Hepatocellular carcinoma-specific epigenetic checkpoints bidirectionally regulate the antitumor immunity of CD4 + T cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor with significant global health implications. The role of CD4 T cells, particularly conventional CD4 T cells (Tconvs), in HCC progression remains unexplored. Furthermore, epigenetic factors are crucial in immune regulation, yet their specific role in HCC-infiltrating Tconv cells remains elusive.

Biological self-protection inspired engineering of nanomaterials to construct a robust bio-nano system for environmental applications.

Nanomaterials can empower microbial-based chemical production or pollutant removal, e.g., nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) as an electron source to enhance microbial reducing pollutants.

Comprehensive comparative analysis and development of molecular markers for Lasianthus species based on complete chloroplast genome sequences.

Background: Lasianthus species are widely used in traditional Chinese folk medicine with high medicinal value. However, source materials and herbarium specimens are often misidentified due to morphological characteristics and commonly used DNA barcode fragments are not sufficient for accurately identifying Lasianthus species. To improve the molecular methods for distinguishing among Lasianthus species, we report the complete chloroplast (CP) genomes of Lasianthus attenuatus, Lasianthus henryi, Lasianthus hookeri, Lasianthus sikkimensis, obtained via high-throughput Illumina sequencing.

Fear of falling and associated influencing factors in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Introduction: This cross-sectional study analyzed the fear of falling (FOF) and associated influencing factors in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).

Methods: Patients on MHD (n = 131) were assessed using the short Falls Efficacy Scale International, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Barthel Index questionnaires.

Results: The total FOF score was positively correlated with total anxiety and depression scores but negatively correlated with the total score of activities of daily living.

Application of MIDD to accelerate the development of anti-infectives: Current status and future perspectives.

This review examines the role of model-informed drug development (MIDD) in advancing antibacterial and antiviral drug development, with an emphasis on the inclusion of host system dynamics into modeling efforts. Amidst the growing challenges of multidrug resistance and diminishing market returns, innovative methodologies are crucial for continuous drug discovery and development. The MIDD approach, with its robust capacity to integrate diverse data types, offers a promising solution.

MATR3 promotes liver cancer progression by suppressing DHX58-mediated type I interferon response.

MATR3 is a nuclear matrix protein implicated in various cancers; however, its specific role in tumor progression remains unclear. The study utilized the TCGA database to reveal that MATR3 expression is upregulated in liver cancer and is correlated with poor prognosis. Functionally, MATR3 promoted liver cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.

Dynamic ensemble balance in direct- and indirect-pathway striatal projection neurons underlying decision-related action selection.

The posterior dorsal striatum (pDS) plays an essential role in sensory-guided decision-making. However, it remains unclear how the antagonizing direct- and indirect-pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs and iSPNs) work in concert to support action selection. Here, we employed deep-brain two-photon imaging to investigate pathway-specific single-neuron and population representations during an auditory-guided decision-making task.

Liquid-liquid phase separation-related genes associated with prognosis, tumor microenvironment characteristics, and tumor cell features in bladder cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-related genes associated with the prognosis of bladder cancer (BCa) and assess the potential application of LLPS-related prognostic signature for predicting prognosis in BCa patients.

Methods: Clinical information and transcriptome data of BCa patients were extracted from the Cancer Genome Atlas-BLCA (TCGA-BLCA) database and the GSE13507 database. Furthermore, 108 BCa patients who received treatment at our institution were subjected to a retrospective analysis.

Function of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in multiple myeloma.

Objective: The drug resistance of multiple myeloma (MM) cells is one of the main causes of relapse, refractory and progression of MM.

Methods: First, Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, pro-IL-1β and cleaved IL-1β, and RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of them. The expression levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the supernatant were detected by ELISA, and the expression levels of these factors in the activated group and the control group were compared to verify the activation of BMMCs and KM3.

Investigating the therapeutic potential of hesperidin targeting CRISP2 in intervertebral disc degeneration and cancer risk mitigation.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) can lead to disc herniation and spinal instability, sometimes requiring surgical intervention. Currently, estrogen has a potential protective effect on IDD, and estrogen is associated with an increased risk of some cancers, such as breast and endometrial cancer. Therefore, it is important to identify natural compounds that estrogen analogues treat IDD while reducing the risk of tumor development.

Quinolone antibiotics stimulate bacterial mercury methylation by Geobacter metallireducens GS-15.

Bacterial mercury (Hg) methylation is critical for bioremediating Hg pollution, but the impact of emerging antibiotics on this process has rarely been reported. This study innovatively investigated the interactions between Hg-methylating bacteria of Geobacter metallireducens GS-15 and two quinolone antibiotics: lomefloxacin (LOM) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) at 5 μg/L. Short-term LOM exposure increased methylmercury (MeHg) yield by 36 % compared to antibiotic-free conditions, caused by hormesis to alter bioactivities of single GS-15 cells.

Chlorpyrifos-oxon induced neuronal cell death via endoplasmic reticulum stress-triggered apoptosis pathways.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the organophosphorus pesticides widely used throughout the world. Epidemiological studies suggested a link between CPF exposure and neurologic disorders, while the molecular mechanisms remain inconclusive. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO), the major toxic CPF metabolite, on cell apoptosis, and explored possible mechanism associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in SH-SY5Y cells.

Promoting chondrogenesis by targeted delivery to the degenerating cartilage in early treatment of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly incident total joint degenerative disease with cartilage degeneration as the primary pathogenesis. The cartilage matrix is mainly composed of collagen, a matrix protein with a hallmark triple-helix structure, which unfolds with collagen degradation on the cartilage surface. A collagen hybridizing peptide (CHP) is a synthetic peptide that binds the denatured collagen triple helix, conferring a potential disease-targeting possibility for early-stage OA.

The relationships between body image, self-esteem and quality of life in adults with trauma-related limb loss sustained in the Syrian war.

Background: Numerous military soldiers have lost limbs as a result of the Syrian War. While there are variations between trauma-related amputations in military and civilian populations, both scenarios result in life-changing injuries.

Objective: To explore the relationship between body image, self-esteem, and quality of life (QOL) domains following trauma-related major amputation.

Serum CIAPIN1 is lower in septic patients with cardiac dysfunction.

The study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum cytokine-induced apoptosis inhibitor 1 (CIAPIN1) and its potential impact on cardiac dysfunction and inflammatory response induced by sepsis. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an intensive care unit (ICU) involving 80 healthy individuals and 95 severe sepsis patients. The data were analyzed to establish the correlation between CIAPIN1 levels and the onset of cardiac dysfunction in patients with sepsis.

Variational Label Enhancement for Instance-Dependent Partial Label Learning.

Partial label learning (PLL) is a form of weakly supervised learning, where each training example is linked to a set of candidate labels, among which only one label is correct. Most existing PLL approaches assume that the incorrect labels in each training example are randomly picked as the candidate labels. However, in practice, this assumption may not hold true, as the candidate labels are often instance-dependent.

Concurrent sensing of vector magnetic field based on diamond nitrogen-vacancy ensemble using a time-divided hardware-synchronized protocol.

A diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) ensemble has been developed as a vector magnetometry platform for sensing external time-varying magnetic fields. However, due to the complexity of manipulating electron spins along different directions, a current vector NV magnetometer often needs a large amount of supporting equipment, preventing its applications in a compact circumstance. Here, we develop a hardware-level protocol to realize a multi-axis NV magnetometer using only a single channel of microwave generation and signal detection resources.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals toward rehabilitation of peripheral nerve injury.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) occurs due to damage of peripheral nerves, with healthcare professionals playing significant roles in PNI rehabilitation. This study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards PNI rehabilitation among healthcare professionals. This cross-sectional study was conducted on June 2023 in China and healthcare professionals were enrolled.