Amplification of Oxygen-Independent Free Radicals Based on a Glutathione Depletion and Biosynthesis Inhibition Strategy for Photothermal and Thermodynamic Therapy of Hypoxic Tumors.

Thermodynamic therapy (TDT) based on oxygen-independent free radicals exhibits promising potential for the treatment of hypoxic tumors. However, its therapeutic efficacy is seriously limited by the premature release of the drug and the free radical scavenging effect of glutathione (GSH) in tumors. Herein, we report a GSH depletion and biosynthesis inhibition strategy using EGCG/Fe-camouflaged gold nanorod core/ZIF-8 shell nanoparticles embedded with azo initiator 2,2'-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl) propane] dihydrochloride (AIPH) and L-buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO) for tumor-targeting photothermal (PTT) and thermodynamic therapy (TDT). This nanoplatform (GNR@ZIF-8-AIPH/BSO@EGCG/Fe, GZABEF) endows a pH-responsive release performance. With the 67 kDa lamin receptor (67LR)-targeting ability of EGCG, GZABEF could selectively release oxygen-independent free radicals in tumor cells under 1064 nm laser irradiation. More importantly, Fe3+-mediated GSH depletion and BSO-mediated GSH biosynthesis inhibition significantly boosted the accumulation of alkyl radicals. In 4T1 cells, GZABEF induced cancer cell death via intracellular GSH depletion and GSH peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inactivation. In a subcutaneous xenograft model of 4T1, GZABEF demonstrated remarkable tumor growth inhibition (78.2%). In addition, excellent biosafety and biocompatibility of GZABEF were observed both in vitro and in vivo. This study provides inspiration for amplified TDT/PTT-mediated antitumor efficacy.

A quantitative study on the terrestrial input to the tropical Northeast Atlantic.

Eolian dust and riverine discharge are identified as two key components of terrestrial input to the oceans. They supply micronutrients to the oceans and modify marine carbon biogeochemistry and global climate through dust-land-ocean interactions. However, it is challenging to accurately constrain regional terrestrial inputs in the past, with currently available models and geochemical proxies. The present study utilizes sedimentary wtCaCO3% records to estimate lithogenic fluxes. The depth-dependance of CaCO3 preservation in the Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) sediments in two major basins of the tropical Northeast Atlantic Ocean is described using a carbonate dissolution model. Results show that during the LGM, reduced dust deposition and slight drops of fluvial input are found in the Canary Basin and Cape Verde margins, respectively. To supplement, carbonate deposition during the LGM indicates that the deep subtropical Northeast Atlantic is seized by more sluggish deep waters relative to today.

Dietary intake changes the associations between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and the surrogate indicators of insulin resistance.

The relationship of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and insulin resistance remains inclusive. Our study aimed to investigate this association in the project of Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China (China-PAR). Specifically, we examined the associations between long-term PM2.5 exposure and three surrogate indicators of insulin resistance: the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), TyG with waist circumference (TyG-WC) and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR). Additionally, we explored potential effect modification of dietary intake and components. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the associations between PM2.5 and the indicators with an unbalanced repeated measurement design. Our analysis incorporated a total of 162,060 observations from 99,329 participants. Each 10 µg/m3 increment of PM2.5 was associated with an increase of 0.22 % [95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.20 %, 0.25 %], 1.60 % (95 % CI: 1.53 %, 1.67 %), and 2.05 % (95 % CI: 1.96 %, 2.14 %) in TyG, TyG-WC, and METS-IR, respectively. These associations were attenuated among participants with a healthy diet, particularly those with sufficient intake of fruit and vegetable, fish or tea (pinteraction < 0.0028). For instance, among participants with a healthy diet, TyG increased by 0.11 % (95 % CI: 0.08 %, 0.15 %) per 10 µg/m3 PM2.5 increment, significantly lower than the association observed in those with an unhealthy diet. The findings of this study emphasize the potential of a healthy diet to mitigate these associations, highlighting the urgency for improving air quality and implementing dietary interventions among susceptible populations in China.

Scaling up of a Self-Confined Catalytic Hybridization Circuit for Robust microRNA Imaging.

The precise regulation of cellular behaviors within a confined, crowded intracellular environment is highly amenable in diagnostics and therapeutics. While synthetic circuitry system through a concatenated chemical reaction network has rarely been reported to mimic dynamic self-assembly system. Herein, a catalytic self-defined circuit (CSC) for the hierarchically concatenated assembly of DNA domino nanostructures is engineered. By incorporating pre-sealed symmetrical fragments into the preying hairpin reactants, the CSC system allows the hierarchical DNA self-assembly via a microRNA (miRNA)-powered self-sorting catalytic hybridization reaction. With minimal strand complexity, this self-sustainable CSC system streamlined the circuit component and achieved localization-intensified cascaded signal amplification. Profiting from the self-adaptively concatenated hybridization reaction, a reliable and robust method has been achieved for discriminating carcinoma tissues from the corresponding para-carcinoma tissues. The CSC-sustained self-assembly strategy provides a comprehensive and smart toolbox for organizing various hierarchical DNA nanostructures, which may facilitate more insights for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic assessment.

Epidemiological Characteristics of Human Parainfluenza Viruses Infections - China, 2019-2023.

Introduction: A retrospective study based on sentinel surveillance was conducted in 10 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) in China to enhance the understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs). Methods: From January 2019 to June 2023, respiratory specimens were collected from individuals with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and screened for four HPIVs serotypes and other common respiratory viruses using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This study analyzed the association of HPIVs infections with seasonal patterns, geographical distribution, demographic profiles, clinical features, and co-infection status. Results: During the study period, a total of 12,866 ARIs were included. The overall detection rate of HPIVs was 6.15%, varying from 5.04% in 2022 to 9.70% in 2020. The median age of HPIVs-infected patients was 3 years. HPIV2 was more prevalent among individuals aged 5-17 years (42.57%), while HPIV4 was more common in those over 65 years (12.24%). HPIV3 (54.16%) and HPIV1 (27.18%) were the predominant serotypes, and their prevalence exhibited significant seasonal fluctuations post- coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The peak of HPIV3 shifted three months later in 2020 compared to 2019 and returned to a summer peak thereafter. Two peaks of HPIV1 were observed in 2021 following the peak of HPIV3. Additionally, co-infections were frequent in HPIVs cases (overall rate: 22.12%), with human rhinovirus being the most common co-infecting virus. Conclusions: The prevalence of HPIVs in China was predominantly due to HPIV3 and HPIV1, and their seasonal patterns were altered by pandemic restrictions. Hence, continuous surveillance of HPIVs is essential.

Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveals anthocyanin biosynthesis in leaf coloration of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.).

BACKGROUND: Quinoa leaves demonstrate a diverse array of colors, offering a potential enhancement to landscape aesthetics and the development of leisure-oriented sightseeing agriculture in semi-arid regions. This study utilized integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate the mechanisms underlying anthocyanin synthesis in both emerald green and pink quinoa leaves. RESULTS: Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that both flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (ko00941) and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway (ko00942) were significantly associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were analyzed between the two germplasms during different developmental periods. Ten DEGs were verified using qRT-PCR, and the results were consistent with those of the transcriptomic sequencing. The elevated expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), 4-coumarate CoA ligase (4CL) and Hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), as well as the reduced expression of flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and Flavonol synthase (FLS), likely cause pink leaf formation. In addition, bHLH14, WRKY46, and TGA indirectly affected the activities of CHS and 4CL, collectively regulating the levels of cyanidin 3-O-(3'', 6''-O-dimalonyl) glucoside and naringenin. The diminished expression of PAL, 4CL, and HCT decreased the formation of cyanidin-3-O-(6"-O-malonyl-2"-O-glucuronyl) glucoside, leading to the emergence of emerald green leaves. Moreover, the lowered expression of TGA and WRKY46 indirectly regulated 4CL activity, serving as another important factor in maintaining the emerald green hue in leaves N1, N2, and N3. CONCLUSION: These findings establish a foundation for elucidating the molecular regulatory mechanisms governing anthocyanin biosynthesis in quinoa leaves, and also provide some theoretical basis for the development of leisure and sightseeing agriculture.

MXene-Based Pressure Sensor with a Self-Healing Property for Joule Heating and Friction Sliding.

As a kind of flexible electronic device, flexible pressure sensor has attracted wide attention in medical monitoring and human-machine interaction. With the continuous deepening of research, high-sensitivity sensor is developing from single function to multi-function. However, Current multifunctional sensors lack the ability to integrate joule heating, detect sliding friction, and self-healing. Herein, a MXene/polyurethane (PU) flexible pressure sensor with a self-healing property for joule heating and friction sliding is fabricated. The MXene/PU sensitive layer with special spinosum structure is prepared by a simple spraying method. After face-to-face assembly of the sensitive layers, the MXene/PU flexible pressure sensor is obtained and showed excellent sensitivity (150.65 kPa-1), fast response/recovery speed (75.5/63.9 ms), and good stability (10 000 cycles). Based on the self-healing property of PU, the sensor also has the ability to heal after mechanical damage. In addition, the sensor realizes the joule heating function under low voltage, and has the real-time monitoring ability of sliding objects. Combined with low cost and simple manufacturing method, the multi-functional MXene/PU flexible sensor shows a wide range of application potential in human activity monitoring, thermal management, and slip recognition.

Prognostic analysis of high-flow nasal cannula therapy and non-invasive ventilation in mild to moderate hypoxemia patients and construction of a machine learning model for 48-h intubation prediction-a retrospective analysis of the MIMIC database.

Background: This study aims to investigate the clinical outcome between high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy in mild to moderate hypoxemic patients on the first ICU day and to develop a predictive model of 48-h intubation. Methods: The study included adult patients from the MIMIC III and IV databases who first initiated HFNC or NIV therapy due to mild to moderate hypoxemia (100 < PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 300). The 48-h and 30-day intubation rates were compared using cross-sectional and survival analysis. Nine machine learning and six ensemble algorithms were deployed to construct the 48-h intubation predictive models, of which the optimal model was determined by its prediction accuracy. The top 10 risk and protective factors were identified using the Shapley interpretation algorithm. Result: A total of 123,042 patients were screened, of which, 673 were from the MIMIC IV database for ventilation therapy comparison (HFNC n = 363, NIV n = 310) and 48-h intubation predictive model construction (training dataset n = 471, internal validation set n = 202) and 408 were from the MIMIC III database for external validation. The NIV group had a lower intubation rate (23.1% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.001), ICU 28-day mortality (18.5% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.014), and in-hospital mortality (19.6% vs. 11.9%, p = 0.007) compared to the HFNC group. Survival analysis showed that the total and 48-h intubation rates were not significantly different. The ensemble AdaBoost decision tree model (internal and external validation set AUROC 0.878, 0.726) had the best predictive accuracy performance. The model Shapley algorithm showed Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), acute physiology scores (APSIII), the minimum and maximum lactate value as risk factors for early failure and age, the maximum PaCO2 and PH value, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the minimum PaO2/FiO2 ratio, and PaO2 value as protective factors. Conclusion: NIV was associated with lower intubation rate and ICU 28-day and in-hospital mortality. Further survival analysis reinforced that the effect of NIV on the intubation rate might partly be attributed to the other impact factors. The ensemble AdaBoost decision tree model may assist clinicians in making clinical decisions, and early organ function support to improve patients' SOFA, APSIII, GCS, PaCO2, PaO2, PH, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, and lactate values can reduce the early failure rate and improve patient prognosis.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Active Tuberculosis Among Hospitalized Patients with Latent Tuberculosis Infection in China: A Cohort Study.

Background: The population with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) represents a potential pool of patients with active tuberculosis (ATB). T-SPOT.TB is an important test tool for screening LTBI. Owing to the large population of LTBI patients in China, it is necessary to identify a high-risk group for LTBI and enlarge tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) to reduce the incidence of ATB. Methods: Hospitalized patients with positive T-SPOT.TB results were recruited from January 2013 to December 2016. Patients with ATB were excluded. Basic information was collected and the development of ATBs was examined during follow-up. The life-table method was used to calculate cumulative incidence rates. Potential risk factors were analyzed through Cox regression analysis. Results: A total of 1680 patients with LTBI were recruited in the follow-up cohort, and 377 (22.44%) patients dropped out. With a median follow-up time of 81 months [interquartile range (IQR):61-93], 19 of 1303 patients with LTBI developed ATB. The 1-year incidence of ATB was 614 per 100,000 individuals [95%confidence interval (95% CI):584-644]. Over 5-year period, the cumulative incidence of ATB was 1496 per 100,000 [95% CI:1430-1570], and the incidence density was 240 per 100,000 person-years[95% CI:144-375]. In the Cox regression model, exposure of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)=10.557, 95% CI:2.273-49.031], maximum daily dosage of glucocorticoids (GCs)≥ 50 mg/d (aHR=2.948, 95% CI:1.122-7.748), leflunomide (LEF) treatment (aHR=8.572, 95% CI:2.222 -33.070), anemia (aHR=2.565, 95% CI:1.015-6.479) and T-SPOT.TB level≥300SFCs/106 PBMCs (aHR=4.195, 95% CI:1.365-12.892) were independent risk factors for ATB development in LTBI patients. Conclusion: The incidence of ATB is significantly higher in hospitalized patients with LTBI than in the general population. The exposure history of PTB, maximum daily dosage of GCs≥ 50 mg/day, LEF treatment, anemia, and T-SPOT.TB level≥300SFCs/106PBMCs, were the risk factors of tuberculosis reactivation. Hospitalized LTBI patients with the above factors may need TPT.

More attention should be paid to Omicron-associated sepsis: a multicenter retrospective study in south China.

Background: The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly transmissible but causes less severe disease compared to other variants. However, its association with sepsis incidence and outcomes is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of Omicron-associated sepsis, as per the Sepsis 3.0 definition, in hospitalized patients, and to explore its relationship with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included adults hospitalized with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection across six tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou, China from November 2022 to January 2023. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and its components were calculated at hospital admission to identify sepsis. Outcomes assessed were need for intensive care unit (ICU) transfer and mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves evaluated the predictive value of sepsis versus other biomarkers for outcomes. Results: A total of 299 patients (mean age: 70.1±14.4 years, 42.14% female) with SOFA score were enrolled. Among them, 152 were categorized as non-serious cases while the others were assigned as the serious group. The proportion of male patients, unvaccinated patients, patients with comorbidity such as diabetes, chronic cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease was significantly higher in the serious than non-serious group. The median SOFA score of all enrolled patients was 1 (interquartile range, 0-18). In our study, 147 patients (64.19%) were identified as having sepsis upon hospital admission, with the majority of these septic patients (113, representing 76.87%) being in the serious group, the respiratory, coagulation, cardiovascular, central nervous, and renal organ SOFA scores were all significantly higher in the serious compared to the non-serious group. Among septic patients, 20 out of 49 (40.81%) had septic shock as indicated by lactate measurement within 24 hours of admission, and the majority of septic patients were in the serious group (17/20, 76.87%). Sepsis was present in 118 out of 269 (43.9%) patients in the general ward, and among those with sepsis, 34 out of 118 (28.8%) later required ICU care during hospitalization. By contrast, none of the patients without sepsis required ICU care. Moreover, the mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with than without sepsis. Conclusions: A considerable proportion of patients infected with Omicron present with sepsis upon hospital admission, which is associated with a poorer prognosis. Therefore, early recognition of viral sepsis by evaluation of the SOFA score in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients is crucial.

Self-delivery photothermal-boosted-nanobike multi-overcoming immune escape by photothermal/chemical/immune synergistic therapy against HCC.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with antiangiogenic therapy have shown encouraging clinical benefits for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, therapeutic efficacy and wide clinical applicability remain a challenge due to "cold" tumors' immunological characteristics. Tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME) continuously natural force for immune escape by extracellular matrix (ECM) infiltration, tumor angiogenesis, and tumor cell proliferation. Herein, we proposed a novel concept by multi-overcoming immune escape to maximize the ICIs combined with antiangiogenic therapy efficacy against HCC. A self-delivery photothermal-boosted-NanoBike (BPSP) composed of black phosphorus (BP) tandem-augmented anti-PD-L1 mAb plus sorafenib (SF) is meticulously constructed as a triple combination therapy strategy. The simplicity of BPSP's composition, with no additional ingredients added, makes it easy to prepare and presents promising marketing opportunities. (1) NIR-II-activated BPSP performs photothermal therapy (PTT) and remodels ECM by depleting collagen I, promoting deep penetration of therapeutics and immune cells. (2) PTT promotes SF release and SF exerts anti-vascular effects and down-regulates PD-L1 via RAS/RAF/ERK pathway inhibition, enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 mAb in overcoming immune evasion. (3) Anti-PD-L1 mAb block PD1/PD-L1 recognition and PTT-induced ICD initiates effector T cells and increases response rates of PD-L1 mAb. Highly-encapsulated BPSP converted 'cold' tumors into 'hot' ones, improved CTL/Treg ratio, and cured orthotopic HCC tumors in mice. Thus, multi-overcoming immune escape offers new possibilities for advancing immunotherapies, and photothermal/chemical/immune synergistic therapy shows promise in the clinical development of HCC.

Multiply Guaranteed Catalytic DNA Circuit for Cancer-Cell-Selective Imaging of miRNA and Robust Evaluation of Drug Resistance.

Catalytic DNA circuits are desirable for sensitive bioimaging in living cells; yet, it remains a challenge to monitor these intricate signal communications because of the uncontrolled circuitry leakage and insufficient cell selectivity. Herein, a simple yet powerful DNA-repairing enzyme (APE1) activation strategy is introduced to achieve the site-specific exposure of a catalytic DNA circuit for realizing the selectively amplified imaging of intracellular microRNA and robust evaluation of the APE1-involved drug resistance. Specifically, the circuitry reactants are firmly blocked by the enzyme recognition/cleavage site to prevent undesirable off-site circuitry leakage. The caged DNA circuit has no target-sensing activity until its circuitry components are activated via the enzyme-mediated structural reconstitution and finally transduces the amplified fluorescence signal within the miRNA stimulation. The designed DNA circuit demonstrates an enhanced signal-to-background ratio of miRNA assay as compared with the conventional DNA circuit and enables the cancer-cell-selective imaging of miRNA. In addition, it shows robust sensing performance in visualizing the APE1-mediated chemoresistance in living cells, which is anticipated to achieve in-depth clinical diagnosis and chemotherapy research.

Clinical features and prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus complicated by active cytomegalovirus infection: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical traits and consequences of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) complicated by active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Methods: This retrospective review involved the examination of medical records for patients diagnosed with SLE who had an active CMV infection at the time of their discharge from Peking Union Medical College Hospital between June 2016 and December 2022. The consistency between plasma CMV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viral load and pp65 antigenemia was analyzed using the chi-square test. Related factors for CMV disease in SLE complicated by active CMV infection patients were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariable stepwise logistic regression. Cox hazards regression analysis was used to determine predictors for all-cause mortality and CMV recurrence within 3 months. Results: A total of 206 patients were enrolled in this study. Of the 123 patients who were detected with both plasma CMV DNA viral load and pp65 antigenemia within an interval not exceeding 72 h, the consistency between plasma CMV DNA viral load and pp65 antigenemia was not good (Kappa = -0.304, p < 0.001). Plasma CMV DNA viral load ≥ 1,600 copies/mL [odds ratio (OR) 4.411, 95% CI 1.871-10.402, p = 0.001], current glucocorticoids dose (equivalent to prednisolone) ≥60 mg/d (OR 2.155, 95% CI 1.071-4.334, p = 0.031), and elevated alanine transaminase (OR 3.409, 95% CI 1.563-7.435, p = 0.002) were significant clinical clues indicating CMV disease in SLE. Multivariable Cox hazards regression analysis showed that CMV organ involvement [hazard ratio (HR) 47.222, 95% CI 5.621-396.689, p < 0.001], SLE multi-system involvement (HR 1.794, 95% CI 1.029-3.128, p = 0.039), and elevated hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (HR 5.767, 95% CI 1.190-27.943, p = 0.030) were independent risk factors for 3-month all-cause mortality. CMV organ involvement (HR 3.404, 95% CI 1.074-10.793, p = 0.037) was an independent risk factor for CMV recurrence within 3 months. Conclusion: In SLE patients, plasma CMV DNA viral load seemed to have a higher value in the diagnosis of CMV disease; patients with CMV organ involvement, SLE multi-system involvement, and elevated hsCRP might have a higher risk of 3-month all-cause mortality; and patients with CMV organ involvement might have a higher risk of CMV recurrence within 3 months.

Bio-Based Thermosetting Resins: From Molecular Engineering to Intrinsically Multifunctional Customization.

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in bio-based thermosetting resins in terms of environmental concerns and the desire for sustainable industrial practices. Beyond sustainability, utilizing the structural diversity of renewable feedstock to craft bio-based thermosets with customized functionalities is very worthy of expectation. There exist many bio-based compounds with inherently unique chemical structures and functions, some of which are even difficult to synthesize artificially. Over the past decade, great efforts are devoted to discovering/designing functional properties of bio-based thermosets, and notable progress have been made in antibacterial, antifouling, flame retardancy, serving as carbon precursors, and stimuli responsiveness, among others, largely expanding their application potential and future prospects. In this review, recent advances in the field of functional bio-based thermosets are presented, with a particular focus on molecular structures and design strategies for discovering functional properties. Examples are highlighted wherein functionalities are facilitated by the inherent structures of bio-based feedstock. Perspectives on issues regarding further advances in this field are proposed at the end.

A Novel Methylation-based Model for Prognostic Prediction in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: Specific methylation sites have shown promise in the early diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, their utility in predicting LUAD prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to construct a reliable methylation-based predictor for accurately predicting the prognosis of LUAD patients. Methods: DNA methylation data and survival data from LUAD patients were obtained from the TCGA and a GEO series. A DNA methylation-based signature was developed using univariate least absolute shrinkage and selection operators and multivariate Cox regression models. Results: Eight CpG sites were identified and validated as optimal prognostic signatures for the overall survival of LUAD patients. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the high predictive ability of the eight-site methylation signature combined with clinical factors for overall survival. Conclusion: This research successfully identified a novel eight-site methylation signature for predicting the overall survival of LUAD patients through bioinformatic integrated analysis of gene methylation markers used in the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Computed tomography angiography-confirmed aortic in-stents floating thrombus after endovascular stenting: a retrospective study.

Background: Aortic in-stents floating thrombus (ASFT) is a rare complication. The evolution of ASFT on computed tomography angiography (CTA) imaging and the treatment options remain under investigations. The aim of this study was to analyze the imaging manifestations of ASFT on CTA, and to explore safe and effective treatment options. Methods: A retrospective, longitudinal study design was used. Clinical and imaging data were collected from patients with ASFT between January 2015 to December 2022 at the Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The imaging features of ASFT, including location, morphology, size, concomitant and dynamic changes during follow-up, were analyzed and classified into two types based on imaging manifestation. Type 1 showed a striated, irregular, or sheet-like appearance. Type 2 was a free-floating middle section in the cavity with attachment point to the thickened inner wall. The treatment protocol was also investigated. The Mann-Whitney U test was utilized for variable comparison. Results: A total of 1,626 cases were screened, out of which 10 cases were enrolled, resulting in an incidence rate of ASFT of 0.62% (10/1,626). The pre-surgery levels of fibrinogen (FIB), prothrombin time (PT), and D-dimer showed a higher trend, while only the D-dimer level increased significantly during the postoperative period (P<0.001). During the follow-up, CTA examination detected 21 ASFTs, including 18 ASFTs of type 1 and three ASFTs as type 2. One patient experienced spleen infarction when ASFT developed. During the follow-up period, thrombus disappeared in six patients, while the lesions remained stable in four patients. Renal infarction occurred in one case. No new-onset ASFTs or patient deaths were reported. Conclusions: ASFT is an extremely rare disease. The concomitant disorders and postoperative hemodynamic changes could be the cause. CTA examination presented as a safe and preferred imaging modality for evaluating the evolution and prognosis of ASFT. Conservative treatment may be a useful and effective option.

Development of KASP markers assisted with soybean drought tolerance in the germination stage based on GWAS.

Soybean [Glycine max(L.)Merr.] is a leading oil-bearing crop and cultivated globally over a vast scale. The agricultural landscape in China faces a formidable challenge with drought significantly impacting soybean production. In this study, we treated a natural population of 264 Chinese soybean accessions using 15% PEG-6000 and used GR, GE, GI, RGR, RGE, RGI and ASFV as evaluation index. Using the ASFV, we screened 17 strong drought-tolerant soybean germplasm in the germination stage. Leveraging 2,597,425 high-density SNP markers, we conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and identified 92 SNPs and 9 candidate genes significantly associated with drought tolerance. Furthermore, we developed two KASP markers for S14_5147797 and S18_53902767, which closely linked to drought tolerance. This research not only enriches the pool of soybean germplasm resources but also establishes a robust foundation for the molecular breeding of drought tolerance soybean varieties.

Increased platelet-CD8+ T cell aggregates displaying high activation, exhaustion, and tendency to death correlate with disease progression in people with HIV-1.

Platelets engaged in HIV-1 infection by interacting with immune cells, which has been realized broadly. However, the potential interaction between platelets and CD8⁺ T cells remains unidentified. Here, treatment-naïve individuals with HIV-1 (TNs), complete immunological responders to antiretroviral therapy (CRs), and healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Firstly, we found that TNs had low platelet numbers and high CD8⁺ T cell counts when compared with CRs and HCs, leading to low platelet/CD8⁺ T cell ratio in peripheral blood which could effectively differentiate the status of HIV-1 infection. Moreover, cytokines that may be derived from platelets were higher in the plasma of people with HIV-1 despite viral suppression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that platelet-CD8⁺ T cell aggregates were elevated in TNs, which positively correlated with HIV-1 viral load, but negatively correlated with CD4⁺ T cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio. Finally, we revealed that platelet-CD8⁺ T cell aggregates with enhanced activation/exhaustion and pyroptosis/apoptosis than free CD8⁺ T cells. Moreover, platelets-induced caspase-1 activation of CD8⁺ T cells correlated with IL-1ß and IL-18 plasma levels. In brief, we revealed the importance of platelets in HIV-1 infection, which might secrete more cytokines, and might mediate CD8⁺ T cell phenotypic characteristics by forming platelet-CD8⁺ T cell aggregates which were related to poor prognosis.