The rate of QMGS change predicts recurrence after thymectomy in myasthenia gravis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between short-term changes in quantitative myasthenia gravis score (QMGS) after thymectomy and postoperative recurrence in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients without thymoma. METHODS: A retrospective observational cohort study. The QMGS of 44 patients with non-thymomatous MG were evaluated before and 1 month after thymectomy, and the frequency and time of postoperative recurrence were recorded. The reduction rate of QMGS (rr-QMGS) was defined as (QMGS one week before thymectomy - QMGS one month after thymectomy)/ QMGS one week before thymectomy × 100 %, as an indicator of short-term symptom change after thymectomy. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to determine an appropriate cut-off value of rr-QMGS for distinguishing postoperative recurrence. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was applied to predict postoperative recurrence. RESULTS: Postoperative recurrence occurred in 21 patients (30 times in total) during follow-up. The mean annual recurrence rate was 3.98 times/year preoperatively and 0.30 times/year postoperatively. ROC analysis determined the cut-off value of rr-QMGS was 36.7 % (sensitivity 90.5 %, specificity 52.2 %). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that rr-QMGS＜36.7 % (hazard rate[HR]6.251, P = 0.014) is positive predictor of postoperative recurrence. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that postoperative recurrence time was earlier in the low rr-QMGS group than in the high rr-QMGS group (12.62 vs. 36.60 months, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Low rr-QMGS is associated with early postoperative recurrence. Rr-QMGS can be used to predict postoperative recurrence of non-thymomatous MG.

Histone variant H2A.Z is required for plant salt response by regulating gene transcription.

As a well-conserved histone variant, H2A.Z epigenetically regulates plant growth and development as well as the interaction with environmental factors. However, the role of H2A.Z in response to salt stress remains unclear, and whether nucleosomal H2A.Z occupancy work on the gene responsiveness upon salinity is obscure. Here, we elucidate the involvement of H2A.Z in salt response by analysing H2A.Z disorder plants with impaired or overloaded H2A.Z deposition. The salt tolerance is dramatically accompanied by H2A.Z deficiency and reacquired in H2A.Z OE lines. H2A.Z disorder changes the expression profiles of large-scale of salt responsive genes, announcing that H2A.Z is required for plant salt response. Genome-wide H2A.Z mapping shows that H2A.Z level is induced by salt condition across promoter, transcriptional start site (TSS) and transcription ending sites (-1 kb to +1 kb), the peaks preferentially enrich at promoter regions near TSS. We further show that H2A.Z deposition within TSS provides a direct role on transcriptional control, which has both repressive and activating effects, while it is found generally H2A.Z enrichment negatively correlate with gene expression level response to salt stress. This study shed light on the H2A.Z function in salt tolerance, highlighting the complex regulatory mechanisms of H2A.Z on transcriptional activity for yielding appropriate responses to particularly environmental stress.

From genome to proteome: Comprehensive identification of venom toxins from the Chinese funnel-web spider (Macrothelidae: Macrothele yani).

Macrothelidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders containing the extant genera Macrothele and Vacrothele. China is an important center of diversity for Macrothele with 65 % of the known species occurring there. Previous work on Macrothele was able to uncover several important toxin compounds including Raventoxin which may have applications in biomedicine and agricultural chemistry. Despite the importance of Macrothele spiders, high-quality reference genomes are still lacking, which hinders our understanding and application of the toxin compounds. In this study, we assembled the genome of the Macrothele yani to help fill gaps in our understanding of toxin biology in this lineage of spiders to encourage the future study and applications of these compounds. The final assembled genome was 6.79 Gb in total length, had a contig N50 of 21.44 Mb, and scaffold N50 of 156.16 Mb. Hi-C scaffolding assigned 98.19 % of the genome to 46 pseudo-chromosomes with a BUSCO score of 95.7 % for the core eukaryotic gene set. The assembled genome was found to contain 75.62 % repetitive DNA and a total of 39,687 protein-coding genes were annotated making it the spider genome with highest number of genes. Through integrated analysis of venom gland transcriptomics and venom proteomics, a total of 194 venom toxins were identified, including 38 disulfide-rich peptide neurotoxins, among which 12 were ICK knottin peptides. In summary, we present the first high-quality genome assembly at the chromosomal level for any Macrothelidae spider, filling an important gap in our knowledge of these spiders. Such high-quality genomic data will be invaluable as a reference in resolving Araneae spider phylogenies and in screening different spider species for novel compounds applicable to numerous medical and agricultural applications.

Proteomic analysis reveals that the co-ordination of cytosolic and mitochondrial pathways is beneficial for sabinene biosynthesis in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Reconstruction and optimization of biosynthetic pathways can help to overproduce target chemicals in microbial cell factories based on genetic engineering. However, the perturbation of biosynthetic pathways on cellular metabolism is not well investigated and profiling the engineered microbes remains challenging. The rapid development of omics tools has the potential to characterize the engineered microbial cell factory. Here, we performed label-free quantitative proteomic analysis and metabolomic analysis of engineered sabinene overproducing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Combined metabolic analysis andproteomic analysis of targeted mevalonate (MVA) pathway showed that co-ordination of cytosolic and mitochondrial pathways had balanced metabolism, and genome integration of biosynthetic genes had higher sabinene production with less MVA enzymes. Furthermore, comparative proteomic analysis showed that compartmentalized mitochondria pathway had perturbation on central cellular metabolism. This study provided an omics analysis example for characterizing engineered cell factory, which can guide future regulation of the cellular metabolism and maintaining optimal protein expression levels for the synthesis of target products.

Liposome encapsulated polydopamine nanoparticles: Enhancing ferroptosis and activating hypoxia prodrug activity.

The short lifespan of active oxygen species and depressed O2 level during ferroptosis treatment in tumor cells weaken ferroptosis therapy. How to improve the utilization efficiency of active oxygen species generated in real time is pivotal for anticancer treatment. Herein, the tirapazamine (TPZ) loaded polydopamine-Fe nanoparticles (PDA-Fe-TPZ) was modified with unsaturated liposome (Lip), which was constructed to overcome the drawbacks of traditional ferroptosis therapy. The Lip@PDA-Fe-TPZ nanoliposomes can react with H2O2 to produce •OH by Fenton reaction, which then attacks Lip and transforms into radical intermediate (L•) and phospholipid peroxide radical (LOO•) to avoid the annihilation of •OH. The introduced Lip enhances lipid peroxidation and promotes oxygen consumption, resulting in increased hypoxia at tumor site. The introduced TPZ can be triggered by reductase in tumor cells under hypoxia, which can reduce to transient oxidative free radicals by reductase enzymes and destroy the structure of the surrounding biomacromolecules, thus achieving the synergistic treatment of ferroptosis and chemotherapy. In this work, we organically combined enhanced ferrroptosis with hypoxic activated chemotherapy to achieve efficient and specific tumor killing effect, which can sever as a promising treatment of cancer in the future.

Lin28 affects the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells by directly inhibiting let-7b maturation.

OBJECTIVE: Activation of Lin28 gene under certain conditions promotes tissue damage repair. However, it remains unknown whether conditional expression of Lin28 facilitates the recovery of damaged pulp tissue. In the study, we focus on exploring the effects and possible regulatory mechanisms of Lin28 on the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We adopted techniques such as the ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay, RNA-protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) analysis, and luciferase assays to study the regulation of hDPSCs by Lin28. Furthermore, gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses were also used in explored factors regulating hDPSCs activation. RESULTS: The results show that Lin28 inhibited osteogenic differentiation by directly targets pre-let-7b. Through bioinformatics sequencing and dual luciferase experiments we learned that let-7b directly targets the IGF2BP2 3'UTR. Silencing of IGF2BP2 showed a similar biological effect as overexpression of let-7b. Overexpression of IGF2BP2 counteracted the differentiation-promoting effects produced by let-7b overexpression. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the RNA-binding protein Lin28 regulates osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs by inhibiting let-7 miRNA maturation. And mature let-7b directly regulated the expression of IGF2BP2 by targeting the 3'UTR region of IGF2BP2 mRNA thus further inhibiting the differentiation of hDPSCs.

Ginseng polysaccharides ameliorate ulcerative colitis via regulating gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is regarded as a recurring inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, for which treatment approaches remain notably limited. In this study, we demonstrated that ginseng polysaccharides (GPs) could alleviate the development of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC as reflected by the ameliorated pathological lesions in the colon. GPs strikingly suppressed the expression levels of multiple inflammatory cytokines, as well as significantly inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells. Microbiota-dependent investigations by virtue of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, antibiotic treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation illustrated that GPs treatment prominently restored intestinal microbial balance predominantly through modulating the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Additionally, GPs remarkably influenced the levels of microbial tryptophan metabolites, diminished the intestinal permeability and strengthened intestinal barrier integrity via inhibiting the 5-HT/HTR3A signaling pathway. Taken together, the promising therapeutic potential of GPs on the development of UC predominantly hinges on the capacity to suppress the expression of inflammatory cytokines as well as to influence Lactobacillus and microbial tryptophan metabolites.

Elevated liver enzymes in the first trimester are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

AIMS: Previous studies have found that a single liver enzyme may predict gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but the results have been inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the associations of liver enzymes in early pregnancy with risk of GDM, as well as to independently rank risk factors. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1295 women who underwent liver enzyme measurements during early pregnancy and completed GDM assessment in mid-pregnancy. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between liver enzymes and risk of GDM. Back-propagation artificial neural network was performed to rank independently risk factors of GDM. RESULTS: Women diagnosed with GDM exhibited significantly higher levels of liver enzymes than those without GDM (all p < 0.05). The highest quartile of liver enzymes was associated with higher risk of GDM compared with the lowest quartile, with adjusted odds ratio (ORs) ranging from 2.76 to 8.11 (all p < 0.05). Moreover, the ORs of GDM increased linearly with liver enzymes level (all P for overall association <0.001). Furthermore, Back-propagation artificial neural network identified γ-gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) as accounting for the highest proportion in the ranking of GDM risk prediction weights (up to 20.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Single or total elevations of liver enzymes in early pregnancy could predict the GDM occurrence, in which GGT, alkaline Phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase were the three most important independent risk factors.

Nanomaterials-based electrochemical biosensors for diagnosis of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this pandemic has caused severe death and infection worldwide. Owing to its strong infectivity, long incubation period, and nonspecific symptoms, the early diagnosis is essential to reduce risk of the severe illness. The electrochemical biosensor, as a fast and sensitive technique for quantitative analysis of body fluids, has been widely studied to diagnose different biomarkers caused at different infective stages of COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2). Recently, many reports have proved that nanomaterials with special architectures and size effects can effectively promote the biosensing performance on the COVID-19 diagnosis, there are few comprehensive summary reports yet. Therefore, in this review, we will pay efforts on recent progress of advanced nanomaterials-facilitated electrochemical biosensors for the COVID-19 detections. The process of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans will be briefly described, as well as summarizing the types of sensors that should be designed for different infection processes. Emphasis will be supplied to various functional nanomaterials which dominate the biosensing performance for comparison, expecting to provide a rational guidance on the material selection of biosensor construction for people. Finally, we will conclude the perspective on the design of superior nanomaterials-based biosensors facing the unknown virus in future.

Urbanization influences the indoor transfer of airborne antibiotic resistance genes, which has a seasonally dependent pattern.

Over the last few years, the cumulative use of antibiotics in healthcare institutions, as well as the rearing of livestock and poultry, has resulted in the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This presents a substantial danger to human health worldwide. The characteristics of airborne ARGs, especially those transferred from outdoors to indoors, remains largely unexplored in neighborhoods, even though a majority of human population spends most of their time there. We investigated airborne ARGs and mobile genetic element (MGE, IntI1), plant communities, and airborne microbiota transferred indoors, as well as respiratory disease (RD) prevalence using a combination of metabarcode sequencing, real-time quantitative PCR and questionnaires in 72 neighborhoods in Shanghai. We hypothesized that (i) urbanization regulates ARGs abundance, (ii) the urbanization effect on ARGs varies seasonally, and (iii) land use types are associated with ARGs abundance. Supporting these hypotheses, during the warm season, the abundance of ARGs in peri-urban areas was higher than in urban areas. The abundance of ARGs was also affected by the surrounding land use and plant communities: an increase in the proportion of gray infrastructure (e.g., residential area) around neighborhoods can lead to an increase in some ARGs (mecA, qnrA, ermB and mexD). Additionally, there were variations observed in the relationship between ARGs and bacterial genera in different seasons. Specifically, Stenotrophomonas and Campylobacter were positively correlated with vanA during warm seasons, whereas Pseudomonas, Bacteroides, Treponema and Stenotrophomonas positively correlated with tetX in the cold season. Interstingly, a noteworthy positive correlation was observed between the abundance of vanA and the occurrence of both rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis. Taken together, our study underlines the importance of urbanization and season in controlling the indoor transfer of airborne ARGs. Furthermore, we also highlight the augmentation of green-blue infrastructure in urban environments has the potential to mitigate an excess of ARGs.

Association between oxidative balance score and self-reported severe headache or migraine based on NHANES 1999 to 2004 data: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying migraine remain elusive, with oxidative stress hypothesized as a potential etiological factor. The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) is a comprehensive tool for assessing the impact of diet and lifestyle on oxidative stress, thereby gauging an individual's overall antioxidant capacity. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the correlation between OBS and migraine prevalence among a cohort of US adults. Methods: We analyzed data from 6195 participants aged 20 years and above, drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 1999 and 2004. We employed multiple logistic regression, coupled with sensitivity analyses, to investigate the relationship between OBS and migraine. Subsequent subgroup analyses and interaction tests were performed to assess the consistency of this association across the population. Results: Multiple logistic regression revealed an inverse relationship between OBS and the likelihood of experiencing migraines. Specifically, individuals in the highest OBS quartile exhibited a significantly reduced migraine risk compared to those in the lowest quartile (OR = 0.98, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.97-0.99, P = 0.0001). Furthermore, restricted cubic spline curves indicated a non-linear association between dietary OBS and migraine incidence (non-linear P = 0.0258). Discussion: Our findings suggest that adherence to an antioxidant-rich diet may be an effective strategy for mitigating migraine, potentially by influencing oxidative balance.

Molecular mechanisms for selective action of afidopyropen to Myzus persicae and Coccinella septempunctata.

BACKGROUND: Afidopyropen is a novel insecticide with high selectivity between sucking insects such as the peach aphids Myzus persicae and natural enemies like the seven-spotted lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata. However, the mechanisms of selective action for afidopyropen remain unknown. RESULTS: The LC50 values of afidopyropen to the 1st-4th instar larvae and adult C. septempunctata were 372- to more than 7267-fold higher than that to adult M. persicae. Though the activity of cytochrome P450s in M. persicae was 6.1- to 7.5-fold higher than that in C. septempunctata, the latter has much higher activities of carboxylesterase (CarEs) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and the crude enzyme of C. septempunctata and M. persicae showed similar metabolism efficiency to afidopyropen. Molecular docking results demonstrated that afdopyropen showed higher binding affinity to the vanilloid-type transient receptor potential (TRPV) channel of M. persicae (-9.1 kcal/mol) than to that of C. septempunctata (-8.2 kcal/mol). And the EC50 value of afdopyropen to the TRPV channel of C. septempunctata (41 360 nM) was 19 885-fold higher than that in M. persicae (2.08 nM). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the significantly different sensitivity of M. persicae and C. septempunctata TRPV channel to afidopyropen play a key role in the high selectivity of afidopyropen. These findings provide new insights into the selective mechanisms of afidopyropen against insect pests and natural enemies as well as the theory support for coordinated application of chemical control and biological control. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Engineering Escherichia coli for high-yielding 2,5-Dimethylpyrazine synthesis from L-Threonine by reconstructing metabolic pathways and enhancing cofactors regeneration.

2,5-Dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMP) is important pharmaceutical raw material and food flavoring agent. Recently, engineering microbes to produce 2,5-DMP has become an attractive alternative to chemical synthesis approach. In this study, metabolic engineering strategies were used to optimize the modified Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) strain for efficient synthesis of 2,5-DMP using L-threonine dehydrogenase (EcTDH) from Escherichia coli BL21, NADH oxidase (EhNOX) from Enterococcus hirae, aminoacetone oxidase (ScAAO) from Streptococcus cristatus and L-threonine transporter protein (EcSstT) from Escherichia coli BL21, respectively. We further optimized the reaction conditions for synthesizing 2,5-DMP. In optimized conditions, the modified strain can convert L-threonine to obtain 2,5-DMP with a yield of 2897.30 mg/L. Therefore, the strategies used in this study contribute to the development of high-level cell factories for 2,5-DMP.

Midline-1 regulates effector T cell motility in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis via mTOR/microtubule pathway.

Background: Effector T cell activation, migration, and proinflammatory cytokine production are crucial steps in autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). While several therapeutic approaches targeting T cell activation and proinflammatory cytokines have been developed for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, there are no therapeutic agents targeting the migration of effector T cells, largely due to our limited understanding of regulatory mechanisms of T cell migration in autoimmune disease. Here we reported that midline-1 (Mid1) is a key regulator of effector T cell migration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used animal model of MS. Methods: Mid1-/- mice were generated by Crispr-Cas9 technology. T cell-specific Mid1 knockout chimeric mice were generated by adoptive transfer of Mid1-/- T cells into lymphocyte deficient Rag2-/- mice. Mice were either immunized with MOG35-55 (active EAE) or received adoptive transfer of pathogenic T cells (passive EAE) to induce EAE. In vitro Transwell® assay or in vivo footpad injection were used to assess the migration of T cells. Results: Mid1 was significantly increased in the spinal cord of wild-type (Wt) EAE mice and disruption of Mid1 in T cells markedly suppressed the development of both active and passive EAE. Transcriptomic and flow cytometric analyses revealed a marked reduction in effector T cell number in the central nervous system of Mid1-/- mice after EAE induction. Conversely, an increase in the number of T cells was observed in the draining lymph nodes of Mid1-/- mice. Mice that were adoptively transferred with pathogenic Mid1-/- T cells also exhibited milder symptoms of EAE, along with a lower T cell count in the spinal cord. Additionally, disruption of Mid1 significantly inhibited T-cell migration both in vivo and in vitro. RNA sequencing suggests a suppression in multiple inflammatory pathways in Mid1-/- mice, including mTOR signaling that plays a critical role in cell migration. Subsequent experiments confirmed the interaction between Mid1 and mTOR. Suppression of mTOR with rapamycin or microtubule spindle formation with colcemid blunted the regulatory effect of Mid1 on T cell migration. In addition, mTOR agonists MHY1485 and 3BDO restored the migratory deficit caused by Mid1 depletion. Conclusion: Our data suggests that Mid1 regulates effector T cell migration to the central nervous system via mTOR/microtubule pathway in EAE, and thus may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of MS.

S-amlodipine induces liver inflammation and dysfunction through the alteration of intestinal microbiome in a rat model.

S-amlodipine, a commonly prescribed antihypertensive agent, is widely used in clinical settings to treat hypertension. However, the potential adverse effects of long-term S-amlodipine treatment on the liver remain uncertain, given the cautionary recommendations from clinicians regarding its administration in individuals with impaired liver function. To address this, we conducted a study using an eight-week-old male rat model and administered a daily dose of 0.6 ~ 5 mg/kg of S-amlodipine for 7 weeks. Our findings demonstrated that 1.2 ~ 5 mg/kg of S-amlodipine treatment induced liver inflammation and associated dysfunction in rats, further in vitro experiments revealed that the observed liver inflammation and dysfunction were not attributable to direct effects of S-amlodipine on the liver. Metagenome sequencing analysis revealed that S-amlodipine treatment led to alterations in the gut microbiome of rats, with the bloom of E. coli (4.5 ~ 6.6-fold increase) and a decrease in A. muciniphila (1,613.4 ~ 2,000-fold decrease) and B. uniformis (20.6 ~ 202.7-fold decrease), subsequently causing an increase in the gut bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content (1.4 ~ 1.5-fold increase in feces). S-amlodipine treatment also induced damage to the intestinal barrier and increased intestinal permeability, as confirmed by elevated levels of fecal albumin; furthermore, the flux of gut bacterial LPS into the bloodstream through the portal vein resulted in an increase in serum LPS content (3.3 ~ 4-fold increase). LPS induces liver inflammation and subsequent dysfunction in rats by activating the TLR4 pathway. This study is the first to show that S-amlodipine induces liver inflammation and dysfunction by perturbing the rat gut microbiome. These results indicate the adverse effects of S-amlodipine on the liver and provide a rich understanding of the safety of long-term S-amlodipine administration.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Bone Metastasis in Prostate Cancer and Diagnostic Value of Serum PSA, CysC and D-D.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyse factors influencing bone metastasis in prostate cancer and the diagnostic value of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and D-dimer (D-D) combined with cystatin C (CysC) in bone metastasis of prostate cancer. METHODS: Data of 116 patients with prostate cancer admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analysed. They were divided into two groups: Bone metastasis group (46 cases) and non-bone metastasis group (70 cases). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors influencing bone metastasis in prostate cancer. The values of serum PSA, D-D and CysC were identified using a receiver operating characteristic diagnostic curve. RESULTS: Of the 116 patients, 46 had bone metastases and 70 had non-bone metastases. Among 46 patients with bone metastasis, 8 cases (17.39%) had single bone metastasis and 38 cases (82.61%) had multiple bone metastasis. Based on the univariate analysis, bone metastasis was associated with increases in Gleason score, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, systemic inflammatory response index, fibrinogen to albumin ratio and alkaline phosphatase and fibrinogen levels. The Gleason score was higher than 8 points, the clinical stages ranged from T3 to T4 and the serum levels of PSA, D-D and CysC were higher in the bone metastasis group (p < 0.05). The combined value of serum PSA, D-D and CysC in the diagnosis of bone metastasis in prostate cancer was higher than the three indicators alone. CONCLUSIONS: Lymph node metastasis in T3-T4 clinical stages with Gleason score >8 was a risk factor for bone metastasis in prostate cancer (all p < 0.05). The risk of bone metastasis in patients with prostate cancer increases with increasing Gleason clinical stage and the occurrence of lymph node metastasis. Serum PSA, D-D and CysC have certain diagnostic value in the diagnosis of bone metastasis, and their combination has the highest value.

Mogroside V alleviates the heat stress-induced disruption of the porcine oocyte in vitro maturation.

Heat stress (HS) is a stressor that negatively affect female reproduction. Specially, oocytes are very sensitive to HS. It has been demonstrated that some active compounds can protect oocyte from HS. We previously found that Mogroside V (MV), extracted from Siraitia grosvenorii (Luo Han Guo), can protect oocyte from many kinds of stresses. However, how MV alleviates HS-induced disruption of oocyte maturation remains unknown. In this study, we treated the HS-induced porcine oocytes with MV to examine their maturation and quality. Our findings demonstrate that MV can effectively alleviate HS-induced porcine oocyte abnormal cumulus cell expansion, decrease of first polar body extrusion rate, spindle assembly and chromosome separation abnormalities, indicating MV attenuates oocyte mature defects. We further observed that MV can effectively alleviate HS-induced cortical granule distribution abnormality and decrease of blastocyst formation rate after parthenogenesis activation. In addition, MV treatment reversed mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid droplet content decrease, reduced reactive oxygen species levels, early apoptosis and DNA damage in porcine oocytes after HS. Collectively, this study suggests that MV can effectively protect porcine oocytes from HS.

Correlation between hospice competence and death coping ability among nursing students in China: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care involves providing comprehensive physical, psychological, and social care to improve clinical symptoms and quality of life, as well as to ensure patients' dignity at the end of life. Nurses are important members of hospice care teams, and undergraduate nursing students are the hospice care providers of the future. The ability of undergraduate nursing students to provide hospice care will, thus, directly affect service quality. OBJECTIVE: To understand the relationship between hospice competence and the death-coping abilities of nursing students and provide a theoretical basis for promoting the development of hospice education for nursing students. METHODS: A convenience sample of 204 nursing students from a university in China completed the general conditions questionnaire, Hospice Competency Assessment Questionnaire, and a simplified version of the Coping with Death Scale. RESULTS: The participants' overall average hospice competency score was 46 (35-52), with an average score of 3.0 (2.3-3.3) for effective caregiving skills, 2.6 (2.0-3.0) for cultural and ethical values, and 3.0 (2.2-3.4) for interprofessional teamwork. The average death-coping competency score was 92 (72-107). Multivariate logistic regression and Spearman's correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between death-coping and hospice competencies (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nursing students' overall hospice competency is low to moderate. Consequently, nurse educators should effectively modify the hospice education curriculum using the Dedicated Education Unit model.

DUSP4 maintains the survival and LSD1 protein stability in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by inhibiting JNK signaling-dependent autophagy.

DUSP4 is a biomarker of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which is responsible for the prognosis in ESCC. However, the underlying mechanism of DUSP4-regulated ESCC carcinogenesis is unknown. As a negative regulator of JNK, DUSP4 can inhibit autophagy, which contributes to tumorigenesis. This study aimed to explore the role of autophagy in DUSP4-regulated ESCC carcinogenesis. Our results showed that DUSP4 overexpression inhibited autophagy and promoted LSD1 protein expression in ESCC cells, while DUSP4 silencing showed the opposite effects. However, DUSP4 overexpression and silencing did not affect LSD1 mRNA expression. But the regulatory ability of DUSP4 overexpression on autophagy, death level, and LSD1 protein was reversed by rapamycin. In addition, DUSP4 overexpression inhibited JNK and Bcl2 phosphorylation and the dissociation of Bcl2-Beclin1 complex, while DUSP4 silencing promoted JNK and Bcl2 phosphorylation. Moreover, the regulatory ability of DUSP4 overexpression on autophagy, death, and LSD1 protein was reversed by JNK activator anisomycin. The xenograft assays also showed that DUSP4 overexpression-promoted ESCC tumor growth in vivo and LC3II and LSD1 protein expression in tumor tissues were reversed by rapamycin or anisomycin. Overall, DUSP4 inhibits Bcl2-Beclin1-autophagy signal transduction through the negative regulation of JNK, thus suppressing autophagic death and the autophagic degradation of LSD1 in ESCC, by which DUSP4 promotes ESCC carcinogenesis.