Chlorogenic acid alleviates renal fibrosis by reducing lipid accumulation in diabetic kidney disease through suppressing the Notch1 and Stat3 signaling pathway.

AIMS: Abnormal renal lipid metabolism causes renal lipid deposition, which leads to the development of renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of chlorogenic acid (CA) on reducing renal lipid accumulation and improving DKD renal fibrosis. METHODS: This study evaluated the effects of CA on renal fibrosis, lipid deposition and lipid metabolism by constructing in vitro and in vivo models of DKD, and detected the improvement of Notch1 and Stat3 signaling pathways. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding between CA and the extracellular domain NRR1 of Notch1 protein. RESULTS: In vitro studies have shown that CA decreased the expression of Fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), p-smad3/smad3, alleviated lipid deposition, promoted the expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 A (CPT1A), and inhibited the expression of cholesterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c). The expression of Notch1, Cleaved Notch1, Hes1, and p-stat3/stat3 were inhibited. These results suggested that CA might reduce intercellular lipid deposition in human kidney cells (HK2) by inhibiting Notch1 and stat3 signaling pathways, thereby improving fibrosis. Further, in vivo studies demonstrated that CA improved renal fibrosis and renal lipid deposition in DKD mice by inhibiting Notch1 and stat3 signaling pathways. Finally, molecular docking experiments showed that the binding energy of CA and NRR1 was -6.6 kcal/mol, which preliminarily predicted the possible action of CA on Notch1 extracellular domain NRR1. CONCLUSION: CA reduces renal lipid accumulation and improves DKD renal fibrosis by inhibiting Notch1 and stat3 signaling pathways.

Enhancing the Activity of an Alcohol Dehydrogenase by Using "Aromatic Residue Scanning" at Potential Plasticity Sites.

An alcohol dehydrogenase LkADH was successfully engineered to exhibit improved activity and substrate tolerance for the production of (S)-2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethanol, an important precursor of ticagrelor. Five potential hotspots were identified for enzyme mutagenesis by using natural residue abundance as an indicator to evaluate their potential plasticity. A semi-rational strategy named "aromatic residue scanning" was applied to randomly mutate these five sites simultaneously by using tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine as "exploratory residues" to introduce steric hindrance or potential π-π interactions. The best variant Lk-S96Y/L199W identified with 17.2-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency could completely reduce up to 600 g/L (3.1 M) 2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethenone in 12 h with >99.5 % ee, giving the highest space-time yield ever reported. This study, therefore, offers a strategy for mutating alcohol dehydrogenase to reduce aromatic substrates and provides an efficient variant for the efficient synthesis of (S)-2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethanol.

Risk stratification of clinically relevant delayed gastric emptying after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

BACKGROUND: Delayed gastric emptying (DGE) remains one of the major complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), with discrepant reports of its contributing factors. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to identify potential predictors and predict the probability of DGE after PD. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 422 consecutive patients who underwent PD from January 2019 to December 2021 at our institution. The LASSO algorithm and multivariate logistic regression were performed to identify independent risk and protective factors associated with clinically relevant delayed gastric emptying (CR-DGE). A nomogram was established based on the selected variables. Then, the calibration curve, ROC curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), and clinical impact curve (CIC) were applied to evaluate the predictive performance of our model. Finally, an independent cohort of 45 consecutive patients from January 2022 to March 2022 was enrolled to further validate the nomogram. RESULTS: Among 422 patients, CR-DGE occurred in 94 patients (22.2%). A previous history of chronic gastropathy, intraoperative plasma transfusion ≥ 400 ml, end-to-side gastrointestinal anastomosis, intra-abdominal infection, incisional infection, and clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) were identified as risk predictors. Minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD) was demonstrated to be a protective predictor of CR-DGE. The areas under the curve (AUCs) were 0.768 (95% CI, 0.706-0.830) in the development cohort, 0.766 (95% CI, 0.671-0.861) in the validation cohort, and 0.787 (95% CI, 0.633-0.940) in the independent cohort. Then, we built a simplified scale based on our nomogram for risk stratification. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified seven predictors and constructed a validated nomogram that effectively predicted CR-DGE for patients who underwent PD.

Hindrances of peripherally inserted central catheter care of leukemia patients: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: A peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) needs regular care. However, clinical observations found that some discharged leukemia patients in mainland China had not complied with the requirement of regular care. Our study aims to explore the facilitators and hindrances of regular cares of PICC in leukemia patients with the Colaizzi phenomenon analysis. METHODS: This qualitative report used the descriptive phenomenological method to collect information and was conducted in accordance with the COREQ checklist. By purposive sampling, 11 leukemia patients with PICC were selected and interviewed in the Department of Hematology of a first-class hospital in Wuhan (central China). The interviews were conducted from March 2016 to May 2017. RESULTS: Two facilitators for PICC care were extracted through interviews, including fear of nosocomial infection and convenience for treatment. Eleven hindrances were summarized, including high costs, unavailability of local services, worries about affecting family members, a lack of health awareness, inconvenient transportations, fluke minds, physical discomfort, fears of leukemia and chemotherapy, short chemotherapy intervals, damage to appearance, and no insurance coverage of costs. CONCLUSION: Leukemia patients' compliance with PICC care was hindered by several factors. The improvement of PICC care may need joint efforts of patients, nursing professionals, hospitals' managerial staff, and governments.

Wound healing can be improved by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate through targeting Notch in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

Delayed wound healing is one of the most prominent clinical manifestations of diabetes and lacks satisfactory treatment options. Persistent inflammation occurs in the late phase of wound healing and impairs the healing process in mice with diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study, we observed that the late wound healing in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM mice could be improved by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The macrophage accumulation, inflammation response, and Notch signaling can be inhibited by EGCG in the skin wounds of DM mice. Furthermore, we found that the LPS-induced inflammation response including overactivated Notch signaling, was inhibited by EGCG in mouse macrophages. Moreover, we confirmed that EGCG could directly bind with mouse Notch-1. In addition, our studies indicated that diabetic wound healing was improved by EGCG treatment before or after the inflammation phase by targeting the Notch signaling pathway, which suggests that the pre-existing diabetic wound healing can be improved by EGCG. To summarize, wound healing can be improved by EGCG through targeting Notch in STZ-induced DM mice. Our findings provide insight into the therapeutic strategy for diabetic wounds and offer EGCG as a novel potential medicine to treat chronic wounds.-Huang, Y.-W., Zhu, Q.-Q., Yang, X.-Y., Xu, H.-H., Sun, B., Wang, X.-J., Sheng, J. Wound healing can be improved by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate through targeting Notch in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

Relationship between caffeine intake and infertility: a systematic review of controlled clinical studies.

BACKGROUND: For a long time, the relationship between caffeine consumption and infertility in the general population is unclear, this study is aimed to systematically review the evidence from any type of controlled clinical studies to explore whether caffeine intake is a risk factor for human infertility. METHODS: Seven databases were searched from inception to May 2019. We included women/men without a history of infertility but were willing to have children in prospective studies and women/men who were diagnosed with infertility in retrospective studies. The observed exposure factor should be caffeine or caffeine containing beverage. Diagnosis of infertility or not for participants was the key outcome. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) or Cochrane risk of bias tool were used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Meta-analysis was conducted if there were acceptable clinical and statistical heterogeneity among studies. The GRADE method was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: Four studies (one cohort study and three case-control studies) involving 12,912 participants were included. According NOS, the average score of case-control studies was 6, and the cohort study achieved 9. Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted. The results showed that low (OR 0.95, 95%CI 0.78-1.16), medium (OR 1.14, 95%CI 0.69-1.86) and high doses (OR 1.86, 95%CI 0.28-12.22) of caffeine intake may not increase the risk of infertility. The quality of the current evidence bodies were all low. CONCLUSION: Our study provides low quality evidence that regardless of low, medium and high doses of caffeine intake do not appear increase the risk of infertility. But the conclusion should be treated with caution.

Genetic polymorphism in MDR1 C3435T is a determinant of methotrexate cerebrospinal fluid concentrations in Chinese children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphism in exon 26 (C3435T) of multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) transporter gene on the concentration of methotrexate (MTX) in Chinese childhood patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receiving intravenous (IV) and intrathecal (IT) high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MDR1 C3435T polymorphism was investigated in 60 patients with Chinese childhood ALL. The study also compared the MDR1; polymorphism between the patients with Chinese childhood ALL and the published data on Americans, Mexicans, Caucasians, and Thais. The C3435T polymorphism was identified using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and direct sequence analysis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma concentrations of MTX were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). MTX concentrations were compared according to MDR1 C3435T genotypes. RESULTS: The frequencies of MDR1 C3435T genotype in male and female patients with Chinese childhood ALL were significantly different (p = 0.001). For the frequencies of MDR1 C3435T genotype in Hui and Han patients with Chinese childhood ALL there was no difference (p = 0.188). The distribution of allele frequencies in patients with Chinese childhood ALL was similar to the published data on Americans, Mexican, Caucasians, and Thais (p > 0.05). The CSF concentrations of MTX were found to be significantly different between the C allele (CC + CT) carriers and TT homozygous group (p = 0.04). The plasma concentrations of MTX had no significant difference between the C allele (CC + CT) carriers and TT homozygous group (p > 0.1). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the polymorphism of MDR1 C3435T influenced the CSF concentration of MTX in patients with Chinese childhood ALL receiving IV and IT HDMTX treatment.

Activation of Nur77 in microglia attenuates proinflammatory mediators production and protects dopaminergic neurons from inflammation-induced cell death.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathological development of Parkinson's disease (PD). Orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 (Nur77) is abundant in neurons, while its role in microglia-mediated neuroinflammation remains unclear. The present data demonstrated that the expression of Nur77 in microglia was reduced accompanied by microglia activation in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vitro and in experimental 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-PD mouse model. Nur77 over-expression or application of Nur77 agonist cytosporone B suppressed the expression of proinflammatory genes, such as inducible nitric oxide NOS, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the activated microglia, while silenced Nur77 exaggerated the inflammatory responses in microglia. Moreover, activation of Nur77 suppressed the LPS-induced NF-κB activation which was partly dependent on p38 MAPK activity, since inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB203580 abolished the LPS-activated NF-κB in microglia. On the other hand, inhibition of p38 MAPK attenuated LPS-induced Nur77 reduction. Furthermore, in a microglia-conditioned cultured media system, Nur77 ameliorated the cytotoxicity to MN9D dopaminergic cells. Lastly, cytosporone B attenuated microglia activation and loss of dopaminergic neuron in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-PD mouse model. Taken together, these findings revealed the first evidence that Nur77 was an important modulator in microglia function that associated with microglia-mediated dopaminergic neurotoxicity, and thus modulation of Nur77 may represent a potential novel target for treatment for neurodegenerative disease.

The association of lipid metabolism relative gene polymorphisms and ischemic stroke in Han and Uighur population of Xinjiang.

BACKGROUND: The present study is aimed to evaluate difference of lipid metabolism related gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with ischemic stroke (IS) in Han and Uighur population of Xinjiang, China. METHODS: Four hundred eight patients with ischemic stroke and 347 unrelated healthy individuals of age and sex matched were genotyped for Apolipoprotein A5 (ApoA5), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) genes. Their mutation difference was analyzed by SNaP shot techniques. GeneMapper4.1 SPSS20.0 software was used for data management and analysis. Using a single locus analysis, the distribution difference of genotype loci in ischemic stroke cases and controls were detected to assess the genetic risk factors of ischemic stroke. RESULTS: Significance differences of genotype distribution in ischemic stroke cases and controls were observed in LDLR rs688 in Han and Uighur population in recessive model from analysis of single gene locus. It also was found that dramatic difference of triglyceride (TG) of LPL rs328 and systolic blood pressure in CETP rs708277 of total population. In binary logistic regression analysis of total studied population, ischemic stroke was observed significantly associated with LDLR rs688 both addictive model (TT/CC, adjusted OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.04-2.07) and recessive model (TT/CT + CC, adjusted Odds ratio (OR) = 2.66, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.37-5.14). In Han population, ischemic stroke was observed significantly associated with rs688 both in addictive model (TT/CC, adjusted OR = 3.27, 95% CI = 1.06-10.05). In Uighur population, no significant association was found between gene polymorphisms and the risk of ischemic stroke. Combined analysis of multiple gene and loci, interaction effects of LDLR rs688 C/T, ApoA5 rs662799 A/G and CETP rs708272 C/T denoted a significant influence on IS susceptibility. CONCLUSION: Single nucleotide polymorphisms of lipid metabolism relative gene were significantly associated with the morbidity of ischemic stroke in Han population. The interaction effects of rs688 C/T with ApoA5 rs662799 A/G and CETP rs708272 C/T promoted the occurrence of IS.

Gene Polymorphisms Affect the Effectiveness of Atorvastatin in Treating Ischemic Stroke Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of the present study is to investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in lipid metabolism related genes would affect the effectiveness of atorvastatin in both Han and Uighur populations. METHODS: 200 ischemic stroke patients were treated with atorvastatin. The differences of blood lipid level and their ratios were measured. Six lipid related genes, HMGCR, APOA5, LPL, CETP, LDLR and PCSK9 were selected as candidate genes. And nine SNP loci in these six genes were genotyped by SNaPshot technique. RESULTS: In all patients treated with atorvastatin, the SNP rs662799 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL and x0394;LDL/LDL (p < 0.05); the SNP rs320 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL/LDL and x0394;(LDL/HDL)/(LDL/HDL) (p < 0.01) and the SNP rs708272 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL (p < 0.05). In Han population treated with atorvastatin, the SNP rs662799 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;TG (p < 0.05); the SNP rs320 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL/LDL and x0394;(LDL/HDL)/(LDL/HDL) (p < 0.01). In Uighur population treated with atorvastatin, the SNP rs2266788 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;HDL (p < 0.05); the SNP rs662799 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL/LDL (p < 0.05) and the SNP rs708272 significantly affected the ratio of x0394;LDL (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Polymorphisms of rs662799 and rs2266788 in APOA5 gene, rs320 in LPL gene and rs708272 in CETP gene had significant association with the effect of the lipid-lowering therapy via atorvastatin calcium on ischemic stroke patients.

Effects of genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C19*2/*3 and MDR1 C3435T on the pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole in healthy Chinese subjects.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of CYP2C19*2/*3 and MDR1 C3435T polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of lansoprazole (LPZ) in healthy Chinese subjects. METHODS: All 24 subjects were from a study of bioequivalence. Plasma concentrations of LPZ were determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19*2/*3 and multidrug resistance transporter gene 1 (MDR1) C3435T of the subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the area under the concentration-time curve from predose to T (AUC(0-T)), area under the concentration-time curve from predose to infinity (AUC(0-∞), t(1/2)), and apparent oral clearance (CL/F) of LPZ between CYP2C19 extensive metabolizers and intermediate metabolizers (p < 0.05). The AUC(0-T), AUC(0-∞), maximum plasma concentration, and CL/F of LPZ were significantly different between subjects with the MDR1 C3435T C/C, C/T, and T/T polymorphisms (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CYP2C19*2/*3 and MDR1 C3435T polymorphisms are important determinants of LPZ pharmacokinetics.

Comparison of Objective Visual Quality Following SMILE and SmartPulse Technology-Assisted TransPRK at a 1,050-Hz Ablation Frequency for Moderate-to-High Myopia.

PURPOSE: To compare the objective visual quality of moderate-to-high myopia corrected by small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK) at a 1,050-Hz ablation frequency, assisted by Smart-Pulse technology (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions). METHODS: This study involved 123 patients (123 eyes) with moderate-to-high myopia between July 2020 and January 2021. They were categorized into the SMILE group (67 patients, 67 eyes) and the TransPRK group (56 patients, 56 eyes). Follow-ups were conducted at 6 months postoperatively to record the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity, and the Strehl ratio and higher order aberrations were measured using the Sirius anterior segment analysis device (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions) under a 6-mm pupil diameter at various postoperative intervals. RESULTS: At 1 week and 1 month postoperatively, the uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) in the SMILE group was superior to that in the TransPRK group (P < .05 for both). At 1 week and 1 month postoperatively, the Strehl ratio value in the SMILE group was higher than that in the TransPRK group (P < .05 for both). At 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, coma was greater in the SMILE group than in the TransPRK group (P < .05 for all). Spherical aberrations were lower in the SMILE group than in the TransPRK group at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (P < .05). At 6 months postoperatively, UDVA was -0.09 ± 0.08 and -0.11 ± 0.05 logMAR in the SMILE and TransPRK groups, respectively, which exceeded their preoperative corrected distance visual acuity of -0.05 ± 0.04 and -0.09 ± 0.08 logMAR (all P < .001). Compared with preoperative values, the Strehl ratio, total higher order, coma, and spherical aberration differences were significantly increased postoperatively in both groups (all P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Both surgical methods improved UDVA and each had its advantages. The visual quality of SMILE was superior at 1 week and 1 month postoperatively (Strehl ratio values were higher than those of the TransPRK group), and its spherical aberration was lower than that of the TransPRK group at 3 and 6 months; TransPRK with SmartPulse technology with a 1,050-Hz ablation frequency showed that coma was significantly lower than that of the SMILE group at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. [J Refract Surg. 2024;40(7):e490-e498.].

IFIT1 modulates the proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells via Wnt/ß-catenin signaling.

OBJECTIVES: Previously, Interferon-induced Protein with Tetratricopeptide Repeats 1 (IFIT1) has been shown to promote cancer development. Here, we aimed to explore the role of IFIT1 in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer, including the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: We explored IFIT1 expression in pancreatic cancer samples using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation, scratch wound-healing and Transwell assays were performed to assess the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of pancreatic cancer cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Western blotting were performed to assess the regulatory effect of IFIT1 on the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. RESULTS: We found that upregulation of IFIT1 expression is common in pancreatic cancer and is negatively associated with overall patient survival. Knockdown of IFIT1 expression led to decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. We also found that IFIT1 could regulate Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, and that a Wnt/ß-catenin agonist could reverse this effect. In addition, we found that IFIT1 can promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that IFIT1 increases pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. In addition, we found that EMT could be regulated by IFIT1. IFIT1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.

Association of specific pectin methylesterases with Al-induced root elongation inhibition in rice.

The negative charges of cell wall pectin molecules attributed by pectin methylesterase (PME, EC 3.1.1.11) contribute to Al binding capacity. We examined the expression profiles of 35 members of the PME gene family in the root apex of an Al-sensitive rice 'Zhefu802' under Al stress. While root elongation was inhibited by 40% after 3-h exposure to 25 µM Al, cell wall PME activity and the abundance of eight PME genes transcripts were increased. The same Al treatment which had almost no effect on root elongation of an Al-resistant rice ssp. japonica 'Nipponbare' did not change the expression patterns of these eight PME genes. However, when Al concentration was increased to 50 µM, by which the root elongation of 'Nipponbare' was inhibited by 40% too, the expression of these PME genes were also upregulated except two genes with no signal. These suggest a possible correlation between the upregulated genes and Al-induced inhibition of root elongation in rice. Furthermore, these eight PME genes behaved differently when subjected to CdCl2 and LaCl3 treatments, implying the specificity of different PME genes in response to different metal toxicities. The transgenic rice overexpressing one of these eight PME genes OsPME14 showed higher PME activity and Al content in root tip cell wall, and became more sensitive to Al stress, verifying the involvement of the specific PME gene in Al toxicity. Therefore, our results provided the molecular evidence to connect the expression of specific PME genes with the Al-induced inhibition of root elongation in rice.

[Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of irinotecan hydrochloride nanoparticles].

To investigate the pharmacokinetics of irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) in rats and the tissue distribution of CPT-11 in mice after injection of irinotecan hydrochloride nanoparticles (CPT-11 NPs) via tail veins, separately, a LC-MS/MS method was established to determine the concentration of CPT-11 in whole blood of rats and in different tissues of mice. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of CPT-11 were compared after the intravenous injection of CPT-11 NPs and CPT-11 solution. Compared with CPT-11 solution, the elimination half-life of CPT-11 was prolonged from 2.28 h to 3.95 h after the intravenous injection of CPT-11 NPs, and its AUC was 1.47 times than that of CPT-11 solution. After the injection of CPT-11 NPs in mice, the concentrations of CPT-11 loaded in CPT-11 NPs were significantly higher in the whole blood, colon and lungs than those in CPT-11 solution, but lower in the spleen, liver, kidney and heart, but the least in brain. CPT-11 NPs could improve CPT-11 's AUC, and help CPT-11 to reach long circulation activity.

Seasonal variations of low molecular alkyl amines in PM2.5 in a North China Plain industrial city: Importance of secondary formation and combustion emissions.

Atmospheric amines have unique acid-neutralizing capacity and play an important role in atmospheric chemical reactions. An integrated observation of PM2.5 samples (from Dec 2015 to Nov 15, 2016) was conducted in a typical industrial city (Xuzhou), China. Concentrations of total measured amines (∑amines, including methylamine (MA), ethylamine (EA), dimethylamine (DMA), propanamine (PA) and trimethylamine (TMA) + diethylamine (DEA)) were 172.0 ± 98.2 ng m-3, accounting 1.5 ± 0.6 ‰ of PM2.5 mass. ∑amines were higher in winter (249.0 ± 112.3 ng m-3) and spring (192.4 ± 75.9 ng m-3) than in summer (114.7 ± 33.3 ng m-3) and autumn (103.7 ± 34.3 ng m-3). Concentrations of MA and EA (the dominant amines) were highest in winter, while DMA, PA and TMA + DEA showed opposite seasonality. EA/MA ratios ranged from 0.04 to 8.7 with a median value of 0.3, and the averaged EA/MA ratio was 2.0 in winter, indicating large contribution of EA. Environmental factors including temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and atmospheric oxidizing capacity (O3 and Ox represented) were found to influence concentrations of amines in PM2.5. The Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model identified secondary products (41.6 %), combustion emissions (39.8 %), soil and waste incineration emissions (13.2 %) and biological emissions and aging products (5.4 %) as the 4 sources of amines in PM2.5. MA was mainly secondary products (82.5 %) and had high contribution of local secondary formation, while EA was mainly derived from combustion emissions (83.7 %) and influenced by regional transportation. In winter, combustion emissions (including coal combustion, biomass burning and traffic emissions, contributed 57.7 %) surpassed secondary products (31.6 %) as the predominant sources of amines, especially under the influence of regional transportation (75.7 %).

Influence of the casing layer on the specific volatile compounds and microorganisms by Agaricus bisporus.

One of the major variables affecting yield of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus is the casing layer, which directly affects the productivity and mass. Here, volatile organic compounds were extracted by headspace solid-phase microextraction and high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the microbial community diversity. The relationship between mushroom yield at different cropping stages and the contents of volatile organic compounds and microorganisms in three different casing layers: peat, peat + soil and soil were systematically evaluated. The result shows that Benzaldehyde and (E)-2-octenal which stimulate yield, obviously increased as mushrooms grew, while 3-octanone, which inhibits yield, decreased over time in all three casing layers. However, there was not a strong correlation between the concentration of volatile compounds and yield. In addition, more than 3,000 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) by performing high throughput sequencing of the microbes were obtained in the three casing layers. Interestingly, the microbial community compositions were very similar between the three casing layers at a later cropping stage, but the community richness varied significantly in different casing layers and at different cropping stages. At the phylum level, the communities had similar structures but were quantitively very different, and this was even more obvious at the genus level. Principal component analysis revealed significant alterations in microbial community structure in different casing layers. Sphingomonas, Dongia and Achromobacter were the dominant genera at cropping stage 1, and the stage 3 were abundant in Saccharibacteria_norank, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium and Brevundimonas, which was positively correlated with yield, while the abundance of Pseudomonas at stage 1 and Lactococcus and Bacillus at stage 3 was negatively correlated with yield. These results provide a guide for the development and agricultural application of microbial agents for yield improvement in the production of A. bisporus.

Small extrachromosomal circular DNA harboring targeted tumor suppressor gene mutations supports intratumor heterogeneity in mouse liver cancer induced by multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9.

BACKGROUND: Primary liver cancer has significant intratumor genetic heterogeneity (IGH), which drives cancer evolution and prevents effective cancer treatment. CRISPR/Cas9-induced mouse liver cancer models can be used to elucidate how IGH is developed. However, as CRISPR/Cas9 could induce chromothripsis and extrachromosomal DNA in cells in addition to targeted mutations, we wondered whether this effect contributes to the development of IGH in CRISPR/Cas9-induced mouse liver cancer. METHODS: CRISPR/Cas9-based targeted somatic multiplex-mutagenesis was used to target 34 tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) for induction of primary liver tumors in mice. Target site mutations in tumor cells were analyzed and compared between single-cell clones and their subclones, between different time points of cell proliferation, and between parental clones and single-cell clones derived from mouse subcutaneous allografts. Genomic instability and generation of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) was explored as a potential mechanism underlying the oscillation of target site mutations in these liver tumor cells. RESULTS: After efficiently inducing autochthonous liver tumors in mice within 30-60 days, analyses of CRISPR/Cas9-induced tumors and single-cell clones derived from tumor nodules revealed multiplexed and heterogeneous mutations at target sites. Many target sites frequently displayed more than two types of allelic variations with varying frequencies in single-cell clones, indicating increased copy number of these target sites. The types and frequencies of targeted TSG mutations continued to change at some target sites between single-cell clones and their subclones. Even the proliferation of a subclone in cell culture and in mouse subcutaneous graft altered the types and frequencies of targeted TSG mutations in the absence of continuing CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, indicating a new source outside primary chromosomes for the development of IGH in these liver tumors. Karyotyping of tumor cells revealed genomic instability in these cells manifested by high levels of micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations including chromosomal fragments and chromosomal breaks. Sequencing analysis further demonstrated the generation of eccDNA harboring targeted TSG mutations in these tumor cells. CONCLUSIONS: Small eccDNAs carrying TSG mutations may serve as an important source supporting intratumor heterogeneity and tumor evolution in mouse liver cancer induced by multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9.

Prognostic value and immune infiltration of ARMC10 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma via integrated bioinformatics analyses.

Background: Armadillo repeat-containing 10 (ARMC10) is involved in the progression of multiple types of tumors. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a lethal disease with poor survival and prognosis. Methods: We acquired the data of ARMC10 in PAAD patients from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets and compared the expression level with normal pancreatic tissues. We evaluated the relevance between ARMC10 expression and clinicopathological factors, immune infiltration degree and prognosis in PAAD. Results: High expression of ARMC10 was relevant to T stage, M stage, pathologic stage, histologic grade, residual tumor, primary therapy outcome (P < 0.05) and related to lower Overall-Survival (OS), Disease-Specific Survival (DSS), and Progression-Free Interval (PFI). Gene set enrichment analysis showed that ARMC10 was related to methylation in neural precursor cells (NPC), G alpha (i) signaling events, APC targets, energy metabolism, potassium channels and IL10 synthesis. The expression level of ARMC10 was positively related to the abundance of T helper cells and negatively to that of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Knocking down of ARMC10 could lead to lower proliferation, invasion, migration ability and colony formation rate of PAAD cells in vitro. Conclusions: Our research firstly discovered ARMC10 as a novel prognostic biomarker for PAAD patients and played a crucial role in immune regulation in PAAD.

Graphene oxide used as a carrier for adriamycin can reverse drug resistance in breast cancer cells.

This study evaluates the reversal effects of graphene oxide (GO) used as a carrier for adriamycin (ADR) in cancer drug resistance, and provides a preliminary investigation into the reversal mechanism. ADR was loaded onto the GO surface (ADR-GO) by physical mixing and drug loading content was found to be high, up to 93.6%. In vitro releases of ADR from ADR-GO were studied using a dialysis method, and they exhibited a significant pH-sensitive property. Cell experiments showed that GO significantly enhanced the accumulation of ADR in MCF-7/ADR cells (an ADR resistant breast cancer cell line) and exhibited much higher cytotoxicity than free ADR, suggesting that ADR-GO could effectively reverse ADR resistance of MCF-7/ADR, with the reversal index reaching 8.35. Microscopy studies found that GO could effectively carry drug molecules into cells in both endocytosis-dependent and independent manners. In conclusion, use of GO as a carrier for chemotherapeutic agents is favorable for the treatment of drug resistant cancers.