CD63-high macrophage-derived exosomal miR-6876-5p promotes hepatocellular carcinoma stemness via PTEN/Akt-mediated EMT pathway.

Objective: Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs derived from macrophage exosomes can regulate the stemness and progression of cancer. However, the interaction mechanisms between HCC cells and tumor-associated macrophages remain unclear.

Methods: Exosomes were extracted from control or CD63 overexpression macrophages and co-cultured with HCC cells.

Relay intercropped soybean promotes nodules development and nitrogen fixation by root exudates deposition.

Background: Legumes, in the initial event of symbiosis, secrete flavonoids into the rhizosphere to attract rhizobia. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between crop root exudates and soybean nodule development under intercropping patterns.

Method: A two years field experiments was carried out and combined with pot experiments to quantify the effects of planting mode, i.

Impact of thrombocytopenia on failure of endoscopic variceal treatment in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding.

Background: Acute variceal bleeding (AVB), a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis, can be effectively treated by endoscopy, but there is a risk of early rebleeding after endoscopic variceal treatment (EVT). Thrombocytopenia is the most common hemostatic abnormality in liver cirrhosis. However, it is still unclear about whether thrombocytopenia increases the failure of EVT in cirrhotic patients with AVB.

Two cases of fatal insulin homicide resolved using combined immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence techniques.

Diabetes is a prevalent disease in modern society. Since the development and widespread use of synthetic insulin, its therapeutic application has become globally recognized for managing diabetes. However, excessive administration of insulin may lead to fatal outcomes.

The burden of cancer attributable to dietary dioxins and dioxin-like compounds exposure in China, 2000-2020.

Dioxin is a typical class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that could cause cancer. In China, the contribution of dietary dioxins to the cancer burden remains underexplored. This study evaluates the cancer risk and burden due to dietary dioxins and dioxin-like compounds among Chinese residents from 2000 to 2020.

Timing of endoscopy in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding: protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Endoscopy is important for the diagnosis and treatment of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB), especially acute variceal bleeding (AVB), in liver cirrhosis. However, the optimal timing of endoscopy remains controversial, primarily because the currently available evidence is of poor quality, and the definition of early endoscopy is also very heterogeneous among studies. Herein, a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) is performed to explore the impact of the timing of endoscopy on the outcomes of cirrhotic patients with AVB.

Application and prospects of single-cell and spatial omics technologies in woody plants.

Over the past decade, high-throughput sequencing and high-resolution single-cell transcriptome sequencing technologies have undergone rapid development, leading to significant breakthroughs. Traditional molecular biology methods are limited in their ability to unravel cellular-level heterogeneity within woody plant tissues. Consequently, techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics, single-cell epigenetics, and spatial transcriptomics are rapidly gaining popularity in the study of woody plants.

Simulation of Defoliation Effects on Relay Strip Intercropping Soybean: Elucidating Foliar Shedding and Leaf-to-Nodule Growth Plasticity.

Extensive foliar shedding in monoculture soybeans post-anthesis negatively impacts yield, whereas relay strip intercropping prolongs leaf area duration, enhancing productivity. However, little is known about the causes of leaf shedding in monoculture and its impact on physiological functions and plasticity of source and sink organs, we conducted a 4-year field experiment and leaf-removal simulations in relay intercropped soybeans. Results revealed that monoculture soybeans experienced severe self-shading and defoliation, while relay intercropping maintained better light conditions, supporting higher leaf area, nodule numbers, and carbon allocation.

OTUD7B inhibited hepatic injury from NAFLD by inhibiting K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation of β-catenin.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the prevalent liver disease. Ovarian tumor domain-containing 7B (OTUD7B) is a deubiquitinating enzyme and its role in NAFLD remains unclear. In high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD mouse model and palmitic acid (PA)-treated HepG2 cells, OTUD7B expression was decreased.

Relay strip intercropping of soybeans and maize achieves high net ecosystem economic benefits by boosting land output and alleviating greenhouse gas emissions.

Background: Cereal-legume intercropping provides a solution for achieving global food security, but the mechanism of greenhouse gas emissions and net ecosystem economic benefits of maize-soybean relay intercropping are poorly understood. Hence, we conducted a two-factor experiment to investigate the effects of cropping systems, containing maize-soybean relay intercropping (IMS), monoculture maize (M) and monoculture soybean (S), as well as three nitrogen levels at 0 (N0), 180 (N1), 240 (N2) kg N ha on crop grain yield, greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon stock and net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB).

Results: The average grain yield of IMS (7.

Current strategies for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treatment (Review).

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic hepatic disease, has become a leading health problem worldwide. The present review summarized the methods and mechanisms to treat NAFLD, including the Mediterranean diet, physical activity and exercise, bariatric surgery and specific therapeutic agents, including statins, peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor agonists, cenicriviroc and farnesoid X receptor agonists. Biologically active substances, such as peptides, alkaloids, polyphenolic compounds, silymarin, antibiotics, fatty acids, vitamins, probiotics, synbiotics and lamiaceae have also demonstrated actions that combat NAFLD.

Impact of peptic ulcer bleeding on the in-hospital outcomes of cirrhotic patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding: an international multicenter study.

Objectives: Peptic ulcer is the most common source of non-variceal bleeding. However, it remains controversial whether the outcomes of cirrhotic patients with peptic ulcer bleeding differ from those with variceal bleeding.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) who underwent endoscopy and had an identifiable source of bleeding were retrospectively screened from an international multicenter cohort.

Dodecylmethylaminoethyl methacrylate inhibits Enterococcus faecalis in a pH-dependent manner.

Objectives: Considering the correlation between survival microenvironment of E. faecalis and acidic pH value, this study aimed to investigate the potential of utilizing pH-responsive DMAEM monomers and their copolymers with resin-based root canal sealers to inhibit E. faecalis.

Rapid fluorescent nucleic acid sensing with ultra-thin gold nanosheets.

Fluorescently labeled DNA oligonucleotides and gold nanospheres have been frequently utilized in biosensors, providing efficient nucleic acid detection. Nevertheless, the restricted loading capacity of gold nanospheres undermines overall sensitivity. In this study, we employed four-atom-thick ultrathin gold nanosheets (AuNSs), utilizing a "pre-mix model" for rapid target nucleic acid detection.

Review of the lethal mechanism of insulin poisoning and the characteristic of forensic identification.

Insulin, as the only hypoglycemic hormone in the body, plays a key role in blood sugar control. However, excessive insulin intake can lead to insulin poisoning and even death, which often occurs in clinical and forensic work. At present, some researches on insulin poisoning have been carried out at home and abroad, however, it seems that the mechanism and forensic characteristics of insulin poisoning are not clear and complete.

A retrospective study of 29 fatal cases of insulin overdose.

Purpose: To summarize recent cases of fatal insulin poisoning both domestically and internationally, thereby offering valuable insights for the forensic identification of insulin overdose cases.

Methods: Literature published since 2000 on fatal insulin overdose were systematically searched and screened. Data encompassing variables such as year, age, sex, cause of death, scene conditions, occupations, medical histories of victims and perpetrators, autopsy timing, dosage and administration methods, forensic pathology, and toxicological analysis, were compiled for rigorous statistical analysis.

Synergistic Effects of Nutrients on Musculoskeletal Health in Gerontology: Understanding the Combined Impact of Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

With the global aging population, addressing prevalent age-related conditions such as osteoporosis and sarcopenia is crucial. Traditional nutritional strategies focusing on single nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, or protein have limitations, prompting a nuanced exploration of the relationship between aging, nutrition, and musculoskeletal health. This cross-sectional study examines the complex interplay between dietary intake of macronutrients, common micronutrients, and water, as well as their association with musculoskeletal health in adults aged 50 to 80 years, using U.

CD63 + tumor-associated macrophages drive the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lipid reprogramming.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a substantial part of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study was devised to explore TAM diversity and their roles in HCC progression.

Methods: Through the integration of multiple 10 × single-cell transcriptomic data derived from HCC samples and the use of consensus nonnegative matrix factorization (an unsupervised clustering algorithm), TAM molecular subtypes and expression programs were evaluated in detail.

Deep Learning Model for Predicting Proliferative Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI: Implications for Early Recurrence Prediction Following Radical Resection.

Rationale And Objectives: The proliferative nature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely related to early recurrence following radical resection. This study develops and validates a deep learning (DL) prediction model to distinguish between proliferative and non-proliferative HCCs using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), aiming to refine preoperative assessments and optimize treatment strategies by assessing early recurrence risk.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, 355 HCC patients from two Chinese medical centers (April 2018-February 2023) who underwent radical resection were included.

Tumor Microenvironment-Activatable Phototheranostic: Leveraging Nitric Oxide and Weak Acidity as Dual Biomarkers for Ratiometric Fluorescence, Photoacoustic Imaging, and Photothermal Therapy.

Tumor microenvironment-responsive phototheranostic agents are highly sought after for their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment specificity. Here, we introduce a novel single-molecule probe, , which is activated by nitric oxide (NO) and weak acidity, enabling dual-mode imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. In acidic environments with elevated NO levels, exhibits a distinctive ratiometric fluorescence signal shift from the red to near-infrared, accompanied by a 700 nm photoacoustic signal.