PBAT-modified starch blended film extract induces in vitro toxicity in L-02 cells: induction of oxidative stress, inflammation, and modulation of AMPK pathway.

PBAT-modified starch blended film are thermoplastic biodegradable materials with good properties and a wide range of applications. In this study, L-02 cells were used as an in vitro toxicity evaluation system for risk assessment of PBAT-modified starch films with migration studies obtained in different food simulants. Determination of total migration and organic matter revealed that the results were in accordance with the standard except for the total organic matter under 95% (v/v) ethanol food simulant which exceeded the standard. The CCK-8 assay showed that these compounds affect the cell viability of L-02 cells. It was observed that the compounds made the cells express increased AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, and ROS, and decreased SOD, GSH, and ATP. In addition, we explored the effect of migration in PBAT-modified starch composites on protein and gene expression levels in L-02 cells using a transcriptomic approach and found that the AMPK signaling pathway was affected. The expression of AMPK signaling pathway-related proteins was detected by Western Blot, and the expression levels of p-AMPK/AMPK were found to be upregulated, and those of p-mTOR/mTOR, SIRT1, PGC-1α, NRF1 and TFAM were downregulated. The above data suggest that the compounds migrating into the PBAT-modified starch film when exposed to food may induce oxidative stress and inflammation in hepatocytes, and may cause damage to hepatocytes through the AMPK pathway.

A safe and effective endoscopic treatment method for simple hepatic cysts (with video).

Background and study aims Symptomatic simple hepatic cysts require treatment, with several guidelines recommending laparoscopic deroofing. However, cysts located in the posterosuperior segments are considered poor candidates for this procedure. Gastrointestinal endoscopes are more flexible and able to reach less accessible areas than laparoscopes. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of endoscopic transgastric hepatic cyst deroofing (ETGHCD) for treatment of simple hepatic cysts. Patients and methods Seven patients with simple hepatic cysts were evaluated between June 2021 and October 2023. The success rate, procedure time, post-procedure length of hospital stays, complications, pathologic diagnosis, and efficacy were recorded. Results Eleven cysts in seven patients (5 men; mean age 65.5 (standard deviation [SD] 8.5) years) were successfully treated without any complications. The mean procedure time was 65.6 minutes (SD 17.2). Mean post-procedure hospitalization was 4.4 days (SD 1.0). The pathologic diagnosis of 11 cysts showed simple hepatic cysts. The size of the cysts was significantly decreased from 337.0 cm 3 (SD 528.8) to 5.2 cm 3 (SD 6.3) 1 month after ETGHCD. During the median 12.7-month follow-up in seven patients, the cysts showed a 99.6% reduction with no recurrence. Conclusions ETGHCD provided a feasible, safe, effective, and minimal invasive alternative approach for the treatment of simple hepatic cysts.

Identification and preliminary validation of differently expressed genes as candidate biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis (AS) is the primary cause of deadly cardio-cerebro vascular diseases globally. This study aims to explore the key differentially expressed genes (DEGs), potentially serving as predictive biomarkers for AS. METHODS: Microarray datasets were retrieved from the GEO database for DEGs and DE-miRNAs identification. Then biological function of DEGs were elucidated based on gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and DEGs-DE-miRNAs network were constructed, with emphasis on hub DEGs selection and their interconnections. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic precision of hub DEGs for AS. More importantly, an AS Syrian Golden hamster model was established to validate the expression levels of hub DEGs in AS. RESULTS: A total of 203 DEGs and 10 DE-miRNAs were screened, with six genes were chosen as hub DEGs. These DEGs were significantly enriched in AS-related biological processes and pathways, such as immune and inflammatory response, cellular response to IL-1 and TNF, positive regulation of angiogenesis, Type I diabetes mellitus, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, TLR signaling pathway. Also, these DEGs and DE-miRNAs formed a closely-interacted DE-miRNAs - DEGs - KEGG pathway network. Besides, hub DEGs presented promising diagnostic potential for AS (AUC: 0.781 âˆ¼ 0.887). In addition, the protein expression levels of TNF-α, CXCL8, CCL4, IL-1ß, CCL3 and CCR8 were significantly increased in AS group Syrian Golden hamsters. CONCLUSION: The identified candidate genes TNF, CXCL8, CCL4, IL1B, CCL3 and CCR8 may have the potential to serve as prognostic biomarker in diagnosing AS.

A deep learning model based on magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging to evaluate intestinal metaplasia grading and OLGIM staging: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patients with stage III or IV of operative link for gastric intestinal metaplasia assessment (OLGIM) are at a higher risk of gastric cancer (GC). We aimed to construct a deep learning (DL) model based on magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) to evaluate OLGIM staging. METHODS: This study included 4473 ME-NBI images obtained from 803 patients at three endoscopy centres. The endoscopic expert marked intestinal metaplasia (IM) regions on endoscopic images of the target biopsy sites. Faster Region-Convolutional Neural Network model was used to grade IM lesions and predict OLGIM staging. RESULTS: The diagnostic performance of the model for IM grading in internal and external validation sets, as measured by the area under the curve (AUC), was 0.872 and 0.803, respectively. The accuracy of this model in predicting the high-risk stage of OLGIM was 84.0%, which was not statistically different from that of three junior (71.3%, p = 0.148) and three senior endoscopists (75.3%, p = 0.317) specially trained in endoscopic images corresponding to pathological IM grade, but higher than that of three untrained junior endoscopists (64.0%, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: This DL model can assist endoscopists in predicting OLGIM staging using ME-NBI without biopsy, thereby facilitating screening high-risk patients for GC.

Qing Xia Jie Yi Formula granules alleviated acute pancreatitis through inhibition of M1 macrophage polarization by suppressing glycolysis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Herbal formulas from Traditional Chinese Medicine are common and well-established practice for treating acute pancreatitis (AP) patients. However, little is known about their bioactive ingredients and mechanisms, such as their targets and pathways to inhibit inflammation. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Qing Xia Jie Yi Formula (QXJYF) granules on AP and discuss the molecular mechanisms involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Major compounds in QXJYF granules were identified using UPLC-quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS). The effect of QXJYF granules on experimental AP models both in vitro and in vivo, and detailed mechanisms were clarified. Two AP models were induced in mice by intraperitoneally injections of caerulein or L-arginine, and QXJYF granules were used to treat AP mice in vivo. Histological evaluation of pancreas and lung, serum amylase and lipase levels, serum inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory cell infiltration and macrophage phenotype were assessed. Bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) were cultured and treated with QXJYF granules in vitro. BMDM phenotype and glycolysis levels were measured. Lastly, clinical effect of QXJYF granules on AP patients was verified. Predicted severe AP (pSAP) patients eligible for inclusion were assessed for enrollment. RESULTS: Nine major compounds were identified in QXJYF granules. Data showed that QXJYF granules significantly alleviated AP severity both in caerulein and L-arginine-induced AP models in vivo, pancreatic injury and inflammatory cell infiltration, systematic inflammation, lung injury and inflammatory cell infiltration were all improved after QXJYF treatment. QXJYF granules significantly reduced M1 macrophages during AP both in vivo and in vitro; besides, the mRNA expression levels of M1 genes such as inos, Tnfα, Il1ß and Il6 were significantly lower after QXJYF treatment in M1 macrophages. Mechanistically, we found that HK2, PFKFB3, PKM, LDHα levels were increased in M1 macrophages, but significantly decreased after QXJYF treatment. Clinical data indicated that QXJYF granules could significantly reduce CRP levels and shorten the duration of organ failure, thereby reducing the incidence of SAP and preventing pSAP patients from progressing to SAP. CONCLUSION: QXJYF granules alleviated AP through the inhibition of M1 macrophage polarization by suppressing glycolysis.

Predictive value of serum retinol binding protein in severity and complications of acute pancreatitis: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Retinol binding protein (RBP) is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis and hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate serum RBP levels in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: The study included 1,871 AP patients, including 1,411 with mild AP (MAP), 244 with moderately severe AP (MSAP), and 186 with severe AP (SAP). Retrospective analysis was conducted on RBP concentrations and other clinical data of AP patients. RESULTS: AP patients were subgrouped by RBP level into low RBP (LRBP), normal RBP (NRBP), and high RBP (HRBP) groups. The LRBP group showed a significantly higher proportion of SAP patients than NRBP and HRBP groups. Additionally, the LRBP group had the highest BISAP and CTSI scores among the three groups; WBC and CRP levels in the NRBP group were significantly lower than those in the LRBP and HRBP groups. RBP was better at predicting acute necrotic collection (ANC) than other local complications, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.821. RBP was also an independent risk factor for acute lung injury (ALI) and ANC in AP patients. The AUC of RBP for predicting ALI was 0.829, with 30.45 mg/L as the optimal cutoff value, and the sensitivity and specificity were 59.70% and 96.50%, respectively. The AUC of RBP for predicting ANC was 0.821, with 28.35 mg/L as the optimal cutoff value, and the sensitivity and specificity were 61.20% and 95.50%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serum RBP had predictive value for AP severity, local and systemic complications.

Erratum: Shikonin induces apoptosis and necroptosis in pancreatic cancer via regulating the expression of RIP1/RIP3 and synergizes the activity of gemcitabine.

[This corrects the article on p. 5507 in vol. 9, PMID: 29312502.].

Gut microbiota affects the estrus return of sows by regulating the metabolism of sex steroid hormones.

BACKGROUND: Sex hormones play important roles in the estrus return of post-weaning sows. Previous studies have demonstrated a complex and bi-directional regulation between sex hormones and gut microbiota. However, the extent to which the gut microbiota affects estrus return of post-weaning sows is largely unknown. RESULTS: In this study, we first screened 207 fecal samples from well-phenotyped sows by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and identified significant associations between microbes and estrus return of post-weaning sows. Using metagenomic sequencing data from 85 fecal samples, we identified 37 bacterial species that were significantly associated with estrus return. Normally returning sows were characterized by increased abundances of L. reuteri and P. copri and decreased abundances of B. fragilis, S. suis, and B. pseudolongum. The changes in gut microbial composition significantly altered the functional capacity of steroid hormone biosynthesis in the gut microbiome. The results were confirmed in a validation cohort. Significant changes in sex steroid hormones and related compounds were found between normal and non-return sows via metabolome analysis. An integrated analysis of differential bacterial species, metagenome, and fecal metabolome provided evidence that normal return-associated bacterial species L. reuteri and Prevotella spp. participated in the degradation of pregnenolone, progesterone, and testosterone, thereby promoting estrogen biosynthesis. Furthermore, the microbial metabolites related to sow energy and nutrient supply or metabolic disorders also showed relationships with sow estrus return. CONCLUSIONS: An integrated analysis of differentially abundant bacterial species, metagenome, and fecal metabolome revealed the involvement of L. reuteri and Prevotella spp. in sow estrus return. These findings provide deep insight into the role of gut microbiota in the estrus return of post-weaning sows and the complex cross-talk between gut microbiota and sex hormones, suggesting that the manipulation of the gut microbiota could be an effective strategy to improve sow estrus return after weaning.

Prediction of Tumor Prognosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Using Image, Surgical and Pathologic Findings.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) findings along with other surgical and pathologic features as prognosis predictors in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). METHODS: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed a clinical data pool of patients with pathologically confirmed PNETs. CT and MRI findings were evaluated as potential prediction parameters of tumor-nodes-metastases (TNM) stage and grade, using Fisher's exact test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk factors associated with tumor recurrence after surgery. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for recurrence-free survival analysis. RESULTS: The predictors of higher TNM stages were tumor diameter, tumor boundary, distant metastases, and lymphadenopathy on CT scan. From MRI images, tumor diameter, T2-weighted image, tumor enhancement, and pancreatic duct dilatation showed statistically significant differences among TNM stages. Univariate analysis showed that American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM stage, World Health Organization (WHO) tumor grade, sex, smoking, and drinking were associated with tumor recurrence and disease-free survival (DFS); while tumor and metastasis also affected DFS. Multivariate survival analysis confirmed that AJCC TNM was an independent predictor after adjusting other covariates. Peripancreatic invasion and lymph node metastases as well as blurred boundary detected by CT or MRI may be independent risk factors for TNM stage and clinical outcome of PNETs. CONCLUSION: TNM stage is a valuable predictor of prognosis in PNETs. Information from CT and MRI imaging can be used to determine the TNM stage, and to estimate the tumor prognosis, guide the follow-up, and avoid ineffective treatments.

Characterization of the pig lower respiratory tract antibiotic resistome.

Respiratory diseases and its treatments are highly concerned in both the pig industry and human health. However, the composition and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in swine lower respiratory tract microbiome remain unknown. The relationships of ARGs with mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and lung health are unclear. Here, we characterize antibiotic resistomes of the swine lower respiratory tract microbiome containing 1228 open reading frames belonging to 372 ARGs using 745 metagenomes from 675 experimental pigs. Twelve ARGs conferring resistance to tetracycline are related to an MGE Tn916 family, and multiple types of ARGs are related to a transposase gene tnpA. Most of the linkage complexes between ARGs and MGEs (the Tn916 family and tnpA) are also observed in pig gut microbiomes and human lung microbiomes, suggesting the high risk of these MGEs mediating ARG transfer to both human and pig health. Gammaproteobacteria are the major ARG carriers, within which Escherichia coli harbored >50 ARGs and >10 MGEs. Although the microbial compositions structure the compositions of ARGs, we identify 73 ARGs whose relative abundances are significantly associated with the severity of lung lesions. Our results provide the first overview of ARG profiles in the swine lower respiratory tract microbiome.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) ameliorated Nonylphenol-induced learning and memory impairment in rats via the central 5-HT system and the NAD+/SIRT1/MAO-A pathway.

Nonylphenol (NP) exposure can trigger neurotoxicity and cause learning and memory impairment. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has a therapeutic effect on neurodegenerative diseases, but the role of NMN on NP-induced learning and memory impairment is not known. Here, we examined the mitigative effect of NMN on the impaired learning and memory ability of rats exposed to NP. The NP impaired learning and memory in rats, while the low-dose intervention with NMN significantly prolonged the step-through latency of the PAT and improved the NAMPT and NMNAT1 content in brain tissue. At the same time, the NMN intervention also increased the content of 5-HTR1A, 5-HTR4, and 5-HTR6 related to learning and memory in the hippocampus. In line with this, we found that the NMN intervention activated the SIRT1/MAO-A pathway in brain tissue. NMN intervention, especially at 125 mg/kg doses, may improve rats' NP-induced learning and memory impairment via the central 5-HT system and the NAD+/SIRT1/MAO-A pathway in the brain.

Employing pigs to decipher the host genetic effect on gut microbiome: advantages, challenges, and perspectives.

The gut microbiota is a complex and diverse ecosystem comprised of trillions of microbes and plays an essential role in host's immunity, metabolism, and even behaviors. Environmental and host factors drive the huge variations in the gut microbiome among individuals. Here, we summarize accumulated evidences about host genetic effect on the gut microbial compositions with emphases on the correlation between host genetic kinship and the similarity of microbial compositions, heritability estimates of microbial taxa, and identification of genomic variants associated with the gut microbiome in pigs as well as in humans. A proportion of bacterial taxa have been reported to be heritable, and numerous variants associated with the diversity of the gut microbiota or specific taxa have been identified in both humans and pigs. LCT and ABO gene have been replicated in multiple studies, and its mechanism have been elucidated clearly. We also discuss the main advantages and challenges using pigs as experimental animals in exploring host genetic effect on the gut microbial composition and provided our insights on the perspectives in this area.

Structural characterization of pectic polysaccharides from Amaranth caudatus leaves and the promotion effect on hippocampal glucagon-like peptide-1 level.

In this study, decolorized pectic polysaccharides (D-ACLP) with molecular weight (Mw) distribution of 3483- 2,023,656 Da were prepared from Amaranth caudatus leaves. Purified polysaccharides (P-ACLP) with the Mw of 152,955 Da were further isolated from D-ACLP through gel filtration. The structure of P-ACLP was analyzed by 1D and 2D NMR spectra. P-ACLP were identified as rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) containing dimeric arabinose side chains. The main chain of P-ACLP was composed of →4)-α-GalpA-(1→, →2)-ß-Rhap-(1→, →3)-ß-Galp-(1→ and →6)-ß-Galp-(1→. There was a branched chain of α-Araf-(1→2)-α-Araf-(1→ connected to the O-6 position of →3)-ß-Galp-(1→. The GalpA residues were partially methyl esterified at O-6 and acetylated at O-3. The 28-day consecutive gavage of D-ALCP (400 mg/kg) significantly elevated the hippocampal glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels in rats. The concentrations of butyric acid and total short chain fatty acids in the cecum contents also increased significantly. Moreover, D-ACLP could significantly increase the gut microbiota diversity and dramatically up-regulated the abundance of Actinobacteriota (phylum) and unclassified Oscillospiraceae (genus) in intestinal bacteria. Taking together, D-ACLP might promote the hippocampal GLP-1 level through the beneficial regulation of butyric acid-producing bacteria in gut microbiota. This study contributed to making full use of Amaranth caudatus leaves for cognitive dysfunction intervention in food industry.

Extensive identification of serum metabolites related to microbes in different gut locations and evaluating their associations with porcine fatness.

Gut microbiota plays important roles in host metabolism. Whether and how much the gut microbiota in different gut locations contributes to the variations of host serum metabolites are largely unknown, because it is difficult to obtain microbial samples from different gut locations on a large population scale. Here, we quantified the gut microbial compositions using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for 1070 samples collected from the ileum, cecum and faeces of 544 F6 pigs from a mosaic pig population. Untargeted metabolome measurements determined serum metabolome profiles. We found 1671, 12,985 and 103,250 significant correlations between circulating serum metabolites and bacterial ASVs in the ileum, cecum, and faeces samples. We detected nine serum metabolites showing significant correlations with gut bacteria in more than one gut location. However, most metabolite-microbiota pairwise associations were gut location-specific. Targeted metabolome analysis revealed that CDCA, taurine, L-leucine and N-acetyl-L-alanine can be used as biomarkers to predict porcine fatness. Enriched taxa in fat pigs, for example Prevotella and Lawsonia intracellularis were positively associated with L-leucine, while enriched taxa in lean pigs, such as Clostridium butyricum, were negatively associated with L-leucine and CDCA, but positively associated with taurine and N-acetyl-L-alanine. These results suggested that the contributions of gut microbiota in each gut location to the variations of serum metabolites showed spatial heterogeneity.

The gender-based facing bias in 3-D biological motion perception.

In biological motion perception, movements of several point lights can evoke a vivid impression of living animals, including humans. Recent studies have reported that male point-light walkers tend to be perceived as facing toward the viewer more than female walkers, and have hypothesized that the gender-based facing bias arises from motion signals. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis under experimental conditions where binocular disparity was added to biological motion stimuli. In the two experiments reported here, participants were presented with disparity-defined female and male point-light figures facing toward or away from the viewer. In Experiment 1, we measured "facing-the-viewer" responses in upright and inverted walker configurations. It was found that the facing bias was greater for the male walker than for the female walker in most disparity magnitudes, regardless of walker inversion. In Experiment 2, the walker stimuli were replaced by static snapshots of the walkers. The results showed that the facing bias did not differ between the female and male static figures. These results suggest that motion signals play an important role in producing the gender-based facing bias, even when binocular disparity is added to biological motion stimuli.

A pedagogical study on promoting students' deep learning through design-based learning.

This paper illustrates the design-based learning (DBL) approach to promoting the deep learning of students and improving the quality of teaching in engineering design education. We performed three aspects of research with students in a typical educational activity. The first study investigated students' deep learning before and after the DBL approach, both in terms of deep learning status and deep learning ability. The second study examined the effectiveness of the DBL approach by comparative research of a control class (traditional teaching method) and an experimental class (DBL method). The third study examined students' evaluations of the DBL approach. It is approved that the DBL approach has distinctively stimulated the students' motivation to learn, making them more actively engaged in study. The students' higher-order thinking and higher-order capabilities are enhanced, such as critical thinking ability and problem-solving ability. At the same time, they are satisfied with the DBL approach. These findings suggest that the DBL approach is effective in promoting students' deep learning and improving the quality of teaching and learning.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress promoted acinar cell necroptosis in acute pancreatitis through cathepsinB-mediated AP-1 activation.

Acinar cell death and inflammatory response are two important events which determine the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and necroptosis are involved in this process, but the relationships between them remain unknown. Here, we analyzed the interaction between ER stress and necroptosis and the underlying mechanisms during AP. Experimental pancreatitis was induced in Balb/C mice by caerulein (Cae) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or L-arginine (L-Arg) in vivo, and pancreatic acinar cells were also used to follow cellular mechanisms during cholecystokinin (CCK) stimulation in vitro. AP severity was assessed by serum amylase, lipase levels and histological examination. Changes in ER stress, trypsinogen activation and necroptosis levels were analyzed by western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analysis or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The protein kinase C (PKC)α -mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) -cJun pathway and cathepsin B (CTSB) activation were evaluated by western blotting. Activating protein 1 (AP-1) binding activity was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). We found that ER stress is initiated before necroptosis in CCK-stimulated acinar cells in vitro. Inhibition of ER stress by 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) can significantly alleviate AP severity both in two AP models in vivo. 4-PBA markedly inhibited ER stress and necroptosis of pancreatic acinar cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that 4-PBA significantly reduced CTSB maturation and PKCα-JNK-cJun pathway -mediated AP-1 activation during AP. Besides, CTSB inhibitor CA074Me markedly blocked PKCα-JNK-cJun pathway -mediated AP-1 activation and necroptosis in AP. However, pharmacologic inhibition of trypsin activity with benzamidine hydrochloride had no effect on PKCα-JNK-cJun pathway and necroptosis in CCK-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. Furthermore, SR11302, the inhibitor of AP-1, significantly lowered tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α levels, and its subsequent receptor interacting protein kinases (RIP)3 and phosphorylated mixed lineagekinase domain-like (pMLKL) levels, ATP depletion and LDH release rate in CCK-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. To sum up, all the results indicated that during AP, ER stress promoted pancreatic acinar cell necroptosis through CTSB maturation, thus induced AP-1 activation and TNFα secretion via PKCα-JNK-cJun pathway, not related with trypsin activity. These findings provided potential therapeutic target and treatment strategies for AP or other cell death-related diseases.