Single-cell and spatial analysis reveals the interaction between ITLN1 foam cells and SPP1 macrophages in atherosclerosis.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by atherosclerosis (AS) remains the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Understanding cellular heterogeneity within the inflammatory microenvironment is crucial for advancing disease management strategies. This study investigates the regulatory functions of distinct cell populations in AS pathogenesis, focusing on the interaction between vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)-derived ITLN1 foam cells and SPP1 FABP5 macrophages.

VSIG4 tumor-associated macrophages mediate neutrophil infiltration and impair antigen-specific immunity in aggressive cancers through epigenetic regulation of SPP1.

V-set and immunoglobulin domain-containing 4 (VSIG4) positive tumor-associated macrophage (VSIG4 TAM) is an immunosuppressive subpopulation newly identified in aggressive cancers. However, the mechanism how VSIG4 TAMs mediate immune evasion in aggressive cancers have not been fully elucidated. In our study, we found targeting VSIG4 TAMs by VSIG4 deficiency or blockade remarkably limited tumor growth and metastasis, especially those derived from anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and pancreatic cancer, two extremely aggressive types.

Uncovering the naturally occurring covalent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 M from the Chinese medicine sappanwood and deciphering their synergistic anti-M effects.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Chinese medicine sappanwood is primarily sourced from the dried heartwood of the medicinal plant Caesalpinia sappan Linn., which has been found with a variety of valuable properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-viral effects. Preliminary investigations have demonstrated that sappanwood showed strong anti-SARS-CoV-2 M effects, but the key constituents responsible for SARS-CoV-2 M inhibition and their anti-M mechanisms have not been uncovered.

Unraveling Spatiotemporal Metabolic Perturbation of Amino Acids Associated with Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by MALDI MS Imaging.

Various complex metabolic perturbations are involved in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, limited data have been reported on dynamic spatiotemporal metabolic perturbations of amino acids (AAs) in I/R injured rat brains. In this work, a combination of laser-assisted chemical transfer (LACT) and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was applied to the enhancement of on-tissue derivatization of AAs for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of their dynamic spatiotemporal changes during I/R injury.

Maintenance of magnesium homeostasis by NUF2 promotes protein synthesis and anaplastic thyroid cancer progression.

Thyroid cancer is the most frequently observed endocrine-related malignancy among which anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the most fatal subtype. The synthesis of protein is active to satisfy the rapid growth of ATC tumor, but the mechanisms regulating protein synthesis are still unknown. Our research revealed that kinetochore protein NUF2 played an essential role in protein synthesis and drove the progression of ATC.

The mechanism of action of Botrychium (Thunb.) Sw. for prevention of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis based on 1H-NMR-based metabolomics.

Objectives: This study aimed to reveal the anti-fibrotic effects of Botrychium ternatum (Thunb.) Sw. (BT) against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and to preliminarily analyze its potential mechanism on bleomycin-induced IPF rats.

Targeting SIGLEC15 as an emerging immunotherapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most aggressive subtype of thyroid cancer with few effective therapies. Though immunotherapies such as targeting PD-1/PD-L1 axis have benefited patients with solid tumor, the druggable immune checkpoints are quite limited in ATC. In our study, we focused on the anti-tumor potential of sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectins (Siglecs) in ATC.

Disrupting glycolysis and DNA repair in anaplastic thyroid cancer with nucleus-targeting platinum nanoclusters.

Cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis and DNA repair signals to drive tumor growth and develop drug resistance. Yet, fine-tuning aerobic glycolysis with the assist of nanotechnology, for example, dampening lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) for cancer cell metabolic reprograming remains to be investigated. Here we focus on anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) as an extremely malignant cancer with the high expression of LDH, and develop a pH-responsive and nucleus-targeting platinum nanocluster (Pt@TAT/sPEG) to simultaneously targets LDH and exacerbates DNA damage.

New Insights into the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 on Metabolic Organs: A Narrative Review of COVID-19 Induced Diabetes.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced new-onset diabetes has raised widespread concerns. Increased glucose concentration and insulin resistance levels were observed in the COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 patients with newly diagnosed diabetes may have worse clinical outcomes and can have serious consequences.

BUB1/KIF14 complex promotes anaplastic thyroid carcinoma progression by inducing chromosome instability.

Chromosome instability (CIN) is a common contributor driving the formation and progression of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), but its mechanism remains unclear. The BUB1 mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase (BUB1) is responsible for the alignment of mitotic chromosomes, which has not been thoroughly studied in ATC. Our research demonstrated that BUB1 was remarkably upregulated and closely related to worse progression-free survival.

Epigenetic inhibition of CTCF by HN1 promotes dedifferentiation and stemness of anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the deadliest cancers, whose important malignant feature is dedifferentiation. Chromatin remodeling is critical for tumorigenesis and progression, while its roles and regulator in facilitating dedifferentiation of ATC had been poorly understood. In our study, an emerging function of hematological and neurological expressed 1 (HN1) in promoting dedifferentiation of ATC cells was uncovered.

Immunological characteristics of immunogenic cell death genes and malignant progression driving roles of TLR4 in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) was a rare malignancy featured with the weak immunotherapeutic response. So far, disorders of immunogenic cell death genes (ICDGs) were identified as the driving factors in cancer progression, while their roles in ATC remained poorly clear. Datasets analysis identified that most ICDGs were high expressed in ATC, while DE-ICDGs were located in module c1_112, which was mainly enriched in Toll-like receptor signalings.

Identification and validation of subclusters of papillary thyroid carcinoma based on Human Phenotype Ontology.

Background: The increase in the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has prompted researchers to establish a diagnostic model and identify functional subclusters. The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) platform is widely available for differential diagnostics and phenotype-driven investigations based on next-generation sequence-variation data. However, a systematic and comprehensive study to identify and validate PTC subclusters based on HPO is lacking.

The alcohol extracts of Sceptridium ternatum (Thunb.) Lyon exert anti-pulmonary fibrosis effect through targeting SETDB1/STAT3/p-STAT3 signaling.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a pathological process of irreversible scarring of lung tissues, with limited treatment means. Sceptridium ternatum (Thunb.) Lyon (STE) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has a traditional use in relieving cough and asthma, resolving phlegm, clearing heat, and detoxicating in China.

The tumor ecosystem in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and advances in ecotherapy.

The development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a multi-step process, and its survival depends on a complex tumor ecosystem, which not only promotes tumor growth but also helps to protect tumor cells from immune surveillance. With the advances of existing technologies and emerging models for ecosystem research, the evidence for cell-cell interplay is increasing. Herein, we discuss the recent advances in understanding the interaction between tumor cells, the major components of the HNSCC tumor ecosystem, and summarize the mechanisms of how biological and abiotic factors affect the tumor ecosystem.

Exploration of novel dihydroquinoxalinone derivatives as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.

To overcome or delay the drug-resistance of first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors and non-selectivity toxicity mediated by second-generation inhibitors, splicing principle was employed to design and synthesize a series of Osimertinib derivatives containing dihydroquinoxalinone (8-30) as the novel third-generation inhibitors against double mutant L858R/T790M in EGFR. Among them, compound 29 showed excellent kinase inhibitory activity against EGFR with an IC value of 0.55 ± 0.

SOX17 is a Critical Factor in Maintaining Endothelial Function in Pulmonary Hypertension by an Exosome-Mediated Autocrine Manner.

Endothelial dysfunction is considered a predominant driver for pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension (PH). SOX17, a key regulator of vascular homoeostasis, has been found to harbor mutations in PH patients, which are associated with PH susceptibility. Here, this study explores whether SOX17 mediates the autocrine activity of pulmonary artery ECs to maintain endothelial function and vascular homeostasis in PH and its underlying mechanism.

ASPM promotes migration and invasion of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma by stabilizing KIF11.

Abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated (ASPM) protein is crucial to the mitotic spindle function during cell replication and tumor progression in multiple tumor types. However, the effect of ASPM in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) has not yet been understood. The present study is to elucidate the function of ASPM in the migration and invasion of ATC.

Radioiodine therapy in advanced differentiated thyroid cancer: Resistance and overcoming strategy.

Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine tumor and its incidence is fast-growing worldwide in recent years. Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common pathological subtype which is typically curable with surgery and Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy (approximately 85%). Radioactive iodine is the first-line treatment for patients with metastatic Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC).

IL2RAVSIG4 tumor-associated macrophage is a key subpopulation of the immunosuppressive microenvironment in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Extensive infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages was correlated poor prognosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC). However, the heterogeneity and characteristics of the ATC-associated macrophages (ATAMs) in ATC remain far from clear. We combined single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis and gene expression microarray datasets to assess the molecular signature of ATAMs.