Polygonatum kingianum Polysaccharides Enhance the Preventive Efficacy of Heat-Inactivated Limosilactobacillus reuteri WX-94 against High-Fat-High-Sucrose-Induced Liver Injury and Gut Dysbacteriosis.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) is an efficacious probiotic that could reduce inflammation and prevent metabolic disorders. Here, we innovatively found that Polygonatum kingianum polysaccharides (PKP) promoted proliferation and increased stability of L. reuteri WX-94 (a probiotic strain showing anti-inflammation potentials) in simulated digestive fluids in vitro. PKP was composed of galactose, glucose, mannose, and arabinose. The cell-free supernatant extracted from L. reuteri cultured with PKP increased ABTS•+, DPPH•, and FRAP scavenging capacities compared with the supernatant of the medium without PKP and increased metabolites with health-promoting activities, e.g., 3-phenyllactic acid, indole-3-lactic acid, indole-3-carbinol, and propionic acid. Moreover, PKP enhanced alleviating effects of heat-inactivated L. reuteri on high-fat-high-sucrose-induced liver injury in rats via reducing inflammation and regulating expressions of protein and genes involved in fatty acid metabolism (such as HIF1-α, FAßO, CPT1, and AMPK) and fatty acid profiles in liver. Such benefits correlated with its prominent effects on enriching Lactobacillus and short-chain fatty acids while reducing Dubosiella, Fusicatenilacter, Helicobacter, and Oscillospira. Our work provides novel insights into the probiotic property of PKP and emphasizes the great potential of the inactivated L. reuteri cultured with PKP in contracting unhealthy diet-induced liver dysfunctions and gut dysbacteriosis.

Intelligent cholinergic white matter pathways algorithm based on U-net reflects cognitive impairment in patients with silent cerebrovascular disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The injury of the cholinergic white matter pathway underlies cognition decline in patients with silent cerebrovascular disease (SCD) with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of vascular origin. However, the evaluation of the cholinergic white matter pathway is complex with poor consistency. We established an intelligent algorithm to evaluate WMH in the cholinergic pathway. METHODS: Patients with SCD with WMH of vascular origin were enrolled. The Cholinergic Pathways Hyperintensities Scale (CHIPS) was used to measure cholinergic white matter pathway impairment. The intelligent algorithm used a deep learning model based on convolutional neural networks to achieve WMH segmentation and CHIPS scoring. The diagnostic value of the intelligent algorithm for moderate-to-severe cholinergic pathway injury was calculated. The correlation between the WMH in the cholinergic pathway and cognitive function was analysed. RESULTS: A number of 464 patients with SCD were enrolled in internal training and test set. The algorithm was validated using data from an external cohort comprising 100 patients with SCD. The sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve of the intelligent algorithm to assess moderate and severe cholinergic white matter pathway injury were 91.7%, 87.3%, 0.903 (95% CI 0.861 to 0.952) and 86.5%, 81.3%, 0.868 (95% CI 0.819 to 0.921) for the internal test set and external validation set. for the. The general cognitive function, execution function and attention showed significant differences among the three groups of different CHIPS score (all p<0.05). DISCUSSION: We have established the first intelligent algorithm to evaluate the cholinergic white matter pathway with good accuracy compared with the gold standard. It helps more easily assess the cognitive function in patients with SCD.

Analysis of the mediating effect between ehealth literacy and health self-management of undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy.

BACKGROUND: Good health self-management positively affects the health of healthcare providers and their ability to manage their patients' health. This study explored the relationship between ehealth literacy, health self-management skills, and mental health literacy among undergraduate nursing students. Some studies have confirmed the correlation between e-health literacy and health self-management skills, while mental health literacy may be correlated with both, and this study aims to explore the relationship between the three. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at a medical university in northwestern China among 385 Chinese undergraduate nursing students. Participants completed the General Information Questionnaire, the Adult Health Self-Management Skills Rating Scale, the Mental Health Literacy Rating Scale, and the eHealth Literacy Scale, and provided valid responses. The IBM SPSS 27.0 statistical software was used for data entry and descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. The IBM Amos 26.0 was used to construct the mediation effect model, and the Bootstrap method was employed to test mediating effects. RESULTS: Mental health literacy, ehealth literacy, and health self-management skills of undergraduate nursing students were at a moderate to high level. Mental health literacy, ehealth literacy, and health self-management were positively correlated. Mental health literacy, particularly, played a partial mediating role of 31.1% ( 95% CI [0.307-1.418] ) between ehealth literacy and health self-management. CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy partially mediates the link between eHealth literacy and health self-management skills. Schools should emphasize the development of nursing students' e-health literacy and mental health literacy in order to improve their health self-management skills, which will not only bring about a better health outcome for the students, but will also benefit the health of the social population.

Trends in prevalence of hearing loss in adults in the USA 1999-2018: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A better understanding of how the prevalence of hearing loss and its associated factors change over time could help in developing an appropriate program to prevent the development of hearing loss. METHODS: Population-representative cross-sectional data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used to estimate the trends in the prevalence of hearing loss among adults in the USA over the period 1999-2018. A total of 15,498 adult participants aged 20 years or older had complete audiometric examination data. Logistic regression was employed to evaluate the trend in hearing loss; weighted Rao-Scott χ2 tests and univariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between hearing loss and relevant factors. RESULTS: The overall hearing loss prevalence in 1999-2018 was 19.1% 19.1 (95% CI, 18.0-20.2%). The prevalence of hearing loss decreased in cycles (P for trend < 0.001). For participants aged 20-69 years, the prevalence decreased from 15.6% (95% CI, 12.9-18.4%) in 1999-2000 to 14.9% (95% CI, 13.2- 16.6%) in 2015-2016; for participants aged > 70 years the prevalence decreased from 79.9% (95% CI, 76.1-83.8%) in 2005-2006 to 64.5% (95% CI, 58.8-70.2%) in 2017-2018. Participants with hearing loss were likely to be older, male, non-Hispanic white, and to have not completed high school. Mild hearing loss was more prevalent among those aged 20-79 years; in those aged over 80 years the prevalence of moderate hearing loss exceeded that of mild loss. Among all otologically normal participants, hearing thresholds increased with age across the entire frequency range. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hearing loss in USA adults changed over the period 1999-2018. The trends observed provide valuable insight for making public health plans and allocating resources to hearing care. Further investigation is necessary to monitor hearing loss and its potential risk factors.

Meta-analysis and systematic review of the relationship between sex and the risk or incidence of poststroke aphasia and its types.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse and discuss the association of gender differences with the risk and incidence of poststroke aphasia (PSA) and its types, and to provide evidence-based guidance for the prevention and treatment of poststroke aphasia in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from January 1, 2002, to December 1, 2023. STUDY SELECTION: Including the total number of strokes, aphasia, the number of different sexes or the number of PSA corresponding to different sex. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies with missing data, aphasia caused by nonstroke and noncompliance with the requirements of literature types were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: 36 papers were included, from 19 countries. The analysis of 168,259 patients with stroke and 31,058 patients with PSA showed that the risk of PSA was 1.23 times higher in female than in male (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.19-1.29, P < 0.001), with a prevalence of PSA of 31% in men and 36% in women, and an overall prevalence of 34% (P < 0.001). Analysis of the risk of the different types of aphasia in 1,048 patients with PSA showed a high risk in females for global, broca and Wenicke aphasia, and a high risk in males for anomic, conductive and transcortical aphasia, which was not statistically significant by meta-analysis. The incidence of global aphasia (males vs. females, 29% vs. 32%) and broca aphasia (17% vs 19%) were higher in females, and anomic aphasia (19% vs 14%) was higher in males, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are gender differences in the incidence and types of PSA. The risk of PSA in female is higher than that in male.

Unraveling the Molecular Size Effect on Surface Engineering of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Surface engineering in perovskite solar cells, especially for the upper surface of perovskite, is widely studied. However, most of these studies have primarily focused on the interaction between additive functional groups and perovskite point defects, neglecting the influence of other parts of additive molecules. Herein, additives with -NH3 + functional group are introduced at the perovskite surface to suppress surface defects. The chain lengths of these additives vary to conduct a detailed investigation into the impact of molecular size. The results indicate that the propane-1,3-diamine dihydroiodide (PDAI2 ), which possesses the most suitable size, exhibited obvious optimization effects. Whereas the molecules, methylenediamine dihydroiodide (MDAI2 ) and pentane-1,5-diamine dihydroiodide (PentDAI2 ) with unsuitable size, lead to a deterioration in device performance. The PDAI2 -treated devices achieved a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.81% and the unencapsulated devices retained over 80% of their initial PCE after 600 h AM1.5 illumination.

Structural and functional basis of bacteriophage K64-ORF41 depolymerase for capsular polysaccharide degradation of Klebsiella pneumoniae K64.

Capsule polysaccharide is an important virulence factor of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), which protects bacteria against the host immune response. A promising therapeutic approach is using phage-derived depolymerases to degrade the capsular polysaccharide and expose and sensitize the bacteria to the host immune system. Here we determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of a bacteriophage tail-spike protein against K. pneumoniae K64, ORF41 (K64-ORF41) and ORF41 in EDTA condition (K64-ORF41EDTA), at 2.37 Å and 2.50 Å resolution, respectively, for the first time. K64-ORF41 exists as a trimer and each protomer contains a ß-helix domain including a right-handed parallel ß-sheet helix fold capped at both ends, an insertion domain, and one ß-sheet jellyroll domain. Moreover, our structural comparison with other depolymerases of K. pneumoniae suggests that the catalytic residues (Tyr528, His574 and Arg628) are highly conserved although the substrate of capsule polysaccharide is variable. Besides that, we figured out the important residues involved in the substrate binding pocket including Arg405, Tyr526, Trp550 and Phe669. This study establishes the structural and functional basis for the promising phage-derived broad-spectrum activity depolymerase therapeutics and effective CPS-degrading agents for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae K64 infections.

Diagnostic accuracy of magnetically guided capsule endoscopy with a detachable string for detecting oesophagogastric varices in adults with cirrhosis: prospective multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety of using magnetically guided capsule endoscopy with a detachable string (ds-MCE) for detecting and grading oesophagogastric varices in adults with cirrhosis. DESIGN: Prospective multicentre diagnostic accuracy study. SETTING: 14 medical centres in China. PARTICIPANTS: 607 adults (>18 years) with cirrhosis recruited between 7 January 2021 and 25 August 2022. Participants underwent ds-MCE (index test), followed by oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD, reference test) within 48 hours. The participants were divided into development and validation cohorts in a ratio of 2:1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the sensitivity and specificity of ds-MCE in detecting oesophagogastric varices compared with OGD. Secondary outcomes included the sensitivity and specificity of ds-MCE for detecting high risk oesophageal varices and the diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for detecting high risk oesophagogastric varices, oesophageal varices, and gastric varices. RESULTS: ds-MCE and OGD examinations were completed in 582 (95.9%) of the 607 participants. Using OGD as the reference standard, ds-MCE had a sensitivity of 97.5% (95% confidence interval 95.5% to 98.7%) and specificity of 97.8% (94.4% to 99.1%) for detecting oesophagogastric varices (both P<0.001 compared with a prespecified 85% threshold). When using the optimal 18% threshold for luminal circumference of the oesophagus derived from the development cohort (n=393), the sensitivity and specificity of ds-MCE for detecting high risk oesophageal varices in the validation cohort (n=189) were 95.8% (89.7% to 98.4%) and 94.7% (88.2% to 97.7%), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of ds-MCE for detecting high risk oesophagogastric varices, oesophageal varices, and gastric varices was 96.3% (92.6% to 98.2%), 96.9% (95.2% to 98.0%), and 96.7% (95.0% to 97.9%), respectively. Two serious adverse events occurred with OGD but none with ds-MCE. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that ds-MCE is a highly accurate and safe diagnostic tool for detecting and grading oesophagogastric varices and is a promising alternative to OGD for screening and surveillance of oesophagogastric varices in patients with cirrhosis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03748563.

Dynamic changes and clinical value of lipocalin 2 in liver diseases caused by microbial infections.

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) plays a pivotal role in iron metabolism, particularly in the context of microbial infection resistance (e.g., viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.). LCN2 combats microbial infection by directly assisting the body in competing with microorganisms for iron, inducing immune cells to secrete various cytokines to enhance systemic immune responses, or recruiting neutrophils to infectious sites. The liver serves as the primary organ for LCN2 secretion during microbial infections. This review encapsulates recent advances in dynamic changes, clinical values, and the effects of LCN2 in infectious liver diseases caused by various microbial microorganisms.

Molecular Insights into Water-Chloride and Water-Water Interactions in the Supramolecular Architecture of Aconine Hydrochloride Dihydrate.

Despite the previous preparation of aconine hydrochloride monohydrate (AHM), accurate determination of the crystal's composition was hindered by severely disordered water molecules within the crystal. In this study, we successfully prepared a new dihydrate form of the aconine hydrochloride [C25H42NO9+Cl-·2(H2O), aconine hydrochloride dihydrate (AHD)] and accurately refined all water molecules within the AHD crystal. Our objective is to elucidate both water-chloride and water-water interactions in the AHD crystal. The crystal structure of AHD was determined at 136 K using X-ray diffraction and a multipolar atom model was constructed by transferring charge-density parameters to explore the topological features of key short contacts. By comparing the crystal structures of dihydrate and monohydrate forms, we have observed that both AHD and AHM exhibit identical aconine cations, except for variations in the number of water molecules present. In the AHD crystal, chloride anions and water molecules serve as pivotal connecting hubs to establish three-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks and one-dimensional hydrogen bonding chain; both water-chloride and water-water interactions assemble supramolecular architectures. The crystal packing of AHD exhibits a complete reversal in the stacking order compared to AHM, thereby emphasizing distinct disparities between them. Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals that H···Cl- and H···O contacts play a significant role in constructing the hydrogen bonding network and chain within these supramolecular architectures. Furthermore, topological analysis and electrostatic interaction energy confirm that both water-chloride and water-water interactions stabilize supramolecular architectures through electrostatic attraction facilitated by H···Cl- and H···O contacts. Importantly, these findings are strongly supported by the existing literature evidence. Consequently, navigating these water-chloride and water-water interactions is imperative for ensuring storage and safe processing of this pharmaceutical compound.

In situ SERS imaging of protein-specific glycan oxidation on living cells to quantitatively visualize pathogen-cell interactions.

Glycan oxidation on the cell surface occurs in many specific life processes including pathogen-cell interactions. This work develops a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging strategy for in situ quantitative monitoring of protein-specific glycan oxidation mediated pathogen-cell interactions by utilizing Raman reporter DTNB and aptamer co-assembled platinum shelled gold nanoparticles (Au@Pt-DTNB/Apt). Using Fusarium graminearum (FG) and MCF-7 cells as models, Au@Pt-DTNB/Apt can specifically bind to MUC1 protein on the cell surface containing heavy galactose (Gal) and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) modification. When FG interacts with cells, the secreted galactose oxidase (GO) can oxidize Gal/GalNAc, and the generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) further oxidizes DTNB to produce TNB for greatly enhancing the SERS signal. This strategy can quantitatively visualize for the first time both the protein-specific glycan oxidation and the mediated pathogen-cell interactions, thus providing key quantitative information to distinguish and explore the pathogen-resistance and pharmacological mechanisms of different drugs.

Genomic and pangenomic analyses provide insights into the population history and genomic diversification of bottle gourd.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Strandl.) is an economically important vegetable crop and one of the earliest domesticated crops. However, the population history and genomic diversification of bottle gourd have not been extensively studied. We generated a comprehensive bottle gourd genome variation map from genome sequences of 197 world-wide representative accessions, which enables a genome-wide association study for identifying genomic loci associated with resistance to zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and constructed a bottle gourd pangenome that harbors 1534 protein-coding genes absent in the reference genome. Demographic analyses uncover that domesticated bottle gourd originated in Southern Africa c. 12 000 yr ago, and subsequently radiated to the New World via the Atlantic drift and to Eurasia through the efforts of early farmers in the initial Holocene. The identified highly differentiated genomic regions among different bottle gourd populations harbor many genes contributing to their local adaptations such as those related to disease resistance and stress tolerance. Presence/absence variation analysis of genes in the pangenome reveals numerous genes including those involved in abiotic/biotic stress responses that have been under selection during the world-wide expansion of bottle gourds. The bottle gourd variation map and pangenome provide valuable resources for future functional studies and genomics-assisted breeding.

Prospective Investigation of Optical Genome Mapping for Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Optical genome mapping (OGM) is a novel assay for detecting structural variants (SVs) and has been retrospectively evaluated for its performance. However, its prospective evaluation in prenatal diagnosis remains unreported. This study aimed to prospectively assess the technical concordance of OGM with standard of care (SOC) testing in prenatal diagnosis. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 204 pregnant women was enrolled in this study. Amniotic fluid samples from these women were subjected to OGM and SOC testing, which included chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and karyotyping (KT) in parallel. The diagnostic yield of OGM was evaluated, and the technical concordance between OGM and SOC testing was assessed. RESULTS: OGM successfully analyzed 204 cultured amniocyte samples, even with a cell count as low as 0.24 million. In total, 60 reportable SVs were identified through combined OGM and SOC testing, with 22 SVs detected by all 3 techniques. The diagnostic yield for OGM, CMA, and KT was 25% (51/204), 22.06% (45/204), and 18.14% (37/204), respectively. The highest diagnostic yield (29.41%, 60/204) was achieved when OGM and KT were used together. OGM demonstrated a concordance of 95.56% with CMA and 75.68% with KT in this cohort study. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that OGM can be effectively applied in prenatal diagnosis using cultured amniocytes and exhibits high concordance with SOC testing. The combined use of OGM and KT appears to yield the most promising diagnostic outcomes.

ETS translocation variant 5 (ETV5) promotes CD4+ T cell-mediated intestinal inflammation and fibrosis in inflammatory bowel diseases.

ETS translocation variant 5 (ETV5) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the exact roles of ETV5 in regulating CD4+ T cell-mediated intestinal inflammation and fibrosis formation remain unclear. Here, we reveal that ETV5 overexpression induced IL-9 and its transcription factor IRF4 expression in naïve IBD CD4+ T cells under Th9-polarizing conditions. Silencing of IRF4 inhibited ETV5-induced IL-9 expression. CD4+ T cell-specific ETV5 deletion (CKO) ameliorated intestinal inflammation and fibrosis in TNBS-induced experimental colitis and CD4+ T cell-transferred Rag1-/- colitis mice, characterized by less CD4+ T cell infiltration, lower fibroblast activation and collagen deposition in the colonic tissues. Furthermore, IL-9 treatment aggressive TNBS-induced intestinal fibrosis in CKO and wild type (WT) control mice. In vitro, human intestinal fibroblasts cocultured with ETV5 overexpressed-Th9 cells expressed higher levels of collagen I and III, whereas an inclusion of anti-IL-9 antibody could reverse this effect. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that IL-9 upregulated TAF1 expression in human intestinal fibroblasts. Clinic data showed that number of α-SMA+TAF1+ fibroblasts are higher in inflamed mucosa of IBD patients. Importantly, TAF1 siRNA treatment suppressed IL-9-mediated profibrotic effect in vitro. These findings reveal that CD4+ T cell-derived ETV5 promotes intestinal inflammation and fibrosis through upregulating IL-9-mediated intestinal inflammatory and fibrotic response in IBD. Thus, the ETV5/IL-9 signal pathway in T cells might represent a novel therapeutic target for intestinal inflammation and fibrosis in IBD.

Developing Folate-Conjugated miR-34a Therapeutic for Prostate Cancer: Challenges and Promises.

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains a common cancer with high mortality in men due to its heterogeneity and the emergence of drug resistance. A critical factor contributing to its lethality is the presence of prostate cancer stem cells (PCSCs), which can self-renew, long-term propagate tumors, and mediate treatment resistance. MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) has shown promise as an anti-PCSC therapeutic by targeting critical molecules involved in cancer stem cell (CSC) survival and functions. Despite extensive efforts, the development of miR-34a therapeutics still faces challenges, including non-specific delivery and delivery-associated toxicity. One emerging delivery approach is ligand-mediated conjugation, aiming to achieve specific delivery of miR-34a to cancer cells, thereby enhancing efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Folate-conjugated miR-34a (folate-miR-34a) has demonstrated promising anti-tumor efficacy in breast and lung cancers by targeting folate receptor α (FOLR1). Here, we first show that miR-34a, a TP53 transcriptional target, is reduced in PCa that harbors TP53 loss or mutations and that miR-34a mimic, when transfected into PCa cells, downregulated multiple miR-34a targets and inhibited cell growth. When exploring the therapeutic potential of folate-miR-34a, we found that folate-miR-34a exhibited impressive inhibitory effects on breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer cells but showed minimal effects on and targeted delivery to PCa cells due to a lack of appreciable expression of FOLR1 in PCa cells. Folate-miR-34a also did not display any apparent effect on PCa cells expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PMSA) despite the reported folate's binding capability to PSMA. These results highlight challenges in the specific delivery of folate-miR-34a to PCa due to a lack of target (receptor) expression. Our study offers novel insights into the challenges and promises within the field and casts light on the development of ligand-conjugated miR-34a therapeutics for PCa.

Biosynthesis of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide: Synthesis Method, Enzyme, and Biocatalytic System.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has garnered substantial interest as a functional food product. Industrial NMN production relies on chemical methods, facing challenges in separation, purification, and regulatory complexities, leading to elevated prices. In contrast, NMN biosynthesis through fermentation or enzyme catalysis offers notable benefits like eco-friendliness, recyclability, and efficiency, positioning it as a primary avenue for future NMN synthesis. Enzymatic NMN synthesis encompasses the nicotinamide-initial route and nicotinamide ribose-initial routes. Key among these is nicotinamide riboside kinase (NRK), pivotal in the latter route. The NRK-mediated biosynthesis is emerging as a prominent trend due to its streamlined route, simplicity, and precise specificity. The essential aspect is to obtain an engineered NRK that exhibits elevated activity and robust stability. This review comprehensively assesses diverse NMN synthesis methods, offering valuable insights into efficient, sustainable, and economical production routes. It spotlights the emerging NRK-mediated biosynthesis pathway and its significance. The establishment of an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regeneration system plays a pivotal role in enhancing NMN synthesis efficiency through NRK-catalyzed routes. The review aims to be a reference for researchers developing green and sustainable NMN synthesis, as well as those optimizing NMN production.

Structures and mechanisms of the Arabidopsis cytokinin transporter AZG1.

Cytokinins are essential for plant growth and development, and their tissue distributions are regulated by transmembrane transport. Recent studies have revealed that members of the 'Aza-Guanine Resistant' (AZG) protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana can mediate cytokinin uptake in roots. Here we present 2.7 to 3.3 Å cryo-electron microscopy structures of Arabidopsis AZG1 in the apo state and in complex with its substrates trans-zeatin (tZ), 6-benzyleaminopurine (6-BAP) or kinetin. AZG1 forms a homodimer and each subunit shares a similar topology and domain arrangement with the proteins of the nucleobase/ascorbate transporter (NAT) family. These structures, along with functional analyses, reveal the molecular basis for cytokinin recognition. Comparison of the AZG1 structures determined in inward-facing conformations and predicted by AlphaFold2 in the occluded conformation allowed us to propose that AZG1 may carry cytokinins across the membrane through an elevator mechanism.

Percutaneous Vertebroplasty for Cervical Symptomatic Hemangiomas and Spinal Metastases: A Case Series and Literature Review.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is a commonly used technique for the treatment of spinal diseases, but it is rarely employed for cervical lesions. This study presents a case series and a literature review to evaluate the efficacy of cervical PVP. METHODS: From August 2013 to January 2023, 14 patients underwent cervical PVP in the author's institution. The mean postoperative follow-up time was 20.3 ± 12.1 months (ranging from 5 to 41 months). The pain status and quality of life were assessed preoperatively, postoperatively, and during follow-up using the Visual Analog Scale and Neck Disability Index. Additionally, complications that occurred during the study period were documented. RESULTS: The series of cases included 9 cases of hemangiomas and 5 cases of spinal metastases. The common symptom was axial pain in the neck. All patients were successfully treated with PVP. Visual analog scale scores decreased from 6.6 ± 0.8 preoperatively to 1.9 ± 0.8 at 24 hours postoperatively and to 2.4 ± 1.2 at the last follow-up (P < 0.01). Neck Disability Index decreased from 22.3% ± 8.9% preoperatively to 7.6% ± 8.1% at 24 hours postoperatively and to 6.0% ± 7.2% at 12-month follow-up (P < 0.01). After the operation, a case of dysphagia occurred, but no major complications were observed during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical PVP via the anterolateral approach is a safe option for the treatment of cervical symptomatic hemangiomas and spinal metastases with limited invasiveness. It is effective in relieving pain and improving quality of life.