Eleven of all 12 cases received radical surgery, of whom 5 patients died 3-11 months after surgery, and 1 case having undergone interventional embolization therapy died at 6 months after treatment due to multiple metastases. And 1 lost to contact. The overall 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 45.5%, 36.4%, and 8.8%, respectively, and the median survival time (MST) was 11 months. CONCLUSION: CDC has an aggressive clinical course, with a poor prognosis. The best way to treat CDC suspected by imaging examinations is radical surgery which can contribute to confirm the correct histopathological type. And post-operation follow-up is necessary.

Retraction: Relationship between rs1801157 polymorphism in stromal cell-derived factor gene and systemic lupus erythematosus risk.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19766.].

Functional exploration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the bioleaching of obsolete electric vehicle LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 Li-ion batteries.

As a fairly new concept, the recovery of valuable metals from urban mining by using bioleaching has become a hotspot. However, the function of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the bioleaching of urban mining gains little attention. The current study used spent EV LIBs to represent urban mining products and systematically explored the function and role of EPS in the attachment of cells to the cathodes, formation of aggregates (cell-EPS-cathode), variation in the electrical and surface properties of the aggregates, concentration of both Fe2+ and Fe3+ surrounding the aggregates, electron transfer inside the aggregates and metals released from the aggregates. The results indicated that a strong adhesion of cells to the cathodes occurs mediated by EPS via both hydrophobic force as a main role and electrostatic force as a minor role. Second, the EPS not only adsorb Fe3+ but also more strongly adsorb Fe2+ to concentrate the Fe2+/Fe3+ cycle inside the aggregates, witnessing stronger reductive attack on the high valence state of metals as a contact reductive mechanism. Third, the retention or addition of EPS elevated the electronic potential and reduced the electronic resistance to lift the corrosion electric current, thereby boosting the electron transfer and metal dissolution.

Effect of Qianghuo Erhuang Decoction on T Regulatory and T Helper 17 Cells in Treatment of Adjuvant-induced Arthritis in Rats.

QianghuoErhuang Decoction (QED) is an effective recipe in treating rheumatoid arthritis. The present study aimed to explore the effects of QED on Treg and Th17 in adjuvant arthritis (AA) model. The study included 6 group rats: normal control group, AA group, AA + methotrexate (MTX) group, AA + high, moderate, and low dose QED groups. The arthritis score was significantly decreased in the MTX and high-dose QED groups compared with the AA group on days 24 and 28 (P < 0.01), respectively. The synovial tissue inflammation was attenuated by histological observation, and the proliferation of splenocytes was significantly inhibited in MTX and high-dose QED groups (P < 0.01). High-dose QED can up-regulated the percentage of Treg cells (P < 0.01) and down-regulated the percentage of Th17 cells (P < 0.05). Notably, the serum levels of IL-6, IL-17 and TNF-α were significantly decreased, while TGF-ß levels were apparently elevated compared with AA group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Interestingly, moderate and low-dose QED had no such similar effects. In summary, high-dose QED had a therapeutic effect against adjuvant arthritis and regulated the related cytokine levels in serum. The underlying mechanism might be mediated via restoration of the imbalance in CD4+ T lymphocyte subsets, Treg/Th17.

Relationship between rs1801157 polymorphism in stromal cell-derived factor gene and systemic lupus erythematosus risk.

OBJECTIVE: Present meta-analysis was performed to investigate the role of stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1) gene rs1801157 polymorphism in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). RESULTS: Five publications with 1,087 cases and 1,181 controls were incorporated in this meta-analysis. Overall, a marginal association between SDF-1 rs1801157 polymorphism and reduced SLE risk was found under GA vs. GG model (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.70-1.00). A similar result was also observed in Asian subgroup under the same comparison after stratification analysis by ethnicity (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.63-1.00). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All included studies were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar Web and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to appraise the strength of association between SDF-1 rs1801157 polymorphism and SLE risk. The stratification analysis was also performed according to ethnicity. In addition, heterogeneity was examined with Q test, and sensitivity analysis was used to test the stability of final results. Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test were adopted to evaluate publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: SDF-1 rs1801157 polymorphism may not influence the risk of SLE. However, more studies with larger sample sizes involving different populations are needed to further explore this issue.

Diastolic dysfunction in spontaneous type 2 diabetes rhesus monkeys: a study using echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: Diastolic heart failure is a common and deadly complication of diabetes mellitus, with the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy as one of the key determinants of the disease's complex pathology. The cause of the association is unknown and has no approved therapy strategies as of yet. However significant advances in this area may come from studies on suitable animal models. METHODS: A total of 25 male rhesus monkeys (12-16 years, 9-13 kg) were enrolled. Fifteen of them were diagnosed as spontaneous type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, FPG ≥ 104 mg/dl, HbA1c: 4.7-5.5 %, diabetes duration: 1-4 years). The other 10 monkeys were non-diabetic (ND, FPG < 90 mg/dl). Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance were used for evaluating the cardiac structure and function. One T2DM monkey with impaired diastolic function and another ND monkey were both sacrificed to gain the necessary pathology and protein expression studies displayed here. RESULTS: Six out of 15 T2DM rhesus monkeys were diagnosed with diastolic dysfunction (DD) by echocardiography. Additionally, no abnormalities were found in the group which we determined as the ND monkeys. The six DD monkeys all showed low e' velocity and decreased e'/a' ratio, among which three of them showing decreased E/A ratio and the other 3 having elevated E/A ratio, this appears to be similar to the impaired relaxation pattern and pseudonormal pattern found in human patients respectively. The EF and FS of monkeys with pseudonormal pattern decreased significantly compared with ND subjects. A CMR study showed that LVID at end systole of 5 DD monkeys is significantly longer than that of 3 ND monkeys. Of great interest, myocardium lesions and mitochondria impairments and increased expression of AGEs and caspase-3 were found in a sacrificed DD subject. CONCLUSION: The changes in the imaging and physiological markers of spontaneous T2DM rhesus monkeys are similar to those key markers found in human type 2 diabetes and diastolic dysfunction. This monkey model could help the medical community and us to understand the pathology of this debilitating disease and serve as a beginning to explore important measures to prevent and treat diabetic cardiomyopathy.