Celastrol reduces lung inflammation induced by multiwalled carbon nanotubes in mice via NF-κb-signaling pathway.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have numerous applications in the field of carbon nanomaterials. However, the associated toxicity concerns have increased significantly because of their widespread use. The inhalation of MWCNTs can lead to nanoparticle deposition in the lung tissue, causing inflammation and health risks. In this study, celastrol, a natural plant medicine with potent anti-inflammatory properties, effectively reduced the number of inflammatory cells, including white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, and levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, in mice lungs exposed to MWCNTs. Moreover, celastrol inhibited the activation of the NF-κB-signaling pathway. This study confirmed these findings by demonstrating comparable reductions in inflammation upon exposure to MWCNTs in mice with the deletion of NF-κB (P50-/-). These results indicate the utility of celastrol as a promising pharmacological agent for preventing MWCNT-induced lung tissue inflammation.

Clinical prospective study of Gallium 68 (68Ga)-labeled fibroblast-activation protein inhibitor PET/CT in the diagnosis of biliary tract carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study is to investigate the [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI PET/CT diagnosis performance in biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) and analyze the association between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI PET/CT and clinical indexes. METHODS: A prospective study (NCT05264688) was performed between January 2022 and July 2022. Fifty participants were scanned using [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI and [18F]FDG PET/CT and acquired pathological tissue. We employed the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI and [18F]FDG, and the McNemar test was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy between the two tracers. Spearman or Pearson correlation was used to assess the association between [68 Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI PET/CT and clinical indexes. RESULTS: In total, 47 participants (mean age 59.09 ± 10.98 [range 33-80 years]) were evaluated. The [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI detection rate was greater than [18F]FDG in primary tumors (97.62% vs. 85.71%), nodal metastases (90.05% vs. 87.06%), and distant metastases (100% vs. 83.67%). The uptake of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI was higher than [18F]FDG in primary lesions (intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 18.95 ± 7.47 vs. 11.86 ± 0.70, p = 0.001; extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, 14.57 ± 6.16 vs. 8.80 ± 4.74, p = 0.004), abdomen and pelvic cavity nodal metastases (6.91 ± 6.56 vs. 3.94 ± 2.83, p < 0.001), and distant metastases (pleural, peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery, 6.37 ± 4.21 vs. 4.50 ± 1.96, p = 0.01; bone, 12.15 ± 6.43 vs. 7.51 ± 4.54, p = 0.008). There was a significant correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI uptake and fibroblast-activation protein (FAP) expression (Spearman r = 0.432, p = 0.009), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (Pearson r = 0.364, p = 0.012), and platelet (PLT) (Pearson r = 0.35, p = 0.016). Meanwhile, a significant relationship between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI metabolic tumor volume and carbohydrate antigen199 (CA199) (Pearson r = 0.436, p = 0.002) was confirmed. CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI had a higher uptake and sensitivity than [18F]FDG in the diagnosis of BTC primary and metastatic lesions. The correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI PET/CT indexes and FAP expression, CEA, PLT, and CA199 were confirmed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT 05,264,688.

Visible Light-Induced Cross-Dehydrocoupling of 3-Cyanocoumarins with Unactivated Aliphatic Aldehydes Enables Access to 4-Acylated Coumarins.

We report visible light-induced cross-dehydrocoupling of 3-cyanocoumarins with unactivated aliphatic aldehydes for the direct synthesis of 4-acylated coumarins. Inexpensive and readily available (n-Bu)4NBr was used as a precursor of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalyst and [Ir(ppy)2(dtbbpy)PF6] as a photocatalyst. A variety of aldehydes including linear, branched, cyclic, and α,ß-unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes were suitable for this reaction yielding the desired acylated coumarin derivatives in 41-98% yields. This method provides a mild, atom-economical, and environmentally friendly synthetic route for the direct acylation of 3-cyanocoumarins. This is the first example so far of C-4 aliphatic acylation of coumarins.

Understanding of Co-boiling between Organic Contaminants and Water during Thermal Remediation: Effects of Nonequilibrium Heat and Mass Transport.

In situ thermal desorption (ISTD) provides an efficient solution to remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). Establishing a relationship between the subsurface temperature rise and NAPL removal is significant to reduce energy consumption of ISTD. However, the co-boiling phenomenon between NAPL and water poses a great challenge in developing this relationship due to the nonequilibrium heat and mass transport effects. We performed a systematic experimental investigation into the local temperature rise patterns at different distances from a NAPL pool and under different degrees of superheat by selecting four representative NAPLs (i.e., trichloroethylene, tetrachlorethylene, n-hexane, and n-octane) according to their density and boiling point relative to water. The patterns of temperature rise indicated that the underground temperature field can be divided into three zones: the zone of local thermal equilibrium, the nonequilibrium zone affected by co-boiling, and the zone unaffected by co-boiling. We developed a pattern-recognition-based approach, which considers the effects of local heat and mass transport to establish a qualitative correlation between the temperature rise and NAPL removal. Our results give deeper insights into the understanding of subsurface temperatures in ISTD practice, which can serve as the guideline for more accurate and sustainable remediation.

Celastrol alleviates oxidative stress induced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes through the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mainly induce oxidative stress through the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to cytotoxicity. Celastrol, a plant-derived compound, can exert antioxidant effects by reducing ROS production. Our results indicated that exposure to MWCNTs decreased cell viability and increased ROS production. Nrf2 knockdown (kd) led to increased ROS production and enhanced MWCNT-induced cytotoxicity. Keap1-kd led to decreased ROS production and attenuated cytotoxicity. Treatment with celastrol significantly decreased ROS production and promoted Keap1 protein degradation through the lysosomal pathway, thereby enhancing the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and increasing HO-1 expression. The in vivo results showed that celastrol could alleviate the inflammatory damage of lung tissues, increase the levels of the antioxidants, GSH and SOD, as well as promote the expression of the antioxidant protein, HO-1 in MWCNT-treated mice. Celastrol can alleviate MWCNT-induced oxidative stress through the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Endothelium-Specific GTP Cyclohydrolase I Overexpression Restores Endothelial Function in Aged Mice.

This study tested the hypothesis that endothelium-specific GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH I) overexpression (Tg-GCH) restores age-associated endothelial dysfunction in vivo. Aortic GTPCH I expression and serum nitric oxide (NO) release were measured in young and aged mice. Aortic rings from young and aged wild-type (WT) mice and aged Tg-GCH mice were suspended for isometric tension recording. A hind limb ischemia model was used to measure blood flow recovery. Aged mice showed reduced GTPCH I expression in the aorta and decreased NO levels in serum. Compared with aged WT mice, Tg-GCH significantly elevated NO levels in serum in aged Tg-GCH mice, restored the impaired aortic relaxation in response to acetylcholine, and significantly elevated aortic constriction in response to L-NAME. Importantly, aged Tg-GCH mice displayed a significant increase in blood flow recovery compared with aged WT mice. GTPCH I reduction contributes to aging-associated endothelial dysfunction, which can be retarded by Tg-GCH.

Serotypes and virulence genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from mink and its pathogenicity in mink.

In this study, 20 P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from 112 farmed mink exhibiting hemorrhagic pneumonia in mideastern Shandong province, China. Serotype G (18/20) was the dominant serotype among the isolates with prevalence in mink, followed by serotype B (1/20), serotype C (1/20). The 9 virulence-associated genes of P. aeruginosa were tested using PCR. The prevalence of the virulence genes for the isolates were algD 95% (19/20), plcH 85% (17/20), exoY 80% (16/20), aprA 75% (15/20), lasB 70% (14/20), exoS 65% (13/20), exoT 60% (12/20) and toxA 60% (12/20), respectively. The 20 isolates were negative for exoU gene. The isolates exhibited multidrug resistance and cross resistance, using antimicrobial disc susceptibility assays. The animal experiments demonstrated that LD50% of the P.aeruginosa-CS-2 in the intratracheally challenged mink was 2.2 × 107.0 CFU, and 6.8 × 104.0 CFU in the intraperitoneally challenged mink. It implied that both the inoculation doses and the routes of inoculation could have influences on the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa in mink. Therefore, the evolutionary and epidemiological surveillance of P. aeruginosa in mink should be further strengthened for public health.

Brain microvascular endothelial cell exosome-mediated S100A16 up-regulation confers small-cell lung cancer cell survival in brain.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive histologic subtype of lung cancer, with a strong predilection for early brain metastases. Despite efforts and advances in new therapeutics for SCLC, the prognosis of patients with SCLC with brain metastases is consistently poor. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms of SCLC brain metastasis is important in improving current treatments. In this study, elevated S100A16 levels were associated with SCLC brain metastases, which was a possible secondary event arising from the brain metastatic microenvironment. Using an in vitro cell coculture system, we found that the coculturing of SCLC cells with human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) led to an increased expression of S100A16 in SCLC cells. Conversely, treatment of HBMECs with GW4869, an inhibitor of exosome release, significantly blocked this effect in the cocultured SCLC cells. Alternatively, the results from Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence indicated that the HBMEC exosomes purified by ultracentrifugation also induced the elevation and translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of S100A16 in the recipient SCLC cells. The inhibition experiments demonstrated that elevated S100A16 contributed a benefit of HBMEC exosomes for the survival of the recipient SCLC cells under stress. Moreover, the elevation of S100A16 in SCLC cells prevented the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and enhanced resistance to apoptosis under stressful conditions, which were determined by Annexin V/propidium iodide and JC-1 assay. Further results showed that the S100A16-mediated protective effect was caused by the presence of an important element in Δψm, prohibitin (PHB)-1, a protein in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Conversely, the delivery of PHB-1 siRNAs into S100A16 overexpressing SCLC cells weakened these protective effects. Our findings suggest that elevated S100A16 plays an active role in facilitating the survival of SCLC cells through modulating the mitochondrial function, identifying S100A16 as an important potential target in SCLC brain metastasis.-Xu, Z.-H., Miao, Z.-W., Jiang, Q.-Z., Gan, D.-X., Wei, X.-G., Xue, X.-Z., Li, J.-Q., Zheng, F., Qin, X.-X., Fang, W.-G., Chen, Y.-H., Li. B. Brain microvascular endothelial cell exosome-mediated S100A16 up-regulation confers small cell lung cancer cell survival in brain.

Association between hyperhomocysteinemia and stroke with atherosclerosis and small artery occlusion depends on homocysteine metabolism-related vitamin levels in Chinese patients with normal renal function.

This study was conducted to investigate the role of different homocysteine metabolism-related vitamin (HMRV) levels in the correlation between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) and ischemic stroke (IS) subtypes. Three hundred and forty-eight IS patients manifesting different vascular subtypes were subclassified on the basis of HMRV deficiencies. Correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes was investigated in all the subgroups. In this study, HHCY was significantly correlated with the IS subtypes in large artery atherosclerosis (OR 1.126, 95%CI: 1.051 ~ 1.206, P = 0.001) and small artery occlusion (OR 1.105, 95%CI: 1.023 ~ 1.193, P = 0.012). Subgroup analysis revealed a correlation between HHCY and IS subgroup (OR 1.201, 1.178, 95%CI: 1.081 ~ 1.334, 1.058 ~ 1.313, P = 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively) in HMRV deficiency, but not significantly with the IS subgroup in normal HMRV levels. Serum vitamin B12 concentrations are inversely correlated with both IS subtypes in HMRV deficiency subgroups (OR 0.992, 0.995, 95%CI: 0.987 ~ 0.996, 0.991 ~ 0.999, P < 0.001, P = 0.007, respectively), which may contribute to HHCY incidence in these populations. The correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes is affected by HMRV levels in this case-control study. Our findings are helpful to understand the inconsistency in prior homocysteine studies. Serum vitamin B12 levels may play a critical role in HHCY incidence in this Chinese population.Cerebrovascular disease has emerged as the leading cause of disability and mortality in both urban and rural areas of China (Neurology branch of Chinese Medical Association 2015). Ischemic stroke (IS) constitutes 60% to 80% of all cerebrovascular disease (Neurology branch of Chinese Medical Association 2014). Among a variety of risk factors, hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) has been closely correlated with IS due to intracranial small-vessel disease and extracranial large-artery disease (Selhub et al. 1995; Eikelboom et al. 2000; Alvarez et al. 2012; Jeon et al. 2014). However, the failure to lower homocysteine (HCY) via homocysteine metabolism-related vitamin (HMRV, including folic acid and vitamin B12 but not vitamin B6 in this study) supplementation to reduce stroke morbidity questions the role of HCY as a risk factor for stroke (Lonn et al. 2006; Hankey et al. 2010). Theoretically, HMRV supplementation merely lowers the incidence of stroke induced by HHCY resulting from HMRV deficiency, whereas HHCY-induced stroke concomitant with normal HMRV levels may be refractory to treatment. The correlation between HCY varying with HMRV levels and IS subtypes is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of variation in HMRV levels on the correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes in 348 acute IS patients with large and small vessel diseases. We sought to determine the factors underlying the conflicting results associated with lowering HCY by HMRV supplementation to reduce stroke incidence.

[Effects of Couplet Medicines (Astragalus Membranaceus and Jiaozhen) on Intestinal Barrier in Postoperative Colorectal Cancer Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of the couplet medicines (Astragalus Membranaceus and Jiaozhen) on intestinal barrier functions of postoperative colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: Totally 90 inpatients with confirmed colorectal cancer by pathological diagnosis were recruited as subjects in this study. They were assigned to the Chinese medicine group (CM, treated with Astragalus Membranaceus and Jiaozhen), the Western medicine group (WM, treated with glutamine), and the blank control group (treated with normal saline) according to random digit table, 30 in each group. The treatment course consisted of eight days. Levels of blood D-lactic acid, diamine oxidase (DAO), urinary lactulose/mannitol ratio (L/M), ET, TNF-alpha, and postoperative recovery time of bowel sound were observed before surgery and after surgery. The effect of the couplet medicines (Astragalus Membranaceus and Jiaozhen) on intestinal barrier functions of postoperative colorectal cancer patients were comprehensively assessed by taking blood D-lactic acid levels, DAO levels, urinary L/M as main potency indices; ET and TNF-alpha, recovery time of bowel sound as the secondary potency indices. RESULTS: CM showed similar effect with that of WM in improving blood D-lactic acid levels and DAO levels, and urinary L/M ratio, with no statistical difference between them (P > 0.05). But they showed better effect than that of the blank control group (P < 0.05). Levels of ET and TNF-alpha were decreased more in the CM group than in the WM group (P < 0.05). The recovery time of bowel sound was shorter in the CM group than in the WM group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Levels of ET and TNF-alpha were decreased more in the WM group than in the blank control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the recovery time of bowel sound between the WM group and the blank control group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The couplet medicines (Astragalus Membranaceus and Jiaozhen) had obvious protection for intestinal barrier dysfunction of postoperative colorectal cancer patients, showing similar efficacy to that of WM. It was even superior to glutamine in restoring bowel functions, reducing toxin absorption, and lowering levels of pro-inflammatory factors.

Yin Yang-1 suppresses invasion and metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by downregulating MMP10 in a MUC4/ErbB2/p38/MEF2C-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence indicates an important role of transcription factor Yin Yang-1 (YY1) in human tumorigenesis. However, its function in cancer remains controversial and the relevance of YY1 to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains to be clarified. METHODS: In this study, we detected YY1 expression in clinical PDAC tissue samples and cell lines using quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blotting. We also detected MUC4 and MMP10 mRNA levels in 108 PDAC samples using qRT-PCR and analyzed the correlations between YY1 and MUC4 or MMP10 expression. The role of YY1 in the proliferation, invasion and metastatic abilities of PDAC cells in vitro was studied by CCK-8 assay, cell migration and invasion assays. In vivo pancreatic tumor growth and metastasis was studied by a xenogenous subcutaneously implant model and a tail vein metastasis model. The potential mechanisms underlying YY1 mediated tumor progression in PDAC were explored by digital gene expression (DGE) sequencing, signal transduction pathways blockage experiments and luciferase assays. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 15.0 software. RESULTS: We found that the expression of YY1 in PDACs was higher compared with their adjacent non-tumorous tissues and normal pancreas tissues. However, PDAC patients with high level overexpression of YY1 had better outcome than those with low level overexpression. YY1 expression levels were statistically negatively correlated with MMP10 expression levels, but not correlated with MUC4 expression levels. YY1 overexpression suppressed, whereas YY1 knockdown enhanced, the proliferation, invasion and metastatic properties of BXPC-3 cells, both in vitro and in vivo. YY1 suppresses invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells by downregulating MMP10 in a MUC4/ErbB2/p38/MEF2C-dependent mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggested that YY1 plays a negative role, i.e. is a tumor suppressor, in PDAC, and may become a valuable diagnostic and prognostic marker of PDAC.

Medium composition optimization and characterization of polysaccharides extracted from Ganoderma boninense along with antioxidant activity.

Ganoderma is a well-known medicinal macrofungal genus, of which several species have been thoroughly studied from the medicinal perspective, but most species are rarely involved in. In this study, we focus on the polysaccharides extracted from Ganoderma boninense and their antioxidant activity. Ganoderma boninense is a serious pathogen of oil palms that are cultivated commercially in Southeast Asia. Response surface methodology was conducted to optimize the liquid medium composition, and the mycelia biomass reached 7.063 g/L, that is, 1.4-fold compared with the seed medium. The crude and purified polysaccharides extracted from the fermentation broth showed well 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging abilities, and the scavenging abilities of purified polysaccharides reached 94.47 % and 99.88 %, respectively. Six fractions of polysaccharides were extracted and purified from fruiting bodies, mycelia and fermentation broth separately with the elution buffers of distilled water and 0.1 M NaCl solution. Generally, the polysaccharides from fruiting bodies showed stronger protective effect on H2O2-induced HepG2 cell oxidative damage than other fractions. A total of five to seven monosaccharides were identified in the six fractions of polysaccharides. The correlation analysis revealed that the content of fucose was significantly correlated with the antioxidant activity of polysaccharides, while xylose showed negative correlation results. In summary, the polysaccharides from G. boninense have a potential to be used as natural antioxidants.

Association of hospital safety climate and compliance with occupational safety practices among nurse interns: A cross-sectional study using canonical correlation analysis.

Background and Aims: Nurse interns may be at a similar or higher risk than registered nurses. The key elements and mechanisms involved in the effects of safety climate on safety performance are not well understood. This study explores the relationship between the perceived hospital safety climate and compliance with occupational safety practices among nurse interns. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 nurse interns in three tertiary university hospitals in Chongqing city, China. The Chinese version of the Hospital Safety Climate Scale (HSCS) was used to measure the perceived hospital safety climate of nurse interns. Compliance behavior was measured using the Compliance with Occupational Safety Practice Scale (COSPS). Canonical correlation analysis and multiple linear regression modeling were used to examine their relationship. Results: Total scores for the HSCS and COSPS were 92 (80,100) and 185 (175,185) [M (P25, P75)], respectively. Canonical correlation coefficients for canonical variates 1 and 2 were 0.636 (p < 0.001) and 0.414 (p < 0.001), respectively. Nurse interns' compliance with occupational safety practices was mainly influenced by management support, feedback/training, personal protective and engineering control equipment availability, and absence of job hindrance. Multiple linear regression showed that management support of HSCS accounted for 37.1% of the variance in compliance (ß = 0.283, p = 0.039). Conclusion: Nurse interns reported high levels of perceived hospital safety climate and compliance with occupational safety practices. Younger nurse interns reported a lower level of perceived hospital safety climate. Nurse educators can improve interns' compliance by promoting better management support, feedback/training, personal protective and engineering control equipment availability, and fewer job hindrance.

DNAJA1 regulates protein ubiquitination and is essential for spermatogenesis in the testes of mice and rats.

DNAJA1 is a member of type I DnaJ proteins, which is essential for spermatogenesis and male fertility. However, its expression pattern in the testes and its impact on spermatogenesis remains unclear. Our study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of action of DNAJA1. We employed DNAJA1 knockout mice in this study. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis were conducted to determine the protein abundance of DNAJA1 in testes at various developmental stages. Our results revealed that DNAJA1 is predominantly expressed in the testes, and its knockout leads to complete infertility in male mice. We observed that DNAJA1 protein levels increased on postnatal days 14, 21, and 28, peaking on postnatal day 35 in mice. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that DNAJA1 expression varies across different stages of the spermatogenesis cycle. Additionally, DNAJA1 was absent in epididymal sperm. In early- and mid-stage tubules, DNAJA1 protein distribution was co-localized with residual bodies in elongating spermatids. Furthermore, we found that DNAJA1 knockout significantly reduced protein polyubiquitination in the testis. Analysis of the GEO database showed that DNAJA1 levels were significantly decreased in semen samples from subjects with teratozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, and impaired spermatogenesis. Our findings suggest that DNAJA1 is an essential protein for spermatogenesis, and its deletion reduces protein polyubiquitination in the testis, ultimately resulting in infertility and spermatogenesis defects.

Comprehensive analysis of the percentage of surface receptors and cytotoxic granules positive natural killer cells in patients with pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Digestive malignancies, especially pancreatic cancer (PC), gastric cancer (GC), and colorectal cancer (CRC), still occur at persistently high rates, and disease progression in these cancers has been associated with tumor immunosurveillance escape. Natural killer (NK) cell dysfunction may be responsible for this phenomenon, however, the exact relationship between tumor immunosurveillance escape in digestive malignancies and NK cell dysfunction remains unclear. METHODS: Percentage of the surface receptors NKG2A, KIR3DL1, NKG2D, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, and DNAM-1, as well as the cytotoxic granules perforin and granzyme B positive NK cells were determined in patients with pancreatic cancer (n=31), gastric cancer (n=31), and CRC (n=32) prior to surgery and healthy controls (n=31) by multicolor flow cytometry. Independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to compare the differences between the patient and healthy control groups, as well as the differences between patients with different pathologic features of cancer. RESULTS: Percentage of NKG2D, NKp30, NKp46, and perforin positive NK cells was significantly down-regulated in patients with PC compared to healthy controls, as well as GC and CRC; reduced levels of these molecules was associated with indicators of disease progression in each malignancy (such as histological grade, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis). On the contrary, percentage of KIR3DL1 positive NK cells was significantly increased in patients with PC, as well as GC and CRC, but was not associated with any indicators of disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: Altered percentage of surface receptors and cytotoxic granules positive NK cells may play a vital role in tumor immunosurveillance escape by inducing NK cell dysfunction in patients with PC, GC, and CRC.

[Value of 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging to quantify regional left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: To assess left ventricular (LV) strain by 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: All subjects underwent invasive coronary angiography.2-dimensional and 3-dimensional echocardiography were performed in 52 subjects with suspected CHD. Longitudinal strain (LS) , circumferential strain (CS) , radial strain (RS) and area strain (AS) in 17 LV segments were acquired by 3D-STI respectively. RESULTS: According to coronary angiography results, 35 (76.1%)subjects were diagnosed as CHD, and 138 coronary branches were divided into the control group(25 branches, 18.1%), the mild stenosis group (31 branches, 22.5%), the moderate stenosis group (43 branches, 31.2%) and the severe stenosis group (39 branches, 28.2%).3D-STI was performed with reliable tracking quality in 46(88.5%) out of the 52 subjects initially enrolled in this study. 3D-STI showed:(1)LS was similar between mild stenosis group and the control group (P > 0.05) and significantly reduced in the moderate stenosis group compared with the control group(P < 0.05), and LS in some segments (MAS, AA, A, BAL, MAL, AL, BIS, MIS and AI) of moderate stenosis group were significantly decreased compared with the mild stenosis group (P < 0.05). LS of all segments in the severe stenosis group decreased significantly compared with the control group, the mild stenosis group and the moderate stenosis (P < 0.05). (2)RS was similar between mild stenosis group and the control group (P > 0.05) . RS in some segments (BAS,MA and BI) was significantly decreased in the moderate stenosis group compared with the control group(P < 0.05). RS was significantly decreased in the severe stenosis group compared with the control group and the mild stenosis group (except for AS,AL,MIS,MI and AI) (P < 0.05). (3) CS was similar between mild stenosis group and the control group (P > 0.05) and was significantly reduced in some segments (BAS,AS,BIL and BI) of the moderate stenosis group compared with the control group(P < 0.05). CS was significantly decreased in the severe stenosis group compared with the control group, the mild stenosis group and the moderate stenosis(P < 0.05). (4) AS was significantly decreased in the mild stenosis group compared with the control group(P < 0.05, except for BIL,MAL and BIS) and in all segments of the moderate stenosis group compared with the control group and the mild stenosis group(P < 0.05). AS was significantly decreased in the severe stenosis group compared with the control group, the mild stenosis group and the moderate stenosis(P < 0.05). The progressive decrease in AS was observed from the control group to the mild stenosis group, the moderate stenosis group and the severe stenosis group (P < 0.05). In addition, AS was negatively correlated with coronary artery Gensini score (r = -0.71, P < 0.01) . CONCLUSION: LV strain can be reliably quantified by 3D-STI. AS is a more sensitive parameter to detect coronary artery disease at early phase.

Drought stress in rice: morpho-physiological and molecular responses and marker-assisted breeding.

Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) is an essential constituent of the global food chain. Drought stress significantly diminished its productivity and threatened global food security. This review concisely discussed how drought stress negatively influenced the rice's optimal growth cycle and altered its morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. To withstand adverse drought conditions, plants activate their inherent drought resistance mechanism (escape, avoidance, tolerance, and recovery). Drought acclimation response is characterized by many notable responses, including redox homeostasis, osmotic modifications, balanced water relations, and restored metabolic activity. Drought tolerance is a complicated phenomenon, and conventional breeding strategies have only shown limited success. The application of molecular markers is a pragmatic technique to accelerate the ongoing breeding process, known as marker-assisted breeding. This review study compiled information about quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes associated with agronomic yield-related traits (grain size, grain yield, harvest index, etc.) under drought stress. It emphasized the significance of modern breeding techniques and marker-assisted selection (MAS) tools for introgressing the known QTLs/genes into elite rice lines to develop drought-tolerant rice varieties. Hence, this study will provide a solid foundation for understanding the complex phenomenon of drought stress and its utilization in future crop development programs. Though modern genetic markers are expensive, future crop development programs combined with conventional and MAS tools will help the breeders produce high-yielding and drought-tolerant rice varieties.

Characteristics of reflux and gastric electrical activity in gastroesophageal reflux disease with ineffective esophageal motility.

OBJECTIVES: The impact of ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains unknown, and abnormal esophageal motility often coexists with abnormal gastric motility. We aimed to investigate the role of IEM in GERD and its relationship with gastric electrical activity. METHODS: Patients diagnosed as GERD based on GERD-questionnaire score ≥8 in our hospital from January 2020 to June 2022 were included. All patients underwent 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring, high-resolution manometry, and electrogastrogram and were categorized into the normal esophageal motility (NEM) and IEM groups, respectively. Reflux characteristics and gastric electric activity were compared between the two groups, and the correlation between gastric electric activity and reflux was analyzed. RESULTS: Acid exposure time, total reflux episodes, and DeMeester score in the IEM group were higher than those in the NEM group. Distal mean nocturnal baseline impedance was significantly lower in the IEM group. Compared with the NEM group, the power ratio (PR) of fundus, antrum and pylorus and premeal and postmeal normal wave ratio of antrum were significantly lower in IEM. The total reflux episodes were negatively correlated with the PR of fundus and pylorus, and the DeMeester score was negatively correlated with the PR of corpus and pylorus. CONCLUSIONS: IEM may lead to increased reflux, resulting in esophageal mucosal damage. There may be consistency between abnormal esophageal motility and gastric motility.