A cross-sectional study on post-stroke depression and the quality of life.

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common mood disorder associated with stroke. By investigating the differences in life quality factors among stroke survivors, the results of this study offer insights into how to better prevent and manage the onset and progression of depression.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study that selected patients receiving treatment in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Hebei University Affiliated Hospital from September 1 to November 30, 2023.

Amino-modified IONPs potentiates ferroptotic cell death due to the release of Fe ion in the lysosome.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have wide applications in the biomedical field due to their outstanding physical and chemical properties. However, the potential adverse effects and related mechanisms of IONPs in human organs, especially the lung, are still largely ignored. In this study, we found that group-modified IONPs (carboxylated, aminated and silica coated) induce slight lung cell damage (in terms of the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell membrane integrity and DNA damage) at a sublethal dosage.

Lactate administration improves laboratory parameters in murine models of iron overload.

Current iron overload therapeutics have inherent drawbacks including perpetuated low hepcidin. Here, we unveiled that lactate, a potent hepcidin agonist, effectively reduced serum and hepatic iron levels in mouse models of iron overload with an improved erythropoiesis in β-thalassemic mice.

Effect of governor vessel moxibustion (GVM) therapy with mild to moderate psoriasis: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: It was hypothesized that governor vessel moxibustion (GVM) therapy may improve the course of mild to moderate psoriasis (PS) in patients.

Methods: A randomized, controlled clinical trial lasting 40 days was conducted at the Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Investigators were blinded to patient groupings.

Lactate modulates iron metabolism by binding soluble adenylyl cyclase.

Overproduction of lactate (LA) can occur during exercise and in many diseases such as cancers. Individuals with hyperlactatemia often display anemia, decreased serum iron, and elevated hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism. However, it is unknown whether and how LA regulates hepcidin expression.

Clinical characteristics of central nervous system candidiasis due to Candida albicans in children: a single-center experience.

Background: Central nervous system candidiasis due to Candida albicans (CNSC) in children is easily misdiagnosed and is associated with poor outcomes and a high mortality rate. There is no big data research or systematic review of CNSC.

Methods: Patients diagnosed as CNSC with positive culture results of Candida albicans in Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2010 to March 2019 were included.

High-throughput sequencing unravels the cell heterogeneity of cerebrospinal fluid in the bacterial meningitis of children.

Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a common life-threatening infection in children that occurs in the central nervous system (CNS). The cytologic examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a key parameter in the diagnosis of BM, but the heterogeneity of cells in the CSF has not been elucidated, which limits the current understanding of BM neuroinflammation. In this study, CSF samples were collected from a number of BM patients who were in different stages of disease progression.

New Deferric Amine Compounds Efficiently Chelate Excess Iron to Treat Iron Overload Disorders and to Prevent Ferroptosis.

Excess iron accumulation occurs in organs of patients with certain genetic disorders or after repeated transfusions. No physiological mechanism is available to excrete excess iron and iron overload to promote lipid peroxidation to induce ferroptosis, thus iron chelation becomes critical for preventing ion toxicity in these patients. To date, several iron chelators have been approved for iron chelation therapy, such as deferiprone and deferoxamine, but the current iron chelators suffer from significant limitations.

Talaromynoids A-E: Five New Fusicoccane Diterpenoids from the Endophytic Fungus sp. DC-26.

Talaromynoids A-E (-), five new fusicoccane diterpenoids, were obtained from the endophytic fungus sp. DC-26, which was isolated from a wild leech. Talaromynoid A () represents the first fusicoccane diterpenoid bearing an unexpected 5-7-5 tricyclic ring system, which is possibly derived from normal 5-8-5 ones by ring contraction.

Palladium Nanoplate-Based IL-6 Receptor Antagonists Ameliorate Cancer-Related Anemia and Simultaneously Inhibit Cancer Progression.

In recent years, targeted therapies and immunotherapeutics, along with conventional chemo- and radiotherapy, have greatly improved cancer treatments. Unfortunately, in cancer patients, anemia, either as a complication of cancer progression or as the result of cancer treatment, undermines the expected therapeutic efficacy. Here, we developed a smart nanosystem based on the palladium nanoplates (PdPLs) to deliver tocilizumab (TCZ, a widely used IL-6R antibody) to the liver for specific blockade of IL-6/IL-6R signaling to correct anemia.

m6A demethylation of cytidine deaminase APOBEC3B mRNA orchestrates arsenic-induced mutagenesis.

The cytidine deaminase APOBEC3B (A3B) is an endogenous inducer of somatic mutations and causes chromosomal instability by converting cytosine to uracil in single-stranded DNA. Therefore, identification of factors and mechanisms that mediate A3B expression will be helpful for developing therapeutic approaches to decrease DNA mutagenesis. Arsenic (As) is one well-known mutagen and carcinogen, but the mechanisms by which it induces mutations have not been fully elucidated.

LncRNA MT1DP promotes cadmium-induced DNA replication stress by inhibiting chromatin recruitment of SMARCAL1.

Cadmium (Cd) is a well-known carcinogenic metal and widespread environmental pollutant. The effect of Cd-induced carcinogenesis is partly due to accumulated DNA damage and chromosomal aberrations, but the exact mechanisms underlying the genotoxicity of Cd have not been clearly understood. Here, we found that one long non-coding RNA MT1DP is participated in Cd-induced DNA damage and replication stress.

Terreuspyridine: An Unexpected Pyridine-Fused Meroterpenoid Alkaloid with a Tetracyclic 6/6/6/6 Skeleton from .

Terreuspyridine (), the first 3,5-demethylorsellinic acid (DMOA) derived meroterpenoid alkaloid, was isolated from the fungus , which represents a new type of meroterpenoid possessing an unexpected tetracyclic 6/6/6/6 architecture. The structure of with absolute configuration was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Biogenetically, it was proposed to be derived from the fusion of a DMOA-meroterpenoid and a glutamate.

Diethyldithiocarbamate-copper nanocomplex reinforces disulfiram chemotherapeutic efficacy through light-triggered nuclear targeting.

To circumvent the huge cost, long R&D time and the difficulty to identify the targets of new drugs, repurposing the ones that have been clinically approved has been considered as a viable strategy to treat different diseases. In the current study, we outlined the rationale for repurposing disulfiram (DSF, an old alcohol-aversion drug) to treat primary breast cancer and its metastases. To overcome a few shortcomings of the individual administration of DSF, such as the dependence on copper ions (Cu) and limited capability in selective targeting, we here artificially synthesized the active form of DSF, diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC)-Cu complex (CuET) for cancer therapeutics.

Graphene Oxide Causes Disordered Zonation Due to Differential Intralobular Localization in the Liver.

The liver is the primary organ to sequester nanodrugs, representing a substantial hurdle for drug delivery and raising toxicity concerns. However, the mechanistic details underlying the liver sequestration and effects on the liver are still elusive. The difficulty in studying the liver lies in its complexity, which is structured with stringently organized anatomical units called lobules.

Asperpyridone A: An Unusual Pyridone Alkaloid Exerts Hypoglycemic Activity through the Insulin Signaling Pathway.

A pyridone alkaloid, asperpyridone A (), which possesses an unusual pyrano[3,2-]pyridine scaffold, was isolated from solid cultures of the endophytic fungus sp. TJ23. Its structure, including its absolute configuration, was determined using a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, quantum chemical calculations (electronic circular dichroism), and X-ray crystallography.

The diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae in paediatric bacterial meningitis.

Background: There is currently no research on the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for a single pathogens in CSF. The aim of this study was to analyse the value of mNGS for identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) in paediatric bacterial meningitis.

Evaluation of next-generation sequencing for the pathogenic diagnosis of children brain abscesses.

In this study, we applied metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to detect the causative pathogens in brain abscess samples from 4 pediatric patients. NGS could offer unbiased sequencing and rapid diagnosis of causative pathogens, moreover, it could detect multiple pathogenic microorganisms from abscess samples. In our study, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Streptococcus intermedius or combinations of them were found in 3/4 of polymicrobial brain abscesses.

Chiral ligand exchange capillary electrochromatography with dual ligands for enantioseparation of D,L-amino acids.

Utilizing block copolymers as coatings, a protocol of chiral ligand exchange capillary electrochromatography (CLE-CEC) protocol was designed and developed with dual ligands for D,L-amino acids enantioseparation. Four block copolymers including poly maleic anhydride-co-styrene-co-N-methacryloyl-L-histidine methyl ester [P(MAn-St-MAH)], poly maleic anhydride-co-styrene-co-N-methacryloyl-L-lysine methyl ester [P(MAn-St-MAL)], poly maleic anhydride-co-styrene-co-N-methacryloyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester [P(MAn-St-MAP)] and poly maleic anhydride-co-styrene-co-N-methacryloyl-L-threonine methyl ester [P(MAn-St-MAT)] were synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization reaction. Key factors affecting the enantioresolution were optimized, including the concentration of Zn (II) central ion, pH value of buffer solution and monomers of the block copolymers.

The ethanol extract of Involcucrum castaneae ameliorated ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and smooth muscle thickening in guinea pigs.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Involucrum castaneae(IC)is used in Chinese folk medicine to treat various lung diseases, as well as for its reducing phlegm and anti-inflammatory properties.

Aim Of The Study: The purpose of this experiment is to verify the effect of IC on airway inflammation, responsiveness in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic guinea pigs. The main chemical components of IC were also analyzed.

Polyketide and Prenylxanthone Derivatives from the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus sp. TJ23.

Eight secondary metabolites, including a new polyketide, named asperetide (1) and a new prenylxanthone derivative, called asperanthone (4), and six known compounds, (S)-3-butyl-7-methoxyphthalide (2), ruguloxanthone C (3), tajixanthone hydrate (5), tajixanthone methanoate (6), salimyxin B (7), and ergosterol (8), were isolated and identified from the medicinal plant-derived fungus, Aspergillus sp. TJ23. The new structures and their absolute configurations were elucidated via multiple methods, including 1D- and 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, UV, IR, and the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations.

Clinical characteristics and etiology of bacterial meningitis in Chinese children >28 days of age, January 2014-December 2016: A multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics and etiology of bacterial meningitis (BM) in Chinese children.

Method: BM cases in children 28days to 18 years old were collected from January 2014-December 2016 and screened according to World Health Organization standards. Clinical features, pathogens, and resistance patterns were analyzed.