Cortical specialization associated with native speech category acquisition in early infancy.

This study investigates neural processes in infant speech processing, with a focus on left frontal brain regions and hemispheric lateralization in Mandarin-speaking infants' acquisition of native tonal categories. We tested 2- to 6-month-old Mandarin learners to explore age-related improvements in tone discrimination, the role of inferior frontal regions in abstract speech category representation, and left hemisphere lateralization during tone processing. Using a block design, we presented four Mandarin tones via [ta] and measured oxygenated hemoglobin concentration with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Results showed age-related improvements in tone discrimination, greater involvement of frontal regions in older infants indicating abstract tonal representation development and increased bilateral activation mirroring native adult Mandarin speakers. These findings contribute to our broader understanding of the relationship between native speech acquisition and infant brain development during the critical period of early language learning.

Lipid transfer protein StLTPa enhances potato disease resistance against different pathogens by binding and disturbing the integrity of pathogens plasma membrane.

Potato is the third most important food crop worldwide. Potato production suffers from severe diseases caused by multiple detrimental plant pathogens, and broad-spectrum disease resistance genes are rarely identified in potato. Here we identified the potato non-specific lipid transfer protein StLTPa, which enhances species none-specific disease resistance against various pathogens, such as the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans, the fungal pathogens Botrytis cinerea and Verticillium dahliae, and the bacterial pathogens Pectobacterium carotovorum and Ralstonia solanacearum. The StLTPa overexpression potato lines do not show growth penalty. Furthermore, we provide evidence that StLTPa binds to lipids present in the plasma membrane (PM) of the hyphal cells of P. infestans, leading to an increased permeability of the PM. Adding of PI(3,5)P2 and PI(3)P could compete the binding of StLTPa to pathogen PM and reduce the inhibition effect of StLTPa. The lipid-binding activity of StLTPa is essential for its role in pathogen inhibition and promotion of potato disease resistance. We propose that StLTPa enhances potato broad-spectrum disease resistance by binding to, and thereby promoting the permeability of the PM of the cells of various pathogens. Overall, our discovery illustrates that increasing the expression of a single gene in potato enhances potato disease resistance against different pathogens without growth penalty.

Insulin resistance, coronary artery lesion complexity and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is linked to both the complexity of coronary artery lesions and the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the precise extent of this correlation and its impact on adverse cardiovascular outcomes in ACS patients remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the intricate relationship between IR, coronary artery lesion complexity, and the prognosis of ACS through a cohort design analysis. METHOD: A total of 986 patients with ACS who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were included in this analysis. IR was assessed using the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, while coronary artery lesion complexity was evaluated using the SYNTAX score. Pearson's correlation coefficients were utilized to analyze the correlations between variables. The association of the TyG index and SYNTAX score with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in ACS was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier method, restricted cubic splines (RCS), and adjusted Cox regression. Additionally, a novel 2-stage regression method for survival data was employed in mediation analysis to explore the mediating impact of the SYNTAX score on the association between the TyG index and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including MACEs and unplanned revascularization. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 30.72 months, 167 cases of MACEs were documented, including 66 all-cause deaths (6.69%), 26 nonfatal myocardial infarctions (MIs) (2.64%), and 99 unplanned revascularizations (10.04%). The incidence of MACEs, all-cause death, and unplanned revascularization increased with elevated TyG index and SYNTAX score. Both the TyG index (non-linear, P = 0.119) and SYNTAX score (non-linear, P = 0.004) displayed a positive dose-response relationship with MACEs, as illustrated by the RCS curve. Following adjustment for multiple factors, both the TyG index and SYNTAX score emerged as significant predictors of MACEs across the total population and various subgroups. Mediation analysis indicated that the SYNTAX score mediated 25.03%, 18.00%, 14.93%, and 11.53% of the correlation between the TyG index and MACEs in different adjusted models, respectively. Similar mediating effects were observed when endpoint was defined as unplanned revascularization. CONCLUSION: Elevated baseline TyG index and SYNTAX score were associated with a higher risk of MACEs in ACS. Furthermore, the SYNTAX score partially mediated the relationship between the TyG index and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

A multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase â ¢ study evaluating the efficacy and safety of Xeligekimab (GR1501) in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Xeligekimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that selectively neutralizes IL-17A and had shown potential efficacy in preliminary trials. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Xeligekimab in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. METHODS: A total of 420 Chinese patients were randomized to 200 mg Xeligekimab every 2 weeks (n = 281) or placebo (n = 139) for the first 12 weeks, followed by extending the treatment schedule to GR1501 every 4 weeks for further 40 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by evaluating the Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) 0/1 and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75/90/100 improvement. The safety profile was also evaluated. RESULTS: At week 12, The PASI 75/90/100 were achieved in 90.7%/74.4%/30.2%% patients in GR1501 group compared with 8.6%/1.4%/0% patients in placebo group, respectively. The PGA 0/1 were achieved in 74.4% patients of GR1501 group and 3.6% patients in placebo group, respectively. The PASI 75 and PGA 0/1 maintained until week 52. No unexpected adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: Xeligekimab showed high efficacy and is well tolerated in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Work Function Prediction by Graph Neural Networks for Configurationally Hybridized Boron-Doped Graphene.

Graphene, serving as electrodes, is widely applied in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Work function as one of the fundamental intrinsic characteristics of graphene directly affects the interfacial properties of the electrodes, thereby affecting the performance of the devices. Much work has been done to regulate the work function of graphene to expand its application fields, and doping has been demonstrated as an effective method. However, the numerous types of doped graphene make the investigation of its work function time-consuming and labor-intensive. In order to quickly obtain the relationship between the structure and property, a deep learning method is employed to predict the work function in this study. Specifically, a data set of over 30,000 compositions with the work function on boron-doped graphene at different concentrations and doping positions via density functional theory simulations was established through ab initio calculations. Then, a novel fusion model (GT-Net) combining transformers and graph neural networks (GNNs) was proposed. After that, improved effective GNN-based descriptors were developed. Finally, three different GNN methods were compared, and the results show that the proposed method could accurately predicate the work function with the R2 = 0.975 and RMSE = 0.027. This study not only provides the possibility of designing materials with specific properties at the atomic level but also demonstrates the performance of GNNs on graph-level tasks with the same graph structure and atomic number.

LPA2 Contributes to Vascular Endothelium Homeostasis and Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction.

RATIONALE: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most dangerous adverse cardiovascular events. Our previous study found that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is increased in human peripheral blood after MI, and LPA has a protective effect on the survival and proliferation of various cell types. However, the role of LPA and its receptors in MI is less understood. OBJECTIVES: To study the unknown role of LPA and its receptors in heart during MI. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we found that mice also had elevated LPA level in peripheral blood, as well as increased cardiac expression of its receptor LPA2 in the early stages after MI. With adult and neonate MI models in global Lpar2 knockout (Lpar2-KO) mice, we found Lpar2 deficiency increased vascular leak leading to disruption of its homeostasis, so as to impaired heart function and increased early mortality. Histological examination revealed larger scar size, increased fibrosis, and reduced vascular density in the heart of Lpar2-KO mice. Furthermore, Lpar2-KO also attenuated blood flow recovery after femoral artery ligation with decreased vascular density in gastrocnemius. Our study revealed that Lpar2 was mainly expressed and altered in cardiac endothelial cells during MI, and use of endothelial-specific Lpar2 knockout mice phenocopied the global knockout mice. Additionally, adenovirus-Lpar2 and pharmacologically activated LPA2 significantly improved heart function, reduced scar size, increased vascular formation, and alleviated early mortality by maintaining vascular homeostasis owing to protecting vessels from leakage. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that LPA-LPA2 signaling could promote endothelial cell proliferation through PI3K-Akt/PLC-Raf1-Erk pathway and enhanced endothelial cell tube formation via PKD1-CD36 signaling. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that endothelial LPA-LPA2 signaling promotes angiogenesis and maintains vascular homeostasis, which is vital for restoring blood flow and repairing tissue function in ischemic injuries. Targeting LPA-LPA2 signal might have clinical therapeutic potential to protect the heart from ischemic injury.

Endosome associated trafficking regulator 1 promotes tumor growth and invasion of glioblastoma multiforme via inhibiting TNF signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: Endosome associated trafficking regulator 1 (ENTR1) is a novel endosomal protein, which can affect multiple cellular biological behavior by remodeling plasma membrane structures. However, little is known regarding its function and underlying mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme. METHODS: Expression profile and clinical signature were obtained from The Public Database of human tumor. Immunohistochemical staining and western blotting assays were used to measure ENTR1 expression level. Human primary GBM tumor cells and human GBM cell lines A172, U87 and U251 were used to clarify the precise role of ENTR1. CCK-8 assays, wound healing and transwell invasion assays were designed to investigate cell viability, invasion and migration of GBM cells, respectively. Underlying molecular mechanisms of ENTR1 were determined via RNA-seq analysis. Tumor formation assay was used to validate the influence of ENTR1 in vivo. RESULTS: Compared with normal brain tissues, ENTR1 was highly expressed in gliomas and correlated with malignant grades of gliomas and poor overall survival time. The proliferation and invasion of GBM cells could be weaken and the sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy increased after knocking down ENTR1. Overexpression of ENTR1 could reverse this effect. RNA-seq analysis showed that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway might be a putative regulatory target of ENTR1. Tumor formation assay validated that ENTR1 was a significant factor in tumor growth. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that ENTR1 played an important role in cell proliferation, invasion and chemotherapeutic sensitivity of GBM, suggesting that ENTR1 might be a novel prognostic marker and significant therapeutic target for GBM.

Spartinivicinus poritis sp. nov., a red pigment-producing bacterium isolated from a scleractinian coral Porites lutea.

A Gram-stain-negative, red pigment-producing, aerobic, and rod-shaped bacterial strain (A2-2T) was isolated from a bleached scleractinian coral (Porites lutea). Strain A2-2T grew with 1.0-7.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0 %), at pH 6.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 8.0), and at 18-41 °C (optimum, 35 °C). Results of phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that strain A2-2T fell within the genus Spartinivicinus and was closely related to Spartinivicinus ruber S2-4-1HT (98.1 % sequence similarity) and Spartinivicinus marinus SM1973T (98.0 % sequence similarity). The predominant cellular fatty acids of strain A2-2T were C16 : 0 (31.0 %), summed feature 3 (29.0 %), summed feature 8 (11.7 %), C12 : 0 3-OH (6.4 %), and C10 : 0 3-OH (5.5 %), while the major respiratory quinone was Q-9. The polar lipids mainly comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, and an unidentified phospholipid. The genome size of strain A2-2T was 6.8 Mb, with a G+C content of 40.2 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization value was 24.2 % between A2-2T and S. ruber S2-4-1HT and 36.9 % between A2-2T and S. marinus SM1973T, while the average nucleotide identity values were 80.1 and 88.8 %, respectively. Based on these findings, strain A2-2T could be recognized to represent a novel species of the genus Spartinivicinus, for which the name Spartinivicinus poritis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is A2-2T (=MCCC 1K08228T=KCTC 8323T).

Pharmaceutical Residues in Edible Oysters along the Coasts of the East and South China Seas and Associated Health Risks to Humans and Wildlife.

The investigation of pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants in marine biota has been insufficient. In this study, we examined the presence of 51 pharmaceuticals in edible oysters along the coasts of the East and South China Seas. Only nine pharmaceuticals were detected. The mean concentrations of all measured pharmaceuticals in oysters per site ranged from 0.804 to 15.1 ng g-1 of dry weight, with antihistamines being the most common. Brompheniramine and promethazine were identified in biota samples for the first time. Although no significant health risks to humans were identified through consumption of oysters, 100-1000 times higher health risks were observed for wildlife like water birds, seasnails, and starfishes. Specifically, sea snails that primarily feed on oysters were found to be at risk of exposure to ciprofloxacin, brompheniramine, and promethazine. These high risks could be attributed to the monotonous diet habits and relatively limited food sources of these organisms. Furthermore, taking chirality into consideration, chlorpheniramine in the oysters was enriched by the S-enantiomer, with a relative potency 1.1-1.3 times higher when chlorpheniramine was considered as a racemate. Overall, this study highlights the prevalence of antihistamines in seafood and underscores the importance of studying enantioselectivities of pharmaceuticals in health risk assessments.

3D nanofiber scaffolds from 2D electrospun membranes boost cell penetration and positive host response for regenerative medicine.

The ideal tissue engineering scaffold should facilitate rapid cell infiltration and provide an optimal immune microenvironment during interactions with the host. Electrospinning can produce two-dimensional (2D) membranes mimicking the extracellular matrix. However, their dense structure hinders cell penetration, and their thin form restricts scaffold utility. In this study, latticed hydrogels were three-dimensional (3D) printed onto electrospun membranes. This technique allowed for layer-by-layer assembly of the membranes into 3D scaffolds, which maintained their resilience impressively under both dry and wet conditions. We assessed the cellular and host responses of these 3D nanofiber scaffolds by comparing random membranes and mesh-like membranes with three different mesh sizes (250, 500, and 750 µm). It was found that scaffolds with a mesh size of 500 µm were superior for M2 macrophage phenotype polarization, vascularization, and matrix deposition. Furthermore, it was confirmed by subsequent experiments such as RNA sequencing that the mesh-like topology may promote polarization to the M2 phenotype by affecting the PI3K/AKT pathway. In conclusion, our work offers a novel method for transforming 2D nanofiber membranes into 3D scaffolds. This method boasts flexibility, allowing for the use of varied electrospun membranes and hydrogels in terms of structure and composition. It has vast potential in tissue repair and regeneration.

Genotype-phenotype correlations and clinical outcomes of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease with large deletions.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 20%-40% of patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, an autosomal dominant hereditary disease, exhibit large deletions (LDs). Few studies have focused on this population. Hence, we aimed to elucidate the genotype-phenotype correlations and clinical outcomes in VHL patients with LDs. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 119 patients with VHL disease from 50 unrelated families in whom LDs were detected using traditional and next-generation sequencing methods. Other germline mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Genotype-phenotype correlations and survival were analysed in different groups using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. We also evaluated therapeutic response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. RESULTS: The overall penetrance of patients aged <60 was 95.2%. Two VHL patients with LDs also carried CHEK2 and FLCN germline mutations. An earlier age of onset of retinal haemangioblastoma was observed in the next generation. Patients with exon 2 deletion of VHL had an earlier onset age of renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic lesions. The risk of renal cell carcinoma was lower in VHL patients with LDs and a BRK1 deletion. The group with earlier age of onset received poorer prognosis. Four of eight (50%) patients showed partial response to TKI therapy. CONCLUSION: The number of generations and the status of exon 2 could affect age of onset of VHL-related manifestations. Onset age was an independent risk factor for overall survival. TKI therapy was effective in VHL patients with LDs. Our findings would further support clinical surveillance and decision-making processes.

Mild Photothermal-Stimulation Based on Injectable and Photocurable Hydrogels Orchestrates Immunomodulation and Osteogenesis for High-Performance Bone Regeneration.

A photoactivated bone scaffold integrated with minimally invasive implantation and mild thermal-stimulation capability shows great promise in the repair and regeneration of irregularly damaged bone tissues. Developing multifunctional photothermal biomaterials that can simultaneously serve as both controllable thermal stimulators and biodegradable engineering scaffolds for integrated immunomodulation, infection therapy, and impaired bone repair remains an enormous challenge. Herein, an injectable and photocurable hydrogel therapeutic platform (AMAD/MP) based on alginate methacrylate, alginate-graft-dopamine, and polydopamine (PDA)-functionalized Ti3C2 MXene (MXene@PDA) nanosheets is rationally designed for near-infrared (NIR)-mediated bone regeneration synergistic immunomodulation, osteogenesis, and bacterial elimination. The optimized AMAD/MP hydrogel exhibits favorable biocompatibility, osteogenic activity, and immunomodulatory functions in vitro. The proper immune microenvironment provided by AMAD/MP could further modulate the balance of M1/M2 phenotypes of macrophages, thereby suppressing reactive oxygen species-induced inflammatory status. Significantly, this multifunctional hydrogel platform with mild thermal stimulation efficiently attenuates local immune reactions and further promotes new bone formation without the addition of exogenous cells, cytokines, or growth factors. This work highlights the potential application of an advanced multifunctional hydrogel providing photoactivated on-demand thermal cues for bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Triglyceride-glucose index is associated with recurrent revascularization in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: The Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, is independently associated with the severity of coronary artery lesions and the prognosis of coronary heart disease. The investigation aimed to explore the relationship between the TyG index and recurrent revascularization in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) resulting from the progression of lesions or in-stent restenosis (ISR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHOD: A total of 633 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled and divided into three groups based on the tertiles of the TyG index. The primary endpoint was recurrent revascularization resulting from the progression of lesions or ISR. All-cause death was considered as the competing risk event. Competing risk analysis and Cox regression analysis for predicting recurrent revascularization after PCI were conducted stepwise. Variables were standardized to make the hazard ratio (HR), subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) and corresponding 95% CI more consistent prior to being used for fitting the multivariate risk model. The predictive ability of the TyG index was evaluated using several measures, including the ROC curve, likelihood ratio test, Akaike's information criteria, category-free continuous net reclassification improvement (cNRI > 0), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Internal validation was conducted through bootstrapping with 1000 resamples. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 18.33 months, a total of 64 (10.11%) patients experienced recurrent revascularization, including 55 cases of lesion progression and 9 cases of in-stent restenosis. After controlling for competitive risk events, the TyG index was independently associated with a higher risk of recurrent revascularization [SHR:1.4345, (95% CI 1.1458-1.7959), P = 0.002]. The likelihood ratio test and Akaike's information criteria showed that the TyG index significantly improves the prognostic ability. Additionally, adding the TyG index improved the ability of the established risk model in predicting recurrent revascularization, indicated by a C-index of 0.759 (95% CI 0.724-0.792, P < 0.01), with a cNRI > 0 of 0.170 (95% CI 0.023-0.287, P < 0.05), and an IDI of 0.024 (95% CI 0.009-0.039, P = 0.002). These results remained consistent when the models containing TyG index were confirmed using an internal bootstrap validation method. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the potential of the TyG index as a predictor of recurrent revascularization. Lesion progression emerged as the primary contributor to recurrent revascularization instead of in-stent restenosis. The incorporation of the TyG index into risk prediction models is likely to be beneficial for accurate risk stratification in order to improve prognosis.

Association of the triglyceride-glucose index with coronary artery disease complexity in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

AIM: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been shown to be an independent predictor for the progression and prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Whether the TyG index predicts the severity of CAD in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unknown. METHODS: A total of 1,007 individuals presenting with ACS undergoing coronary angiography were stratified according to the tertiles of the TyG index and The Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (SYNTAX) score (SYNTAX score ≤ 22 versus SYNTAX score > 22). CAD complexity was determined by the SYNTAX score. RESULTS: After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, the TyG index was still an independent risk factor for mid/high SYNTAX scores (SYNTAX score > 22, OR 2.6452, 95% CI 1.9020-3.6786, P < 0.0001). Compared with the lowest tertile of the TyG (T1) group, the risk for a mid/high SYNTAX score in the T2 and T3 groups was 2.574-fold higher (OR, 2.574; 95% CI 1.610-4.112; P < 0.001) and 3.732-fold higher (OR, 3.732; 95% CI 2.330-5.975; P < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, there was a dose‒response relationship between the TyG index and the risk of complicated CAD (SYNTAX score > 22; nonlinear P = 0.200). The risk for a mid/high SYNTAX score in the T2 and T3 groups was significantly higher in normoglycemia, prediabetes mellitus, and diabetes mellitus subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: A higher TyG index was associated with the presence of a higher coronary anatomical complexity (SYNTAX score > 22) in ACS patients, irrespective of diabetes mellitus status. The TyG index might serve as a noninvasive predictor of CAD complexity in ACS patients and could potentially influence the management and therapeutic approach.

Systematically Prognostic Analyses of Gastric Cancer Patients with Ovarian Metastasis.

Ovarian metastasis of gastric cancer indicates that the disease has reached the late stage and the opportunity for radical surgery is restricted. However, the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with gastric cancer ovarian metastasis (GCOM) remain to be illustrated. Here, we retrieved the information of 780 GCOM cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEERs) database and analyzed their clinicopathological characteristics as well as their survival. According to our data, most GCOM patients showed poor pathological differentiation, advanced T and N stages. The prognostic factors include patients' age, tumor size, surgical resection, and chemotherapy treatment. Of note, the marriage status was also identified as an independent prognostic factor. Besides the identification of prognostic factors, we established nomograms to help predict the overall survival and cancer-specific survival of GCOM, respectively.

A three-dimensional renal tumor anatomy and intrarenal relationship nephrometry (ADDD) for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy : 3D-CT based nephrometry for RAPN.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a 3D scoring system of tumor anatomy and intrarenal relationship for assessing surgical complexity and outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients with a renal tumor who had a 3D model and underwent RAPN between Mar 2019 and Mar 2022. The ADDD nephrometry consisted of the contact surface area between tumor and parenchyma (A), the depth of tumor invasion into the renal parenchyma (D1), the distance from tumor to the main intrarenal artery (D2), and to the collecting system (D3). The primary outcomes included perioperative complication rate and trifecta outcome (WIT ≤ 25 min, negative surgical margins, and no major complications). RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 301 patients. The mean tumor size was 2.93 ± 1.44 cm. There were 104 (34.6%) patients, 119 (39.5%) patients, and 78 (25.9%) patients in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively. Each point increase in the ADDD score increased the risk of complications [hazard ratio (HR) 1.501]. A lower grade indicated a lower risk of failed trifecta (HR low group 15.103, intermediate group 9.258) and renal function damage (HR low risk 8.320, intermediate risk 3.165) compared to the high-risk group. The AUC of ADDD score and grade were 0.738 and 0.645 for predicting major complications, 0.766 and 0.714 for predicting trifecta outcome, and 0.746 and 0.730 for predicting postoperative renal function reservation. CONCLUSION: The 3D-ADDD scoring system shows the tumor anatomy and its intraparenchymal relationships and has better efficacy in predicting surgical outcomes of RAPN.

Fate of carotenoids in yeasts: synthesis and cleavage.

Carotenoids and their cleavage products (norisoprenoids) have excellent functional properties with diverse applications in foods, medicaments, cosmetics, etc. Carotenoids can be oxidatively cleaved through nonspecific reactions or by carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCOs), the product of which could further modify food flavor. This review provides comprehensive information on both carotenoid synthesis and cleavage processes with emphasis on enzyme characterization and biosynthetic pathway optimization. The use of interdisciplinary approaches of bioengineering and computer-aided experimental technology for key enzyme modification and systematic pathway design is beneficial to monitor metabolic pathways and assess pathway bottlenecks, which could efficiently lead to accumulation of carotenoids in microorganisms. The identification of CCOs spatial structures isolated from different species has made a significant contribution to the current state of knowledge. Current trends in carotenoid-related flavor modification are also discussed. In particular, we propose the carotenoid-synthesizing yeast Rhodotorula spp. for the production of food bioactive compounds. Understanding the behavior underlying the formation of norisoprenoids from carotenoids using interdisciplinary approaches may point toward other areas of investigation that could lead to better exploiting the potential use of autochthonous yeast in flavor enhancement.

Hoeflea poritis sp. nov., isolated from a bleached scleractinian coral Porites lutea.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, nonmotile and yellow-pigmented bacterium designated E7-10T was isolated from a bleached scleractinian coral Porites lutea. Strain E7-10T grew with 1.0-8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 4.0 %), at 18-41 °C (optimum, 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 8.0). Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that E7-10T formed a lineage within the genus Hoeflea, but it was distinct from the closest species 'Hoeflea prorocentri' PM5-8T, showing 98.01 % sequence similarity. The predominant cellular fatty acids of E7-10T were summed feature 8 (26.7 %), C18 : 1 ω7c 11-methyl (26.2 %), C16 : 0 (20.8 %) and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c (17.9 %). The major respiratory quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids mainly comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, two glycolipids and five phospholipids. The genome size of E7-10T was 5.58 Mb with G+C content 60.27 mol%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between the genomes of strains E7-10T and PM5-8T were 19.50 and 75.95 %, respectively, which were both below the defined cutoff values (70 % and 95-96 %, respectively) for species delimitation. Thus, strain E7-10T represents a novel species within the genus Hoeflea, for which the name Hoeflea poritis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is E7-10T (=JCM 35852T=MCCC 1K08229T).

Near-infrared (NIR) imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) may assist in intraoperative decision making and improving surgical margin in bone and soft tissue tumor surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Negative surgical margins are significant in improving patient outcomes. However, surgeons can only rely on visual and tactile information to identify tumor margins intraoperatively. We hypothesized that intraoperative fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) could serve as an assistive technology to evaluate surgical margins and guide surgery in bone and soft tissue tumor surgery. METHODS: Seventy patients with bone and soft tissue tumors were enrolled in this prospective, non-randomized, single-arm feasibility study. All patients received intravenous indocyanine green (0.5 mg/kg) before surgery. Near-infrared (NIR) imaging was performed on in situ tumors, wounds, and ex vivo specimens. RESULTS: 60/70 tumors were fluorescent at NIR imaging. The final surgical margins were positive in 2/55 cases, including 1/40 of the sarcomas. Surgical decisions were changed in 19 cases by NIR imaging, and in 7/19 cases final pathology demonstrated margins were improved. Fluorescence analysis showed that the tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) of primary malignant tumors was higher than that of benign, borderline, metastatic, and tumors ≥5 cm in size had higher TBR than those <5 cm. CONCLUSIONS: ICG fluorescence imaging may be a beneficial technique to assist in surgical decision making and improving surgical margins in bone and soft tissue tumor surgery.

Epidemiology and antifungal susceptibilities of clinically isolated Aspergillus species in South China.

Aspergillosis is a rising concern worldwide; however, its prevalence is not well documented in China. This retrospective study determined Aspergillus's epidemiology and antifungal susceptibilities at Meizhou People's Hospital, South China. From 2017 to 2022, the demographic, clinical, and laboratory data about aspergillosis were collected from the hospital's records and analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and ANOVA. Of 474 aspergillosis cases, A. fumigatus (75.32%) was the most common, followed by A. niger (9.92%), A. flavus (8.86%), and A. terreus (5.91%). A 5.94-fold increase in aspergillosis occurred during the study duration, with the highest cases reported from the intensive care unit (52.74%) - chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (79.1%) and isolated from sputum (62.93%). Only 38 (8.02%) patients used immunosuppressant drugs, while gastroenteritis (5.7%), haematologic malignancy (4.22%), and cardiovascular disease (4.22%) were the most prevalent underlying illnesses. In A. fumigatus, the wild-type (WT) isolates against amphotericin B (99.1%) were higher than triazoles (97-98%), whereas, in non-fumigatus Aspergillus species, the triazole (95-100%) WT proportion was greater than amphotericin B (91-95%). Additionally, there were significantly fewer WT A. fumigatus isolates for itraconazole and posaconazole in outpatients than inpatients. These findings may aid in better understanding and management of aspergillosis in the region.