Corrigendum: Roles of ubiquitin-specific proteases in inflammatory diseases.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1258740.].

CD206 modulates the role of M2 macrophages in the origin of metastatic tumors.

Tumor metastasis is a key factor affecting the life of patients with malignant tumors. For the past hundred years, scientists have focused on how to kill cancer cells and inhibit their metastasis in vivo, but few breakthroughs have been made. Here we hypothesized a novel mode for cancer metastasis. We show that the phagocytosis of apoptotic tumor cells by macrophages leads to their polarization into the M2 phenotype, and that the expression of stem cell related as well as drug resistance related genes was induced. Therefore, it appears that M2 macrophages have "defected" and have been transformed into the initial "metastatic cancer cells", and thus are the source, at least in part, of the distal tissue tumor metastasis. This assumption is supported by the presence of fused cells with characteristics of both macrophage and tumor cell observed in the peripheral blood and ascites of patients with ovarian cancer. By eliminating the expression of CD206 in M2 macrophages using siRNA, we show that the growth and metastasis of tumors was suppressed using both in vitro cell line and with experimental in vivo mouse models. In summary, we show that M2 macrophages in the blood circulation underwent a "change of loyalty" to become "cancer cells" that transformed into distal tissue metastasis, which could be suppressed by the knockdown of CD206 expression.

Multifunctional gelatin nanoparticle stabilized-Pickering emulsion hydrogel based on dextran and amikacin with controlled drug release and enhanced antibacterial capability for promoting infected wound healing.

Plant essential oils possess broad-spectral antimicrobial property, but the applications are impeded by their insolubility in water, extreme volatility, and strong irritation. Nanoparticle-stabilized emulsion (Pickering emulsion) gels are colloidal systems with ability to accommodate two immiscible phases in one system. The thick adsorption nanoparticle layers and the cross-linked networks in continuous phase could provide protective barriers for antibacterial oil and achieve on-demand controlled release. An emulsion hydrogel templated from gelatin nanoparticle-stabilized emulsion is one-pot constructed by conducting a tunable cross-linking process between oxidized dextran (Odex) and amikacin in the continuous phase and concomitantly trapping tea tree essential oil (TO) droplets in the three-dimensional network. The resulted emulsion hydrogel presents tunable gelation time, adequate mechanical strength, fascinating injectability, and self-healing capability. It is pH-responsiveness and presents controlled release of amikacin and TO, exhibiting a long-term bacteriostasis of 144 h. The emulsion hydrogel facilitates the outstanding wound healing efficiency in 14 days (95.2 ± 0.8 % of wound closure), accompanied with enhanced collagen deposition and angiogenic activities. The incorporation of TO into emulsion hydrogel system reduced its irritation and improved its biosafety, showing potential application in bacteria inhibition even as implants in vivo.

Roles of ubiquitin-specific proteases in inflammatory diseases.

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), as one of the deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) families, regulate the fate of proteins and signaling pathway transduction by removing ubiquitin chains from the target proteins. USPs are essential for the modulation of a variety of physiological processes, such as DNA repair, cell metabolism and differentiation, epigenetic modulations as well as protein stability. Recently, extensive research has demonstrated that USPs exert a significant impact on innate and adaptive immune reactions, metabolic syndromes, inflammatory disorders, and infection via post-translational modification processes. This review summarizes the important roles of the USPs in the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis, pneumonia, atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, sepsis, hepatitis, diabetes, and obesity. Moreover, we highlight a comprehensive overview of the pathogenesis of USPs in these inflammatory diseases as well as post-translational modifications in the inflammatory responses and pave the way for future prospect of targeted therapies in these inflammatory diseases.

Corrigendum to "3D-printed tri-element-doped hydroxyapatite/ polycaprolactone composite scaffolds with antibacterial potential for osteosarcoma therapy and bone regeneration" [Bioact. Mater. 31 (January 2024) 18-37].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.07.004.].

Updated review of wet pack complications in pulse vacuum pressure steam sterilisation processes in central sterile supply departments.

The quality of sterilisation and disinfection in a central sterile supply department is directly related to the quality of the hospital services and the patients' safety. Wet packs occasionally occur following the process of pressure steam sterilisation; reducing this occurrence is an important issue. Therefore, the causes of wet pack following sterilisation were analysed to identify the influencing factors and suggest improvements to prevent its occurrence. Understanding the sterilisation process and possible causes of exposure helps with risk assessment and identifying necessary corrective measures.

3D-printed tri-element-doped hydroxyapatite/ polycaprolactone composite scaffolds with antibacterial potential for osteosarcoma therapy and bone regeneration.

The resection of malignant osteosarcoma often results in large segmental bone defects, and the residual cells can facilitate recurrence. Consequently, the treatment of osteosarcoma is a major challenge in clinical practice. The ideal goal of treatment for osteosarcoma is to eliminate it thoroughly, and repair the resultant bone defects as well as avoid bacterial infections. Herein, we fabricated a selenium/strontium/zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (Se/Sr/Zn-HA) powder by hydrothermal method, and then employed it with polycaprolactone (PCL) as ink to construct composite scaffolds through 3D printing, and finally introduced them in bone defect repair induced by malignant osteosarcoma. The resultant composite scaffolds integrated multiple functions involving anti-tumor, osteogenic, and antibacterial potentials, mainly attributed to the anti-tumor effects of SeO32-, osteogenic effects of Sr2+ and Zn2+, and antibacterial effects of SeO32- and Zn2+. In vitro studies confirmed that Se/Sr/Zn-HA leaching solution could induce apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells, differentiation of MSCs, and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 while showing excellent antibacterial properties. In vivo tests demonstrated that Se/Sr/Zn-HA could significantly suppress tumors after 8 days of injection, and the Se/Sr/Zn-HA-PCLs scaffold repaired femoral defects effectively after 3 months of implantation. Summarily, the Se/Sr/Zn-HA-PCLs composite scaffolds developed in this study were effective for tumor treatment, bone defect repair, and post-operative anti-infection, which provided a great potential to be a facile therapeutic material for osteosarcoma resection.

The mental health of paediatric cochlear implant recipients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the mental health of paediatric cochlear implant users and analyse the relationship between six dimensions (movements, cognitive ability, emotion and will, sociality, living habits and language) and hearing and speech rehabilitation. METHODS: Eighty-two cochlear implant users were assessed using the Mental Health Survey Questionnaire. Age at implantation, time of implant use and listening modes were investigated. Categories of Auditory Performance and the Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale were used to score hearing and speech abilities. RESULTS: More recipients scored lower in cognitive ability and language. Age at implantation was statistically significant (p < 0.05) for movements, cognitive ability, emotion and will, and language. The time of implant usage and listening mode indicated statistical significance (p < 0.05) in cognitive ability, sociality and language. CONCLUSION: Timely attention should be paid to the mental health of paediatric cochlear implant users, and corresponding psychological interventions should be implemented to make personalised rehabilitation plans.

Ferroelectric Electroresistance after a Breakdown in Epitaxial Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Tunnel Junctions.

The recent discovery of ferroelectricity in doped HfO2 has opened perspectives on the development of memristors based on ferroelectric switching, including ferroelectric tunnel junctions. In these devices, conductive channels are formed in a similar manner to junctions based on nonferroelectric oxides. The formation of the conductive channels does not preclude the presence of ferroelectric switching, but little is known about the device ferroelectric properties after conduction path formation or their impact on the electric modulation of the resistance state. Here, we show that ferroelectricity and related sizable electroresistance are observed in pristine 4.6 nm epitaxial Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) tunnel junctions grown on Si. After a soft breakdown induced by the application of suitable voltage, the resistance decreases by about five orders of magnitude, but signatures of ferroelectricity and electroresistance are still observed. Impedance spectroscopy allows us to conclude that the effective ferroelectric device area after the breakdown is reduced, most likely by the formation of conducting paths at the edge.

Antidepressants combined with psychodrama improve the coping style and cognitive control network in patients with childhood trauma-associated major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: The use of antidepressant therapy alone has a limited efficacy in patients with childhood trauma-associated major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the effectiveness of antidepressant treatment combined with psychodrama in these patients is unclear. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of antidepressant treatment combined with psychodrama. METHODS: Patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD treated with antidepressants were randomly assigned to either the psychodrama intervention (observation group) or the general health education intervention (control group) and received combination treatment for 6 mo. The observation group received general health education given by the investigator together with the "semi-structured group intervention model" of Yi Shu psychodrama. A total of 46 patients were recruited, including 29 cases in the observation group and 17 cases in the control group. Symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as coping style and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were assessed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression and anxiety, measured by the Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory, were reduced after the intervention in both groups of patients. The coping style of the observation group improved significantly in contrast to the control group, which did not. In addition, an interaction between treatment and time in the right superior parietal gyrus node was found. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the right superior parietal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus in the observation group increased after the intervention, while in the control group the connectivity decreased. CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of combined treatment with antidepressants and psychodrama to improve the coping style of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD. Functional connectivity between the superior parietal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus was increased after this combined treatment. We speculate that psychodrama enhances the internal connectivity of the cognitive control network and corrects the negative attention bias of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD. Elucidating the neurobiological features of patients with childhood trauma-associated MDD is important for the development of methods that can assist in early diagnosis and intervention.

Enterococcus faecalis Shields Porphyromonas gingivalis in Dual-Species Biofilm in Oxic Condition.

Aim: To develop a reproducible biofilm model consisting of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and to evaluate the interaction between the two bacterial species. Methodology: E. faecalis and P. gingivalis were grown in mono-culture, sequential, and co-culture models for 96 h in a 96-well polystyrene microtiter plate under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions separately. The viability of the two bacterial species in the biofilms was quantified by polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Biofilm thickness and protein contents were measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to analyze cell viability and biofilm thickness among different culture models cultivated under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Different culture models tested did not show any significant difference between the viable cell counts of both E. faecalis and P. gingivalis cultivated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions (p > 0.05). Biofilm was significantly thicker (p < 0.05) in the co-culture models compared to the mono-culture and sequential models. Protein contents in the biofilms were more pronounced when both bacterial species were co-cultured under aerobic conditions. Conclusions: E. faecalis appeared to shield P. gingivalis and support its continued growth in oxic (aerobic) conditions. The co-culture model of E. faecalis and P. gingivalis produced a significantly thicker biofilm irrespective of the presence or absence of oxygen, while increased protein contents were only observed in the presence of oxygen.

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging-based identification of altered brain the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation in adolescent major depressive disorder patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Purpose: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been repeatedly been shown to effectively and efficiently treat the major depressive disorder (MDD), the mechanistic basis for such therapeutic efficacy remains to be firmly established. As such, further research exploring the ECT-based treatment of MDD in an adolescent population is warranted. Methods: This study included 30 treatment-naïve first-episode MDD patients and 30 healthy control (HC) individuals (aged 12-17 years). All participants were scanned using rs-fMRI, and the 30 MDD patients were scanned again after 2 weeks of the ECT treatment period. Intrinsic local activity in each voxel was assessed based on the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) parameter, with all fALFF analyses being completed using the REST application. Correlations between ECT-related changes in fALFF and clinical parameters were additionally examined. Results: Relative to HCs, MDD patients exhibited increased fALFF values in the right inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf), inferior occipital gyrus (IOG), and the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) at baseline. Following ECT, these patients exhibited significant increases in fALFF values in the right medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed), dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus (SFGdor), anterior cingulate, and paracingulate gyrus (ACG), median cingulate and paracingulate gyrus (DCG), and left MFG. MDD patient HAMD scores were negatively correlated with fALFF values when analyzing pre-ECT vs. post-HCT ΔHAMD and fALFF values in the right SFGmed, SFGdor, and the left MFG. Conclusion: These data suggest that ECT induced altered fALFF in some regions of the brain, suggesting that these alterations may serve as a neurobiological indicator of ECT effectiveness in MDD adolescents.

Control of up-to-down/down-to-up light-induced ferroelectric polarization reversal.

Light control of ferroelectric polarization is of interest for the exploitation of ferroelectric thin films in ultrafast data storage and logic functionalities. The rapidly oscillating electric field of light absorbed in a ferroelectric layer can suppress its polarization but cannot selectively reverse its direction. Here we take advantage of the built-in asymmetry at ferroelectric/electrode interfaces to break the up/down symmetry in uniaxial ferroelectrics to promote polarization reversal under illumination. It is shown that appropriate ferroelectric/metal structures allow the direction of the imprint electric field to be selected, which is instrumental for polarization reversal. This ability is further exploited by demonstrating the optical control of the resistance states in a ferroelectric capacitor.

Improved polarization and endurance in ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films on SrTiO3(110).

The metastable orthorhombic phase of Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) can be stabilized in thin films on La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) buffered (001)-oriented SrTiO3 (STO) by intriguing epitaxy that results in (111)-HZO oriented growth and robust ferroelectric properties. Here, we show that the orthorhombic phase can also be epitaxially stabilized on LSMO/STO(110), presenting the same out-of-plane (111) orientation but a different distribution of the in-plane crystalline domains. The remanent polarization of HZO films with a thickness of less than 7 nm on LSMO/STO(110) is 33 µC cm-3, which corresponds to a 50% improvement over equivalent films on LSMO/STO(001). Furthermore, HZO on LSMO/STO(110) presents higher endurance, switchable polarization is still observed up to 4 × 1010 cycles, and retention of more than 10 years. These results demonstrate that tuning the epitaxial growth of ferroelectric HfO2, here using STO(110) substrates, allows the improvement of functional properties of relevance for memory applications.

A prototype protein nanocage minimized from carboxysomes with gated oxygen permeability.

Protein nanocages (PNCs) in cells and viruses have inspired the development of self-assembling protein nanomaterials for various purposes. Despite the successful creation of artificial PNCs, the de novo design of PNCs with defined permeability remains challenging. Here, we report a prototype oxygen-impermeable PNC (OIPNC) assembled from the vertex protein of the ß-carboxysome shell, CcmL, with quantum dots as the template via interfacial engineering. The structure of the cage was solved at the atomic scale by combined solid-state NMR spectroscopy and cryoelectron microscopy, showing icosahedral assembly of CcmL pentamers with highly conserved interpentamer interfaces. Moreover, a gating mechanism was established by reversibly blocking the pores of the cage with molecular patches. Thus, the oxygen permeability, which was probed by an oxygen sensor inside the cage, can be completely controlled. The CcmL OIPNC represents a PNC platform for oxygen-sensitive or oxygen-responsive storage, catalysis, delivery, sensing, etc.

Molecular characterization of solitary pulmonary nodules in dual-energy CT nonlinear image fusion technology.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and to optimize the parameters of nonlinear blending technique in dual-energy CT on solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN). METHODS: The simulated enhanced SPN were used the mixture of nonionic iodinated contrast agent (Iopromide 370mgI/100 ml) and normal saline and then randomly placed inside an anthropomorphic chest phantom. The phantom was examined on SOMATOM definition flash with dual mode (80/140 kV) and single energy mode (120 kV) (the same CTDIvol). Nonlinear blending images and linear blending images with a weighting factor of 0.3 were generated and the image qualities were analyzed. RESULTS: For different simulated density SPN, when 0 HU was chosen as the Blending Center (BC) and 0 to 30 HU were chosen as the Blending width (BW), the nonlinear blending images yielded a higher contrast-to-noise (CNR). There were significant differences in the image noise and signal-to-noise (SNR) of different simulated density SPN at non-linear blending images, linear blending images and 120 kV images (p < .05); But the differences of CNR between the three groups were not statistically significant (p > .05). The SNR of different simulated density SPN at non-linear blending images was significantly increased compared with it at linear blending images and 120 kV images (p < .05); And the image noise at non-linear blending was lower than it at linear blending images (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Nonlinear blending technique in dual-energy CT can increase the SNR of enhanced SPN, and it is helpful in diagnosis of SPN.

Dynamics properties of membrane proteins in native cell membranes revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Cell membranes provide an environment that is essential to the functions of membrane proteins. Cell membranes are mainly composed of proteins and highly diverse phospholipids. The influence of diverse lipid compositions of native cell membranes on the dynamics of the embedded membrane proteins has not been examined. Here we employ solid-state NMR to investigate the dynamics of E. coli Aquaporin Z (AqpZ) in its native inner cell membranes, and reveal the influence of diverse lipid compositions on the dynamics of AqpZ by comparing it in native cell membranes to that in POPC/POPG bilayers. We demonstrate that the dynamic rigidity of AqpZ generally conserves in both native cell membranes and POPC/POPG bilayers, due to its tightly packed tetrameric structure. In the gel and the liquid crystal phases of lipids, our experimental results show that AqpZ is more dynamic in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. In addition, we observe that phase transitions of lipids in native membranes are less sensitive to temperature variations compared with that in POPC/POPG bilayers, which results in that the dynamics of AqpZ is less affected by the phase transitions of lipids in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. This study provides new insights into the dynamics of membrane proteins in native cell membranes.

Case report: Challenges, treatment, prognosis and outcome of a patient with partially treated seminomatous testicular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Testicular carcinoma is a rare malignancy in men. It is ranked the 18th most common male cancer in Malaysia with seminoma representing 40% of the primary testicular neoplasms. Early detection of the tumour and the immediate initiation of treatment and disease management provide high possibilities of positive outcomes for patients. CASE PRESENTATION: A 36-year-old male was initially diagnosed with a left cryptorchidism and metastatic testicular seminoma. However, due to socioeconomic circumstances and the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, he defaulted on his chemoradiotherapy follow-up treatments. He returned to us four years later with a progressively enlarging testicular mass with normal tumour marker values and subsequently underwent a successful radical left orchidectomy. Histopathological examination revealed features of regressed germ cell tumour (GCT). He successfully underwent chemoradiotherapy treatment and surveillance follow-ups did not show tumor recurrences. DISCUSSION: Seminoma is the commonest type of testicular carcinoma with good prognosis among young patients. In huge masses, as seen in our patient, early chemoradiotherapy with the intention to reduce tumor bulk and invasiveness after which will be followed by radical orchidectomy. Residual mass post chemotherapy for patients with seminomas should be properly assessed for viability of tumor cells within it. CONCLUSION: Undescended testis and cryptorchidism present key risk factors for developing testicular carcinomas which are uncommon among men. Early detection, surgery and chemoradiotherapy on seminomas would usually lead to positive outcomes. The remarkable chemosensitivity of a seminomatous type tumour towards a platinum-based regiment in combination with radical resection entails good prognosis and effective local disease control.

Impact of La Concentration on Ferroelectricity of La-Doped HfO2 Epitaxial Thin Films.

Epitaxial thin films of HfO2 doped with La have been grown on SrTiO3(001) and Si(001), and the impact of the La concentration on the stabilization of the ferroelectric phase has been determined. Films with 2-5 at. % La doping present the least amount of paraelectric monoclinic and cubic phases and exhibit the highest polarization, having a remanent polarization above 20 µC/cm2. The dopant concentration results in an important effect on the coercive field, which is reduced with increasing La content. Combined high polarization, high retention, and high endurance of at least 1010 cycles is obtained in 5 at. % La-doped films.

Extensively sparse 13C labeling to simplify solid-state NMR 13C spectra of membrane proteins.

Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR) is an emerging technique to investigate the structures and dynamics of membrane proteins in an artificial or native membrane environment. However, the structural studies of proteins by ssNMR are usually prolonged or impeded by signal assignments, especially the assignments of signals for collection of distance restraints, because of serious overlapping of signals in 2D 13C-13C spectra. Sparse labeling of 13C spins is an effective approach to simplify the 13C spectra and facilitate the extractions of distance restraints. Here, we propose a new reverse labeling combination of six types of amino acid residues (Ile, Leu, Phe, Trp, Tyr and Lys), and show a clean reverse labeling effect on a model membrane protein E. coli aquaporin Z (AqpZ). We further combine this reverse labeling combination and alternate 13C-12C labeling, and demonstrate an enhanced dilution effect in 13C-13C spectra. In addition, the influences of reverse labeling on the labeling of the other types of residues are quantitatively analyzed in the two strategies (1, reverse labeling and 2, reverse labeling combining alternate 13C-12C labeling). The signal intensities of some other types of residues in 2D 13C-13C spectra are observed to be 20-50% weaker because of the unwanted reverse labeling. The extensively sparse 13C labeling proposed in this study is expected to be useful in the collection of distance restraints using 2D 13C-13C spectra of membrane proteins.