Search

BackgroundAccumulating observational studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) < 50 nmol/L) is common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, the direction and causal nature remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the causal association between PCOS and 25OHD.MethodsA bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was used to evaluate the causal association between PCOS and 25OHD. From the publicly available European-lineage genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics for PCOS (4,890 cases of PCOS and 20,405 controls) and 25OHD (n = 417,580), we selected 11 and 102 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables (IVs), respectively. In univariate MR (uvMR) analysis, inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was employed in the primary MR analysis and multiple sensitivity analyses were implemented. Additionally, a multivariable MR (mvMR) design was carried to adjust for obesity and insulin resistance (IR) as well.ResultsUvMR demonstrated that genetically determined PCOS was negatively associated with 25OHD level (IVW Beta: -0.02, P = 0.008). However, mvMR found the causal effect disappeared when adjusting the influence of obesity and IR. Both uvMR and mvMR analysis didn’t support the causal effect of 25OHD deficiency on risk of PCOS (IVW OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.66 ~ 1.12, P = 0.280).ConclusionOur findings highlighted that the casual effect of PCOS on 25OHD deficiency might be mediated by obesity and IR, and failed to find substantial causal effect of 25OHD deficiency on risk of PCOS. Further observational studies and clinical trials are necessary.

Lotus (Nelumbo) leaves are rich in polyphenols and dietary fiber, which have the potential as a high-quality fiber material in functional food. However, lotus leaves exhibit dense structure and poor taste, it is vital to develop appropriate modification methods to improve the properties of lotus leaves dietary fiber. In this study, the effects of three modification methods with shear emulsifying (SE), ball milling (BM), and autoclave treatment (AT) on structure, physicochemical properties, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity of lotus leave dietary fiber (LDF) were evaluated. SEM indicated that there were significant differences in the microstructure of modified LDFs. FT-IR spectra and X-ray diffraction pattern of modified LDFs revealed similar shapes, while the peak intensity and crystalline region changed by modification. SE showed the greatest effect on crystallization index. SE-LDF had the highest water holding capacity, water swelling capacity, and bound phenolic content in LDFs, which increased by 15.69, 12.02, and 31.81%, respectively, compared with the unmodified LDF. BM exhibited the most dramatic effect on particle size. BM-LDF had the highest free phenolic and total phenolic contents in LDFs, which increased by 32.20 and 29.05% respectively, compared with the unmodified LDF. Phenolic compounds in LDFs were mainly free phenolic, and modifications altered the concents of flavonoids. The BM-LDF and SE-LDF exhibited higher antioxidant capacity than that of AT-LDF. Overall, SE-LDF showed better physical properties, and BM-LDF showed better bioactive components. SE and BM were considered to be appropriate modification methods to enhance the properties of LDF with their own advantages.

• Novel synthesis method. Ag-TiO 2 NPs are synthesized using chestnut extract as both a template and a reducing agent. • Multifunctional properties. The synthesized Ag-TiO 2 NPs possess excellent UV shielding, self-cleaning capacity, antibacterial ability, and antioxidant capacity. • Effective leather artifact preservation. This effective preservation strategy ensures the long-term protection of leather artifacts, safeguarding the cultural significance for future generations. The deterioration of leather artifacts can be caused by exposure to light, pollutants, microbes, and oxidation. In this work, silver-titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Ag-TiO 2 NPs) were synthesized using chestnut extract as both a template and a reducing agent, providing UV light shielding, self-cleaning capacity, antibacterial activity, and antioxidant capacity. The results indicated that the addition of chestnut extract and Ag significantly enhanced the UV light shielding capability of Ag-TiO 2 NPs by enhancing the light absorption efficiency, as well as reduced the band gap from 3.20 eV to 2.82 eV, and improved the self-cleaning capability as evidenced by an increase in Congo red (CR) dye degradation rate from 26 % to 55 %. Additionally, Ag-TiO 2 NPs also exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity, as evidenced by a significant increase in the inhibition zone against bacteria, as well as enhanced antioxidant capability with the DPPH free radical scavenging capability increased from 22 % to 88 %. After Ag-TiO 2 NPs treatment, there was no obvious change in the appearance of leather, while the antibacterial activity of leather was significantly increased. The Ag-TiO 2 NPs produced through a green approach could offer robust UV light shielding, self-cleaning capacity, antibacterial activity, and antioxidant capacity to prevent the deterioration of leather artifacts, making a significant contribution to the long-term preservation of cultural heritage. The green synthesis of Ag-TiO 2 NPs using chestnut extract as both a template and a reducing agent was conducted, with excellent UV light shielding, self-cleaning capacity, antibacterial activity, and antioxidant capacity for the long-term preservation of leather artifacts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial terroir is an indispensable part of the terroir panorama, and can improve wine quality with special characteristics. In this study, eight autochthonous yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), selected in Huailai country, China, were trailed in small-scale and pilot fermentations for both white (Riesling and Sémillon) and red (Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) wines and evaluated by GC-MS analysis and the rate-all-that-apply (RATA) method. Compared to commercial yeast strains, the indigenous yeasts were able to produce higher concentrations of ethyl esters and fatty acid ethyl esters, and higher alcohol, resulting in higher odor activity values of fruity, floral attributes. Marked varietal effects were observed in the pilot fermentation, but yeast strains exerted a noticeable impact in modulating wine aroma and sensory profile. Overall, indigenous yeast could produce more preferred aroma compounds and sensory characteristics for both white and red wines, demonstrating the potential for improving wine quality and regional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The therapeutic potential of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) extends across various cancers; however, its effectiveness in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently curtailed by both inherent and developed resistance. Objective: This research explored the effectiveness of integrating anlotinib (a broad‐spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor) with programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) blockade and offers mechanistic insights into more effective strategies for treating HCC. Methods: Using patient‐derived organotypic tissue spheroids and orthotopic HCC mouse models, we assessed the effectiveness of anlotinib combined with PD‐1 blockade. The impact on the tumour immune microenvironment and underlying mechanisms were assessed using time‐of‐flight mass cytometry, RNA sequencing, and proteomics across cell lines, mouse models, and HCC patient samples. Results: The combination of anlotinib with an anti‐PD‐1 antibody enhanced the immune response against HCC in preclinical models. Anlotinib remarkably suppressed the expression of transferrin receptor (TFRC) via the VEGFR2/AKT/HIF‐1α signaling axis. CD8+ T‐cell infiltration into the tumour microenvironment correlated with low expression of TFRC. Anlotinib additionally increased the levels of the chemokine CXCL14, crucial for attracting CD8+ T cells. CXCL14 emerged as a downstream effector of TFRC, exhibiting elevated expression following the silencing of TFRC. Importantly, low TFRC expression was also associated with a better prognosis, enhanced sensitivity to combination therapy, and a favourable response to anti‐PD‐1 therapy in patients with HCC. Conclusions: Our findings highlight anlotinib's potential to augment the efficacy of anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy in HCC by targeting TFRC and enhancing CXCL14‐mediated CD8+ T‐cell infiltration. This study contributes to developing novel therapeutic strategies for HCC, emphasizing the role of precision medicine in oncology. Highlights: Synergistic effects of anlotinib and anti‐PD‐1 immunotherapy demonstrated in HCC preclinical models.Anlotinib inhibits TFRC expression via the VEGFR2/AKT/HIF‐1α pathway.CXCL14 upregulation via TFRC suppression boosts CD8+ T‐cell recruitment.TFRC emerges as a potential biomarker for evaluating prognosis and predicting response to anti‐PD‐1‐based therapies in advanced HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing livestock biosecurity is critical to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers, global and local economies, and food security. Vaccination is fundamental to the control and prevention of exotic and endemic high-priority infectious livestock diseases. Successful implementation of vaccination in a biosecurity plan is underpinned by a strong understanding of correlates of protection--those elements of the immune response that can reliably predict the level of protection from viral challenge. While correlates of protection have been successfully characterized for many human viral vaccines, for many highpriority livestock viral diseases, including African swine fever and foot and mouth disease, they remain largely uncharacterized. Current literature provides insights into potential correlates of protection that should be assessed during vaccine development for these high-priority mammalian livestock viral diseases. Establishment of correlates of protection for biosecurity purposes enables immune surveillance, rationale for vaccine development, and successful implementation of livestock vaccines as part of a biosecurity strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid development and mature of single‐cell measurements, single‐cell biology and pathology become an emerging discipline to understand the disease. However, it is important to address concerns raised by clinicians as to how to apply single‐cell measurements for clinical practice, translate the signals of single‐cell systems biology into determination of clinical phenotype, and predict patient response to therapies. The present Perspective proposes a new system coined as the clinical artificial intelligent single‐cell (caiSC) with the dynamic generator of clinical single‐cell informatics, artificial intelligent analysers, molecular multimodal reference boxes, clinical inputs and outs, and AI‐based computerization. This system provides reliable and rapid information for impacting clinical diagnoses, monitoring, and prediction of the disease at the single‐cell level. The caiSC represents an important step and milestone to translate the single‐cell measurement into clinical application, assit clinicians' decision‐making, and improve the quality of medical services. There is increasing evidence to support the possibility of the caiSC proposal, since the corresponding biotechnologies associated with caiSCs are rapidly developed. Therefore, we call the special attention and efforts from various scientists and clinicians on the caiSCs and believe that the appearance of the caiSCs can shed light on the future of clinical molecular medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The characteristics of glioblastoma, such as drug resistance during treatment, short patient survival, and high recurrence rates, have made patients with glioblastoma more likely to benefit from oncolytic therapy. Methods: In this study, we investigated the safety of the sindbis virus by injecting virus intravenously and intracranially in mice and evaluated the therapeutic effect of the virus carrying different combinations of IL-12, IL-7, and GM-CSF on glioma in a glioma-bearing mouse model. Results: SINV was autologously eliminated from the serum and organs as well as from neural networks after entering mice. Furthermore, SINV was restricted to the injection site in the tree shrew brain and did not spread throughout the whole brain. In addition, we found that SINV-induced apoptosis in conjunction with the stimulation of the immune system by tumor-killing cytokines substantially suppressed tumor development. It is worth mentioning that SINV carrying IL-7 and IL-12 had the most notable glioma-killing effect. Furthermore, in an intracranial glioma model, SINV containing IL-7 and IL-12 effectively prolonged the survival time of mice and inhibited glioma progression. Conclusions: These results suggest that SINV has a significant safety profile as an oncolytic virus and that combining SINV with cytokines is an efficient treatment option for malignant gliomas.

In laser active detection, detection performance is affected by optical noise, laser interference, and environmental background interference. Conventional methods to filter optical noise take advantage of the differences between signal and noise in wavelength and polarization. Due to the limitations of traditional methods in the physical dimension, noise cannot be completely filtered out. In this manuscript, a new method of noise filtering based on the spatial distribution difference between the quantum orbital angular momentum beam and the background noise is proposed. The use of beams containing quantum orbital angular momentum can make the signal light have a new physical dimension and enrich the information of emitted light. We conduct a complete theoretical analysis and provide a proof-of-principle experiment. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis results, and there is a signal-to-noise ratio improvement of more than five times in laser active detection. Our method meets the urgent needs of laser active detection and can be applied in the field of high-quality target detection.