Causal effects of immune cell surface antigens and functional outcome after ischemic stroke: a Mendelian randomization study.

Objective: While observational studies link immune cells with post-stroke functional outcome, the underlying immune mechanisms are not well understood. Immune cell surface antigens are actively involved in the biological behavior of immune cells, investigating immune cell surface antigens could deepen our comprehension of their role and biological processes in stroke recovery. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the immunological basis of stroke outcome by exploring the causal relationship between immune cell surface antigens and functional outcome after ischemic stroke in a Mendelian randomization study. Methods: Genetic variants related to immune cell surface antigens and post-stroke functional outcome were selected for two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 389 fluorescence intensities (MFIs) with surface antigens were included. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) modeling was used as the primary MR method to estimate the causal effect of exposure on the outcome, followed by several alternative methods and sensitivity analyses. Additional analysis of the association between immune cell surface antigens and risk of ischemic stroke for assessment of collider bias. Results: We found that suggestive associations between CD20 on switched memory B cell (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01-1.34, p = 0.036) and PDL-1 on monocyte (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04-1.66, p = 0.022) and poor post-stroke functional outcome, whereas CD25 on CD39+ resting Treg (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62-0.96, p = 0.017) was suggestively associated with good post-stroke functional outcome. Conclusion: The elevated CD20 on switched memory B cell, PDL-1 on monocyte, and CD25 on CD39+ resting Treg may be novel biomarkers and potential causal factors influencing post-stroke functional outcome.

Identifying the prognosis implication, immunotherapy response prediction value, and potential targeted compound inhibitors of integrin subunit α3 (ITGA3) in human cancers.

The integrin subunit α3 (ITGA3) is a member of the integrin alpha chain protein family, which could promote progression, metastasis, and invasion in some cancers. Still, its function in the tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer prognosis, and immunotherapy remains unclear. A multifaceted analysis of ITGA3 in pan-cancer utilizing various databases and online web tools revealed ITGA3 was aberrantly expressed in tumor tissues and upregulated in most cancers, which may be related to ITGA3 genomic alterations and methylation modification. In addition, ITGA3 was significantly correlated with the poor or better prognosis of cancer patients, immune-related pathways in hallmark, immune infiltration, and immune checkpoints, revealing a biological function of ITGA3 in the tumor progression, tumor microenvironment, and tumor immunity. We also found that ITGA3 could predict the response to tumor immunotherapy based on cytokine-treated samples and immunotherapy cohorts. ITGA3 may participate in shaping and regulating the tumor microenvironment to affect the tumor immune response, which was a promising immunotherapy response predictive biomarker and potential therapeutic target to work synergistically with cancer immunotherapy to boost the response and efficacy. Finally, potential targeted compound inhibitors and sensitive drugs were screened using databases ConnectivityMap (CMap) and CellMiner, and AutoDock Tools was used for molecular docking.

Functional Identification of Olfactory Receptors of Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) for Plant Odor.

Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a migratory insect pest on rice crops. The migratory C. medinalis population in a particular location may be immigrants, local populations, emigrants, or a mix of these. Immigrants are strongly attracted to plant odor. We conducted research to identify the olfactory receptors in a floral scent mixture that is strongly attractive to C. medinalis. Through gene cloning, 12 olfactory receptor (OR) genes were amplified and expressed in Xenopus oocytes in vitro, and three of them were found to be responsive to plant foliar and floral volatiles. These were CmedOR31, a specific receptor for geraniol; CmedOR32, a broad-spectrum OR gene that responded to both foliar and floral odors; and CmedOR1, which strongly responded to 10-4 M phenylacetaldehyde. The electrophysiological response to phenylacetaldehyde was extremely high, with a current of 3200 ± 86 nA and an extremely high sensitivity. We compared the phylogenetic tree and sequence similarity of CmedOR genes and found that CmedOR1 belonged to a uniquely conserved OR pedigree in the evolution of Glossata species, and the ORs of this pedigree strongly responded to phenylacetaldehyde. The expression of OR1 was significantly higher in the females than in the males. Localization of CmedOR1 in the antennae of C. medinalis by fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that CmedOR1 was expressed in both males and females. CmedOR1 may be an odor receptor used by females to locate food sources. The function of these ORs and their role in pest monitoring were discussed.

Prognostic Value of Platelet Aggregation Function in Patients with laryngeal Carcinoma.

Background: Laryngeal cancer was one of the most common malignancies of the head in those years. It has become one of the most common causes of death due to its high recurrence rate and high metastasis rate. It was well known that platelets, especially activated platelets, promote the proliferation, division, and invasion of tumor cells. Activated platelets promote cancer progression and metastasis. However, the prognostic value of platelet aggregation function in laryngeal cancer remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive significance of platelet aggregation function in laryngeal cancer. Materials and Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2016, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 203 patients who were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer consecutively. The patients were stratified by platelet aggregation function into two groups: low "adenosine diphosphate induced light transmittance aggregometry (ADP-induced LTA) ≤15.1" and high (ADP-induced LTA >15.1). Pathological tissues from different parts of the operation were collected and the pathologist determined the pathological type. We assessed the prognostic significance of platelet aggregation function using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression. Results: The low cohort had a significantly higher lymphocyte count than the high cohort. Compared with the high cohort, the low cohort had significantly lower levels of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), ADP-induced LTA, and Interleukins (IL)-6. The ADP-induced LTA (hazard ratio, 1.212; P <0.001) was independently related with 5-year overall survival rate. Conclusion: Patients with ADP-induced LTA >15.1 experience poor outcomes. Platelet aggregation function, when elevated, could be a new prognostic indicator for laryngeal cancer.