Search

Radiative decays of the radially excited charmonium resonance, (Formula presented) into (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) final states have been measured in a sample of (Formula presented) (Formula presented) events collected by the BES Collaboration. The branching ratios (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are obtained. When compared to the corresponding radiative (Formula presented) decays, the observed (Formula presented) radiative decay rates into (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are consistent with the prediction of the “12%” rule. © 2003 The American Physical Society.

Radiative decays of the radially excited charmonium resonance, (Formula presented) into (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) final states have been measured in a sample of (Formula presented) (Formula presented) events collected by the BES Collaboration. The branching ratios (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are obtained. When compared to the corresponding radiative (Formula presented) decays, the observed (Formula presented) radiative decay rates into (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are consistent with the prediction of the “12%” rule. © 2003 The American Physical Society.

The Beijing Spectrometer (BES) detector is a general purpose solenoid detector at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider in Beijing, China. The recent upgrade of the initial BES detector to the improved BES II detector is described. A new drift chamber, time-of-flight counter, luminosity monitor compatible with a low-β lattice was built as well as the vertex chamber.

The Beijing Spectrometer (BES) detector is a general purpose solenoid detector at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider in Beijing, China. The recent upgrade of the initial BES detector to the improved BES II detector is described. A new drift chamber, time-of-flight counter, luminosity monitor compatible with a low-β lattice was built as well as the vertex chamber.

The first measurement of (Formula presented) and an upper limit for (Formula presented) are determined from 22.3 (Formula presented) of (Formula presented) annihilation data at a c.m. energy of 4.03 GeV. The data were recorded by the Beijing Spectrometer (BES) at BEPC. A recoil charge method is applied to charm threshold data to determine the charge of the D meson in the recoil from (Formula presented) reconstructed (Formula presented) (Formula presented) mesons. The branching fractions (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are determined from 10 events with a reconstructed D and a recoiling (Formula presented) In addition, a 90% C.L. upper limit of (Formula presented) is determined from a search for semileptonic decays of the (Formula presented) © 2000 The American Physical Society.

Using a sample of 3.8 M (Formula presented) events accumulated with the BES detector, the process (Formula presented) is studied. The angular distributions are compared with the general decay amplitude analysis of Cahn. We find that the dipion system requires some D wave amplitude, as well as S wave. On the other hand, the (Formula presented) relative angular momentum is consistent with being pure S wave. The decay distributions have been fit to heavy quarkonium models, including the Novikov-Shifman model. This model, which is written in terms of the parameter (Formula presented) predicts that D wave pions should be present. We determine (Formula presented) based on the joint (Formula presented) distribution. The fraction of D wave amplitude as a function of (Formula presented) is found to decrease with increasing (Formula presented) in agreement with the model. We have also fit the Mannel-Yan model, which is another model that allows D wave pions. © 2000 The American Physical Society.

The cross section for charmed meson production at √s=4.03 and 4.14 GeV has been measured with the Beijing Spectrometer. The measurement was made using 22.3 pb-1 of e+e- data collected at 4.03 GeV and 1.5 pb-1 of e+e- data collected at 4.14 GeV. Inclusive observed cross sections for the production of charged and neutral D mesons and momentum spectra are presented. Observed cross sections were radiatively corrected to obtain tree level cross sections. Measurements of the total hadronic cross section are obtained from the charmed meson cross section and an extrapolation of results from below the charm threshold. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

Using a sample of 3.8 M (Formula presented) events accumulated with the BES detector, the process (Formula presented) is studied. The angular distributions are compared with the general decay amplitude analysis of Cahn. We find that the dipion system requires some D wave amplitude, as well as S wave. On the other hand, the (Formula presented) relative angular momentum is consistent with being pure S wave. The decay distributions have been fit to heavy quarkonium models, including the Novikov-Shifman model. This model, which is written in terms of the parameter (Formula presented) predicts that D wave pions should be present. We determine (Formula presented) based on the joint (Formula presented) distribution. The fraction of D wave amplitude as a function of (Formula presented) is found to decrease with increasing (Formula presented) in agreement with the model. We have also fit the Mannel-Yan model, which is another model that allows D wave pions. © 2000 The American Physical Society.

The first measurement of (Formula presented) and an upper limit for (Formula presented) are determined from 22.3 (Formula presented) of (Formula presented) annihilation data at a c.m. energy of 4.03 GeV. The data were recorded by the Beijing Spectrometer (BES) at BEPC. A recoil charge method is applied to charm threshold data to determine the charge of the D meson in the recoil from (Formula presented) reconstructed (Formula presented) (Formula presented) mesons. The branching fractions (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are determined from 10 events with a reconstructed D and a recoiling (Formula presented) In addition, a 90% C.L. upper limit of (Formula presented) is determined from a search for semileptonic decays of the (Formula presented) © 2000 The American Physical Society.

Hadronic decays of the P-wave spin-triplet charmonium states (Formula presented) are studied using a sample of (Formula presented) decays collected by the BES detector operating at the BEPC storage ring. Branching fractions for the decays (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are measured for the first time, and those for (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are measured with improved precision. In addition, we determine the masses of the (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) to be (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) © 1999 The American Physical Society.

A sample of 3.79 × 106ψ(2S) events is used to study the decays of charmonium to axial-vector plus pseudoscalar mesons. The branching fraction for the decay ψ(2S) → b±1(1235)π∓ agrees with expectations based on scaling the corresponding J/ψ branching fraction. Flavor-SU(3)-violating K1(1270)- K1(1400) asymmetries with opposite character for ψ(2S) and J/ψ decays are observed. This contrasting behavior cannot be accommodated by adjustments of the singlet-triplet mixing angle. © 1999 The American Physical Society.

Hadronic decays of the P-wave spin-triplet charmonium states (Formula presented) are studied using a sample of (Formula presented) decays collected by the BES detector operating at the BEPC storage ring. Branching fractions for the decays (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are measured for the first time, and those for (Formula presented) (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) are measured with improved precision. In addition, we determine the masses of the (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) to be (Formula presented) and (Formula presented) © 1999 The American Physical Society.

The decays of the ψ(2S) into vector plus tensor meson final states have been studied for the first time using the BES detector. We determine upper limits on branching fractions for ψ(2S) decays into ωf2, ρa2, K*0K*02 + c.c., and φf'2(1525) that are, in each case, significantly smaller than the corresponding branching fractions for the J/ψ meson, scaled according to the expectations of perturbative QCD. © 1998 The American Physical Society.

The processes ψ(2S) → I π+ π−, γK+ K−, and γpp¯ have been studied using a sample of 3.79 × 106 ψ(2S) decays. We determine the total width of the χc0 to be γtotχc0 = 14.3 ± 2.0 ± 3.0 MeV. We present the first measurement of the branching fraction B(χc0 → pp¯) = (15.9 ± 4.3 ± 5.3) × 10−5, where the first error is statistical and the second one is systematic. Branching fractions of χc0, 2 → π+ π− and K+ K− are also reported. © 1998 American Physical Society.

A search is performed for the production of the (Formula presented) in (Formula presented) annihilation at a center-of-mass energy of 4.03 GeV using the BES detector operated at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC). The kinematic features of the reconstructed (Formula presented) signal are consistent with its being produced only in association with an energetic photon resulting from initial state radiation (ISR). Limits are placed on (Formula presented) production from the decay of unknown charmonia or metastable hybrids that might be produced in (Formula presented) annihilations at 4.03 GeV. Under the assumption that the observed cross section for (Formula presented) production is due entirely to ISR, the partial width (Formula presented) of the (Formula presented) is measured to be (Formula presented). © 1998 The American Physical Society.

A search is performed for the production of the (Formula presented) in (Formula presented) annihilation at a center-of-mass energy of 4.03 GeV using the BES detector operated at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC). The kinematic features of the reconstructed (Formula presented) signal are consistent with its being produced only in association with an energetic photon resulting from initial state radiation (ISR). Limits are placed on (Formula presented) production from the decay of unknown charmonia or metastable hybrids that might be produced in (Formula presented) annihilations at 4.03 GeV. Under the assumption that the observed cross section for (Formula presented) production is due entirely to ISR, the partial width (Formula presented) of the (Formula presented) is measured to be (Formula presented). © 1998 The American Physical Society.

RCM-102 is a Chinese herbal medicine formulation derived from a formula which was shown to be effective in treating seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) in a randomized placebo-controlled trial. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of RCM-102 on the formation of inflammatory mediators, histamine, prostaglandin and nitric oxide, which are known to be involved in the pathophysiology of SAR. The effect of RCM-102 on histamine release was tested in compound 48/80-stimulated rat peritoneal mast cells. The effects of RCM-102 on the release of NO and prostaglandins (PGE(2)) and the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and COX-2 were studied in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In rat peritoneal mast cells, RCM-102 significantly reduced the compound 48/80-induced histamine release. It also significantly reduced NO and PGE(2) production as well as the expression of COX-2 and iNOS in RAW 264.7 cells. These findings indicate that RCM-102 inhibits the formation of several allergic/inflammatory mediators and thus may be used for treating related conditions such as SAR. The actions of RCM-102 are likely to be contributed by the synergistic actions of individual herbal ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanshinone IIB (TSB) is a major active constituent of the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) widely used in the treatment of stroke and coronary heart disease in Asian countries. This study investigated the in vitro neuroprotective effects of TSB and the underlying mechanism. Co-treatment with TSB significantly inhibited the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of rat cortical neurons induced by staurosporine in a concentration-dependent manner. Consistently, TSB significantly reduced the DNA laddering caused by staurosporine in a concentration-dependent manner. TSB also suppressed the elevated Bax protein and decreased bcl-2 and caspase-3 proteins induced by staurosporine in rat cortical neurons. These findings indicated that TSB had a neuroprotective effect via inhibition of apoptosis. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of other apoptosis-related signaling proteins and reperfusion-related mechanisms in the protective effect of TSB on neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of electroacupuncture, applied to distal acupoints only, for tension-type headache. BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture is commonly used for tension-type headache, but when applied to distal acupoints only, evidence of its efficacy is lacking. DESIGN: A randomized, single-blinded, sham-controlled, crossover clinical trial. Methods.-The trial had 5 stages: baseline (2 weeks), phases I and II (each 4 weeks), washout period (2 weeks), and follow-up (3 months after phase II). Forty patients were randomly assigned to either group A or group B. Group A received real electroacupuncture during phase I, then sham electroacupuncture in phase II. Group B received the treatments in reverse order. Outcome measures were headache frequency and duration, pain intensity using a visual analog scale, mechanical pain threshold, headache disability, and sickness impact. Data were analyzed by univariate 2-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients completed the trial. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups at baseline. At the end of phase I, group A, but not group B, demonstrated significant improvement in mean (standard error of the mean [SEM]) headache frequency (3.0 per month [0.3] versus 12.0 per month [1.7]), duration (13.3 hours [3.5] versus 32.0 hours [6.2]), pain intensity (32.8 mm [4.1] versus 47.5 mm [2.7]), pain threshold (right side, 2.9 kg/second [0.1] versus 0.9 kg/second [0.1]; left side, 2.4 kg/second [0.1] versus 1.1 kg/second [0.1]), headache disability score (6.0 [1.0] versus 16.3 [1.6]), and sickness impact score (288.7 [48.0] versus 687.1 [77.2]). For each parameter, significant differences also were demonstrated for both groups between baseline and phase II, and baseline and follow-up. There were no significant differences between the groups at the end of follow-up (P >.05). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture to distal points alone is effective for short-term symptomatic relief of tension-type headache. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (SAR) was evaluated by employing a two-phase crossover single-blind clinical trial. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to two groups with 17 and 13 subjects respectively and treated with real or sham acupuncture (three times per week) for four consecutive weeks and then a crossover for treatments for a further four weeks without a washout period. The administration of real acupuncture treatment was guided by a syndrome differentiation according to Chinese Medicine Theory. Subjects were assessed by various criteria before, during and after the treatments. Outcome measures included subjective symptom scores using a five-point scale (FPS), relief medication scores (RMS) and adverse effect records. Twenty-six (26) subjects completed the study. There was a significant improvement in FPS (nasal and non-nasal symptoms) between the two types of acupuncture treatments. No significant differences were shown in RMS between the real acupuncture treatment group and the sham acupuncture treatment group. No side effects were observed for both groups. The results indicate that acupuncture is an effective and safe alternative treatment for the management of SAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives.Necrotizing vasculitis and granuloma formation are the predominant features of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). We have investigated the importance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in monitoring disease activity in WG. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

CONTEXT: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely used to treat seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), however, evidence of efficacy is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a Chinese herbal formulation for the treatment of SAR. DESIGN: Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. SETTING: RMIT Chinese Medicine Clinic. PATIENTS: 55 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (active 28, placebo 27). INTERVENTIONS: CHM extract capsule (containing 18 herbs) or placebo, given daily for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure of efficacy were changes in severity of nasal and non-nasal symptoms using a Five Point Scale (FPS) measured by both patients and the practitioner. The secondary measure was the change in score for the domains measured in the Rhinoconjunctivitis and Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) assessed by patients. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients completed the study (active 24, placebo 25). After eight weeks, the severity of nasal symptoms and non-nasal symptoms were significantly less in the active treatment group than in the control group, both for measurements made by patients and those by the practitioner. Comparison of active and placebo treatment groups RQLQ scores also indicated significant beneficial effects of treatment (end point Section 1: P < 0.05; Section 2: P < 0.01). Intention-to-treat analyses of categorical items showed moderate to marked improvement rates were 60.7% and 29.6% for active and placebo respectively. Eleven patients reported mild adverse events including 1 withdrawn from the trial. CONCLUSIONS: This CHM formulation appears to offer symptomatic relief and improvement of quality of life for some patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling the architecture search process on a supernet and applying a differentiable method to find the importance of architecture are among the leading tools for differentiable neural architectures search (DARTS). One fundamental problem in DARTS is how to discretize or select a single-path architecture from the pretrained one-shot architecture. Previous approaches mainly exploit heuristic or progressive search methods for discretization and selection, which are not efficient and easily trapped by local optimizations. To address these issues, we formulate the task of finding a proper single-path architecture as an architecture game among the edges and operations with the strategies "keep" and "drop" and show that the optimal one-shot architecture is a Nash equilibrium of the architecture game. Then, we propose a novel and effective approach for discretizing and selecting a proper single-path architecture, which is based on extracting the single-path architecture that associates the maximal coefficient of the Nash equilibrium with the strategy "keep" in the architecture game. To further improve the efficiency, we employ a mechanism of entangled Gaussian representation of mini-batches, inspired by the classic Parrondo's paradox. If some mini-batch formed uncompetitive strategies, the entanglement of mini-batches would ensure the games be combined and, thus, turn into strong ones. We conduct extensive experiments on benchmark datasets and demonstrate that our approach is significantly faster than the state-of-the-art progressive discretizing methods while maintaining competitive performance with higher maximum accuracy.

Background: Postoperative pain management remains a significant challenge for patients undergoing posterior urethroplasty (PU). In a previous study, we proposed a novel technique of combined pudendal nerve (PN) and spermatic cord (SC) block to manage pain after PU. The present trial was conducted to test the hypothesis that this technique is effective for pain control after PU and provides longer-lasting analgesia than caudal epidural block (CB)., Methods: Sixty patients undergoing PU were randomized into two groups: Group NB received combined PN and SC block, and Group CB received CB. General anesthesia with a laryngeal mask was performed. The primary outcome was the postoperative analgesic duration, and the secondary outcomes included the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores for pain and the number of patients with different motor scores of the lower limb at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively., Results: Two patients in Group CB were withdrawn due to block failure. The postoperative analgesic duration was statistically longer in Group NB compared with Group CB (mean difference [95% confidence interval], 115.78 min [17.80, 213.75]; P = 0.021). The NRS scores for pain at 12 and 24 h after surgery were statistically lower in Group NB compared with Group CB. Group NB had statistically more patients with motor score 0 at 3 h postoperatively than Group CB., Conclusions: PN combined with SC block is an effective technique for postoperative analgesia in PU. This technique can achieve a longer duration of analgesia and lower pain scores, especially 12 h after surgery, than a CB., Trial Registration: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (registration no. ChiCTR2100042971, registration date on 2/2/2021)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Accurate preoperative evaluation of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for surgeons to make informed decisions regarding appropriate treatment strategies. However, it continues to pose a significant challenge for radiologists. The integration of computer-aided diagnosis utilizing deep learning technology emerges as a promising approach to enhance the prediction accuracy. Methods: This experiment incorporated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans with six different sequences. After a cross-sequence registration preprocess, a deep neural network was employed for the segmentation of hepatocellular carcinoma. The final prediction model was constructed by combining radiomics features with clinical features. The selection of clinical features for the final model was determined through univariate analysis. Results: In this study, we analyzed MRI scans obtained from a cohort of 420 patients diagnosed with HCC. Among them, 140 cases exhibited MVI, while the remaining 280 cases comprised the non-MVI group. The radiomics features demonstrated strong predictive capability for MVI. By extracting radiomic features from each MRI sequence and subsequently integrating them, we achieved the highest area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.794±0.033. Specifically, for tumor sizes ranging from 3 to 5 cm, the AUC reached 0.860±0.065. Conclusions: In this study, we present a fully automatic system for predicting MVI in HCC based on preoperative MRI. Our approach leverages the fusion of radiomics and clinical features to achieve accurate MVI prediction. The system demonstrates robust performance in predicting MVI, particularly in the 3-5 cm tumor group., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Xiangshao Granules (XSG) on post-stroke depression (PSD) and explore the underlying mechanisms., Methods: Forty-three C57BL/6J mice were divided into 3 groups: sham (n=15), PSD+vehicle (n=14), and PSD+XSG (n=14) groups according to a random number table. The PSD models were constructed using chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The sham group only experienced the same surgical operation, but without MACO and CUMS stimulation. The XSG group received XSG (60 mg/kg per day) by gavage for 4 weeks. The mice in the sham and vehicle groups were given the same volume of 0.9% saline at the same time. The body weight and behavior tests including open field test, sucrose preference test, tail suspension test, and elevated plus-maze test, were used to validate the PSD mouse model. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of XSG. The potential molecular mechanisms were explored and verified through network pharmacology analysis, Nissl staining, Western blot, ELISA, and RT-qPCR, respectively., Results: The body weight and behavior tests showed that MCAO combined with CUMS successfully established the PSD models. XSG alleviated neuronal damage, reduced the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins Caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2)-associated X (BAX), and increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2 in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). XSG inhibited microglial activation and the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1 β, and IL-6 via the toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, XSG decreased the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) and increased the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine in PSD mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01)., Conclusion: XSG could reverse the anxiety/depressionlike behaviors and reduce the neuronal injury in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of PSD mice, which may be a potential therapeutic agent for PSD., (© 2024. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the independent effects of irisin on insulin resistance (IR) in ovary of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and explore possible pathways., Methods: We established PCOS medel using Poretsky L's method, then PCOS rats were randomly divided into model group (M) and irisin group (I), and normal rats (N) were used as the control. Then rats in the group I were injected with recombinant irisin. Then the levels of circulating fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) and PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways in each group were observed, as well as the effects of irisin on the levels of circulating HOMA-IR and PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways in ovary of PCOS rats were evaluated., Results: Compared with normal group, levels of FBG, FINS, and HOMA-IR of model group were significantly increased (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively), levels of average optical density by IHC of p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT, and AKT (p = 0.015, p = 0.010, p = 0.005, and p = 0.009, respectively) and levels of mRNA concentration of PI3K and AKT (p = 0.001, and p = 0.005, respectively) were decreased, while the levels of average optical density of p-ERK, ERK (p = 0.011, and p = 0.013, respectively) and level of mRNA concentration of ERK (p < 0.001) were increased in ovary. After irisin intervention, compared with model group, levels of FBG, FINS, and HOMA-IR of rats in irisin group were significantly decreased (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively), levels of average optical density by IHC of p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT, and AKT (p = 0.030, p = 0.024, p = 0.012, and p = 0.025, respectively) and levels of mRNA concentration of PI3K and AKT (p = 0.002, and p = 0.003, respectively) were significantly increased, while the levels of average optical density of p-ERK, ERK (p = 0.004, and p = 0.026, respectively) and level of mRNA concentration of ERK (p = 0.001) were significantly decreased., Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that irisin could not only improve circulating insulin resistance, but may also improve ovarian IR through an increase in the activity of PI3K/AKT signaling and a decrease of MAPK/ERK signaling., (© 2024 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Curcumin, as the main active component of turmeric ( Curcuma longa ), has been demonstrated with various bioactivities. However, its potential therapeutic applications are hindered by challenges such as poor solubility and bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and pan-assay interference properties. Recent advancements have aimed to overcome these limitations by developing novel curcumin analogues and modifications. This brief review critically assesses recent studies on synthesising different curcumin analogues, including metal complexes, nano particulates, and other curcumin derivatives, focused on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects of curcumin and its modified analogues. Exploring innovative curcumin derivatives offers promising strategies to address the challenges associated with its bioavailability and efficacy and valuable insights for future research directions.

Mitochondria and lysosomes play a very important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, and the dysfunction of these organelles is closely related to many diseases. Recent studies have revealed direct interactions between mitochondria and lysosomes, forming mitochondria-lysosome contact sites that regulate organelle network dynamics and mediate the transport of metabolites between them. Impaired function of these contact sites is not only linked to physiological processes such as glucose and cholesterol transport but also closely related to the pathological processes of metabolic diseases. Here, we highlight the recent progress in understanding the mitochondria-lysosome contact sites, elucidate their role in regulating metabolic homeostasis, and explore the potential implications of this pathway in metabolic disorders., 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 © 2024 Chen, Li, Zhou, Zhu, Jin and Wang.)

Previous studies showed that serum amyloid A (SAA) and macrophages were associated with allergic airway inflammation. However, the interaction between SAA1 and macrophages in allergic airway inflammation remains to be further elucidated. In this study, the levels of SAA1 were measured in nasal tissues from patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), house dust mite (HDM)-treated BEAS-2B cells and the tissues of mice of HDM-induced allergic airway inflammation. Human monocytes-derived macrophages and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were exposed to SAA1, and CCL17 and the other M1/M2-related factors were evaluated using RT-PCR and/or ELISA. To test the effects of SAA1-treated BMDMs on chemotaxis and differentiation of CD4 + T cells, number of migrated cells and the levels of Th1 and Th2 were measured using flow cytometry. SAA1 receptors were examined in BMDMs and lung macrophages of model mice. CD36 neutralizing antibody was applied to explore the mechanisms of SAA1 in regulating BMDMs using RT-PCR and/or ELISA. We found that SAA1 was expressed in epithelial cells, and was increased in the nasal tissues of patients with eosinophilic CRSwNP and HDM-treated BEAS-2B- cells as well as the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissues of mice exposed to HDM. We also found that the level of CCL17 was increased in M2 macrophages, more CD4 + T cells were recruited and proportion of Th2 was increased after the treatment of SAA1. The treatment of CD36 neutralizing antibody decreased CCL17 level in SAA1-treated M2 BMDMs. In summary, our results showed that SAA1 was increased in allergic airway inflammation, and the administration of SAA1 upregulated the expression of CCL17 in M2 macrophages via CD36 and promoted the chemotaxis of CD4 + T cells and differentiation of Th2. It may provide a new therapeutic strategy that could mediate allergic airway inflammation via suppressing SAA1 to reduce recruitment of CD4 + T cells and activation of Th2., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental biological process for maintaining cellular equilibrium and regulating development, health, and disease across all living organisms. Among the various types of PCD, apoptosis plays a pivotal role in numerous diseases, notably cancer. Cancer cells frequently develop mechanisms to evade apoptosis, increasing resistance to standard chemotherapy treatments. This resistance has prompted extensive research into alternative mechanisms of programmed cell death. One such pathway is oncosis, characterized by significant energy consumption, cell swelling, dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrial swelling, and nuclear chromatin aggregation. Recent research suggests that oncosis can impact conditions such as chemotherapeutic cardiotoxicity, myocardial ischemic injury, stroke, and cancer, mediated by specific oncosis-related proteins. In this review, we provide a detailed examination of the morphological and molecular features of oncosis and discuss various natural or small molecule compounds that can induce this type of cell death. Additionally, we summarize the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying oncosis and its role in both normal physiology and pathological conditions. These insights aim to illuminate future research directions and propose innovative strategies for leveraging oncosis as a therapeutic tool against human diseases and cancer resistance., 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 © 2024 Guo, Yang, Mai, Liang, Luo, Zhou, Yu, Wang and Li.)

Background: Low-density neutrophils are heterogeneous immune cells with immunosuppressive (such as polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells [PMN-MDSC]) or pro-inflammatory (such as low-density granulocytes [LDG]) properties that have been well described in multiple cancers and immune diseases. However, its role in allergic rhinitis (AR) is still unclear., Methods: In the present study, we defined low-density neutrophils as CD14 - CD11B + CD15 + LOX-1 + (LOX-1 + neutrophils), and their levels in the peripheral blood (PB) were evaluated and compared between patients with AR and healthy donors using flow cytometric analysis. LOX-1 expression on polymorphonuclear neutrophils was identified. Carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-stained CD3 + T cells were cultured alone or with LOX-1 + neutrophils, T cell proliferation was assessed using flow cytometry, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the supernatants were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Clinicopathological analyses were performed to gain a thorough understanding of LOX-1 + neutrophils., Results: We determined that LOX-1 + neutrophils were significantly increased in the PB of patients with AR, and LOX-1 expression in neutrophils from patients with AR was elevated. Interestingly, LOX-1 + neutrophils derived from patients with AR, unlike PMN-MDSC, promoted T cell proliferation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Moreover, clinicopathological analysis revealed that there was no any relation between circulating LOX-1 + neutrophil levels and the levels of IgE, age and sex., Conclusion: These findings indicate that elevated circulating LOX-1 + neutrophils play a pro-inflammatory role in AR., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)