Melatonin protects aged oocytes from depalmitoylation-mediated quality reduction by promoting PPT1 degradation and antioxidation.

Oocyte aging is closely related to a decline in female fertility, accompanied by increased reactive oxygen species levels and changes in protein posttranslational modifications. However, the role of protein palmitoylation in oocyte aging has not been investigated. In the present study, a new association between redox and palmitoylation in aging oocytes was found.

Ambient coarse particulate matter pollution and hospital admissions for schizophrenia.

Objective: To investigate the association between ambient coarse particulate matter (PM) pollution and risk of acute schizophrenia episodes.

Methods: A time-stratified case-crossover study with a two-stage analytical approach was conducted to investigate the association between ambient PM pollution and schizophrenia admissions (an indicator for acute schizophrenia episodes) across 259 Chinese cities of prefecture-level or above during 2013-2017. A conditional logistic regression model was constructed to estimate city-specific changes in hospital admissions for schizophrenia associated with per interquartile range (IQR) increase in ambient PM, and the overall associations were obtained by pooling the city-specific associations using the random-effects model.

A preliminary study of microwave ablation (MWA) for Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (≤3 cm).

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of patients with Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (FNs) (≤3 cm).

Methods: In the retrospective study, patients who underwent MWA for Bethesda IV follicular neoplasms (≤3 cm) were included. Technical success, volume reduction, disease progression, and adverse event (AE) rates were analyzed postablation.

HemaScope: A Tool for Analyzing Single-cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Data of Hematopoietic Cells.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) techniques hold great value in evaluating the heterogeneity and spatial characteristics of hematopoietic cells within tissues. These two techniques are highly complementary, with scRNA-seq offering single-cell resolution and ST retaining spatial information. However, there is an urgent demand for well-organized and user-friendly toolkits capable of handling single-cell and spatial information.

Protocol for alleviating alcohol-induced conditioned place preference in mice using alternating bilateral sensory stimulation.

Alternating bilateral sensory stimulation (ABS) is a clinical physical therapy technique effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its utilization in treating conditions beyond PTSD remains limited. Here, we present a protocol to reduce ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) using 4 Hz ABS.

Protocol for identifying Dicer as dsRNA binding and cleaving reagent in response to transfected dsRNA.

Mammalian Dicer has been proved to be functional on double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) and involved in antiviral immunity or immune regulation. Here, we present a protocol for identifying Dicer as a dsRNA binding and cleaving factor to transfected dsRNA in cell lines, based on small RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and dsRNA-immunoprecipitation (dsRNA-IP). We detail both experimental processes and analysis on small RNA-seq data.

Protocol for extraction of gut interstitial fluid in mice with two-front nutrient supply.

The intestine features a two-front nutrient supply environment, comprising an enteral side enriched with microbial and dietary metabolites and a serosal side supplied by systemic nutrients, collectively supporting intestinal and systemic homeostasis, but there is currently no optimal approach for extracting and assessing the local intestinal microenvironment. Here, we present a protocol for constructing a nutrient supply model in mice and extracting gut interstitial fluid (GIF) via centrifugation. This model and the extracted GIF are suitable for downstream analyses.

Epiregulin ameliorates ovariectomy-induced bone loss through orchestrating the differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

Epiregulin plays a role in a range of biological activities including malignancies. This study aims to investigate the potential contribution of epiregulin to bone cell differentiation and bone homeostasis. The data showed that epiregulin expression was upregulated during osteogenesis but downregulated during adipogenesis.

Targeting the IKZF1/BCL-2 axis as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia.

Objectives: Acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a severe hematologic malignancy with limited treatment options and poor long-term survival. This study explores the role of IKZF1 in regulating BCL-2 expression in T-ALL.

Methods: CUT&Tag and CUT&Run assays were employed to assess IKZF1 binding to the BCL-2 promoter.

Unveiling the Dark Side of Flavonoid: Rutin Provokes Hepatotoxicity in Low-Dose 2-Amino-3-methylimidazo [4,5-] Quinoline-Exposed Mice via Regulating Gut Microbiota and Liver Metabolism.

2-Amino-3-methylimidazole [4,5-] quinoline (IQ) is a kind of heterocyclic amine (HCAs) with high carcinogenicity in hot processed meat. Rutin (Ru) is a flavonoid compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, whether Ru is scatheless under IQ-stimulated potential unhealthy conditions, especially liver function, in vivo, is unknown.

Predictive value of insulin resistance metabolic score for cardiovascular disease in Chinese arthritis patients: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Although patients with arthritis have significantly increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, effective prediction tools remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (METS-IR) for CVD events among Chinese patients with arthritis.

Methods: Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we conducted a 7-year prospective cohort study (2011-2018) involving 1,059 patients with arthritis.

doubletrouble: an R/Bioconductor package for the identification, classification, and analysis of gene and genome duplications.

Summary: Gene and genome duplications are major evolutionary forces that shape the diversity and complexity of life. However, different duplication modes have distinct impacts on gene function, expression, and regulation. Existing tools for identifying and classifying duplicated genes are either outdated or not user-friendly.

Effects of Probiotics and Diet Management in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Context: The efficacy of probiotics and diet management in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is controversial, and their relative effectiveness remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotics, diet management, and their combination on IBS.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched from inception to July 10, 2023, for relevant studies, including symptom relief, IBS-symptom severity score (-SSS), and IBS-quality of life measure (-QOL).

Outcomes and Challenges of Transumbilical Single-Port Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Retrospective Analysis Based on Height and BMI.

Background: Transumbilical single-port sleeve gastrectomy (SPSG) is a minimally invasive bariatric surgery that offers cosmetic benefits. However, the procedure's feasibility in patients with higher BMI or taller stature remains debated. This study evaluates the outcomes of SPSG based on patient height and BMI.

Land use dynamics and their impact on hydrology and water quality of a river catchment: a comprehensive analysis and future scenario.

Land use changes profoundly affect hydrological processes and water quality at various scales, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of sustainable water resource management. This paper investigates the implications of land use alterations in the Gap-Cheon watershed, analyzing data from 2012 and 2022 and predicting changes up to 2052 using the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model. The study employs the Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) model to assess water quantity and quality dynamics.

Targeted Delivery of SmacN7 Peptide Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Cervical Cancer Treatment.

Cervical cancer is a common tumor in women and one of the common causes of cancer death in women. Due to the aggressive and non-specific nature of traditional chemotherapy, there is a growing need for new treatment modalities. Currently, tumor immunotherapy is increasingly garnering attention as a disruptive treatment approach.

Adjuvant radiation therapy improves outcome of patients with surgical resected adrenocortical carcinoma.

Purpose: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy known for high rates of recurrence and poor prognosis. Previous studies revealed controversial roles of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patient management. This study aimed to investigate the role of adjuvant RT in postoperative ACC patients.

Growth hormone improves the pregnancy outcomes in poor ovarian responders undergoing in vitro fertilization: an umbrella review.

Poor ovarian response (POR) significantly impacts the success of assisted reproductive technology (ART), and growth hormone (GH) has been proposed as an adjuvant treatment to improve outcomes in POR patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of GH in enhancing pregnancy outcomes, registering a protocol on PROSPERO and searching multiple databases up to September 2023. Twelve systematic reviews/meta-analysis and 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1984 patients were included.

The predictive value of radiomics and deep learning for synchronous distant metastasis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: The objective of this research was to devise and authenticate a predictive model that employs CT radiomics and deep learning methodologies for the accurate prediction of synchronous distant metastasis (SDM) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods: A total of 143 ccRCC patients were included in the training cohort, and 62 ccRCC patients were included in the validation cohort. The CT images from all patients were normalized, and the tumor regions were manually segmented via ITK-SNAP software.

A multiscale molecular structural neural network for molecular property prediction.

Molecular Property Prediction (MPP) is a fundamental task in important research fields such as chemistry, materials, biology, and medicine, where traditional computational chemistry methods based on quantum mechanics often consume substantial time and computing power. In recent years, machine learning has been increasingly used in computational chemistry, in which graph neural networks have shown good performance in molecular property prediction tasks, but they have some limitations in terms of generalizability, interpretability, and certainty. In order to address the above challenges, a Multiscale Molecular Structural Neural Network (MMSNet) is proposed in this paper, which obtains rich multiscale molecular representations through the information fusion between bonded and non-bonded "message passing" structures at the atomic scale and spatial feature information "encoder-decoder" structures at the molecular scale; a multi-level attention mechanism is introduced on the basis of theoretical analysis of molecular mechanics in order to enhance the model's interpretability; the prediction results of MMSNet are used as label values and clustered in the molecular library by the K-NN (K-Nearest Neighbors) algorithm to reverse match the spatial structure of the molecules, and the certainty of the model is quantified by comparing virtual screening results across different K-values.

Inhibitors of NADH-O-methylquinone compound a class of antitubercular drugs.

Disruption of the mycobacterial redox homeostasis leads to irreversible stress induction and cell death. Hydroquinone scaffolds, as a new type of redox cycling anti-tuberculosis chemotypes, exhibit potent bactericidal activity against non-replicating, nutrient-deprived phenotypically drug-resistant bacteria. Evidences from microbiological, biochemical, and genetic studies indicate that the redox-driven mode of action relies on the reduction of quinones by type II NADH dehydrogenase (NDH2), generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) of bactericidal level.

SLC39A10 is a key zinc transporter in T cells and its loss mitigates autoimmune disease.

Zinc homeostasis plays an essential role in maintaining immune function and is tightly regulated by zinc transporters. We previously reported that the zinc transporter SLC39A10, located in the cell membrane, critically regulates the susceptibility of macrophages to inflammatory stimuli; however, the functional role of SLC39A10 in T cells is currently unknown. Here, we identified two SNPs in SLC39A10 that are associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Pilot work of the 10K Chinese People Genomic Diversity Project along the Silk Road suggests a complex east-west admixture landscape and biological adaptations.

Genomic sources from China are underrepresented in the population-specific reference database. We performed whole-genome sequencing or genome-wide genotyping on 1,207 individuals from four linguistically diverse groups (1,081 Sinitic, 56 Mongolic, 40 Turkic, and 30 Tibeto-Burman people) living in North China included in the 10K Chinese People Genomic Diversity Project (10K_CPGDP) to characterize the genetic architecture and adaptative history of ethnic groups in the Silk Road Region of China. We observed a population split between Northwest Chinese minorities (NWCMs) and Han Chinese since the Upper Paleolithic and later Neolithic genetic differentiation within NWCMs.

Optimized inner ear organoids for efficient hair cell generation and ototoxicity response modeling.

Hair cells in the mammalian cochlea are highly vulnerable to damage from drug toxicity, noise exposure, aging, and genetic mutations, with no capacity for regeneration. Progress in hair cell protection research has been limited by the scarcity of cochlear tissue and suitable in vitro models. Here, we present a novel one-step, self-organizing inner ear organoid system optimized with small molecules, which bypasses the need for multi-step expansion and forced differentiation protocols.