Synthesis and Evaluation of Melittin-Modified Peptides for Antibacterial Activity.

Melittin, a naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide, demonstrates broad-spectrum activity, effectively suppressing and eliminating both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including specific drug-resistant strains. In this study, molecular simulation software was employed to investigate and modify the structure of melittin with the aim of synthesizing a modified peptide exhibiting enhanced antibacterial potency and assessing its bacteriostatic and antibacterial properties. The primary research objectives were as follows: 1.

Consistency between metagenomic next-generation sequencing versus traditional microbiological tests for infective disease: systemic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pathogen identification is essential in sepsis and septic shock. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a novel pathogen detection method with several advantages over traditional tests. However, the consistency between mNGS and traditional pathogen tests requires further investigation.

Unveiling the role of ASPP1 in cancer progression: pan-cancer bioinformatics and experimental validation in colorectal cancer.

Background: The Apoptosis-Stimulating Protein of P53 (ASPP) family contributes to apoptosis regulation and tumor suppression, with ASPP1 influencing processes like cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Its expression varies across cancer types, suggesting a potential role in oncogenesis.

Methods: This study investigates ASPP1's role across various cancers using a comprehensive bioinformatics approach.

An optimized workflow of full-length transcriptome sequencing for accurate fusion transcript identification.

Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized cancer genomics by enabling high-throughput mutation screening yet detecting fusion genes reliably remains challenging. Long-read sequencing offers potential for accurate fusion transcript identification, though challenges persist. In this study, we present an optimized workflow using nanopore sequencing technology to precisely identify fusion transcripts.

Opportunity for severe and critical COVID-19 pneumonia treatment with corticosteroids: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the most significant infectious disease outbreak worldwide in the past 3 years, with the potential to progress to severe pneumonia and trigger systemic inflammatory response, posing a threat to human health and life. This study aims to explore the use of corticosteroids for COVID-19 and provide recommendations on the timing and dosage of the treatment.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, enrolling 100 with COVID-19 pneumonia between December 2022 and January 2023.

The value of abPG-SGA in the nutritional risk screening of patients with malignant tumors.

Nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002) is a commonly used tool for screening the risk of malnutrition in hospitalized patients, while patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) is a nutritional assessment tool for malignant tumor patients. However, there are still gaps in the rapid nutritional risk screening methods for cancer patients. We aimed to evaluate the value of abridged scored patient-generated subjective global assessment (abPG-SGA) for nutritional risk screening and prognosis in cancer patients.

Causal association of sleep traits with the risk of thyroid cancer: A mendelian randomization study.

Background: This study was to explore the causal associations of sleep traits including sleep duration, snoring, chronotype, sleep disorders, getting up in the morning, sleeplessness/insomnia and nap during day with the risk of thyroid cancer based on Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Method: Summary single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-phenotype association data were obtained from published genome-wide association studies (GWASs) using the FinnGen and UK Biobank databases. A series of screening processes were performed to select qualified SNPs strongly related to exposure.

Effectiveness and tolerability of programmed cell death protein-1 inhibitor + chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy for upper gastrointestinal tract cancers.

Background: The combination of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitor and chemotherapy is approved as a standard first- or second-line treatment in patients with advanced oesophageal or gastric cancer. However, it is unclear whether this combination is superior to chemotherapy alone.

Aim: To assess the comparative effectiveness and tolerability of combining PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy chemotherapy alone in patients with advanced gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, or oesophageal carcinoma.

The clinical value of mNGS of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid versus traditional microbiological tests for pathogen identification and prognosis of severe pneumonia (NT-BALF):study protocol for a prospective multi-center randomized clinical trial.

Background: Early, rapid, and accurate pathogen diagnosis can help clinicians select targeted treatment options, thus improving prognosis and reducing mortality rates of severe pneumonia. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has a higher sensitivity and broader pathogen spectrum than traditional microbiological tests. However, the effects of mNGS-based antimicrobial treatment procedures on clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness in patients with severe pneumonia have not been evaluated.

Hypoxia expedites the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma by promoting the CPT1A-mediated fatty acid oxidative pathway.

Hypoxia has been reported to promote the proliferation and migration of thyroid cancer, while the special mechanism was still unclear. HIF-1α/carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1A (CPT1A) was found to be associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) but the biological role of CPT1A in PTC was not explored. The effects of hypoxia and carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1A (CPT1A) expression on PTC cells were determined by cell counting kit-8 assay, detection of oxidative stress, inflammation response and mitochondrial membrane motential (MMP).

Cut&tag: a powerful epigenetic tool for chromatin profiling.

Analysis of transcription factors and chromatin modifications at the genome-wide level provides insights into gene regulatory processes, such as transcription, cell differentiation and cellular response. Chromatin immunoprecipitation is the most popular and powerful approach for mapping chromatin, and other enzyme-tethering techniques have recently become available for living cells. Among these, Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) is a relatively novel chromatin profiling method that has rapidly gained popularity in the field of epigenetics since 2019.

A comprehensive assessment of exome capture methods for RNA sequencing of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples.

RNA-Seq analysis of Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) samples has emerged as a highly effective approach and is increasingly being used in clinical research and drug development. However, the processing and storage of FFPE samples are known to cause extensive degradation of RNAs, which limits the discovery of gene expression or gene fusion-based biomarkers using RNA sequencing, particularly methods reliant on Poly(A) enrichment. Recently, researchers have developed an exome targeted RNA-Seq methodology that utilizes biotinylated oligonucleotide probes to enrich RNA transcripts of interest, which could overcome these limitations.

Fascin actin-bundling protein 1 regulates non-small cell lung cancer progression by influencing the transcription and splicing of tumorigenesis-related genes.

Background: High mortality rates are prevalent among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and effective therapeutic targets are key prognostic factors. Fascin actin-bundling protein 1 (FSCN1) promotes NSCLC; however, its role as an RNA-binding protein in NSCLC remains unexplored. Therefore, we aimed to explore FSCN1 expression and function in A549 cells.

The effect of prophylactic antibiotics in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients in the emergency department.

Background: Currently, prophylactic antibiotics are recommended only for cirrhotic patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB); however, the benefit for other AUGIB patients remains undetermined. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients with AUGIB with and without prophylactic antibiotics to identify the population that requires this therapy.

Methods: Patients with AUGIB admitted between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021 in the Emergency Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled.

Comparison of Treatment and Prognosis Between Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Classical Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

This cohort study evaluated the associations of different treatments with the prognosis of follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) and classical papillary thyroid carcinoma (CPTC) patients. The data of 69034 PTC patients were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The 5-year mortality of CPTC and FVPTC patients receiving surgery, radiation and combination therapy were compared.

Apoptosis-inducing factor: a mitochondrial protein associated with metabolic diseases-a narrative review.

Background And Objective: Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a flavin protein in mitochondria, is originally found to induce apoptosis under the stimulation of pro-apoptotic factors. As a mitochondrial flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent oxidoreductase, AIF is involved in the regulation of mammalian cell metabolism by regulating respiratory enzyme activity, antioxidant stress, promoting mitochondrial autophagy and glucose uptake, etc. Herein, we focused on the research progress regarding the molecular mechanism of AIF in metabolic mediation and the recent research on AIF in metabolic diseases, as well as the AIF-mediated apoptotic process.

Relative efficacy and safety of several regional analgesic techniques following thoracic surgery: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: This network meta-analysis was performed to assess the relative efficacy and safety of various regional analgesic techniques used in thoracic surgery.

Materialsand Methods: Randomized controlled trials evaluating different regional analgesic methods were retrieved from databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, from inception to March 2021. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve) was estimated to rank the therapies based on the Bayesian theorem.