Development of a urine-based metabolomics approach for multi-cancer screening and tumor origin prediction.

Background: Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. A non-invasive screening solution was required for early diagnosis of cancer. Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests have been considered to address the challenge by simultaneously identifying multiple types of cancer within a single test using minimally invasive blood samples.

Synthesis of P(V)-Stereogenic Phosphorus Compounds via Organocatalytic Asymmetric Condensation.

Enantioenriched phosphorus(V)-stereogenic compounds, featuring a pentavalent phosphorus atom as the stereogenic center, are crucial in various natural products, drugs, bioactive molecules, and catalysts/ligands. While a handful of stereoselective synthetic approaches have been developed, achieving direct stereocontrol at the phosphorus atom through catalytic generation of phosphorus(V)-heteroatom bonds continues to be a formidable challenge. Here, we disclose an organocatalytic asymmetric condensation strategy that employs a novel activation mode of stable feedstock phosphinic acids by the formation of mixed phosphinic anhydride as the reactive species to facilitate further catalyst-controlled asymmetric P-O bond formations, involving a dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT) process with alcohol nucleophiles via a cinchonidine-derived bifunctional catalyst.

Catalyst Control over S(IV)-stereogenicity via Carbene-derived Sulfinyl Azolium Intermediates.

Stereoselective synthesis utilizing small-molecule catalysts, particularly N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), has facilitated swift access to enantioenriched molecules through diverse activation modes and NHC-bound reactive intermediates. While carbonyl derivatives, imines, and "activated" alkenes have been extensively investigated, the exploration of heteroatom-centered analogues of NHC-bound intermediates has long been neglected, despite the significant potential for novel chemical transformations they offer once recognized. Herein, we disclose a carbene-catalyzed new activation mode by generating unique sulfinyl azolium intermediates from carbene nucleophilic addition to in situ-generated mixed sulfinic anhydride intermediates.

Utilization of convolutional neural networks to analyze microscopic images for high-throughput screening of mesenchymal stem cells.

This work investigated the high-throughput classification performance of microscopic images of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using a hyperspectral imaging-based separable convolutional neural network (CNN) (H-SCNN) model. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were cultured, and microscopic images were acquired using a fully automated microscope. Flow cytometry (FCT) was employed for functional classification.

A GMP-compliant manufacturing method for Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Background: Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) hold great therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant methodology for the isolation and culture of WJ-MSCs. Through comprehensive research, encompassing laboratory-scale experiments to pilot-scale studies, we aimed to develop standardized protocols ensuring the high yield and quality of WJ-MSCs manufacturing.

Efficient generation of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from healthy donors' peripheral blood mononuclear cells of different genders.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) are recognized as a conveniently collected reprogramming resource. Several methods are available in academia to reprogram PBMC into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). In this research, we reprogrammed PBMC of different genders by using non-integrative non-viral liposome electrotransfer containing the reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC.

Unveiling the functional heterogeneity of cytokine-primed human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells through single-cell RNA sequencing.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold immense promise for use in immunomodulation and regenerative medicine. However, their inherent heterogeneity makes it difficult to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes for a specific clinical disease. Primed MSCs containing a certain cytokine can enhance their particular functions, thereby increasing their therapeutic potential for related diseases.

Efficient generation of induced pluripotent stem cell lines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been widely considered as a more convenient and almost unlimited reprogramming resource, while the reprogramming procedure and efficiency still need to be improved. We reprogrammed the PBMCs by using non-integrative non-viral vectors liposome electrotransfer containing the reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC. The iPSC lines exhibited a normal karyotype with their corresponding PBMCs and exhibited significant cellular pluripotency.

Circulating metabolites as potential biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis surveillance of gastrointestinal cancers.

Background And Aims: Two of the most lethal gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, gastric cancer (GC) and colon cancer (CC), are ranked in the top five cancers that cause deaths worldwide. Most GI cancer deaths can be reduced by earlier detection and more appropriate medical treatment. Unlike the current "gold standard" techniques, non-invasive and highly sensitive screening tests are required for GI cancer diagnosis.

Interleukin-18-primed human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells achieve superior therapeutic efficacy for severe viral pneumonia via enhancing T-cell immunosuppression.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatments are still urgently needed for critically and severely ill patients. Human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) infusion has therapeutic benefits in COVID-19 patients; however, uncertain therapeutic efficacy has been reported in severe patients. In this study, we selected an appropriate cytokine, IL-18, based on the special cytokine expression profile in severe pneumonia of mice induced by H1N1virus to prime hUC-MSCs in vitro and improve the therapeutic effect of hUC-MSCs in vivo.

A Comprehensive Mass Spectrometry-Based Workflow for Clinical Metabolomics Cohort Studies.

As a comprehensive analysis of all metabolites in a biological system, metabolomics is being widely applied in various clinical/health areas for disease prediction, diagnosis, and prognosis. However, challenges remain in dealing with the metabolomic complexity, massive data, metabolite identification, intra- and inter-individual variation, and reproducibility, which largely limit its widespread implementation. This study provided a comprehensive workflow for clinical metabolomics, including sample collection and preparation, mass spectrometry (MS) data acquisition, and data processing and analysis.

Computationally rational design of metal-involving halogen bonds with π-covalency: Structures and bonding analysis.

Traditional π-covalent interactions have been proved in the non-metal halogen bond adducts formed by chloride and halogenated triphenylamine-based radical cations. In this study, we have rationally designed two metal-involving halogen bond adducts with π-covalency property, such as [L1-Pd···I-PTZ] (i.e.

Mechanistic study of the bismuth mediated fluorination of arylboronic esters and further rational design.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to gain insight into the catalytic mechanism of the bismuth redox catalyzed fluorination of arylboronic esters to deliver the widely used arylfluoride compounds ( 2020, , 313-317). The study reveals that the whole catalysis can be characterized three stages: (i) transmetallation generates the Bi(iii) intermediate 5, capitalizing on the use of KF as an activator. (ii) 5 then reacts with the electrophilic fluorination reagent 1-fluoro-2,6-dichloropyridinium 4 oxidative addition to give the Bi(v) intermediate IM4A.

Human Platelet Lysate Maintains Stemness of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Promote Lung Repair in Rat Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show potential for treating preclinical models of newborn bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), but studies of their therapeutic effectiveness have had mixed results, in part due to the use of different media supplements for MSCs expansion . The current study sought to identify an optimal culture supplement of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) for BPD therapy. In this study, we found that UC-MSCs cultured with human platelet lysate (hPL-UCMSCs) were maintained a small size from Passage 1 (P1) to P10, while UC-MSCs cultured with fetal bovine serum (FBS-UCMSCs) became wide and flat.

Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 Is Enriched in Mammary Stem Cells and Promotes Mammary Development and Regeneration.

Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is widely expressed in a variety of human tumors, and inhibition of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway represents one of the most promising therapy for many types of cancer. However, the physiological function of PD-L1 in tissue development is still unclear, although mRNA is abundant in many tissues. To address this puzzle, we investigated the function of PD-L1 in mammary gland development.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells attenuate pulmonary fibrosis via regulatory T cell through interaction with macrophage.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a growing clinical problem with limited therapeutic options. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cell (hucMSC) therapy is being investigated in clinical trials for the treatment of PF patients. However, little is known about the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of hucMSC therapy on PF.

Efficacy and safety of oral Panax notoginseng saponins for unstable angina patients: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) is one of the most important active ingredients in Panax notoginseng, which plays an important role against cardiovascular diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Methods: This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. We searched the following databases from their inception to February 2017: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE Database, WHO ICTRP, CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and SinoMed.

Epigenetic mechanisms in coronary artery disease: The current state and prospects.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. CAD has both genetic and environmental causes. In the past two decades, the understanding of epigenetics has advanced swiftly and vigorously.

The role of DNA methylation in coronary artery disease.

Epigenetic studies have identified DNA methylation in coronary artery disease (CAD). How the critical genes interact at the cellular level to cause CAD is still unknown. The discovery of DNA methylation inspired researchers to explore relationships in genomic coding and disease phenotype.

Saponins for Treating Coronary Artery Disease: A Functional and Mechanistic Overview.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major public health problem and the chief cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. , a valuable herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with obvious efficacy and favorable safety, shows a great promise as a novel option for CAD and is increasingly recognized clinically. Firstly, this review introduced recent clinical trials on treatment with PNS either alone or in combination with conventional drugs as novel treatment strategies.

Modern researches on Blood Stasis syndrome 1989-2015: A bibliometric analysis.

Background: Blood Stasis syndrome (BSS) is one of the major syndromes in Traditional East Asia medicine (TEAM). Modern research of BSS began in the late1980s.

Methods: We searched in PubMed for BSS-related articles published between 1989 and 2015.

The dynamic changes of DNA methylation in primordial germ cell differentiation.

The discovery of DNA methylation has provided a new perspective on how DNA may be dynamically regulated in the mammalian genome. DNA methylation is a dynamic process with a demethylation and de novo methylation from primordial germ cell to differentiation. DNA methylation and demethylation have been proposed to play important roles in somatic cell reprogramming.