Nonlinear association between the serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio and all cause mortality in patients with hypertension: a ten-year cohort study using the NHANES database.

The serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio (UCR) may be a simple method for assessing xanthine oxidase overactivation, which may contribute to an increase in serum uric acid production and oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the nonlinear association between the UCR and long-term mortality in patients with hypertension. Data were acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database, and a total of 11,346 patients with hypertension were included.

IQGAP3 activates Hedgehog signaling to confer stemness and metastasis via up-regulating GLI1 in lung cancer.

Lung cancer ranks as the most prevalent malignant neoplasm worldwide, contributing significantly to cancer-related mortality. Stemness is a well-recognized factor underlying radiotherapy resistance, recurrence and metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Our prior investigations have established the role of IQ motif containing GTPase-activating protein 3 (IQGAP3) in mediating radiotherapy resistance in lung cancer, but its impact on lung cancer stemness remains unexplored.

Biomimetic membrane-coated nanoparticles specially permeate the inflammatory blood-brain barrier to deliver plasmin therapy for brain metastases.

Many brain-targeting drug delivery strategies have been reported to permeate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) via hijacking receptor-mediated transport. However, these receptor-based strategies could mediate whole-brain BBB crossing due to the wide intracranial expression of target receptors and lead to unwanted accumulation and side effects on healthy brain tissues. Inspired by brain metastatic processes and the selectivity of brain metastatic cancer cells for the inflammatory BBB, a biomimetic nanoparticle was developed by coating drug-loaded core with the inflammatory BBB-seeking erythrocyte-brain metastatic hybrid membrane, which can resist homotypic aggregation and specially bind and permeate the inflammatory BBB for specific drug delivery.

Interleukin-13 partly induced by the NLRP3 inflammasome promotes Trichinella spiralis encapsulation in infected mice.

Trichinella spiralis infection is a serious parasitic zoonosis in which a collagenous capsule surrounding the larva is developed in the striated muscle cells. However, the mechanism of T. spiralis encapsulation is currently poorly understood.

Targeting autophagy plus high-dose CDK4/6 inhibitors in advanced HR+HER2- breast cancer: A phase 1b/2 trial.

Background: The unmet needs of managing patients with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer who progress after cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) treatment remain unclarified.

Methods: This was a phase 1b/2, single-arm, open-label study that enrolled 29 patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer who experienced first-line palbociclib treatment failure. The primary endpoint was the incidence of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT).

Apelin deficiency exacerbates cardiac injury following infarction by accelerating cardiomyocyte ferroptosis.

Apelin is an endogenous ligand for the Apelin receptor and is a critical protective effector in myocardial infarction (MI). Nevertheless, these protective mechanisms are not fully understood. Ferroptosis is the major driving factor of MI.

pH-Ultrasensitive Membranolytic Polyesters with Alternating Sequence of Ionizable and Hydrophobic Groups for Selective Oncolytic Therapy.

Oncolytic therapy, inducing cell death via cell membrane lysis, holds considerable promise in cancer treatment. However, achieving precise control over the structure and function of oncolytic materials for highly selective oncolytic therapy is a key challenge in the context of the subtle differences between tumor and normal tissues/cells. Herein, we report the development of pH-ultrasensitive oncolytic polyesters (pOPs) with an alternating sequence of ionizable and hydrophobic groups.

Autophagy Modulates Glioblastoma Cell Sensitivity to Selinexor-mediated XPO1 inhibition.

Background: Selinexor is a selective inhibitor of exportin-1 (XPO1), a key mediator of the nucleocytoplasmic transport for molecules critical to tumor cell survival. Selinexor's lethality is generally associated with the induction of apoptosis, and in some cases, with autophagy-induced apoptosis. We performed this study to determine Selinexor's action in glioblastoma (GBM) cells, which are notoriously resistant to apoptosis.

Highly Efficient Analysis on Biomass Carbohydrate Mixtures by DREAMTIME NMR Spectroscopy.

Proton (H) NMR spectroscopy presents a powerful tool for biomass mixture studies by revealing the involved chemical compounds with identified ingredients and molecular structures. However, conventional H NMR generally suffers from spectral congestion when measuring biomass mixtures, particularly biomass carbohydrate samples, that contain various physically and chemically similar compounds. In this study, a targeted detection NMR approach, DREAMTIME, is exploited for studying biomass carbohydrate mixtures by spectroscopically targeting the desired compounds in separate 1D NMR spectra.

Accumulation of lipophilic and proteinophilic halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) in the different types of feathers of laying hens.

This study investigated the bioaccumulation of halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) in three types of feathers from laying hens through exposure experiments. The HOPs included lipophilic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), as well as proteinophilic perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). Concentrations of PCBs, PBDEs, and short-chain PFCAs (≤8) were significantly higher in the body feathers than in the primary feathers, while long-chain PFCAs (>8) showed no significant differences among primary, tail, and body feathers.

Urinary Circular RNA Panels to Detect HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Large-Scale, Case-Control Study.

Purpose: More than 60% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) do not receive curative therapeutics due to late clinical manifestations and diagnosis. The 5-year survival rate for advanced HCC is approximately 2%. However, curative therapies for HCC detected early can improve the 5-year survival rate to >70%.

Microcystins Exposure and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study in Central China.

A growing body of evidence indicates that microcystins (MCs) exposure may cause metabolic diseases. However, studies exploring the effects of MCs exposure on the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in humans are currently lacking, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study in central China to explore the effect of serum MCs on MetS, and assessed the mediation effects of the inflammation biomarker, white blood cell (WBC) level, in this relationship.

Cembranoid Diterpenes from South China Sea Soft Coral .

Cembranoid diterpenes are characteristic compounds of soft corals with diverse structures and significant activities, making them an important source of drug lead compounds. In this paper, five new cembranoid diterpenes, meijicrassolins A-E (-), were isolated from the soft coral , along with five previously reported compounds (-). The structures and absolute configuration for new compounds - were assigned by extensive spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, quantum mechanical nuclear magnetic resonance (QM-NMR), and time-dependent density functional theory/electronic circular dichroism (TDDFT/ECD) calculations.

An NIR-II Two-Photon Excitable AIE Photosensitizer for Precise and Efficient Treatment of Orthotopic Small-Size Glioblastoma.

The existence of residual small-size tumors after surgery is a major factor contributing to the high recurrence rate of glioblastoma (GBM). Conventional adjuvant therapeutics involving both chemotherapy and radiotherapy usually exhibit unsatisfactory efficacy and severe side effects. Recently, two-photon photodynamic therapy (TP-PDT), especially excited by the second near-infrared (NIR-II) light, offers an unprecedented opportunity to address this challenge, attributed to its combinational merits of PDT and TP excitation.

Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid-on-a-Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment.

While tumor organoids have revolutionized cancer research by recapitulating the cellular architecture and behaviors of real tumors in vitro, their lack of functional vasculature hinders their attainment of full physiological capabilities. Current efforts to vascularize organoids are struggling to achieve well-defined vascular networks, mimicking the intricate hierarchy observed in vivo, which restricts the physiological relevance particularly for studying tumor progression and response to therapies targeting the tumor vasculature. An innovative vascularized patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs)-on-a-chip with hierarchical, tumor-specific microvasculature is presented, providing a versatile platform to explore tumor-vascular dynamics and antivascular drug efficacy.

Prognostic implications of increased and final quantitative flow ratios in patients treated with drug-coated balloons physiological evaluation after DCB in de novo lesions.

Background: Few studies investigated the implications of post-PCI QFR and post-PCI ΔQFR (absolute increase of QFR) in de novo lesions of small coronary disease after drug-coated balloon (DCB).

Objectives: We sought to investigate the prognostic implications of post-PCI QFR and post-PCI ΔQFR in patients who received DCB only.

Methods: Patients were divided according to the optimal cutoff value of the post-PCI QFR and the post-PCI ΔQFR.

Plasma biomarkers in patients with age-related sarcopenia: a proteomic exploration and experimental validation.

Background: Various biomarkers associated with sarcopenia have been identified. However, there is a scarcity of studies exploring and validating biomarkers in individuals with age-related sarcopenia.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the proteome and identify potential biomarkers for age-related sarcopenia.

[AKBA combined with doxorubicin inhibits proliferation and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and xenograft growth in nude mice].

Objectives: To investigate the synergistic inhibitory effects of AKBA and doxorubicin on malignant phenotype of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 cells.

Methods: CCK-8 assay was used to determine the 48-h IC of AKBA and doxorubicin in MDA-MB-231 cells, and SynergyFinder was employed to calculate the synergistic index and the optimal concentrations of the two agents. MDA-MB-231 cells treated with AKBA (22.

KCNJ15 inhibits chemical-induced lung carcinogenesis and progression through GNB1 mediated Hippo pathway.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been regarded as important environmental carcinogens that can cause lung cancer. However, the underlying epigenetic mechanism during PAHs-induced lung carcinogenesis has remained largely unknown. Previously, we screened some novel epigenetic regulatory genes during 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MCA)-induced lung carcinogenesis, including the potassium inwardly rectifying channel subfamily J member 15 (KCNJ15) gene.

Trehalose and Mannitol Based Lyoprotetion of Taq DNA Polymerase for Cold-chain-free Long-term Storage.

Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) are most reliable and precise means for nucleic acid analysis of biological samples. A cold-chain system with temperature at around -20°C is generally necessary for storage and transportation of PCR-related reagents. In order to facilitate ambient temperature storage and transportation, this study prepared Taq DNA polymerase and 5 × HS-Taq Mix (as low as 0.

Intelligent sequential degradation hydrogels by releasing bimetal-phenolic for enhanced diabetic wound healing.

Healing of diabetic wounds is significantly impeded by a complex environment comprising biofilm formation, excessive inflammation, and compromised angiogenic capacity, leading to a disordered physiological healing process. Restoration and maintenance of a normal and orderly healing process in diabetic wounds remain unmet therapeutic objectives. Herein, an innovative bimetal-phenolic network hydrogel system is designed with a concentric circular structure, enabling dual-drug delivery with differentiated release kinetics.

Disease Modules Associated with Unfavorable Sleep Patterns and Their Genetic Determinants: A Prospective Cohort Study of the UK Biobank.

Unlabelled: Despite the established associations between sleep-related traits and major diseases, comprehensive assessment on affected disease modules and their genetic determinants is lacking. Using multiple correspondence analysis and the k-means clustering algorithm, 235,826 eligible participants were clustered into distinct unfavorable sleep patterns [short sleep duration ( = 10,073), snoring (22,419), insomnia (102,771), insomnia and snoring (62,909)] and favorable sleep pattern groups (37,654). The associations of unfavorable sleep patterns with 134 diseases were estimated using Cox regression models; and comorbidity network analyses were applied for disease module identification.

EGFR Mutation Rates Correlate with Age at Diagnosis and Tumor Characteristics in Patients with Pulmonary Ground-Glass Opacities.

Background: To clearly reveal the correlations between tumor characteristics, age at diagnosis, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation rates in patients with pulmonary ground-glass opacities (GGOs).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1473 patients with GGOs between January 2015 and May 2020 from two cancer centers. The tumor characteristics and EGFR mutation rates were compared between different age groups.