Comparison of efficacy and safety between robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To some extent, robotic technique does offer certain benefits in rectal cancer surgery than laparoscopic one, while remains a topic of ongoing debate for rectal cancer patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). METHODS: Potential studies published until January 2024 were obtained from Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase and PubMed. Dichotomous and continuous variables were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% their confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. A random effects model was used if I2 statistic >50%, otherwise a fixed effects model. RESULTS: Eleven studies involving 1079 patients were analyzed. The robotic-assisted group had an 0.4 cm shorter distance from anal verge (95% CI: -0.680 to -0.114, P=0.006) and 1.94 times higher complete total mesorectal excision (TME) rate (OR=1.936, 95% CI: 1.061 to 3.532, P=0.031). However, the operation time in the robotic-assisted group was 54 minutes longer (95% CI: 20.489 to 87.037, P=0.002) than laparoscopic group. In addition, the robotic-assisted group had a lower open conversion rate (OR=0.324, 95% CI: 0.129 to 0.816, P=0.017) and a shorter length of hospital stay (WMD=-1.127, 95% CI: -2.071 to -0.184, P=0.019). CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted surgery offered several advantages over laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following NCRT in terms of resection of lower tumours with improved TME completeness, lower open conversion rate and shorter hospital stay, despite longer operative time.

An In-Situ-Tag-Generation Proximity Labeling Technology for Recording Cellular Interactions.

Obtaining information about cellular interactions is fundamental to the elucidation of physiological and pathological processes. Proximity labeling technologies have been widely used to report cellular interactions in situ; however, the reliance on addition of tag molecules typically restricts their application to regions where tags can readily diffuse, while the application in, for example, solid tissues, is susceptible. Here, we propose an "in-situ-tag-generation mechanism" and develop the GalTag technology based on galactose oxidase (GAO) for recording cellular interactions within three-dimensional biological solid regions. GAO mounted on bait cells can in situ generate bio-orthogonal aldehyde tags as interaction reporters on prey cells. Using GalTag, we monitored the dynamics of cellular interactions and assessed the targeting ability of engineered cells. In particular, we recorded, for the first time, the footprints of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) invasion into the bladder tissue of living mice, providing a valuable perspective to elucidate the anti-tumor mechanism of BCG.

In Situ Glycan Analysis and Editing in Living Systems.

Besides proteins and nucleic acids, carbohydrates are also ubiquitous building blocks of living systems. Approximately 70% of mammalian proteins are glycosylated. Glycans not only provide structural support for living systems but also act as crucial regulators of cellular functions. As a result, they are considered essential pieces of the life science puzzle. However, research on glycans has lagged far behind that on proteins and nucleic acids. The main reason is that glycans are not direct products of gene coding, and their synthesis is nontemplated. In addition, the diversity of monosaccharide species and their linkage patterns contribute to the complexity of the glycan structures, which is the molecular basis for their diverse functions. Research in glycobiology is extremely challenging, especially for the in situ elucidation of glycan structures and functions. There is an urgent need to develop highly specific glycan labeling tools and imaging methods and devise glycan editing strategies. This Perspective focuses on the challenges of in situ analysis of glycans in living systems at three spatial levels (i.e., cell, tissue, and in vivo) and highlights recent advances and directions in glycan labeling, imaging, and editing tools. We believe that examining the current development landscape and the existing bottlenecks can drive the evolution of in situ glycan analysis and intervention strategies and provide glycan-based insights for clinical diagnosis and therapeutics.

Traceless Protein-Selective Glycan Labeling and Chemical Modification.

Executing glycan editing at a molecular level not only is pivotal for the elucidation of complicated mechanisms involved in glycan-relevant biological processes but also provides a promising solution to potentiate disease therapy. However, the precision control of glycan modification or glyco-editing on a selected glycoprotein is by far a grand challenge. Of note is to preserve the intact cellular glycan landscape, which is preserved after editing events are completed. We report herein a versatile, traceless glycan modification methodology for customizing the glycoforms of targeted proteins (subtypes), by orchestrating chemical- and photoregulation in a protein-selective glycoenzymatic system. This method relies on a three-module, ligand-photocleavable linker-glycoenzyme (L-P-G) conjugate. We demonstrated that RGD- or synthetic carbohydrate ligand-containing conjugates (RPG and SPG) would not activate until after the ligand-receptor interaction is accomplished (chemical regulation). RPG and SPG can both release the glycoenzyme upon photoillumination (photoregulation). The adjustable glycoenzyme activity, combined with ligand recognition selectivity, minimizes unnecessary glycan editing perturbation, and photolytic cleavage enables precise temporal control of editing events. An altered target protein turnover and dimerization were observed in our system, emphasizing the significance of preserving the native physiological niche of a particular protein when precise modification on the carbohydrate epitope occurs.

Protein-Targeted Glycan Editing on Living Cells Disrupts KRAS Signaling.

The frequent mutation of KRAS oncogene in some of the most lethal human cancers has spurred incredible efforts to develop KRAS inhibitors, yet only one covalent inhibitor for the KRASG12C mutant has been approved to date. New venues to interfere with KRAS signaling are desperately needed. Here, we report a "localized oxidation-coupling" strategy to achieve protein-specific glycan editing on living cells for disrupting KRAS signaling. This glycan remodeling method exhibits excellent protein and sugar specificity and is applicable to different donor sugars and cell types. Attachment of mannotriose to the terminal galactose/N-acetyl-D-galactosamine epitopes of integrin αv ß3 , a membrane receptor upstream of KRAS, blocks its binding to galectin-3, suppresses the activation of KRAS and downstream effectors, and mitigates KRAS-driven malignant phenotypes. Our work represents the first successful attempt to interfere with KRAS activity by manipulating membrane receptor glycosylation.

Electroacupuncture alleviates pain after total knee arthroplasty through regulating neuroplasticity: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of electroacupuncture in relieving acute pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and related mechanism. METHODS: In this randomized, single-blind, and sham-acupuncture controlled study. Forty patients with postoperative acute pain were recruited and randomly divided electroacupuncture group (n = 20) and sham-acupuncture group (n = 20) from November 2020 to October 2021. All patients received electroacupuncture or sham-acupuncture for 5 days after TKA. Their brain regions were scanned with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after intervention. Pain was scaled. Another 40 matched healthy controls underwent scanning once. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values was compared. Pearson's correlation analysis was utilized to explore the correlation of ALFF with clinical variables in patients after intervention. RESULTS: Compared with the HCs, patients with acute pain following TKA had significantly decreased ALFF value in right middle frontal gyrus, right supplementary motor area, bilateral precuneus, right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, and left triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus (false discovery rate corrected p < .05). Patients had higher ALFF value in bilateral precuneus, right cuneus, right angular gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus after electroacupuncture (AlphaSim corrected p < .01). Correlation analysis revealed that the change (postoperative day 7 to postoperative day 3) of ALFF in bilateral precuneus were negatively correlated with the change of NRS scores (r = -0.706; p = .002; 95% CI = -0.890 to -0.323) in EA group. CONCLUSIONS: The functional activities of related brain regions decreased in patients with acute pain after TKA. The enhancement of the functional activity of precuneus may be the neurobiological mechanism of electroacupuncture in treating pain following TKA.

The Relationship between Spatial Characteristics of Urban-Rural Settlements and Carbon Emissions in Guangdong Province.

As containers of human activities, both urban and rural built-up settlements play roles in the increment of regional GHG emissions. This study investigates the relationship between the spatial characteristics of different urban-rural settlements and carbon emissions in Guangdong province, China. After estimating the carbon emissions of 21 cities in Guangdong province from 2005 to 2020, this paper constructs a panel regression model based on the STIPRAT model to identify the impact of different types of urban-rural settlements on carbon emissions with controlling socioeconomic factors. The results show that the increase in high-density urban areas and low-density rural built-up areas have a significant positive correlation with carbon emissions. Moreover, the impact of rural built-up settlements is stronger than urban areas. In addition, our results indicate that carbon emission has little correlation with the spatial landscape pattern. This study highlights the importance of rural built-up settlements for understanding regional carbon emissions. Local governments should not only focus on the reduction of carbon emissions in the large urban agglomerations but also need to make a plan for the small and medium-sized towns that are dominated by industries.

Aglycone sterics-selective enzymatic glycan remodeling.

Precision remodeling of glycans in their native environments is pivotal for understanding glycan-mediated biological events and has important biotechnological implications in fields of clinical diagnosis, glyco-immune checkpoint therapy, and so forth. However, the influence of aglycone-steric diversity on the selectivity of glycan remodeling has been largely overlooked, limiting the application in complex biological scenarios. Here, we report the achievement of aglycone sterics-selective enzymatic glycan remodeling by controlled grafting of functional polymers from glycoenzyme. Through tuning polymer length, a series of enzyme-polymer composites with varying substrate permeability are prepared, which afford an activity pattern-based differentiation strategy for aglycone sterics. This leads to the implementation of glycolipid's partner screening, and aglycone sterics-selective glycan remodeling in a complex biological environment. We further orchestrate the polymer length adjustment with external cues to regulate aglycone-steric selectivity in a multi-faceted fashion, resulting in an unexpected enhancement of glycolipid remodeling, and temporal control of glycan remodeling on live cells.

Altered brain activity in end-stage knee osteoarthritis revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

INTRODUCTION: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized by a degenerative change of knee cartilage and secondary bone hyperplasia, resulting in pain, stiffness, and abnormal walking gait. Long-term chronic pain causes considerable cortical plasticity alternations in patients. However, the brain structural and functional alterations associated with the pathological changes in knee joints of end-stage KOA patients remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze the structural and functional connectivity alterations in end-stage KOA to comprehensively understand the main brain-associated mechanisms underlying its development and progression. METHODS: In this study, 37 patients with KOA and 37 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Alternations in gray matter (GM) volume in patients with KOA were determined using voxel-based morphometry. The region with the largest GM volume alteration was selected as the region of interest to calculate the voxel-wise resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in the two groups. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between clinical measures and GM volume alternations in patients with KOA. RESULTS: Compared with HCs, patients with KOAs exhibited significantly decreased GM volumes in the left middle temporal gyrus (left-MTG) and the left inferior temporal gyrus. Results of the voxel-wise rs-FC analysis revealed that compared with HCs, patients with KOA had decreased left-MTG rs-FC to the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left medial superior frontal gyrus. GM volume in the left-MTG was negatively correlated with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index in patients with KOA (r = -0.393, p = .016). CONCLUSION: Structural remodeling and functional connectivity alterations may be one of the central brain mechanisms associated with end-stage KOA.

Hierarchical Fluorescence Imaging Strategy for Assessment of the Sialylation Level of Lipid Rafts on the Cell Membrane.

Glycosylation is one of the most ubiquitous and complicated modifications of proteins and lipids. The revelation of glycosylation-mediated regulation mechanisms of biological processes relies critically on the tools that can reflect the spatial heterogeneity of cell surface glycans, for example, distinguishing glycans exhibited in lipid raft or nonraft domains. To achieve simultaneous visualization of raft and raft-harbored glycans on the cell surface, we combine specific raft recognition, glycan chemoselective labeling, and DNA dynamic hybridization techniques to develop a hierarchical fluorescence imaging strategy using N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (Sia) as the model sugar. We fabricate a raft probe and Sia probe for rafts and Sia, respectively. After specifically anchoring the two probes on the cell surface, the raft probe can be cyclically utilized to turn on the fluorescence of the Sia probe, only residing in rafts, via a proximity cascade DNA reaction. The duplex imaging capability for spatially relevant levels of biological structures enables the revelation of the reason for raft-confined Sia variation in different biological processes. Thus, this work provides an elegant and powerful tool for interrogation of the glycan regulation mechanisms on raft composition, organization, and functions and also contributes to the development of raft-carried glycoconjugate-based theranostic techniques.

Synthesis process optimization and field trials of insecticide candidate NKY-312.

NKY-312 is a highly active insecticide candidate with a simple structure. In order to carry out field trials and toxicity tests, its scale preparation is urgently needed, but the final step of the original synthetic route is a low-yielding sulfonylation reaction that generates a high proportion of a bissulfonylated by-product, its foliar contact activities against bean aphid (80% at 100 mg/kg) is significantly lower than that of NKY-312 (100% at 5 mg/kg), and uses pyridine as the solvent. In this work, we developed a highly selective (4-dimethylaminopyridine)-catalyzed monosulfonylation reaction that avoids the use of pyridine as a solvent and shows a much higher yield (98% yield with 98% HPLC purity) than the original reaction (68%). Then, we carried out the field trials and toxicity tests. In field experiments, the activities of NKY-312 against rice planthopper and wheat aphid were equal to pymetrozine and imidacloprid respectively.

Two Potential Probiotic Bacillus with Proteolytic Activity to Dietary Protein from Adult Feces.

　Two Bacillus strains were screened and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing the phenotypic tests, and then characterized in vitro for the probiotic characteristics. They were able to tolerate pH 2.5 for 2.5 h, following 0.3% bile salts and 0.1% pancreatin treatment for 5 h. They exhibited good ability to attach to intestinal epithelial cells and were susceptible to most of the antibiotics and being killed by several. Further and more important, they showed good proteolytic activity to food protein as gelatin and milk, with even higher activity than the reference strain. Thus, these two Bacillus strains are considered as potential proteolytic probiotic strains to food proteins.

Preparation of Cellulose Nanofibers from Bagasse by Phosphoric Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide Enables Fibrillation via a Swelling, Hydrolysis, and Oxidation Cooperative Mechanism.

Due to the natural cellulose encapsulated in both lignin and hemicellulose matrices, as well as in plant cell walls with a compact and complex hierarchy, extracting cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from lignocellulosic biomass is challenging. In this study, a sustainable high yield strategy with respect to other CNF preparations was developed. The cellulose was liberated from plant cell walls and fibrillated to a 7-22 nm thickness in one bath treatment with H3PO4 and H2O2 under mild conditions. The cellulose underwent swelling, the lignin underwent oxidative degradation, and the hemicellulose and a small amount of cellulose underwent acid hydrolysis. The CNFs' width was about 12 nm, with high yields (93% and 50% based on cellulose and biomass, respectively), and a 64% crystallinity and good thermal stability were obtained from bagasse. The current work suggests a strategy with simplicity, mild conditions, and cost-effectiveness, which means that this method can contribute to sustainable development for the preparation of CNFs.

Synthesis of Four Optical Isomers of Antiviral Agent NK0209 and Determination of Their Configurations and Activities against a Plant Virus.

Previously, we reported for the first time that harmala alkaloids harmine and tetrahydroharmine exhibit activity against plant viruses, and we developed an analogue, designated NK0209, that efficiently prevents and controls plant virus diseases. Here, to investigate the influence of the spatial configuration of NK0209 on its antiviral activities, we synthesized its four optical isomers, determined their configurations, and evaluated their activities against tobacco mosaic virus. All four isomers were significantly more active than ningnanmycin, which is one of the most successful commercial antiviral agents, with in vivo inactivation, cure, and protection rates of 57.3 ± 1.9, 54.2 ± 3.3, and 55.0 ± 4.1% at 500 µg/mL. Furthermore, analysis of structure-activity relationships demonstrated for the first time that the spatial conformation of NK0209 is an important determinant of its antiviral activity, and our results provide information about the possible optimum configuration for interaction of this molecule with its target protein.

Sensitivity Enhancement of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor with Platinum Diselenide.

The extraordinary optoelectronic properties of platinum diselenide (PtSe2), whose structure is similar to graphene and phosphorene, has attracted great attention in new rapidly developed two-dimensional (2D) materials beyond the other 2D material family members. We have investigated the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors through PtSe2 with the transfer matrix method. The simulation results show that the anticipated PtSe2 biochemical sensors have the ability to detect analytic. It is evident that only the sensitivities of Ag or Au film biochemical sensors were observed at 118°/RIU (refractive index unit) and 130°/RIU, whereas the sensitivities of the PtSe2-based biochemical sensors reached as high as 162°/RIU (Ag film) and 165°/RIU (Au film). The diverse biosensor sensitivities with PtSe2 suggest that this kind of 2D material can adapt SPR sensor properties.

Exogenous melatonin confers drought stress by promoting plant growth, photosynthetic capacity and antioxidant defense system of maize seedlings.

Melatonin is an important biologically active hormone that plays a vital role in plant growth and development. In particular, it has been investigated for its roles in abiotic stress management. The current experiment was carried out to investigate the protective role of melatonin in photosynthetic traits and the antioxidant defense system of maize seedling under drought stress. Maize seedlings were subjected to drought stress (40-45% FC) after two weeks of seedling emergence, followed by a foliar spray (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 µM) and soil drench of melatonin (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 µM). Our results indicated that drought stress negatively affected maize seedling and decreased plant growth and development, biomass accumulation, reduced chlorophyll, and carotenoid content, and significantly declined photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. On the other hand, reactive oxygen species, soluble protein, and proline content increased under drought stress. However, the application of exogenous melatonin reduced the reactive oxygen species burst and enhanced the photosynthetic activity by protecting from damages through activation of various antioxidant enzymes under drought stress. Foliar application of 100 µM and soil drench of 50 µM melatonin was the most effective treatment concentrations under drought stress. Our current findings hereby confirmed the mitigating potential of melatonin application for drought stress by maintaining plant growth, improving the photosynthetic characteristics and activities of antioxidants enzymes.

Hierarchically Porous W-Doped CoP Nanoflake Arrays as Highly Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst for pH-Universal Hydrogen Evolution.

It is still challenging to develop high-efficiency and low-cost non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in pH-universal electrolytes. Herein, hierarchically porous W-doped CoP nanoflake arrays on carbon cloth (W-CoP NAs/CC) are synthesized via facile liquid-phase reactions and a subsequent phosphorization process. The W-CoP NAs/CC hybrid can be directly employed as a binder-free electrocatalyst and delivers superior HER performance in pH-universal electrolytes. Especially, it delivers very low overpotentials of 89, 94, and 102 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in acidic, alkaline, and neutral electrolytes, respectively. Furthermore, it shows a nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency as well as superior long-term stability with no decreasing up to 36 h in pH-universal electrolytes. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance of W-CoP NAs/CC can be mainly attributed to the porous W-doped nanoflake arrays, which not only afford rich exposed active sites, but also accelerate the access of electrolytes and the diffusion of H2 bubbles, thus efficiently promoting the HER performance. This work provides a new horizon to rationally design and synthesize highly effective and stable non-noble metal phosphide-based pH-universal electrocatalysts for HER.

OsJMJ703, a rice histone demethylase gene, plays key roles in plant development and responds to drought stress.

JmjC-domain-containing (JmjC) protein, an important kind of histone demethylase in plants, plays key roles in multiple growth and development processes and in adversity resistance. In this study, we found that OsJMJ703, a known histone demethylase, is expressed in various tissues. Furthermore, over-expression of OsJMJ703 influenced the type of rice panicle, and knock-down of the expression of OsJMJ703 showed an earlier flowering time in rice. In addition, OsJMJ703 is involved in abiotic stress. Transgenic rice of over-expressing OsJMJ703 is sensitive to drought stress, whereas knocking down OsJMJ703 enhances the tolerance to drought stress. This study provides a theoretical basis of the biological function of JmjC protein and further promotes the study of drought resistance.

Self-Templating Synthesis of Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate Hollow Structures with Superior Performance for Na-Ion Hybrid Supercapacitors.

Prussian blue (PB) and its analogues (PBA), especially with hollow structures, have attracted growing attention from the researchers of energy storage field. Herein, we have developed a facile self-templating method to synthesize hollow-structured cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) with controllable morphologies by using water-soluble precursors as templates. The method is versatile and can be extended to synthesize various PB/PBA hollow structures with tunable composition and morphology. Profiting from the unique hollow structure, the CoHCF hollow prisms manifest exceptional electrochemical performance in the Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte, including a high specific capacitance (284 F g-1 at 1 A g-1), a high rate capability, and an excellent cycling stability (92% retention after 5000 cycles). A hybrid supercapacitor device assembled with the CoHCF hollow prisms and activated carbon shows a high specific density of 47 W h kg-1 at a specific power of 1000 W kg-1 and stable cycling performance.