CircRNA Arf3 suppresses glomerular mesangial cell proliferation and fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy via miR-107-3p/Tmbim6 axis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of microvascular complication associated with diabetes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to be involved in DN pathogenesis. Hence, this work aimed to explore the role and mechanism of circ_Arf3 in DN. Mouse mesangial cells (MCs) cultured in high glucose (HG) condition were used for functional analysis. Cell proliferation was determined using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and cell counting kit-8 assays. Western blotting was used to measure the levels of proliferation indicator PCNA and fibrosis-related proteins α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I (Col I), fibronectin (FN), and collagen IV (Col IV). The binding interaction between miR-107-3p and circ_Arf3 or Tmbim6 (transmembrane BAX inhibitor motif containing 6) was confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter and pull-down assays. Circ_Arf3 is a stable circRNA, and the expression of circ_Arf3 was decreased after HG treatment in MCs. Functionally, ectopic overexpression of circ_Arf3 protected against HG-induced proliferation and elevation of fibrosis-related proteins in MCs. Mechanistically, circ_Arf3 directly bound to miR-107-3p, and Tmbim6 was a target of miR-107-3p. Further rescue assay showed miR-107-3p reversed the protective action of circ_Arf3 on MCs function under HG condition. Moreover, inhibition of miR-107-3p suppressed HG-induced proliferation and fibrosis, which were attenuated by Tmbim6 knockdown in MCs. CircRNA Arf3 could suppress HG-evoked mesangial cell proliferation and fibrosis via miR-107-3p/Tmbim6 axis, indicating the potential involvement of this axis in DN progression.

The mediating effect of self-efficacy on social support and cancer screening behavior among Chinese women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Breast and cervical cancer are the most common cancers in women, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Cancer screening can facilitate early diagnosis, reduce mortality, and ease the burden of cancer. Social support and self-efficacy are strongly associated with cancer screening behavior. The present study aimed to explore the mediating effect of self-efficacy on social support and cancer screening behavior. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey study conducted from June to October 2023, 312 women aged 35-65 years were recruited from the East Coast area of China. A general information questionnaire, cancer screening behavior questionnaire, social support scale and self-efficacy scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the general characteristics of participants; one-way analysis of variance was used to test for differences in the measured variables; and Pearson's correlation analyses were used to describe the relationship among social support, self-efficacy, and cancer screening behavior. A mediation model was constructed and analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) screening behavior score for breast cancer and cervical cancer was 3.98 (2.79), representing an intermediate level. Self-efficacy was closely related to social support and cancer screening behavior. Social support showed a significant positive correlation with self-efficacy (r = 0.37, p < 0.01) and cancer screening behavior (r = 0.18, p < 0.01). Self-efficacy was also significantly positively correlated with cancer screening behavior (r = 0.19, p < 0.05). Self-efficacy showed a full mediating effect between social support and cancer screening behavior, with an explanatory power of 32%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the need to increase women's level of social support and self-efficacy, which in turn can increase women's participation in breast and cervical cancer screening.

Silencing circ_0080425 alleviates high-glucose-induced endothelial cell dysfunction in diabetic nephropathy by targeting miR-140-3p/FN1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Hsa_circ_0080425 (circ_0080425) is newly identified to correlate with the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, its role and mechanism in DN process is not very clear. METHODS: Cell counting kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, scratch wound assay, and western blotting were performed to measure endothelial cell dysfunction. Expression of circ_0080425, microRNA (miR)-140-3p and fibronectin 1 (FN1) were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. The direct interaction was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: High-glucose (HG) treatment could induce inhibition of cell proliferation, cell cycle entrance and wound healing rate in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HRGEC), and enhancement of apoptosis rate. Circ_0080425 expression was upregulated by HG, and exhausting circ_0080425 could attenuate HG-induced above effects in HRGEC. MiR-140-3p was sponged by circ_0080425, and its inhibitor reversed the regulation of circ_0080425 knockdown on HG-induced HRGEC injury. FN1 was targeted by miR-140-3p, and its overexpression also restored the inhibitory effect of miR-140-3p on HC-induced HRGEC injury. CONCLUSION: Circ_0080425 expression might contribute to HG-induced endothelial cell injury, and circ_0080425/miR-140-3p/FN1 axis was a potential therapeutic approach to interfere DN process.

Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care on Repeated Procedural Pain and Cerebral Oxygenation in Preterm Infants.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the effects of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on repeated procedural pain and cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: Preterm infants of 31 to 33 weeks of gestational age were randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 36) and a control group (n = 37). Premature infant pain profile (PIPP) scores, heart rate, oxygen saturation, regional cerebral tissue oxygenation saturation (rcSO2), and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) were evaluated during repeated heel stick procedures. Each heel stick procedure included three phases: baseline, blood collection, and recovery. KMC was given to the intervention group 30 minutes before baseline until the end of the recovery phase. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed lower PIPP scores and heart rates, higher oxygen saturation, and rcSO2 from the blood collection to recovery phases during repeated heel sticks. Moreover, there were significant changes in cFTOE for the control group, but not the intervention group associated with repeated heel stick procedures. CONCLUSION: The analgesic effect of KMC is sustained over repeated painful procedures in preterm infants, and it is conducive to stabilizing cerebral oxygenation, which may protect the development of brain function. KEY POINTS: · KMC stabilizes cerebral oxygenation during repeated heel sticks in preterm infants.. · The analgesic effect of KMC is sustained over repeated painful procedures in preterm infants.. · KMC may protect the development of brain function..

First Report of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua Root Rot Caused by Trichoderma virens in China.

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua is a traditional Chinese medicine, which has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and other pharmacological effects (Lu et al. 2023). In June 2022, A disease of root rot was observed on P. cyrtonema plants in Tonggu County (28°63'89″N, 114°48'07″E), Jiangxi Province, China. The disease incidence was approximately 30% in a surveyed area of 3 hectares, which contained approximately 20,000 plants. Initially, the above-ground parts of the plants did not show any obvious symptoms. However, the underground roots exhibited red-brown spots that gradually expanded and sunken areas appeared, and the diseased plants presented leaf chlorosis and red-brown discoloration of the tubers, eventually leading to plant death. To identify the pathogen, symptomatic root tissues (0.5×0.5×0.5cm) from the lesion margin surface were sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30s, 3% NaClO for 3 min followed by rinsing three times with sterile water. The sterile root pieces were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25℃. Thirteen pure fungal isolates with the same morphological characteristics were obtained by monosporic isolation from 20 pieces of roots, and the representative isolates, HJGF1-1, HJGF1-2 were used for morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses. Initially, the two colonies on PDA appeared white with cotton-shaped aerial hyphae, which later turned light green to green and formed concentric rings. At the end of the conidiophores, 3 to 6 pear-shaped branches are irregularly gathered, and the angles between the branches are acute. The conidia were mostly solitary ellipsoid or obovate with the size of (3.7-5.9) × (3.6-4.5) µm (n=100). These morphological characteristics are consistent with the description of a Trichoderma spp. (Kamala et al. 2015). For molecular identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF-1α) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) sequences were PCR amplified using primer pairs of ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone et al. 1999), and RPB2-5F2/RPB2-7cR (O'Donnell et al. 2022), respectively. BLAST analysis showed that the ITS, TEF-1α and RPB2 sequences of isolates HJGF1-1 (GenBank accession nos. OR229621, OR290791, OR334600) and HJGF1-2 (GenBank accession nos. OR229622, OR290792, OR334600) showed 99%-100% identity with multiple GenBank sequences of Trichoderma virens. A phylogenetic tree based on concatenated sequences of ITS, TEF-1α and RPB2 using maximum-likelihood analyses revealed that the two isolates HJGF1-1 and HJGF1-2 were in the same clade with T. virens strains. The two isolates were identified as T. virens based on the morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny. To test pathogenicity, ten healthy P. cyrtonema plants (one tuber each, 5 tubers per isolate, n=10) in the field were pin-pricked with a sterile needle and pour-inoculated with 5 mL spore suspension per tuber (1× 107 conidia/ mL) with a temperature of about 28℃. Another five tubers were were pin-pricked with a sterile needle, inoculated with sterile water and served as controls. The resulting symptoms were similar to those on the original infected plants in the field, and control tubers remained symptomless fourteen days after inoculation. T. virens was reisolated from the diseased tubers, nevertheless no pathogenic fungus was isolated from the control tubers. T. virens has been reported causing disease on tulip bulb (Lou et al. 2003) but has not previously been reported causing disease on P. cyrtonema. Although several species of Trichoderma are known to be beneficial microorganisms, the beneficial fungus may have had an evolutionary period of interaction with plants in which it behaved as a plant pathogen (Poveda et al. 2022). To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. virens infecting P. cyrtonema in China. This result may expanded the etiological study of T. virens and the control strategy of P. cyrtonema root rot.

First Report of Apiospora arundinis Causing Leaf Spot on Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua in China.

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua, which is a perennial herb of Liliaceae, can be used as clinical Chinese medicine for treating diabetes and asthma. It is widely cultivated in China, with 700 ha planted in Tonggu County, Jiangxi province (Chen et al. 2022). In June 2022, leaf spot symptoms were observed on P. cyrtonema in Tonggu county (28°71'42″N, 114°56'19″E), and the disease incidence was estimated to be above 35%. In the early stages of infection, small brown spots appear on the edge or tip of the leaves. As the lesion matures, the spots gradually expand to form wedge-shaped or elliptic to irregular lesions with brown edges and yellow halos. To identify the pathogen species, leaf pieces (5 × 5 mm) from the lesion borders were surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 30 s, followed by 2% NaClO for 2 min, then rinsed with sterile distilled water for 3 times and dried with sterile filter paper. The tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C. Pure cultures were obtained by monosporic isolation, and the representative isolates, HJYB2-1, HJYB2-2 were used for morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses. Colonies on PDA of the two isolates were white with fluffy aerial mycelia. The hyphae were smooth, hyaline, and branched. The conidiophores were hyaline or pale brown and produced conidiogenous cells. The conidiogenous cells were pale brown, smooth, and ampulliform, 5.8-11.7 × 3.0-4.9 µm (n=50). The conidia were brown, smooth, and ellipsoidal to spherical, 4.7-7.3 × 2.3-4.5 µm (n=50). Morphological features were similar to Apiospora arundinis species complex (Crous et al. 2013, Pintos et al. 2021). For molecular identification, the ITS, TUB2 and TEF 1-α genes were amplified with the primer pairs ITS1/ITS4, T1/Bt-2b and EF1-728F/EF-2 (White et al. 1990), respectively. The generated sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers OR229623, OR229624 (ITS), OR260104, OR260105 (TUB2), and OR290789, OR290790 (TEF1-α). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability analyses using IQtree v. 1.6.8 and Mr. Bayes v. 3.2.6 with the concatenated sequences placed HJYB2-1 and HJYB2-2 in the clade of A. arundinis. The two isolates were identified as A. arundinis based on morphological and multilocus phylogenetic analyses. For pathogenicity testing, healthy leaves of six P. cyrtonema plants (five leaves each, n=30) in the field were pin-pricked with a sterile needle and inoculated with 100 µL spore suspension on the wound (1×106 conidia per mL). Healthy leaves of another three P. cyrtonema plants (five leaves each, n=15) in the field were pin-pricked with a sterile needle, inoculated with sterile distilled water and served as the control. All the inoculated leaves were covered with plastic bags to keep a high-humidity environment with a temperature of about 28℃. The test was repeated three times. More than 90% of inoculated leaves showed similar symptoms to those observed in the field, whereas control leaves were asymptomatic for 7 days. Apiospora arundinis was reisolated from the leaf lesions on the inoculated plants. No pathogenic fungus was isolated from the control leaves. A. arundinis has been reported causing disease on Camellia sinensis (Thangaraj et al. 2019), Prunus persica (Ji et al. 2020), Saccharum officinarum (Liao et al. 2022) but has not previously been reported causing disease on P. cyrtonema. To our knowledge, this is the first report that A. arundinis can cause leaf spot on P. cyrtonema in China. Our result should help with future monitoring and control of this disease.

First report of anthracnose on Acer fabric caused by Colletotrichum siamense in China.

Acer fabri Hance, an evergreen tree, is widely cultivated in China for its ornamental value (Lin. 2020). In July 2020, a leaf spot disease, with an incidence of Approximately 48% (12 out of 25), was observed on A. fabri plants (almost 9-year-old) at the campus of Jiangxi Agricultural University (28°45'56″N, 115°50'21″E). On average, 30% of the leaves per individual tree were affected. Small spots initially formed along the edge or tip of the leaves and gradually expanded into dark brown spots, and eventually the diseased leaves withered. Leaf pieces (5 × 5 mm) from the lesion borders were surfaced sterilized in 70% ethanol for 30 s, followed by 2% NaOCl for 1 min, and then rinsed three times with sterile water (Wan et al. 2020). Tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C. Pure cultures were obtained by monosporic isolation, and the representative isolates, LFY-1, LFY-5, and LFY-8 were used for morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses. Colonies on PDA of the three isolates were white to gray with cottony mycelia and grayish-white on the undersides of the culture. Conidia were single-celled, straight, hyaline, cylindrical, clavate, and measured 12.8-17.4 ×4.3-5.7 µm (14.3 ± 1.1 × 4.6 ± 0.4 µm, n = 100). Appressoria were brown to dark brown, ovoid to clavate, slightly irregular to irregular, and ranged from 5.6-9.3 × 4.7-6.6 µm (7.4 ± 0.3 × 5.5 ± 0.4 µm, n=100). Morphological features were similar to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex (Weir et al. 2012). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), beta-tubulin 2 (TUB2), chitin synthase (CHS-1), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were amplified from genomic DNA for the three isolates using primers ITS1/ITS4, ACT-512F/ACT-783R, CL1/CL2, T1/Bt2b, CHS-79F/CHS-354R and GDF/GDR (Weir et al. 2012), respectively. All sequences were deposited into GenBank (ITS, OL818322- OL818324; ACT, OL830175 - OL830177; GAPDH, OL830166 - OL830168; TUB2, OL830163 - OL830165; CHS-1, OL830169 - OL830171; CAL, OL830172 - OL830174). A maximum likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability analyses using IQtree v. 1.6.8 and Mr. Bayes v. 3.2.6 with the concatenated sequences placed LFY-1, LFY-5, and LFY-8 in the clade of C. siamense. Based on the multi-locus phylogeny and morphology, three isolates were identified as C. siamense. The pathogenicity of three isolates was tested on six A. fabri plants, which were grown in the field. Healthy leaves were wounded with a sterile needle and inoculated with 10 µL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL). The spore suspension of each isolate was inoculated onto five leaves. Another three plants inoculated with ddH2O served as the control (Si et al. 2019). All the inoculated leaves were covered with plastic bags to keep a high-humidity for 2 days. All the inoculated leaves showed similar symptoms to those observed in the field, whereas control leaves were asymptomatic for 8 days. C. siamense was reisolated from the lesions, whereas no fungus was isolated from control leaves. The pathogen was previously reported to cause anthracnose on Kadsura coccinea (Jiang et al. 2022), Carica papaya (Zhang et al. 2021), Michelia alba (Qin et al. 2021). This study is the first to report C. siamense causing anthracnose on A. fabric. This work provided crucial information for epidemiologic studies and appropriate control strategies for this newly emerging disease.

Effects of Funneliformis mosseae on the utilization of organic phosphorus in Camellia oleifera Abel.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play an important role in the acquisition of phosphorus (P) by plants. The external hyphae of AM fungi function as an extension of plant roots and may downregulate related functions in the roots. It is not clear whether the ability of AM fungi to mineralize organic P affects root phosphatase activities. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of Funneliformis mosseae on soil organic P mineralization under phytate application and to explore root phosphatase activities, P uptake, and growth in Camellia oleifera Abel. The plants and their growth substrates were harvested 4 and 8 months after planting. The results showed that organic P application had no effect on the total dry mass of nonmycorrhizal plants, but differences in dry mass under P application were observed in mycorrhizal plants in both harvests. Inoculation with F. mosseae increased soil acid phosphatase, phytase, and alkaline phosphatase activities and reduced the soil organic P content. Mycorrhizal plants had higher root activity, shoot and root P contents and root acid phosphatase and phytase activities than nonmycorrhizal plants irrespective of organic P application. In conclusion, AM fungi enhanced the mineralization of soil organic P and positively affect root phosphatase activities.

Astragaloside III activates TACE/ADAM17-dependent anti-inflammatory and growth factor signaling in endothelial cells in a p38-dependent fashion.

Astragaloside III (AS-III) is a triterpenoid saponin contained in Astragali Radix and has potent anti-inflammatory effects on vascular endothelial cells; however, underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we provided the first piece of evidence that AS-III induced phosphorylation of TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE) at Thr735 and enhanced its sheddase activity. As a result, AS-III reduced surface TNFR1 level and increased content of sTNFR1 in the culture media, leading to the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway and attenuation of downstream cytokine gene expression. Furthermore, AS-III induced TACE-dependent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation and activation of downstream ERK1/2 and AKT pathways. Finally, AS-III induced activation of p38. Both TACE activation and EGFR transactivation induced by AS-III were significantly inhibited by p38 inhibitor SB203580. Taken together, we concluded that AS-III activates TACE-dependent anti-inflammatory and growth factor signaling in vascular endothelial cells in a p38-dependent fashion, which may contribute to its cardiovascular protective effect.

Arctigenin alleviates TGF-ß1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and PAI-1 expression via AMPK/NF-κB pathway in peritoneal mesothelial cells.

Peritoneal fibrosis (PF) caused by long-term peritoneal dialysis is closely associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs). Moreover, the anti-fibrotic role of Arctigenin (Arc) has been reported in several fibrosis disorders. Therefore, the preventive effect of Arc on transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1)-induced EMT and the underlying mechanisms in HPMCs was investigated in this study. Firstly, the PD model was established by TGF-ß1 stimulation in cultured HPMCs in vitro, we found that TGF-ß1 significantly increased the EMT markers (α-SMA, vimentin, and fibronectin) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) expressions, but decreased epithelial marker (E-cadherin). Co-treatment with Arc (10, 20, 40 µM) ameliorated TGF-ß1-induced EMT in a dose-dependent manner, and the expression of PAI-1 was also inhibited by Arc, which was abrogated by restoration of PAI-1. Moreover, Arc enhanced the phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), but inhibited the phosphorylated IκBα level and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 in TGF-ß1-induced HPMCs. ChIP and Luciferase reporter assays verified that the increased binding capacity of NF-κB to the promoter of PAI-1 induced by TGF-ß1 was reversely attenuated by Arc in HPMCs. However, the effect of Arc on TGF-ß1-induced NF-κB activation, PAI-1 expression and EMT in HPMCs was attenuated by AMPK agonist Compound C. In conclusion, these data demonstrated that Arc suppressed TGF-ß1-induced EMT by activating the AMPK/NF-κB pathway to inhibit PAI-1 expression in HPMCs. Therefore, Arc might act as a potential therapeutic agent for PD treatment.

Multi-responsive, self-healing and adhesive PVA based hydrogels induced by the ultrafast complexation of Fe3+ ions.

Herein, a PVA (polyvinyl alcohol)-based multi-responsive hydrogel was prepared by introducing the dynamic and reversible supramolecular complexation between polyvinyl alcohol acetoacetate (PVAA) and Fe3+ ions within 20 s at room temperature. PVAA-Fe hydrogels could be achieved by the simple mixing process of a PVAA aqueous solution with FeCl3 aqueous solution. The soluble PVAA was synthesized by the reaction of PVA with tert-butyl acetoacetate (t-BAA) via transesterification in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The chemical structure of PVAA was systematically characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The resulting hydrogel showed excellent self-healing behavior without other external stimuli. It was also demonstrated that the PVAA-Fe hydrogel exhibited multi-responsive properties, such as responsiveness to pH, redox, light irradiation and temperature. In addition, the presence of Fe3+ ions and Cl- ions in the gel imparted the PVAA-Fe hydrogel with favorable conductivity. Therefore, the strategy for the facile preparation of the hydrogel in this work could provide a benign and versatile method for achieving multi-functional soft materials for various applications such as smart devices, logic gates, and sensors.

Association between the ACYP2 Polymorphisms and IgAN Risk in the Chinese Han Population.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The association between ACYP2(Acylphosphatase 2) polymorphisms and immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) risk in the Chinese Han population remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between ACYP2 polymorphisms and IgAN risk by performing a case-control study. METHODS: Eleven ACYP2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 416 IgAN patients and 495 healthy controls were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the association of ACYP2 polymorphisms with IgAN risk. RESULTS: We observed that rs843720 was significantly associated with an increased risk of IgAN (allele G: OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01-1.49, p = 0.036; dominant model: OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.01-2.37, p =0.044; log-additive model: OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.04-1.95, p = 0.026) before Bonferroni correction. The SNP rs12615793 was also significantly associated with an increased IgAN risk in the recessive model (OR = 3.33, 95% CI: 1.05-10.51, p = 0.042) before Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSION: These findings suggested that polymorphisms (rs843720 and rs12615793) of ACYP2 may be pivotal in the development of IgAN. However, more functional and association studies with larger sample sizes should be performed to further validate our results in the future.

Immune response to C. novyi-NT immunotherapy.

Clostridium novyi-NT (CVN-NT) spores germinate in hypoxic regions of tumors and have successfully cured induced neoplasia in mouse models and resulted in objective tumor responses in naturally developing neoplasia in the dog. The objective of this pilot, descriptive, prospective, clinical investigation, was to evaluate and describe the immune response to CNV-NT spores to better understand which immune pathways might play a role in the response to this bacteriolytic immunotherapy. Intratumoral injection of CNV-NT spores result in increased phagocytosis and NK cell-like function after treatment. Intravenous injection of CNV-NT spores resulted in increased LPS-induced TNF-α production, LTA-induced IL-10 production and NK cell-like function post-treatment. Increased NK cell-like function was sustained to 28 (intratumoral) or 56 (intravenous) days post-treatment, and increased phagocytic function was sustained to 28 days post-treatment suggesting that CNV-NT spores induce longer-term immune cell function changes. Future investigations evaluating long-term immune system changes and associations between immune function and tumor remission rates should include evaluation of these pathways.

Identification of immunologic and clinical characteristics that predict inflammatory response to C. Novyi-NT bacteriolytic immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium novyi-NT (CNV-NT), has shown promise as a bacterolytic therapy for solid tumors in mouse models and in dogs with naturally developing neoplasia. Factors that impact the immunologic response to therapy are largely unknown. The goal of this pilot study was to determine if plasma immune biomarkers, immune cell function, peripheral blood cytological composition and tumor characteristics including evaluation of a PET imaging surrogate of tumor tissue hypoxia could predict which dogs with naturally developing naïve neoplasia would develop an inflammatory response to CNV-NT. RESULTS: Dogs that developed an inflammatory response to CNV-NT had a higher heart rate, larger gross tumor volume, greater tumor [64Cu]ATSM SUVMax, increased constitutive leukocyte IL-10 production, more robust NK cell-like function and greater peripheral blood lymphocyte counts compared to dogs that did not develop an inflammatory response to CNV-NT. Of these, unstimulated leukocyte IL-10 production, heart rate, and gross tumor volume appeared to be the best predictors of which dogs will develop an inflammatory response to CNV-NT. CONCLUSIONS: Development of inflammation in response to CNV-NT is best predicted by pretreatment unstimulated leukocyte IL-10 production, heart rate, and gross tumor volume.

Effects of Funneliformis mosseae on Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Camellia oleifera under Different Nitrogen Forms.

Nitrogen fertilizer increases agricultural yields but increases economic costs and causes a series of environmental problems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have the potential to be used as biological fertilizer. However, the influence of nitrogen form on plant growth responsiveness to AMF inoculation is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of Funneliformis mosseae on growth, root morphology and photosynthetic characteristics of Camellia oleifera under different nitrogen forms during three harvest periods and clarified the most suitable nitrogen form for C. oleifera-AMF symbiosis. The results showed that urea, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen promoted plant growth and photosynthetic capacity, among which urea treatment had the highest value in all three harvests. No significant difference in plant growth parameters was observed between ammonium and nitrate nitrogen treatments in the first two harvests, while the plant height was significantly lower under ammonium nitrogen treatment than nitrate nitrogen treatment in the third harvest. Inoculation with F. mosseae in the presence of indigenous AMF could promote AMF colonization and plant growth at all three harvest times. Inoculation with F. mosseae significantly increased gas exchange parameters, the maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and the actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII). Inoculation with AMF increased the photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) better under urea treatment and improved the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN) better under ammonium nitrogen treatment. Principal component analysis showed that urea is the most beneficial nitrogen fertilizer for C. oleifera-AMF symbiosis. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the combination use of AMF and nitrogen fertilizer in agroforestry.

Lightweight and robust cellulose/MXene/polyurethane composite aerogels as personal protective wearable devices for electromagnetic interference shielding.

The increasing electromagnetic pollution is urgently needed as an electromagnetic interference shielding protection device for wearable devices. Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXene), due to their interesting layered structure and high electrical conductivity, are ideal candidates for constructing efficient conductive networks in electromagnetic interference shielding materials. In this work, lightweight and robust cellulose/MXene/polyurethane composite aerogels were prepared by mixing cellulose nanofiber (CNF) suspensions with MXene, followed by freeze-drying and coating with polyurethane. In this process, CNF effectively assembled MXene nanosheets into a conductive network by enhancing the interactions between MXene nanosheets. The prepared aerogel exhibited the shielding effectiveness of 48.59 dB in the X-band and an electrical conductivity of 0.34 S·cm-1. Meanwhile, the composite aerogel also possessed excellent thermal insulation, infrared stealth, mechanical and hydrophobic properties, and can be used as a wearable protective device to protect the human body from injuries in different scenarios while providing electromagnetic interference shielding protection.

The role expectations of young women as wives after breast cancer treatment: A qualitative study.

Objectives: Through the reflection of young breast cancer women on their selves and identities, we explored expectations of the wife role that they need to fulfill to return to their families, aimed to provide a reference basis for medical professionals to develop interventions related to cancer family rehabilitation. Methods: Descriptive phenomenological methods and purposive sampling were used. Young breast cancer patients and their spouses were selected for semi-structured face-to-face interviews in the study from March to April 2023 at the department of breast surgery and oncology center of a Class A tertiary hospital in Xuzhou City, China. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological approach. Results: Twenty patients and six spouses were interviewed. The mean patient age was (35.95 ± 3.36) years, and the mean spouse was (37.67 ± 5.28) years. Young breast cancer patients were concerned about three main wife expectations during their treatment and rehabilitation: preserving self-love and self-esteem (paying attention to physical health, embracing the disease, and regaining confidence in female characters); adjustment of conjugal relationships (harmonious and effective couple communication, providing support for marriage and love, and creating a beautiful married life together); assisting in family recovery (relieving stress on spouses from caregiving and finances, and management of daily household chores). Conclusions: The wife role expectations of young breast cancer women and their spouses encompass three core aspects: self, couple, and family. Self-esteem and self-love are the most fundamental expectations of the wife role, while adjusting the couple's relationship and assistance in family rehabilitation represent higher expectations. This study can help healthcare professionals and cancer families gain a more comprehensive understanding of the wife role expectations for young cancer women, thereby enabling the development of couple-centered interventions to promote patient recovery and enhance the resilience of marriages and families.

A fast and effective way to measure the inner pore size distributions of wetted cotton fibers and their pretreatment performance using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance.

This study reports the findings from using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) to analyze the pore structures of cotton fibers. Cotton fibers, which swell and soften in water, present challenges for conventional pore measurement techniques. TD-NMR overcomes these by measuring the transverse relaxation time (T2) of water protons within the fibers, indicative of internal pore sizes. We established a T2-to-pore size conversion equation using mixed cellulose ester membranes. This enabled differentiation between strongly bound, loosely bound, and free water within the fibers, and detailed the water distribution. A method for measuring the pore size distribution of wet cotton fiber was developed using TD-NMR. We then examined how various pretreatments affect the fibers' internal pores by comparing their pore size distribution and porosity. Specifically, caustic mercerization primarily enlarges the porosity and size of larger pores, while liquid ammonia treatment increases porosity but reduces the size of smaller pores. This research confirms TD-NMR's utility in assessing cotton fabrics' wet processing performance.

Identification of a novel genomic variance of BRAF1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the predominant subtypes accounting for approximately 85% of thyroid carcinomas, has a rapidly increasing global incidence rate. Statistically, approximately 74.6% PTC patients had the genomic variants of BRAF, especially BRAFV600E mutation, which has been reported to stratify patients and guide clinic-therapies. However, some PTC patients may carry other nonclassical mutation patterns of BRAF, due to the complex of genomic instability. And the spectrum of BRAF mutation was not fully characterized. We reported a novel BRAF mutation pattern of PTC. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of the slight enlargement of bilateral cervical lymph nodes in July 2023. DIAGNOSIS: Ultrasonography revealed that the bilateral thyroid nodules of the patients both presented 1 hypoechoic nodule, which was graded as 3 of the elastic score, and the small calcification in the right lobe (Chinese-Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System 4c). Pathological diagnosis showed the interstitial collagen change and focal follicular epithelial papillary hyperplasia with atypical hyperplasia of the bilateral thyroid. Further puncture pathology showed that the patient had a malignant thyroid lesion with the phenotypes of papillary carcinoma and diagnosed with malignancy subsequently. Additionally, the patient harbored a novel insert on BRAF exon 15, a 6-base fragment AGACAG inserting between c.1798 and c.1799. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was undergone on microwave ablation of thyroid carcinoma on July 28, 2023. After the surgery, the patient was treated on anti-infection, cold saline external application of bilateral thyroid swelling supportive treatment. OUTCOMES: No postoperative complications or recurrence and metastasis were found. LESSONS: This is the first case of the novel nonclassical genomic variant of BRAF. Our study extends the spectrum of BRAF mutations. The patient had a favorable response to microwave ablation, indicating that in spite of the association between this mutation and high-grade malignant phenotype, this genomic variant of BRAF did not have a detrimental effect on the response of clinical treatment.