Mesenchymal stromal cells promote the formation of lung cancer organoids via Kindlin-2.

Background: Patient-derived lung cancer organoids (PD-LCOs) demonstrate exceptional potential in preclinical testing and serve as a promising model for the multimodal management of lung cancer. However, certain lung cancer cells derived from patients exhibit limited capacity to generate organoids due to inter-tumor or intra-tumor variability. To overcome this limitation, we have created an in vitro system that employs mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) or fibroblasts to serve as a supportive scaffold for lung cancer cells that do not form organoids.

Brain iron deposition and cognitive decline in patients with cerebral small vessel disease : a quantitative susceptibility mapping study.

Background: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can study the susceptibility values of brain tissue which allows for noninvasive examination of local brain iron levels in both normal and pathological conditions.

Purpose: Our study compares brain iron deposition in gray matter (GM) nuclei between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients and healthy controls (HCs), exploring factors that affect iron deposition and cognitive function.

Materials And Methods: A total of 321 subjects were enrolled in this study.

The equivalent value (EV)-based workload assessment of primary healthcare workers in Beijing, China.

Background: Quantitative methods for estimating the workload of primary healthcare (PHC) workers are essential for improving the performance of PHC institutions. However, measuring the workload of PHC workers is challenging due to the diverse and complex range of services covered by PHC. This study aims to use an equivalent value (EV)-based approach to assess the workload of PHC workers and inform policymakers about the current workload burden in Beijing, China.

Protective mechanism of safflower yellow injection on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats by activating NLRP3 inflammasome.

Objectives: This study intended to explore whether the protective effect safflower yellow injection (SYI) on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats mediated of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling.

Methods: The I/R model was prepared by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery for 45 min and then releasing the blood flow for 150 min. 96 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham group, I/R group, Hebeishuang group (HBS), SYI high-dose group (I/R + SYI-H), SYI medium-dose group (I/R + SYI-M) and SYI low-dose group (I/R + SYI-L).

An improvement in visual acuity accompanied by the development of RPE tear: a case report.

Background: Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tear is a well-known complication of RPE detachment and is typically associated with significant visual acuity decline. However, in this case, despite the occurrence of an RPE tear there was an unexpected improvement in visual acuity.

Case Presentation: A 68-year-old male presented with blurred vision in his right eye of a month's duration.

Genetic Commonalities Between Metabolic Syndrome and Rheumatic Diseases Through Disease Interactome Modules.

This study aims to elucidate the potential genetic commonalities between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and rheumatic diseases through a disease interactome network, according to publicly available large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The analysis included linkage disequilibrium score regression analysis, cross trait meta-analysis and colocalisation analysis to identify common genetic overlap. Using modular partitioning, the network-based association between the two disease proteins in the protein-protein interaction set was divided and quantified.

An antagonistic role of clock genes and lima1 in kidney regeneration.

The circadian clock genes are known important for kidney development, maturation and physiological functions. However, whether and how they play a role in renal regeneration remain elusive. Here, by using the single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology, we investigated the dynamic gene expression profiles and cell states after acute kidney injury (AKI) by gentamicin treatment in zebrafish.

Chemically engineered antibodies for autophagy-based receptor degradation.

Cell surface receptor-targeted protein degraders hold promise for drug discovery. However, their application is restricted because of the complexity of creating bifunctional degraders and the reliance on specific lysosome-shuttling receptors or E3 ubiquitin ligases. To address these limitations, we developed an autophagy-based plasma membrane protein degradation platform, which we term AUTABs (autophagy-inducing antibodies).

Hemoglobin glycation index and mortality risk in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease patients: a novel U-shaped association.

Identifying dependable prognostic indicators is essential for the efficient management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The index of hemoglobin glycation (HGI) has been demonstrated to be closely linked to the onset and advancement of MASLD. Currently, no studies have investigated the relationship between HGI and mortality rates among MASLD patients.

Sugemule-7 alleviates oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and cell death, promoting synaptic plasticity recovery in mice with postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression (PPD) profoundly impacts the mental and physical health of women globally and is an incurable psychological disorder. Traditional pharmacological treatments often have strong side effects and may adversely affect infant health through breastfeeding, underscoring the critical need for natural and gentle treatment strategies. Sugemule-7, a traditional Chinese medicine comprising multiple natural plant ingredients, represents a potentially safer and more effective alternative.

Suppression of epileptic seizures by transcranial activation of K-selective channelrhodopsin.

Optogenetics is a valuable tool for studying the mechanisms of neurological diseases and is now being developed for therapeutic applications. In rodents and macaques, improved channelrhodopsins have been applied to achieve transcranial optogenetic stimulation. While transcranial photoexcitation of neurons has been achieved, noninvasive optogenetic inhibition for treating hyperexcitability-induced neurological disorders has remained elusive.

Alleviation of liver fibrosis by inhibiting a non-canonical ATF4-regulated enhancer program in hepatic stellate cells.

Liver fibrosis is a critical liver disease that can progress to more severe manifestations, such as cirrhosis, yet no effective targeted therapies are available. Here, we identify that ATF4, a master transcription factor in ER stress response, promotes liver fibrosis by facilitating a stress response-independent epigenetic program in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Unlike its canonical role in regulating UPR genes during ER stress, ATF4 activates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene transcription under fibrogenic conditions.

Integrated healthy lifestyle even in late-life mitigates cognitive decline risk across varied genetic susceptibility.

It remains unclear whether the benefits of adhering to a healthy lifestyle outweigh the effects of high genetic risk on cognitive decline. We examined the association of combined lifestyle factors and genetic risk with changes in cognitive function and six specific dimensions of cognition among older adults from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (1998-2018, n = 18,811, a subset of 6301 participants with genetic information). Compared to participants with an unfavorable lifestyle, those with a favorable lifestyle showed a 46.

Influenza A Virus H7 nanobody recognizes a conserved immunodominant epitope on hemagglutinin head and confers heterosubtypic protection.

Influenza remains a persistent global health challenge, largely due to the virus' continuous antigenic drift and occasional shift, which impede the development of a universal vaccine. To address this, the identification of broadly neutralizing antibodies and their epitopes is crucial. Nanobodies, with their unique characteristics and binding capacity, offer a promising avenue to identify such epitopes.

Near-infrared fluorogenic RNA for in vivo imaging and sensing.

Fluorogenic RNA aptamers have various applications, including use as fluorescent tags for imaging RNA trafficking and as indicators of RNA-based sensors that exhibit fluorescence upon binding small-molecule fluorophores in living cells. Current fluorogenic RNA:fluorophore complexes typically emit visible fluorescence. However, it is challenging to develop fluorogenic RNA with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence for in vivo imaging and sensing studies.

Structure-switchable branched inhibitors regulate the activity of CRISPR-Cas12a for nucleic acid diagnostics.

Background: In current years, the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) based strategies have emerged as the most promising molecular tool in the field of gene editing, intracellular imaging, transcriptional regulation and biosensing. However, the recent CRISPR-based diagnostic technologies still require the incorporation of other amplification strategies (such as polymerase chain reaction) to improve the cis/trans cleavage activity of Cas12a, which complicates the detection workflow and lack of a uniform compatible system to respond to the target in one pot.

Results: To better fully-functioning CRISPR/Cas12a, we reported a novel technique for straightforward nucleic acid detection by incorporating enzyme-responsive steric hindrance-based branched inhibitors with CRISPR/AsCas12a methodology.

Iron-Based Nanomaterials for Modulating Tumor Microenvironment.

Iron-based nanomaterials (IBNMs) have been widely applied in biomedicine applications including magnetic resonance imaging, targeted drug delivery, tumor therapy, and so forth, due to their unique magnetism, excellent biocompatibility, and diverse modalities. Further research on its enormous biomedical potential is still ongoing, and its new features are constantly being tapped and demonstrated. Among them, various types of IBNMs have demonstrated significant cancer therapy capabilities by regulating the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Melatonin attenuates BDE-209-caused spatial memory deficits in juvenile rats through NMDAR-CaMKⅡγ-mediated synapse-to-nucleus signaling.

Flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) accumulate in human bodies through food and dust ingestion, and cause neurobehavioral deficits with obscure mechanism. We aimed to investigate NMDAR-CaMKⅡγ-mediated synapse-to-nuclear communication involved in BDE-209-induced cognitive impairment, and alleviation from exogenous melatonin. Decreased NMDAR subunits GluN2A and 2B, autophosphorylation of CaMKⅡα, and postsynaptic GluA1 trafficking were observed in the hippocampus of juvenile rats after maternal BDE-209 exposure.

TGM2-mediated histone serotonylation promotes HCC progression via MYC signalling pathway.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy with few effective treatment options. H3Q5ser, a serotonin-based histone modification mediated by transglutaminase 2 (TGM2), affects diverse biological processes, such as neurodevelopment. The role of TGM2-mediated H3Q5ser in HCC progression remains unclear.

The first Ranatuerin antimicrobial peptide with LPS-neutralizing and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo.

Pelophylax nigromaculata, common traditional Chinese medicinal material used for several hundreds of years, is one of the most widely distributed amphibians in China. In this study, a novel Ranatuerin-2 family antimicrobial peptide, Rana-2PN, was identified and characterized from its skin, and its structural characteristics and functional activities were studied extensively. First, Rana-2PN exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, displaying minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 12.

How age affects human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and strategies to mitigate HSPC aging.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are central to blood formation and play a pivotal role in hematopoietic and systemic aging. With aging, HSCs undergo significant functional changes, such as an increased stem cell pool, declined homing and reconstitution capacity, and skewed differentiation towards myeloid and megakaryocyte/platelet progenitors. These phenotypic alterations are likely due to the expansion of certain clones, known as clonal hematopoiesis (CH), which leads to disrupted hematopoietic homeostasis, including anemia, impaired immunity, higher risks of hematological malignancies, and even associations with cardiovascular disease, highlighting the broader impact of HSC aging on overall health.

Low shear stress induces vascular endothelial cells apoptosis via miR-330 /SOD2 /HSP70 signaling pathway.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic disease initiated by vascular endothelial dysfunction, with low shear stress (SS) being a critical inducing factor in this dysfunction. Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is closely associated with AS progression. However, the impact of low SS on endothelial apoptosis and its specific molecular mechanisms remains unclear.

Relationship between apoptosis gene DNA methylation and fetal growth and development.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between DNA methylation of cord blood apoptosis genes and low birth weight (LBW).

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 50 pairs of LBW neonates and normal birth weight. Genome-wide methylation assay was performed using Illumina Human Methylation EPIC microarray to analyze the methylation sites of apoptosis-related genes BCL-2, CASP3, and CASP8.