Identification of an SCF Ubiquitin Ligase Complex that Contributes to Resistance Against Valsa Canker in Apple.

E3 ubiquitin ligases play a critical role in plant disease resistance. Among them, the Skp1-Cullin-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex is the largest family and regulates the ubiquitination of a wide range of proteins. Apple Valsa canker (AVC) is a fungal disease of apple trees caused by the fungus Valsa mali, which can lead to significant economic losses. However, the function of the SCF complex in apple resistance to this disease is still largely unknown. In this study, we identified an SCF ubiquitin ligase complex that can enhance resistance to Valsa canker in apple. Disease evaluation experiments demonstrated that MdSkp1 increased apple resistance to AVC. Furthermore, MdSkp1 interacted with an F-box protein, MdSKIP14, and interacted with a cullin-1 protein, MdCUL1, to form an SCF ubiquitin ligase complex. Additionally, we revealed both MdSKIP14 and MdCUL1 as positive regulators of AVC resistance. In conclusion, our results identified an SCF complex capable of contributing to apple resistance against AVC, providing a theoretical basis for apple disease resistance and the sustainable development of the industry. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Solid-State Surface-Anchoring Strategy to Prepare Anti-Sintering Supported Metal Cluster Catalysts.

Due to the unique geometric and electronic structures, supported metal clusters with sizes below 3 nm have appealed to great interest in heterogeneous catalysis. However, these supported ultrasmall metal clusters would endure severe particle coalescences under high reaction temperatures. Herein, based on the technology of ball-milling processing, we propose a solid-state "surface-anchoring" strategy to synthesize thermally stabilized Al2O3-supported Ni nanoclusters. Interestingly, when the theoretical Ni loading weight was 1 wt %, highly dispersed Ni species were found where no Ni nanoparticles would be seen after 500 °C calcination. Until the Ni loading weight increased to 5 wt % and the calcination temperature increased to 750 °C, the Ni nanoparticles became significant but still with a size of only about 6.8 nm. With the small Ni nanoparticles, the final 5-Ni-Al2O3-OAm-750 sample worked well as methane dry reforming catalysts with excellent anticoking performance during a 500 h stability test.

The brain network underlying attentional blink predicts symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disease that can markedly impair educational, social, and occupational function throughout life. Behavioral deficits may provide clues to the underlying neurological impairments. Children with ADHD exhibit a larger attentional blink (AB) deficit in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) tasks than typically developing children, so we examined whether brain connectivity in the neural network associated with AB can predict ADHD symptoms and thus serve as potential biomarkers of the underlying neuropathology. We first employed a connectome-based predictive model analysis of adult resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to identify a distributed brain network for AB. The summed functional connectivity (FC) strength within the AB network reliably predicted individual differences in AB magnitude measured by a classical dual-target RSVP task. Furthermore, the summed FC strength within the AB network predicted individual differences in ADHD Rating Scale scores from an independent dataset of pediatric patients. Our findings suggest that the individual AB network could serve as an applicable neuroimaging-based biomarker of AB deficit and ADHD symptoms.

Longitudinal association of mindfulness with aggression and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence: The mediating role of shame-proneness.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the longitudinal association of facets of mindfulness with aggression and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents and to explore whether shame-proneness can mediate the longitudinal association. The present longitudinal study investigated the associations between mindfulness, aggression, and NSSI in a sample of 706 Chinese adolescents (M = 15.33; SD = 1.34; 50.20% girls). Five facet mindfulness questionnaire was completed at baseline and middle school students' shame scale was completed at 6-month follow-up. The Chinese version of Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire and adolescents' self-harm scale were completed at both baseline and 6-month follow-up. Shame-proneness significantly mediated the longitudinal association between (a) describing and aggression (-0.107, 95% CI: [-0.151 to -0.067]), and NSSI (-0.041, 95% CI: [-0.069 to -0.019]). (b) Acting with awareness and aggression (-0.094, 95% CI: [-0.139 to -0.061]), and NSSI (-0.036, 95% CI: [-0.062 to -0.016]). (c) Nonjudging and aggression (-0.062, 95% CI: [-0.107 to -0.024]) and NSSI (-0.024, 95% CI: [-0.047 to -0.008]). Describing, acting with awareness, and nonjudging were predictive factors of aggression and self-injury in adolescents, and shame-proneness played a crucial role in the negative longitudinal association between them. Findings from the current study may offer some implications in the domains of clinical practice and education to improve mental health and further ameliorate the misbehavior among adolescents.

Enhancing doctor-patient relationships in community health care institutions: the Patient Oriented Four Habits Model (POFHM) trial-a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: The poor relationship between doctors and patients is a long-standing, global problem. However, current interventions tend to focus on the training of physicians, while patient-targeted interventions still need to be improved. Considering that patients play a significant role in outpatient consultations, we developed a protocol to assess the effectiveness of the Patient Oriented Four Habits Model (POFHM) in improving doctor-patient relationships. METHODS: A cross-sectional incomplete stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial design will be conducted in 8 primary healthcare institutions (PHCs). Following phase I of "usual care" as control measures for each PHC, either a patient- or doctor-only intervention will be implemented in phase II. In phase III, both patients and doctors will be involved in the intervention. This study will be conducted simultaneously in Nanling County and West Lake District. The primary outcomes will be evaluated after patients complete their visit: (1) patient literacy, (2) sense of control and (3) quality of doctor-patient communication. Finally, a mixed-effects model and subgroup analysis will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions. DISCUSSION: Fostering good consultation habits for the patient is a potentially effective strategy to improve the quality of doctor-patient communication. This study evaluates the implementation process and develops a rigorous quality control manual using a theoretical domain framework under the collective culture of China. The results of this trial will provide substantial evidence of the effectiveness of patient-oriented interventions. The POFHM can benefit the PHCs and provide a reference for countries and regions where medical resources are scarce and collectivist cultures dominate. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AsPredicted #107,282 on Sep 18, 2022; https://aspredicted.org/QST_MHW.

Improving eye care quality through brief verbal intervention on optometry service provider by using unannounced standardized patient with refractive error: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Improper refractive correction can be harmful to eye health, aggravating the burden of vision impairment. During most optometry clinical consultations, practitioner-patient interactions play a key role. Maybe it is feasible for patients themselves to do something to get high-quality optometry. But the present empirical research on the quality improvement of eye care needs to be strengthened. The study aims to test the effect of the brief verbal intervention (BVI) through patients on the quality of optometry service. METHODS: This study will take unannounced standardized patient (USP) with refractive error as the core research tool, both in measurement and intervention. The USP case and the checklist will be developed through a standard protocol and assessed for validity and reliability before its full use. USP will be trained to provide standardized responses during optical visits and receive baseline refraction by the skilled study optometrist who will be recruited within each site. A multi-arm parallel-group randomized trial will be used, with one common control and three intervention groups. The study will be performed in four cities, Guangzhou and three cities in Inner Mongolia, China. A total of 480 optometry service providers (OSPs) will be stratified and randomly selected and divided into four groups. The common control group will receive USP usual visits (without intervention), and three intervention groups will separately receive USP visits with three kinds of BVI on the patient side. A detailed outcome evaluation will include the optometry accuracy, optometry process, patient satisfaction, cost information and service time. Descriptive analysis will be performed for the survey results, and the difference in outcomes between interventions and control providers will be compared and statistically tested using generalized linear models (GLMs). DISCUSSION: This research will help policymakers understand the current situation and influencing factors of refractive error care quality, and then implement precise policies; at the same time, explore short and easy interventions for patients to improve the quality of optometry service. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200062819. Registered on August 19, 2022.

Fusarium graminearum GGA protein is critical for fungal development, virulence and ascospore discharge through its involvement in vesicular trafficking.

Vesicular trafficking is a conserved material transport process in eukaryotic cells. The GGA family proteins are clathrin adaptors that are involved in eukaryotic vesicle transport, but their functions in phytopathogenic filamentous fungi remain unexplored. Here, we examined the only GGA family protein in Fusarium graminearum, FgGga1, which localizes to both the late Golgi and endosomes. In the absence of FgGga1, the fungal mutant exhibited defects in vegetative growth, DON biosynthesis, ascospore discharge and virulence. Fluorescence microscopy analysis revealed that FgGga1 is associated with trans-Golgi network (TGN)-to-plasma membrane, endosome-to-TGN and endosome-to-vacuole transport. Mutational analysis on the five domains of FgGga1 showed that the VHS domain was required for endosome-to-TGN transport while the GAT167-248 and the hinge domains were required for both endosome-to-TGN and endosome-to-vacuole transport. Importantly, the deletion of the FgGga1 domains that are required in vesicular trafficking also inhibited vegetative growth and virulence of F. graminearum. In addition, FgGga1 interacted with the ascospore discharge regulator Ca2+ ATPase FgNeo1, whose transport to the vacuole is dependent on FgGga1-mediated endosome-to-vacuole transport. Our results suggest that FgGga1 is required for fungal development and virulence via FgGga1-mediated vesicular trafficking, and FgGga1-mediated endosome-to-vacuole transport facilitates ascospore discharge in F. graminearum.

Quantum spin Hall effect in tilted penta silicene and its isoelectronic substitutions.

Silicene, a competitive two-dimensional (2D) material for future electronic devices, has attracted intensive attention in condensed matter physics. Utilizing an adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA), we identify a topological allotrope of silicene, named tilted penta (tPenta) silicene. Based on first-principles calculations, the geometric and electronic properties of tPenta silicene and its isoelectronic substitutions (Ge, Sn) are investigated. Our results indicate that tPenta silicene exhibits a semimetallic state with distorted Dirac cones in the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). When SOC is considered, it shows semiconducting behavior with a gap opening of 2.4 meV at the Dirac point. Based on the results of invariant ( = 1) and the helical edge states, we demonstrate that tPenta silicene is a topological insulator. Furthermore, the effect of isoelectronic substitutions on tPenta silicene is studied. Two stoichiometric phases, i.e., tPenta Si0.333Ge0.667 and tPenta Si0.333Sn0.667 are found to retain the geometric framework of tPenta silicene and exhibit high stabilities. Our calculations show that both tPenta Si0.333Ge0.667 and tPenta Si0.333Sn0.667 are QSH insulators with enlarged band gaps of 32.5 meV and 94.3 meV, respectively, at the HSE06 level, offering great potential for practical applications at room temperature.

Diosmetin has therapeutic efficacy in colitis regulating gut microbiota, inflammation, and oxidative stress via the circ-Sirt1/Sirt1 axis.

Diosmetin (3',5,7 -trihydroxy-4'-methoxy flavone) is a natural flavonoid compound in the citrus species, it exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities, but little is known of its effects on colitis. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic effects of diosmetin on mouse models of chronic and acute colitis. Chronic colitis was induced in mice by drinking water containing 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) from D0 to D8, followed by administration of diosmetin (25, 50 mg · kg-1 · d-1) for another 8 days. Acute colitis was induced by drinking water containing 5% DSS from D0 to D7, the mice concomitantly received diosmetin (25, 50 mg · kg-1 · d-1) from D1 to D7. During the experiments, body weight and disease activity index (DAI) were assessed daily. After the mice were sacrificed, colon tissue and feces samples were collected, and colon length was measured. We showed that in both models, diosmetin administration significantly decreased DAI score and ameliorated microscopic colon tissue damage; increased the expression of tight junction proteins (occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens-1), and reduced the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and Cox-2 in colon tissue. We found that diosmetin administration remarkably inhibited colon oxidative damage by adjusting the levels of intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, GSH-Px, SOD, MDA and GSH in colon tissue. The protection of diosmetin against intestinal epithelial barrier damage and oxidative stress were also observed in LPS-treated Caco-2 and IEC-6 cells in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated that diosmetin markedly increased the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 and reduced the ratio of acetylated NF-κB and NF-κB by activating the circ-Sirt1/Sirt1 axis, which inhibited oxidative stress and inflammation in vivo and in vitro. Diosmetin reversed the effects of si-circSirt1 and si-Sirt1 in LPS-treated Caco-2 and IEC-6 cells. When the gut microbiota was analyzed in the mouse model of colitis, we found that diosmetin administration modulated the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes, which were crucial for inflammatory bowel disease. Our results have linked colitis to the circ-Sirt1/Sirt1 signaling pathway, which is activated by diosmetin. The results imply that diosmetin may be a novel candidate to alleviate DSS-induced colitis and can be a lead compound for future optimization and modification.

Protective effect of Idelalisib on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis via microRNA-124-3P/phosphatidylinositol-3-hydroxykinase signalling pathway.

Liver fibrosis is the repair process of abnormal connective tissue hyperplasia after liver damage caused by different causes. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt signalling pathway can reduce the deposition of extracellular matrix, inhibit the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and promote its apoptosis to achieve the purpose of therapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Idelalisib (PI3K inhibitor) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 )-induced liver fibrosis in mice. We used CCl4 -induced liver fibrosis mouse model in vivo and TGF-ß1-stimulated HSCs to evaluate the antifibrosis activity of Idelalisib. In vivo, Idelalisib significantly alleviated CCl4 -induced liver damage, collagen deposition, and hydroxyproline accumulation in mice. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot results showed that Idelalisib could significantly inhibit the expressions of COL1 and α-SMA in a concentration-dependent manner. In cell experiments, Idelalisib significantly inhibited the expressions of COL1, SMA, and p-Smad3 in TGF-ß-induced HSCs, thereby inhibiting HSC activation. Flow cytometry and Western blot results showed that Idelalisib significantly promoted TGFß-induced apoptosis of HSCs after 48 h of administration, but had no significant effect after 24 h. Idelalisib promoted the apoptosis of activated HSCs by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/FOXO3 signalling pathway. To further explore the mechanism by which Idelalisib inhibited PI3K, we predicted the miRNA targeting PI3K through the database and crossed it with the down-regulated miRNA reported in liver fibrosis mice in the past five years. Finally, we identified miR-124-3p and miR-143-3p. We then demonstrated that Idelalisib significantly promoted miR-124-3p and miR-142-3p in vitro and in vivo. Dual-luciferase report analysis showed that Idelalisib significantly inhibited luciferase activity but had no significant effect on the luc-MUT transfection assay. Finally, we demonstrated that Idelalisib reversed the effects of miR-124-3p inhibitor on the PI3K/Akt/FOXO3 asterisk pathway and caspase-3. Idelalisib has potential as a candidate drug for alleviating liver fibrosis.

Byakangelicin protects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury and fibrosis in mice.

Liver fibrosis is a disease caused by long-term damage that is related to a number of factors. The current research on the treatment of liver fibrosis mainly focuses on the activation of hepatic stellate cell, in addition to protecting liver cells. byakangelicin has certain anti-inflammatory ability, but its effect on liver fibrosis is unclear. This study aims to explore whether byakangelicin plays a role in the development of liver fibrosis and to explore its mechanism. We determined that byakangelicin has a certain ability to resist fibrosis and reduce liver cell damage in a model of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in mice. Thereafter, we performed further verification in vitro. The signalling pathways of two important pro-fibrotic cytokines, transforming growth factor-ß and platelet-derived growth factor, were studied. Results showed that byakangelicin can inhibit related pathways. According to the hepatoprotective effect of byakangelicin observed in animal experiments, we studied the effect of byakangelicin on 4-HNE-induced hepatocyte (HepG2) apoptosis and explored its related pathways. The results showed that byakangelicin could attenuate 4-HNE-induced hepatocyte apoptosis via inhibiting ASK-1/JNK signalling. In conclusion, byakangelicin could improve carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis and liver injury by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell proliferation and activation and suppressing hepatocyte apoptosis.

Regulation of Human Trophoblast GLUT3 Glucose Transporter by Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling.

Glucose transporter isoform-3 (GLUT3), one of the primary placental facilitative glucose transporters responsible for basal glucose transport, has a crucial role in glucose transport and fetal growth during early pregnancy. A GLUT3 mutation in mice has been reported to cause loss of early pregnancy or late-gestational fetal growth restriction. However, the underlying mechanisms that regulate the placental GLUT3 transporter in humans are largely unknown. In the present study, we used the JEG-3 human choriocarcinoma cell line, which resembles a first trimester placental model, to study the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in the regulation of placental GLUT3. We combined rapamycin treatment and small interfering (si) RNA-mediated silencing approaches with mRNA and protein expression/localization studies to investigate the alteration of GLUT3 expression and localization following mTORC1 inhibition in JEG-3 trophoblasts. Inhibition of mTORC1 signaling by silencing raptor decreased GLUT3 mRNA expression (-41%) and protein expression (-50%). Similar effects were obtained in cells in which mTORC1 was inhibited by rapamycin. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that GLUT3 expression was markedly reduced in the cell surface and cytoplasm of JEG-3 cells in response to mTORC1 silencing. Because placental mTORC1 activity and GLUT3 expression are decreased in human intrauterine growth restriction, our data suggested one possible mechanism for the abnormal fetal growth in this pregnancy complication.

MdVQ12 confers resistance to Valsa mali by regulating MdHDA19 expression in apple.

Valine-glutamine (VQ) motif-containing proteins play a crucial role in plant biotic stress responses. Apple Valsa canker, caused by the ascomycete Valsa mali, stands as one of the most severe diseases affecting apple trees. Nonetheless, the underlying resistance mechanism of VQ proteins against this disease has remained largely unexplored. This study reports MdVQ12, a VQ motif-containing protein, as a positive regulator of apple Valsa canker resistance. Genetic transformation experiments demonstrated that MdVQ12 overexpression increased resistance to V. mali, while gene silencing lines exhibited significantly reduced resistance. MdVQ12 interacted with the transcription factor MdWRKY23, which bound to the promoter of the histone deacetylase gene MdHDA19, activating its expression. MdHDA19 enhanced apple resistance to V. mali by participating in the jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) signalling pathways. Additionally, MdVQ12 promoted the transcriptional activity of MdWRKY23 towards MdHDA19. Our findings reveal that MdVQ12 enhances apple resistance to V. mali by regulating MdHDA19 expression and thereby regulating the JA and ET signalling pathways, offering potential candidate gene resources for breeding apple Valsa canker-resistant germplasm.

Mindful parenting and child behaviour problems: A chain mediating role of parental and child communicating performance.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the impact of mindful parenting on child behaviour problems and examines the chain mediating role of parental and child communicating performance in this relationship. METHODS: A 10-month follow-up survey was conducted, utilizing the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P), the Parent-Child Communication Inventory, and the abbreviated version of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: At baseline (T1), higher levels of mindful parenting in parents were significantly and positively associated with both T1 parental communicating performance and child communicating performance. After 10 months, all three variables showed significant negative associations with child behaviour problems. T1 parental communication performance positively correlated with T1 child communication performance. After controlling for T1 child behaviour problems, children's gender and age, and parents' gender, the indirect association between T1 parents' levels of mindful parenting and T2 child behaviour problems was significant, mediated by T1 parental communicating performance and T1 child communicating performance. CONCLUSION: Mindful parenting enhances parental communication behaviour, leading to improved child communication behaviour and reduced child behaviour problems.

Vascular network-inspired fluidic system (VasFluidics) with spatially functionalizable membranous walls.

In vascular networks, the transport across different vessel walls regulates chemical compositions in blood over space and time. Replicating such trans-wall transport with spatial heterogeneity can empower synthetic fluidic systems to program fluid compositions spatiotemporally. However, it remains challenging as existing synthetic channel walls are typically impermeable or composed of homogeneous materials without functional heterogeneity. This work presents a vascular network-inspired fluidic system (VasFluidics), which is functionalizable for spatially different trans-wall transport. Facilitated by embedded three-dimensional (3D) printing, elastic, ultrathin, and semipermeable walls self-assemble electrostatically. Physicochemical reactions between fluids and walls are localized to vary the trans-wall molecules among separate regions, for instance, by confining solutions or locally immobilizing enzymes on the outside of channels. Therefore, fluid compositions can be regulated spatiotemporally, for example, to mimic blood changes during glucose absorption and metabolism. Our VasFluidics expands opportunities to replicate biofluid processing in nature, providing an alternative to traditional fluidics.

A droplet robotic system enabled by electret-induced polarization on droplet.

Robotics for scientific research are evolving from grasping macro-scale solid materials to directly actuating micro-scale liquid samples. However, current liquid actuation mechanisms often restrict operable liquid types or compromise the activity of biochemical samples by introducing interfering mediums. Here, we propose a robotic liquid handling system enabled by a novel droplet actuation mechanism, termed electret-induced polarization on droplet (EPD). EPD enables all-liquid actuation in principle and experimentally exhibits generality for actuating various inorganic/organic liquids with relative permittivity ranging from 2.25 to 84.2 and volume from 500 nL to 1 mL. Moreover, EPD is capable of actuating various biochemical samples without compromising their activities, including various body fluids, living cells, and proteins. A robotic system is also coupled with the EPD mechanism to enable full automation. EPD's high adaptability with liquid types and biochemical samples thus promotes the automation of liquid-based scientific experiments across multiple disciplines.

T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis contributes to growth plate damage through Smad2 and Smad3 signaling.

The growth plate cartilage is one of the most common areas that Kashin-Beck Disease attacks. However, the exact mechanism of growth plate damage remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that Smad2 and Smad3 were closely associated with the differentiation of chondrocytes. Reduction of Smad2 and Smad3 were found both in T-2 toxin-induced human chondrocytes in vitro and in T-2 toxin-induced rat growth plate in vivo. Blunting Smad2 or Smad3 both strikingly induced human chondrocytes apoptosis, implying a plausible signaling pathway to clarify the mechanism of T-2 toxin-induced oxidative damage. Furthermore, decreased Smad2 and Smad3 were also observed in the growth plates of KBD children. Collectively, our findings clearly illustrated that T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis contributes to growth plate damage through Smad2 and Smad3 signaling, which refines the pathogenesis of endemic osteoarthritis and provides two potential targets for the prevention and repairment of endemic osteoarthritis.

PPARγ Acetylation in Adipocytes Exacerbates BAT Whitening and Worsens Age-Associated Metabolic Dysfunction.

Aging and obesity are the two prominent driving forces of metabolic dysfunction, yet the common underlying mechanisms remain elusive. PPARγ, a central metabolic regulator and primary drug target combatting insulin resistance, is hyperacetylated in both aging and obesity. By employing a unique adipocyte-specific PPARγ acetylation-mimetic mutant knock-in mouse model, namely aKQ, we demonstrate that these mice develop worsened obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance as they age, and these metabolic deregulations are resistant to intervention by intermittent fasting. Interestingly, aKQ mice show a whitening phenotype of brown adipose tissue (BAT) manifested in lipid filling and suppressed BAT markers. Diet-induced obese aKQ mice retain an expected response to thiazolidinedione (TZD) treatment, while BAT function remains impaired. This BAT whitening phenotype persists even with the activation of SirT1 through resveratrol treatment. Moreover, the adverse effect of TZDs on bone loss is exacerbated in aKQ mice and is potentially mediated by their increased Adipsin levels. Our results collectively suggest pathogenic implications of adipocyte PPARγ acetylation, contributing to metabolic dysfunction in aging and thus posing as a potential therapeutic target.

Axitinib attenuates the progression of liver fibrosis by restoring mitochondrial function.

Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which may eventually lead to liver failure and even death. No direct anti-fibrosis drugs are available at present. Axitinib is a new generation of potent multitarget tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors, but its role in liver fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, a CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis mouse model and a TGF-ß1-induced hepatic stellate cell model were used to explore the effect and mechanism of axitinib on hepatic fibrosis. Results confirmed that axitinib could alleviate the pathological damage of liver tissue induced by CCl4 and inhibit the production of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase. It also inhibited collagen and hydroxyproline deposition and the protein expression of Col-1 and α-SMA in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. In addition, axitinib inhibited the expression of CTGF and α-SMA in TGF-ß1-induced hepatic stellate cells. Further studies showed that axitinib inhibited mitochondrial damage and reduced oxidative stress and NLRP3 maturation. The use of rotenone and antimycin A confirmed that axitinib could restore the activity of mitochondrial complexes I and III, thereby inhibiting the maturation of NLRP3. In summary, axitinib inhibits the activation of HSCs by enhancing the activity of mitochondrial complexes I and III, thereby alleviating the progression of liver fibrosis. This study reveals the strong potential of axitinib in the treatment of liver fibrosis.

A composition-tunable cold atmospheric plasma chip for multiplex-treatment of cells.

Cold atmospheric plasma treatment promises a targeted cancer therapy due to its selectivity and specificity in killing tumor cells. However, the current plasma exposure devices produce diverse and coupled reactive species, impeding the investigation of the underlying plasma-anticancer mechanisms. Also, the limited mono-sample and mono-dosage treatment modality result in tedious and manual experimental tasks. Here, we propose a cold atmospheric plasma chip producing targeted species, delivering multiple dosages, and treating multiple cell lines in a single treatment. Three modules are integrated into the chip. The environment control module and multi-inlet gas-feed module coordinately ignite component-tunable and uniformly distributed plasma. The multi-sample holding module enables multiplex treatment: multi-sample and -dosage treatment with single radiation. By exposing the HepG2 cell line to nitrogen-feed plasmas, we prove the crucial role of nitrogen-based species in inhibiting cell growth and stimulating apoptosis. By loading four-type cell lines on our chip, we can identify the most vulnerable cell line for plasma oncotherapy. Simultaneously, three-level treatment dosages are imposed on the cells with single radiation to optimize the applicable treatment dosage for plasma oncotherapy. Our chip will broaden the design principles of plasma exposure devices, potentially help clarify plasma-induced anticancer mechanisms, and guide the clinical application of plasma-based oncotherapy.