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To explore the usefulness of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) for the severity assessment of bacterial sepsis.

Objective To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), surfactant associated 1 pseudogene (SFTA1P) in lung squamous carcinoma and its effect on the biological functions of SFTA1P in lung squamous carcinoma cell lines. Methods Based on the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, the differential expression of SFTA1P in tumor and normal tissues were compared in patients diagnosed with lung squamous cell carcinoma. Then, the expression of SFTA1P was detected in human normal lung epithelial cell line BEAS-2B and lung squamous cell lines SK-MES-1 and H520 with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). SK-MES-1 and H520 cells with overexpression and/or knockdown of SFTA1P were constructed by transfecting the overexpression plasmids (pcDNA3.1-SFTA1P) and small interfering RNAs (si-SFTA1P-1 and si-SFTA1P-2). CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay were used to investigate the effect of SFTA1P on biological functions in lung squamous carcinoma cells. Differential gene expression analysis, correlation analysis and functional enrichment analysis were employed to explore the potential mechanism that SFTA1P may affect biological functions of lung squamous cells. Results Analysis of TCGA showed that the expression of SFTA1P was significantly lower in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue than adjacent normal tissue (P

Objective To investigate the correlation between ADAP2 gene and immune infiltration in tumor microenvironment in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), and to explore the prognostic values of ADAP2 in patients with LUSC. Methods The clinical information of patients with LUSC as well as the data of ADAP2 mRNA levels in cancer tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The association between ADAP2 gene and prognosis of patients was subsequently analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox risk model analyses. xCell database was adopted to analyze the correlation of ADAP2 expression with immune infiltration in tumor microenvironment. Immunofluorescence double-staining test was employed to observe the co-localization of ADAP2 protein and CD163 (a specific biomarker of M2 macrophage). Results Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the expression of ADAP2 was an independent prognostic factor for LUSC patients, and its high expression was closely associated with the poor prognosis of patients (HR=1.533, 95%CI: 1.139~2.064, P=0.005). xCell analysis indicated that ADAP2 gene was positively correlated with both the tumor microenvironment score (r=0.609, 95%CI: 0.550~0.661, P < 0.001), and the immune infiltration score (r=0.596, 95%CI: 0.536~0.650, P < 0.001), and the expression of ADAP2 also showed a high positive association with mononuclear phagocyte system (macrophage, macrophage M1, macrophage M2 and monocyte) in LUSC (r=0.737, 0.718, 0.603 and 0.631, respectively, P < 0.001). Moreover, ADAP2 presented co-localization with CD163 and was mainly expressed in the cell membrane. Conclusion ADAP2 can act as a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis and evaluating the efficacy of immunotherapy in LUSC.

Abstract Background Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is one of the most frequent endocrine malignancies. In most cases, it often presents as multifocal tumor. It has been reported that multifocal tumors are associated with elevated risk of lymph node and distant metastases. Multifocality is also one of the factors predicting prognosis. Recent studies show that BRAFV600E mutation occurs more frequently in aggressive PTC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate BRAFV600E status and clinicopathological features in multiple and solitary PTC. Methods We performed a retrospective study to analyze 512 PTC cases who received surgery, including 376 solitary PTCs and 136 multiple PTCs. Results Multiple PTC is more related to lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion than solitary PTC. However, the distant metastasis rate and 10-year survival rate showed no difference between these two groups. BRAFV600E mutation status was more frequent in multiple PTC patients with lymph node metastasis and late stage at diagnosis. Conclusion BRAFV600E mutation is most commonly associated with extra-thyroidal extension and lymph node metastasis in PTC. Multiple PTC patients with young age, large tumors and BRAFV600E mutation should be followed carefully. Our study provides useful information for PTC patients’ followup and treatment.

CD4+T cells play a notable role in immune protection at different stages of life. During aging, the interaction between the body's internal and external environment and CD4+T cells results in a series of changes in the CD4+T cells pool making it involved in immunosenescence. Many studies have extensively examined the subsets and functionality of CD4+T cells within the immune system, highlighted their pivotal role in disease pathogenesis, progression, and therapeutic interventions. However, the underlying mechanism of CD4+T cells senescence and its intricate association with diseases remains to be elucidated and comprehensively understood. By summarizing the immunosenescent progress and network of CD4+T cell subsets, we reveal the crucial role of CD4+T cells in the occurrence and development of age‐related diseases. Furthermore, we provide new insights and theoretical foundations for diseases targeting CD4+T cell subsets aging as a treatment focus, offering novel approaches for therapy, especially in infections, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and other diseases in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high‐throughput technologies has enhanced our understanding of small non‐coding RNAs (sncRNAs) and their crucial roles in various diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to systematically delineate sncRNA profiles in AF patients. PANDORA‐sequencing was used to examine the sncRNA profiles of atrial appendage tissues from AF and non‐AF patients. Differentially expressed sncRNAs were identified using the R package DEGseq 2 with a fold change >2 and p < 0.05. The target genes of the differentially expressed sncRNAs were predicted using MiRanda and RNAhybrid. Gene Ontology (GO) categories and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. In AF patients, the most abundant sncRNAs were ribosomal RNA‐derived small RNAs (rsRNAs), followed by transfer RNA‐derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs). Compared with non‐AF patients, 656 rsRNAs, 45 miRNAs, 191 tsRNAs and 51 small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) were differentially expressed in AF patients, whereas no significantly differentially expressed piwi‐interacting RNAs were identified. Two out of three tsRNAs were confirmed to be upregulated in AF patients by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and higher plasma levels of tsRNA 5006c‐LysCTT were associated with a 2.55‐fold increased risk of all‐cause death in AF patients (hazard ratio: 2.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.56–4.17; p < 0.001). Combined with our previous transcriptome sequencing results, 32 miRNA, 31 snoRNA, 110 nucleus‐encoded tsRNA, and 33 mitochondria‐encoded tsRNA target genes were dysregulated in AF patients. GO and KEGG analyses revealed enrichment of differentially expressed sncRNA target genes in AF‐related pathways, including the 'calcium signaling pathway' and 'adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes.' The dysregulated sncRNA profiles in AF patients suggest their potential regulatory roles in AF pathogenesis. Further research is needed to investigate the specific mechanisms of sncRNAs in the development of AF and to explore potential biomarkers for AF treatment and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of dryland vegetation to climate change is particularly sensitive in the context of global climate change. This paper analyzes the characteristics of spatial and temporal dynamics of vegetation cover in the Tarim River Basin, China, and its driving factors in order to investigate the response of vegetation growth to water storage changes in the basin. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), the GRACE gravity satellite, and meteorological data from 2002 to 2022 are used to decipher the characteristics of the response of water storage changes to vegetation changes, which is of great significance to the realization of regional ecological development and sustainable development. The results of the study show the following: (1) The vegetation in the Tarim River Basin has an overall increasing trend, which is mainly distributed in the Aksu Basin and the Weigangkuche River Basin and is spatially distributed in the form of a ring. (2) Vegetation distribution greatly improved during the 20-year study period, dominated by high-cover vegetation, with a change rate of 200.36%. Additionally, vegetation changes are centered on the watersheds and expand to the surrounding area, with a clear increase in vegetation in the Kumukuri Basin. Areas with a vegetation Hurst index of <0.5 account for 63.27% of the study area, and the areas with a continuous decrease were mainly located in the outer contour area of the Tarim River and Kumu Kuri Basins. (3) There are obvious spatial differences in the correlation between EVI and temperature and precipitation elements. The proportion of areas with positive correlation with temperature within the study area is 64.67%. EVI tends to be consistent with the direction of migration of the center of gravity of the population and GDP, and the areas with positive correlation between vegetation and terrestrial water reserves are mainly distributed in the northern slopes of the Kunlun Mountains, with an area proportion of about 50.513%. The Kumukuli Basin also shows significantly positive correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Grime (1974) CSR framework posits that ecological strategies of competition, stress tolerance and ruderal reflect plants' adaptability to their survival environments. Karst forests are crucial for terrestrial ecosystem functions. However, how karst forests regulate plant functional traits in ecological strategy to adapt to infertile habitats remains unclear. Therefore, we surveyed fifty-three karst forest plots and measured plant functional traits involving the plan diameter at breast height (DBH), height, leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf carbon (LC) and nitrogen (LN) and phosphorus (LP) with the leaf water content (LWC). We calculated CSR components on the individual and community levels introduced by community-weighted means (CWM) using the 'StrateFy' calculator. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Mantel's test were used to investigate trait correlations with CSR components. Our results showed that stress tolerance (S) contributed an average 65.88% and 63.63% in individuals and communities, respectively, followed by competition (C) at 25.82% and 29.63%, and the least, ruderal (R), at 8.30% and 6.74%. Different plant functional traits exhibited different variations, coupled with significant correlations between CSR components and PC1 scores (except for CWM− LA, SLA and LDMC). Component S increased with the increase in CWM− LC and C:N ratio, and decreased with the increase in CWM− DBH, Height, LWC, LN, and N:P ratio, while it was the opposite for C and R, highlighting strategic trade-offs associated with plant functional traits. Mantel's test revealed varied key trait combinations for each strategy. In conclusion, the predominant stress tolerance strategy relative to competition and ruderal is a result of trade-offs regulating karst forests, in association with plant functional traits. The disentangled CSR strategies provide insights into theoretically understanding functional maintenance for infertile forest ecosystems as an evolutional regulation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]