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Objective: To evaluate the 10-year protective effect and immunogenicity of quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Chinese women aged 20 to 45 years. Methods: From October 2019 to April 2020, a long-term follow-up study was conducted on the subjects of the Phase III clinical trial of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (NCT00834106). Participants underwent a questionnaire survey, venous blood sampling, gynecological examination, cervical exfoliated cell pathology examination, and serum neutralizing antibody titers for HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18 were measured using a pseudovirus neutralization assay. The results of the cytological examination and the positive rate and titers of serum antibodies of different cervical exfoliated cells were compared. Results: A total of 889 subjects were followed up, including 240 in the control group, 453 in the vaccination group and 196 in the post-trial vaccination group. The age of the control group was (40±7) years old, which was higher than that of the supplementary vaccination group and the vaccination group [(38±4) and (38±6) years old, respectively] ( P <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in condom use and sexual frequency among all groups (all P values>0.05). The abnormal proportion of cervical exfoliation cytopathology in the vaccination group was 3.7% (17/453), which was significantly lower than that in the control group [9.6% (23/240)] and post-trial vaccination group [5.6% (11/196)] ( P <0.05). There were two cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 in the vaccination group, two cases of CIN grade 1 and three cases of CIN grade 2 and above in the control group, and no CIN grade 1 and above cases in the post-trial vaccination group. The positive rate of HPV-18 antibody was 35.5% (161/453) in the vaccination group and 76.0% (149/196) in the post-trial vaccination group, which was significantly lower than that of other types ( P <0.05). The neutralizing antibody GMT ratio between the vaccination group and the control group ranged from 2.62 to 25.33 (9.05 to 83.08). Conclusion: Protective neutralizing antibodies are sustained in Chinese women aged 20 to 45 years after ten years of vaccination with quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Intestinal microbiota imbalance plays an important role in the progression of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and is considered to be the main mediator that triggers metabolic comorbidities. Here, we analyzed the changes in intestinal microbiota in patients with different severities of OSA based on apnea hypopnea index (AHI) classification, and explored the role of intestinal microbiota in the severity of OSA. This study included 19 healthy volunteers and 45 patients with OSA [5 ≤ AHI < 15 (n = 14), 15 ≤ AHI < 30 (n = 13), AHI ≥ 30 (n = 18)]. Relevant sleep monitoring data and medical history data were collected, and microbial composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. The diversity analysis of intestinal microbiota among different groups of people was conducted, including alpha diversity, beta diversity, species diversity, and marker species as well as differential functional metabolic pathway prediction analysis. With the increase of AHI classification, the alpha diversity in patients with OSA significantly decreased. The results revealed that the severity of OSA is associated with differences in the structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota. The abundance of bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids (such as Bacteroides, Ruminococcacea, and Faecalibacterium) in severe OSA is significantly reduced and a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Random forest analysis showed that Parabacteroides was a biomarker genus with important discriminatory significance. The differential metabolic pathway prediction function shows that the main function of maintaining intestinal microbiota homeostasis is biosynthetic function. Our results show that the differences in the composition of intestinal microbiota in patients with different severities of OSA are mainly related to short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. These changes may play a pathological role in OSA combined with metabolic comorbidities., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To observe the effects of targeting and blocking cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) on mouse spleen immune function and inflammatory response under chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) conditions, and to explore its regulatory effort. Methods: Forty SPF male C57BL/6 mice aged 4 to 5 weeks,from May 2021 to August 2021 in Experimental Animal Center of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, were randomly divided into normal oxygen control group (NC), 6-week CIH group (6w CIH), 10-week CIH group (10w CIH), 6-week CIH+CB1R group (6w CIH+AM251) and 10-week CIH+CB1R group (10w CIH+AM251) according to the method of random number table. The advanced programmable intermittent low oxygen chamber was used to prepare the CIH mouse model. The morphological structure of spleen tissue of CIH mice was stained by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The expression levels of M1 and M2 macrophage surface markers CD86, CD206 were determined by immunofluorescence. The mRNA expression levels of CB1R, CD86, CD206 and the relative expression levels of RORγt and Foxp3,which are characteristic transcriptional regulators of T helper 17(Th17) and Treg cells were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR(qRT-PCR). The expression of inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-10 was determined by ELISA. SPSS 26.0 and Graphpad prism 8.3 were used to analyze the data. Results: (1) Compared with NC group, spleen tissue structure was disordered, fibrous tissue hyperplasia, lymphocyte proliferation and disordered arrangement in periarteriole lymphatic sheath in CIH group. The expression of CB1R in CIH group was higher than that in NC group ( P <0.05), and with the prolongation of CIH time, the expression of 10w CIH group was higher than that in 6w CIH group( P <0.05). The expression of CB1R in CIH+AM251 group was lower than that in the corresponding CIH group(all P <0.05). (2) Compared with NC group, the expression level of CD86 in macrophages in CIH group was higher than that in NC group(all P <0.05). The relative expression of RORγt in 6w and 10w CIH groups was 0.76±0.03 and 0.91±0.04, respectively, which was higher than that in NC group (0.65±0.06)(all P <0.05). The relative expression levels of inflammatory factor IL-6 were 10.80±1.73 and 14.86±0.01, respectively, which were higher than 6.69±0.23 in the NC group (all P <0.05). The expression level of CD206 in macrophages in the CIH+AM251 group was higher than that in the CIH group(all P <0.05). The relative expression levels of Foxp3 in 6w and 10w CIH+AM251 groups were 0.62±0.05 and 0.32±0.21, respectively, which were higher than those in 6w CIH group (0.28±0.02) and 10w CIH group (0.02±0.01)( P <0.05). The relative expression levels of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 were 668.45±15.71 and 379.15±56.84, respectively, which were higher than those in CIH group (all P <0.05). Conclusion: Targeted sealing of CB1R may alleviate inflammatory response of mouse spleen under CIH conditions by regulating macrophage polarization and the expression of inflammatory factors, and may have some protective effect.

Fusobacterium nucleatum can bind to host cells and potentiate intestinal tumorigenesis. Here we used a genome-wide screen to identify an adhesin, RadD, which facilitates the attachment of F. nucleatum to colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in vitro. RadD directly binds to CD147, a receptor overexpressed on CRC cell surfaces, which initiated a PI3K-AKT-NF-κB-MMP9 cascade, subsequently enhancing tumorigenesis in mice. Clinical specimen analysis showed that elevated radD gene levels in CRC tissues correlated positively with activated oncogenic signalling and poor patient outcomes. Finally, blockade of the interaction between RadD and CD147 in mice effectively impaired F. nucleatum attachment and attenuated F. nucleatum-induced oncogenic response. Together, our study provides insights into an oncogenic mechanism driven by F. nucleatum RadD and suggests that the RadD-CD147 interaction could be a potential therapeutic target for CRC., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The mechanism and function of the expression of Schwann characteristics by nevus cells in the mature zone of the dermis are unknown. Early growth response 3 (EGR3) induces Schwann cell-like differentiation of melanoma cells by simulating the process of nevus maturation, which leads to a strong phenotypic transformation of the cells, including the formation of long protrusions and a decrease in cell motility, proliferation, and melanin production. Meanwhile, EGR3 regulates the levels of myelin protein zero (MPZ) and collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) through SRY-box transcription factor 10 (SOX10)-dependent and independent mechanisms, by binding to non-strictly conserved motifs, respectively. Schwann cell-like differentiation demonstrates significant benefits in both in vivo and clinical studies. Finally, a CD86-P2A-EGR3 recombinant mRNA vaccine is developed which leads to tumor control through forced cell differentiation and enhanced immune infiltration. Together, these data support further development of the recombinant mRNA as a treatment for cancer., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can lead to intestinal injury, endotoxemia, and disturbance of intestinal flora. Additionally, as a crucial component of the endocannabinoid system, some studies have demonstrated that cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptors are closely linked to the multiple organ dysfunction triggered by OSA. However, the role of the CB1 receptor in alleviating OSA-induced colon injury remains unclear. Here, through the construction of the OSA classic model, we found that the colon tissue of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced mice exhibited an overexpression of the CB1 receptor. The results of hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy revealed that inhibition of the CB1 receptor could decrease the gap between the mucosa and muscularis mucosae, alleviate mitochondrial swelling, reduce microvilli shedding, and promote the recovery of tight junctions of CIH-induced mice. Furthermore, CB1 receptor inhibition reduced the levels of metabolic endotoxemia and inflammatory responses, exhibiting significant protective effects on the colon injury caused by CIH. At the molecular level, through western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques, we found that inhibiting the CB1 receptor can significantly increase the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin proteins, which are closely related to the maintenance of intestinal mucosal barrier function. Through 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) determination, we found that inhibition of the CB1 receptor increased the diversity of the microbial flora and controlled the makeup of intestinal flora. Moreover, butyric acid concentration and the amount of SCFA-producing bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, were both markedly elevated by CB1 receptor inhibition. The results of the spearman correlation study indicated that Lachnospiraceae showed a positive association with both ZO-1 and Occludin but was negatively correlated with the colon CB1 receptor, IL-1β, and TNF-α. According to this study, we found that inhibiting CB1 receptor can improve CIH-induced colon injury by regulating gut microbiota, reducing mucosal damage and promoting tight junction recovery. KEY POINTS: •CIH leads to overexpression of CB1 receptor in colon tissue. •CIH causes intestinal flora disorder, intestinal mucosal damage, and disruption of tight junctions. •Inhibition of CB1 receptor can alleviate the colon injury caused by CIH through regulating the gut microbiota, reducing mucosal injury, and promoting tight junction recovery., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Dysregulation of enhancer transcription occurs in multiple cancers. Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are transcribed products from enhancers that play critical roles in transcriptional control. Characterizing the genetic basis of eRNA expression may elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cancers., Methods: Initially, a comprehensive analysis of eRNA quantitative trait loci (eRNAQTLs) was performed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and functional features were characterized using multi-omics data. To establish the first eRNAQTL profiles for colorectal cancer (CRC) in China, epigenomic data were used to define active enhancers, which were subsequently integrated with transcription and genotyping data from 154 paired CRC samples. Finally, large-scale case-control studies (34,585 cases and 69,544 controls) were conducted along with multipronged experiments to investigate the potential mechanisms by which candidate eRNAQTLs affect CRC risk., Results: A total of 300,112 eRNAQTLs were identified across 30 different cancer types, which exert their influence on eRNA transcription by modulating chromatin status, binding affinity to transcription factors and RNA-binding proteins. These eRNAQTLs were found to be significantly enriched in cancer risk loci, explaining a substantial proportion of cancer heritability. Additionally, tumor-specific eRNAQTLs exhibited high responsiveness to the development of cancer. Moreover, the target genes of these eRNAs were associated with dysregulated signaling pathways and immune cell infiltration in cancer, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets. Furthermore, multiple ethnic population studies have confirmed that an eRNAQTL rs3094296-T variant decreases the risk of CRC in populations from China (OR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.88-0.95, P = 2.92 × 10 -7 ) and Europe (OR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.88-0.95, P = 4.61 × 10 -6 ). Mechanistically, rs3094296 had an allele-specific effect on the transcription of the eRNA ENSR00000155786, which functioned as a transcriptional activator promoting the expression of its target gene SENP7. These two genes synergistically suppressed tumor cell proliferation. Our curated list of variants, genes, and drugs has been made available in CancereRNAQTL ( http://canernaqtl.whu.edu.cn/#/ ) to serve as an informative resource for advancing this field., Conclusion: Our findings underscore the significance of eRNAQTLs in transcriptional regulation and disease heritability, pinpointing the potential of eRNA-based therapeutic strategies in cancers., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In recent years, a surge in drought occurrences has dramatically impacted tree growth worldwide. We examined the ecological resilience of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations with varying densities (1950, 2355, and 2595 trees·hm -2 ) at the Saihanba Mechanical Forest Farm, by extracting the increment cores using the standard dendrochronological method to measure individual-tree basal area increments (BAI) as part of our assessment of ecological resilience, including resistance ( R t ), recovery ( R c ), and resilience ( R s ). The results showed that drought events occurred in 2006-2010, 2015, and 2018. The R t for L. principis-rupprechtii plantations varied from 0.76 to 2.01 across three drought events, indicating generally high resistance, except for the plantation with 2355 trees·hm -2 during the second dry year ( R t =0.69). The R t for the plantation with 2595 trees·hm -2 significantly decreased across all drought events, while no significant change was observed in the plantations with 1950 and 2355 trees·hm -2 . The R c showed no differences in response to a single drought event across plantation densities, with a significant upward trend for all the densities with each occurrence of drought event. There was no significant difference in the resilience of different densities of L. principis-rupprechtii to the first drought event, whereas the plantation with 2595 trees·hm -2 exhibited significantly lower R s during the second and third drought events compared with 1950 and 2355 trees·hm -2 , respectively. During the 2015 drought event, plantation with 2595 trees·hm -2 experienced a significant growth decline (radial growth change rate was -26.5%), while no such decline was observed in the plantations with 1950 and 2355 trees·hm -2 . Overall, the plantation with 2595 trees·hm -2 demonstrated the lowest resilience to drought events.

Objectives: To estimate adolescents and children age using stepwise regression and machine learning methods based on the pulp and tooth volumes of the left maxillary central incisor and cuspid on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, and to compare and analyze the estimation results., Methods: A total of 498 Shanghai Han adolescents and children CBCT images of the oral and maxillofacial regions were collected. The pulp and tooth volumes of the left maxillary central incisor and cuspid were measured and calculated. Three machine learning algorithms ( K -nearest neighbor, ridge regression, and decision tree) and stepwise regression were used to establish four age estimation models. The coefficient of determination, mean error, root mean square error, mean square error and mean absolute error were computed and compared. A correlation heatmap was drawn to visualize and the monotonic relationship between parameters was visually analyzed., Results: The K -nearest neighbor model ( R 2 =0.779) and the ridge regression model ( R 2 =0.729) outperformed stepwise regression ( R 2 =0.617), while the decision tree model ( R 2 =0.494) showed poor fitting. The correlation heatmap demonstrated a monotonically negative correlation between age and the parameters including pulp volume, the ratio of pulp volume to hard tissue volume, and the ratio of pulp volume to tooth volume., Conclusions: Pulp volume and pulp volume proportion are closely related to age. The application of CBCT-based machine learning methods can provide more accurate age estimation results, which lays a foundation for further CBCT-based deep learning dental age estimation research.

Intervertebral disc is a highly rhythmical tissue. As a key factor linking biorhythm and inflammatory response, the shielding effect of NR1D1 in the process of intervertebral disc degeneration remains unclear. Here, we first confirmed that NR1D1 in the nucleus pulposus tissue presents periodic rhythmic changes and decreases in expression with intervertebral disc degeneration. Second, when NR1D1 was activated by SR9009 in vitro , NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and IL-1β production were inhibited, while ECM synthesis was increased. Finally, the vivo experiments further confirmed that the activation of NR1D1 can delay the process of disc degeneration to a certain extent. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that NR1D1 can bind to IL-1β and NLRP3 promoters, and that the NR1D1/NLRP3/IL-1β pathway is involved in this process. Our results demonstrate that the activation of NR1D1 can effectively reduce IL-1β secretion, alleviate LPS-induced NPMSC pyroptosis, and protect ECM degeneration., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

A primary objective of biology is the development of universal laws that define how organic form develops and how it evolves as a function of size, both ontogenetically and across evolutionary time. Scaling theory has been essential in reaching this goal by giving a complete perspective point, particularly in illuminating the fundamental biological features produced within scaling exponents defining families of equations. Nonetheless, the theoretical basis of the allometric equation within scaling theory are inadequately explained, particularly when it comes to establishing links between micro-level processes at the cellular level and macro-level phenomena. We proposed an unlimited cell bipartition, resulting in an exponential growth in cell numbers during an individual's lifespan, to bridge this conceptual gap between cellular processes and allometric scaling. The power-law scaling between body mass and organ weight was produced by the synchronous exponential increments and the allometric exponent is rate of logarithmic cell proliferation rate. Substituting organ weight for erythrocyte weight aided in the development of a power-law scaling relationship between body mass and metabolic rate. Furthermore, it is critical to understand how cell size affects the exponent in power-law scaling. We find that a bigger exponent will result from an increase in the average weight of organ cells or a decrease in the average weight of all cells. Furthermore, cell proliferation dynamics showed a complex exponential scaling between body mass and longevity, defying the previously reported power-law scaling. We discovered a quadratic link between longevity and logarithmic body mass. Notably, all of the parameters included in these relationships are explained by indices linked to cell division and embryonic development. This research adds to our understanding of the complex interaction between cellular processes and overarching scaling phenomena in biology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationship that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Worldwide there is an increasing demand for Hospital at Home as an alternative to hospital admission. Although there is a growing evidence base on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Hospital at Home, health service managers, health professionals and policy makers require evidence on how to implement and sustain these services on a wider scale., Objectives: (1) To identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative research evidence on the factors that influence the implementation of Admission Avoidance Hospital at Home and Early Discharge Hospital at Home, from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, including policy makers, health service managers, health professionals, patients and patients' caregivers. (2) To explore how our synthesis findings relate to, and help to explain, the findings of the Cochrane intervention reviews of Admission Avoidance Hospital at Home and Early Discharge Hospital at Home services., Search Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Global Index Medicus and Scopus until 17 November 2022. We also applied reference checking and citation searching to identify additional studies. We searched for studies in any language., Selection Criteria: We included qualitative studies and mixed-methods studies with qualitative data collection and analysis methods examining the implementation of new or existing Hospital at Home services from the perspective of different stakeholders., Data Collection and Analysis: Two authors independently selected the studies, extracted study characteristics and intervention components, assessed the methodological limitations using the Critical Appraisal Skills Checklist (CASP) and assessed the confidence in the findings using GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research). We applied thematic synthesis to synthesise the data across studies and identify factors that may influence the implementation of Hospital at Home., Main Results: From 7535 records identified from database searches and one identified from citation tracking, we included 52 qualitative studies exploring the implementation of Hospital at Home services (31 Early Discharge, 16 Admission Avoidance, 5 combined services), across 13 countries and from the perspectives of 662 service-level staff (clinicians, managers), eight systems-level staff (commissioners, insurers), 900 patients and 417 caregivers. Overall, we judged 40 studies as having minor methodological concerns and we judged 12 studies as having major concerns. Main concerns included data collection methods (e.g. not reporting a topic guide), data analysis methods (e.g. insufficient data to support findings) and not reporting ethical approval. Following synthesis, we identified 12 findings graded as high (n = 10) and moderate (n = 2) confidence and classified them into four themes: (1) development of stakeholder relationships and systems prior to implementation, (2) processes, resources and skills required for safe and effective implementation, (3) acceptability and caregiver impacts, and (4) sustainability of services., Authors' Conclusions: Implementing Admission Avoidance and Early Discharge Hospital at Home services requires early development of policies, stakeholder engagement, efficient admission processes, effective communication and a skilled workforce to safely and effectively implement person-centred Hospital at Home, achieve acceptance by staff who refer patients to these services and ensure sustainability. Future research should focus on lower-income country and rural settings, and the perspectives of systems-level stakeholders, and explore the potential negative impact on caregivers, especially for Admission Avoidance Hospital at Home, as this service may become increasingly utilised to manage rising visits to emergency departments., (Copyright © 2024 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objective: Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism is involved in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigates the role of BCAA metabolism in CRC progression., Methods: Dietary BCAA was administered to both azoxymethane-induced and azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate-induced CRC mouse models. The expression of genes related to BCAA metabolism was determined using RNA sequencing. Adjacent tissue samples, obtained from 58 patients with CRC, were subjected to quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. Moreover, the suppressive role of branched-chain aminotransferase 2 (BCAT2) in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and xenograft mouse models was investigated. Alterations in BCAAs and activation of downstream pathways were also assessed using metabolic analysis and western blotting., Results: High levels of dietary BCAA intake promoted CRC tumorigenesis in chemical-induced CRC and xenograft mouse models. Both the mRNA and protein levels of BCAT2 were decreased in tumor tissues of patients with CRC compared to those in normal tissues. Proliferation assays and xenograft models confirmed the suppressive role of BCAT2 in CRC progression. Furthermore, the accumulation of BCAAs caused by BCAT2 deficiency facilitated the chronic activation of mTORC1, thereby mediating the oncogenic effect of BCAAs., Conclusion: BCAT2 deficiency promotes CRC progression through inhibition of BCAAs metabolism and chronic activation of mTORC1., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) revolutionized the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated disease achieving high rates of sustained virological response (SVR). However, whether DAAs can reduce the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with HCV-associated cirrhosis who are at high risk have not been concluded., Aim: To investigate the effect of DAAs on the occurrence of HCC in patients with HCV-associated cirrhosis after achieving SVR., Methods: Of 427 inpatients with HCV-associated cirrhosis were enrolled in Tianjin Second People's Hospital from January 2014 to April 2020. 118 patients weren't received antiviral treatment with any reasons named non-antiviral treatment group, and 236 patients obtained from the 309 DAAs treatment patients according to the propensity score matching named DAAs treatment group. Demographic information and laboratory data were collected from baseline and the following up. Kaplan-Meier curve and Log-Rank test were used to compare the incidence and cumulative incidence of HCC between the two groups. Cox proportional risk regression was used to re-evaluate the risk factors for HCC., Results: HCC incidence was 4.68/100PY (95%CI, 3.09-6.81) in the DAAs treatment group, while it was 3.00/100PY (95%CI, 1.50-5.37) in the non-antiviral treatment group, and the relative risk was 1.82 (95%CI, 0.93-3.53, P > 0.05). The incidence of HCC at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months was 3.39%, 6.36%, 8.47% and 10.17% in the DAAs treatment group, and it was 0%, 0%, 3.39% and 9.32% in the non-antiviral treatment group, respectively. Age > 58 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.089; 95%CI, 1.033-1.147; P = 0.002] and liver stiffness measurement > 27.85 kPa (HR = 1.043; 95%CI, 1.022-1.065; P = 0.000) were risk factors for HCC in all patients ( n = 427), and DAAs treatment didn't show protective efficacy., Conclusion: DAAs treatment seems failed to reduce the incidence of HCC occurrence in HCV-associated cirrhosis in 48 months, and even increased the incidence of HCC in 36 months., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

In an unchanging environment, natural selection always selects species with high fitness. In this study, we build a co-evolutionary system to study the interaction between stochasticity in finite populations and environmental feedback. Positive feedback between species and environment is detrimental to the invasion success, whereas negative feedback is beneficial to invasion since feedback makes population size important enough to revise natural selection's preference. In competition scenario, positive and negative feedback will benefit the initially inferior species. When selection intensity is high, negative feedback may even cause natural selection to favor the initially inferior species. All of these effects are caused by feedback that allows the initially inferior species to have greater fitness than the initially dominant species. Our results emphasize that the effects of stochasticity in evolutionary path can be reinforced by feedback with environment and then reverse the preference of natural selection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive measurement method for brain activity. Due to its safety, high resolution, and hypersensitivity to dynamic changes in brain neural signals, EEG has aroused much interest in scientific research and medical fields. This article reviews the types of EEG signals, multiple EEG signal analysis methods, and the application of relevant methods in the neuroscience field and for diagnosing neurological diseases. First, three types of EEG signals, including time-invariant EEG, accurate event-related EEG, and random event-related EEG, are introduced. Second, five main directions for the methods of EEG analysis, including power spectrum analysis, time-frequency analysis, connectivity analysis, source localization methods, and machine learning methods, are described in the main section, along with different sub-methods and effect evaluations for solving the same problem. Finally, the application scenarios of different EEG analysis methods are emphasized, and the advantages and disadvantages of similar methods are distinguished. This article is expected to assist researchers in selecting suitable EEG analysis methods based on their research objectives, provide references for subsequent research, and summarize current issues and prospects for the future., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Despite significant advances, the literature on the optimal surgical treatment for spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral haematoma (ICH) remains lacking. Intraoperative ICP measured on closure (closure ICP) was reported to be a potential marker of adequate decompression in various neurosurgical conditions. We hypothesize that closure ICP also correlates with outcomes in ICH., Methods: A multicentre retrospective study of 203 decompressive surgeries performed for ICHs was conducted (clot evacuation with either craniectomy or craniotomy). Receiver operating characteristic analysis on closure ICP was performed and an optimal threshold of 5 separated the patients into inadequate (iICP; ICP > 5 mmHg) and good decompression (gICP; ICP ≤ 5 mmHg). Postoperative ICP control, modified Rankin scale (mRS) and mortality were reported., Results: There were 85 patients in the iICP and 118 patients in the gICP group respectively. The mean age, median preoperative Glasgow coma scale, ICH laterality, location, and volume were similar. After multivariable analysis, the need for (OR 2.55 [1.31-4.97]) and the duration of postoperative hyperosmolar therapy (iICP: 3 days, gICP: 1 day; p = 0.045), and repeat surgery for refractory ICP (OR 5.80 [1.53-22]) were more likely in the iICP group. The likelihood of mRS improvement at 1-year follow up was significantly worse in the iICP group (OR 0.38 [0.17-0.83], p = 0.015)., Conclusion: Closure ICP is an objective and reproducible surgical target. When planning for surgical decompression, obtaining closure ICP of ≤ 5 mmHg is potentially able to improve postoperative ICP management and optimise functional recovery in a well selected patient population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Intense ultraviolet (UV) exposure can cause phototoxic reactions, such as skin inflammation, resulting in injury. UV is a direct cause of DNA damage, but the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation within cells after DNA damage are unclear. The bioinformatics analysis of transcriptome sequencing data from UV-irradiated and non-UV-irradiated skin showed that transcription-related proteins, such as HSF4 and COIL, mediate cellular response to UV irradiation. HSF4 and COIL can form a complex under UV irradiation, and the preference for binding target genes changed because of the presence of a large number of R-loops in cells under UV irradiation and the ability of COIL to recognize R-loops. The regulation of target genes was altered by the HSF4-COIL complex, and the expression of inflammation and ageing-related genes, such as Atg7, Tfpi, and Lims1, was enhanced. A drug screen was performed for the recognition sites of COIL and R-loop. N6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-adenosine can competitively bind COIL and inhibit the binding of COIL to the R-loop. Thus, the activation of downstream inflammation-related genes and inflammatory skin injury was inhibited., (© 2023 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shanghai Institute of Clinical Bioinformatics.)

Objective: To explore the current situation of work stress among nursing staff in Tianjin City and analyze its influencing factors. Methods: From August to October 2020, 26002 nursing staff from tertiary hospitals, secondary public hospitals, secondary private hospitals, primary hospitals, and other medical institutions in Tianjin City were selected as objects, and their general situation and working stress situation were surveyed by the general information questionnaire and the Nurse's Work Stressor Scale. Single factor analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of work stress among nursing staff. Results: The average age of 26002 nursing staff was (33.86±8.28) years old, and the average working years were (11.84±9.12) years. There were 24874 women (95.66%) and 1128 men (4.34%). The total score of work stress was (79.82±21.69), and the average score of workload and time allocation dimension was the highest (2.55±0.79). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that marital status ( β =-0.015, P =0.014), employment form as contract system ( β =0.022, P =0.001), post as clinical nursing ( β =0.048, P <0.001), education level ( β =0.024, P <0.001), age ( β =0.050, P <0.001), working years ( β =0.075, P <0.001), and professional title ( β =0.036, P <0.001) were the influencing factors of work stress, which explained 22.8% of the total variation in work stress of nursing staff ( F =24.25, P <0.001) . Conclusion: The work stress among nursing staff in Tianjin City is high, the corresponding departments and nursing managers should adopt scientific management methods to reduce the workload of nursing staff according to the influencing factors of work stress, so as to create a good atmosphere for further promoting the healthy development of nursing career and nursing industry in the new era.

Gliflozins are known as SGLT2 inhibitors, which are used to treat diabetic patients by inhibiting glucose reabsorption in kidney proximal tubules. Recent studies show that gliflozins may exert other effects independent of SGLT2 pathways. In this study we investigated their effects on skeletal muscle cell viability and paracrine function, which were crucial for promoting revascularization in diabetic hindlimb ischemia (HLI). We showed that treatment with empagliflozin (0.1-40 μM) dose-dependently increased high glucose (25 mM)-impaired viability of skeletal muscle C2C12 cells. Canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, ertugliflozin, ipragliflozin and tofogliflozin exerted similar protective effects on skeletal muscle cells cultured under the hyperglycemic condition. Transcriptomic analysis revealed an enrichment of pathways related to ferroptosis in empagliflozin-treated C2C12 cells. We further demonstrated that empagliflozin and other gliflozins (10 μM) restored GPX4 expression in high glucose-treated C2C12 cells, thereby suppressing ferroptosis and promoting cell viability. Empagliflozin (10 μM) also markedly enhanced the proliferation and migration of blood vessel-forming cells by promoting paracrine function of skeletal muscle C2C12 cells. In diabetic HLI mice, injection of empagliflozin into the gastrocnemius muscle of the left hindlimb (10 mg/kg, every 3 days for 21 days) significantly enhanced revascularization and blood perfusion recovery. Collectively, these results reveal a novel effect of empagliflozin, a clinical hypoglycemic gliflozin drug, in inhibiting ferroptosis and enhancing skeletal muscle cell survival and paracrine function under hyperglycemic condition via restoring the expression of GPX4. This study highlights the potential of intramuscular injection of empagliflozin for treating diabetic HLI., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between statin use and reduced incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), and work in preclinical models has demonstrated a potential chemopreventive effect. Statins are also associated with reduced dysbiosis in the gut microbiome, yet the role of the gut microbiome in the protective effect of statins in CRC is unclear. Here we validated the chemopreventive role of statins by retrospectively analysing a cohort of patients who underwent colonoscopies. This was confirmed in preclinical models and patient cohorts, and we found that reduced tumour burden was partly due to statin modulation of the gut microbiota. Specifically, the gut commensal Lactobacillus reuteri was increased as a result of increased microbial tryptophan availability in the gut after atorvastatin treatment. Our in vivo studies further revealed that L. reuteri administration suppressed colorectal tumorigenesis via the tryptophan catabolite, indole-3-lactic acid (ILA). ILA exerted anti-tumorigenic effects by downregulating the IL-17 signalling pathway. This microbial metabolite inhibited T helper 17 cell differentiation by targeting the nuclear receptor, RAR-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt). Together, our study provides insights into an anti-cancer mechanism driven by statin use and suggests that interventions with L. reuteri or ILA could complement chemoprevention strategies for CRC., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Purpose: Reperfusion therapy has greatly improved outcomes of ischaemic stroke but remains associated with haemorrhagic conversion and early deterioration in a significant proportion of patients. Outcomes in terms of function and mortality are mixed and the evidence for decompressive craniectomies (DC) in this context remains sparse. We aim to investigate the clinical efficacy of DC in this group of patients compared to those without prior reperfusion therapy., Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted between 2005 and 2020, and all patients with DC for large territory infarctions were included. Outcomes in terms of inpatient and long-term modified Rankin scale (mRS) and mortality were assessed at various time points and compared using both univariable and multivariable analyses. Favourable mRS was defined as 0-3., Results: There were 152 patients included in the final analysis. The cohort had a mean age of 57.5 years and median Charlson comorbidity index of 2. The proportion of preoperative anisocoria was 15.1%, median preoperative Glasgow coma scale was 9, the ratio of left-sided stroke was 40.1%, and ICA infarction was 42.8%. There were 79 patients with prior reperfusion and 73 patients without. After multivariable analysis, the proportion of favourable 6-month mRS (reperfusion, 8.2%; no reperfusion, 5.4%) and 1-year mortality (reperfusion, 26.7%; no reperfusion, 27.3%) were similar in both groups. Subgroup analysis of thrombolysis and/or thrombectomy against no reperfusion was also unremarkable., Conclusion: Reperfusion therapy prior to DC performed for large territory cerebral infarctions does not affect the functional outcome and mortality in a well-selected patient population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To systematically evaluate the prevalence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes in China., Methods: Computerized searches of the Chinese Biomedical, WanFang, Vip, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were used to collect research literature on cognitive impairment in older Chinese patients with diabetes from the time of database creation to May 5, 2021. A meta-analysis was performed using the Stata v14.0 software after two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted the information, and evaluated the bias risk of the included studies., Results: A total of 17 studies containing the records of 4380 elderly patients with diabetes were included. The meta-analysis results showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes was 48% (95% confidence interval [0.40-0.55]). The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment was higher in the elderly population with diabetes who were female, older, with a lower education level, no spouse, living alone, and with a monthly income of less than 2000 yuan., Conclusion: Current evidence showed that the incidence of cognitive impairment in elderly patients with diabetes in China was 48%, with a higher incidence in the elderly population who were female, older, with a lower education level, a low income, no spouse, and living alone., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Filifolium sibiricum flavonoids dropping pill (FSFp), a unique Chinese Filifolii sibirici herba extract preparation, has the potential as an alternative therapy against S. aureus infection (SA) and antiinfection. However, its chemical composition and in vivo metabolism characteristics remain unknown, which limits its clinical application., Methods: Here, we aimed to understand the in vitro and in vivo material basis of FSFp. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify chemicals in FSFp as well as its phase I and phase II reaction metabolites in plasma, urine and feces., Results: A total of 38 chemicals were characterized in FSFp, including 22 flavonoids, 10 organic acids, 3 chromones, 1 aromatic ketone, 1 coumarin, and 1 ligan. After analysis of the drugged bio-samples, a total of 21 compounds were found in urine, and 16 of them were found in feces, but only one was found in plasma. In addition, 56 FSFp-related metabolites were characterized, of which 56 were in urine, 4 in feces, and 8 in plasma., Conclusion: This is the first comprehensive research of FSFp on chemical constituents and metabolic profiles. It was expected that this study would offer reliable support for further investigation of FSFp., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Purpose: Acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) is associated with severe traumatic brain injury and poor outcomes. Although guidelines exist for the decompression of ASDH, the question of adequate decompression remains unanswered. The authors examined the relationship of intracranial pressure (ICP) on closure with outcomes to determine its utility in the determination of adequate ASDH decompression., Methods: A multicentre retrospective review of 105 consecutive patients with ASDH who underwent decompressive surgery was performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with internal validation was performed to determine an ICP threshold for the division of patients into the inadequate and good ICP groups. Multivariable analyses were performed for both inpatient and long-term outcomes., Results: An ICP threshold of 10 mmHg was identified with a 91.5% specificity, 45.7% sensitivity, and a positive and negative predictive value of 80.8% and 68.4%. There were 26 patients (24.8%) and 79 patients (75.2%) in the inadequate and good ICP groups, respectively. After adjustment, the inadequate ICP group was associated with increased postoperative usage of mannitol (OR 14.2, p < 0.001) and barbiturates (OR 150, p = 0.001). Inadequate ICP was also associated with increased inpatient mortality (OR 24.9, p < 0.001), and a lower rate of favourable MRS at 1 year (OR 0.08, p = 0.008). The complication rate was similar amongst the groups., Conclusions: Closure ICP is a novel, objective, and actionable intraoperative biomarker that correlates with inpatient and long-term outcomes in ASDH. Various surgical manoeuvres can be undertaken to achieve this target safely. Large-scale prospective studies should be performed to validate this ICP threshold., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Diabetes mellitus is associated with series of macrovascular and microvascular pathological changes that cause a wide range of complications. Diabetic patients are highly susceptible to hindlimb ischemia (HLI), which remains incurable. Evidence shows that skeletal muscle cells secrete a number of angiogenic factors to promote neovascularization and restore blood perfusion, this paracrine function is crucial for therapeutic angiogenesis in diabetic HLI. In this study we investigated whether sotagliflozin, an anti-hyperglycemia SGLT2 inhibitor, exerted therapeutic angiogenesis effects in diabetic HLI in vitro and in vivo. In C2C12 skeletal muscle cells, we showed that high glucose (HG, 25 mM) under hypoxia markedly inhibited cell viability, proliferation and migration potentials, which were dose-dependently reversed by pretreatment with sotagliflozin (5-20 μM). Sotagliflozin pretreatment enhanced expression levels of angiogenic factors HIF-1α, VEGF-A and PDGF-BB in HG-treated C2C12 cells under hypoxia as well as secreted amounts of VEGF-A and PDGF-BB in the medium; pretreatment with the HIF-1α inhibitor 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME2, 10 μM) or HIF-1α knockdown abrogated sotagliflozin-induced increases in VEGF-A and PDGF-BB expression, as well as sotagliflozin-stimulated cell proliferation and migration potentials. Furthermore, the conditioned media from sotagliflozin-treated C2C12 cells in HG medium enhanced the migration and proliferation capabilities of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, two types of cells necessary for forming functional blood vessels. In vivo study was conducted in diabetic mice subjected to excising the femoral artery of the left limb. After the surgery, sotagliflozin (10 mg/kg) was directly injected into gastrocnemius muscle of the left hindlimb once every 3 days for 3 weeks. We showed that intramuscular injection of sotagliflozin effectively promoted the formation of functional blood vessels, leading to significant recovery of blood perfusion in diabetic HLI mice. Together, our results highlight a new indication of SGLT2 inhibitor sotagliflozin as a potential therapeutic angiogenesis agent for diabetic HLI., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

The dorsal hippocampus plays a pivotal role in spatial memory. However, the role of subregion-specific molecular pathways in spatial cognition remains unclear. We observed that the transcriptional coregulator C-terminal binding protein 2 (CtBP2) presented CA3-specific enrichment in expression. RNAi interference of CtBP2 in the dorsal CA3 (dCA3) neurons, but not the ventral CA3 (vCA3), specifically impaired spatial reference memory and reduced the expression of GluR2, the calcium permeability determinant subunit of AMPA receptors. Application of an antagonist for GluR2-absent calcium permeable AMPA receptors rescued spatial memory deficits in dCA3 CtBP2 knockdown animals. Transcriptomic analysis suggest that CtBP2 may regulate GluR2 protein level through post-translational mechanisms, especially by the endocytosis pathway which regulates AMPA receptor sorting. Consistently, CtBP2 deficiency altered the mRNA expression of multiple endocytosis-regulatory genes, and CtBP2 knockdown in primary hippocampal neurons enhanced GluR2-containing AMPA receptor endocytosis. Together, our results provide evidence that the dCA3 regulates spatial reference memory by the CtBP2/GluR2 pathway through the modulation of calcium permeable AMPA receptors., (© 2022 The Authors. The FASEB Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Background: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) improves the survival and functional outcomes in patients with malignant cerebral infarction. Currently, there are no objective intraoperative markers that indicates adequate decompression. We hypothesise that closure intracranial pressure (ICP) correlates with postoperative outcomes., Methods: This is a multicentre retrospective review of all 75 DCs performed for malignant cerebral infarction. The patients were divided into inadequate ICP (iICP) and good ICP (gICP) groups based on a suitable ICP threshold determined with tiered receiver operating characteristic and association analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was performed for various postoperative outcomes., Results: An ICP threshold of 7 mmHg was determined, with 36 patients (48.0%) and 39 patients (52.0%) in the iICP and gICP group, respectively. After adjustment, postoperative osmotherapy usage was more likely in the iICP group (OR 6.32, p  = 0.003), and when given, was given for a longer median duration (iICP, 4 days; gICP, 1 day, p  = 0.003). There was no difference in complications amongst both groups. When an ICP threshold of 11 mmHg was applied, there was significant difference in the duration on ventilator (ICP ≥11 mmHg, 3-9 days, ICP <11 mmHg, 3-5 days, p  = 0.023)., Conclusion: Surgical decompression works complementarily with postoperative medical therapy to manage progressive cerebral edema in malignant cerebral infarctions. This is a retrospective study which showed that closure ICP, a novel objective intraoperative biomarker, is able to guide the adequacy of DC in this condition. Various surgical manoeuvres can be performed to ensure that this surgical aim is accomplished., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lim, Liu, Cheong, Saffari, Han and Chen.)

Cell apoptosis plays an important role in early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), a member of the small heat shock protein (HSP) family, is induced by various stress factors and exerts protective role on cells. However, the role of HSP27 in brain injury after SAH needs to be further clarified. Here, we reported that HSP27 level of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is increased obviously at day 1 in patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) and related to the grades of Hunt and Hess (HH), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS), and Fisher score. In rat SAH model, HSP27 of CSF is first increased and then obviously declined; overexpression of HSP27, not knockdown of HSP27, attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex; and overexpression of HSP27 effectively suppresses SAH-elevated activation of mitogen-activated protein Kinase Kinase 4 (MKK4), the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), c-Jun, and caspase-3. In an in vitro hemolysate-damaged cortical neuron model, HSP27 65-90 peptide effectively inhibits hemolysate-induced neuron death. Furthermore, TAT-HSP27 65-90 peptide, a fusion peptide consisting of trans-activating regulatory protein (TAT) of HIV and HSP27 65-90 peptide, effectively attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex of rats. Altogether, our results suggest that TAT-HSP27 peptide improves neurologic deficits via reducing apoptosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhou, Sun, Wang, Li, Li, Yang, Yang, Yuan, Zhang, Sun and Han.)

Introduction: Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) is a condition with significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional markers of aSAH have established their utility in the prediction of aSAH outcomes while frailty markers have been validated in other surgical specialties. We aimed to compare the predictive value of frailty indices and markers of sarcopaenia and osteopaenia, against the traditional markers for aSAH outcomes., Methods: An observational study in a tertiary neurosurgical unit on 51 consecutive patients with ruptured aSAH was performed. The best performing marker in predicting the modified Rankin scale (mRS) on discharge was selected and an appropriate threshold for the definition of frail and non-frail was derived. We compared various frailty indices (modified frailty index 11, and 5, and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program score [NSQIP]) and markers of sarcopaenia and osteopaenia (temporalis [TMT] and zygoma thickness), against traditional markers (age, World Federation of Neurological Surgery and modified Fisher scale [MFS]) for aSAH outcomes. Univariable and multivariable analysis was then performed for various inpatient and long-term outcomes., Results: TMT was the best performing marker in our cohort with an AUC of 0.82, Somers' D statistic of 0.63 and Tau statistic 0.25. Of the frailty scores, the NSQIP performed the best (AUC 0.69), at levels comparable to traditional markers of aSAH, such as MFS (AUC 0.68). The threshold of 5.5 mm in TMT thickness was found to have a specificity of 0.93, sensitivity of 0.51, positive predictive value of 0.95 and negative predictive value of 0.42. After multivariate analysis, patients with TMT ≥ 5.5 mm (defined as non-frail), were less likely to experience delayed cerebral ischaemia (OR 0.11 [0.01 - 0.93], p = 0.042), any complications (OR 0.20 [0.06 - 0.069], p = 0.011), and had a larger proportion of favourable mRS on discharge (95.0% vs. 58.1%, p = 0.024) and at 3-months (95.0% vs. 64.5%, p = 0.048). However, the gap between unfavourable and favourable mRS was insignificant at the comparison of 1-year outcomes., Conclusion: TMT, as a marker of sarcopaenia, correlated well with the presenting status, and outcomes of aSAH. Frailty, as defined by NSQIP, performed at levels equivalent to aSAH scores of clinical relevance, suggesting that, in patients presenting with acute brain injury, both non-neurological and neurological factors were complementary in the determination of eventual clinical outcomes. Further validation of these markers, in addition to exploration of other relevant frailty indices, may help to better prognosticate aSAH outcomes and allow for a precision medicine approach to decision making and optimization of best outcomes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Obesity continues to be a global public health challenge. Litchi chinensis seed is rich in bioactive ingredients with pharmacological effects, such as hypoglycemic activity and anti-oxidation. This study aimed to assess the potential anti-obesity effects of L. chinensis seed and the changes of gut microbiota and mycobiota compositions in obese zebrafish induced by a high-fat diet. The anti-obesity effects were supplemented and validated in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. In this study, various chemical components of L. chinensis seed water and ethanol extracts were detected using UHPLC-QE-MS, and both extracts showed strong in vitro antioxidant activities. Network pharmacology analysis showed the potential of the extracts to improve obesity. Litchi chinensis seed powder, water and ethanol extracts decreased the weight of obese zebrafish, improved lipid accumulation and lipid metabolism, regulated appetite, and inhibited cell apoptosis and inflammation of the liver and intestine. They showed similar effects in obese mice, and also reduced the weight of fat tissues, regulated insulin resistance and glucose metabolism, and improved the intestinal barrier. Additionally, L. chinensis seed modulated the compositions of gut microbiota and mycobiota in zebrafish, with the regulation of the proportion of bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids or affect intestine health, including Cetobacterium , Trichococcus , Aeromonas , Staphylococcus , and Micrococcaceae, and the proportion of fungi that produce mycotoxins or have special metabolic capacities, including Penicillium , Candida , Rhodotorula , and Trichoderma . Spearman's correlation analysis revealed the potential link between zebrafish obesity parameters, gut bacteria and fungi. Overall, these findings indicated that L. chinensis seed effectively improved obesity.

Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) has a high short-term mortality rate. Schisandra chinensis has the potential to ameliorate liver damage and be a source of prebiotics. We aimed to investigate whether Schisandra chinensis extract (SCE) can improve AH and the role of the small intestinal and cecal microbiota and their metabolites. UHPLC-QE-MS was used to analyze the chemical components of SCE. The chronic-plus-binge ethanol feeding model was used to induce AH in mice. 1 H NMR was used to analyze intestinal metabolites. 16S rRNA-based high throughput sequencing was used to evaluate the effects of SCE on intestinal microbiota (IM). Intestinal microbiota transplantation was used to explore the role of IM in SCE treatment of AH. SCE ameliorated AH non-dose-dependently. SCE effectively improved liver inflammation and oxidative/nitrosative stress, strengthened intestinal barrier function, and regulated the composition of IM and the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in AH mice. Samples from in vivo and in vitro SCE-altered IM improved liver status and regulated the IM. The administration of Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium breve ameliorated AH to some extent. The administration of Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella oxytoca had partial beneficial effects on AH. Collectively, IM and metabolites were closely associated with the improvement of SCE on AH. The possible microbe targets were the growth inhibition of Escherichia-Shigella and the expansion of SCFA producers, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium . Schisandra chinensis can be considered as a safe and effective dietary supplement for the prevention and improvement of AH., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Xiang, Chi, Han, Shi, Cai, Xiang and Xie.)

The chemical compositions of essential oils (EOs) prepared from six spices including cinnamon, amomum tsao-ko, cardamom, amomum, black pepper and white pepper were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which led to identify almost 200 volatile compounds. All EOs of spices showed cholinesterase inhibitory activity. Among them, pepper EO showed most potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 8.54 μg/mL (black pepper EO) and 5.02 μg/mL (white pepper EO). Molecular docking and in vitro validation suggested that 3-carene, α-pinene and β-pinene with IC 50 value of 1.73, 2.66, and 14.75 μg/mL, respectively, might be active constituents of spices oil in inhibiting AChE. Furthermore, amomum tsao-ko EO and amomum EO can improve behavioral disorder in dementia zebrafish induced by aluminum trichloride (AlCl 3 )., (© 2021 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Drug combination therapies are a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance and improve the efficacy of monotherapy in cancer, and it has been shown to lead to a decrease in dose-related toxicities. Except the synergistic reaction between drugs, some antagonistic drug-drug interactions (DDIs) exist, which is the main cause of adverse drug events. Precisely predicting the type of DDI is important for both drug development and more effective drug combination therapy applications. Recently, numerous text mining- and machine learning-based methods have been developed for predicting DDIs. All these methods implicitly utilize the feature of drugs from diverse drug-related properties. However, how to integrate these features more efficiently and improve the accuracy of classification is still a challenge. In this paper, we proposed a novel method (called NMDADNN) to predict the DDI types by integrating five drug-related heterogeneous information sources to extract the unified drug mapping features. NMDADNN first constructs the similarity networks by using the Jaccard coefficient and then implements random walk with restart algorithm and positive pointwise mutual information for extracting the topological similarities. After that, five network-based similarities are unified by using a multimodel deep autoencoder. Finally, NMDADNN implements the deep neural network (DNN) on the unified drug feature to infer the types of DDIs. In comparison with other recent state-of-the-art DNN-based methods, NMDADNN achieves the best results in terms of accuracy, area under the precision-recall curve, area under the ROC curve, F1 score, precision and recall. In addition, many of the promising types of drug-drug pairs predicted by NMDADNN are also confirmed by using the interactions checker tool. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our NMDADNN method, indicating that NMDADNN has the great potential for predicting DDI types., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Yan, Yin, Wu and Han.)

Smoking among young people has aroused widespread concern in society. The number of young people who smoke has increased year by year, which has largely affected their health. Therefore, how to improve the prevention and control rate of tobacco harm, thereby reducing the smoking rate of young people has become an important issue. Based on the glamour engineering research method that can specifically solve the problem of attractiveness between users and products, the user preference of young people's smoking behavior is studied through the evaluation structure method and quantitative type I analysis, and the potential attractive factors are analyzed. Among them, there are 7 important attractive characteristics that affect the first attempt to smoke. These seven factors are divided into two aspects, namely, personal preference factors and environmental factors. The statistical data obtained through data analysis will be tested in the KMO field. The KMO values are 0.827 and 0.687, respectively, and the statistical results have obvious scores, so this study is effective. By quantifying one category, the partial correlation coefficients of different categories can be found, that is, specific solutions. This method provides a reference for ways and means to curb smoking behavior and also provides a case study for studying user perception. According to the research results, we seek ways to influence the smoking preferences of young people and then adopt some artificial methods to intervene in the generation of these factors, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing smoking among young people., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Jia-Xuan Han and Kun Wang.)

Children with autism need appropriate educational toys to assist rehabilitation training, so as to inhibit the development of autism. Toys and related treatments for children with autism can alleviate some of the deficits of children with autism. By using toys as stimuli and various sensations obtained by children with autism or toys as a result of reinforcement, the improvement of certain capabilities expected by related therapies can be achieved through the process of stimulation and reinforcement. However, in the process of pediatrics toy development, it is difficult for toy designers to assess whether the purpose of stimulation and reinforcement can be achieved. There are many factors that affect the design of rehabilitation toys. The industry has not formed a unified design evaluation standard, and the effects of product rehabilitation training are uneven. A method based on the radial basis function (RBF) neural network was proposed in this research to study the rehabilitation design and evaluation of rehabilitation toys for children with autism. Firstly, according to the three demand indicators for the evaluation of rehabilitation training for children with autism, that is, "useful, educational, and entertaining," the analytic network process (ANP) method was chosen as the weighting method for determining each indicator in the overall evaluation. The RBF neural network rehabilitation model for children with autism was designed and evaluated. The maximum error of the model was less than 10%. The evaluation method was objective and reasonable, so as to provide a reference for the more accurate design evaluation, purchase, and development of rehabilitation toys for children with autism., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Yueer Qi and Jia-Xuan Han.)

Aim: To investigate the change of ocular surface and corneal nerve and their correlation in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus under different degrees of retinopathy., Methods: Totally 129 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (257 eyes) were included. They were divided into three groups: no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group (33 cases, 66 eyes), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group (32 cases, 64 eyes), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group (34 cases, 67 eyes). Healthy normal individuals were enrolled as controls (30 cases, 60 eyes). Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was completed by all subjects, and dry eye analyzer was applied to examine tear meniscus height (TMH), first tear break-up time (FTBUT), average tear break-up time (ATBUT), tear film lipid layer thickness classification, and meibomian gland loss (MGL) score. Corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), and corneal nerve fiber tortuosity (CNFT) were examined by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). The differences and correlation among these parameters were analyzed., Results: Total OSDI score, TMH, FTBUT, ATBUT, tear film lipid layer thickness, MGL score, CNFD, CNBD, CNFL, and CNFT were statistically different among the four groups ( P <0.05). In NDR group, CNFL was positively correlated with TMH ( r =0.493, both P <0.01) and ATBUT ( r =0.437, P <0.05). CNFL in NPDR group was positively correlated with TMH ( r =0.642, P <0.01) and ATBUT ( r =0.6, P <0.01). CNFL in PDR group was positively correlated with TMH ( r =0.364, P <0.05) and ATBUT ( r =0.589, P <0.01), with low negative correlation with MGL score ( r =-0.331, P <0.05)., Conclusion: With the progression of diabetic retinopathy, TMH, BUT, lipid layer thickness, CNFL, CNFD, and CNBD gradually decreased, while total OSDI score, MGL score, and CNFT increased. CNFL is correlated with TMH and ATBUT in diabetic patients., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is the main pathological manifestation of end-stage renal disease. Recent studies have shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in the pathogenesis and development of RIF. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as an effective treatment for kidney diseases, can improve kidney damage by affecting the apoptotic signaling pathway mediated by ER stress. This article reviews the apoptotic pathways mediated by ER stress, including the three major signaling pathways of unfolded protein response, the main functions of the transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein. We also present current research on TCM treatment of RIF, focusing on medicines that regulate ER stress. A new understanding of using TCM to treat kidney disease by regulating ER stress will promote clinical application of Chinese medicine and discovery of new drugs for the treatment of RIF., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Yu Liu et al.)

Mislabelling is a significant manifestation of food fraud. Traditional Sanger sequencing technology is the gold standard for seafood species identification. However, this method is not suitable for analysing processed samples that may contain more than one species. This study tested the feasibility of next-generation sequencing in identifying mixed salmon products. Salmon samples containing up to eight species were amplified using 16S rRNA mini-barcode primers, and sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq2500 platform. All species were accurately identified, and mixtures as low as 1% (w/w) could be detected. Furthermore, this study conducted a market survey of 32 products labelled as salmon. For pure and mixed fish products, Sanger and next-generation sequencing techniques were respectively used for species identification, and for NGS results, we also used real-time PCR method to cross-validate the mixed products to further verify the accuracy of the DNA metabarcoding technology established in this study. DNA barcoding and metabarcoding of commercial salmon food products revealed the presence of mislabelling in 16 of 32 (50%) samples. The developed DNA barcoding and metabarcoding methods are useful for the identification of salmon species in food and can be used for quality control of various types of salmon products.

ErbB4 loss-of-function in catecholaminergic neurons induces catecholamine dyshomeostasis. Despite ErbB4's significant role in neuropathology, the signaling pathways that regulate these changes are still widely unknown. In this study, we attempt to identify the downstream pathway of ErbB4 that regulates catecholamine homeostasis. The SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line was used as the in vitro model for catecholaminergic neurons. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and pharmacological and genetic manipulations by agonist/antagonist or small interference RNA were used to investigate the relationship between ErbB4 and extracellular catecholamines. We confirmed that ErbB4 is abundantly expressed in undifferentiated and retinoic acid-differentiated catecholaminergic cells from the SH-SY5Y cell line. ErbB4 inhibition increase the ratio of phosphorylated p38 to total p38 in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Consistent with previous in vivo observations in mice, ErbB4 deficiency led to increases in extracellular dopamine and norepinephrine levels. However, the resulting increase in extracellular dopamine, but not norepinephrine, could be suppressed by p38 inhibitor SB202190. Our results suggest that both extracellular dopamine and norepinephrine homeostasis could be regulated by ErbB4 in human catecholaminergic cells, and ErbB4 may regulate extracellular dopamine, but not norepinephrine, through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus indicating different regulatory pathways of dopamine and norepinephrine by ErbB4 in catecholaminergic neurons., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Chronic inflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis are risk factors for colorectal cancer. In clinical practice, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a greatly increased risk of developing colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). However, the underlying mechanism of the initiation of CAC remains unknown. Systematic analyses using an existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) and conditional deletion of Zfp90 (encoding zinc finger protein 90 homolog) in a CAC mouse model indicated that Zfp90 is a putative oncogene in CAC development.Strikingly, depletion of the gut microbiota eliminated the tumorigenic effect of Zfp90 in the CAC mouse model. Moreover, fecal microbiota transplantation demonstrated that Zfp90 promoted CAC dependent on the gut microbiota. Analysis of 16s rDNA sequences in fecal specimens from the CAC mouse model allowed us to speculate that a Prevotella copri -defined microbiota might mediate the oncogenic role of Zfp90 in the development of CAC. Mechanistic studies revealed Zfp90 accelerated CAC development through the TLR4-PI3K-AKT-NF-κB pathway. Our findings revealed the crucial role of the Zfp90 -microbiota-NF-κB axis in creating a tumor-promoting environment and suggested therapeutic targets for CAC prevention and treatment.

Over a millennia, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat various diseases in China. In recent years, more and more Chinese materia medica (CMM) have been studied in scientific research projects, applied in clinical practice, and their extracts have even appeared in some health products. However, the toxicity of some CMM is often overlooked, including hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, etc. In this review, the toxic components and their toxicological mechanisms of some toxic CMM were listed according to the chemical structure classification of toxic components. Afterwards, the traditional methods (processing and compatibility) and modern methods (structural modification, biotransformation, etc.) of attenuation of CMM were discussed. Since ancient times, it has been said that "fight fire with fire, fight poison with poison," and toxic CMM are of great significance in the treatment of difficult and severe diseases. The rational application of toxic CMM and their components in clinical practice was also exemplified in this review. While the pharmacological effects of TCMs have been emphasized, the scientific attenuation and rational application of toxic components should be concerned. We hope this review can provide a reference for future related research.