Proteomic analysis of human follicular fluid-derived exosomes reveals that insufficient folliculogenesis in aging women is associated with infertility.

Although the risk of female infertility increases with advancing age, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Exosomes in follicular fluid are suggested to regulate folliculogenesis and influence oocyte quality, potentially playing a critical role in age-related infertility. Elucidating their content could enhance the understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with female aging-induced infertility.

Lithium attenuates ketamine-induced long-term neurotoxicity through DISC1-mediated GSK-3β/β-catenin and ERK/CREB pathways.

Ketamine, an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, is extensively employed in pediatric anesthesia. Multiple studies have shown that repeated ketamine exposure induces neuroapoptosis, synaptic changes and cognitive deficits during neurodevelopment. Therefore, it is essential to elucidate the mechanisms of ketamine-induced neurotoxicity and develop therapies to mitigate its harmful effects.

Asperuloside promotes innate immunity via IRE-1/XBP-1 mediated unfolded protein response.

Numerous studies have reported that asperuloside (ASP), a monomeric compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Spreading Hedyotis Herb, possesses a variety of medicinal properties, including the treatment of obesity, cancer, inflammatory diseases, and bacterial infections. However, its role in innate immunity and the underlying mechanisms of action remain largely unexplored. Protein homeostasis and the health of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are crucial for organismal function, as a well-balanced ER is essential not only for maintaining cellular integrity but also for ensuring immune homeostasis.

Ultra-stable zinc anode enabled by natural attapulgite-induced dual-regulation interface layer.

The Zn anode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is severely hampered by uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions induced by aqueous electrolytes, resulting in limited cycling performance and low Coulombic efficiency (CE). Despite the fact that surface protection has proved successful in improving the stability of Zn anode, a low-cost, long-term stable material with suitable pore structure and chemical properties is still highly desirable. In this research, we have screened natural porous mineral materials based on their pore size and surface charge characteristics.

Baicalein inhibits hepatitis B virus through the coiled coil domain containing protein 88A (CCDC88A)-dependent autophagy pathway.

Background: Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) represents a significant global health concern. Baicalein, a naturally occurring flavone derived from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has exhibited both anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. S.

Iron and copper codoped carbon nanodots as oxidase mimics and fluorescent probes for detection of phenol and dimethoate.

Fluorescent nanozymes represent a class of dual-functional nanomaterials that exhibit inherent enzyme-like catalytic properties alongside fluorescent emission, making them suitable for multiple detection applications. However, the number of publications on this subject is limited, primarily due to potential interference between the two processes. In this study, oxidase-like fluorescent iron and copper codoped carbon dots (Fe,Cu-CDs) were synthesized via a one-pot pyrolysis reaction.

MRI-based differentiation of Parkinson's disease by cerebellar gray matter volume.

Background: The underlying mechanism of Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with the neurodegeneration of the dopaminergic neurons, and the cerebellum plays a significant role together in non-motor and motor functions in PD progression. Morphological changes in the cerebellum can greatly impact patients' clinical symptoms, especially motor control symptoms, and may also help distinguish patients from healthy subjects. This study aimed to explore the potential of cerebellar gray matter volume, related to motor control function, as a neuroimaging biomarker to classify patients with PD and healthy controls (HC) by using voxel-based morphometric (VBM) measurements and support vector machine (SVM) methods based on independent component analysis (ICA).

Late embryogenesis abundant gene GhLEA-5 of semi-wild cotton positively regulates salinity tolerance in upland cotton.

The productivity and quality of cotton are significantly compromised by salt stress. In this study, the full length of encoding region and genomic DNA sequences of GhLEA_5A/D (Gh_A10G166600 and Gh_D10G188300), which belong to the late embryogenesis abundant gene family in allotetraploid upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and semi-wild cotton (Gossypium purpurascens), were isolated and their salt tolerance was experimentally confirmed.

Palmitic acid-induced insulin resistance triggers granulosa cell senescence by disruption of the UPR/mitophagy/lysosome axis.

Insulin resistance (IR) is the main pathological feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the adverse impacts of IR on ovary and granulosa cells (GCs) are unknown. Therefore, the role of palmitic acid (PA) induced IR in GCs, and a mitochondrial proteostasis and mitochondrial homeostasis control system, the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR)/mitophagy/lysosome axis were investigated to uncover the side effect and the mechanism of IR on GCs. Our results revealed that IR in GC was successfully constructed by 100 μM PA treatment accompanied with cell senescence.

Clonal hematopoiesis, cardiovascular disease and cancer treatment-induced cardiotoxicity.

Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) arises when a substantial proportion of mature blood cells is derived from a single hematopoietic stem cell lineage. It is considered to be a premalignant state that predisposes individuals to an increased risk of cancers. Recently, emerging evidence has demonstrated a strong association between CH and both the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), with the relative risks being comparable to those attributed to traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Exosome-capturing scaffold promotes endogenous bone regeneration through neutrophil-derived exosomes by enhancing fast vascularization.

Exosomes (Exos), extracellular vesicles of endosomal origin, are a promising therapeutic platform for tissue regeneration. In the current study, an exosome-capturing scaffold (ECS) was designed to attract and anchor exosomes via electrostatic adherence followed by lipophilic interactions. Our findings demonstrate that local enrichment of exosomes in the ECS implanted into critical mandibular defects could significantly accelerate endogenous bone regeneration by enhancing vascularization at the defect site.

Simultaneous detection of volatile and non-volatile metabolites in urine using UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS and HS-SPME/GC-HRMS: A promising strategy for improving the breast cancer diagnosis accuracy.

Breast cancer (BC) is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Currently, the discovery of biomarkers primarily relies on single platform, which might overlook other potential biomarkers and lead to inaccurate diagnoses. This study aims to: (1) expand the detection range of biomarkers through multiple analytical techniques, thereby improving the accuracy of BC diagnosis, and (2) analyze the metabolic pathways of the biomarkers to explore the metabolic mechanisms underlying BC.

Brain imaging-to-graph generation using adversarial hierarchical diffusion models for MCI causality analysis.

Effective connectivity can describe the causal patterns among brain regions. These patterns have the potential to reveal the pathological mechanism and promote early diagnosis and effective drug development for cognitive disease. However, the current methods utilize software toolkits to extract empirical features from brain imaging to estimate effective connectivity.

Pectin-coated Malvidin-3-O-galactoside attenuates silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by promoting mitochondrial autophagy and inhibiting cell apoptosis.

Background: Blueberries are a rich source of anthocyanins, which have been established to have multiple beneficial properties. However, the structure of anthocyanin monomers is unstable and their bioavailability is low. To date, whereas functional studies on anthocyanins have focused mainly on the effects of their monomers on liver and kidney, few have examined the interventional effects on pulmonary fibrosis.

A new background discrimination method using support vector machine (SVM) with gaussian kernel in low-level H liquid scintillation measurement.

In this study, a new background discrimination method using SVM with gaussian kernel in low-level H liquid scintillation measurement is developed. Dimensionality reduction techniques were employed to process the full waveform data of each event following time discrimination. The reduced-dimensional data were then used to construct the classification model.

Unraveling the cytotoxicity and cellular pharmacokinetic of mPEG-NH polymers by UHPLC-MS/MS.

Methoxy-polyethylene glycol amine (mPEG-NH₂), an important pharmaceutical excipient, has been extensively utilized in the field of biomedicine. To advance the development of mPEG-NH₂-related drug delivery systems, it is crucial to understand the safety profile and cellular pharmacokinetic behavior of mPEG-NH₂ polymers. In this study, a straightforward analytical assay based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for quantifying mPEG-NH₂ in biological matrices was established and validated.

Discovery of new aphidicolin diterpenoids from the deep-sea-derived fungus Botryotinia fuckeliana with cytotoxic activity against human bladder cancer cells.

Aphidicolin, characterized by a highly fused 6/6/5/6 tetracyclic diterpenoid skeleton, had been explored as a potential anticancer drug in clinical trials. However, its development has been constrained by poor solubility. The discovery of new aphidicolin derivatives offers promising prospects for anticancer drug development.

Renqing Changjue alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by regulating renin-angiotensin system and inhibiting inflammatory response.

Sepsis, with high morbidity and mortality, represents a systemic inflammatory response syndrome. A common consequence of sepsis is acute lung injury (ALI). Renqing Changjue (RQCJ), a renowned prescription in traditional Tibetan medicine, is reported to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Transferrin Receptor Promotes Endometrial Cancer Proliferation by Activating the Iron-Dependent PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

Aberrant iron metabolism is frequently observed in cancers, including endometrial cancer (EC). However, the role of transferrin receptor (TFRC), a key regulator of iron metabolism, remains unclear in endometrial cancer. We found transferrin receptor expression was significantly upregulated in endometrial cancer tissues compared to adjacent nontumor tissues, and high transferrin receptor levels were associated with poor prognosis.

Virome specific to tick genus with distinct ecogeographical distribution.

Background: The emergence of tick-borne pathogens poses a serious threat to both human and animal health. There remains controversy about virome diversity in relation to tick genus and ecogeographical factors.

Results: We conducted the meta‑transcriptomic sequencing of 155 pools of ticks encompassing 7 species of 3 genera collected from diverse geographical fauna of Ningxia Province, China.

The alternative polyadenylation regulator CFIm25 promotes macrophage differentiation and activates the NF-κB pathway.

Background: Macrophages are required for development and tissue repair and protect against microbial attacks. In response to external signals, monocytes differentiate into macrophages, but our knowledge of changes that promote this transition at the level of mRNA processing, in particular mRNA polyadenylation, needs advancement if it is to inform new disease treatments. Here, we identify CFIm25, a well-documented regulator of poly(A) site choice, as a novel mediator of macrophage differentiation.

Lsm2 is critical to club cell proliferation and its inhibition aggravates COPD progression.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent respiratory condition, with its severity inversely related to the levels of Club cell 10 kDa secretory protein (CC10). The gene Lsm2, involved in RNA metabolism and cell proliferation, has an unclear role in COPD development.

Methods: An in vitro COPD model was developed by stimulating 16HBE cells with cigarette smoke extract (CSE).

ARv7 promotes the escape of prostate cancer cells from androgen deprivation therapy-induced senescence by mediating the SKP2/p27 axis.

Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) induces cellular senescence and tumor stasis, thus serving as the standard treatment for prostate cancer (PCa). However, continuous suppression of canonical androgen receptor signaling actually leads to the switch from androgen-responsive growth to androgen-independent growth, contributing to "escape" from this ADT-induced senescence (AIS) and, subsequently, the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Unfortunately, the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains elusive.

The impact of nurses' adversity quotient on their work stress: the mediating role of professional identity.

Purpose: To explore the influence of nurses' adversity quotient on their work stress and to further explore whether professional identity can mediate in this process.

Methods: From July to September 2023, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among nurses in six public tertiary hospitals in Suzhou and Wuxi, China, including demographic information, Adversity Response Profile (ARP), The Professional Identity Scale for Nurses (PIS) and Stress Overload Scale (SOS). Analyzed the collected data using correlation, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling.