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The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a distinctive mammal known for its reliance on a diet primarily consisting of bamboo. The gut microbiota and overall health of animals are strongly influenced by diets and environments. Therefore, conducting research to explore the taxonomical and functional variances within the gut microbiota of red pandas exposed to various dietary and environmental conditions could shed light on the dynamic complexities of their microbial communities. In this study, normal fecal samples were obtained from red pandas residing in captive and semi‐free environments under different dietary regimes and used for metabolomic, 16S rRNA, and metagenomic sequencing analysis, with the pandas classified into four distinct cohorts according to diet and environment. In addition, metagenomic sequencing was conducted on mucus fecal samples to elucidate potential etiological agents of disease. Results revealed an increased risk of gastrointestinal diseases in red pandas consuming bamboo shoots due to the heightened presence of pathogenic bacteria, although an increased presence of microbiota‐derived tryptophan metabolites appeared to facilitate intestinal balance. The red pandas fed bamboo leaves also exhibited a decrease in gut microbial diversity, which may be attributed to the antibacterial flavonoids and lower protein levels in leaves. Notably, red pandas residing in semi‐free environments demonstrated an enriched gut microbial diversity. Moreover, the occurrence of mucus secretion may be due to an increased presence of species associated with diarrhea and a reduced level of microbiota‐derived tryptophan metabolites. In summary, our findings substantiate the influential role of diet and environment in modulating the gut microbiota of red pandas, offering potential implications for improved captive breeding practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is recognized as a common complication following cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC). Characterized by prolonged renal function impairment, acute kidney disease (AKD) is associated with a higher risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality. From January 2018 to December 2021, 158 patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were separated into non-AKI, AKI, and AKD cohorts. Laboratory parameters and perioperative features were gathered to evaluate risk factors for both HIPEC-induced AKI and AKD, with the 90-day prognosis of AKD patients. AKI developed in 21.5% of patients undergoing CRS-HIPEC, while 13.3% progressed to AKD. The multivariate analysis identified that ascites, GRAN%, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and intraoperative (IO) hypotension duration were associated with the development of HIPEC-induced AKI. Higher uric acid, lessened eGFR, and prolonged IO hypotension duration were more predominant in patients proceeding with AKD. The AKD cohort presented a higher risk of 30 days of in-hospital mortality (14.3%) and CKD progression (42.8%). Our study reveals a high incidence of AKI and AKI-to-AKD transition. Early identification of risk factors for HIPEC-induced AKD would assist clinicians in taking measures to mitigate the incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the widespread use of low-dose computed tomography for lung cancer screening, the detection rate of pulmonary lesions manifesting as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) has been increasing dramatically. The volume doubling time (VDT) has been introduced in clinical practice to monitor the potential growth rate of GGOs during long-term follow-up periods. Case presentation: A 72-year-old never-smoker female diagnosed with mixed GGO manifested abruptly accelerated growth with sudden decreased VDT from 400 to 36 days. A thoracoscopic left lower lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection was performed, and the diagnosis was stage IB large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). Next-generation sequencing of the tumor highlights an EML4-ALK gene fusion. Conclusions: The LCNEC may present as GGO with longer VDT in the early stage. VDT should calculate by the whole size either on the entire tumor diameter or on consolidation diameter. It is recommended that meticulous long-term follow-up with dynamic VDT monitoring may help select high-risk GGOs performing timely semi-elective surgical resection in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent complications of critical illness. We aimed to explore the predictors of renal function recovery and the short-term reversibility after AKI by comparing logistic regression with four machine learning models. We reviewed patients who were diagnosed with AKI in the MIMIC-IV database between 2008 and 2019. Recovery from AKI within 72 h of the initiating event was typically recognized as the short-term reversal of AKI. Conventional logistic regression and four different machine algorithms (XGBoost algorithm model, Bayesian networks [BNs], random forest [RF] model, and support vector machine [SVM] model) were used to develop and validate prediction models. The performance measures were compared through the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC), calibration curves, and 10-fold cross-validation. A total of 12,321 critically ill adult AKI patients were included in our analysis cohort. The renal function recovery rate after AKI was 67.9%. The maximum and minimum serum creatinine (SCr) within 24 h of AKI diagnosis, the minimum SCr within 24 and 12 h, and antibiotics usage duration were independently associated with renal function recovery after AKI. Among the 8364 recovered patients, the maximum SCr within 24 h of AKI diagnosis, the minimum Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, the maximum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) within 24 h, vasopressin and vancomycin usage, and the maximum lactate within 24 h were the top six predictors for short-term reversibility of AKI. The RF model presented the best performance for predicting both renal functional recovery (AU-ROC [0.8295 ± 0.01]) and early recovery (AU-ROC [0.7683 ± 0.03]) compared with the conventional logistic regression model. The maximum SCr within 24 h of AKI diagnosis was a common independent predictor of renal function recovery and the short-term reversibility of AKI. The RF machine learning algorithms showed a superior ability to predict the prognosis of AKI patients in the ICU compared with the traditional regression models. These models may prove to be clinically helpful and can assist clinicians in providing timely interventions, potentially leading to improved prognoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) plays a causal role in the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Oxidative stress and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) are involved in Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. Morroniside, one active monomer of dry ripe sarcocarp of Cornus officinalis , has shown antioxidant properties in several cell lines. The present study investigated the protective actions of morroniside against the cytotoxicity produced by exposure to H 2 O 2 or Aβ 1–42 in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Exposure of PC12 cells to 150 μM H 2 O 2 or 20 μM Aβ 1–42 down-regulated anti-apoptotic protein expression (Bcl-2), up-regulated pro-apoptotic protein expression (Bax, cytochrome C, and cleaved caspase-3), increased JNK and p38 MAPK phosphorylation and finally caused significant cell death. This effect was reversed by pretreatment with morroniside in a dose-dependent manner. Among the selective inhibitors of MAPKs, the JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) showed steady preventive effect against H 2 O 2 or Aβ 1–42 -induced apoptosis. The results suggest that different from the selective inhibitors of MAPKs, morroniside can inhibit H 2 O 2 or Aβ 1–42 -induced apoptotic pathway activation through suppressing its upstream signaling components of JNK and p38 MAPK phosphorylation simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors for renal nonrecovery among elderly and nonelderly patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients. A multicenter retrospective cohort of 583 critically ill patients with AKI was examined. We found the best cutoff value for predicting renal recovery by age was 63 years old through logistic regression. All patients were divided into two cohorts, age <63 and age ≥63-years old; on the basis of renal recovery at 30 days after AKI, the two patient cohorts were further divided into a renal recovery group and a renal nonrecovery group. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting renal recovery in the two cohorts. The 30-day renal recovery rate of patients aged <63 years was 70.0% (198/283), multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factors affecting renal nonrecovery in age <63 years old included AKI stage, blood lactate level and hemoglobin level. The 30-day renal recovery rate of patients aged ≥63 years was 28.7% (86/300), multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factors for renal nonrecovery in age ≥63-years old included diabetes mellitus, surgery with general anesthesia, AKI stage, APACHE II score, eGFR, and hemoglobin level. The renal nonrecovery after AKI in critically ill patients in patients aged ≥63 years was more strongly affected by multiple risk factors, such as diabetes mellitus, surgery with general anesthesia, eGFR, and APACHE II score, in addition to hemoglobin and AKI stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiotensin II, the effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system, is not only a pivotal peptide implicated in the regulation of blood pressure but also a key mediator of the inflammatory processes that play an important role in the pathology of hypertension-related cSVD. Harpagide is the major bioactive constituent of Scrophulariae Radix widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for numerous diseases including hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of harpagide on Ang II-induced neuroinflammation and the potential mechanism. Pretreated with harpagide or resatorvid (the TLR4 pathway inhibitor), BV2 cells were treated with Ang II or LPS (the TLR4 activator). NO, pro-inflammatory cytokines, the proteins on TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and the expression of CD86, CD206, TREM2 in BV2 cells were detected respectively. Subsequently, the effects of harpagide on neurotoxicity and BBB destruction triggered by Ang II-induced neuroinflammation were investigated in the co-cultures of BV2 microglia/HT22 hippocampal neurons, BV2 microglia/bEnd.3 endotheliocyte and BV2 microglia/BBB monolayer model. We found that Ang II converted microglia into M1 state and resulted in neuroinflammation through activating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. It also triggered the imbalance of TLR4/TREM2 in microglia. Ang II-mediated inflammation microglia further led to neuronal apoptosis and BBB damage. Harpagide showed the effect of alleviating Ang II-mediated neuroinflammation as well as the resulting neurotoxicity and BBB destruction through inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway. The anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effect of harpagide suggested that it might be a potential therapeutic strategy in hypertensive cSVD. [Display omitted] • Harpagide alleviates Ang II-induced microglia activation through the TLR4 pathway. • Harpagide inhibits Ang II-induced apoptosis in the BV2/HT22 cells co-culture model. • Harpagide has the protective effect in the BV2/bEnd.3 co-culture model. • Harpagide relieves inflammatory microglia-induced BBB destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]