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A systematic review and meta-analysis of shugan jieyu capsule combined with escitalopram in the treatment of senile depression
Effects of freezing and thawing on soil shear strength in the western farming pastoral ecotone of northern China
Detecting a potential causal relationship between plasma metabolites and myocardial infarction using bidirectional and two-step Mendelian randomization
Abstract Some studies have shown that plasma metabolites may be associated with myocardial infarction (MI); however, the causal relationship between plasma metabolites and MI, as well as the potential mediating role of immune cells, remains unclear. This Mendelian randomisation (MR) study utilised large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data encompassing 1400 plasma metabolites (n = 8299), 731 immune cell traits from the GWAS Catalog consortium (n = 3757), and MI cases and controls from the FinnGen consortium (cases: n = 26,060; controls: n = 343,079). Using bidirectional MR analysis, we assessed the causal links between plasma metabolites and MI, and between immune cells and MI, excluding reverse causality. Five MR methods were applied, with inverse variance weighting used as the primary analytical approach. In addition, we conducted two-step MR to identify potential immune cell mediators. We identified 44 positive and 33 negative causal associations between genetic liability to plasma metabolites and MI. Of these, only the association between 3β-hydroxy-5-cholestenoate (OR = 0.909; 95% CI 0.871–0.950; P = 1.84 × 10–5) and MI remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. Additionally, eight positive and five negative causal associations were observed between immune cells and MI. Among them, HLA-DR on dendritic cells (OR = 1.039; 95% CI 1.020–1.057; P = 2.84 × 10–5) and HLA-DR on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (OR = 1.031; 95% CI 1.016–1.047; P = 4.33 × 10–5) were identified as risk factors for MI after correction. Notably, bidirectional MR revealed that the glutamine conjugate of C6H10O2 (1) (OR = 1.125; 95% CI 1.042–1.215; P = 0.003) was causally associated with increased MI risk, with no evidence of reverse causality or heterogeneity. In the two-step MR analysis, positive associations were found between this metabolite and HLA-DR on CD33-HLA-DR + cells (OR = 1.302; 95% CI 1.014–1.671; P = 0.038), and between the immune trait HLA-DR on CD33-HLA-DR + (OR = 1.035; 95% CI 1.010–1.060; P = 0.005) and MI. Furthermore, mediation analysis indicated that 7.68% of the effect of the metabolite on MI was mediated through HLA-DR on CD33-HLA-DR+. Plasma metabolites and immune cells demonstrated causal associations with myocardial infarction. Moreover, immune cells acted as mediators in the causal pathway from plasma metabolites to myocardial infarction.
Combined effects of germination and parboiling on the nutrient bioavailability and glycemic index of selected indica rice varieties
Mental wellbeing effects of disclosing life events on social media
Discovery of metabolic biomarkers for distinguishing LAA and SVO subtypes of acute ischemic stroke
Cross-domain transformer spatial-temporal fusion network for traffic flow forecasting
CD55 may be a new target for colorectal cancer treatment
Abstract In the early stage, our research group injected lentivirus carrying blood type A antigen into tumors as a drug, and the tumor volume of mice was significantly reduced. We speculate that the complement system plays an important role in anti-tumor therapy, but the specific components are unknown. A mouse model containing blood type antibodies was established. After the mouse axilla formed tumors, lentivirus carrying different blood type antigens was used for treatment. On this basis, NK cell activity was inhibited and the complement system of the body was eliminated. Tumor formation was observed. Flow cytometry was used to observe the changes in tumor tissue and peripheral blood immune cells. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe NK cells in tumors. Proteomics was used to screen differential complement components. Transcriptomics was used to observe the gene expression differences of CT26 cells overexpressing CD55, and RT-PCR was used for verification. The changes of CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153, D-D dimer, total white blood cell count, neutrophil ratio, lymphocyte ratio, monocyte ratio, and fibrinogen in the simple colorectal cancer group, simple liver metastasis group, simple lung metastasis group, and multiple organ metastasis group were retrospectively analyzed, and ROC curves were used for evaluation; ELISA method was used to detect the changes in CD55 content in the healthy group, simple colorectal cancer group, simple liver metastasis group, simple lung metastasis group, and multiple organ metastasis group, and ROC curves were used to evaluate its clinical diagnostic ability. CCK8 and EdU methods were used to detect cell proliferation. Scratch assay and transwell assay were used to observe cell migration. Western blotting was used to observe the changes of MMP9, Vimentin and α-SMA. After the lentivirus carrying blood type A antigen was injected into the axillary tumor of mice, the tumor volume was significantly reduced compared with the control group. The proportion of NK cells in tumor tissue increased significantly. Using antibodies to block NK cell surface activation receptors and eliminate the complement system, both treatments reduced the therapeutic effect. Both blood type B and Rh blood type antigens can significantly reduce tumor volume. Eliminating complement in the body increases the incidence of liver metastasis. The proliferation degree of overexpressed CD55 in tumors is significantly increased. CD55 overexpression can significantly increase the expression of CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL7, CXCL12, TLR7, CSFR1, TCAM, TNF, BTK and MMP9. CEA and CA199 are of certain value in judging liver metastasis, and CD55 has better diagnostic efficacy. Complement significantly inhibits cell proliferation. CD55 significantly promotes CT26 proliferation and migration ability. CD55 is a potential tumor promoter and diagnostic marker for colorectal cancer.
Extraction of lichen bioactive compounds using volatile natural deep eutectic solvents and comparative analytical approaches
Abstract Lichens are a source of bioactive secondary metabolites with different pharmacological activities. However, these metabolites are challenging regarding their extraction. The presented study aims to optimise the extraction methods of key compounds (depsidones and depsides) from Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. and additional species of lichens using traditional and advanced extraction methods. The comparative analysis included the evaluation of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), maceration method of extraction, and using of volatile natural deep eutectic solvents (VNADES), as well as the type of solvent, ratio, duration and temperature of extraction on the yield of the main lichen metabolites (physodalic and physodic acids, 3-hydroxyphysodic acid, atranorin, and chloroatranorin). The combination of ASE with acetone was found to be the most selective method for lichen acid extraction, reducing both solvent consumption and processing time. As a green extraction approach, the use of VNADES was evaluated for yield. The following extraction parameters using VNADES were developed to maximise metabolite extraction: menthol/camphor ratio (1.5:1), liquid/solid ratio (100:1, volume/mass), temperature of extraction (40 °C), time of extraction (30 min). A comparison of different extraction drying methods showed the effectiveness of rotary evaporation as a cost-effective and rapid alternative to lyophilisation, preserving bioactive compounds from degradation.
Cellulose based hydrogel as soil conditioner and seed germination medium
Abstract To address the research gap concerning the effects of different plasticisers on the properties of cellulose hydrogel, this study investigated the impact of various gelling agents, including sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC), alginate (AA), glycerol, and polyethylene glycol (PEG), on cellulose-based hydrogels. Among these plasticisers, hydrogels containing 1.75% (wt/wt) NaCMC, 1.0% (wt/wt) glycerol, and 0.5% (wt/wt) PEG exhibited excellent water uptake and retention capacities, absorbing over 2600% of water and retaining at least 10% of that water over a 96-h period. These cellulose hydrogels also improved the soil moisture content, pH, and electrical conductivity across four different soil types (sand, topsoil, gley soil, and clayey soil) over a 15-day period. Additionally, the hydrogels were assessed as seed germination media for Choy Sum vegetable seeds. The study demonstrated that glycerol-plasticized cellulose hydrogel significantly enhanced seed germination, even without an external water supply, due to its superior water retention properties. Biodegradability tests revealed that all hydrogels lost over 80% of their weight after 60 days in loamy soil, confirming their biodegradability.
Restoration of glutamate delta 1 signaling and excitatory inhibitory imbalance in the central amygdala in cisplatin induced neuropathic pain by cerebellin 1
Optimizing the early diagnosis of neurological disorders through the application of machine learning for predictive analytics in medical imaging
High quality transcriptome profiling confirms the transcriptional landscape of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum
Abstract Syphilis remains a critical global health challenge due to its potential for severe complications and the increase in its incidence rate over recent years. Until recently, the infectious agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA), could not be cultured in vitro. Advances in co-culture techniques have enabled the effective long-term cultivation of TPA, providing a platform for studying its biology. Limited transcriptional data from TPA have been reported, and many genes in treponemal genomes are annotated based on in silico prediction of putative coding sequences without functional validation. To inform future syphilis vaccine development, experimental validation of in silico predicted genes coupled with functional annotation is necessary. This study used strand-specific RNA-sequencing to reconstruct a high-quality transcriptome profile of TPA, confirming the active transcription of genes previously annotated as hypothetical, paving the way for more accurate identification of vaccine target candidates. Our transcriptomic data also revealed, for the first time, the organization of genes into transcription units, an abundance of anti-sense RNAs, and transcripts from intergenic regions, providing crucial insights for future functional genomics studies of TPA.
Unraveling chain specific ubiquitination in cells using tandem ubiquitin binding entities
Incidence and predictors of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a population-based cohort study in Abu Dhabi
High resolution class I HLA-A, -B, and -C diversity in Eastern and Southern African populations
Abstract Africa, being one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, remains significantly underrepresented in high-resolution Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) data. The extensive genetic variation in HLA alleles across the region underscores the need for population-specific immunogenetic data to guide T-cell vaccine development. This study analysed Class I HLA data from Eastern and Southern African populations to assess regional genetic diversity. Analyses included allele and haplotype frequency distributions, deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium, and homozygosity test of neutrality across various populations. To further contextualise African HLA diversity, comparisons were made among African populations and also with African American and European American populations using the Hellinger diversity index and multidimensional scaling methods. The results revealed that South African populations exhibited an estimated average of 34.1% genetic diversity with respect to other African populations. Rwanda demonstrated an estimated 26.9% genetic diversity, Kenya (26.5%), Zambia (26.5%), and Uganda (24.7%). Additionally, in-country analyses revealed variations in HLA diversity among different tribes within each country. The estimated average in-country diversity was 51% in Kenya, 35.8% in Uganda, and 33.2% in Zambia. These results reveal various levels of genetic diversity among African populations. The highlighted differences in HLA Class I allele frequencies between Eastern and Southern African populations compared to US populations, demonstrate that it is inappropriate to extrapolate HLA data from US populations including that of African Americans when designing T-cell-inducing vaccines tailored to African populations. Our findings underscore the urgent need to generate high-resolution HLA data to guide vaccine development tailored to African populations.
Evaluation of alginate-based coatings enriched with postbiotics from Bifidobacterium spp. on the quality and safety of Turkey meat
Abstract This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of postbiotics derived from Bifidobacterium bifidum DSM 20,456 (b1), Bifidobacterium bifidum BB12 (b2), and their combination (bb) in alginate-based edible coatings for fresh turkey breast meat. Coated and uncoated samples were stored at 4 °C for seven days, with microbial and physicochemical analyses conducted at regular intervals (0, 2, 4, 7 days). The postbiotic-enriched coatings exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with total phenolic content (TPC) ranging from 87.13 to 90.89 mg GAE/100 mL and DPPH radical scavenging capacity between 50.28 and 51.56 mg TEAC/100 mL (p < 0.05). While TBARS values were lower in postbiotic-treated groups, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Water holding capacity (WHC) was maintained at higher levels in postbiotic-treated samples throughout storage. Microbial analysis revealed that total aerobic mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial counts were not significantly affected (p > 0.05), whereas Listeria monocytogenes counts were significantly reduced in coated samples (p < 0.05), with the bb formulation achieving a 1.62 log₁₀ CFU/g reduction. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed molecular interactions between postbiotics and the alginate matrix, enhancing coating stability. These findings suggest that postbiotic-alginate coatings effectively inhibit L. monocytogenes while maintaining the physicochemical stability of turkey meat, highlighting their potential in poultry preservation. However, further optimization, such as combining postbiotics with additional antimicrobial agents, is needed to enhance overall microbial control.