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OBJECTIVE: Facial paralysis (FP), which resulted from head and neck cancer resection, significantly impacts patients' quality of life. Traditional assessments rely on subjective evaluations and electromyography, whereas functional magnetic resonance imaging offers a noninvasive alternative for enhanced rehabilitation. Acupuncture has shown promise in promoting cerebral cortex reorganization, yet the precise relationship between acupuncture-induced structural and functional changes remains unclear, necessitating further investigation into therapeutic mechanisms. METHODS: Fifty-five patients afflicted with FP underwent evaluations using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and tract-based spatial statistics and were divided into the acupuncture intervention group (n = 35) and pseudo intervention group (n = 20). Comparative analyses of metrics pre and postintervention were conducted to delineate therapy-induced modifications in acupuncture intervention. The postacupuncture effect between groups to verify the necessity of accurate positioning for the rehabilitation of FP. RESULTS: Patients with FP showed deficits in VMHC in regions of the postcentral, precentral, and parietal areas. Corpus callosum and internal capsule showed significantly increased fractional anisotropy of the white matter skeleton in tract-based spatial statistics after treatment. Comparison postintervention results between groups exhibited deficits in VMHC and increased fractional anisotropy in regions of the corpus callosum in the acupuncture intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Early acupuncture intervention may suppress cortical hyperactivation and restore interhemispheric inhibition across the corpus callosum to inhibit maladaptive structural plasticity. Precise acupoint localization is crucial for effective therapy, highlighting the potential of postacupuncture cortical space data for refining therapeutic strategies.
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OBJECTIVE: NK cells play a vital role in tumor immune resistance. Various factors affect NK cell activity. While NK cell dysfunction has been observed in numerous malignancies, the underlying mechanisms in gastric cancer remain unclear. METHOD: Flow cytometry was used to identify the phenotypic distribution and expression of activated receptors on NK cells. ELISA was used to determine the expression of cytokines. We examined the expression of NK cell-related genes and explored their association with survival and prognosis. Additionally, we conducted PCR detection of miR-552-5p expression levels in plasma exosomes of patients and investigated its correlation with phenotypic distribution and activated receptors. We used flow cytometry and ELISA to verify the role of miR-552-5p in NK cell dysfunction. Furthermore, we investigated the potential role of PD-1/PD-L1 in regulating NK cell dysfunction in patients' cells. RESULTS: We observed a significant decrease in the percentage of NKG2D and NKp30 and IFN-γ and TNF-α in patients than in healthy volunteers. Patients with low levels of CD56, CD16, NKG2D, and NKP46 exhibited poorer survival prognoses. Moreover, increased expression levels of plasma exosomal miR-552-5p in patients were negatively associated with NK cell phenotypic distribution and activated receptor expression. MiR-552-5p downregulated the secretion of perforin, granzyme, and IFN-γ as well as the expression of NKp30, NKp46, and NKG2D. Additionally, it suppressed the cytotoxicity of NK cells. The inhibitory effect of miR-552-5p, on NK cell function was reversed when anti-PD-L1 antibodies were used. CONCLUSION: Exosomal miR-552-5p targets the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, leading to impaired NK cell function.
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The tailwater from wastewater treatment plants serves as an important water resource in arid regions, alleviating the conflict between supply and demand. However, the effects of different tailwater discharge proportions on microbial community dynamics remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of different tailwater discharge proportions on the water quality and microbial community characteristics of sediments in receiving water bodies under controlled conditions (WF-1, WF-2, WF-3, WF-4, and WF-5, containing 0% tailwater + 100% natural water, 25% tailwater + 75% natural water, 50% tailwater + 50% natural water, 75% tailwater + 25% natural water, and 100% tailwater + 0% natural water, respectively). Microbial co-occurrence networks and structural equation model were used to unveil the relationship between microbial communities and their shaping factors. Results showed that distinct microbial community compositions were found in the sediments with low- (< 50%) and high- (> 50%) proportions of tailwater. Specifically, WCHB1-41 and g_4-29-1, which are involved in organic degradation-related functions, were the key genera in the high-proportion cluster. A total of 21 taxa were more abundant in the low-proportion (< 50%) cluster than that in high-proportion (> 50%). Moreover, higher modularity was observed in the low-proportion. Total phosphorus directly affected while ammonia nitrogen indirectly affected the microbial community structure. Our findings support the distinct heterogeneity of microbial communities driven by tailwater discharge in receiving water bodies, and further confirmed that high-proportion tailwater depletes sensitive microbial communities, which may be avoided through scientific management.
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Sedimentos Geológicos , Microbiota , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiologia , Águas Residuárias/microbiologia , Microbiologia da Água , Bactérias/classificação , Bactérias/genética , Qualidade da ÁguaRESUMO
Caregiving for the fast-growing but vulnerable oldest-old population may involve distinct challenges but also gratification. We analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults aged 95 or above in Hong Kong. Quantitative analysis of 143 caregivers revealed that higher age, dependence on basic activities of daily living, independence on instrumental activities of daily living, and intact hearing ability of the older adults, and absence of a domestic helper and better self-rated health of the caregivers were associated with more positive aspects of caregiving. Qualitative analysis of the 96 caregivers who mentioned at least a positive aspect from their caregiving identified three themes: acquiring caregiving skills, fulfilling family love and obligation, and preparing for graceful aging. Our findings elaborated the nature and mechanism of caregiving gains against the unique backdrop of exceptional longevity and the Chinese cultural expectations of filial piety.
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Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) can minimize the risk of birth defects. However, the accuracy and applicability of routine PGT is confounded by uneven genome coverage and high allele drop-out rate from existing single-cell whole genome amplification methods. Here, a method to diagnose genetic mutations and concurrently evaluate embryo competence by leveraging the abundant mRNA transcript copies present in trophectoderm cells is developed. The feasibility of the method is confirmed with 19 donated blastocysts. Next, the method is applied to 82 embryos from 26 families with monogenic defects for simultaneous mutation detection and competence assessment. The accuracy rate of direct mutation detection is up to 95%, which is significantly higher than DNA-based method. Meanwhile, this approach correctly predicted seven out of eight (87.5%) embryos that failed to implant. Of six embryos that are predicted to implant successfully, four met such expectations (66.7%). Notably, this method is superior at conditions for mutation detection that are challenging when using DNA-based PGT, such as when detecting pathogenic genes with a high de novo rate, multiple pseudogenes, or an abnormal expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats. Taken together, this study establishes the feasibility of an RNA-based PGT that is also informative for assessing implantation competence.
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Testes Genéticos , Diagnóstico Pré-Implantação , Humanos , Diagnóstico Pré-Implantação/métodos , Feminino , Testes Genéticos/métodos , Blastocisto/metabolismo , Gravidez , Transcriptoma/genética , Mutação/genéticaRESUMO
We report the synthesis of uniform Pd-based high-entropy alloy clusters via rapid Joule heating. The quinary PdMnFeCuNi clusters exhibit 4.95 times higher mass activity than the Commercial Pt/C for the oxygen reduction reaction, and outstanding stability with only 2 mV decay in the half-wave potential after 20 000 cycles of testing.
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With the increasing number of microRNAs (miRNAs), identifying essential miRNAs has become an important task that needs to be solved urgently. However, there are few computational methods for essential miRNA identification. Here, we proposed a novel framework called Rotation Forest for Essential MicroRNA identification (RFEM) to predict the essentiality of miRNAs in mice. We first constructed 1,264 miRNA features of all miRNA samples by fusing 38 miRNA features obtained from the PESM paper and 1,226 miRNA functional features calculated based on miRNA-target gene interactions. Then, we employed 182 training samples with 1,264 features to train the rotation forest model, which was applied to compute the essentiality scores of the candidate samples. The main innovations of RFEM were as follows: 1) miRNA functional features were introduced to enrich the diversity of miRNA features; 2) the rotation forest model used decision tree as the base classifier and could increase the difference among base classifiers through feature transformation to achieve better ensemble results. Experimental results show that RFEM significantly outperformed two previous models with the AUC (AUPR) of 0.942 (0.944) in three comparison experiments under 5-fold cross validation, which proved the model's reliable performance. Moreover, ablation study was further conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the novel miRNA functional features. Additionally, in the case studies of assessing the essentiality of unlabeled miRNAs, experimental literature confirmed that 7 of the top 10 predicted miRNAs have crucial biological functions in mice. Therefore, RFEM would be a reliable tool for identifying essential miRNAs.
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MicroRNAs , Camundongos , Animais , MicroRNAs/genética , Rotação , Biologia Computacional/métodos , Algoritmos , Predisposição Genética para DoençaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Introduced in 1992, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was initially indicated for severe male infertility; however, its use has since been expanded to non-severe male infertility. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ICSI versus conventional in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in couples with infertility with non-severe male factor. METHODS: We conducted an investigator-initiated, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial in ten reproductive medicine centres across China. Couples with infertility with non-severe male factor without a history of poor fertilisation were randomly assigned (1:1) to undergo either ICSI or conventional IVF. The primary outcome was live birth after first embryo transfer. We performed the primary analysis in the intention-to-treat population using log-binomial regression models for categorical outcomes or linear regression models for continuous outcomes, adjusting for centre. This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03298633, and is completed. FINDINGS: Between April 4, 2018, and Nov 15, 2021, 3879 couples were screened, of whom 2387 (61·5%) couples were randomly assigned (1184 [49·6%] to the ICSI group and 1203 [50·4%] to the conventional IVF group). After excluding couples who were ineligible, randomised twice, or withdrew consent, 1154 (97·5%) in the ICSI group and 1175 (97·7%) in the conventional IVF group were included in the primary analysis. Live birth after first embryo transfer occurred in 390 (33·8%) couples in the ICSI group and in 430 (36·6%) couples in the conventional IVF group (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 0·92 [95% CI 0·83-1·03]; p=0·16). Two (0·2%) neonatal deaths were reported in the ICSI group and one (0·1%) in the conventional IVF group. INTERPRETATION: In couples with infertility with non-severe male factor, ICSI did not improve live birth rate compared with conventional IVF. Given that ICSI is an invasive procedure associated with additional costs and potential increased risks to offspring health, routine use is not recommended in this population. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program, Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, and Peking University Third Hospital.
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Infertilidade Masculina , Injeções de Esperma Intracitoplásmicas , Gravidez , Feminino , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Humanos , Injeções de Esperma Intracitoplásmicas/métodos , Sêmen , Fertilização in vitro/métodos , Infertilidade Masculina/terapia , Fertilização , Taxa de GravidezRESUMO
Pandemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone C strains encode two inner-membrane associated ATP-dependent FtsH proteases. PaftsH1 is located on the core genome and supports cell growth and intrinsic antibiotic resistance, whereas PaftsH2, a xenolog acquired through horizontal gene transfer from a distantly related species, is unable to functionally replace PaftsH1. We show that purified PaFtsH2 degrades fewer substrates than PaFtsH1. Replacing the 31-amino acid-extended linker region of PaFtsH2 spanning from the C-terminal end of the transmembrane helix-2 to the first seven highly divergent residues of the cytosolic AAA+ ATPase module with the corresponding region of PaFtsH1 improves hybrid-enzyme substrate processing in vitro and enables PaFtsH2 to substitute for PaFtsH1 in vivo. Electron microscopy indicates that the identity of this linker sequence influences FtsH flexibility. We find membrane-cytoplasmic (MC) linker regions of PaFtsH1 characteristically glycine-rich compared to those from FtsH2. Consequently, introducing three glycines into the membrane-proximal end of PaFtsH2's MC linker is sufficient to elevate its activity in vitro and in vivo. Our findings establish that the efficiency of substrate processing by the two PaFtsH isoforms depends on MC linker identity and suggest that greater linker flexibility and/or length allows FtsH to degrade a wider spectrum of substrates. As PaFtsH2 homologs occur across bacterial phyla, we hypothesize that FtsH2 is a latent enzyme but may recognize specific substrates or is activated in specific contexts or biological niches. The identity of such linkers might thus play a more determinative role in the functionality of and physiological impact by FtsH proteases than previously thought.
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Proteases Dependentes de ATP , Proteínas de Bactérias , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Proteases Dependentes de ATP/química , Proteases Dependentes de ATP/metabolismo , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Proteínas de Membrana/metabolismo , Peptídeo Hidrolases/metabolismo , Pseudomonas aeruginosa/metabolismoRESUMO
We propose a universal, green, and surfactant-free strategy to synthesize noble metal particles with high monodispersity using gaseous H2 as a reducing agent in a solution at 60 °C. The prepared Pt nanoparticles have a 24 mV more positive half-wave potential than the commercially available Pt/C in the oxygen reduction reaction, while showing high durability with negligible half-wave potential decay after 10 000 cycles of testing.
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Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A (CMT1A), the most frequent type of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, is mainly caused by a 1.4-Mb duplication containing the PMP22 gene. There is no effective treatment other than general supportive care and symptomatic treatment. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic defects (PGT-M) is an alternative approach for obtaining healthy babies. Methods: A new technology and analysis method based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) was developed to detect duplication mutations directly. Simultaneously, aneuploidy and linkage analyses were performed to achieve a comprehensive and accurate embryo diagnosis. Results: Eight couples were recruited in this study; PMP22 duplication was validated in seven couples, and PMP22 splicing mutation was found in one. Forty-five embryos from 12 PGT cycles were successfully detected using this novel method. The direct detection results for all embryos were consistent with the linkage analyses, suggesting a 100 % accuracy rate, and the aneuploidy rate of the biopsied blastocysts was 33.3 %. Eventually, 18 of the 45 diagnosed embryos were deemed suitable for transfer. Four healthy babies from three families were delivered and their genetic status confirmed by amniocentesis. Additionally, there were no adverse effects of anesthesia or increased pregnancy complications during PGT-M in female patients with CMT1A. Conclusions: This study provided a simple, reliable, and efficient method that can directly detect PMP22 mutations based on NGS data and does not require positive family members. A clinical workflow for CMT1A interruption in the offspring before embryo implantation is also summarized.
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Notwithstanding the oldest-old cohort being the fastest-growing population in most ageing societies, characterizing successful ageing in adults of advanced age, such as nonagenarians and centenarians, remains challenging. This study investigated the successful ageing subphenotypes using the data from Hong Kong Centenarian Study 2. Between April 2021 and September 2022, 146 family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults aged 95 or above were interviewed by phone. Latent class analysis identified three classes-Overall Frail (46.6%) with poor mobility, cognitive and functional health, Nonambulant (37.0%) but good functional health, and Robust (16.4%) with overall good health-from 11 indicators based on caregivers' reports. Although we found a low prevalence of fulfillment of all indicators of successful ageing, our findings will help care professionals appreciate the heterogeneity underlying partial successful ageing in this vulnerable cohort for segmented and targeted healthy longevity interventions.
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Background: Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is more common among patients receiving assisted reproductive treatment. Many efforts have been made to increase the incidence of clinical pregnancy among patients with RIF. The effect of the sequential transfer procedure, a two-step interval transfer of a cleavage-stage embryo followed by a blastocyst in one transfer cycle, on the clinical outcomes of RIF patients remains controversial. Methods: In total, 1774 frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles in RIF patients were included. Of these cycles, 302 were sequential embryo transfer (ET) cycles, 979 were double day 3 cleavage-stage ET cycles, and 493 were double blastocyst ET cycles. The primary outcomes were the rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy and multiple pregnancy, and the secondary outcomes were the rates of hCG positive, early miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Results: The implantation, hCG positive, and clinical pregnancy rates in the sequential ET group (32.1%, 58.9%, 50.7%) were significantly higher than those in the day 3 cleavage-stage ET group (24.9%, 46.5%, 40.4%) and were similar to those in the blastocyst transfer group (30.1%, 56.4%, 47.1%). The early miscarriage rate in the blastocyst transfer group was significantly higher than that in the cleavage-stage ET group (17.2% vs. 8.1%, P <0.05), while the ectopic pregnancy rate in the blastocyst transfer group was significantly lower than that in the cleavage-stage ET group (0.4% vs. 3.0%, P <0.05). The multiple pregnancy rate in the sequential ET group was significantly lower than that in the cleavage-stage ET group (17.0% vs. 25.5%, P <0.05) and the blastocyst transfer group (17.0% vs. 27.6%, P <0.05). When cycles of blastocyst culture failure were excluded, the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher (55.7% vs. 47.1%, P <0.05), and the early miscarriage rate and multiple pregnancy rate were significantly lower (8.5% vs. 17.2%, 17.7% vs. 27.6%; P <0.05, respectively) in the sequential ET group than in the double blastocyst ET group. Conclusions: Sequential embryo transfer in FET cycles could improve the clinical outcomes of patients with RIF.
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Aborto Espontâneo , Gravidez Ectópica , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Estudos de Coortes , Embrião de Mamíferos , Transferência EmbrionáriaRESUMO
Objective: Maternal hypothyroidism before and during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes; many studies have evidenced that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) triggers a significant increase in the levels of TSH; however, no large-scale prospective studies have evaluated the impact of TSH levels after COH on assisted reproductive technology outcomes. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes are affected by TSH levels after COH in women with fresh embryo transfer (ET). Methods: A total of 664 patients who underwent IVF/ICSI treatment and received fresh ET at the Peking University Third Hospital were included in this study. The rates of clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, live birth, and preterm delivery were analyzed. Results: The patients were categorized into two groups based on serum TSH levels after COH (0.55 mIU/L < TSH < 2.5 mIU/L: n= 449, 2.5 mIU/L ≤ TSH ≤ 4.78 mIU/L: n= 215). There were no significant differences in the rates of clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth between the two groups, even after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), thyroid antibody positivity, and COH protocols. However, the preterm delivery rate was significantly higher in women with TSH < 2.5 mIU/L than in those with TSH ≥ 2.5 mIU/L, even after adjusting for relevant confounding factors. There was no significant difference in live birth weight between the two groups. Discussion: Mildly elevated TSH levels (TSH ≥ 2.5 mIU/L) after COH did not affect IVF/ICSI outcomes, and strict control of TSH levels within 2.5 mIU/L after COH might not be necessary. Additionally, strictly controlled TSH levels (TSH < 2.5 mIU/L) may increase preterm delivery risk.
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Aborto Espontâneo , Nascimento Prematuro , Masculino , Gravidez , Recém-Nascido , Humanos , Feminino , Injeções de Esperma Intracitoplásmicas , Estudos Prospectivos , Sêmen , Fertilização in vitro , Transferência Embrionária , TireotropinaRESUMO
We develop a facile, selective edge etching strategy to create edge sites in Pd metallene using acetic acid. The created edge sites remarkably increase the electrochemically active surface area but reduce the charge transfer resistance, resulting in significant enhancement of catalytic activity and stability toward formic acid oxidation.
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Hereditary tumor syndromes have garnered substantial attention due to their adverse effects on both the physical and psychological health of patients, as well as the elevated risk of transmission to subsequent generations. This has prompted a growing interest in exploring preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) as a treatment option to mitigate and eliminate these impacts. Several studies have demonstrated that de novo variants have become a great cause of many hereditary tumor syndromes, which introduce certain difficulties to PGT. In the absence of adequate genetic linkage information (parents and offspring), haplotype construction seems unrealizable. In the study, researchers used single sperm or affected embryos as proband to perform single-nucleotide polymorphism linkage analysis for cases with de novo variants. For complicated variants, the strategy that sperm combined with embryo detection will increase accuracy while avoiding the limitations and potential failures of using a single detection material. The study recruited 11 couples with male de novo carriers, including 3 tumor types and 4 genes. To date, 4 couples have been clinically confirmed as pregnant and three healthy babies have been born. The results of amniocentesis or umbilical cord blood verification were consistent with the results of PGT-M. The study aims to introduce the application of the PGT-M strategy in hereditary tumor syndromes.
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Diagnóstico Pré-Implantação , Gravidez , Feminino , Masculino , Humanos , Diagnóstico Pré-Implantação/métodos , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Sêmen , Testes Genéticos/métodos , Aneuploidia , Ligação GenéticaRESUMO
Noble metal-based metallenes are attracting intensive attention in energy catalysis, but it is still very challenging to precisely control the surface structures of metallenes for higher catalytic properties on account of their intrinsic thermodynamic instability. Herein, the synthesis of tensile-strained holey Pd metallene by oxidative etching is reported using hydrogen peroxide, which exhibits highly enhanced catalytic activity and stability in comparison with normal Pd metallene toward both oxygen reduction reaction and formic acid oxidation. The pre-prepared Pd metallene functions as a catalyst to decompose hydrogen peroxide, and the Pd atoms in amorphous regions of Pd metallene are preferentially removed by the introduced hydrogen peroxide during the etching process. The greatly enhanced ORR activity is mainly determined by the strong electrostatic repulsion between intermediate O* and the dopant O, which balances the adsorption strength of O* on Pd sites, ultimately endowing a weakened adsorption energy of O* on TH-Pd metallene. This work creates a facile and economical strategy to precisely shape metallene-based nanoarchitectures with broad applications for energy systems and sensing devices.
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Diversifying radiation of domain families within specific lineages of life indicates the importance of their functionality for the organisms. The foundation for the diversifying radiation of the cyclic di-GMP signalling network that occurred within the bacterial kingdom is most likely based in the outmost adaptability, flexibility and plasticity of the system. Integrative sensing of multiple diverse extra- and intracellular signals is made possible by the N-terminal sensory domains of the modular cyclic di-GMP turnover proteins, mutations in the protein scaffolds and subsequent signal reception by diverse receptors, which eventually rewires opposite host-associated as well as environmental life styles including parallel regulated target outputs. Natural, laboratory and microcosm derived microbial variants often with an altered multicellular biofilm behaviour as reading output demonstrated single amino acid substitutions to substantially alter catalytic activity including substrate specificity. Truncations and domain swapping of cyclic di-GMP signalling genes and horizontal gene transfer suggest rewiring of the network. Presence of cyclic di-GMP signalling genes on horizontally transferable elements in particular observed in extreme acidophilic bacteria indicates that cyclic di-GMP signalling and biofilm components are under selective pressure in these types of environments. On a short and long term evolutionary scale, within a species and in families within bacterial orders, respectively, the cyclic di-GMP signalling network can also rapidly disappear. To investigate variability of the cyclic di-GMP signalling system on various levels will give clues about evolutionary forces and discover novel physiological and metabolic pathways affected by this intriguing second messenger signalling system.
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Sistemas do Segundo Mensageiro , Transdução de Sinais , Humanos , Substituição de Aminoácidos , Biofilmes , Transferência Genética HorizontalRESUMO
Background: Despite increasing evidence that has shown the association of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with cancer risk, the results remain inconclusive. We, therefore, conducted the meta-analysis to clarify the association by including recently published studies. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify all relevant studies from inception to January 2023. To pool data, fixed-effects or random-effects models were used where appropriate. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias tests were performed. Results: A total of 13 studies (4 cohort studies and 9 case-control studies) were included in the analysis, with a total of 625,738 participants. The highest UPFs consumption was associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.10-1.38), colon cancer (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.14-1.36), and breast cancer (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.20) but not rectal cancer (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.97-1.43) and prostate cancer (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.93-1.12). In addition, the subgroup analyses showed that a positive association between UPFs consumption and colorectal cancer was observed among men (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.50), whereas no significant association was observed among women (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.94-1.29). Conclusion: The present meta-analysis suggests that high UPFs consumption is associated with a significantly increased risk of certain site-specific cancers, especially the digestive tract and some hormone-related cancers. However, further rigorously designed prospective and experimental studies are needed to better understand causal pathways.
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Since the successful clinical trial of AuroShell for photothermal therapy, there is currently intense interest in developing gold-based core-shell structures with near-infrared (NIR) absorption ranging from NIR-I (650-900 nm) to NIR-II (900-1700 nm). Here, we propose a seed-mediated successive growth approach to produce gold nanoshells on the surface of the nanoscale metal-organic framework (NMOF) of UiO-66-NH2 (UiO = the University of Oslo) in one pot. The key to this strategy is to modulate the proportion of the formaldehyde (reductant) and its regulator / oxidative product of formic acid to harness the particle nucleation and growth rate within the same system. The gold nanoshells propagate through a well-oriented and controllable diffusion growth pattern (points â facets â octahedron), which has not been identified. Most strikingly, the gold nanoshells prepared hereby exhibit an exceedingly broad and strong absorption in NIR-II with a peak beyond 1300 nm and outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency of 74.0%. Owing to such superior performance, these gold nanoshells show promising outcomes in photoacoustic (PA), computed tomography (CT), and photothermal imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) for breast cancer, as demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo.