EEG microstates analysis after TMS in patients with subacute stroke during the resting state.

To investigate whether intermittent theta burst stimulation over the cerebellum induces changes in resting-state electroencephalography microstates in patients with subacute stroke and its correlation with cognitive and emotional function. Twenty-four stroke patients and 17 healthy controls were included in this study. Patients and healthy controls were assessed at baseline, including resting-state electroencephalography and neuropsychological scales. Fifteen patients received lateral cerebellar intermittent theta burst stimulation as well as routine rehabilitation training (intermittent theta burst stimulation-RRT group), whereas 9 patients received only conventional rehabilitation training (routine rehabilitation training group). After 2 wk, baseline data were recorded again in both groups. Stroke patients exhibited reduced parameters in microstate D and increased parameters in microstate C compared with healthy controls. However, after the administration of intermittent theta burst stimulation over the lateral cerebellum, significant alterations were observed in the majority of metrics for both microstates D and C. Lateral cerebellar intermittent theta burst stimulation combined with conventional rehabilitation has a stronger tendency to improve emotional and cognitive function in patients with subacute stroke than conventional rehabilitation. The improvement of mood and cognitive function was significantly associated with microstates C and D. We identified electroencephalography microstate spatiotemporal dynamics associated with clinical improvement following a course of intermittent theta burst stimulation therapy.

Antibiofilm Mechanisms of the Helical G3 Peptide against Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Antibacterial peptides (ABPs) have been recognized as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics due to their broad antibacterial spectrum, high antibacterial activity, and low possibility of inducing bacterial resistance. However, their antibiofilm mechanisms have not yet reached a consensus. In this study, we investigated the antibiofilm activity of a short helical peptide G3 against Staphylococcus epidermidis, one of the most important strains of medical device contamination. Studies show that G3 inhibits S. epidermidis biofilm formation in a variety of ways. In the initial adhesion stage, G3 changes the properties of bacterial surfaces, such as charges, hydrophobicity, and permeability, by rapidly binding to them, thus interfering with their initial adhesion. In the mature stage, G3 prefers to target extracellular polysaccharides, leading to the death of outside bacteria and the disruption of the three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the bacterial biofilm. Such efficient antibiofilm activity of G3 endows it with great potential in the treatment of infections induced by the S. epidermidis biofilm.

Rheological and Aging Properties of Composite Modified Bitumen by Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene and Desulfurized Crumb Rubber.

Taking advantage of crumb rubber from waste tires to modify bitumen is widely for the environmentally friendly and sustainable development of pavement. This study investigated the modification mechanism, rheological, and aging properties of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)/desulfurized crumb rubber (DCR) composite modified bitumen (SBS/DCRMB). Morphological features and chemical characteristics were assessed by fluorescence intensity measurement and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), respectively, and results demonstrated that the DCR and SBS modifier in SBS/DCRMB had been vulcanized and formed a three-dimensional network structure. Moreover, a comparison of the GPC elution curve showed the residual bitumen hardly changed due to carbon black released from DCR of SBS/DCRMB during the aging process of SBS/DCRMB, and the polymer molecules condensed to larger units. However, the remaining bitumen in SBSMB had changed evidently and the polymer degraded to smaller molecules. Meanwhile the rheological testing results, including multiple stress creep recovery, linear amplitude sweep and bending beam rheometer, declared that the SBS/DCRMB is superior to SBSMB before and after aging.

Novel Immune-Related Genetic Expression for Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Objective: To identify novel immune-related genes expressed in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Methods: Gene expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. The differences in immune cell proportion between normal and diseased tissues were compared, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted to identify key modules, followed by a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network generation and enrichment analysis. The feature genes were screened and verified using the GEO datasets and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Results: A total of 345 DEGs were identified, and the proportions of gamma delta T cells, memory B cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and activated dendritic cells differed significantly between the control and pSS groups. The turquoise module indicated the highest correlation with pSS, and 252 key genes were identified. The PPI network of key genes showed that RPL9, RBX1, and RPL31 had a relatively higher degree. In addition, the key genes were mainly enriched in coronavirus disease-COVID-2019, hepatitis C, and influenza A. Fourteen feature genes were obtained using the support vector machine model, and two subtypes were identified. The genes in the two subtypes were mainly enriched in the JAK-STAT, p53, and toll-like receptor signaling pathways. The majority of the feature genes were upregulated in the pSS group, verified using the GEO datasets and RT-qPCR analysis. Conclusions: Memory B cells, gamma delta T cells, Tregs, activated dendritic cells, RPL9, RBX1, RPL31, and the feature genes possible play vital roles in the development of pSS.

Individual variability in human urinary metabolites identifies age-related, body mass index-related, and sex-related biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Metabolites present in human urine can be influenced by individual physiological parameters (e.g., body mass index [BMI], age, and sex). Observation of altered metabolites concentrations could provide insight into underlying disease pathology, disease prognosis and diagnosis, and facilitate discovery of novel biomarkers. METHODS: Quantitative metabolomics analysis in the urine of 183 healthy individuals was performed based on high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Coefficients of variation were obtained for 109 urine metabolites of all the 183 human healthy subjects. RESULTS: Three urine metabolites (such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, acetaminophen glucuronide, and p-anisic acid) with CV183  > 0.3, for which metabolomics studies have been scarce, are considered highly variable here. We identified 30 age-related metabolites, 18 BMI-related metabolites, and 42 sex-related metabolites. Among the identified metabolites, three metabolites were found to be associated with all three physiological parameters (age, BMI, and sex), which included dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 3-methylcrotonylglycine and N-acetyl-aspartic acid. Pearson's coefficients demonstrated that some age-, BMI-, and sex-related compounds are strongly correlated, suggesting that age, BMI, and sex could affect them concomitantly. CONCLUSION: Metabolic differences between distinct physiological statuses were found to be related to several metabolic pathways (such as the caffeine metabolism, the amino acid metabolism, and the carbohydrate metabolism), and these findings may be key for the discovery of new diagnostics and treatments as well as new understandings on the mechanisms of some related diseases.

Evaluating the potential bioactivity of a novel compound ER1626.

BACKGROUND: ER1626, a novel compound, is a derivate of indeno-isoquinoline ketone. This study was designed to evaluate the biological activity and potential anti-tumor mechanism of ER1626. METHOD: MTT assay, scratch assay and flow cytometry were used to determine cell proliferation, cell migration and cell cycle distribution as well as cell apoptosis on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells. We also explored the antiangiogenic effect of ER1626 on HUVEC cells and chicken embryos. The expression of estrogen receptor protein was investigated with western-blot analysis. RESULTS: ER1626 down-regulated the expression of estrogen receptor α protein and up-regulated ß protein in MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells. The value of IC50 of ER1626 on MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells were respectively 8.52 and 3.08 µmol/L. Meanwhile, ER1626 decreased VEGF secretion of MCF-7 and Ishikawa cells, disturbed the formation of VEGF-stimulated tubular structure in HUVEC cells, and inhibited the angiogenesis on the chicken chorioallantoic membrane. Scratch assay revealed that ER1626 suppressed the migration of MCF-7, Ishikawa and HUVEC cells. In addition to induction tumor cell apoptosis, ER1626 arrested cell cycle in G1/G0 phase in MCF-7 cells and G2/M phase in Ishikawa cells. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that ER1626 has favorable bioactivities to be a potential candidate against breast cancer and angiogenesis.