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Summary Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent threat to global public health and traditional treatment monitoring approaches are limited by their potential for contamination and need for timely evaluation. Therefore, new biomarkers are urgently required for monitoring the treatment efficacy of TB. Methods This study aimed to elucidate the levels of CXCL10 and CXCL9 in pulmonary TB patients who underwent anti-TB treatment. The data was acquired from five databases, including PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. A meta-analysis of CXCL10 data from all time points was conducted. Furthermore, a trend meta-analysis of temporal data of CXCL10 and CXCL9 from multiple time points was also performed. Results It was revealed that patients who responded poorly to anti-TB treatment had higher serum levels relative to those who responded well (SMD: 1.23, 95% CI: -0.37–2.84) at the end of intensive treatment (2 months). Furthermore, heterogeneity was observed in these results, which might be because patients with a prior history of TB and different treatment monitoring methods than those selected in this study were also included. The analysis of alterations in CXCL10 and CXCL9 levels since the last collection time points indicated that their levels reduced with time. Conclusion In summary, the study revealed that reductions in CXCL10 levels during the first two months of anti-TB treatment are correlated with treatment responses. Furthermore, decreasing levels of CXCL9 during the treatment suggest that it may also serve as a biomarker with a similar value to CXCL10. Future in-depth studies are thus warranted to further probe the relevance of CXCL10 and CXCL9 in monitoring the treatment efficacy of TB.

Abstract Numerous studies have indicated a connection between psychiatric symptoms, specifically anxiety and depression, and gastroesophageal reflux. However, the precise nature of the link between the severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease and the severity of anxiety and depression remains uncertain. Here, we gathered 24-h pH monitoring data and baseline patient information from a cohort of 518 individuals. Additionally, we evaluated their psychological well-being using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The relationship between baseline characteristics and varying degrees of anxiety, depression, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was assessed using R software version 4.1.3 and logistic regression models. The findings indicate a statistically significant variation in anxiety levels based on gender, as well as a significant disparity in depression groups when considering age and literacy levels. Kruskal–Wallis test analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the severity of anxiety and depression and the 24-h pH monitoring results in our patient cohort. As the anxiety and depression levels increased, the rank mean for each examination result also increased. Logistic regression modeling analysis showed that a higher anxiety level was associated with a higher level of GERD. In the presence of mild anxiety, there is a statistically significant association with a higher incidence of GERD with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.64 (95% CI 1.50, 4.64). Similarly, the moderately severe anxiety group also exhibits a causal relationship with an increased GERD incidence, with an OR of 6.84 (95% CI 3.92, 12.17). Additionally, moderate to severe depression is associated with a higher incidence of GERD, with an OR of 2.32 (95% CI 1.23, 4.37). The prevalence of GERD was greater among males compared to females (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.51–3.49). Additionally, an elevated body mass index (BMI) demonstrated a positive correlation with the susceptibility to GERD (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.14). Increasing age may promote the occurrence of GERD in patients. These findings may help to provide a better basis for psychological or pharmacological interventions for GERD patients with psychosomatic symptoms in the future, and provide a reference basis for clinical treatment of the disease.

Abstract Climate change is a challenge for global sustainable development. The transportation sector contributes considerably to global greenhouse gas emissions. In China, it accounts for about 10% of total CO2 emissions with high mitigation potential. Public transit systems can save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Carbon-inclusive action based on digital technology is becoming the primary measure for promoting green transit in China. To understand the level and nature of the public’s awareness of green transit and identify potential pathways to change their behaviors toward green transit, this study collected 7369 questionnaires nationwide and examined the public’s behavior and preferences regarding green transportation and their attitudes toward digital technologies that support green transportation, in the first such study in the Chinese context. The study found that (1) most respondents understand and accept the concept of green transportation, especially younger respondents, under the age of 39; (2) convenience, safety, and weather are the most important factors considered; (3) digital tools provide innovative and interesting options for public participation in green mobility. The government, social organizations, enterprises, and various stakeholders must strive to foster consensus and collaborative participation. This involves partnering with digital technology enterprises and establishing emission reduction standards for low-carbon living, particularly in the realm of green transportation.

Radiation is one of the standard therapies for pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG), of which the prognosis remains poor. To gain an in-depth understanding of biological consequences beyond the classic DNA damage, we treated 9 patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) models, including one with DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency, with fractionated radiations (2 Gy/day x 5 days). Extension of survival time was noted in 5 PDOX models (P < 0.05) accompanied by γH2AX positivity in >95 % tumor cells in tumor core and >85 % in the invasive foci as well as ∼30 % apoptotic and mitotic catastrophic cell death. The model with DNA MMR (IC-1406HGG) was the most responsive to radiation with a reduction of Ki-67(+) cells. Altered metabolism, including mitochondria number elevation, COX IV activation and reactive oxygen species accumulation, were detected together with the enrichment of CD133+ tumor cells. The latter was caused by the entry of quiescent G0 cells into cell cycle and the activation of self-renewal (SOX2 and BMI1) and epithelial mesenchymal transition (fibronectin) genes. These novel insights about the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fractionated radiation in vivo should support the development of new radio-sensitizing therapies.

An analytical method was established for the simultaneous detection of five saccharides in tea by multi-plug filtration cleanup (m-PFC) combined with high performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD). An m-PFC cartridge with polyamide powder as sorbent was developed for sample pretreatment. Tea samples were extracted with water while shaking, and then back-extracted with dichloromethane for the removal of impurities. The upper phase was purified using the m-PFC column and detected by HPLC. Quantification was performed by the external standard method. The results showed that the logarithm of the peak areas was linearly related to the logarithm of the concentrations of rhamnose, fructose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose within the linear ranges tested, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. The limits of detection (LOD) were in the range of 0.04–0.1 g/100 g, and the limits of quantitation (LOQ) were 0.10–0.20 g/100 g. The average recoveries at three spiked levels were in the range of 91.0%–103%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.0%–4.6%. This method has the advantages of simple operation and good purification effect, and is suitable for the quantitation of these five saccharides in tea.

Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), and transfer RNA (tRNA)-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), play essential roles in regulating various cellular and developmental processes. Over the past three decades, researchers have identified novel sncRNA species from various organisms. These molecules demonstrate dynamic expression and diverse functions, and they are subject to intricate regulation through RNA modifications in both healthy and diseased states. Notably, certain sncRNAs in gametes, particularly sperm, respond to environmental stimuli and facilitate epigenetic inheritance. Collectively, the in-depth understanding of sncRNA functions and mechanisms has accelerated the development of small RNA-based therapeutics. In this review, we present the recent advances in the field, including new sncRNA species and the regulatory influences of RNA modifications. We also discuss the current limitations and challenges associated with using small RNAs as either biomarkers or therapeutic drugs.

Abstract Background Clinical decision-making involves ethical issues that become more and more complex. Nurse interns must be more skilled in making rational and timely decisions when facing ethical dilemmas. The contributing factors and their relationships that challenge ethical decision-making among nurse interns must be fully understood, as this level of knowledge can support the development of strategies and interventions that improve the ethical decision-making ability of nurse interns. Objective This study examined the relationships between moral courage, moral sensitivity, and ethical decision-making by nurse interns. In addition, we investigated whether moral sensitivity mediates the relationship between moral courage and ethical decision-making. Design A descriptive cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. Setting The study sampled nurse interns from Class iii Grade A general hospitals in Sichuan Province, China. Participants A convenience sampling method was used to select 1334 nurse interns from March 2022 to May 2022. Methods A general information questionnaire, the Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale (NMCS), the Chinese Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ), and the Judgement About Nursing Decision (JAND) were used for data collection. Data was processed and analysed using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 28.0. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling. Results Moral courage was found to be positively correlated with ethical decision-making (P

Abstract Background Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is well known to be associated with a lot of tumors, including lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, EBV-associated gastric carcinoma, and some other carcinomas with similar lymphoepithelioma-like features. However, the association between EBV and thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) is inconclusive as reports in this regard are not entirely consistent and the methods employed are of different sensitivity and specificity. The geographical difference of the patients is also one of the reasons for the different points of view. Methods In our study, we examined 72 thymomas, including 3 cases of type A thymomas, 27 cases of type AB, 6 cases of type B1, 26 cases of type B2 and 10 cases of type B3 thymomas, and 15 thymic carcinomas to detect the viral genome at both DNA and RNA levels. The genome DNA of fresh tissues was first screened by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which could be regarded as the most sensitive method to detect small amounts of DNA. Then all the tissue blocks were further submitted for viral localization by Epstein–Barr-encoded RNA (EBER) ISH. Group parameters were assessed using the chi-square test at a significance level of p

Reducing environmental impacts and improving N utilization are critical to ensuring food security in China. Although root-zone fertilization has been considered an effective strategy to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the effect of controlled-release urea (CRU) applied in conjunction with normal urea in this mode is unclear. Therefore, a 3-year field experiment was conducted using a no-N-added as a control and two fertilization modes (FF, furrow fertilization by manual trenching, i.e., farmer fertilizer practice; HF: root-zone hole fertilization by point broadcast manually) at 210 kg N ha–1 (controlled-release:normal fertilizer=5:5), along with a 1-year in-situ microplot experiment. Maize yield, NUE and N loss were investigated under different fertilization modes. The results showed that compared with FF, HF improved the average yield and N recovery efficiency by 8.5 and 22.3% over three years, respectively. HF had a greater potential for application than FF treatment, which led to increases in dry matter accumulation, total N uptake, SPAD value and LAI. In addition, HF remarkably enhanced the accumulation of 15N derived from fertilizer by 17.2% compared with FF, which in turn reduced the potential loss of 15N by 43.8%. HF increased the accumulation of N in the tillage layer of soils at harvest for potential use in the subsequent season relative to FF. Hence, HF could match the N requirement of summer maize, sustain yield, improve NUE and reduce environmental N loss simultaneously. Overall, root-zone hole fertilization with blended CRU and normal urea can represent an effective and promising practice to achieve environmental integrity and food security on the North China Plain, which deserves further application and investigation.

The paternal genome undergoes a massive exchange of histone with protamine for compaction into sperm during spermiogenesis. Upon fertilization, this process is potently reversed, which is essential for parental genome reprogramming and subsequent activation; however, it remains poorly understood how this fundamental process is initiated and regulated. Here, we report that the previously characterized splicing kinase SRPK1 initiates this life-beginning event by catalyzing site-specific phosphorylation of protamine, thereby triggering protamine-to-histone exchange in the fertilized oocyte. Interestingly, protamine undergoes a DNA-dependent phase transition to gel-like condensates and SRPK1-mediated phosphorylation likely helps open up such structures to enhance protamine dismissal by nucleoplasmin (NPM2) and enable the recruitment of HIRA for H3.3 deposition. Remarkably, genome-wide assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) analysis reveals that selective chromatin accessibility in both sperm and MII oocytes is largely erased in early pronuclei in a protamine phosphorylation-dependent manner, suggesting that SRPK1-catalyzed phosphorylation initiates a highly synchronized reorganization program in both parental genomes.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of chaetocin on pyroptosis of gastric cancer cells and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: The proliferation of gastric cancer cells was detected by trypan blue staining. Flow cytometry and Hoechst/propidium iodide double staining were used to detect apoptosis and pyroptosis. Cellular ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The levels of p-mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL), gasdermin-D (GSDMD), gasdermin E (GSDME), N-GSDMD, and N-GSDME proteins were detected by Western blotting. In addition, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay was used to verify pyroptosis induced by chaetocin, and caspase 3 inhibition test and siRNA interference test were conducted to investigate pyroptosis mechanisms. Results: Chaetocin at concentrations of 200 nmol/L to 600 nmol/L inhibited the proliferation of AGS, HGC27, MKN28, and SGC7901 gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis and pyroptosis. Significant ultrastructure changes, such as chromatin condensation, vacuolization, disrupted mitochondrial cristae, and increased nuclear occupancy, were observed after treatment with chaetocin in SGC7901 cells. Chaetocin at a concentration of 400 nmol/L significantly increased the number of pyroptotic cells, LDH release, and the ratio of N-GSDME/ GSDME (P0.05). Conclusions: In addition to inducing apoptosis, chaetocin inhibits gastric cancer cells by inducing pyroptosis via the caspase 3/GSDME pathway. G9a was the target of chaetocin to induce pyroptosis of gastric cancer cells.

Abstract Background Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been widely applied in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to significantly reduce perioperative blood loss and improve knee function recovery in patients after surgery. The choice of antithrombotic agents for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention after TKA is controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of different antithrombotic agents on patients after primary unilateral TKA in the context of applied TXA. Methods A total of 180 patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA from October 2020 to December 2021 were included in this study. All patients were given an intraoperative drip of 60 mg/kg TXA. Thereafter, patients were divided into three groups (n = 60 each). Baseline data were comparable among the three groups. The average follow-up time was 3.02 ± 0.09 months. Group 1 enrolled patients receiving oral rivaroxaban (RA) at 10 mg, Group 2 included patients who received subcutaneous Dalteparin sodium at 2500 IU, while Group 3 included patients taking oral aspirin (ASA) at 100 mg. Patients in all the three groups received treatment once a day for 30 days at 12 h postoperatively. The primary outcomes in this study were post-treatment drainage volume and thrombotic complication rate. The secondary outcomes included hematologic parameters, transfusion rate, intraoperative blood loss, total blood loss (TBL), and bleeding complication rate. Results The average drainage volume after treatment was significantly lower in Group 3 than in Group 1 and Group 2 (205.2 ± 69.0 vs 243.4 ± 72.5 vs 295.4 ± 72.5 ml, P

Heart performance relies on highly coordinated excitation-contraction (EC) coupling, and defects in this critical process may be exacerbated by additional genetic defects and/or environmental insults to cause eventual heart failure. Here we report a regulatory pathway consisting of the RNA binding protein RBFox2, a stress-induced microRNA miR-34a, and the essential EC coupler JPH2. In this pathway, initial cardiac defects diminish RBFox2 expression, which induces transcriptional repression of miR-34a, and elevated miR-34a targets Jph2 to impair EC coupling, which further manifests heart dysfunction, leading to progressive heart failure. The key contribution of miR-34a to this process is further established by administrating its mimic, which is sufficient to induce cardiac defects, and by using its antagomir to alleviate RBFox2 depletion-induced heart dysfunction. These findings elucidate a potential feed-forward mechanism to account for a critical transition to cardiac decompensation and suggest a potential therapeutic avenue against heart failure.

Abstract SMYD2, as an oncogene, has been involved in multiple types of cancer, but the potential role of SMYD2 in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) remains enigmatic and requires further investigation. Hence, this study was conducted with the main objective of analyzing the effect of SMYD2 on GIST. GIST and adjacent normal tissues were collected from 46 patients with GIST where the expression of EZH2, SMYD2, and TET1 was determined, followed by the analysis of their interactions. The functional role of SMYD2 in cell biological functions was determined using a loss-of-function assay in GIST-T1 cells. Nude mouse xenograft experiments were performed to verify the role of the SMYD2/EZH2/TET1 axis in GIST in vivo. EZH2 was upregulated in GIST tissues and cell lines, which was positively correlated with SMYD2 expression and inversely correlated with TET1 expression in GIST tissues. EZH2 silencing due to SMYD2 inhibition reduced GIST-T1 cell proliferation and accelerated cell senescence. EZH2 repressed TET1 expression by promoting H3K27me3 methylation in the TET1 promoter region. TET1 inhibition reversed the effect of EZH2 silencing on the biological functions of GIST-T1 cells. In vivo data further revealed the promoting effect of SMYD2 on the progression of GIST by regulating the EZH2/TET1 axis. Overall, this study demonstrates that SMYD2 can increase EZH2 expression while suppressing TET1 expression, thus accelerating GIST, and creating new treatment opportunities for GIST.

Abstract Diffusely infiltrative low-grade gliomas (LGG) are primary brain tumours that arise predominantly in the cerebral hemispheres of younger adults. LGG can display either astrocytic or oligodendroglial histology and do not express malignant histological features. Vast majority of LGG are unified by IDH mutations. Other genomic features including ATRX as well as copy number status of chromosomes 1p and 19q serve to molecularly segregate this tumor group. Despite the exponential gains in molecular profiling and understanding of LGG, survival rates and treatment options have stagnated over the past few decades with few advancements. In this study, we utilize low grade glioma RNA-seq data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-LGG) and tandem mass-spectrometry on an in-house cohort of 54 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) LGG specimens to investigate the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles across the three molecular subtypes of LGG (Type I: IDH mutant – 1p19q co-deleted, Type II: IDH mutant – 1p19q retained, Type III: IDH wildtype). Within the 3 LGG subtypes, gene expression was driven heavily by IDH mutation and 1p19q co-deletion. In concordance with RNA expression, we were able to identify decreased expressions of proteins coded in 1p19q in Type I LGG. Further proteomic analysis identified 54 subtype specific proteins that were used to classify the three subtypes using a multinomial regression model (AUC = 0.911). Type I LGG were found to have increased protein expression of several metabolic proteins while Type III LGG were found to have increased immune infiltration and inflammation related proteins. Here we present the largest proteomic cohort of LGG and show that proteomic profiles can be successfully analyzed from FFPE tissues. We uncover previously known and novel subtype specific markers that are useful for the proteomic classification of LGG subtypes.