The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products in the Mouse Anterior Cingulate Cortex is Involved in Neuron‒Astrocyte Coupling in Chronic Inflammatory Pain and Anxiety Comorbidity.

Previous studies have shown that astrocyte activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), accompanied by upregulation of the astrocyte marker S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), contributes to comorbid anxiety in chronic inflammatory pain (CIP), but the exact downstream mechanism is still being explored. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) plays an important role in chronic pain and psychosis by recognizing ligands, including S100B. Therefore, we speculate that RAGE may be involved in astrocyte regulation of the comorbidity between CIP and anxiety by recognizing S100B.

Clinical evaluation of droplet digital PCR in suspected invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), the most common fungal infection, is associated with high mortality of affected patients. Traditional diagnostic methods exhibit limited sensitivity and specificity, raising big challenges for precise management of the patients. There is thus an urgent need to find out a timely and accurate diagnostic method in clinical practice.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the clinical identification of spinal infection-associated pathogens.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology for identifying pathogens associated with spinal infection (SI).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 193 patients with suspected SI between August 2020 and September 2024. Based on histopathological results, the patients were divided into the SI group (n=162) and the non-SI group (n=31).

3-Nitropropionic acid exposure inhibits embyro development by disrupting mitochondrial function and inducing oxidative stress.

3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) is a naturally occurring mycotoxin produced by various species of fungi and plants. However, the potential impact of 3-NP exposure on reproductive health remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted an in vitro study to investigate the toxic effects of 3-NP on the developmental processes of mouse embryos.

Characterization of Tumor Antigens from Multi-omics Data: Computational Approaches and Resources.

Tumor-specific antigens, also known as neoantigens, have potential utility in anti-cancer immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), neoantigen-specific T cell receptor-engineered T (TCR-T), chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T), and therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs). After recognizing presented neoantigens, the immune system becomes activated and triggers the death of tumor cells. Neoantigens may be derived from multiple origins, including somatic mutations (single nucleotide variants, insertion/deletions, and gene fusions), circular RNAs, alternative splicing, RNA editing, and polymorphic microbiome.