A 128-channel receive array for cortical brain imaging at 7 T.

PURPOSE: A 128-channel receive-only array for brain imaging at 7 T was simulated, designed, constructed, and tested within a high-performance head gradient designed for high-resolution functional imaging. METHODS: The coil used a tight-fitting helmet geometry populated with 128 loop elements and preamplifiers to fit into a 39 cm diameter space inside a built-in gradient. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel imaging performance (1/g) were measured in vivo and simulated using electromagnetic modeling. The histogram of 1/g factors was analyzed to assess the range of performance. The array's performance was compared to the industry-standard 32-channel receive array and a 64-channel research array. RESULTS: It was possible to construct the 128-channel array with body noise-dominated loops producing an average noise correlation of 5.4%. Measurements showed increased sensitivity compared with the 32-channel and 64-channel array through a combination of higher intrinsic SNR and g-factor improvements. For unaccelerated imaging, the 128-channel array showed SNR gains of 17.6% and 9.3% compared to the 32-channel and 64-channel array, respectively, at the center of the brain and 42% and 18% higher SNR in the peripheral brain regions including the cortex. For R = 5 accelerated imaging, these gains were 44.2% and 24.3% at the brain center and 86.7% and 48.7% in the cortex. The 1/g-factor histograms show both an improved mean and a tighter distribution by increasing the channel count, with both effects becoming more pronounced at higher accelerations. CONCLUSION: The experimental results confirm that increasing the channel count to 128 channels is beneficial for 7T brain imaging, both for increasing SNR in peripheral brain regions and for accelerated imaging.

Cabozantinib plus Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Renal-Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of treatment with cabozantinib in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with previously untreated advanced renal-cell carcinoma are unknown. METHODS: In this phase 3, double-blind trial, we enrolled patients with advanced clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma who had not previously received treatment and had intermediate or poor prognostic risk according to the International Metastatic Renal-Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium categories. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 40 mg of cabozantinib daily in addition to nivolumab and ipilimumab (experimental group) or matched placebo in addition to nivolumab and ipilimumab (control group). Nivolumab (3 mg per kilogram of body weight) and ipilimumab (1 mg per kilogram) were administered once every 3 weeks for four cycles. Patients then received nivolumab maintenance therapy (480 mg once every 4 weeks) for up to 2 years. The primary end point was progression-free survival, as determined by blinded independent review according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1, and was assessed in the first 550 patients who had undergone randomization. The secondary end point was overall survival, assessed in all patients who had undergone randomization. RESULTS: Overall, 855 patients underwent randomization: 428 were assigned to the experimental group and 427 to the control group. Among the first 550 patients who had undergone randomization (276 in the experimental group and 274 in the control group), the probability of progression-free survival at 12 months was 0.57 in the experimental group and 0.49 in the control group (hazard ratio for disease progression or death, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.57 to 0.94; P = 0.01); 43% of the patients in the experimental group and 36% in the control group had a response. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 79% of the patients in the experimental group and in 56% in the control group. Follow-up for overall survival is ongoing. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with previously untreated, advanced renal-cell carcinoma who had intermediate or poor prognostic risk, treatment with cabozantinib plus nivolumab and ipilimumab resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival than treatment with nivolumab and ipilimumab alone. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were more common in the experimental group than in the control group. (Funded by Exelixis; COSMIC-313 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03937219.).

Projection of August 2021 pumice dispersion from the Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba eruption in the western North Pacific.

Marine hazards often occur unexpectedly. Long-term (> few weeks) projections are sometimes needed to predict the potential route of drifting targets (e.g. pumice, oil, shipwreck) in order to prevent further disaster, yet reliable long-term forecast data may be unavailable. The present study examined the long-term projection of pumice dispersion originating from the 2021 submarine eruption of Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba volcano, Japan, based on hindcast reanalysis of the past 28 years of wind and ocean currents using the particle tracking method. The ensemble distribution showed a wide dispersion, which was dominated by the ocean currents. By contrast, wind provided a relatively uniform transport. Apart from the prevailing wind, typhoons also play a role in affecting pumice dispersion. The multi-year simulation provides a general view of pumice dispersion accounting for different uncertainty, which could be used for deducing the potential dispersion under different wind and ocean conditions.

Pathogenesis of Comorbid ADHD and Chinese Developmental Dyslexia: Evidence From Eye-Movement Tracking and Rapid Automatized Naming.

BACKGROUND: ADHD and Chinese developmental dyslexia (DD) have a very high comorbidity rate; however, which cognitive deficits characterize the comorbidity and when they occur during cognitive processing are still under debate. METHODS: Rapid automatic naming (RAN) tasks with eye-movement tracking were conducted with 75 children who were typically developing, had comorbid ADHD and DD, had only ADHD, and had only DD. RESULTS: The clinical groups had longer first fixation durations than the control for RAN digits. Temporal eye-movement measures, such as gaze duration and total reading time, were found to vary between the comorbidity and ADHD groups. Spatial eye-movement measures, such as regression probability and incoming saccade amplitude, differed between the comorbidity and DD groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that investigation with eye-movement measures combined with RAN tasks can strengthen the understanding of the pathogenesis of comorbid ADHD and DD.

Perioperative pectoral nerve block type II and postoperative recurrence in breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A new technique for analgesia called pectoral nerve block is widely used in surgeries of breast cancer. Pectoral nerve block type II (Pecs II) block has less influence on immunity when compared with general anesthesia method. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate whether Pecs II block has influence on the recurrence of breast cancer after surgical operation. METHODS: 526 breast cancer patients were recruited in this research and randomized into general anesthesia group and general anesthesia with Pecs II block group. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated for the two groups. RESULTS: Based on the statistical data, only the consumption of remifentanil was dramatically reduced by the performance of Pecs II block when compared with general anesthesia method. The performance of Pecs II block had no significant influence on OS, RFS, and DRFS of breast cancer patients after surgery. ASA physical status III, TNM stage 2 + 3, and mastectomy were proved to have association with lower recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the performance of Pecs II block declined the remifentanil consumption during surgery of breast cancer. Meanwhile, the performance of Pecs II block had no significant influence on the OS, RFS, and DRFS of breast cancer patients after surgical resection.

Treatment of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Palate and Reconstruction of Defect With Nasoseptal Flap: A Clinical Case and Review of Literature.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant tumor arising from the salivary glands. While surgery is the mainstay of treatment for ACC of the palate, adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy should be considered in high-risk cases. Oronasal fistula, a complication of palatal surgery, may cause speech disturbance and food regurgitation; the nasoseptal flap is a potential option to repair this defect as it is readily available and reliable. Here, we present a case of locally advanced ACC of the palate in a patient who underwent endoscopic-assisted transoral tumor excision with nasoseptal flap reconstruction postoperative chemoradiotherapy.

Effects of Esketamine Combined with Ultrasound-Guided Pectoral Nerve Block Type II on the Quality of Early Postoperative Recovery in Patients Undergoing a Modified Radical Mastectomy for Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of esketamine combined with ultrasound-guided pectoral nerve block type II (Pecs II block) on the quality of early postoperative recovery in patients undergoing a modified radical mastectomy (MRM) for breast cancer. Patients and Methods: A total of 136 female patients undergoing an elective MRM for unilateral breast cancer (UBC) for the first time were randomly divided into the control group (group C, n=68) and the experimental group (PE group, n=68). In group C, sufentanil was used for anesthesia induction and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). Esketamine was used for anesthesia induction and PCIA in the PE group. Ultrasound-guided Pecs II block was performed after anesthesia induction in the two groups. All other anesthetics were administered in the same way. The primary outcome was the 40-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-40) score at discharge. The secondary outcomes were postoperative Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (OAA/S) scores, time of anesthesia recovery, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores, serum inflammatory cytokines interleukin-10 (IL-10), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores, length of postoperative Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) stay, length of postoperative hospital stay and patient satisfaction score. Results: Compared with group C, the PE group had higher QoR-40 scores at discharge (P<0.05), decreased IL-6 levels at 24 h after surgery (P<0.05), lower anxiety and depression scores (P<0.05) and higher patient satisfaction scores at discharge (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in the NRS score postoperatively between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the postoperative OAA/S score, time of anesthesia recovery, length of postoperative PACU and hospital stays between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Esketamine combined with Pecs II block can be used for anesthesia in MRM for breast cancer, thus, improving patient quality of early postoperative recovery.

Development and validation of interactive creativity task platform.

Co-creativity focuses on how individuals produce innovative ideas together. As few studies have explored co-creativity using standardized tests, it is difficult to effectively assess the individual's creativity performance within a group. Therefore, this study aims to develop a platform that allows two individuals to answer creativity tests simultaneously. This platform includes two divergent thinking tasks, the Straw Alternative Uses Test and Bottle Alternative Uses Test, and Chinese Radical Remote Associates Test A and B, which were used to evaluate their open-and closed-ended creative problem-solving performance. This platform has two modes: single-player mode and paired-player mode. Responses from 497 adults were collected, based on which the fluency, flexibility, and originality of divergent thinking were measured. This study also developed a computer scoring technique that can automatically calculate the scores on these creativity tests. The results showed that divergent thinking scores from computer-based calculation and manual scoring were highly positively correlated, suggesting that the scores on a divergent thinking task can be calculated through a system that avoids time-consuming, uneconomical manual scoring. Overall, the two types of tests on this platform showed considerable internal consistency reliability and criterion-related validity. This advanced application facilitates the collection of empirical evidence about co-creativity.

Penehyclidine hydrochloride ameliorates renal ischemia reperfusion-stimulated lung injury in mice by activating Nrf2 signaling.

Introduction: Penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) is an anticholinergic with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation activities. PHC displayed protectivity against renal ischemia reperfusion (RIR) injury. Nevertheless, the precise protectivity of PHC on RIR-induced lung injury remains unknown. Methods: We examined the effects of PHC on RIR-induced lung injury and investigated the underlying mechanism. We induced RIR in mice and administrated PHC to RIR mice. Kidney function was monitored by measuring the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine level in serum. We evaluated the lung injury, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung, pro-inflammatory cytokine level, and oxidative markers in serum and lung tissues. We tested the expression level of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in lung of RIR mice after PHC treatment. Finally, we evaluated the effects of PHC in RIR Nrf2-/- mice. Results: PHC greatly downregulated the serum levels of BUN, creatinine, IL-6, NO, malondialdehyde (MDA), and matrix metalloproteinase-2. PHC also ameliorated the lung injury, decreased the MPO activity, and suppressed production of IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, MDA, and O2-, while it promoted production of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in lung. PHC improved the production of Nrf2 and HO-1. Conclusion: The protectivity of PHC was absent in Nrf2-/- mice. PHC ameliorated RIR-induced lung injury through Nrf2 pathway.

circ-Ncam2 (mmu_circ_0006413) Participates in LPS-Induced Microglia Activation and Neuronal Apoptosis via the TLR4/NF-κB Pathway.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause permanent neurological deficits. Circular RNA Ncam2 (circ-Ncam2 also termed mmu_circ_0006413) has been reported to be overexpressed in SCI mouse models. However, the function of circ-Ncam2 in SCI has not been validated. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to activate mouse microglia (BV2 cells). Expression levels of circ-Ncam2 were determined by RT-qPCR. Relative protein levels were evaluated by western blotting. Cytokines were determined by ELISA. The regulatory mechanism of circ-Ncam2 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. Effects of LPS-induced BV2 cells on mouse neuronal (HT22 cells) viability, proliferation, and apoptosis were analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), and flow cytometry assays. LPS stimulation promoted circ-Ncam2 expression in BV2 cells. Inhibition of circ-Ncam2 mitigated LPS-induced BV2 cell activation and inflammation. Mechanically, circ-Ncam2 adsorbed miR-544-3p to regulate TLR4 expression. Also, either miR-544-3p inhibition or TLR4 overexpression weakened circ-Ncam2 silencing-mediated effects on LPS-induced BV2 cell activation and inflammation. Furthermore, LPS-induced BV2 cells suppressed HT22 cell proliferation and promoted HT22 cell apoptosis through the circ-Ncam2/miR-544-3p axis. Importantly, circ-Ncam2 activated the NF-κB signaling via the miR-544-3p/TLR4axis. circ-Ncam2 silencing lowered LPS-induced microglia activation and neuronal apoptosis via blocking the TLR4/NF-κB pathway through acting as a miR-544-3p sponge, suggesting that circ-Ncam2 may be involved in secondary SCI.

A patient-friendly 16-channel transmit/64-channel receive coil array for combined head-neck MRI at 7 Tesla.

PURPOSE: To extend the coverage of brain coil arrays to the neck and cervical-spine region to enable combined head and neck imaging at 7 Tesla (T) ultra-high field MRI. METHODS: The coil array structures of a 64-channel receive coil and a 16-channel transmit coil were merged into one anatomically shaped close-fitting housing. Transmit characteristics were evaluated in a B1+ -field mapping study and an electromagnetic model. Receive SNR and the encoding capability for accelerated imaging were evaluated and compared with a commercially available 7 T brain array coil. The performance of the head-neck array coil was demonstrated in human volunteers using high-resolution accelerated imaging. RESULTS: In the brain, the SNR matches the commercially available 32-channel brain array and showed improvements in accelerated imaging capabilities. More importantly, the constructed coil array improved the SNR in the face area, neck area, and cervical spine by a factor of 1.5, 3.4, and 5.2, respectively, in regions not covered by 32-channel brain arrays at 7 T. The interelement coupling of the 16-channel transmit coil ranged from -14 to -44 dB (mean = -19 dB, adjacent elements <-18 dB). The parallel 16-channel transmit coil greatly facilitates B1+ field shaping required for large FOV neuroimaging at 7 T. CONCLUSION: This new head-neck array coil is the first demonstration of a device of this nature used for combined full-brain, head-neck, and cervical-spine imaging at 7 T. The array coil is well suited to provide large FOV images, which potentially improves ultrahigh field neuroimaging applications for clinical settings.

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based-Stress-Reduction for Military Cadets on Perceived Stress.

This study aimed to develop a program of mindfulness-based stress reduction for military cadets (MBSR-MC). On the basis of a pretest-posttest design, participants were assigned to either a control or an experimental group to examine the effectiveness of MBSR-MC. First, 60 volunteering cadets of National Defense University were randomly assigned to the MBSR-MC group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30). In the pretest, all participants were required to complete the Taiwanese version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (T-FFMQ) and a perceived stress scale (PSS). Subsequently, the MBSR-MC group participated in the 8-week MBSR-MC program, whereas the control group did not receive any experimental treatment. One week following the completion of the program, a posttest consisted of the same questions as the pretest was conducted. Statistical analysis showed that (1) Comparing with the control group, the MBSR-MC group showed superior performance in three subscales of T-FFMQ, namely Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity. However, no significant difference was found in the remaining two facets: Observing and Describing. (2) The perceived stress score of the MBSR-MC group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Furthermore, an analysis of mediating effect showed that Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity were mediating variables of the relationship between MBSR-MC and perceived stress. The aforementioned results indicated that MBSR-MC training significantly increased military cadets' Acting with awareness, Non-judgment, and Non-reactivity, thereby significantly reducing their perceived stress. Therefore, this study supported the effectiveness of the MBSR-MC program on perceived stress.

In Vivo Absolute Metabolite Quantification Using a Multiplexed ERETIC-RX Array Coil for Whole-Brain MR Spectroscopic Imaging.

BACKGROUND: Absolute quantification of metabolites in MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) requires a stable reference signal of known concentration. The Electronic REference To access In vivo Concentrations (ERETIC) has shown great promise but has not been applied in patients and 3D MRSI. ERETIC hardware has not been integrated with receive arrays due to technical challenges, such as coil combination and unwanted coupling between multiple ERETIC and receive channels, for which we developed mitigation strategies. PURPOSE: To develop absolute quantification for whole-brain MRSI in glioma patients. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: Five healthy volunteers and three patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant glioma (27% female). Calibration and coil loading phantoms. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: A 3 T; Adiabatic spin-echo spiral 3D MRSI with real-time motion correction, Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR), Gradient Recalled Echo (GRE), Multi-echo Magnetization Prepared Rapid Acquisition of Gradient Echo (MEMPRAGE). ASSESSMENT: Absolute quantification was performed for five brain metabolites (total N-acetyl-aspartate [NAA]/creatine/choline, glutamine + glutamate, myo-inositol) and the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate using a custom-built 4x-ERETIC/8x-receive array coil. Metabolite quantification was performed with both EREIC and internal water reference methods. ERETIC signal was transmitted via optical link and used to correct coil loading. Inductive and radiative coupling between ERETIC and receive channels were measured. STATISTICAL TESTS: ERETIC and internal water methods for metabolite quantification were compared using Bland-Altman (BA) analysis and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: ERETIC could be integrated in receive arrays and inductive coupling dominated (5-886 times) radiative coupling. Phantoms show proportional scaling of the ERETIC signal with coil loading. The BA analysis demonstrated very good agreement (3.3% ± 1.6%) in healthy volunteers, while there was a large difference (36.1% ± 3.8%) in glioma tumors between metabolite concentrations by ERETIC and internal water quantification. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ERETIC integrated with receive arrays and whole-brain MRSI is feasible for brain metabolites quantification. Further validation is required to probe that ERETIC provides more accurate metabolite concentration in glioma patients. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

Delivery of coenzyme Q10 with mitochondria-targeted nanocarrier attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury causes high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. I/R induces acute kidney injury through exacerbating the mitochondrial damage and increasing inflammatory and oxidative responses. Here, we developed the mitochondria-targeted nanocarrier to delivery of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) for renal I/R treatment in animal model. The mitochondria-targeted TPP CoQ10 nanoparticles (T-NPCoQ10) were synthesized through ABC miktoarm polymers method and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The I/R mouse model and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (D/R) model were created to examine the role of T-NPCoQ10 on renal I/R. Mitochondrial DNA damage, apoptosis, and inflammatory cytokines were measured in I/R injury mice. Plasma creatinine, urea nitrogen, tubular injury score was tested to assess the renal function. T-NPCoQ10 nanoparticles could be delivered to renal mitochondria preciously and efficiently. T-NPCoQ10 administration attenuated oxidative injury in both cell and animal models significantly, alleviated mtDNA damage, suppressed inflammatory and apoptotic responses, and improved renal function. The mitochondria specific CoQ10 delivery provided a precious and efficient method for protecting inflammatory and oxidative responses of I/R-induced renal damage.

Characterization of the Survival Influential Genes in Carcinogenesis.

The genes influencing cancer patient mortality have been studied by survival analysis for many years. However, most studies utilized them only to support their findings associated with patient prognosis: their roles in carcinogenesis have not yet been revealed. Herein, we applied an in silico approach, integrating the Cox regression model with effect size estimated by the Monte Carlo algorithm, to screen survival-influential genes in more than 6000 tumor samples across 16 cancer types. We observed that the survival-influential genes had cancer-dependent properties. Moreover, the functional modules formed by the harmful genes were consistently associated with cell cycle in 12 out of the 16 cancer types and pan-cancer, showing that dysregulation of the cell cycle could harm patient prognosis in cancer. The functional modules formed by the protective genes are more diverse in cancers; the most prevalent functions are relevant for immune response, implying that patients with different cancer types might develop different mechanisms against carcinogenesis. We also identified a harmful set of 10 genes, with potential as prognostic biomarkers in pan-cancer. Briefly, our results demonstrated that the survival-influential genes could reveal underlying mechanisms in carcinogenesis and might provide clues for developing therapeutic targets for cancers.

Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Combined with Tropisetron in Treating Carboprost Tromethamine-Induced Nausea and Vomiting during Cesarean Section under Lumbar Anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy of electroacupuncture combined with tropisetron in treating carboprost tromethamine-induced nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under lumbar anesthesia. METHODS: A total of 264 patients aged 22-40 years were enrolled, who received carboprost tromethamine and suffered nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under lumbar anesthesia. The patients were divided randomly into the control group, electroacupuncture group, tropisetron group, and electroacupuncture + tropisetron group. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the nausea and vomiting scores decreased at T3 in both the electroacupuncture and electroacupuncture + tropisetron groups, and decreased at T4 in the electroacupuncture group, tropisetron group, and electroacupuncture + tropisetron group; the motilin, gastrin, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels decreased at T5 in the other 3 groups. Compared to the electroacupuncture + tropisetron group, the nausea and vomiting scores increased at T3 in the control and tropisetron groups, and increased at T4 in the other 3 groups; the motilin, gastrin, and 5-HT levels increased at T5. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that electroacupuncture combined with tropisetron could effectively relieve carboprost tromethamine-induced nausea and vomiting during cesarean section under lumbar anesthesia. The effect was better than its single application, and the reduced 5-HT, motilin, and gastrin levels might be involved in the underlying mechanism.

Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule-3 Alleviates Kupffer Cell Pyroptosis Induced by Hemorrhagic Shock and Resuscitation via sGC-cGMP Signal Pathway.

Following hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, Kupffer cells could be activated by inflammatory factors released from damaged hepatocytes. Carbon monoxide (CO)-releasing molecule (CORM)-3, a water-soluble transition metal carbonyl, exhibits excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-pyroptosis properties. We investigated whether CORM-3 attenuated hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (HSR)-induced pyroptosis of Kupffer cells through the soluble guanylate-cyclase (sGC)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signal pathway. NS2028 (10 mg/kg), a blocker of sGC, was administrated at the onset of hemorrhage, but CORM-3 (4 mg/kg) was infused after resuscitation via femoral vein. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, tumor necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) were measured at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after HSR, respectively. Six hours post-HSR, liver injury, pyroptosis of Kupffer cells, and expressions in total caspase-1, cleaved caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD) N-terminal fragment, IL-1ß, and IL-18 were measured by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), immunofluorescence and western blot assays, respectively (Fig. 1). The rats exposed to HSR exhibited significant upregulated levels of serum ALT, AST, TNF-α, and IL-1ß, elevated liver injury score, increased pyroptosis of Kupffer cells, and accumulated expressions of pyroptosis-associated protein including cleaved caspase-1, GSDMD N-terminal fragment, IL-1ß, and IL-18 than sham-treated rats. However, CORM-3 administration markedly reduced liver injury and pyroptosis of Kupffer cells, whereas these protective effects could be partially blocked by NS2028. CORM-3 can mitigate pyroptosis of Kupffer cells in a blood loss and re-infusion model of rats via sGC-cGMP signal pathway.

Tracking the marine migration routes of South Pacific silver eels.

Three catadromous Pacific eels (2 Anguilla marmorata, 1 A. megastoma) from the Archipelago of Vanuatu were tagged with pop-up satellite archival transmitters and their migration tracks towards their presumed spawning area approximately 870 km northeast of the point of release were reconstructed in order to evaluate their movements in relation to oceanographic conditions. We used the timing of diel vertical migrations to derive the eels' positions. Two A. marmorata exhibited steep-angled turns resulting in a zig-zag migration path along the east-west axis, while one A. megastoma took a relatively straight course towards the presumed spawning area. They migrated with a speed over ground of 21-23 km day-1. In this region, the eastward flow of the South Equatorial Counter Current (SECC, ∼ 5-10°S) separates the westward flowing South Equatorial Current (SEC; ∼0-5°S and 10-18°S) into two branches. During shallower nighttime migration depths around 150 m eels crossed a variable flow field through the southern branch of the westward SEC with westward propagating mesoscale eddies and the eastward SECC, but stayed south of the stronger northern branch of SEC possibly increasing retention time of larvae within this area. The eels headed towards a tongue of high-salinity Subtropical Underwater (STUW) that may have provided cues for orientation. The eels did not move beyond a salinity front of 35.9-36.0 at a depth of 100-200 m, which may have provided cues for orientation towards the spawning area. These 3 tracks may represent the movements of mature silver eels all the way to where they spawn.

New clues on the Atlantic eels spawning behavior and area: the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hypothesis.

The Sargasso Sea has long been considered as the only spawning area for Atlantic eels, despite the absence of direct observations. The present study raises a novel scenario, deviating from Schmidt's dogma, begins with a review of historical and recent observations that were combined to build up a global theory on spawning ecology and migration behavior of Atlantic eels. From this, it is argued that a favorable spawning area could be located eastward of Sargasso Sea at the intersection between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the oceanic fronts. Ocean circulation models combined with 3D particle-tracking method confirmed that spawning at this specific area would result in larval distribution fitting the field observation. This study explores the hypothesis that leptocephali are able to swim and orientate to reach their specific growth areas. It proposes a novel framework about spawning ecology, based on orientation, navigation and meeting cues of silver eels to the spawning area. Together this framework may serve as a stepping-stone for solving the long-lasting mystery of eel reproduction which first came out 2,400 years ago and promotes the understanding of oceanic migration and reproduction of marine organisms.