Diagnostic Accuracy and Value of CXCR4-targeted PET/MRI Using Ga-Pentixafor for Tumor Localization in Cushing Disease.

Background Gallium 68 (Ga) pentixafor has emerged as a potential C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)-targeted radiotracer for neuroendocrine tumor, yet its application in Cushing disease remains uncertain. Purpose To assess the diagnostic accuracy and value of Ga-pentixafor PET/MRI in localizing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumors in Cushing disease. Materials and Methods A prospective single-center study was conducted from March 2023 to February 2024 in participants with Cushing disease scheduled for surgical pituitary tumor resection.

General anesthesia induces acute cell-free DNA methylation changes in peripheral blood.

Background: Short-term and long-term adverse events could occur after general anesthesia (GA) and the specific mechanism driving these effects has not yet been well-characterized. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the global effect of GA on DNA methylation in the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) of surgical lung-nodule patients.

Methods: This large retrospective cohort study enrolled 1,006 surgical lung nodule patients (529 pre-anesthesia, and 477 post-anesthesia).

Integrative mapping of human CD8 T cells in inflammation and cancer.

CD8 T cells exhibit remarkable phenotypic diversity in inflammation and cancer. However, a comprehensive understanding of their clonal landscape and dynamics remains elusive. Here we introduce scAtlasVAE, a deep-learning-based model for the integration of large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing data and cross-atlas comparisons.

Neuroprotective Effects of Rapid Local Ischemic Postconditioning in Successful Endovascular Thrombectomy Patients.

Background: We aim to assess the efficacy of rapid local ischemic postconditioning (RL-IPostC) following successful reperfusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent endovascular thrombectomy.

Methods: We conducted an ambidirectional cohort study with 78 prospectively enrolled patients with RL-IPostC and endovascular thrombectomy and 129 retrospectively enrolled patients with endovascular thrombectomy. The RL-IPostC procedure involved 5 cycles of 15-s balloon inflation and deflation in the ipsilateral internal carotid artery.

Coordinated inheritance of extrachromosomal DNAs in cancer cells.

The chromosomal theory of inheritance dictates that genes on the same chromosome segregate together while genes on different chromosomes assort independently. Extrachromosomal DNAs (ecDNAs) are common in cancer and drive oncogene amplification, dysregulated gene expression and intratumoural heterogeneity through random segregation during cell division. Distinct ecDNA sequences, termed ecDNA species, can co-exist to facilitate intermolecular cooperation in cancer cells.

CAR-Macrophage Therapy Alleviates Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Background: Given the growing acknowledgment of the detrimental effects of excessive myocardial fibrosis on pathological remodeling after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R), targeting the modulation of myocardial fibrosis may offer protective and therapeutic advantages. However, effective clinical interventions and therapies that target myocardial fibrosis remain limited. As a promising chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell therapy, whether CAR macrophages (CAR-Ms) can be used to treat I/R remains unclear.

A molecular switch from tumor suppressor to oncogene in ER+ve breast cancer: Role of androgen receptor, JAK-STAT, and lineage plasticity.

Cancers develop resistance to inhibitors of oncogenes mainly due to target-centric mechanisms such as mutations and splicing. While inhibitors or antagonists force targets to unnatural conformation contributing to protein instability and resistance, activating tumor suppressors may maintain the protein in an agonistic conformation to elicit sustainable growth inhibition. Due to the lack of tumor suppressor agonists, this hypothesis and the mechanisms underlying resistance are not understood.

Engineered IscB-ωRNA system with expanded target range for base editing.

As the evolutionary ancestor of Cas9 nuclease, IscB proteins serve as compact RNA-guided DNA endonucleases and nickases, making them strong candidates for base editing. Nevertheless, the narrow targeting scope limits the application of IscB systems; thus, it is necessary to find more IscBs that recognize different target-adjacent motifs (TAMs). Here, we identified 10 of 19 uncharacterized IscB proteins from uncultured microbes with activity in mammalian cells.

evolution of bulk-active γ-CoOOH with immobilized Gd dopants enabling efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalysis.

Promoting the reconstruction of transition metal (TM)-based precatalysts into low-crystalline and well-modified TM (oxy)hydroxides (TMOH) during the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for enhancing their catalytic performances. In this study, we incorporated gadolinium (Gd) into a cobalt hydroxide precatalyst, achieving a deep reconstruction into cobalt oxyhydroxide (γ-CoOOH) while retaining the incorporated Gd during the activation process of the alkaline OER. The unconventional non-leaching Gd dopants endow γ-CoOOH with reduced crystallinity, increasing the exposure of electrolyte-accessible Co atoms and enhancing its bulk activity.

De novo generation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody CDRH3 with a pre-trained generative large language model.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have made great advances in assisting antibody design. However, antibody design still heavily relies on isolating antigen-specific antibodies from serum, which is a resource-intensive and time-consuming process. To address this issue, we propose a Pre-trained Antibody generative large Language Model (PALM-H3) for the de novo generation of artificial antibodies heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDRH3) with desired antigen-binding specificity, reducing the reliance on natural antibodies.

The Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Radiographic-Confirmed Community-Acquired Pneumonia Among Chinese Children: A Retrospective Hospital-Based Study.

Background: To help understand the disease burden of vaccine-preventable bacterial disease, we delineated the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of radiographic-confirmed community-acquired pneumonia (CXR-CAP) among Chinese children.

Methods: We retrospectively screened the electronic database of the hospital information system to identify all pediatric CAP cases admitted to the Children's Hospital of Soochow University between 2010 and 2014. Radiographic findings and clinical data were extracted from the medical charts through individual chart reviews.

US-based Sequential Algorithm Integrating an AI Model for Advanced Liver Fibrosis Screening.

Background Noninvasive tests can be used to screen patients with chronic liver disease for advanced liver fibrosis; however, the use of single tests may not be adequate. Purpose To construct sequential clinical algorithms that include a US deep learning (DL) model and compare their ability to predict advanced liver fibrosis with that of other noninvasive tests. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included adult patients with a history of chronic liver disease or unexplained abnormal liver function test results who underwent B-mode US of the liver between January 2014 and September 2022 at three health care facilities.

Fast and Accurate Disulfide Bridge Detection.

Recombinant expression of proteins, propelled by therapeutic antibodies, has evolved into a multibillion dollar industry. Essential here is the quality control assessment of critical attributes, such as sequence fidelity, proper folding, and posttranslational modifications. Errors can lead to diminished bioactivity and, in the context of therapeutic proteins, an elevated risk for immunogenicity.

Correlation between the MNCD classification-based staging of Parkinson's disease and quality of life: a cross-sectional study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder with varying clinical subtypes. Recently, a novel classification called MNCD (Motor/Non-motor/Cognition/Dependency) has been proposed, which can also include staging based on disease severity. We aim to investigate which staging, the MNCD classification and staging or Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) staging, exhibits a stronger correlation with the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39).

Patients with Parkinson's disease demonstrate deficits in visual-spatial memory in the Chinese Visual Retention Test.

Objective: We aimed to explore the existence of visual-spatial memory deficit in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) without dementia in the Chinese Visual Retention Test, as well as to assess whether their performance is related to age, duration, severity, stage, and dopamine (DA) dose.

Methods: Forty-two patients with PD and 30 healthy controls were included in our study. The Chinese Visual Retention Test was used to evaluate the visual-spatial memory of the subjects.

Defective blue titanium oxide induces high valence of NiFe-(oxy)hydroxides over heterogeneous interfaces towards high OER catalytic activity.

Nickel-iron (oxy)hydroxides (NiFeOH) have been validated to speed up sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) but still lack satisfactory substrates to support them. Here, non-stoichiometric blue titanium oxide (B-TiO) was directly derived from Ti metal by alkaline anodization and used as a substrate for electrodeposition of amorphous NiFeOH (NiFe/B-TiO). The performed X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations evidenced that there is a charge transfer between B-TiO and NiFeOH, which gives rise to an elevated valence at the Ni sites (average oxidation state ∼ 2.

Clinical Outcomes of Deferred Lesions by IVUS Versus FFR-Guided Treatment Decision.

Background: There are limited data regarding the safety of deferral of percutaneous coronary intervention based on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings. The current study sought to compare the prognosis between deferred lesions based on IVUS and fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided treatment decision.

Methods: This study is a post hoc analysis of the FLAVOUR randomized trial (Fractional Flow Reserve and Intravascular Ultrasound for Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Intermediate Stenosis) that compared 2-year clinical outcomes between IVUS- and FFR-guided treatment decision on intermediate coronary artery lesions using predefined criteria.