Flavonoids for gastrointestinal tract local and associated systemic effects: A review of clinical trials and future perspectives.

Background: Flavonoids are naturally occurring dietary phytochemicals with significant antioxidant effects aside from several health benefits. People often consume them in combination with other food components. Compiling data establishes a link between bioactive flavonoids and prevention of several diseases in animal models, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, gut dysbiosis, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Conference 2024: Building an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health.

The Conference 2024 provides a platform to promote the development of an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health. The four key components - Technology, Research (Biology), Academic journals, and Social media - form a synergistic ecosystem. Advanced technologies drive biological research, which generates novel insights that are disseminated through academic journals.

Gut protects against fat deposition by enhancing secondary bile acid biosynthesis.

Gut microbiome is crucial for lipid metabolism in humans and animals. However, how specific gut microbiota and their associated metabolites impact fat deposition remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that the colonic microbiome of lean and obese pigs differentially contributes to fat deposition, as evidenced by colonic microbiota transplantation experiments.

Metastatic brain tumors: from development to cutting-edge treatment.

Metastatic brain tumors, also called brain metastasis (BM), represent a challenging complication of advanced tumors. Tumors that commonly metastasize to the brain include lung cancer and breast cancer. In recent years, the prognosis for BM patients has improved, and significant advancements have been made in both clinical and preclinical research.

Insights into the historical trajectory and research trends of immune checkpoint blockade in colorectal cancer: visualization and bibliometric analysis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor that poses a significant threat to human health due to rising incidence and mortality rates. In recent years, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, represented by Programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1), T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), and others, has been widely applied in CRC and has achieved encouraging results in some patients and has become a hot topic in both clinical and basic research.

Objective: This study undertakes a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of ICB research in CRC, aiming to evaluate the current status, identify future trends, and provide scientific insights for researchers and decision-makers.

 (Rubiaceae), a new species from south-western China and northern Vietnam.

, a new species from south-western China and northern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. The new species is characterised by the glabrous surfaces on almost all plant parts, congested inflorescences and broad-ovate to ovate bracts 9-22 × 4-11 mm. It morphologically differs from the closest species, , mainly in most plant parts being glabrous, bracts broad-ovate to ovate, apex acute or sometimes obtuse, corollas inside with a ring of white hairs at the middle and anthers inserted near the middle in long-styled flowers.

Targeting immunosenescence for improved tumor immunotherapy.

Tumor immunotherapy has significantly transformed the field of oncology over the past decade. An optimal tumor immunotherapy would ideally elicit robust innate and adaptive immune responses within tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Unfortunately, immune system experiences functional decline with chronological age, a process termed "immunosenescence," which contributes to impaired immune responses against pathogens, suboptimal vaccination outcomes, and heightened vulnerability to various diseases, including cancer.

Feeder cell training shapes the phenotype and function of in vitro expanded natural killer cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells are candidates for adoptive cell therapy, and the protocols for their activation and expansion profoundly influence their function and fate. The complexity of NK cell origin and feeder cell cues impacts the heterogeneity of expanded NK (eNK) cells. To explore this, we compared the phenotype and function of peripheral blood-derived NK (PB-NK) and umbilical cord blood-derived NK (UCB-NK) cells activated by common feeder cell lines, including K562, PLH, and 221.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 controls melanoma metastasis and vulnerability to ferroptosis through targeting SIRT1/PTEN/PI3K signaling.

Metastasis is a major contributing factor that affects the prognosis of melanoma patients. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in melanoma metastasis are not yet entirely understood. Here, we identified ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) as a pro-oncogenic protein in melanoma through screening the survival profiles of 52 ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs).

Airway epithelial-derived exosomes induce acute asthma exacerbation after respiratory syncytial virus infection.

Acute asthma exacerbation refers to the progressive deterioration of asthma symptoms that is always triggered by virus infection represented by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). After RSV infection, exaggerated Th2-mediated pulmonary inflammation is the critical pathological response of asthmatic patients with acute exacerbation. Significantly, airway epithelial cells, being the primary targets of RSV infection, play a crucial role in controlling the pulmonary inflammatory response by releasing airway epithelial cell-derived exosomes (AEC-Exos), which potentially influence the development of asthma.

Metabolic shifts during coffee consumption refresh the immune response: insight from comprehensive multiomics analysis.

Coffee, a widely consumed beverage, has shown benefits for human health but lacks sufficient basic and clinical evidence to fully understand its impacts and mechanisms. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study of coffee consumption and a 1-month clinical trial in humans. We found that coffee consumption significantly reshaped the immune system and metabolism, including reduced levels of inflammatory factors and a reduced frequency of senescent T cells.

Durable superhydrophobic surface in wearable sensors: From nature to application.

The current generation of wearable sensors often experiences signal interference and external corrosion, leading to device degradation and failure. To address these challenges, the biomimetic superhydrophobic approach has been developed, which offers self-cleaning, low adhesion, corrosion resistance, anti-interference, and other properties. Such surfaces possess hierarchical nanostructures and low surface energy, resulting in a smaller contact area with the skin or external environment.

Tweety homolog 3 promotes colorectal cancer progression through mutual regulation of histone deacetylase 7.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading cancers worldwide, with metastasis being a major cause of high mortality rates among patients. In this study, dysregulated gene Tweety homolog 3 (TTYH3) was identified by Gene Expression Omnibus database. Public databases were used to predict potential competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) for TTYH3.

Efficacy and Safety of Ongericimab in Chinese Patients With Primary Hypercholesterolemia and Mixed Dyslipidemia.

Background: A phase 3 trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ongericimab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, as an add-on treatment to optimized lipid-lowering therapy in Chinese patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia.

Methods And Results: A total of 806 patients who were receiving stable and optimized lipid-lowering therapy but did not achieve their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 2:1:2:1 ratio to receive either ongericimab 150 mg or matching placebo every 2 weeks, or ongericimab 300 mg or matching placebo every 4 weeks for 52 weeks. Efficacy and safety were evaluated in 802 patients who received at least 1 dose of ongericimab or placebo.

Assessing mechanisms for microbial taxa and community dynamics using process models.

Disentangling the assembly mechanisms controlling community composition, structure, distribution, functions, and dynamics is a central issue in ecology. Although various approaches have been proposed to examine community assembly mechanisms, quantitative characterization is challenging, particularly in microbial ecology. Here, we present a novel approach for quantitatively delineating community assembly mechanisms by combining the consumer-resource model with a neutral model in stochastic differential equations.

Liquid biopsy for human cancer: cancer screening, monitoring, and treatment.

Currently, tumor treatment modalities such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy have more stringent requirements for obtaining tumor growth information and require more accurate and easy-to-operate tumor information detection methods. Compared with traditional tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy is a novel, minimally invasive, real-time detection tool for detecting information directly or indirectly released by tumors in human body fluids, which is more suitable for the requirements of new tumor treatment modalities. Liquid biopsy has not been widely used in clinical practice, and there are fewer reviews of related clinical applications.

An integrated classification of tumor suppressor inactivation and oncogenic activation in Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is recognized for its genetic and clinical diversity. In this study, we identified a novel high-risk subset of Ph-like ALL, characterized by the activation of oncogenic signaling and the inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene , resulting in a dismal outcome. The association between cytogenetic aberrations and clinical features was assessed on a cohort of 191 patients with Ph-like ALL.

iPSC-derived NK cells with site-specific integration of CAR19 and IL24 at the multi-copy rDNA locus enhanced antitumor activity and proliferation.

The generation of chimeric antigen receptor-modified natural killer (CAR-NK) cells using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has emerged as one of the paradigms for manufacturing off-the-shelf universal immunotherapy. However, there are still some challenges in enhancing the potency, safety, and multiple actions of CAR-NK cells. Here, iPSCs were site-specifically integrated at the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus with interleukin 24 (IL24) and CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19), and successfully differentiated into iPSC-derived NK (iNK) cells, followed by expansion using magnetic beads in vitro.

The role of social support and self-management on glycemic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus with complications in Ghana: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Diabetes mellitus (DM) can result in detrimental complications which are connected with long-term impairments and disabilities. Chronic complications are well-known consequences of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progression, which reduce patient quality of life, place a burden on the healthcare system, and increase mortality. Measures to promote health outcomes for people with DM are scanty; the study therefore aimed at determining the effects of self-management and social support on glycemic control of T2DM with complications in Ghana.

Epigenetic modifications in obesity-associated diseases.

The global prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic levels, significantly elevating the susceptibility to various cardiometabolic conditions and certain types of cancer. In addition to causing metabolic abnormalities such as insulin resistance (IR), elevated blood glucose and lipids, and ectopic fat deposition, obesity can also damage pancreatic islet cells, endothelial cells, and cardiomyocytes through chronic inflammation, and even promote the development of a microenvironment conducive to cancer initiation. Improper dietary habits and lack of physical exercise are important behavioral factors that increase the risk of obesity, which can affect gene expression through epigenetic modifications.