IMP2 drives chemoresistance by repressing cisplatin-induced apoptosis and ferroptosis via activation of IPO4 and SLC7A11 under hypoxia in bladder cancer.

Background: Cisplatin resistance is the leading cause of mortality in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) cases. Previous evidence suggests that abnormal epitranscriptome modifications are associated with reduced chemotherapy responses. However, the exact underlying mechanism remains largely unknown.

Why does afforestation policy lead to a drying trend in soil moisture on the Loess Plateau?

Soil moisture is a key factor for vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions. Clarifying the vertical characteristics of soil moisture in artificial forests on a regional scale and its response mechanisms can benefit for land use management in water-deficient areas such as the Loess Plateau. The study targets Robinia pseudoacacia on the Loess Plateau with a meta-analysis based on 790 soil moisture data points abstracted from 35 published papers.

Association of ultraprocessed food consumption with risk of rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective cohort study in the UK Biobank.

Background: Limited studies explored the association between consumption of ultraprocessed food (UPF) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between UPF consumption and RA risk and explore the potential mediating effects of RA-related biomarkers.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 207,012 participants without RA at recruitment and completed 24-h dietary recalls.

Orthogonal DNA Self-Assembly-Based Expansion Microscopy Platform for Amplified, Multiplexed Biomarker Imaging.

Expansion microscopy (ExM) facilitates nanoscale imaging under conventional microscopes, but it frequently encounters challenges such as fluorescence losses, low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and limited detection throughput. To address these issues, a method of orthogonal DNA self-assembly-based ExM (o-DAExM) platform is developed, which employs hybridization chain reaction instead of conventional fluorescence labeling units, showcasing signal amplification efficacy, enhancement of SNR, and expandable multiplexing capability at any stage of the ExM process. In this work, o-DAExM has been applied to compare with immunofluorescence-based ExM for cellular cytoskeleton imaging, and the resolved nanoscale spatial distributions of cytoskeleton show outstanding performance and reliability of o-DAExM.

FGL2 as a predictive biomarker for prognosis and immunotherapy in bladder cancer.

Metastasis and immunosuppression result in unfavorable prognosis in bladder cancer (BLCA). FGL1 and FGL2 are two members of the fibrinogen-related proteins family, but their potential effects on BLCA remain elusive. The expression profile of FGL1 and FGL2 in BLCA was analyzed in multiple databases.

pH-Responsive Pesticide-Loaded Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with ZnO Quantum Dots as a Gatekeeper for Control of Rice Blast Disease.

Nanotechnology-enabled pesticide delivery systems have been widely studied and show great prospects in modern agriculture. Nanodelivery systems not only achieve the controlled release of agrochemicals but also possess many unique characteristics. This study presents the development of a pH-responsive pesticide nanoformulation utilizing hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) as a nanocarrier.

Lactoferrin ameliorated obesity-induced endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting the Tak1/IL-18/eNOS pathway between PVAT and vascular endothelium.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction (ED) is one of the mechanisms underlying obesity-related hypertension. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) surrounds blood vessels and influences the vascular endothelium function. Previous studies have demonstrated the antihypertensive effects of lactoferrin (LF) and its hydrolysates through various mechanisms.

Enzyme Reaction-Assisted Programmable Transcriptional Switches for Bioactive Molecule Detection.

Bioactive molecules are highly worthwhile to recognize and explore the latent pathogenic mechanism. Conventional methods for bioactive molecule detection, including mass spectrometry and fluorescent probe imaging, are limited due to the complex processing and signal interference. Here, we designed enzyme-reaction-assisted programmable transcriptional switches for the detection of bioactive molecules.

Promoting Intratumoral Drug Accumulation by Bio-Membrane Regulated Active Targeting for Tumor Photothermal Therapy.

Introduction: Insufficient tumor permeability and inadequate nanoparticle retention continue to be significant limitations in the efficacy of anti-tumor drug therapy. Numerous studies have focused on enhancing tumor perfusion by improvement of tumor-induced endothelial leakage, often known as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. However, these approaches have produced suboptimal therapeutic outcomes and have been associated with significant side effects.

Lactoferrin Alleviates Ethanol-Induced Injury via Promoting Nrf2 Nuclear Translocation in BRL-3A Rat Liver Cells.

Our previous animal studies found that the preventive effects of lactoferrin (Lf) on alcoholic liver injury (ALI) are associated with nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). To further explore the causality, experiments were performed using rat normal liver BRL-3A cells. Lf treatment reduced ethanol-induced death and apoptosis; meanwhile, Lf treatment alleviated excessive LDH release.

Fermentation, functional analysis, and biological activities of turmeric kombucha.

Background: Kombucha is a popular fermented drink with therapeutic benefits. The present study aimed to examine the fermentation of turmeric-infused kombucha and evaluate its biological activities and functional properties.

Results: The study of pH dynamics during fermentation found that turmeric kombucha has a lower pH decrease than standard kombucha, with the lowest pH of 3.

Mechanisms of Xiaozheng decoction for anti-bladder cancer effects via affecting the GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathways: a network pharmacology-directed experimental investigation.

Purpose: The combination of Xiaozheng decoction with postoperative intravesical instillation has been shown to improve the prognosis of bladder cancer patients and prevent recurrence. However, the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this herbal formula remain largely unclear. This research aims to identify the important components of Xiaozheng decoction and explore their anti-bladder cancer effect and mechanism using network pharmacology-based experiments.

Development of a Fluorescent Biosensor Based on DNAzyme for Tracing the Release of Zinc in Maize Leaves.

A fluorescent biosensor for real-time monitoring the release of Zn in plants was constructed through immobilization of DNAzyme-containing hairpin DNA on nanofertilizer ZnO@Au nanoparticles (ZnO@Au NPs). A specially designed hairpin DNA containing both DNAzyme and its substrate sequence, which was also labeled with 5'-FAM and 3'-SH groups, was modified on ZnO@Au NPs through the Au-S bond. The fluorescent signal of FAM was initially quenched by AuNPs.

A prognostic model based on necroptosis-related genes for prognosis and therapy in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer, one of the most prevalent malignant cancers, has high rate of recurrence and metastasis. Owing to genomic instability and high-level heterogeneity of bladder cancer, chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs sensitivity and lack of prognostic markers, the prognosis of bladder cancer is unclear. Necroptosis is a programmed modality of necrotic cell death in a caspase-independent form.

A novel cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature predicts prognosis and therapeutic response in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) ranks the tenth in the incidence of global tumor epidemiology. LncRNAs and cuproptosis were discovered to regulate the cell death. Herein, we downloaded transcriptome profiling, mutational data, and clinical data on patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

Establishment of an optimized orthotopic bladder cancer model in mice.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies of the genitourinary system. Animal models offer an important tool to explore tumour initiation, progression, and therapeutic mechanisms. Our aim is to construct an optimized orthotopic BC model which is predictable, reproducible, and convenient.

Identification of ENO1 as a prognostic biomarker and molecular target among ENOs in bladder cancer.

Background: Enolase is an essential enzyme in the process of glycolysis and has been implicated in cancer progression. Though dysregulation of ENOs has been reported in multiple cancers, their prognostic value and specific role in bladder cancer (BLCA) remain unclear.

Methods: Multiple databases were employed to examine the expression of ENOs in BLCA.

Pyroptosis-Related Patterns Predict Tumor Immune Landscape and Immunotherapy Response in Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a leading cause of death from malignancy, with significant heterogeneity in the immunotherapeutic responsiveness of advanced status. Pyroptosis, a newly discovered inflammatory programmed cell death, is confirmed to play an indispensable role in tumorigenesis and anti-tumor activity. However, the effect of pyroptosis on the tumor-immune landscape remodeling and immunotherapy in BC remains elusive.

NLRP3 promotes immune escape by regulating immune checkpoints: A pan-cancer analysis.

NLRP3 plays a pathogenic role in tumorigenesis by regulating innate and acquired immunity, apoptosis, differentiation, and intestinal microbes in tumors. Our research aimed to investigate the role of NLRP3 in pan-cancers based on multi-omics data in the TCGA database. Most types of tumors showed increased expression of NLRP3.

PDE4B Induces Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Bladder Cancer Cells and Is Transcriptionally Suppressed by CBX7.

Urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is a common malignant tumor with high incidence. Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease demand the identification of novel therapeutic targets. Multiple studies demonstrated that PDE4B level was upregulated in malignancies and high PDE4B expression was correlated with poor outcomes.

A Novel Ferroptosis-Related Prognostic Signature Reveals Macrophage Infiltration and EMT Status in Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) belongs to one of the most common and highly heterogeneous malignancies. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered regulated cell death (RCD), characterized by accumulation of toxic lipid peroxides, and plays a crucial role in tumor progression. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis on the transcriptomics data of ferroptosis-related genes in BC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets.

Heterozygous loss-of-function variants significantly expand the phenotypes associated with loss of GDF11.

Purpose: Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a key signaling protein required for proper development of many organ systems. Only one prior study has associated an inherited GDF11 variant with a dominant human disease in a family with variable craniofacial and vertebral abnormalities. Here, we expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with GDF11 variants and document the nature of the variants.

Antiproliferative effects of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) aqueous extract on human colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cancer cell lines.

Recently, insects have aroused the interest of researchers as potential therapeutic resources against malignant diseases such as cancer. In this study, the effects of aqueous extracts from mysore thorn borer (MTB) (Anoplophora chinensis) and mealworm larvae (MWL) (Tenebrio molitor) against cancer cells were investigated. MWL aqueous extract showed higher antiproliferative effects against Caco-2 and HepG2 cells compared to MTB.