Association between Ambient Ultrafine Particles and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Preschoolers in Shanghai, China.

Previous toxicological research has suggested the potential neurotoxicity of ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, particles ≤0.1 μm in diameter). However, evidence from human beings, particularly regarding the neurodevelopmental impacts of UFP, is still limited.

PD-1 suppresses human CD38 circulating Tfr cells and regulates humoral immunity.

Background: Anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies have achieved revolutionary success in cancer therapy. However, the impact of anti-PD-1 therapy on host humoral immunity in humans during cancer immunotherapy requires further investigation.

Methods: We evaluated immunoglobulin titers by ELISA and screened the immune landscape of immune cells from 25 healthy donors and 50 cases including 25 new-onset hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients prior to systemic treatment and 25 HCC patients undergoing anti-PD-1 therapy by multicolor flow cytometry.

Detecting Hemorrhagic Myocardial Infarction With 3.0-T CMR: Insights Into Spatial Manifestation, Time-Dependence, and Optimal Acquisitions.

Background: Hemorrhagic myocardial infarction (hMI) can rapidly diminish the benefits of reperfusion therapy and direct the heart toward chronic heart failure. T2∗ cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the reference standard for detecting hMI. However, the lack of clarity around the earliest time point for detection, time-dependent changes in hemorrhage volume, and the optimal methods for detection can limit the development of strategies to manage hMI.

Calpain 2 promotes Lenvatinib resistance and cancer stem cell traits via both proteolysis-dependent and independent approach in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Lenvatinib, an approved first-line regimen, has been widely applied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, clinical response towards Lenvatinib was limited, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying mechanism of its resistance. Herein, we employed integrated bioinformatic analysis to identify calpain-2 (CAPN2) as a novel key regulator for Lenvatinib resistance in HCC, and its expression greatly increased in both Lenvatinib-resistant HCC cell lines and clinical samples.

Polyethylene microplastic exposure adversely affects oocyte quality in human and mouse.

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants, resulting in unavoidable human exposure. This study identified MPs in follicular fluid and investigated the specific MPs and mechanisms that adversely affect oocytes. MPs in the follicular fluid of 44 infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technology were measured using Raman microspectroscopy.

Preimplantation genetic testing for structural rearrangements by genome-wide SNP genotyping and haplotype analysis: a prospective multicenter clinical study.

Background: Preimplantation genetic testing for chromosomal structural rearrangements (PGT-SR) has been widely utilized to select euploid embryos in patients carrying balanced chromosomal rearrangements (BCRs) by chromosome copy number analysis. However, reliable and extensively validated PGT-SR methods for selecting embryos without BCRs in large-cohort studies are lacking.

Methods: In this prospective, multicenter, cohort study, carriers with BCRs undergoing PGT-SR were recruited across 12 academic fertility centers within China.

Supaglutide alleviates hepatic steatosis in monkeys with spontaneous MASH.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone and plays an important role in regulating glucose homeostasis. GLP-1 has a short half-life due to degrading enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and rapid kidney clearance, which limits its clinical application as a therapeutic agent. We demonstrated previously that supaglutide, a novel long-acting GLP-1 analog, exerted hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and weight loss effects in type 2 diabetic db/db mice, DIO mice, and diabetic monkeys.

Fatty Acid Metabolism Disruptions: A Subtle yet Critical Factor in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes.

The establishment and maintenance of pregnancy encompass a series of complex and high-energy-consuming physiological processes, resulting in a significant energy demand. Fatty acids, one of the most essential nutrients, play a crucial role in energy supply via oxidation and perform critical biological functions such as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, which substantially impact human health. Disordered fatty acid metabolism can cause anomalies in fetal growth and development, as well as a range of pregnancy problems, which can influence the health of both the mother and the fetus.

Image-Guided Liver Biopsy: Perspectives from Interventional Radiology.

Liver biopsy is a crucial aspect of interventional radiology and plays a significant role in the management of hepatobiliary diseases. Radiologists commonly perform two major image-guided liver biopsy techniques: percutaneous and transjugular approaches. It is essential for radiologists to understand the role of liver biopsy in diagnosing and treating hepatobiliary conditions, the procedural details involved, and how to manage potential complications.

Emerging Roles of IL-27 in Trophoblast Cells and Pregnancy Complications.

Problem: Pregnancy complications such as spontaneous abortion, preeclampsia, and preterm birth persist, despite current interventions aimed at their prevention and treatment largely proving unsuccessful. Interleukin-27 (IL-27), composed of p28 and EBI3 subunits, binds to IL-27R, which consists of gp130 and IL-27Rα (also known as WSX-1 or TCCR), and plays a pivotal role in tumor development and inflammation regulation. At the maternal-fetal interface, IL-27 expression has been detected in trophoblasts, endometrial stromal cells, and decidual cells.

Glutamine metabolism promotes human trophoblast cell invasion via COL1A1 mediated by PI3K-AKT pathway.

Abnormal trophoblast invasion function is an important cause of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Recent research has revealed a connection between glutamine metabolism and RSA. However, the interplay between these three factors and their related mechanisms remains unclear.

Mutation-Selected Amplification droplet digital PCR: A new single nucleotide variant detection assay for TP53 mutant in tumor and plasma samples.

The early detection of gene mutations in physiological and pathological processes is a powerful approach to guide decisions in precision medicine. However, detecting low-copy mutant DNA from clinical samples poses a challenge due to the enrichment of wild-type DNA backgrounds. In this study, we devised a novel strategy, named Mutation-Selected Amplification droplet digital PCR (MSA-ddPCR), to quantitatively analyze single nucleotide variants (SNVs) at low variant allele frequencies (VAFs).

IL-18BP Therapy Ameliorates Reproductive and Metabolic Phenotypes in a PCOS Mouse Model by Relieving Inflammation, Fibrosis and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

There is a chronic inflammation in PCOS patients, which is correlated with the pathogenesis of PCOS. IL-18 and IL-18BP are related with some inflammatory diseases, while less explored in PCOS. Whether IL-18BP could be a potential drug of PCOS remains unknown.

Targeting metabolism to influence cellular senescence a promising anti-cancer therapeutic strategy.

Metabolic disorders are considered the hallmarks of cancer and metabolic reprogramming is emerging as a new strategy for cancer treatment. Exogenous and endogenous stressors can induce cellular senescence; the interactions between cellular senescence and systemic metabolism are dynamic. Cellular senescence disrupts metabolic homeostasis in various tissues, which further promotes senescence, creating a vicious cycle facilitating tumor occurrence, recurrence, and altered outcomes of anticancer treatments.

Mobilization and activation of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells inhibits lymph node metastasis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) facilitates distant tumor colonization and leads to the high mortality in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). However, it remains elusive how ICC cells subvert immune surveillance within the primary tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and subsequently metastasize to lymph nodes (LNs). In this study, scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq analyses identified decreased infiltration of dendritic cells (DCs) into primary tumor sites of ICC with LNM, which was further validated via dual-color immunofluorescence staining of 219 surgically resected ICC samples.

ASS1 enhances anoikis resistance via AMPK/CPT1A-mediated fatty acid metabolism in ovarian cancer.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in ovarian carcinoma (OC), whereas anoikis resistance is a critical step for the survival of the detached OC cells. Despite extensive research, targeting anoikis resistance remains a challenge. Here, we first identified that argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1), a key enzyme in urea cycle markedly upregulated in OC cells of detached culture, is associated with increased anoikis resistance and metastasis.