Deep local-to-global feature learning for medical image super-resolution.

Medical images play a vital role in medical analysis by providing crucial information about patients' pathological conditions. However, the quality of these images can be compromised by many factors, such as limited resolution of the instruments, artifacts caused by movements, and the complexity of the scanned areas. As a result, low-resolution (LR) images cannot provide sufficient information for diagnosis. To address this issue, researchers have attempted to apply image super-resolution (SR) techniques to restore the high-resolution (HR) images from their LR counterparts. However, these techniques are designed for generic images, and thus suffer from many challenges unique to medical images. An obvious one is the diversity of the scanned objects; for example, the organs, tissues, and vessels typically appear in different sizes and shapes, and are thus hard to restore with standard convolution neural networks (CNNs). In this paper, we develop a dynamic-local learning framework to capture the details of these diverse areas, consisting of deformable convolutions with adjustable kernel shapes. Moreover, the global information between the tissues and organs is vital for medical diagnosis. To preserve global information, we propose pixel-pixel and patch-patch global learning using a non-local mechanism and a vision transformer (ViT), respectively. The result is a novel CNN-ViT neural network with Local-to-Global feature learning for medical image SR, referred to as LGSR, which can accurately restore both local details and global information. We evaluate our method on six public datasets and one large-scale private dataset, which include five different types of medical images (i.e., Ultrasound, OCT, Endoscope, CT, and MRI images). Experiments show that the proposed method achieves superior PSNR/SSIM and visual performance than the state of the arts with competitive computational costs, measured in network parameters, runtime, and FLOPs. What is more, the experiment conducted on OCT image segmentation for the downstream task demonstrates a significantly positive performance effect of LGSR.

Machine learning model based on RCA-PDCA nursing methods and differentiating factors to predict hypotension during cesarean section surgery.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypotension during cesarean section has become a serious complication for maternal and fetal healthy. It is commonly encountered by subarachnoid anesthesia. However, currently used control methods have varying degrees of side effects, such as drugs. The Root Cause Analysis (RCA) - Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) is a new model of care that identifies the root causes of problems. The study aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of RCA-PDCA nursing methods in preventing intraoperative hypotension during cesarean section and to predict the occurrence of intraoperative hypotension through a machine learning model. METHODS: Patients who underwent cesarean section at Traditional Chinese Medicine of Southwest Medical University from January 2023 to December 2023 were retrospectively screened, and the data of their gestational times, age, height, weight, history of allergies, intraoperative vital signs, fetal condition, operative time, fluid out and in, adverse effects, use of vasopressor drugs, anxiety-depression-pain scores, and satisfaction were collected and analyzed. The statistically different features were screened and five machine learning models were used as predictive models to assess the usefulness of the RCA-PDCA model of care. RESULTS: (1) Compared with the general nursing model, the RCA-PDCA nursing model significantly reduces the incidence of intraoperative hypotension and postoperative complications in cesarean delivery, and the patient experience is comfortable and satisfactory. (2) Among the five machine learning models, the RF model has the best predictive performance, and the accuracy of the random forest model in preventing intraoperative hypotension is as high as 90%. CONCLUSION: Through computer machine learning model analysis, we prove the importance of the RCA-PDCA nursing method in the prevention of intraoperative hypotension during cesarean section, especially the Random Forest model which performed well and promoted the application of artificial intelligence computer learning methods in the field of medical analysis.

Temporally-topological defect modes in photonic time crystals.

In this paper, we investigate the properties of temporally-topological defect modes (TTDMs) (or temporally-topological interface states) in the topological photonic time crystal (PTC) systems. The PTC systems are constructed by the cascade of multiple sub-PTCs that possess temporal inversion symmetries and different topologies. The cases of two-, three-, and multiple-sub-PTC for the topological PTC system are studied. By transfer matrix method, we find that the TTDMs appear when the topological signs of the corresponding gaps in the sub-PTCs are different. The positions of TTDMs can be adjusted by changing the modulation strength of the refractive index, the time duration, and the period of the sub-PTCs. Moreover, the number of TTDMs is one less than the number of sub-PTCs. In addition, the robustness of the systems is also studied. We find that the topological PTC systems have good robustness, especially on the random configuration of the refractive index and time duration for the temporal slabs in the systems. Such research may provide a new degree of freedom for PTC applications, such as novel PTC lasers, tunable band-stop or band-suppression PTC filters, and many others, in the field of integrated photonic circuits for optical communications.

Molecular genetic foundation of a sex-linked tailless trait in Hongshan chicken by whole genome data analysis.

As a Chinese local chicken breed, Hongshan chickens have 2 kinds of tail feather phenotypes, normal and taillessness. Our previous studies showed that taillessness was a sex-linked dominant trait. Abnormal development of the tail vertebrae could be explained this phenomenon in some chicken breeds. However, the number of caudal vertebrae in rumpless Hongshan chickens was normal, so rumplessness in Hongshan chicken was not related to the development of the caudal vertebrae. Afterwards, we found that rumplessness in Hongshan was due to abnormal development of tail feather rather than abnormal development of caudal vertebrae. In order to understand the genetic foundation of the rumplessness of Hongshan chickens, we compared and reanalyzed 2 sets of data in normal and rumpless Hongshan chickens from our previous studies. By joint analysis of genome-wide selection signature analysis and genome-wide association approach, we found that 1 overlapping gene (EDIL3) and 16 peak genes (ENSGALG00000051843, ENSGALG00000053498, ENSGALG00000054800, KIF27, PTPRD, ENSGALG00000047579, ENSGALG00000041052, ARHGEF28, CAMK4, SERINC5, ENSGALG00000050776, ERCC8, MCC, ADAMTS19, ENSGALG00000053322, CHRNA8) located on the Z chromosome was associated with the rumpless trait. The results of this study furtherly revealed the molecular mechanism of the rumpless trait in Hongshan chickens, and identified the candidate genes associated with this trait. Our results will help to improve the shape of chicken tail feathers and to rise individual economic value in some specific market in China.

Cross-domain pedestrian detection via feature alignment and image quality assessment.

Datasets collected under different sensors, viewpoints, or weather conditions cause different domains. Models trained on domain A applied to tasks of domain B result in low performance. To overcome the domain shift, we propose an unsupervised pedestrian detection method that utilizes CycleGAN to establish an intermediate domain and transform a large gap domain-shift problem into two feature alignment subtasks with small gaps. The intermediate domain trained with labels from domain A, after two rounds of feature alignment using adversarial learning, can facilitate effective detection in domain B. To further enhance the training quality of intermediate domain models, Image Quality Assessment (IQA) is incorporated. The experimental results evaluated on Citypersons, KITTI, and BDD100K show that MR of 24.58%, 33.66%, 28.27%, and 28.25% were achieved in four cross-domain scenarios. Compared with typical pedestrian detection models, our proposed method can better overcome the domain-shift problem and achieve competitive results.

Association of congenital heart disease and neurodevelopmental disorders: an observational and Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to thoroughly study the connection between congenital heart disease (CHD) and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) through observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) designs. METHODS: This observational study uses data from the National Survey of Children's Health (2020-2021). Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to analyze the association. PSM was used to minimize bias for covariates such as age, race, gender, maternal age, birth weight, concussion or brain injury, preterm birth, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and other inherited conditions. In MR analyses, inverse variance-weighted measures, weighted median, and MR-Egger were employed to calculate causal effects. RESULTS: A total of 85,314 children aged 0-17 were analyzed in this study. In regression analysis, CHD (p = 0.04), the current heart condition (p = 0.03), and the severity of current heart condition (p < 0.05) had a suggestive association with speech or language disorders. The severity of current heart condition (p = 0.08) has a potential statistically significant association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). In PSM samples, ADHD(p = 0.003), intellectual disability(p = 0.012), and speech or language disorders(p < 0.001) were all significantly associated with CHD. The severity of current heart condition (p < 0.001) also had a significant association with autism. MR analysis did not find causality between genetically proxied congenital cardiac malformations and the risk of NDDs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that children with CHD have an increased risk of developing NDDs. Heart conditions currently and severity of current heart conditions were also significantly associated with these NDDs. In the future, we need to try more methods to clarify the causal relationship between CHD and NDDs.

Colonization characteristics and dynamic transition of archaea communities on polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics in the sediments of mangrove ecosystems.

Microplastics are a growing concern in mangrove ecosystems; however, their effects on archaeal communities and related ecological processes remain unclear. We conducted in situ biofilm-enrichment experiments to investigate the ecological influence of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene microplastics on archaeal communities in the sediments of mangrove ecosystems. The archaeal community present on microplastics was distinct from that of the surrounding sediments at an early stage but became increasingly similar over time. Bathyarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, Euryarchaeota, and Asgardaeota were the most abundant phyla. Methanolobus, an archaeal biomarker, was enriched in PE biofilms, and significantly controlled by homogeneous selection in the plastisphere, indicating an increased potential risk of methane emission. The dominant archaeal assembly process in the sediments was deterministic (58.85%-70.47%), while that of the PE biofilm changed from stochastic to deterministic during the experiment. The network of PE plastispheres showed less complexity and competitive links, and higher modularity and stability than that of sediments. Functional prediction showed an increase in aerobic ammonia oxidation during the experiment, whereas methanogenesis and chemoheterotrophy were significantly higher in the plastisphere. This study provides novel insights into the impact of microplastic pollution on archaeal communities and their mediating ecological functions in mangrove ecosystems.

Concentrations and influencing factors of 17 elements in placenta, cord blood, and maternal blood of women from an e-waste recycling area.

BACKGROUND: The effects of prenatal element exposure on mothers and fetuses have generated concern. Profiles of trace and toxic elements in biological material are urgently desired, especially for women who reside near e-waste recycling facilities. The aim of this study was to investigate elements concentrations in placenta, cord blood, and maternal blood of women and to evaluate the influencing factors. METHODS: A group of 48 women from an e-waste recycling site and a group of 31 women from a non-e-waste recycling site were recruited. Basic characteristics were collected by questionnaire and the concentrations of 17 elements in placenta, cord blood, and maternal blood samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Finally, the generalized linear model regression analysis (GLM) was used to test the association between element concentrations and possible factors. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the exposed group had significantly elevated cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and antimony (Sb) in placenta, and higher lead (Pb) in maternal blood and cord blood (P<0.05). Sb concentration in maternal blood was significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). GLM analysis showed that element concentrations were mainly associated with maternal age [chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), selenium (Se), cobalt (Co), mercury (Hg) in placenta, copper (Cu) in maternal blood], education (Se, Sb in placenta), family income (Cu in maternal blood and Ni in placenta), passive smoking [Cu and Zn in placenta, Pb in maternal blood], and e-waste contact history (Hg in cord blood, Cu, Zn, and Cd in maternal blood). CONCLUSIONS: Women in the e-waste recycling area had higher toxic element levels in the placenta and blood samples. More preventive measures were needed to reduce the risk of element exposure for mothers and fetuses in these areas.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote enzalutamide resistance and PD-L1 expression in prostate cancer through CCL5-CCR5 paracrine axis.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been shown to play a key role in prostate cancer treatment resistance, but the role of CAFs in the initial course of enzalutamide therapy for prostate cancer remains unclear. Our research revealed that CAFs secrete CCL5, which promotes the upregulation of androgen receptor (AR) expression in prostate cancer cells, leading to resistance to enzalutamide therapy. Furthermore, CCL5 also enhances the expression of tumor programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), resulting in immune escape. Mechanistically, CCL5 binds to the receptor CCR5 on prostate cancer cells and activates the AKT signaling pathway, leading to the upregulation of AR and PD-L1. The CCR5 antagonist maraviroc to inhibit the CAFs mediated CCL5 signaling pathway can effectively reduce the expression of AR and PD-L1, and improve the efficacy of enzalutamide. This study highlights a promising therapeutic approach targeting the CCL5-CCR5 signaling pathway to improve the effectiveness of enzalutamide.

Mycorrhizas Affect Physiological Performance, Antioxidant System, Photosynthesis, Endogenous Hormones, and Water Content in Cotton under Salt Stress.

Saline-alkali stress seriously endangers the normal growth of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could enhance salt tolerance by establishing symbiotic relationships with plants. Based on it, a pot experiment was conducted to simulate a salt environment in which cotton was inoculated with Paraglomus occultum to explore its effects on the saline-alkali tolerance of cotton. Our results showed that salt stress noticeably decreased cotton seedling growth parameters (such as plant height, number of leaves, dry weight, root system architecture, etc.), while AMF exhibited a remarkable effect on promoting growth. It was noteworthy that AMF significantly mitigated the inhibitory effect of salt on cotton seedlings. However, AMF colonization in root and soil hyphal length were collectively descended via salt stress. With regard to osmotic regulating substances, Pro and MDA values in roots were significantly increased when seedlings were exposed to salt stress, while AMF only partially mitigated these reactions. Salt stress increased ROS levels in the roots of cotton seedlings and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, POD, and CAT), while AMF mitigated the increases in ROS levels but further strengthened antioxidant enzyme activity. AMF inoculation increased the photosynthesis parameters of cotton seedling leaves to varying degrees, while salt stress decreased them dramatically. When inoculated with AMF under a salt stress environment, only partial mitigation of these photosynthesis values was observed. Under saline-alkali stress, AMF improved the leaf fluorescence parameters (φPSII, Fv'/Fm', and qP) of cotton seedlings, leaf chlorophyll levels, and root endogenous hormones (IAA and BR); promoted the absorption of water; and maintained nitrogen balance, thus alleviating the damage from salt stress on the growth of cotton plants to some extent. In summary, mycorrhizal cotton seedlings may exhibit mechanisms involving root system architecture, the antioxidant system, photosynthesis, leaf fluorescence, endogenous hormones, water content, and nitrogen balance that increase their resistance to saline-alkali environments. This study provide a theoretical basis for further exploring the application of AMF to enhance the salt tolerance of cotton.

Genetic structural analysis of different breeds and geographical groups of Fenneropenaeus chinensis reveals population diversity.

Fenneropenaeus chinensis is a commercially important shrimp species cultured in China. This study investigated eight F. chinensis populations in China, including four geographical populations, three commercial breeds, and one wild population captured from the Yellow Sea. Population stratification analysis revealed that the Hebei geographical population and commercial breeding "Huanghai No. 4" were relatively independent and stable, reflecting a relatively closed breeding environment, whereas gene introgression was present between other populations. Selective signature analysis detected artificial selection for vision, growth, and disease resistance in the Hebei population. Neuronal development-related genes were detected to be under selection in the Changyi and Rizhao populations. Fertility of the Rizhao population was also investigated. Additionally, genes in the glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate pathway were involved in the high pH tolerance of the "Huanghai No. 4" population. This study provided support for the genetic mechanism of parsing economic traits and the development of molecular breeding technologies.

Effect of L-arabinose and lactulose combined with Lactobacillus plantarum on obesity induced by a high-fat diet in mice.

L-Arabinose, lactulose, and Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) have been reported to have glucolipid-lowering effects. Here, the effects of L-arabinose and lactulose combined with L. plantarum on obesity traits were investigated. According to the experimental results, the combination of L-arabinose, lactulose, and L. plantarum was more effective at reducing body weight, regulating glucolipid metabolism, and improving insulin resistance. Besides, this combination showed immunomodulatory activity by adjusting the T lymphocyte subsets and reduced the immune-related cytokine production. Moreover, it improved the gut barrier, ameliorated the disorder of gut microbiota, and upregulated the levels of SCFAs. More importantly, the AL group, LP group, and ALLP group showed different regulatory effects on the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus due to the presence of lactulose and L. plantarum. These findings elucidate that the combination of L-arabinose, lactulose, and L. plantarum constitutes a new synbiotic combination to control obesity by modulating glucolipid metabolism, immunomodulatory activity, inflammation, gut barrier, gut microbiota and production of SCFAs.

Expression of IL-4 and IL-12 in the aqueous humor of patients with chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma.

Introduction: Angle-closure glaucoma is a common type of glaucoma in Asian populations. However, the role of inflammatory cytokines in angle-closure glaucoma is yet to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-12 in the aqueous humor of patients with chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (CPACG) and elucidate the correlations between IL-4 and IL-12 concentrations in the aqueous humor, the degree of visual field defects, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with CPACG. Methods: Aqueous humor samples were obtained from 31 patients diagnosed with CPACG at the Shaoxing People's Hospital between April 2022 and March 2023 and from 30 individuals with cataract (control). Based on the degree of the mean defect (MD), patients were divided into three groups: group A (MD ≤ -6dB, n= 10), group B (-6dB< MD< -12dB, n= 9), and group C (MD ≥ - 12dB, n= 12). RNFL thickness was measured using an optical coherence tomograph, and the concentrations of IL-4 and IL-12 in the aqueous humor were measured using Luminex technology. Results: Aqueous humor concentration of IL-4 was significantly higher (p = 0.036) in the CPACG group than in the cataract group. However, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in IL- 12 concentration between the two groups. Additionally, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in IL-4 and IL-12 levels among patients with varying degrees of visual field defects (groups A, B, and C). Spearman's correlation analysis showed that IL-4 and IL-12 concentrations were not correlated (p > 0.05) with RNFL thickness around the optic disc and the degree of visual field defects. Discussion: Conclusively, IL-4 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CPACG. Given that IL-4 and IL-12 concentrations in the aqueous humor were not significantly correlated with RNFL thickness and the degree of visual field defects, the increase in IL-4 and IL-12 expression may not induce apoptosis and loss of retinal ganglion cells or affect RNFL thickness as well as the degree of visual field defects.

Extended survival with metastatic pancreatic cancer under fruquintinib treatment after failed chemotherapy: Two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant disease. After decades of treatment progress, the current five-year survival rate for patients is still less than 10%. For later-line treatment, the treatment options are even more limited. Anti-angiogenic drugs can improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Preclinical data show that fruquintinib might improve the prognosis of advanced pancreatic cancer by targeting angiogenesis and lymphopoiesis, improving the abnormal vascular structure, and modulating the tumour immune microenvironment. CASE SUMMARY: We present two cases of third-line fruquintinib monotherapy that brought an extraprolonged progress-free survival (PFS) of 10 months. Patient 1 took adjuvant gemcitabine-based and first-line nab-paclitaxel-based chemotherapy and then used local radiotherapy combined with programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1). Each line lasted approximately 7 months. Moreover, the patient took third-line fruquintinib, which was followed by stable disease for 10 months, during which no additional adverse effect was observed. The patient later refused to take fruquintinib due to difficulty urinating and lower abdominal pain after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. The patient died in February 2023. Patient 2 also took two prior lines of chemotherapy and then local radiotherapy combined with S-1. After confirmed disease progression, the patient experienced a continuous partial response after using fruquintinib monotherapy in the third line. After the patient had COVID-19 in December 2022, fruquintinib was discontinued. The patient died in January 2023 due to disease progression. CONCLUSION: Both cases achieved a PFS benefit from later-line single-agent fruquintinib therapy. With its better safety profile, fruquintinib may be worth exploring and studying in more depth as a later-line treatment for pancreatic cancer patients.

Two Growing-Season Warming Partly Promoted Growth but Decreased Reproduction and Ornamental Value of Impatiens oxyanthera.

Climate warming profoundly affects the vegetative growth, flowering phenology and sexual reproduction of plants; therefore, it affects the ornamental value of wild flowers. Despite this, the extent and mechanism of the impact remain unclear. Here, we conducted a warming experiment for two growing seasons (increases of 1.89 °C in 2017 and 2.37 °C in 2018) with infrared heaters to examine the effects of warming on the ornamental value of the wild flower Impatiens oxyanthera, endemic to China, in Mount Emei. We evaluated the comprehensive ornamental value based on plant morphology and flowering characteristics using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and disentangled the impact of the two traits on ornamental value using principal component analysis (PCA) and the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) under ambient and warming treatments. We hypothesized that warming would reduce the ornamental value of I. oxyanthera in terms of plant morphology and flowering traits. Our results showed that warming significantly decreased plant height and crown width and increased branch number and single-leaf area. Warming also decreased vexillum length, corolla tube length, nectar spur length and pedicel length. In addition, warming shortened flowering duration per plant and reduced flower number, while there was no significant effect on flower longevity and flower color at full-bloom stage between the control and warming treatment. Therefore, the comprehensive ornamental value under warming was lower than that under the control. Pedicel length, flower color, flower longevity and flowering duration per plant were the main factors affecting the comprehensive ornamental value. The PLS-SEM showed that warming had an indirect negative effect on ornamental value via direct negative effects on flowering traits. Collectively, these results indicate that, although promoting vegetative growth, short-term warming significantly decreased the ornamental value of I. oxyanthera due to warming-caused smaller flowers and shorter flowering duration.

Case report: A novel PTCH1 frameshift mutation leading to nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome.

A patient presenting with several basal cell carcinomas, pigmented nevi, and developmental defects was diagnosed with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. Gene panel sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to identify a novel heterozygous frameshift mutation, c.1312dupA:p.Ser438Lysfs, in exon 9 of PTCH1. I-Tasser and PyMol analyses indicated that the mutated protein patched homolog 1 (PTCH1) lacked 12 transmembrane domains and the intracellular and extracellular rings of ECD2 compared with the wild-type protein, resulting in a remarkably different structure from that of the wild-type protein. This case extends our knowledge of the mutation spectrum of NBCCS.

PlaqueNet: deep learning enabled coronary artery plaque segmentation from coronary computed tomography angiography.

Cardiovascular disease, primarily caused by atherosclerotic plaque formation, is a significant health concern. The early detection of these plaques is crucial for targeted therapies and reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This study presents PlaqueNet, a solution for segmenting coronary artery plaques from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images. For feature extraction, the advanced residual net module was utilized, which integrates a deepwise residual optimization module into network branches, enhances feature extraction capabilities, avoiding information loss, and addresses gradient issues during training. To improve segmentation accuracy, a depthwise atrous spatial pyramid pooling based on bicubic efficient channel attention (DASPP-BICECA) module is introduced. The BICECA component amplifies the local feature sensitivity, whereas the DASPP component expands the network's information-gathering scope, resulting in elevated segmentation accuracy. Additionally, BINet, a module for joint network loss evaluation, is proposed. It optimizes the segmentation model without affecting the segmentation results. When combined with the DASPP-BICECA module, BINet enhances overall efficiency. The CCTA segmentation algorithm proposed in this study outperformed the other three comparative algorithms, achieving an intersection over Union of 87.37%, Dice of 93.26%, accuracy of 93.12%, mean intersection over Union of 93.68%, mean Dice of 96.63%, and mean pixel accuracy value of 96.55%.

Mulberry leaf and konjac flour compound dietary fiber improves digestion and metabolism in elderly mice with high-fish-protein diet by regulating gut microbiota structure and intestinal tissue repair.

Ensuring sufficient protein intake, efficient digestion, and optimal absorption are crucial for the elderly. This study aims to investigate the potential of a compound dietary fiber, consisting of mulberry leaf and konjac flour (CMK), to enhance the digestion and absorption of a high-fish-protein diet in elderly mice. Results showed that CMK effectively reduced the number of unique peptide segments, generated short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in feces, improved the content of glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), amino acid, and urea nitrogen in serum, activated the contents of pepsin, trypsin, and erepsin, and enhanced the expression of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), peptide transporter 1 (PepT1), and aminopeptidase N (APN). Furthermore, CMK demonstrated its ability to decrease the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), while increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Blautia. In conclusion, CMK proved effective in enhancing the digestion and metabolism of protein in elderly mice through the regulation of gut microbiota structure and intestinal tissue repair.

Immunomodulatory effects of curcumin on macrophage polarization in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, cartilage destruction, pannus formation and bone erosion. Various immune cells, including macrophages, are involved in RA pathogenesis. The heterogeneity and plasticity of macrophages render them pivotal regulators of both the induction and resolution of the inflammatory response. Predominantly, two different phenotypes of macrophages have been identified: classically activated M1 macrophages exacerbate inflammation via the production of cytokines, chemokines and other inflammatory mediators, while alternatively activated M2 macrophages inhibit inflammation and facilitate tissue repair. An imbalance in the M1/M2 macrophage ratio is critical during the initiation and progression of RA. Macrophage polarization is modulated by various transcription factors, epigenetic elements and metabolic reprogramming. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, exhibits potent immunomodulatory effects and is administered in the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases, including RA. The regulation of macrophage polarization and subsequent cytokine production as well as macrophage migration is involved in the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of curcumin on RA. In this review, we summarize the underlying mechanisms by which curcumin modulates macrophage function and polarization in the context of RA to provide evidence for the clinical application of curcumin in RA treatment.