A new NCL-targeting aptamer-drug conjugate as a promising therapy against esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common highly malignant tumors of the digestive system, with a poor prognosis under current treatment regimens. Nucleolin (NCL) is overexpressed in many tumors, and drugs specifically targeting NCL may offer a promising strategy for treating esophageal cancer. Here, we designed and prepared a novel aptamer-conjugated drug targeting NCL by AS1411 aptamer-human serum albumin (HSA)-the apoprotein of lidamycin (LDP)-active enediyne chromophore (AE), in order to achieve targeted treatment of esophageal cancer.

Cognitive control in individuals with heroin use disorder after prolonged methadone maintenance treatment.

Background: Although impaired cognitive control is common during the acute detoxification phase of substance use disorders (SUD) and is considered a major cause of relapse, it remains unclear after prolonged methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). The aim of the present study was to elucidate cognitive control in individuals with heroin use disorder (HUD) after prolonged MMT and its association with previous relapse.

Methods: A total of 63 HUD subjects (41 subjects with previous relapse and 22 non-relapse subjects, mean MMT duration: 12.

Physical literacy among chinese elementary school students: the mediating role of physical knowledge and physical competency.

Background: Physical literacy (PL) is pivotal for improving sedentary behaviors, enhancing intrinsic motivation for physical activity, and supporting the growth and development of adolescents. This study aims to measure the current situation and internal pathway of PL among Chinese elementary school students.

Methods: This study was conducted from June to July 2022 and used multistage cluster sampling to select the study subjects.

The use of large language models in detecting Chinese ultrasound report errors.

This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy of large language models (LLMs) in improving the accuracy of Chinese ultrasound reports. Data from three hospitals (January-April 2024) including 400 reports with 243 errors across six categories were analyzed. Three GPT versions and Claude 3.

Whole slide image based deep learning refines prognosis and therapeutic response evaluation in lung adenocarcinoma.

Existing prognostic models are useful for estimating the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients, but there remains room for improvement. In the current study, we developed a deep learning model based on histopathological images to predict the recurrence risk of lung adenocarcinoma patients. The efficiency of the model was then evaluated in independent multicenter cohorts.

Research Progress in the Molecular Mechanism of NLRP3 Inflammasome in Alzheimer's Disease and Regulation by Natural Plant Products.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prominent neurodegenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system in the elderly. Current understanding of AD primarily centers on the gradual decline in cognitive and memory functions, believed to be influenced by factors including mitochondrial dysfunction, β-amyloid aggregation, and neuroinflammation. Emerging research indicates that neuroinflammation plays a significant role in the development of AD, with the inflammasome potentially mediating inflammatory responses that contribute to neurodegeneration.

Selenium-Enriched Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZZU 8-12 Regulates Intestinal Microbiota and Inhibits Acute Liver Injury.

Intake of certain Lactiplantibacillus strains was recognized as a potential strategy for acute liver injury (ALI) prevention. This study is aimed at developing a selenium-enriched Lactiplantibacillus strain-based ALI prevention strategy. L.

Structural basis for human NKCC1 inhibition by loop diuretic drugs.

Na-K-Cl cotransporters functions as an anion importers, regulating trans-epithelial chloride secretion, cell volume, and renal salt reabsorption. Loop diuretics, including furosemide, bumetanide, and torsemide, antagonize both NKCC1 and NKCC2, and are first-line medicines for the treatment of edema and hypertension. NKCC1 activation by the molecular crowding sensing WNK kinases is critical if cells are to combat shrinkage during hypertonic stress; however, how phosphorylation accelerates NKCC1 ion transport remains unclear.

Positive drain fluid culture on postoperative day one is associated with an increased risk of late postoperative pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Purpose: To investigate the risk factors for late postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), with a focus on positive drain fluid culture (DFC) results on postoperative day (POD) 1.

Methods: Medical records of 198 patients who underwent PD with drain fluid amylase (DFA) on POD 5 < 3x upper limit of normal (ULN) were included. Late POPF was defined as POPF diagnosed post-POD 6, with DFA on POD 5 < 3xULN.

T cell immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 escapees targeting two cytotoxic T cell epitope hotspots.

Although antibody escape is observed in emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants, T cell escape, especially after the global circulation of BA.2.86/JN.

Robust mucosal SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells effectively combat COVID-19 and establish polyfunctional resident memory in patient lungs.

Mucosal antigen-specific T cells are pivotal for pathogen clearance and immune modulation in respiratory infections. Dysregulated T cell responses exacerbate coronavirus disease 2019 severity, marked by cytokine storms and respiratory failure. Despite extensive description in peripheral blood, the characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cells in the lungs remain elusive.

Ginsenoside Rd protects against acute liver injury by regulating the autophagy NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Ginsenoside Rd (Rd) is a bioactive compound predominantly found in Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.

Pathogenic variants in SHROOM3 associated with hemifacial microsomia.

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a rare congenital disorder that affects facial symmetry, ear development, and other congenital anomalies. However, known causal genes account for only approximately 6% of patients, indicating the need to discover more pathogenic genes. Association tests demonstrated an association between common variants in SHROOM3 and HFM (P = 1.

A phenotype-based AI pipeline outperforms human experts in differentially diagnosing rare diseases using EHRs.

Rare diseases, affecting ~350 million people worldwide, pose significant challenges in clinical diagnosis due to the lack of experienced physicians and the complexity of differentiating between numerous rare diseases. To address these challenges, we introduce PhenoBrain, a fully automated artificial intelligence pipeline. PhenoBrain utilizes a BERT-based natural language processing model to extract phenotypes from clinical texts in EHRs and employs five new diagnostic models for differential diagnoses of rare diseases.

Association between ethylene oxide exposure and cognitive function in older adults from NHANES data.

Ethylene Oxide (EO), a volatile organic compound, has garnered considerable attention for its potential impact on human health. Yet, the ramifications of EO exposure on the cognitive functionality of the elderly remain unclear. The aim of this study is to determine whether EO exposure in the elderly correlates with cognitive function.

Impacts of climate change on the suitable habitat of Angelica sinensis and analysis of its drivers in China.

Climate change is shifting optimal habitats for medicinal plants, potentially compromising the efficacy and therapeutic value of herbal remedies. Global warming and increased extreme weather events threaten the sustainability and pharmaceutical integrity of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels (A.

Highly efficient construction of monkey blastoid capsules from aged somatic cells.

Blastoids-blastocyst-like structures created in vitro-emerge as a valuable model for early embryonic development research. Non-human primates stem cell-derived blastoids are an ethically viable alternative to human counterparts, yet the low formation efficiency of monkey blastoid cavities, typically below 30%, has limited their utility. Prior research has predominantly utilized embryonic stem cells.

Conversion of placental hemogenic endothelial cells to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are critical for the treatment of blood diseases in clinic. However, the limited source of HSPCs severely hinders their clinical application. In the embryo, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) arise from hemogenic endothelial (HE) cells lining the major arteries in vivo.

SPHK1 enhances olaparib resistance in ovarian cancer through the NFκB/NRF2/ferroptosis pathway.

PARPis resistance is a challenge in the treatment of ovarian cancer. To investigate the potential mechanism involved in olaparib resistance of ovarian cancer, high-throughput sequencing was performed on olaparib-resistant SKOV3 cell line named SK/Ola. SPHK1 was upregulated in SK/Ola cells and was related to the PFS and OS in ovarian cancer patients.

The prevalence of PD-L1 expression in patients with advanced oesophageal cancer: the EXCEED observational study.

Aims: There are limited data on programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in oesophageal cancer (OC) from multicentre studies conducted across China. We aimed to determine the prevalence of high PD-L1 expression in patients with advanced OC.

Methods: The EXCEED study was a multicentre, retrospective analysis of data from six tertiary hospitals that evaluated PD-L1 expression in adults with advanced OC or advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on inflammation resolution and angiogenesis in fat grafts in a controlled mouse model.

Background: The upregulation or delay of acute inflammation at any stage limits fat graft survival. Active endogenous inflammation resolution mechanisms and mediators are novel therapeutic tools for inflammation. This study explored the effects of supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) deriving specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs) on postoperative inflammation and graft survival in vivo.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) mediates pro-inflammatory responses in severe pneumonia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease.

Object: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) have a high risk of serious infection, in particular severe pneumonia. This study aimed to investigate the transcriptional landscape, lower respiratory tract (LRT) microbiome and metabolomic profiles in the lung of RA-ILD patients with pneumonia.

Method: A total of 10 RA-ILD with pneumonia were enrolled in this study.

HDAC2 promotes colorectal tumorigenesis by triggering dysregulation of lipid metabolism through YAP1.

Dysfunction of lipid metabolism is important for the development and progression of colorectal cancer, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, HDAC2 was identified as highly expressed in both adenoma and colorectal cancer. We aimed to explore the roles and mechanisms of HDAC2 in lipid metabolism in colorectal cancer.