Machine learning-derived natural killer cell signature predicts prognosis and therapeutic response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Natural killer cells, interconnected with patient prognosis and treatment response, play a pivotal role in the tumor immune microenvironment and may serve as potential novel predictive biomarkers for renal cell carcinoma.

Methods: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma transcriptome data and the corresponding clinical data were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Single-cell sequencing data were sourced from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

Hollow Bismuth Nanoparticle-Loaded Gelatin Hydrogel Regulates M2 Polarization of Macrophages to Promote Infected Wound Healing.

Open wounds face severe bacterial infection, which affects the quality of healing. Photothermal antimicrobial therapy has received increasing attention as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment that can avoid drug resistance. A variety of metallic materials have been used in the development of photothermal agents.

Transplantation of peripheral nerve tissueoid based on a decellularized optic nerve scaffold to restore rat hindlimb sensory and movement functions.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) involving the loss of sensory and movement functions is challenging to repair. Although the gold standard of PNI repair is still the use of autologous nerve grafts, the destruction of the donor side is inevitable. In the present study, peripheral nerve tissueoids (PNTs) composed of a Schwann cell (SC)-based neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) delivery system and a decellularized optic nerve (DON) with naturally oriented channels were engineered to investigate the mechanism of PNTs in nerve regeneration.

Metastasis-directed ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma with pulmonary oligometastases: a long-term multicenter study.

Purpose: Ablation is a promising approach for eliminating intrathoracic metastases. We compared the effectiveness of a combination of metastasis-directed ablation and systemic therapy with that of systemic therapy alone for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) having pulmonary oligometastases.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed 679 patients with HCC and pulmonary oligometastases from seven tertiary hospitals.

Nucleus-Targeting Photosensitizers Enhance Neutrophil Extracellular Traps for Efficient Eradication of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infections.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are web-like complexes of DNA and proteins that are extruded by activated neutrophils and play critical roles as major components of the innate immune response against pathogen invasion. However, some microbes have developed strategies to evade NET attacks, leading to impaired immune defenses and persistent infections. In this study, an engineered neutrophil strategy for enhancing the antibacterial activity of NETs is developed.

Prognostic significance and identification of m6A regulator genes and hub genes associated with m6A in breast cancer.

This research endeavors to investigate the functions of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulatory genes and key genes linked to m6A modifications within the context of breast cancer (BC). The objective is to identify a promising predictive biomarker related to m6A modifications and validate its significance in BC through experimental methodologies. Utilizing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, a model for predicting prognosis was developed.

Three-Dimensional Imaging of Aortic Tissues in Atherosclerosis.

Recent research has advanced the understanding of atherosclerosis as a transmural chronic inflammatory disease involving all three layers of the arterial wall, including the intima plaque, the media, and the adventitia, which forms the outer connective tissue coat of arteries. Our recent studies have suggested that the adventitia is used by the peripheral nervous system as a conduit for reaching all tissue cells. We also found that the peripheral nervous system, that is, the sensory and sympathetic nervous system, undergoes major remodeling processes involving the neogenesis of axon networks adjacent to atherosclerotic plaques.

Mesoporous bioactive glass-enhanced MSC-derived exosomes promote bone regeneration and immunomodulation in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Exosomes produced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have vascular generative properties and are considered new effective candidates for the treatment of bone defects as alternatives to cell therapy. Improving the pro-regenerative function and efficacy of exosomes has been a popular research topic in the field of orthopaedics.

Methods: We prepared mesoporous bioactive glass (mBG) microspheres via the template method.

Multimodal Neuroimaging Computing: Basics and Applications in Neurosurgery.

In neurosurgery, multimodal neuroimaging computing plays a critical role by providing a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the brain and its function. This integrated approach can unlock deeper insights into complex neurological diseases, as well as providing a big picture for image-guided neurosurgery and precision medicine. In this chapter, we will introduce the recent updates of neuroimaging techniques, their applications in neurosurgery scenarios, the difficulties of data processing and computing, and potential future perspectives.

Longitudinal stability of molecular endotypes of knee osteoarthritis patients.

Objective: To assess the longitudinal stability of biomarker-based molecular endotypes of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) participants from APPROACH and to evaluate the consistency of findings in an independent KOA population.

Methods: Nineteen biomarkers were measured longitudinally in 295 KOA participants from the APPROACH cohort. K-means clustering was used to identify the structural damage, inflammation, and low tissue turnover endotypes at the six-, 12-, and 24-month follow-ups.

Creeping Fat-Derived Free Fatty Acids Induce Hyperplasia of Intestinal Muscularis Propria Muscle Cells: A Novel Link Between Fat and Intestinal Stricture Formation in Crohn's Disease.

Background & Aims: In Crohn's disease, wrapping of mesenteric fat around the bowel wall, so-called "creeping fat," is highly associated with strictures. The strongest contributor to luminal narrowing in strictures is a thickening of the human intestinal muscularis propria (MP). We investigated creeping fat-derived factors and their effect on mechanisms of human intestinal MP smooth muscle cell (HIMC) hyperplasia.

Multi-centre modified Delphi exercise to identify candidate items for classifying early-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To generate a list of candidate items potentially useful for discriminating individuals with Early-stage Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis (EsSKOA) from those with other conditions and from established osteoarthritis (OA), and to reduce this list based on expert consensus.

Design: We conducted a three-round online international modified Delphi exercise with OA clinicians and researchers ("OA experts"). In Round 1, participants reviewed 84 candidate items and nominated additional item(s) potentially useful for EsSKOA classification; those nominated by ≥3 participants were added.

CARD16 restores tumorigenesis and restraints apoptosis in glioma cells Via FOXO1/TRAIL axis.

A hallmark of glioma cells, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells, is their resistance to apoptosis. Accumulating evidences has demonstrated that CARD16, a caspase recruitment domain (CARD) only protein, enhances both anti-apoptotic and tumorigenic properties. Nevertheless, there is a limited understanding of the expression and functional role of CARD16 in glioma.

Clinical application of fly-thru in diagnosis of biliary obstructive diseases: feasibility, reproducibility, and diagnostic value.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, reproducibility, and diagnostic value in biliary obstructive diseases using Fly-Thru (FT) technique.

Methods: In this single-center prospective study, patients with biliary obstruction who underwent both abdominal ultrasound and FT examinations were recruited between January 2013 and January 2023. 3D FT images (3D-FT) were reconstructed with FT volumetric data.

Cross-sectional study on the diagnostic significance of plasma exosomal miRNAs in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is one of the most severe malignancies in East Asia, where early diagnosis is crucial for improving patient prognosis. So we aim to identify effective early diagnostic model for HCC.

Design And Methods: We enrolled 108 early-stage HCC patients and 102 non-HCC individuals underlying HBV infection, collecting plasma exosomal miRNAs (exo-miRNAs) from all participants.

Colon-targeted self-assembled nanoparticles loaded with berberine double salt ameliorate ulcerative colitis by improving intestinal mucosal barrier and gut microbiota.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory bowel disease marked by disturbances in intestinal mucosal barriers, persistent inflammation, oxidative stress, and dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota. Traditional treatments often fail to adequately address these issues, primarily targeting inflammation. To address these limitations, this study developed an innovative approach using self-assembled nanoparticles for oral administration that target colonic inflammation.

Long- and short-term outcomes for resectable gallbladder carcinoma patients treated with curative-intent laparoscopic versus open resection: a multicenter propensity score-matched comparative study.

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) was once considered a contraindication for laparoscopic surgery, but it is becoming more common to use laparoscopic surgery for GBC treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze the long- and short-term outcomes of patients with more advanced T-staged GBC treated with curative intent as defined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) after laparoscopic resection (LR) versus open resection (OR).

Methods: A multicenter database was used to select consecutive GBC patients treated with curative-intent resection as defined by the NCCN between 2016 and 2020.

Microbiological Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Short-Term Mortality of Carbapenem-Resistant Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Patients in China: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant (CRE) is rapidly becoming a major threat to hospitalized children worldwide. The purpose of this study was to summarize etiological characteristics and identify risk factors relevant to CRE bloodstream infection (BSI) and short-term mortality among pediatric patients in China.

Methods: In this study, we included 370 inpatients ≤17 years old with BSI caused by in China from January 2013 to December 2022.

Engineering natural DNA matrices with halloysite nanotubes to fabricate injectable therapeutic hydrogels for bone regeneration.

Background: Injectable hydrogels are widely used in drug delivery and the repair of irregular tissue defects due to their advantages such as convenient and minimally invasive operation. Although the existing injectable hydrogels have excellent biocompatibility and osteoconduction, they still face clinical challenges such as low osteogenic activity. The key requirements for improved injectable hydrogels as repair materials for non-load bearing bone defects are optimal handling properties, the ability to fill irregular defects and provide osteoinductive stimulation.

Construction of a lung cancer 3D culture model based on alginate/gelatin micro-beads for drug evaluation.

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Despite advances in lung cancer treatment, patients still face challenges related to drug resistance and recurrence. Current methods for evaluating anti-cancer drug activity are insufficient, as they rely on two-dimensional (2D) cell culture and animal models.