T Cells Trafficking into the Brain in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.

The meninges, choroid plexus (CP) and blood-brain barrier (BBB) are recognized as important gateways for peripheral immune cell trafficking into the central nervous system (CNS). Accumulation of peripheral immune cells in brain parenchyma can be observed during aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanisms by which peripheral immune cells enter the CNS through these three pathways and how they interact with resident cells within the CNS to cause brain injury are not fully understood. In this paper, we review recent research on T cells recruitment in the brain during aging and AD. This review focuses on the possible pathways through which T cells infiltrate the brain, the evidence that T cells are recruited to the brain, and how infiltrating T cells interact with the resident cells in the CNS during aging and AD. Unraveling these issues will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of aging and AD from the perspective of immunity, and hopefully develop new therapeutic strategies for brain aging and AD.

Androgen deprivation exacerbates AD pathology by promoting the loss of microglia in an age-dependent manner.

AIMS: Microglial cells are integral to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The observed sex disparity in AD prevalence, with a notable predominance in women, implies a potential influence of sex hormones, such as androgens, on disease mechanisms. Despite this, the specific effects of androgens on microglia remain unclear. This study is designed to delineate the interplay between androgens and the survival and inflammatory profile of microglial cells, as well as to explore their contribution to the progression of AD. METHODS AND KEY FINDINGS: To create a chronic androgen deficiency model, 3-month-old wild-type (WT) mice and APP/PS1 mice underwent bilateral orchiectomy (ORX), with age-matched sham-operated controls. Cognitive and memory were evaluated at 5 and 12 months, paralleled by assessments of amyloid-beta (Aß) and microglial morphology in hippocampal and cortical areas. The ORX treatment in mice resulted in diminished microglial populations and morphological alterations, alongside an increase in Aß plaques and a concomitant decline in cognitive performance that exacerbated over time. In vitro, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was found to stimulate microglial proliferation and ameliorate Aß1-42-induced apoptosis. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings suggested that androgens may exert a protective role, maintaining the normal proliferation and functionality of microglial cells. This preservation could potentially slow the progression of AD. As a result, our study provided a conceptual framework for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for AD.

Posaconazole gastro-resistant tablets for preventing invasive fungal disease after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a propensity-matched cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate posaconazole (POS) gastro-resistant tablets for preventing invasive fungal disease (IFD) in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients and analyse POS plasma concentrations. METHODS: A single-arm trial was designed with a historical cohort as a control. Patients aged 13 years and older undergoing HSCT at the HSCT Center of Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between December 2020 and May 2022 were enrolled, prospectively taking POS gastro-resistant tablets orally from day 1 to day 90 post-transplant and monitoring plasma concentrations. We also identified a retrospective cohort treated with alternative antifungal prophylaxis between January 2018 and December 2020, matched using propensity score methods. The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of IFD at day 90 post-transplant. RESULTS: The prospective study involved 144 patients receiving POS gastro-resistant tablets for IFD prevention, contrasting with 287 patients receiving non-POS tablets. By day 90 post-transplant, the POS tablet group exhibited a significantly lower cumulative incidence of IFD (2.81%; 95% CI, 0.09-5.50% vs. 7.69%; 95% CI, 4.60-10.78%; p 0.044). Adverse events were comparable between the groups with liver changes in 33/144 (22.92%) vs. 84/287 (29.27%) (p 0.162), and renal injuries in 15/144 (10.41%) vs. 37/287 (12.89%) (p 0.457). Mean POS plasma concentrations on days 4, 8, 15, and 22 post-administration were 930.97 ng/mL, 1143.97 ng/mL, 1569.8 ng/mL, and 1652.57 ng/mL, respectively. DISCUSSION: Patients administered POS gastro-resistant tablets for antifungal prophylaxis experienced a lower cumulative incidence of IFD. POS plasma concentrations in HSCT patients stabilized by day 15 of medication.

HDL-cholesterol confers sensitivity of immunotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via remodeling tumor-associated macrophages towards the M1 phenotype.

BACKGROUND: The sustained effectiveness of anti-programmed cell death protein-1/programmed death-ligand 1 treatment is limited to a subgroup of patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the specific biomarker determining the response to immunotherapy in NPC remains uncertain. METHODS: We assessed the associations between pre-immunotherapy and post-immunotherapy serum lipoproteins and survival in a training cohort (N=160) and corroborated these findings in a validation cohort (N=100). Animal studies were performed to explore the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, the relationship between high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and M1/M2-like macrophages, as well as activated CD8+T cells in tumor tissues from patients with NPC who received immunotherapy, was investigated. RESULTS: The lipoproteins cholesterol, HDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA1), and apolipoprotein B, were significantly altered after immunotherapy. Patients with higher baseline HDL-C or ApoA1, or those with increased HDL-C or ApoA1 after immunotherapy had longer progression-free survival, a finding verified in the validation cohort (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that baseline HDL-C and elevated HDL-C post-immunotherapy were independent predictors of superior PFS (p<0.05). Furthermore, we discovered that L-4F, an ApoA1 mimetic, could inhibit tumor growth in NPC xenografts. This effect was associated with L-4F's ability to polarize M2-like macrophages towards an M1-like phenotype via the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, thereby alleviating immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, in patients with NPC with high plasma HDL-C levels, the number of M2-like macrophages was significantly decreased, while M1-like macrophages and activated CD8+T cells were notably increased in those with high HDL-C levels. CONCLUSION: Higher baseline HDL-C levels or an increase in HDL-C post-immunotherapy can enhance immunotherapeutic responses in patients with NPC by reprogramming M2-like macrophages towards the M1 phenotype. This suggests a potential role for prospectively exploring ApoA1 mimetics as adjuvant agents in combination with immunotherapy.

Aberration of social behavior and gut microbiota induced by cross-fostering implicating the gut-brain axis.

The gut microbiota and neurological development of neonatal mice are susceptible to environmental factors that may lead to altered behavior into adulthood. However, the role that changed gut microbiota and neurodevelopment early in life play in this needs to be clarified. In this study, by modeling early-life environmental changes by cross-fostering BALB/c mice, we revealed the effects of the environment during the critical period of postnatal development on adult social behavior and their relationship with the gut microbiota and the nervous system. The neural projections exist between the ascending colon and oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nuclei (PVN), peripheral oxytocin levels and PVN neuron numbers decreased after cross-fostering, and sex-specific alteration in gut microbiota and its metabolites may be involved in social impairments and immune imbalances brought by cross-fostering via the gut-brain axis. Our findings also suggest that social cognitive impairment may result from a combination of PVN oxytocinergic neurons, gut microbiota, and metabolites.

Influence of TP53 mutation on efficacy and survival in advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

TP53 comutation is related to poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer. However, there is limited study focusing on the structural influence of TP53 mutation on third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) treatment. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and molecular data of patients treated with third-generation EGFR-TKIs in two independent cohorts. A total of 117 patients from the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) and 141 patients from the American Association for Cancer Research Project GENIE database were included. In the SYSUCC cohort, TP53 comutations were found in 59 patients (50.4%) and were associated with poor median progress-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS). The additional subtype analysis found that TP53 mutation in the alpha-helix region had shorter mOS compared with those with TP53 mutations in other regions in the SYSUCC cohort (mOS, 12.2 vs. 21.7 months; p = 0.027). Similar findings were confirmed in the GENIE cohort. Specifically, the presence of TP53 mutation in the alpha-helix region was an independent negative predictive factor for PFS [hazard ratio (HR) 2.05(1.01-4.18), p = 0.048] and OS [HR 3.62(1.60-8.17), p = 0.002] in the SYSUCC cohort. TP53 mutation in alpha-helix region was related to inferior clinical outcomes in patients treated with third-generation EGFR-TKIs.

Oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and fear empathy among male mice.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have identified empathy deficit as a core impairment and diagnostic criterion for people with autism spectrum disorders; however, the improvement of empathy focuses primarily on behavioural interventions without the target regulation. We sought to compare brain regions associated with empathy-like behaviours of fear and pain, and to explore the role of the oxytocin-oxytocin receptor system in fear empathy. METHODS: We used C57BL mice to establish 2 models of fear empathy and pain empathy. We employed immunofluorescence histochemical techniques to observe the expression of c-Fos throughout the entire brain and subsequently quantified the number of c-Fos-positive cells in different brain regions. Furthermore, we employed chemogenetic technology to selectively manipulate these neurons in Oxt-Cre-/+ mice to identify the role of oxytocin in this process. RESULTS: The regions activated by fear empathy were the anterior cingulate cortex, basolateral amygdala, nucleus accumbens, paraventricular nucleus (PVN), lateral habenula, and ventral and dorsal hippocampus. The regions activated by pain empathy were the anterior cingulate cortex, basolateral amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and lateral habenula. We found that increasing the activity of oxytocin neurons in the PVN region enhanced the response to fear empathy. This enhancement may be mediated through oxytocin receptors. LIMITATIONS: This study included only male animals, which restricts the broader interpretation of the findings. Further investigations on circuit function need to be conducted. CONCLUSION: The brain regions implicated in the regulation of fear and pain empathy exhibit distinctions; the activity of PVN neurons was positively correlated with empathic behaviour in mice. These findings highlight the role of the PVN oxytocin pathway in regulating fear empathy and suggest the importance of oxytocin signalling in mediating empathetic responses.

Myocardial deformation characteristics assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking in a healthy Chinese population.

Purpose: To explore global/regional myocardial deformation across various layers, vascular distributions, specific levels and distinct walls in healthy individuals using cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Methods: We selected a cohort of 55 healthy participants and CMR cine images were used to obtain the left ventricular (LV) peak longitudinal, circumferential, radial strains (LS, CS, RS). The characteristics of normal LV strain in various layers (endocardium, myocardium, epicardium), territories [left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex artery (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA)], levels (basal, middle, apical) and walls (anterior, septum, inferior, lateral) were compared. Results: The absolute values of the LV global LS and CS gradually decreased from endocardium to epicardium. The absolute LV global RS (65.7 ± 47.7%) was maximum relative to LS (-22.0 ± 10.8%) and CS (-22.8 ± 7.7%). The absolute values of the LCX territorial strain were the largest compared with the LAD and RCA territorial strains. Regional RS, endo-CS and endo-LS gradually increased from the basal to the apical level. The LV lateral walls had the highest strain values (CS, LS, and RS). Conclusions: Variations in normal LV strain values across various layers, territories, levels, and walls were observed, suggesting the necessity for careful clinical interpretation of these strain values. These findings also partially revealed the complexity of normal cardiac mechanics.

TFEB overexpression through GFAP promoter disrupts neuronal lamination by dysregulating neurogenesis during embryonic development.

INTRODUCTION: Transcription factor EB (TFEB), a key regulator of autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis, has diverse roles in various physiological processes. Enhancing lysosomal function by TFEB activation has recently been implicated in restoring neural stem cells (NSCs) function. Overexpression of TFEB can inhibit the cell cycle of newborn cortical NSCs. It has also been found that TFEB regulates the pluripotency transcriptional network in mouse embryonic stem cells independent of autophagy lysosomal biogenesis. This study aims to explore the effects of TFEB activation on neurogenesis in vivo through transgenic mice. METHODS: We developed a GFAP-driven TFEB overexpression mouse model (TFEB GoE) by crossing the floxed TFEB overexpression mice and hGFAP-cre mice. We performed immunohistochemical and fluorescence staining on brain tissue from newborn mice to assess neurogenesis changes, employing markers such as GFAP, Nestin, Ki67, DCX, Tbr1 and Neun to trace different stages of neural development and cell proliferation. RESULTS: TFEB GoE mice exhibited premature mortality, dying at 10-20 days after birth. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed significant abnormalities, including disrupted hippocampal structure and cortical layering. Compared to control mice, TFEB GoE mice showed a marked increase in radial glial cells (RGCs) in the hippocampus and cortex, with Ki67 staining indicating these cells were predominantly in a quiescent state. This suggests that TFEB overexpression suppresses RGCs proliferation. Additionally, abnormal distributions of migrating neurons and mature neurons were observed, highlighted by DCX, Tbr1 and Neun staining, indicating a disruption in normal neurogenesis. CONCLUSION: This study, using transgenic animals in vivo, revealed that GFAP-driven TFEB overexpression leads to abnormal neural layering in the hippocampus and cortex by dysregulating neurogenesis. Our study is the first to discover the detrimental impact of TFEB overexpression on neurogenesis during embryonic development, which has important reference significance in future TFEB overexpression interventions in NSCs for treatment.

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

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

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

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

High salt diet exacerbates cognitive deficits and neurovascular abnormalities in APP/PS1 mice and induces AD-like changes in wild-type mice.

High salt diet (HSD) is a risk factor of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Although clinical data do not clearly indicate the relationship between HSD and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), animal experiments have shown that HSD can cause hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and cognition impairment. However, whether HSD can accelerate the progression of AD by damaging the function of neurovascular unit (NVU) in the brain is unclear. Here, we fed APP/PS1 mice (an AD model) or wild-type mice with HSD and found that the chronic HSD feeding increased the activity of enzymes related to tau phosphorylation, which led to tau hyperphosphorylation in the brain. HSD also aggravated the deposition of Aß42 in hippocampus and cortex in the APP/PS1 mice but not in the wild-type mice. Simultaneously, HSD caused the microglia proliferation, low expression of Aqp-4, and high expression of CD31 in the wild-type mice, which were accompanied with the loss of pericytes (PCs) and increase in blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability. As a result, wild-type mice fed with HSD performed poorly in Morris Water Maze and object recognition test. In the APP/PS1 mice, HSD feeding for 8 months worsen the cognition and accompanied the loss of PCs, the activation of glia, the increase in BBB permeability, and the acceleration of calcification in the brain. Our data suggested that HSD feeding induced the AD-like pathology in wild-type mice and aggravated the development of AD-like pathology in APP/PS1 mice, which implicated the tau hyperphosphorylation and NVU dysfunction.

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

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

Predictive value of immunotherapy-induced inflammation indexes: dynamic changes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved substantial advancements in clinical care. However, there is no strong evidence for identified biomarkers of ICIs in NPC. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 284 patients were enrolled into a training or validation cohort. Inflammatory indexes based on peripheral blood parameters were evaluated, including the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), the lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), and the lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR). The optimum cut-off value for patient stratification was identified using X-tile. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional regression analyses were used to identify prognostic factors. RESULTS: Immunotherapy significantly changed the levels of SII, NLR, PLR, LCR and LMR in NPC patients. Patients with lower SII, NLR, and PLR, as well as those with higher LCR and LMR, before immunotherapy had superior PFS (all p < 0.05). Moreover, PFS in the decreased SII, reduced NLR and increased LMR group was significantly longer than in the opposite group (all p < 0.05). Both univariate and multivariate analyses validated that baseline SII and LMR, and the immunotherapy-related SII reduction and LMR elevation were independent prognostic factors for PFS in advanced NPC patients receiving ICIs. CONCLUSIONS: Immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments significantly changed the levels of SII, NLR, PLR, LCR and LMR in NPC patients treated with immunotherapy. A lower baseline SII and a higher baseline LMR, and a reduction in SII and an elevation in LMR after immunotherapy are favorable factors for predicting survival among advanced NPC patients.

There is no strong evidence for identified biomarkers of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Lower baseline SII and higher baseline LMR were related to better PFS. The dynamic changes of SII and LMR were independent prognostic factors for the survival of NPC patients receiving ICIs.Neutrophils, platelets, lymphocytes, and monocytes can be used as cheap and valuable biomarkers for predicting tumor response in NPC on immunotherapy.

Evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function in patients with coronary microvascular dysfunction via cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking.

Background: Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has been suggested to be one of the pathologic mechanisms contributing to heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. We therefore aimed to evaluate LV diastolic function in patients with CMD using cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 115 patients referred to cardiology clinics for chest pain assessment who subsequently underwent coronary computed tomography angiogram and stress perfusion CMR. CMD was defined as the presence of subendocardial inducible ischemia detected through visual assessment. LV diastolic function was evaluated using CMR-derived volume-time curves and CMR-FT parameters. The former included early peak filling rate (PFR) and time to PFR; the latter included LV global/regional peak longitudinal diastolic strain rate (LDSR), circumferential diastolic strain rate (CDSR), and radial diastolic strain rate (RDSR). Results: A total of 92 patients with 1,312 segments were eventually included. Of these, 19 patients were classified as non-CMD (48.8±11.2 years; 63.2% male) and 73 as with CMD (52.3±11.9 years; 54.8% male). The LVEFs were similar and preserved in both groups (P=0.266). At the per-patient level, no differences were observed in PFR, time to PFR, or LV global diastolic strain rates between the two groups. At the per-segment level, 51% (665/1,312) of the myocardial segments were classified as CMD, whereas 49% (647/1,312) were classified as non-CMD. CMD segments showed significantly lower regional CDSR (P=0.019) and RDSR (P=0.006) compared with non-CMD segments. Conclusions: Despite normal LV ejection fraction in CMD patients, decreased LV diastolic function in CMD myocardial segments indicates early diastolic impairment.

A series of fluorescent dyes based on 4-phenylacetylene-1,8-naphthalimide: Synthesis, theoretical calculations, photophysical properties and application in two-color imaging and dynamic behavior monitoring of lipid droplets and lysosomes.

A series of fluorescent dyes (NapPAs) based on 4-phenylacetylene-1,8-naphthalimide were synthesized and characterized, whose conjugated structures were extended by the introduction of phenylethynyl. Furthermore, changes in the photophysical properties of the dyes when substituents with varying electron richness were introduced at the p-position of phenylacetylene were studied. The theoretical calculation of the dye molecules was carried out by B3LYP functional and 6-31G(d,p) basis set, and the effects of different substituents at the p-position of phenylacetylene on the electronic structure and photophysical properties of the dyes were studied by theoretical calculation results. Theoretical calculations provided a reliable means of predicting the properties of dyes, which could help in the design of more efficient and novel dyes. To verify the practicability of the dyes, two dyes with excellent photophysical properties (large Stokes shift, high polarity-viscosity sensitivity, good biocompatibility) were selected as fluorescent probes for visualization of LDs and two-color imaging of LDs and lysosomes. Cell imaging showed that NapPA-LDs and NapPA-LDs-Lyso serve as excellent imaging tools to monitor the dynamic changes, movements, and behaviors of LDs and lysosomes in real time. Notably, NapPA-LDs-Lyso held promise as a potential tool to study the interaction between LDs and lysosomes.

Three-Dimensional-Network-Structured Bismuth-Based Silica Aerogel Fiber Felt for Highly Efficient Immobilization of Iodine.

The effective capture and deposition of radioactive iodine in the spent fuel reprocessing process is of great importance for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Three-dimensional (3D) fiber felt with structural diversity and tunability is applied as an efficient adsorbent with easy separation for iodine capture. Here, a bismuth-based silica aerogel fiber felt (Bi@SNF) was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Abundant and homogeneous Bi nanoparticles greatly enhanced the adsorption and immobilization of iodine. Notably, Bi@SNF demonstrated a high capture capacity of 982.9 mg/g by forming stable BiI3 and Bi5O7I phases, which was about 14 times higher than that of the unloaded material. Fast uptake kinetics and excellent resistance to nitric acid and radiation were exhibited as a result of the 3D porous interconnected network and silica aerogel fiber substrate. Adjustable size and easy separation and recovery give the material potential as a radioactive iodine gas capture material.

π-Extended BTD Derivatives: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties, and Applications in Biological Systems Imaging for Discriminating Living and Dead Cells.

Here, π-Extended BTD derivatives were successfully synthesized by Heck coupling reaction, which exhibited the the advantages of simplicity and efficiency, wild substrate scope, easily available substrates and high yield. The fluorescent probe PEG-BTDAr targeting LDs was successfully prepared by the nucleophilic substitution reaction between the Heck coupling reaction product 3 h and Amino polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (Mn=2000). PEG-BTDAr exhibited the advantages of high selectivity, good stability and pH resistance. The use of PEG as a substrate gave PEG-BTDAr good biocompatibility. It was worth mentioning that PEG-BTDAr could not only track LDs in cells under different physiological conditions, but also distinguish between living and dead cells in biological systems.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Some psms Hypervirulent Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in a Tertiary Hospital in Hefei, Anhui.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a highly successful pathogen that can cause various infectious diseases, from relatively mild skin infections to life-threatening severe systemic diseases. The widespread pathogenicity of S. aureus is mainly due to its ability to produce many virulence factors that help destroy various host cells, causing disease. Our primary goal in this study was to explore the genes of highly virulent strains, to identify genes closely associated with high virulence, and to provide ideas for the treatment of infection by highly virulent clinical strains. Results: This study collected 221 clinical strains from The First Affiliated Hospital Of The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC); their hemolytic abilities were tested. Eight isolates were selected based on their highly hemolytic ability and tested their hemolytic activity again; their phenotypes and gene sequences were also explored. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) showed six plasmids (pN315, pNE131, pSJH901, pSJH101, SAP106B, and MSSA476), eight antibiotic resistance genes [blaR1, blaI, blaZ, mecA, erm(C), erm(T), tet(38), and fosB-Saur] and seventy-two virulence related genes. Three highly virulent strains, namely X21111206, 21092239, and 21112607, were found according the Galleria mellonella infection model. Therefore, we selected 10 representative virulence genes for qRT-PCR: psmα, psmß, hlgA, hlgB, hlgC, hla, clfA, clfB, spa, and sak. Among them, the expression levels of psmα and psmß, the three isolates, were significantly higher than the positive control NCTC8325. Conclusion: Significant differences appear in the expression of virulence genes in the highly virulent strains, particularly the psmα and psmß, It may be that the high expression of psm gene is the cause of the high virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. We can reduce the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus by inhibiting the expression of psm gene, which may provide a strong basis for psm as a new target for clinical treatment of S. aureus infection.

Molecular Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in a Tertiary Hospital in Anhui, China: ST59 Remains a Serious Threat.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics, antimicrobial resistance and hemolytic phenotype of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Anhui, China. Results: From August 2021 to January 2022, 214 S. aureus isolates were collected from the Anhui Provincial Hospital. This study identified 117 methicillin-resistant S. aureus and 97 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates, and the detection rate of methicillin-resistant isolates was 1.8-fold higher than the average isolates reported in China (53.9% vs 30.5%). S. aureus isolates share identity at five or more of the seven MLST-based housekeeping loci, referred to as the clonal complex (CC). Forty ST types were found in 214 clinical S. aureus isolates, with the most extensive distribution of ST59 and ST6697 typing numbers and higher CC5 detection rates than any other clonal group. (The ST typing is the result of the MLST typing website query.) To detect the virulence of ST types of S. aureus, hemolysis experiments were performed on 214 clinical isolates, and it was concluded that ST59 had a relatively robust hemolytic capacity. Conclusion: Anhui S. aureus isolates have unique molecular and antibiotic resistance profiles. The antibiotic resistance profile may be related to the random use of antibiotics.