Explore on screening COX-2 inhibitors from the essential oil of Solanum lyratum Thunb. By molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation.

This study aimed to investigate Solanum lyratum Thunb. with respect to the potential ingredients with anti-inflammatory activity from its essential oil by silico study. To this regard, the essential oil of Solanum lyratum Thunb. was extracted by hydrodistillation. 25 compounds were identified by GC-MS. Using virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation of the 25 identified compounds, the ones showing anti-inflammatory activity on COX-2 were identified. According to the drug-like principle and the prediction of ADEMT properties, the six compounds of Spathulenol, Cedrol, Juniper camphor, Santalol, Nootkatone and 7,9-Di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione were identified and then studied for molecular docking, and based on which the top two compounds of binding free energy were studied by the molecular dynamics simulation. The molecular docking data indicated that the binding free energies of Spathulenol, Cedrol, Juniper camphor, Santalol, Nootkatone and 7,9-Di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro[4.5]deca-6,9-diene-2,8-dione to COX-2 protein were -5.65, -7.19, -6.35, -4.94, -5.82 and -5.14 kcal/mol, respectively. The findings showed the steady interactions of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic bonds between both the top two compounds of binding free energy and the active site residues of COX-2 (4M11) throughout the simulation via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic bonds. The very study shall be supportive for in vitro and in vivo studies in developing drug products using the lead bioactive ingredients for anti-inflammatory in the future.

Novel computed tomography-based nomograms for the pretherapeutic prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin with or without the addition of docetaxel in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Selecting the appropriate preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) regimen for patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) is critical to effective treatment. The aim of this study was to develop nomograms based on pretherapeutic computed tomography (CT) features to predict response to NACT with S-1 and oxaliplatin (SOX) or that with docetaxel and SOX (DOS) in patients with advanced GC. Methods: This study enrolled 311 consecutive patients with confirmed advanced GC undergoing contrast-enhanced CT before and after the three cycles of NACT with DOS (n=152) or SOX (n=159), who were randomized into a training cohort (TC) (NACT with DOS: n=111; NACT with SOX: n=120) and validation cohort (VC) (NACT with DOS: n=41; NACT with SOX: n=39). The objective response rate (ORR) was used to evaluate the response to NACT. In the TC, ORR was compared between the DOS and SOX regimens, and independent predictors including CT features and tumor differentiation were determined by univariate and binary logistic regression analyses. Individual nomograms were constructed for the SOX and DOS regimens in the TC, and the predictive accuracy was validated in the VC. Results: After NACT, the percentage of ORR was higher in patients receiving DOS than in those receiving SOX in TC (P value <0.05). The independent predictors after DOS and SOX were pretherapeutic cT stage [odds ratio (OR) =7.364; OR =8.848], cN stage (OR =1.027; OR =1.345), degree of differentiation (OR =7.127; OR =7.835), and gross tumor volume (OR =8.960; OR =8.161) (all P values <0.05). The concordance indexes of the individual nomograms developed using these predictors were 0.940 and 0.932 after DOS or SOX in the TC, respectively, which was validated by calibration plots with a slope close to 45° in the TC and VC. Conclusions: Despite there being a superior response to DOS compared with SOX, nomograms for predicting response to both NACT regimens were similar, with each demonstrating good predictive performance.

Exercise preconditioning improves mesenteric lymphatic contractility through MAM in rats following hemorrhagic shock.

ABSTRACT: Restoration of mesenteric lymphatic microcirculation is crucial for alleviating severe hemorrhagic shock-induced death. Exercise preconditioning (EP) enhances adaptability and resistance to injury and disease. The mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) plays a crucial role in the energy and information exchange between the two organelles. Therefore, we hypothesized that EP ameliorates mesenteric lymphatic contractility through MAM in rats following hemorrhagic shock, aiming to confirm that EP enhances resistance to hemorrhagic shock and further popularizes the idea that exercise is beneficial for health. To test this hypothesis, we observed the effects of EP for four weeks on survival time and mesenteric lymphatic contractility in conscious rats following hemorrhagic shock, and further explored the effects of MAM agonists and inhibitors. The results showed that EP prolonged the survival time and improved the mesenteric lymphatic contractility and reactivity in vivo and in vitro in rats underwent hemorrhagic shock, ameliorated the MAM ultrastructure in lymphatic smooth muscle cells (LSMCs) and reduced the voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1, a vital protein of MAM) and IP3R1 expressions in mesenteric lymphatic tissue. Importantly, treatment with 2-APB (IP3R1 inhibitor) or VBIT-12 (VDAC1 inhibitor) prolonged the survival time, improved mesenteric lymphatic contractility in vivo, ameliorated the MAM ultrastructure injury, and decreased the IP3R1 or VDAC1 expressions in LSMCs in rats following hemorrhagic shock. In contrast, the administration of drinking water containing CdCl2 (IP3R1 activator) abolished the beneficial effect of EP on hemorrhagic shock. Taken together, the protective effect of EP on lymphatic contractility following hemorrhagic shock was achieved by improving MAM in LSMCs.

Two doses of fosaprepitant included prophylactic treatment for the three-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting.

PURPOSE: Neurokinin 1 receptor antagonists included prophylactic treatment was recommended for patients who receive one-day cisplatin chemotherapy. It is unclear whether the prolonged administration of fosaprepitant is effective for three-day cisplatin-based chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). We aim to explore the prophylactic antiemetic efficacy and safety of two doses of fosaprepitant included regimen in the patients receiving multiple-day cisplatin chemotherapy. METHODS: This randomized, parallel-group, open-labelled study was conducted in nine hospitals between February 2021 and February 2023. Patients diagnosed as lung cancer and chemotherapy naive were screened. Eligible participants were scheduled to be treated with highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimen which including three days of cisplatin. Then they were randomly divided into the experimental group (two doses of fosaprepitant, Group 2DF) and the control group (one dose of fosaprepitant, Group C). The primary endpoints included the safety and the average none CINV days (NCDs). This study was registered on the website of chictr.org.cn, number ChiCTR2100042665. RESULTS: Overall, 204 participants were randomly assigned, and 198 patients were analyzed. No statistical difference in adverse events was found between the two groups. All treatment-related adverse effects for fosaprepitant observed were of grade 1-2. The average NCDs of Group 2DF was significantly more than Group C (18.21 ± 3.40 days vs 16.14 ± 5.20 days, P = 0.001). Furthermore, the better life function score was achieved in Group 2DF according to FLIE questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The administration of two-dose fosaprepitant was safe and more effective than one dose in protecting patients from CINV induced by three-day cisplatin included chemotherapy.

A computed tomography-based nomogram for neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy response prediction in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To develop a CT-based nomogram to predict the response of advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy. Methods: In this retrospective study, 158 consecutive patients with advanced ESCC receiving contrast-enhanced CT before neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy were randomized to a training cohort (TC, n = 121) and a validation cohort (VC, n = 37). Response to treatment was assessed with response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. Patients in the TC were divided into the responder (n = 69) and non-responder (n = 52) groups. For the TC, univariate analyses were performed to confirm factors associated with response prediction, and binary analyses were performed to identify independent variables to develop a nomogram. In both the TC and VC, the nomogram performance was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration slope, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: In the TC, univariate analysis showed that cT stage, cN stage, gross tumor volume, gross volume of all enlarged lymph nodes, and tumor length were associated with the response (all P < 0.05). Binary analysis demonstrated that cT stage, cN stage, and tumor length were independent predictors. The independent factors were imported into the R software to construct a nomogram, showing the discriminatory ability with an AUC of 0.813 (95% confidence interval: 0.735-0.890), and the calibration curve and DCA showed that the predictive ability of the nomogram was in good agreement with the actual observation. Conclusion: This study provides an accurate nomogram to predict the response of advanced ESCC to neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus immunotherapy.

Root-to-shoot signaling positively mediates source-sink relation in late growth stages in diploid and tetraploid wheat.

Non-hydraulic root source signaling (nHRS) is a unique positive response to soil drying in the regulation of plant growth and development. However, it is unclear how the nHRS mediates the tradeoff between source and sink at the late growth stages and its adaptive mechanisms in primitive wheat. To address this issue, a root-splitting design was made by inserting solid partition in the middle of the pot culture to induce the occurrence of nHRS using four wheat cultivars (MO1 and MO4, diploid; DM22 and DM31, tetraploid) as materials. Three water treatments were designed as 1) both halves watered (CK), 2) holistic root system watered then droughted (FS), 3) one-half of the root system watered and half droughted (PS). FS and PS were designed to compare the role of the full root system and split root system to induce nHRS. Leaves samples were collected during booting and anthesis to compare the role of nHRS at both growth stages. The data indicated that under PS treatment, ABA concentration was significantly higher than FS and CK, demonstrating the induction of nHRS in split root design and nHRS decreased cytokinin (ZR) levels, particularly in the PS treatment. Soluble sugar and proline accumulation were higher in the anthesis stage as compared to the booting stage. POD activity was higher at anthesis, while CAT was higher at the booting stage. Increased ABA (nHRS) correlated with source-sink relationships and metabolic rate (i.e., leaf) connecting other stress signals. Biomass density showed superior resource acquisition and utilization capabilities in both FS and PS treatment as compared to CK in all plants. Our findings indicate that nHRS-induced alterations in phytohormones and their effect on source-sink relations were allied with the growth stages in primitive wheat.

Norcantharidin in cancer therapy - a new approach to overcoming therapeutic resistance: A review.

Therapeutic resistance in cancer remains a dilemma that scientists and oncologists are eager to solve. Despite several preclinical and clinical studies dedicated to overcoming therapeutic resistance, they often do not yield the expected outcomes. This is primarily due to the multifactorial phenomenon of therapeutic resistance. Norcantharidin (NCTD) is an artificial compound derived from cantharidin that has significant anticancer efficacy without incurring serious side effects. Intriguingly, extensive research suggests that NCTD is essential for boosting anticancer efficacy and reversing treatment resistance. This review article presents a full description of how NCTD can effectively overcome cancer resistance to standard treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy. We also discuss the potential prospects and challenges associated with using NCTD as a therapeutic strategy for reversing resistance to cancer therapy. We anticipate that our review will serve as a valuable reference for researchers and clinicians.

Dynamic functional network connectivity analysis in schizophrenia based on a spatiotemporal CPD framework.

Objective.Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC), based on data-driven group independent component (IC) analysis, is an important avenue for investigating underlying patterns of certain brain diseases such as schizophrenia. Canonical polyadic decomposition (CPD) of a higher-way dynamic functional connectivity tensor, can offer an innovative spatiotemporal framework to accurately characterize potential dynamic spatial and temporal fluctuations. Since multi-subject dFNC data from sliding-window analysis are also naturally a higher-order tensor, we propose an innovative sparse and low-rank CPD (SLRCPD) for the three-way dFNC tensor to excavate significant dynamic spatiotemporal aberrant changes in schizophrenia.Approach.The proposed SLRCPD approach imposes two constraints. First, the L1regularization on spatial modules is applied to extract sparse but significant dynamic connectivity and avoid overfitting the model. Second, low-rank constraint is added on time-varying weights to enhance the temporal state clustering quality. Shared dynamic spatial modules, group-specific dynamic spatial modules and time-varying weights can be extracted by SLRCPD. The strength of connections within- and between-IC networks and connection contribution are proposed to inspect the spatial modules. K-means clustering and classification are further conducted to explore temporal group difference.Main results.82 subject resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset and opening Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) schizophrenia dataset both containing schizophrenia patients (SZs) and healthy controls (HCs) were utilized in our work. Three typical dFNC patterns between different brain functional regions were obtained. Compared to the spatial modules of HCs, the aberrant connections among auditory network, somatomotor, visual, cognitive control and cerebellar networks in 82 subject dataset and COBRE dataset were detected. Four temporal states reveal significant differences between SZs and HCs for these two datasets. Additionally, the accuracy values for SZs and HCs classification based on time-varying weights are larger than 0.96.Significance.This study significantly excavates spatio-temporal patterns for schizophrenia disease.

Computed tomography-based nomogram of Siewert type II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction to predict response to docetaxel, oxaliplatin and S-1.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has become the standard care for advanced adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG), although a part of the patients cannot benefit from NAC. There are no models based on baseline computed tomography (CT) to predict response of Siewert type II or III AEG to NAC with docetaxel, oxaliplatin and S-1 (DOS). AIM: To develop a CT-based nomogram to predict response of Siewert type II/III AEG to NAC with DOS. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight consecutive patients with confirmed Siewert type II/III AEG underwent CT before and after three cycles of NAC with DOS, and were randomly and consecutively assigned to the training cohort (TC) (n = 94) and the validation cohort (VC) (n = 34). Therapeutic effect was assessed by disease-control rate and progressive disease according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1) criteria. Possible prognostic factors associated with responses after DOS treatment including Siewert classification, gross tumor volume (GTV), and cT and cN stages were evaluated using pretherapeutic CT data in addition to sex and age. Univariate and multivariate analyses of CT and clinical features in the TC were performed to determine independent factors associated with response to DOS. A nomogram was established based on independent factors to predict the response. The predictive performance of the nomogram was evaluated by Concordance index (C-index), calibration and receiver operating characteristics curve in the TC and VC. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that Siewert type (52/55 vs 29/39, P = 0.005), pretherapeutic cT stage (57/62 vs 24/32, P = 0.028), GTV (47.3 ± 27.4 vs 73.2 ± 54.3, P = 0.040) were significantly associated with response to DOS in the TC. Multivariate analysis of the TC also showed that the pretherapeutic cT stage, GTV and Siewert type were independent predictive factors related to response to DOS (odds ratio = 4.631, 1.027 and 7.639, respectively; all P < 0.05). The nomogram developed with these independent factors showed an excellent performance to predict response to DOS in the TC and VC (C-index: 0.838 and 0.824), with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.838 and 0.824, respectively. The calibration curves showed that the practical and predicted response to DOS effectively coincided. CONCLUSION: A novel nomogram developed with pretherapeutic cT stage, GTV and Siewert type predicted the response of Siewert type II/III AEG to NAC with DOS.

Response of source-sink relationship to progressive water deficit in the domestication of dryland wheat.

It is crucial to clarify the physiological responses of wheat (T. aestivum) plants to source-sink manipulation and assimilation transportation under drought stress during domestication of dryland wheat. In this research, a two-year field experiment was conducted using nine wheat cultivars in a semiarid site of northwest China. The source-sink manipulation treatments including defoliation of flag leaves and 50% removal of ears were applied at the anthesis stage under two levels of drought stress conditions i.e. progressive water supply (PWS) and rainfed drought treatment (RDT). Our results indicated that drought stress reduced the dry weight of leaves, sheaths and stems, as well as caused a significant yield reduction. High ploidy wheat exhibits a greater capacity to sustain higher grain yields when subjected to drought stress, primarily due to its stronger buffer capacity between source supply and sink demand. All wheat species with different ploidy levels had a certain degree of source limitation and sink restriction. During the domestication of wheat, the type of source and sink might be ploidy-dependent with progressive water deficit, but similar interactive relationships. The source-sink ratio of tetraploid species was the largest, while that of hexaploid species was the lowest.

The Role of Iron Overload in Diabetic Cognitive Impairment: A Review.

It is well documented that diabetes mellitus (DM) is strongly associated with cognitive decline and structural damage to the brain. Cognitive deficits appear early in DM and continue to worsen as the disease progresses, possibly due to different underlying mechanisms. Normal iron metabolism is necessary to maintain normal physiological functions of the brain, but iron deposition is one of the causes of some neurodegenerative diseases. Increasing evidence shows that iron overload not only increases the risk of DM, but also contributes to the development of cognitive impairment. The current review highlights the role of iron overload in diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI), including the specific location and regulation mechanism of iron deposition in the diabetic brain, the factors that trigger iron deposition, and the consequences of iron deposition. Finally, we also discuss possible therapies to improve DCI and brain iron deposition.

Prediction of radiation pneumonia after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer using a unified fractional dosiomics combined model.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to construct an optimal model to predict radiation pneumonia (RP) after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer using unified fractional dosiomics and to investigate the improvements in the prediction efficiency of each model for RP. METHODS: The clinical data, DVH, pre-treatment CT, and dose distribution of 182 patients were retrospectively analyzed.The independent risk factors were screened using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The mutual information (MI),least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and recursive feature elimination (RFE) methods were used to screen the omics features. The AUC values of ROC, calibration curves, and clinical decision curves were calculated to evaluate the efficacy and trends of each model. RESULTS: The AUC of dosiomics model were 0.783 and 0.760 in the training and test cohorts, higher than 0.585 and 0.579 in the training and test cohorts of the DVH model. The AUC value of the R + D combination was the highest, reaching 0.833. The combined R + D model had a better calibration degree than the other models (mean absolute error = 0.018) and better net benefit in clinical decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: The radiomics combined dosiomics model was the best combined model to predict RP after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer. The dosiomics model could cover the efficiency of the DVH model and significantly improve the efficiency of the combined model.In the future, we will include other centers for further verification. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: For the first time, this study used CT images combined dose distribution to predict the occurrence of radiation pneumonitis after radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Novel chlorin e6-based conjugates of tyrosine kinase inhibitors: Synthesis and photobiological evaluation as potent photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy.

Since tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) could reverse ABCG2-mediated drug-resistance, novel chlorin e6-based conjugates of Dasatinib and Imatinib as photosensitizer (PS) were designed and synthesized. The results demonstrated that conjugate 10b showed strongest phototoxicity against HepG2 and B16-F10 cells, which was more phototoxic than chlorin e6 and Talaporfin. It could reduce efflux of intracellular PS by inhibiting ABCG2 in HepG2 cells, and localize in mitochondria, lysosomes, golgi and ER, resulting in higher cell apoptosis rate and ROS production than Talaporfin. Moreover, it could induce cell autophagy and block cell cycle in S phase, and significantly inhibit tumor growth and prolong survival time on BALB/c nude mice bearing HepG2 xenograft tumor to a greater extent than chlorin e6. Consequently, compound 10b could be applied as a promising candidate PS due to its good water-solubility and stability, low drug-resistance, high quantum yield of 1O2 and excellent antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo.

A CT-based novel model to predict pathological complete response of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in combination with chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To develop a novel CT-based model to predict pathological complete response (pCR) of locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in combination with chemotherapy. METHODS: 117 consecutive patients with locally advanced ESCC were stratified into training cohort (n = 82) and validation cohort (n = 35). All patients underwent non-contrast and contrast-enhanced thoracic and upper abdominal CT before neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in combination with chemotherapy (CTpre), and after two cycles of the therapy before esophagectomy (CTpost), respectively. Univariate analyses and binary logistic regression analyses of ESCC quantitative and qualitative CT features were performed to determine independent predictors of pCR. Prediction performance of the model developed with independent predictors from training cohort was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and validated by Kappa test in validation cohort. RESULTS: In training cohort, the difference in CT attenuation between tumor and background normal esophageal wall obtained from CTpre (ΔTNpre), tumoral increased CT attenuation after contrast-enhanced scan from CTpost images (ΔTpost) and gross tumor volume (GTV) from CTpre were independent predictors of pCR (odds ratio = 1.128 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.997-1.277), 1.113 (95%CI: 0.965-1.239) and 1.133 (95%CI: 1.043-1.231), respectively, all P-values < 0.05). Logistic regression model equation (0.121 × ΔTNpre + 0.107 × ΔTpost + 0.125 × GTV - 9.856) to predict pCR showed the best performance with an area under the ROC of 0.876, compared with each independent predictor. The good performance was confirmed by the Kappa test (K-value = 0.796) in validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This novel model can be reliable to predict pCR to neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in combination with chemotherapy in locally advanced ESCC.

Effects of liraglutide on astrocyte polarization and neuroinflammation in db/db mice: focus on iron overload and oxidative stress.

Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the specific injury mechanism is not fully understood. Astrocyte polarization has attracted new attention and has been shown to be directly and indirectly involved in neuroinflammation. Liraglutide has been shown to have beneficial effects on neurons and astrocytes. However, the specific protection mechanism still needs to be clarified. In this study, we assessed the levels of neuroinflammation and A1/A2-responsive astrocytes in the hippocampus of db/db mice and examined their relationships with iron overload and oxidative stress. First, in db/db mice, liraglutide alleviated the disturbance of glucose and lipid metabolism, increased the postsynaptic density, regulated the expression of NeuN and BDNF, and partially restored impaired cognitive function. Second, liraglutide upregulated the expression of S100A10 and downregulated the expression of GFAP and C3, and decreased the secretion of IL-1ß, IL-18, and TNF-α, which may confirm that it regulates the proliferation of reactive astrocytes and A1/A2 phenotypes polarize and attenuate neuroinflammation. In addition, liraglutide reduced iron deposition in the hippocampus by reducing the expression of TfR1 and DMT1 and increasing the expression of FPN1; at the same time, liraglutide by up-regulating the levels of SOD, GSH, and SOD2 expression, as well as downregulation of MDA levels and NOX2 and NOX4 expression to reduce oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. The above may attenuate A1 astrocyte activation. This study preliminarily explored the effect of liraglutide on the activation of different astrocyte phenotypes and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of a T2DM model and further revealed its intervention effect on cognitive impairment in diabetes. Focusing on the pathological consequences of astrocytes may have important implications for the treatment of diabetic cognitive impairment.

Collagen changes in rabbit conjunctiva after conjunctival crosslinking.

This study aims to determine the ultrastructural changes in collagen fibrils in rabbit conjunctiva after conjunctival crosslinking using riboflavin and ultraviolet A (UVA) light at an irradiation intensity of 45 mW/cm2. Conjunctival crosslinking may increase conjunctival stiffness. The supertemporal quadrants of the right eyes of 24 adult rabbits were treated with a topical riboflavin solution (0.25%) before irradiation with UVA light at 45 mW/cm2 for 4 min. After 3 weeks, the collagen fibrils in fibril bundles were examined by electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression levels of collagen I and collagen III in the rabbits' conjunctiva. The diameter of the collagen fibrils in the fibril bundles varied slightly, ranging from 30 to 60 nm in the conjunctival stroma of the control group. In the treatment group, the diameter of collagen fibrils ranged from 60 to 90 nm. The thickest collagen fibrils were observed in the treatment group (up to 90 nm in diameter). In contrast, those in the conjunctival stroma of the control group were considerably smaller (up to 60 nm in diameter). However, thicknesses of collagen fibrils displayed a unimodal distribution. Both collagen I and collagen III increased after treatment with riboflavin and UVA light irradiation at 45 mW/cm2. The data indicate that in rabbits, conjunctival crosslinking with riboflavin and UVA light at 45 mW/cm2 for 4 min is safe and does not induce ultrastructural alterations of the conjunctival cells. The conjunctival crosslinking with riboflavin and UVA light at 45 mW/cm2 can increase the diameter of collagen fibrils, but the average densities of collagen I and collagen III have no statistical significance.

The roles of extracellular vesicles in major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious mental disease characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest and suicidal ideation. Its rising prevalence has rendered MDD one of the largest contributors to the global disease burden. However, its pathophysiological mechanism is still unclear, and reliable biomarkers are lacking. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are widely considered important mediators of intercellular communication, playing an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. Most preclinical studies focus on the related proteins and microRNAs in EVs, which can regulate energy metabolism, neurogenesis, neuro-inflammation and other pathophysiological processes in the development of MDD. The purpose of this review is to describe the current research progress of EVs in MDD and highlight their potential roles as biomarkers, therapeutic indicators and drug delivery carriers for the treatment of MDD.

Platelet RNA enables accurate detection of ovarian cancer: an intercontinental, biomarker identification study.

Platelets are reprogrammed by cancer via a process called education, which favors cancer development. The transcriptional profile of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) is skewed and therefore practicable for cancer detection. This intercontinental, hospital-based, diagnostic study included 761 treatment-naïve inpatients with histologically confirmed adnexal masses and 167 healthy controls from nine medical centers (China, n = 3; Netherlands, n = 5; Poland, n = 1) between September 2016 and May 2019. The main outcomes were the performance of TEPs and their combination with CA125 in two Chinese (VC1 and VC2) and the European (VC3) validation cohorts collectively and independently. Exploratory outcome was the value of TEPs in public pan-cancer platelet transcriptome datasets. The AUCs for TEPs in the combined validation cohort, VC1, VC2, and VC3 were 0.918 (95% CI 0.889-0.948), 0.923 (0.855-0.990), 0.918 (0.872-0.963), and 0.887 (0.813-0.960), respectively. Combination of TEPs and CA125 demonstrated an AUC of 0.922 (0.889-0.955) in the combined validation cohort; 0.955 (0.912-0.997) in VC1; 0.939 (0.901-0.977) in VC2; 0.917 (0.824-1.000) in VC3. For subgroup analysis, TEPs exhibited an AUC of 0.858, 0.859, and 0.920 to detect early-stage, borderline, non-epithelial diseases and 0.899 to discriminate ovarian cancer from endometriosis. TEPs had robustness, compatibility, and universality for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer since it withstood validations in populations of different ethnicities, heterogeneous histological subtypes, and early-stage ovarian cancer. However, these observations warrant prospective validations in a larger population before clinical utilities.

Surgery, adjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy and radiotherapy for primary malignant melanoma of the parotid gland (PGMM): A case report.

Primary malignant melanoma of the parotid gland (PGMM) is extremely rare, with a poor prognosis. Surgery is the main treatment option followed by adjuvant treatments such as radiotherapy, but which adjuvant treatment to be optimal is still controversial. In this case, a 63-year-old male PGMM patient was first misdiagnosed as a "myoepithelial tumor" and then treated with surgery, postoperative immunotherapy (sintilimab), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy successfully. The progression free survival was more than 19 months without signs of metastasis or recurrence to date. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of postoperative immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy for PGMM. Our case indicated that combination therapy including surgery, adjuvant immunotherapy (sintilimab) combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be a potential treatment option for PGMM, which needs further research.