TMCO1 Is an ER Ca(2+) Load-Activated Ca(2+) Channel.

Maintaining homeostasis of Ca(2+) stores in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is crucial for proper Ca(2+) signaling and key cellular functions. The Ca(2+)-release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channel is responsible for Ca(2+) influx and refilling after store depletion, but how cells cope with excess Ca(2+) when ER stores are overloaded is unclear. We show that TMCO1 is an ER transmembrane protein that actively prevents Ca(2+) stores from overfilling, acting as what we term a "Ca(2+) load-activated Ca(2+) channel" or "CLAC" channel. TMCO1 undergoes reversible homotetramerization in response to ER Ca(2+) overloading and disassembly upon Ca(2+) depletion and forms a Ca(2+)-selective ion channel on giant liposomes. TMCO1 knockout mice reproduce the main clinical features of human cerebrofaciothoracic (CFT) dysplasia spectrum, a developmental disorder linked to TMCO1 dysfunction, and exhibit severe mishandling of ER Ca(2+) in cells. Our findings indicate that TMCO1 provides a protective mechanism to prevent overfilling of ER stores with Ca(2+) ions.

Micropeptide PACMP inhibition elicits synthetic lethal effects by decreasing CtIP and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation.

Synthetic lethality through combinatorial targeting DNA damage response (DDR) pathways provides exciting anticancer therapeutic benefit. Currently, the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in tumor drug resistance; however, their potential significance in DDR is still largely unknown. Here, we report that a human lncRNA, CTD-2256P15.2, encodes a micropeptide, named PAR-amplifying and CtIP-maintaining micropeptide (PACMP), with a dual function to maintain CtIP abundance and promote poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. PACMP not only prevents CtIP from ubiquitination through inhibiting the CtIP-KLHL15 association but also directly binds DNA damage-induced poly(ADP-ribose) chains to enhance PARP1-dependent poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. Targeting PACMP alone inhibits tumor growth by causing a synthetic lethal interaction between CtIP and PARP inhibitions and confers sensitivity to PARP/ATR/CDK4/6 inhibitors, ionizing radiation, epirubicin, and camptothecin. Our findings reveal that a lncRNA-derived micropeptide regulates cancer progression and drug resistance by modulating DDR, whose inhibition could be employed to augment the existing anticancer therapeutic strategies.

Ferroptosis contributing to cardiomyocyte injury induced by silica nanoparticles via miR-125b-2-3p/HO-1 signaling.

BACKGROUND: Amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been gradually proven to threaten cardiac health, but pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Ferroptosis is a newly defined form of programmed cell death that is implicated in myocardial diseases. Nevertheless, its role in the adverse cardiac effects of SiNPs has not been described. RESULTS: We first reported the induction of cardiomyocyte ferroptosis by SiNPs in both in vivo and in vitro. The sub-chronic exposure to SiNPs through intratracheal instillation aroused myocardial injury, characterized by significant inflammatory infiltration and collagen hyperplasia, accompanied by elevated CK-MB and cTnT activities in serum. Meanwhile, the activation of myocardial ferroptosis by SiNPs was certified by the extensive iron overload, declined FTH1 and FTL, and lipid peroxidation. The correlation analysis among detected indexes hinted ferroptosis was responsible for the SiNPs-aroused myocardial injury. Further, in vitro tests, SiNPs triggered iron overload and lipid peroxidation in cardiomyocytes. Concomitantly, altered expressions of TfR, DMT1, FTH1, and FTL indicated dysregulated iron metabolism of cardiomyocytes upon SiNP stimuli. Also, shrinking mitochondria with ridge fracture and ruptured outer membrane were noticed. To note, the ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1 could effectively alleviate SiNPs-induced iron overload, lipid peroxidation, and myocardial cytotoxicity. More importantly, the mechanistic investigations revealed miR-125b-2-3p-targeted HO-1 as a key player in the induction of ferroptosis by SiNPs, probably through regulating the intracellular iron metabolism to mediate iron overload and ensuing lipid peroxidation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings firstly underscored the fact that ferroptosis mediated by miR-125b-2-3p/HO-1 signaling was a contributor to SiNPs-induced myocardial injury, which could be of importance to elucidate the toxicity and provide new insights into the future safety applications of SiNPs-related nano products.

Epithelium-derived exosomes promote silica nanoparticles-induced pulmonary fibroblast activation and collagen deposition via modulating fibrotic signaling pathways and their epigenetic regulations.

BACKGROUND: In the context of increasing exposure to silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and ensuing respiratory health risks, emerging evidence has suggested that SiNPs can cause a series of pathological lung injuries, including fibrotic lesions. However, the underlying mediators in the lung fibrogenesis caused by SiNPs have not yet been elucidated. RESULTS: The in vivo investigation verified that long-term inhalation exposure to SiNPs induced fibroblast activation and collagen deposition in the rat lungs. In vitro, the uptake of exosomes derived from SiNPs-stimulated lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) by fibroblasts (MRC-5) enhanced its proliferation, adhesion, and activation. In particular, the mechanistic investigation revealed SiNPs stimulated an increase of epithelium-secreted exosomal miR-494-3p and thereby disrupted the TGF-ß/BMPR2/Smad pathway in fibroblasts via targeting bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2), ultimately resulting in fibroblast activation and collagen deposition. Conversely, the inhibitor of exosomes, GW4869, can abolish the induction of upregulated miR-494-3p and fibroblast activation in MRC-5 cells by the SiNPs-treated supernatants of BEAS-2B. Besides, inhibiting miR-494-3p or overexpression of BMPR2 could ameliorate fibroblast activation by interfering with the TGF-ß/BMPR2/Smad pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested pulmonary epithelium-derived exosomes serve an essential role in fibroblast activation and collagen deposition in the lungs upon SiNPs stimuli, in particular, attributing to exosomal miR-494-3p targeting BMPR2 to modulate TGF-ß/BMPR2/Smad pathway. Hence, strategies targeting exosomes could be a new avenue in developing therapeutics against lung injury elicited by SiNPs.

RETINAL MICROVASCULAR CHANGES AND RISK OF CORONARY HEART DISEASE: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To quantify associations between various retinal microvascular changes and the risk of the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for cohort studies on the association between retinal microvascular changes and incident CHD up to July 31, 2023. The summary risk estimates were estimated using the random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the potential source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The authors identified 21 studies that met the inclusion criteria of this meta-analysis through database searching. This study yielded significant associations between retinal microvascular changes, including arteriolar narrowing, venular widening, vessel occlusion, and other retinal vascular signs, and the risk of CHD, with pooled adjusted hazard ratios of 1.20 (95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.27). In sex- and age-stratified analyses, retinal microvascular changes were associated with a greater risk of developing CHD in female patients and younger adults. CONCLUSION: A range of retinal microvascular changes was associated with the risk of CHD, particularly in female patients and younger ages. The results of this study support the concept that retinal microvascular abnormalities may be markers for future CHD. Noninvasive retinal microvascular assessments may be helpful in screening patients with increased CHD risk.

Assessment of the impact of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol on retinal vessels using optical coherence tomography angiography.

BACKGROUND: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is acknowledged as an independent risk factor (IRF) for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, studies on the impact of LDL-C on microvasculature are still scarce. The retina, abundant in microvasculature, can now be examined for microvascular alterations through the novel, non-invasive, and quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) technique. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 243 patients from the geriatric department were recruited (between December 2022 and December 2023). Individuals were classified into four groups based on their LDL-C levels: Group 1 (≤ 1.8 mmol/L), Group 2 (> 1.8 mmol/L to ≤ 2.6 mmol/L), Group 3 (> 2.6 mmol/L to ≤ 3.4 mmol/L), and Group 4 (> 3.4 mmol/L). The OCTA results including retinal vessel density (VD), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, macula thickness, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were contrasted across these groups. T-tests, analysis of variance, Welch's tests, or rank-sum tests were employed for statistical comparisons. In cases where significant differences between groups were found, post-hoc multiple comparisons or rank-sum tests were performed for pairwise group comparisons. Spearman's correlation coefficient was employed to perform bivariate correlation analysis to evaluate the relationship between LDL-C levels and various OCTA measurements. Multivariable regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between LDL-C levels and various OCTA measurements. Linear regression analysis or mixed-effects linear models were applied. RESULTS: It was discovered that individuals with LDL-C levels exceeding 2.6 mmol/L (Groups 3 and 4) exhibited reduced VD in the retina, encompassing both the optic disc and macular regions, compared to those with LDL-C levels at or below 2.6 mmol/L (Groups 1 and 2). A negative correlation among LDL-C levels and retinal VD was identified, with r values spanning from - 0.228 to -0.385. Further regression analysis presented ß values between - 0.954 and - 2.378. Additionally, no notable disparities were detected among the groups regarding FAZ area, macular thickness, and RNFL thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of this study suggest that elevated LDL-C levels constitute an IRF for decreased VD across the entire retina. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05644548, December 1, 2022.

Predictive Value of NT-proBNP for New-onset Atrial Fibrillation in the Acute Phase of Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the predictive value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) levels on admission and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: In this study, a retrospective cohort study design scheme was used to include a total of 291 consecutive patients who were hospitalized for AMI from July 2019 to May 2020, of whom 36 (12.4%) developed new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) during their hospitalization, which was classified as the AF group, and the rest of the patients were in the non-AF group. The impact of NT-pro-BNP on new-onset atrial fibrillation was investigated using the general data, laboratory tests, cardiac ultrasonography, and coronary angiography results of the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the effect of NT-pro-BNP on new-onset atrial fibrillation. Additionally, we analyzed the significance of NT-pro-BNP in predicting new-onset AF in AMI patients using the the area under the AUC. Results: Univariate analysis indicated that patients in the AF group had significantly higher (P < .05) age, leukocyte count on admission, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), blood creatinine, uric acid, NT-pro-BNP, and left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter (LVED) than those in the non-AF group. Patients in the AF group had lower blood pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction compared with the non-AF group. Logistic multifactorial regression analysis indicated that NT-pro-BNP was an independent risk factor for new-onset AF in patients with AMI (OR=2.752, 95% CI 1.352-5.602, P = .005). The area under the AUC was 0.747 (95% CI 0.655-0.84; P = .001), with a sensitivity of 64%, a specificity of 78%, and a Jordon's index of 0.458. This corresponds to an optimal cutoff value of 5374 pg/ml, suggesting that NT-pro-BNP performs well in predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation. Conclusion: NT-pro-BNP on admission can be a useful predictor of whether new-onset atrial fibrillation occurs in patients with AMI, with good predictive value. This finding helps better to meet patients' diagnostic and therapeutic needs and provides useful clinical guidance to improve the management and prognosis of AMI patients.

Prevalence of Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To systematically review the prevalence of motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) among community-dwelling older adults and provide evidence-based support for policymakers planning health and social care policies. METHOD: Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for cross-sectional, prospective cohort, or population-based longitudinal studies of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years with MCR from inception of the database through December 18, 2021. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included. Pooled prevalence of MCR was found to be 10% (95% confidence interval [8%, 12%], I2 = 98.4%). Results of a subgroup analysis revealed a combined prevalence of MCR of 8.2% in males and 9.2% in females. Pooled prevalence of MCR was 9.7% in Asia and 10.2% in other regions. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of MCR in community-dwelling older adults is high. Our research may improve the epidemiological understanding of MCR, draw attention to older adults with MCR, and thus promote research of MCR and the formulation of relevant public health policies. With early identification and intervention of MCR, cognitive function can be improved, and the onset of dementia can be delayed or prevented. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(4), 16-24.].

DNA polymerase η promotes nonhomologous end joining upon etoposide exposure dependent on the scaffolding protein Kap1.

DNA polymerase eta (Pol η) is a eukaryotic member of the Y-family of DNA polymerase involved in translesion DNA synthesis and genome mutagenesis. Recently, several translesion DNA synthesis polymerases have been found to function in repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, the role of Pol η in promoting DSB repair remains to be well defined. Here, we demonstrated that Pol η could be targeted to etoposide (ETO)-induced DSBs and that depletion of Pol η in cells causes increased sensitivity to ETO. Intriguingly, depletion of Pol η also led to a nonhomologous end joining repair defect in a catalytic activity-independent manner. We further identified the scaffold protein Kap1 as a novel interacting partner of Pol η, the depletion of which resulted in impaired formation of Pol η and Rad18 foci after ETO treatment. Additionally, overexpression of Kap1 failed to restore Pol η focus formation in Rad18-deficient cells after ETO treatment. Interestingly, we also found that Kap1 bound to Rad18 in a Pol η-dependent manner, and moreover, depletion of Kap1 led to a significant reduction in Rad18-Pol η association, indicating that Kap1 forms a ternary complex with Rad18 and Pol η to stabilize Rad18-Pol η association. Our findings demonstrate that Kap1 could regulate the role of Pol η in ETO-induced DSB repair via facilitating Rad18 recruitment and stabilizing Rad18-Pol η association.

Targeting ferroptosis: a novel insight against myocardial infarction and ischemia-reperfusion injuries.

Ferroptosis, a newly discovered form of regulated cell death dependent on iron and reactive oxygen species, is mainly characterized by mitochondrial shrinkage, increased density of bilayer membranes and the accumulation of lipid peroxidation, causing membrane lipid peroxidation and eventually cell death. Similar with the most forms of regulated cell death, ferroptosis also participated in the pathological metabolism of myocardial infarction and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injuries, which are still the leading causes of death worldwide. Given the crucial roles ferroptosis played in cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injuries, it is considerable to delve into the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis contributing to the progress of cardiovascular diseases, which might offer the potential role of ferroptosis as a targeted treatment for a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. This review systematically summarizes the process and regulatory metabolisms of ferroptosis, discusses the relationship between ferroptosis and myocardial infarction as well as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injuries, which might potentially provide novel insights for the pathological metabolism and original ideas for the prevention as well as treatment targeting ferroptosis of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injuries.

Silica Nanoparticles Trigger Chaperone HSPB8-Assisted Selective Autophagy via TFEB Activation in Hepatocytes.

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are one of the most common inorganic nanomaterials. Autophagy is the predominant biological response to nanoparticles and transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Previous studies show that SiNPs induce autophagosome accumulation, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. The present study investigates the role of TFEB during SiNP-induced autophagy. SiNP-induced TFEB nuclear translocation is verified using immunofluorescence and western blot assay. The regulation of TFEB is proved to be via EIF2AK3 pathway. A TFEB knockout (KO) cell line is constructed to validate the TFEB involvement in SiNP-induced autophagy. The transcriptomes of wild-type and TFEB KO cells are compared using RNA-sequencing to identify genes of the TFEB-mediated autophagy and lysosome pathways affected by SiNPs. Based on these data and the Human Autophagy Database, four candidate autophagic genes are identified, including HSPB8, ATG4D, CTSB and CTSD. Specifically, that the chaperone HSPB8 is upregulated through SiNP-mediated TFEB activation and forms a chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA) complex with BAG3 and HSC70, triggering HSPB8-assisted selective autophagy, is found. Thus, this study characterizes a novel mechanism underlying SiNP-induced autophagy that helps pave the way for further research on the toxicity and risk assessment of SiNPs.

Association between polymorphisms in connexin 40 gene (Cx40) and risk of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis based on 3,452 subjects.

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that is associated with heart failure and stroke, leading sometimes to death. But the pathogenesis of AF remains unclear. Numerous studies have investigated whether the connexin 40 (Cx40) polymorphisms influences the risk of AF, but the results are controversial. METHODS: We searched English and Chinese databases and calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to examine the existence of genetic associations between the Cx40 polymorphisms and the risk of AF. All relevant studies were screened and meta-analyzed using Review Manager 5.0. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies, including 10 studies for -44 polymorphism (rs35594137) and 4 studies for -26 polymorphism (rs10465885), were identified for the meta-analysis. For -44 polymorphism, the results showed a significantly increased risk of AF in the five genetic models in the overall analysis. Furthermore, in subgroup analysis, increased AF risks were also observed in Asian and non-Asian populations. For -26 polymorphism, the overall OR revealed an increased risk of AF in dominant model. In subgroup analysis, increased AF risk was only found in recessive genetic model of the Asian population. CONCLUSIONS: The Cx40 polymorphisms were positively associated with AF in both populations, especially on -44 polymorphism.

Pre- and postnatal particulate matter exposure and blood pressure in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Early life is a susceptible period of air pollution-related adverse health effects. Hypertension in children might be life-threatening without prevention or treatment. Nevertheless, the causative association between environmental factors and childhood hypertension was limited. In the light of particulate matter (PM) as an environmental risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, this study investigated the association of pre- and postnatal PM exposure with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension among children and adolescents. METHOD: Four electronic databases were searched for related epidemiological studies published up to September 13, 2022. Stata 14.0 was applied to examine the heterogeneity among the studies and evaluate the combined effect sizes per 10 µg/m3 increase of PM by selecting the corresponding models. Besides, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias test were also conducted. RESULTS: Prenatal PM2.5 exposure was correlated with increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in offspring [1.14 mmHg (95% CI: 0.12, 2.17)]. For short-term postnatal exposure effects, PM2.5 (7-day average) was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) [0.20 mmHg (95% CI: 0.16, 0.23)] and DBP [0.49 mmHg (95% CI: 0.45, 0.53)]; and also, PM10 (7-day average) was significantly associated with SBP [0.14 mmHg (95% CI: 0.12, 0.16)]. For long-term postnatal exposure effects, positive associations were manifested in SBP with PM2.5 [ß = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.48] and PM10 [ß = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.51]; DBP with PM1 [ß = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.49], PM2.5 [ß = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.35] and PM10 [ß = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.45]; and hypertension with PM1 [OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.40, 1.46], PM2.5 [OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.11] and PM10 [OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.45]. CONCLUSION: Both prenatal and postnatal exposure to PM can increase BP, contributing to a higher prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents.

Soluble RAGE attenuates myocardial I/R injuries via FoxO3-Bnip3 pathway.

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) was reported to inhibit cardiac apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Meanwhile, the proapoptotic protein Bcl2 and adenovirus E1B 19-kDa-interacting protein 3 (Bnip3) was reported to mediate mitochondrial depolarization and be activated by the Forkhead box protein O3 (FoxO3a). Therefore, it is supposed that FoxO3a-Bnip3 pathway might be involved in the inhibiting effects of sRAGE on mitochondrial apoptosis during I/R. I/R surgery or glucose deprivation/reoxygenation was adopted to explore mitochondrial depolarization, apoptosis and related signaling pathways in mice hearts and cultured cardiomyocytes. The results showed that overexpression of sRAGE in cardiomyocytes dramatically improved cardiac function and reduced infarct areas in I/R treated mice. sRAGE inhibited mitochondrial depolarization and cardiac apoptosis during I/R, which correlated with reduced expression of Bnip3, Sirt2, phosphorylation of Akt and FoxO3a which translocated into nucleus in cultured cardiomyocytes. Either Sirt2 or FoxO3a silencing enhanced the inhibiting effects of sRAGE on mitochondrial depolarization induced by I/R in cultured cardiomyocytes. Meanwhile, overexpression or silencing of FoxO3a affected the inhibiting effects of sRAGE on Bnip3 and cleaved caspase-3 in cultured cardiomyocytes. Therefore, it is suggested that sRAGE inhibited I/R injuries via reducing mitochondrial apoptosis through the FoxO3a-Bnip3 pathway.

Integrinß3 mediates the protective effects of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion through AKT/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-product (sRAGE) was reported to protect myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries via directly interacting with cardiomyocytes besides competing with RAGE for AGEs. However, the specific molecule for the interaction between sRAGE and cardiomyocytes are not clearly defined. Integrins which were reported to interact with RAGE on leukocytes were also expressed on myocardial cells, therefore it was supposed that sRAGE might interact with integrins on cardiomyocytes to protect hearts from ischemia/reperfusion injuries. The results showed that sRAGE increased the expression of integrinß3 but not integrinß1, ß2, ß4 or ß5 in cardiomyocytes during I/R injuries. Meanwhile, the suppressive effects of sRAGE on cardiac function, cardiac infraction size and apoptosis in mice were cancelled by inhibition of integrinß3 with cilengitide (CLG, 75 mg/kg). The results from cultured cardiomyocytes also proved that sRAGE attenuated myocardial apoptosis and autophagy through interacting with integrinß3 to activate Akt and STAT3 pathway during oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) treatment. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of STAT3 was significantly downregulated by the inhibition of Akt (LY294002, 10 µM) in OGD/R and sRAGE treated cardiomyocytes, which suggested that STAT3 pathway was induced by Akt in I/R and sRAGE treated cardiomyocytes. The present study contributes to the understanding of myocardial I/R pathogenesis and provided a novel integrinß3-dependent therapy strategy for sRAGE ameliorating I/R injuries.

Gas adsorption effects of monolayer GeSe in terms of anisotropic transport properties.

Two-dimensional layered semiconducting material germanium selenide (GeSe) has attracted significant attention due to its environmental friendship, anisotropic electronic structures, and strong air-stability. To evaluate the candidacy of monolayer GeSe as a potential gas sensing material, the adsorption characteristics of various small gas molecules on monolayer GeSe are comprehensively studied combining density functional theory calculations and non-equilibrium Green's function formalism. The charge transfer reaction between gas molecules and monolayer GeSe leads to the marked change of the carrier density, which further affects the anisotropic transport characteristics of monolayer GeSe. The calculated band structures andI-Vcurves reveal distinctive responses of monolayer GeSe to the different gas molecules, and higher sensitivity of the monolayer GeSe in presence of SO2, NH3, NO2gas molecules along the zigzag direction is obtained. These results suggest that monolayer GeSe along the zigzag direction has promising application in gas detector.

Integrated refractive index sensor based on an AlN-PSiO2 hybrid plasmonic microdisk resonator.

In this paper, a microdisk resonator (MDR) based on an AlN-PSiO2 hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW) and its refractive index (RI) sensing characteristics are investigated. The plasmonic characteristics of the MDR based on the AlN-PSiO2 HPW (APHPW-MDR) in near-infrared wavelengths are studied by using the finite element method. Through the structure parameter optimizations, the propagation length (Lprop) of the APHPW-MDR is ∼165µm, which is ∼2.5 times as long as that of the MDR based on the AlN HPW (AHPW-MDR). The simulation results show that the quality factor (Q) and extinction rate (ER) of the APHPW-MDR are ∼621.3 and ∼30dB, respectively. The RI sensing sensitivity (S) of the RI sensor based on the APHPW-MDR is ∼276.6nm/RIU. The RI sensor based on the APHPW-MDR has wide application prospects in high-performance biochemical sensing, and it can also be used in integrated optical filters, modulators, switches, routers, and delay circuits.

Transcriptome Evidence Reveals Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response Participate in SH-SY5Y Cells Exposed to Manganese.

BACKGROUND: Overexposure to manganese (Mn) can lead to neurodegenerative damage, resulting in manganism with similar syndromes to Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known about changes in transcriptomics induced by the toxicological level of Mn. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq to explore the candidate genes and signaling pathways included by Mn in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. METHODS: The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the Mn-treated group and the control group were screened, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was employed to identify hub genes. Then, pathway enrichment analyses for those candidate genes were performed in Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We further validated the concentration- and time-response effects of Mn exposure (0-500 µM, 3-12 h) on mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRMT) by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: The results showed 179 up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 681 down-regulated DEGs after Mn exposure. Based on the intersection of DEGs genes and hub genes, 73 DEGs were related to neurotoxicity. The comprehensive pathway analysis showed Mn had widespread effects on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, unfolded protein response, longevity regulating pathway, inflammatory bowel disease, and mitophagy signaling pathway. After Mn exposure, the expressions of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) increased, while the expressions of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), caseinolytic protease P (CLPP), and Lon protease 1 (LONP1) decreased in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study suggests that UPRMT is a new sight in understanding the mechanism of Mn-induced neurotoxicity.

Ganglioside-monosialic acid (GM1) for prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a dose-limiting side effect that largely remains an unresolved clinical issue, leading to long-term morbidity. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ganglioside-monosialic acid (GM1) in preventing CIPN. METHODS: Systematic literature searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov were performed to identify randomized controlled trials and cohort studies that evaluated the efficacy of GM1 for preventing CIPN. Conventional meta-analysis with a random-effects model and trial sequential analysis (TSA) were performed. RESULTS: A total of five studies involving 868 participants were included. The results showed that GM1 did not reduce the overall incidence of grade ≥ 2 CIPN when the common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) was used (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.34-1.11). Subgroup analyses showed that GM1 could not reduce the risk of CTCAE grade ≥ 2 CIPN (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.35-1.13) and neurotoxicity criteria of Debiopharm (DEB-NTC) grade ≥ 2 CIPN (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.01-7.10) in oxaliplatin-treated patients, despite that GM1 was associated with a reduced risk of CTCAE grade ≥ 2 CIPN in the taxane subgroup of one study (OR 0.003, 95% CI 0.00-0.05). These results were confirmed by the sub-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In TSA, the z-curve for the taxane subgroup crossed the upper trial sequential monitoring boundary (TSMB) but do not reach the required information size (RIS). The z-curves for the oxaliplatin subgroup remained in the nonsignificant area and did not reach the RIS. Further, GM1 did not influence the rate of response to chemotherapy and CTCAE grade ≥ 2 adverse events such as fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and rash. CONCLUSIONS: GM1 seemed to be well-tolerated and did not influence the anti-cancer effects of chemotherapeutic agents. Although the data did not confirm the effectiveness of GM1 in preventing oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy, GM1 might be able to prevent taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy. More studies are required in different ethnic populations receiving taxane-based chemotherapy to confirm these findings.

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products promotes angiogenesis through activation of STAT3 in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE), which exerts cardioprotective effect through inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, is also known to enhance angiogenesis in post-ischemic reperfusion injury-critical limb ischemia (PIRI-CLI) mice. However, whether sRAGE protects the heart from myocardial I/R injury via promoting angiogenesis remains unclear. Myocardial model of I/R injury was conducted by left anterior descending (LAD) ligation for 30 min and reperfusion for 2 weeks in C57BL/6 mice. And I/R injury in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) was duplicated by oxygen and glucose deprivation. The results showed that I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction, inflammation and myocardial fibrosis were all reversed by sRAGE. CD31 immunohistochemistry staining showed that sRAGE increased the density of vessels after I/R injury. The results from cultured CMECs showed that sRAGE inhibited apoptosis and increased proliferation, migration, angiogenesis after exposure to I/R. These effects were dependent on signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. Together, the present study demonstrated that activation of STAT3 contributed to the protective effects of sRAGE on myocardial I/R injury via promoting angiogenesis.