Left atrial strain parameters to predicting elevated left atrial pressure in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: To assess the ability of left atrial (LA) strain parameters to discriminate patients with elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) from patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: A total of 142 patients with non-valvular AF who underwent first catheter ablation (CA) between November 2022 and November 2023 were enrolled in the study. Conventional and speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) were performed in all patients within 24 h before CA, and LAP was invasively measured during the ablation procedure.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody/tyrosine kinase inhibitors with or without transarterial chemoembolization as first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (CHANCE2201): a target trial emulation study.

Background: The role of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unconfirmed. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) antibody/tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with or without TACE as first-line treatment for advanced HCC.

Methods: This nationwide, multicenter, retrospective cohort study included advanced HCC patients receiving either TACE with ICIs plus anti-VEGF antibody/TKIs (TACE-ICI-VEGF) or only ICIs plus anti-VEGF antibody/TKIs (ICI-VEGF) from January 2018 to December 2022.

Robotic-assisted organ-preserving or parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy in pancreatic benign or low-grade malignant tumors: a single institute's experience.

Aim: Robotic-assisted pancreatectomy has been widely used. Organ-preserving pancreatectomy (OPP) and parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy (PSP) has been gradually adopted for pancreatic benign or low-grade malignant tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of robotic-assisted OPP/PSP in our institute.

Glycine Decarboxylase (GLDC) Plays a Crucial Role in Regulating Energy Metabolism, Invasion, Metastasis and Immune Escape for Prostate Cancer.

Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) is one of the core enzymes for glycine metabolism and its biological roles in prostate cancer (PCa) are unclear. First, we found that GLDC plays a central role in glycolysis in 540 TCGA PCa patients. Subsequently, a metabolomic microarray showed that GLDC enhanced aerobic glycolysis in PCa cells, and GLDC and its enzyme activity enhanced glucose uptake, lactate production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in PCa cells.

RGS5 augments astrocyte activation and facilitates neuroinflammation via TNF signaling.

Astrocytes contribute to chronic neuroinflammation in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common movement disorder. However, the precise role of astrocytes in neuroinflammation remains incompletely understood. Herein, we show that regulator of G-protein signaling 5 (RGS5) promotes neurodegenerative process through augmenting astrocytic tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) signaling.

[Sludge Biochar Modified by B-doped and Its Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of 1,2-DCA in Water].

Sludge biochar (BC600) and B-doped sludge biochar (BBC600) were prepared with the boric acid doping modified co-pyrolysis method using municipal sludge as precursors, and the materials were structurally characterized by SEM, BET, FTIR, and Zeta potential and static contact angle to investigate the adsorption behavior, mechanism of BC600 and BBC600 on 1,2-DCA in water, and the influencing factors. The results of structural characterization showed that the B element content, specific surface area, and pore volume of biochar increased by 76%, 48%, and 30%, respectively, after the B doping modification; the effect of B doping modification on the surface charge and hydrophobicity of biochar was not significant. The results of adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption of 1,2-DCA by BBC600 was better than that by BC600 due to the larger specific surface area and higher strength of oxygen-containing functional groups of BBC600; the pseudo-first-order kinetic equation could better describe the adsorption of 1,2-DCA by BC600, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation could better fit the adsorption of 1,2-DCA by BBC600.

microglia contribute to microgliosis during neurodegeneration.

Microglia play a critical role in the pathogenic process of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Upon pathological stimulation, microglia are converted from a surveillant to an overactivated phenotype. However, the molecular characters of proliferating microglia and their contributions to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration remain unclear.

Plasma cell subtypes analyzed using artificial intelligence algorithm for predicting biochemical recurrence, immune escape potential, and immunotherapy response of prostate cancer.

Background: Plasma cells as an important component of immune microenvironment plays a crucial role in immune escape and are closely related to immune therapy response. However, its role for prostate cancer is rarely understood. In this study, we intend to investigate the value of a new plasma cell molecular subtype for predicting the biochemical recurrence, immune escape and immunotherapy response in prostate cancer.

The Structure and Function of Glial Networks: Beyond the Neuronal Connections.

Glial cells, consisting of astrocytes, oligodendrocyte lineage cells, and microglia, account for >50% of the total number of cells in the mammalian brain. They play key roles in the modulation of various brain activities under physiological and pathological conditions. Although the typical morphological features and characteristic functions of these cells are well described, the organization of interconnections of the different glial cell populations and their impact on the healthy and diseased brain is not completely understood.

Identification of a cytochrome P450 from Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch that catalyzes polpunonic acid formation in celastrol biosynthesis.

Tripterygium hypoglaucum (Levl.) Hutch, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with a long history of use, is widely distributed in China. One of its main active components, celastrol, has great potential to be developed into anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs.

Inhibition of astrocytic DRD2 suppresses CNS inflammation in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.

Astrocyte activation is associated with progressive inflammatory demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS). The molecular mechanisms underlying astrocyte activation remain incompletely understood. Recent studies have suggested that classical neurotransmitter receptors are implicated in the modulation of brain innate immunity.

LncRNA NEAT1-associated aerobic glycolysis blunts tumor immunosurveillance by T cells in prostate cancer.

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) is nuclear-located and transcribed from chromatin 11. To date, little is known about the cellular functions and regulatory mechanisms of NEAT1 in prostate cancer (PCa). In this study, whole-genome RNA sequencing data were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases.

Central dopaminergic control of cell proliferation in the colonic epithelium.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease, mainly characterized by the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra. Several non-motor symptoms, including those associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction, precede the classical motor symptoms in PD. However, the mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal dysfunction in the prodromal phase of PD remain elusive.

Metabolic Engineering of for High-Level Friedelin Genetic Manipulation.

Friedelin, the most rearranged pentacyclic triterpene, also exhibits remarkable pharmacological and anti-insect activities. In particular, celastrol with friedelin as the skeleton, which is derived from the medicinal plant , is a promising drug due to its anticancer and antiobesity activities. Although a previous study achieved friedelin production using engineered , strains capable of producing high-level friedelin have not been stably engineered.

Functional Disability After Ischemic Stroke: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in Shanghai, China.

This study aimed to understand the demographics, functional disabilities, cognitive impairment, and depressive mood among stroke patients and to explore the correlation between functional disability and the other health conditions so as to provide some data for community rehabilitation among stroke patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the functional status of ischemic stroke patients with stroke history between 1 month and 2 years by applying the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Data were collected during October 2016 and January 2017 from 11 communities in two districts of Shanghai, China.

Comprehensive signature analysis of drug metabolism differences in the White, Black and Asian prostate cancer patients.

The drug response sensitivity and related prognosis of prostate cancer varied from races, while the original mechanism remains rarely understood. In this study, the comprehensive signature including transcriptomics, epigenome and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 485 PCa cases- including 415 Whites, 58 Blacks and 12 Asians from the TCGA database were analyzed to investigate the drug metabolism differences between races. We found that Blacks and Whites had a more prominent drug metabolism, cytotoxic therapy resistance, and endocrine therapy resistance than Asians, while Whites were more prominent in drug metabolism, cytotoxic therapy resistance and endocrine therapy resistance than Blacks.

M2 subtype tumor associated macrophages (M2-TAMs) infiltration predicts poor response rate of immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment for prostate cancer.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is poor response to the immunotherapy for its high heterogeneity of immune microenvironment. In this study, we aim to introduce a new immune subtype for PCa involving M2 tumour associated macrophages M2-TAMs).

Methods: Three hundred and sixty-two PCa patients and matched normal prostate tissues were selected from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases.

[Sources Apportionment of Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs) in a Typical Southwestern Region in China During Summer].

Oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) are important intermediates in the troposphere and the most important sources of ozone. Proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS) was used to measure VOCs in the Chengdu Plain, Southwestern China. The diurnal variations, photochemical reactivity, O formation potential, and sources were also investigated.

Nuclear isoform of FGF13 regulates post-natal neurogenesis in the hippocampus through an epigenomic mechanism.

The hippocampus is one of two niches in the mammalian brain with persistent neurogenesis into adulthood. The neurogenic capacity of hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs) declines with age, but the molecular mechanisms of this process remain unknown. In this study, we find that fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) is essential for the post-natal neurogenesis in mouse hippocampus, and FGF13 deficiency impairs learning and memory.

A novel robust nomogram based on peripheral monocyte counts for predicting lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer.

Accurate methods for identifying pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) of prostate cancer (PCa) prior to surgery are still lacking. We aimed to investigate the predictive value of peripheral monocyte count (PMC) for LNM of PCa in this study. Two hundred and ninety-eight patients from three centers were divided into a training set (n = 125) and a validation set (n = 173).