Differences between long- and short-wavelength light-induced retinal damage and the role of PARP-1 in retinal injury induced by blue light.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy uses light of different wavelengths to treat various retinal degeneration diseases, but the potential damage to the retina caused by long-term light irradiation is still unclear. This study were designed to detect the difference between long- and short-wavelength light (650-nm red light and 450-nm blue light, 2.55 mW/cm2, reference intensity in PBM)-induced injury. In addition, a comparative study was conducted to investigate the differences in retinal light damage induced by different irradiation protocols (short periods of repeated irradiation and a long period of constant irradiation). Furthermore, the protective role of PARP-1 inhibition on the molecular mechanism of blue light-induced injury was confirmed by a gene knockdown technique or a specific inhibitor through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results showed that the susceptibility to retinal damage caused by irradiation with long- and short-wavelength light is different. Shorter wavelength lights, such as blue light, induce more severe retinal damage, while the retina exhibits better resistance to longer wavelength lights, such as red light. In addition, repeated irradiation for short periods induces less retinal damage than constant exposure over a long period. PARP-1 plays a critical role in the molecular mechanism of blue light-induced damage in photoreceptors and retina, and inhibiting PARP-1 can significantly protect the retina against blue light damage. This study lays an experimental foundation for assessing the safety of phototherapy products and for developing target drugs to protect the retina from light damage.

The colorimetry and smartphone determination of perfluorooctane sulfonate based on cytidine 5'-monophosphate-capped gold nanoclusters with peroxidase-like activity.

Besides being a luminescent material, cytidine 5'-monophosphate-capped gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@CMP) also show superior peroxidase-like activity which can promote TMB oxidation in the presence of H2O2, causing the solution to turn efficiently from pale to blue. However, the presence of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in the above system inhibited TMB oxidation and bluing of the solution, consequently establishing a colorimetric platform of AuNCs/H2O2/TMB for PFOS determination. The results showed that it responded to PFOS over a wide range of 2.0-50 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 150 nM. Furthermore, in-depth mechanism investigation revealed that, rather than the active site of the catalyst being occupied by PFOS, such a hypochromatic effect originated from depletion of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) by PFOS degradation, thereby also offering a unique strategy to scavenge the lethal toxicity of PFOS. In addition, the colorimetric response of AuNCs/H2O2/TMB to PFOS was extended to smartphone determination conveniently based on RGB values. Finally, the established platform was applied to PFOS determination both in soil extracts and in tap water with good recovery, which supplies a novel colorimetric platform for visual determination of PFOS in practice. The method has the advantages of being rapid, sensitive and highly selective, which highlight the design and construction of more systems for determination and elimination of lethal pollutants in environmental water.

Research progress on the study of transcriptome-wide poly(A) tails in mammalian oocytes and early embryos.

During mammalian oocyte-to-embryo transition, before zygotic genome activation, the transcription in oocytes and embryos is silenced, so the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA plays an essential role in this process. Poly(A) tail is an important post-transcriptional modification that affects mRNA metabolism and translation efficiency. With the development of sequencing technology and analysis tools, especially the methods based on third-generation sequencing technology, the length and composition of poly(A) tails can be accurately measured, greatly expanding our understanding of poly(A) tails in mammalian early embryonic development. This review focuses on the achievements of poly(A) tail sequencing methods and the research progress of poly(A) tail in regulating oocyte-to-embryo transition, discussing the future applications for the investigation of mammalian early embryonic development and infertility related diseases.

HELQ and EGR3 expression correlate with IGHV mutation status and prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: IGHV mutation status is a crucial prognostic biomarker for CLL. In the present study, we investigated the transcriptomic signatures associating with IGHV mutation status and CLL prognosis. METHODS: The co-expression modules and hub genes correlating with IGHV status, were identified using the GSE28654, by 'WGCNA' package and R software (version 4.0.2). The over-representation analysis was performed to reveal enriched cell pathways for genes of correlating modules. Then 9 external cohorts were used to validate the correlation of hub genes expression with IGHV status or clinical features (treatment response, transformation to Richter syndrome, etc.). Moreover, to elucidate the significance of hub genes on disease course and prognosis of CLL patients, the Kaplan-Meier analysis for the OS and TTFT of were performed between subgroups dichotomized by the median expression value of individual hub genes. RESULTS: 2 co-expression modules and 9 hub genes ((FCRL1/FCRL2/HELQ/EGR3LPL/LDOC1/ZNF667/SOWAHC/SEPTIN10) correlating with IGHV status were identified by WGCNA, and validated by external datasets. The modules were found to be enriched in NF-kappaB, HIF-1 and other important pathways, involving cell proliferation and apoptosis. The expression of hub genes was revealed to be significantly different, not only between CLL and normal B cell, but also between various types of lymphoid neoplasms. HELQ expression was found to be related with response of immunochemotherapy treatment significantly (p = 0.0413), while HELQ and ZNF667 were expressed differently between stable CLL and Richter syndrome patients (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0278, respectively). By survival analysis of subgroups, EGR3 expression was indicated to be significantly associated with TTFT by 2 independent cohorts (GSE39671, p = 0.0311; GSE22762, p = 0.0135). While the expression of HELQ and EGR3 was found to be associated with OS (p = 0.0291 and 0.0114 respectively).The Kras, Hedgehog and IL6-JAK-STAT3 pathways were found to be associating with the expression of hub genes, resulting from GSEA. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of HELQ and EGR3 were correlated with IGHV mutation status in CLL patients. Additionally, the expression of HELQ/EGR3 were prognostic markers for CLL associating with targetable cell signaling pathways.

The landscape of gene co-expression modules correlating with prognostic genetic abnormalities in AML.

BACKGROUND: The heterogenous cytogenetic and molecular variations were harbored by AML patients, some of which are related with AML pathogenesis and clinical outcomes. We aimed to uncover the intrinsic expression profiles correlating with prognostic genetic abnormalities by WGCNA. METHODS: We downloaded the clinical and expression dataset from BeatAML, TCGA and GEO database. Using R (version 4.0.2) and 'WGCNA' package, the co-expression modules correlating with the ELN2017 prognostic markers were identified (R2 ≥ 0.4, p < 0.01). ORA detected the enriched pathways for the key co-expression modules. The patients in TCGA cohort were randomly assigned into the training set (50%) and testing set (50%). The LASSO penalized regression analysis was employed to build the prediction model, fitting OS to the expression level of hub genes by 'glmnet' package. Then the testing and 2 independent validation sets (GSE12417 and GSE37642) were used to validate the diagnostic utility and accuracy of the model. RESULTS: A total of 37 gene co-expression modules and 973 hub genes were identified for the BeatAML cohort. We found that 3 modules were significantly correlated with genetic markers (the 'lightyellow' module for NPM1 mutation, the 'saddlebrown' module for RUNX1 mutation, the 'lightgreen' module for TP53 mutation). ORA revealed that the 'lightyellow' module was mainly enriched in DNA-binding transcription factor activity and activation of HOX genes. The 'saddlebrown' module was enriched in immune response process. And the 'lightgreen' module was predominantly enriched in mitosis cell cycle process. The LASSO- regression analysis identified 6 genes (NFKB2, NEK9, HOXA7, APRC5L, FAM30A and LOC105371592) with non-zero coefficients. The risk score generated from the 6-gene model, was associated with ELN2017 risk stratification, relapsed disease, and prior MDS history. The 5-year AUC for the model was 0.822 and 0.824 in the training and testing sets, respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic utility of the model was robust when it was employed in 2 validation sets (5-year AUC 0.743-0.79). CONCLUSIONS: We established the co-expression network signature correlated with the ELN2017 recommended prognostic genetic abnormalities in AML. The 6-gene prediction model for AML survival was developed and validated by multiple datasets.

MAPK14 over-expression is a transcriptomic feature of polycythemia vera and correlates with adverse clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The transcriptomic signature has not been fully elucidated in PV, as well as mRNA markers for clinical variables (thrombosis, leukemic transformation, survival, etc.). We attempted to reveal and validate crucial co-expression modules and marker mRNAs correlating with polycythemia vera (PV) by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The GSE57793/26014/61629 datasets were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and integrated into one fused dataset. By R software and 'WGCNA' package, the PV-specific co-expression module was identified, the pathway enrichment profile of which was obtained by over-representation analysis (ORA). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and hub gene analysis identified MAPK14 as our target gene. Then the distribution of MAPK14 expression in different disease/mutation types, were depicted based on external independent datasets. Genome-scale correlation analysis revealed the association of MAPK14 and JAK/STAT family genes. Then gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to detect the activated and suppressed pathways associating with MAPK14 expression. Moreover, GSE47018 dataset was utilized to compare clinical variables (thrombosis, leukemic transformation, survival, etc.) between MAPK14-high and MAPK14-low groups. RESULTS: An integrated dataset including 177 samples (83 PV, 35 ET, 17 PMF and 42 normal donors) were inputted into WGCNA. The 'tan' module was identified as the PV-specific module (R2 = 0.56, p = 8e-16), the genes of which were dominantly enriched in pro-inflammatory pathways (Toll-like receptor (TLR)/TNF signaling, etc.). MAPK14 is identified as the top hub gene in PV-related PPI network with the highest betweenness. External datasets validated that the MAPK14 expression was significantly higher in PV than that of essential thrombocytosis (ET)/primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients and normal donors. JAK2 homozygous mutation carriers have higher level of MAPK14 than that of other mutation types. The expression of JAK/STAT family genes significantly correlated with MAPK14, which also contributed to the activation of oxidated phosphorylation, interferon-alpha (IFNα) response and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling, etc. Moreover, MAPK14-high group have more adverse clinical outcomes (splenectomy, thrombosis, disease aggressiveness) and inferior survival than MAPK14-low group. CONCLUSION: MAPK14 over-expression was identified as a transcriptomic feature of PV, which was also related to inferior clinical outcomes. The results provided novel insights for biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PV.

Glutathione protected bimetallic gold-platinum nanoclusters with near-infrared emission for ratiometric determination of silver ions.

A controlled method to prepare glutathione-protected bimetallic gold-platinum nanoclusters (Au-PtNCs) has been established. The Au-PtNCs show either strong red (625 nm) or near-infrared (NIR, 805 nm) emission. Further characterizations indicated that the average particle size grows from 1.42 to 1.78 nm, the larger particles being responsible for the redshift of emission. The NIR emitted Au-PtNCs are applied as a novel ratiometric probe of Ag(I), which induces a new emission peak at ~635 nm and quenches the initial emission gradually. The determination shows very high selectivity toward Ag(I) among other metal ions. A limit of determination (10 nM) and the linear range (0.10 to 15 µM) are achieved, which is much lower than the EPA mandate of 0.46 µM for Ag(I) in drinking water. The response mechanism is attributed to the fact that the added Ag(I) has been reduced by the core of Au-PtNCs and deposited on the surface, which induces new fluorescence emission around 635 nm. In addition, the ratiometric method is feasible for Ag(I) determination in serum serum with good recovery (between 98.3% and 102.0%, n = 3), showing very high application potential. The present study provides a controlled method to prepare Au-PtNCs with strong red and NIR emission and supplies a novel NIR ratiometric probe of Ag(I). Schematic presentation of the controlled preparation of glutathione-protected bimetallic gold-platinum nanoclusters (Au-PtNCs) with either red or near-infrared (NIR) emission, and application in ratiometric detection of Ag(I) with high selectivity and sensitivity.

Regulatory signaling pathways in hematopoietic stem cell development.

The blood system provides the body with oxygen and nutrients, maintains the homeostasis of the internal environment through material exchange, and keeps the body with immune defense and protection. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are pluripotent adult stem cells with self-renewal and differentiation potential, are the origin of mature blood cells in the body. The production, development and maturation processes of HSCs and their derivatives are the so-called 'hematopoiesis', which begins in the early embryonic development and throughout the life course; any abnormality during these processes can cause the occurrence of hematological diseases. Therefore, a deeper understanding of hematopoietic development and its regulation is important to the diagnosis and treatment of blood diseases. In recent years, a series of advances have been made in studying hematopoietic development using mice and zebrafish as animal models. It has been shown that BMP, Notch and Wnt signaling pathways play an important role in the fate determination and generation of HSCs. In this review, we systematically summarize the regulatory roles of these signaling pathways in the hematopoietic process of mice and zebrafish embryos, to improve our understanding on the underlying regulatory network of hematopoietic development and provide guidance for clinical application.

Overexpression of HOXA10 is associated with unfavorable prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: HOXA family genes were crucial transcription factors involving cell proliferation and apoptosis. While few studies have focused on HOXA10 in AML. We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of HOXA10. METHODS: We downloaded datasets from GEO and BeatAML database, to compare HOXA expression level between AML patients and controls. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the impact of HOXA10 expression on AML survival. The differentially expressed genes, miRNAs, lncRNAs and methylated regions between HOXA10-high and -low groups were obtained using R (version 3.6.0). Accordingly, the gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was accomplished using MSigDB database. Moreover, the regulatory TFs/microRNAs/lncRNAs of HOXA10 were identified. A LASSO-Cox model fitted OS to clinical and HOXA10-associated genetic variables by glmnet package. RESULTS: HOXA10 was overexpressed in AML patients than that in controls. The HOXA10-high group is significantly associated with shorter OS and DFS. A total of 1219 DEGs, 131 DEmiRs, 282 DElncRs were identified to be associated with HOXA10. GSEA revealed that 12 suppressed and 3 activated pathways in HOXA10-high group. Furthermore, the integrated regulatory network targeting HOXA10 was established. The LASSO-Cox model fitted OS to AML-survival risk scores, which included age, race, molecular risk, expression of IKZF2/LINC00649/LINC00839/FENDRR and has-miR-424-5p. The time dependent ROC indicated a satisfying AUC (1-year AUC 0.839, 3-year AUC 0.871 and 5-year AUC 0.813). CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified HOXA10 overexpression as an adverse prognostic factor for AML. The LASSO-COX regression analysis revealed novel prediction model of OS with superior diagnostic utility.

LINC00649 underexpression is an adverse prognostic marker in acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) play a role in leukemogenesis, maintenance, development, and therapeutic resistance of AML. While few studies have focused on the prognostic significance of LINC00649 in AML, which we aim to investigate in this present study. METHODS: We compared the expression level of LINC00649 between AML patients and healthy controls. The Kaplan-Meier curves of AML patients expressing high versus low level of LINC00649 was performed. The LINC00649 correlated genes/miRNAs/lncRNAs and methylation CpG sites were screened by Pearson correlation analysis with R (version 3.6.0), using TCGA-LAML database. The LINC00649 associated ceRNA network was established using lncBase 2.0 and miRWalk 2.0 online tools, combining results from correlation analysis. Finally, a prediction model was constructed using LASSO-Cox regression. RESULTS: LINC00649 was underexpressed in bone marrow of AML group than that in healthy control group. The patients of LINC00649-low group have significantly inferior PFS and OS. A total of 154 mRNAs, 31 miRNAs, 28 lncRNAs and 1590 methylated CpG sites were identified to be significantly correlated with LINC00649. Furthermore, the network of ceRNA was established with 6 miRNAs and 122 mRNAs. The Lasso-Cox model fitted OS/PFS to novel prediction models, which integrated clinical factors, ELN risk stratification, mRNA/miRNA expression and methylation profiles. The analysis of time-dependent ROC for our model showed a superior AUC (AUC = 0.916 at 1 year, AUC = 0.916 at 3 years, and AUC = 0.891 at 5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Low expression of LINC00649 is a potential unfavorable prognostic marker for AML patients, which requires the further validation. The analysis by LASSO-COX regression identified a novel comprehensive model with a superior diagnostic utility, which integrated clinical and genetic variables.

Polyvinyl Alcohol-Supported AuAgNCs-CDs Film as a Selective Sensor for Gas Hydrogen Sulfide Detection in Air.

A novel strategy is reported for the synthesis of glutathione (GSH)-protected bimetallic nanoclusters, Au-AgNCs@GSH, and its fabrication with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) into a film sensor for H2 S gas detection. Meanwhile, carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from polyethyleneimine (PEI) are introduced as an internal standard to correct the photobleaching of Au-AgNCs@GSH and uniformity of film. The joining of it greatly improves the chemical and structural stability of the composite film via multi cross-linking between PEI, PVA, and GSH. The PVA-AuAgNCs-CDs film exhibits an emission-quenching response to H2 S gas at atmosphere, which is highly repeatable, fast, sensitive, and can distinguish H2 S from other poisonous gases. Finally, the in-depth mechanism investigations reveal that the quenching response is attributed to decomposition of Au-AgNCs@GSH and the formation of Au2 S and Ag2 S in the composite film. As a sensor, the PVA-supported film combines the functions of fluorescent metal nanoclusters and polymer CDs, providing a portable device for the rapid detection of H2 S gas in air.

Mitochondrion-Targeting Fluorescence Probe via Reduction Induced Charge Transfer for Fast Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases Imaging.

Methionine sulfoxide reductases (Msrs) play essential roles in maintaining mitochondrial function and are recognized as potential therapeutic targets. However, current probes for Msrs fail to target mitochondria and exhibit a relatively slow response and limited sensitivity. Here we develop a novel turn-on fluorescence probe that facilitates imaging of mitochondrial Msrs in living cells. The probe is constructed by conjugating a methyl phenyl sulfoxide, a mimic Msrs substrate, to an electron-withdrawing hydrophobic cation, methylpyridinium. The probe of acceptor-acceptor structure is initially nonemissive. Msrs catalyzed reduction of sulfoxide to sulfide generated a fluorophore of distinct donor-acceptor structure. The probe is demonstrated to exhibit high sensitivity, fast response, and high selectivity toward MsrA in vitro. Furthermore, the probe is successfully introduced to detect and image Msrs in living cells with excellent mitochondrial-targeting capability. Moreover, the probe also reveals decreased Msrs activity in a cellular Parkinson's disease model. Our probe affords a powerful tool for detecting and visualizing mitochondrial Msrs in living cells.

Aggregation-induced emission enhancement of adenosine monophosphate-capped bimetallic nanoclusters by aluminum(III) ions, and its application to the fluorometric determination of cysteine.

The fluorescence of adenosine monophosphate-capped bimetallic gold and silver nanoclusters (type AuAgNC@AMP) is strongly enhanced and blue shifted in the presence of Al(III). As confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, the AuAgNC nanodots are converted to larger assembled spheres of type AuAgNC-Al(III). The fluorescence enhancement is attributed to aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE). The fluorescence of the AuAgNC-Al(III) assembly (with excitation and emission maxima at 340 and 540 nm) is quenched by cysteine (Cys). The effect was applied to the fluorometric determination of Cys. The assay works in the 1.0 to 16.0 µM Cys concentration range and has a 50 nM limit of detection. The method was successfully applied to analyze Cys-spiked mineral waters and serum. The quenching mechanism is explored in depth. It is attributed to the partial replacement of AMP by Cys at the surface of the AuAgNC and alteration of the assembly structure from large spherical particles to a strip shape. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of the fluorescence enhancement of bimetallic nanoclusters capped with adenosine monophosphate by using Al(III), and its application in selective and sensitive determination of cysteine via ligand replacement and reassembly.

Detection of intracellular IgD using flow cytometry could be a novel and supplementary method to diagnose IgD multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether detecting the heavy chain of cytoplasmic immunoglobulin D (IgD) by flow cytometry could be used as a supplemental method to diagnose IgD multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: Bone marrow (BM) samples of thirty-five patients with MM were collected. Five of them were IgD MM, the rest of thirty were other subtypes of MM. Antibodies to four types of heavy chains of immunoglobulin (e.g., IgA, IgG, IgM, and IgD) were analyzed by flow cytometry in each patient's BM sample. RESULTS: The five IgD MM patients were all positive for cytoplasmic IgD. The percentage of IgD positive MM cells among nucleated cells varied from 0.4 to 12.9%. Cytoplasmic IgG was positive in eight patients with IgG MM (n = 9); cytoplasmic IgA was positive in all patients with IgA MM (n = 10); cytoplasmic IgM was positive in one patient with IgM MM (n = 1). No heavy chain was detected in light chain MM (n = 9) and non-secretory subtype (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Detection of cytoplasmic IgD by flow cytometry is a convenient, sensitive and supplemental method to diagnose IgD MM.

Fungus-insect gall of Phlebopus portentosus.

Phlebopus portentosus is a popular edible wild mushroom found in the tropical Yunnan, China, and northern Thailand. In its natural habitats, a gall often has been found on some plant roots, around which fungal fruiting bodies are produced. The galls are different from common insect galls in that their cavity walls are not made from plant tissue but rather from the hyphae of P. portentosus. Therefore we have termed this phenomenon "fungus-insect gall". Thus far six root mealy bug species in the family Pseudococcidae that form fungus-insect galls with P. portentosus have been identified: Formicococcus polysperes, Geococcus satellitum, Planococcus minor, Pseudococcus cryptus, Paraputo banzigeri and Rastrococcus invadens. Fungus-insect galls were found on the roots of more than 21 plant species, including Delonix regia, Citrus maxima, Coffea arabica and Artocarpus heterophyllus. Greenhouse inoculation trials showed that fungus-insect galls were found on the roots of A. heterophyllus 1 mo after inoculation. The galls were subglobose to globose, fulvous when young and became dark brown at maturation. Each gall harbored one or more mealy bugs and had a chimney-like vent for ventilation and access to the gall. The cavity wall had three layers. Various shaped mealy bug wax deposits were found inside the wall. Fungal hyphae invaded the epidermis of plant roots and sometimes even the cortical cells during the late stage of gall development. The identity of the fungus inside the cavity was confirmed by molecular methods.

Spatial multi-attention conditional neural processes.

Spatial prediction tasks are challenging when observed samples are sparse and prediction samples are abundant. Gaussian processes (GPs) are commonly used in spatial prediction tasks and have the advantage of measuring the uncertainty of the interpolation result. However, as the sample size increases, GPs suffer from significant overhead. Standard neural networks (NNs) provide a powerful and scalable solution for modeling spatial data, but they often overfit small sample data. Based on conditional neural processes (CNPs), which combine the advantages of GPs and NNs, we propose a new framework called Spatial Multi-Attention Conditional Neural Processes (SMACNPs) for spatial small sample prediction tasks. SMACNPs are a modular model that can predict targets by employing different attention mechanisms to extract relevant information from different forms of sample data. The task representation is inferred by measuring the spatial correlation contained in different sample points and the relationship contained in attribute variables, respectively. The distribution of the target variable is predicted by GPs parameterized by NNs. SMACNPs allow us to obtain accurate predictions of the target value while quantifying the prediction uncertainty. Experiments on spatial prediction tasks on simulated and real-world datasets demonstrate that this framework flexibly incorporates spatial context and correlation into the model, achieving state-of-the-art results in spatial small sample prediction tasks in terms of both predictive performance and reliability. For example, on the California housing dataset, our method reduces MAE by 8% and MSE by 7% compared to the second-best method. In addition, a spatiotemporal prediction task to forecast traffic speed further confirms the effectiveness and generality of our method.

Efficacy of acupuncture for a cough-related symptom cluster in patients with lung cancer: A randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on cough, expectoration, and shortness of breath in lung cancer patients. METHODS: Between December 2021 and June 2022, a total of 130 lung cancer patients were recruited, and they were split into control and intervention groups at random. Routine nursing was provided to the control group, whereas routine nursing with acupuncture using LU7 (Lie Que), LU9 (Tai Yuan), BL13 (Fei Shu), and BL20 (Pi Shu) was administered to the intervention group for 7 days. The severity of cough, expectoration, and shortness of breath was assessed 1 day before and after the interventions using the lung cancer-specific module of the MDASI. A two-way ANOVA was performed for group comparisons. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the symptoms of cough in the intervention group were significantly improved (F = 5.095, MD = -0.32, 95% CI, -0.59 to 0.04, P = 0.025), while expectoration (F = 0.626, MD = -0.11, 95% CI, -0.38 to 0.16, P = 0.430) and shortness of breath (F = 0.165, MD = -0.05, 95% CI, -0.27 to 0.18, P = 0.685) had no significant change. Cough also identified an obvious interaction effect (P = 0.014), and the post-intervention simple main effect test demonstrated a tangible difference between the two groups (MD = -0.66, 95% CI, -0.99 to 0.33, P < 0.001) post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture using LU7, LU9, BL13, and BL20 can relieve the cough of lung cancer patients, but not relieve expectoration and shortness of breath.

[A brief protocol for high-resolution whole mount in situ hybridization in zebrafish].

Whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) is a popular technique that is used to study temporal-spatial gene expression at mRNA level in model systems. Sensitive and high-resolution WISH is important for every laboratory that uses this technique to study expression pattern of genes in wildtype and perturbed embryos. Based on the commonly used protocols in fish community, our lab optimizes them to get more sensitive and specific results. Here, we briefly summarize the history of this technology using zebrafish as an example, describe a detailed experimental protocol, and provide troubleshooting for imperfect results and their solution.

Calixarene-based supramolecular assembly with fluorescent gold-nanoclusters for highly selective determination of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid.

The present study developed an efficient fluorescent approach, based on a supramolecular assembly between gold nanoclusters and calix[4]arene derivatives (C4A-Ds), to detect sever pollutant of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). For that, a series of C4A-Ds with different chain lengths and positive charges at the wider rim were designed and synthesized. Cytidine-5' phosphate protected gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@CMP) were then assembled with calix[4]arene (LC4AP) to form AuNCs/LC4AP assembly, leading to 8-fold luminescence enhancement via the AIEE effect. However, further binding with PFOS reconstituted the as-formed assembly hrough a competitive effect, generating a fluorescence quenching. Particularly, the linear fluorescence response of AuNCs/LC4AP to PFOS realized a highly sensitive determination of the pollutant PFOS in a wide range (2.0-100 µM). In addition, the developed method successfully detected PFOS in pool water near a fire drill field, being good enough for the practical PFOS determination. The calixarene mediated method, based on the fluorescence "on-off" strategy of metal nanoclusters, is sensitive, rapid-responsive, economical, particularly, suitable for the PFOS determination in practice. It takes full advantage of the molecular recognition and self-assembly of artificial macrocyclic host molecules as a promising strategy for the PFOS determination, and will be highlight to develop new detection methods for PFOS and other poisonous compounds in environments.

Promotion of axon regeneration and protection on injured retinal ganglion cells by rCXCL2.

BACKGROUND: In addition to rescuing injured retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) by stimulating the intrinsic growth ability of damaged RGCs in various retinal/optic neuropathies, increasing evidence has shown that the external microenvironmental factors also play a crucial role in restoring the survival of RGCs by promoting the regrowth of RGC axons, especially inflammatory factors. In this study, we aimed to screen out the underlying inflammatory factor involved in the signaling of staurosporine (STS)-induced axon regeneration and verify its role in the protection of RGCs and the promotion of axon regrowth. METHODS: We performed transcriptome RNA sequencing for STS induction models in vitro and analyzed the differentially expressed genes. After targeting the key gene, we verified the role of the candidate factor in RGC protection and promotion of axon regeneration in vivo with two RGC-injured animal models (optic nerve crush, ONC; retinal N-methyl-D-aspartate, NMDA damage) by using cholera toxin subunit B anterograde axon tracing and specific immunostaining of RGCs. RESULTS: We found that a series of inflammatory genes expressed upregulated in the signaling of STS-induced axon regrowth and we targeted the candidate CXCL2 gene since the level of the chemokine CXCL2 gene elevated significantly among the top upregulated genes. We further demonstrated that intravitreal injection of rCXCL2 robustly promoted axon regeneration and significantly improved RGC survival in ONC-injured mice in vivo. However, different from its role in ONC model, the intravitreal injection of rCXCL2 was able to simply protect RGCs against NMDA-induced excitotoxicity in mouse retina and maintain the long-distance projection of RGC axons, yet failed to promote significant axon regeneration. CONCLUSIONS: We provide the first in vivo evidence that CXCL2, as an inflammatory factor, is a key regulator in the axon regeneration and neuroprotection of RGCs. Our comparative study may facilitate deciphering the exact molecular mechanisms of RGC axon regeneration and developing high-potency targeted drugs.