Procyanidin alleviates ferroptosis and inflammation of LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Inflammation is a common occurrence in many medical conditions and is a natural defense mechanism of the human body. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death related to lipid peroxide build-up, has been found to be involved in inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of procyanidin, however, are not yet fully understood. Through network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis, it was suggested that procyanidin could modulate ferroptosis and cause anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264.7 cells. This was further evidenced through molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and in vitro experiments. The results indicated that procyanidin could diminish inflammation in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells by regulating ferroptosis via the Nrf2/HO-1/Keap-1 pathway. In conclusion, procyanidin supplementation might be an effective way to reduce inflammation by decreasing the release of inflammatory cytokines and suppressing ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis-Related Gene GCLC Is a Novel Prognostic Molecular and Correlates with Immune Infiltrates in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Ferroptosis, a newly discovered iron-dependent type of cell death, has been found to play a crucial role in the depression of tumorigenesis. However, the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains to be further elucidated. Differential expression analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis were utilized in this study to search for FRGs that were associated with the prognosis of LUAD patients. The influences of candidate markers on LUAD cell proliferation, migration, and ferroptosis were evaluated by CCK8, colony formation, and functional experimental assays in association with ferroptosis. To predict the prognosis of LUAD patients, we constructed a predictive signature comprised of six FRGs. We discovered a critical gene (GCLC) after intersecting the prognostic analysis results of all aspects, and its high expression was associated with a bad prognosis in LUAD. Correlation research revealed that GCLC was related to a variety of clinical information from LUAD patients. At the same time, in the experimental verification, we found that GCLC expression was upregulated in LUAD cell lines, and silencing GCLC accelerated ferroptosis and decreased LUAD cell proliferation and invasion. Taken together, this study established a novel ferroptosis-related gene signature and discovered a crucial gene, GCLC, that might be a new prognostic biomarker of LUAD patients, as well as provide a potential therapeutic target for LUAD patients.

Students' motivation for rubric use in the EFL classroom assessment environment.

The effectiveness of a rubric depends on how it is enacted. Although students' efforts in rubric use vary, few studies have investigated the hidden motivations when rubrics are utilized for classroom assessment. This qualitative study attempts to categorize students' effort in rubric use and identify personal differences and contextual factors influencing the effort in the EFL classroom assessment environment. A total of 79 students at a Chinese university participated in the study. The data collected included their classroom oral presentation results and nine case study informants' retrospective interviews on their processes of rubric use. Focuses were drawn upon students' perceptions and practices of rubric use throughout the task process. Totally, three types of effort patterns emerged in light of students' self-ratings and descriptions of the use. The intense kind held firm trust in rubric utility and thus utilized the rubric to develop the targeted competence throughout the whole process. The medium type either selectively followed the rubric in optional phases of the process due to their judgments of the rubric and the task. The loose type was least responsive to the rubric since their actions seemed largely affected by their self-efficacy and prior experience. Results showed that students' effort in rubric use in classroom assessment was the outcome of cognitive appraisals of a rubric, students themselves, and a task. The study highlights trait motivation and task motivation in the effectiveness of rubric use in assessment practices. Implications on rubric employment and task design are drawn to tap students' motivation for rubric use to achieve assessment for learning.

Targeting ferroptosis for cancer therapy: iron metabolism and anticancer immunity.

Ferroptosis is a new form of programmed cell death characterized by iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxidation, which plays an important role in cancer biology. Ferroptosis is involved in many biological processes, such as amino acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, iron metabolism, and lipid metabolism. Iron is an essential trace element in a variety of normal cell processes, such as DNA synthesis and repair, cell respiration, metabolism and signal transduction, etc., and iron metabolism disorder has been considered as one of the metabolic markers of malignant cancer cells. In addition, iron is involved in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, suggesting that targeted regulation of iron metabolism may contribute to anti-tumor immunity and cancer therapy. In this review, the regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis, the interaction between ferroptosis on tumor cell metabolism, and anti-tumor immunity were systematically reviewed. Immunotherapy combined with targeted regulation of iron and iron-dependent regulation of ferroptosis should be the focus of future ferroptosis research.