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Metastasis is one of the key factors of treatment failure in late-stage colorectal cancer (CRC). Metastatic CRC frequently develops resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. This study aimed to identify the novel regulators from "hidden" proteins encoded by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in tumor metastasis and chemoresistance. Methods: CRISPR/Cas9 library functional screening was employed to identify the critical suppressor of cancer metastasis in highly invasive CRC models. Western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, invasion, migration, wound healing, WST-1, colony formation, gain- and loss-of-function experiments, in vivo experimental metastasis models, multiplex immunohistochemical staining, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and RT-PCR were used to assess the functional and clinical significance of FOXP3, PRDM16-DT, HNRNPA2B1, and L- CHEK2 . RNA-sequencing, co-immunoprecipitation, qRT-PCR, RT-PCR, RNA affinity purification, RNA immunoprecipitation, MeRIP-quantitative PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay were performed to gain mechanistic insights into the role of PRDM16-DT in cancer metastasis and chemoresistance. An oxaliplatin-resistant CRC cell line was established by in vivo selection. WST-1, colony formation, invasion, migration, Biacore technology, gain- and loss-of-function experiments and an in vivo experimental metastasis model were used to determine the function and mechanism of cimicifugoside H-1 in CRC. Results: The novel protein PRDM16-DT, encoded by LINC00982, was identified as a cancer metastasis and chemoresistance suppressor. The down-regulated level of PRDM16-DT was positively associated with malignant phenotypes and poor prognosis of CRC patients. Transcriptionally regulated by FOXP3, PRDM16-DT directly interacted with HNRNPA2B1 and competitively decreased HNRNPA2B1 binding to exon 9 of CHEK2 , resulting in the formation of long CHEK2 (L- CHEK2 ), subsequently promoting E-cadherin secretion. PRDM16-DT-induced E-cadherin secretion inhibited fibroblast activation, which in turn suppressed CRC metastasis by decreasing MMP9 secretion. Cimicifugoside H-1, a natural compound, can bind to LEU89, HIS91, and LEU92 of FOXP3 and significantly upregulated PRDM16-DT expression to repress CRC metastasis and reverse oxaliplatin resistance. Conclusions: lncRNA LINC00982 can express a new protein PRDM16-DT to function as a novel regulator in cancer metastasis and drug resistance of CRC. Cimicifugoside H-1 can act on the upstream of the PRDM16-DT signaling pathway to alleviate cancer chemoresistance., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Dryland covers >35 % of the terrestrial surface and the global extent of dryland increases due to the forecasted increase in aridity driven by climate change. Due to the climate change-driven aridity ecosystems, deserts provide one of the most hostile environments for microbial life and survival. Therefore, a detailed study was carried out to explore the deserts with different aridity levels (exposed to severe climate change) influence on microbial (bacteria, fungi, and protist) diversity patterns, assembly processes, and co-occurrence. The results revealed that the aridity (semi-arid, arid, and hyper-arid) patterns caused distinct changes in environmental heterogeneity in desert ecosystems. Similarly, microbial diversities were also reduced with increasing the aridity pattern, and it was found that environmental heterogeneity is highly involved in affecting microbial diversities under different ecological niches. Interestingly, it was found that certain microbes, including bacterial (Firmicutes), fungal (Sordariomycetes), and protistan (Ciliophora) abundance increased with increasing aridity levels, indicating that these microbes might possess the capability to tolerate the environmental stress conditions. Moreover, microbial community turnover analysis revealed that bacterial diversities followed homogenous selection, whereas fungi and protists were mostly driven by the dispersal limitation pattern. Co-occurrence network analysis showed that hyper-arid and arid conditions tightened the bacterial and fungal communities and had more positive associations compared to protistan. In conclusion, multiple lines of evidence were provided to shed light on the habitat specialization impact on microbial (bacteria, fungi, and protists) communities and composition under different desert ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All co-authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript. We declare that we have no known competing financial and personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), arising from the renal tubular epithelium, is one of the most common types of genitourinary malignancies. Based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE100666), S100 calcium-binding protein A8 (S100A8) was highly expressed in RCC tissues. S100A8, an inflammatory regulatory factor, has emerged as an important mediator associated with the occurrence and development of cancer., Materials and Methods: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to identify the key genes and investigate the main signaling pathways in RCC. Human RCC samples and corresponding adjacent normal tissues were collected in our hospital. The expression of S100A8 in human RCC samples was detected using western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis. S100A8 overexpression or knockdown was mediated by using Lipofectamine 3000 in human renal cell carcinoma cell line 786-O and ACHN cells. Basic experiments, including MTT and cell apoptosis assays, were utilized for investigating the function of S100A8 in RCC. Furthermore, the levels of inflammation were also evaluated in 786-O and ACHN cells., Results: In the current study, we found that downregulation of S100A8 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis in 786-O and ACHN RCC cells. Of note, S100A8 silencing downregulated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65, thereby decreasing the levels of TNF-α, cleaved caspase1, and MMP9. By contrast, S100A8 upregulation could increase these expressions., Conclusion: Overall, S100A8 knockdown restrained RCC malignant biological properties, which was associated with the deactivation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. This present study demonstrates new insights that S100A8 may be a potential therapeutic target in RCC.

A pink-pigmented bacterium, designated as strain SYSU D00476 T , was isolated from sandy soil collected from the Kumtag Desert in China. Colonies were opaque, smooth and of a slight convexity with a clearly defined border. Cells were rod-shaped, Gram-stain-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive. Growth occurred at 4-45 ℃ (optimum at 28-30 ℃), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum at 7.0), and with 0-3.0% NaCl (w/v, optimum at 0-2.0%). Major fatty acids (> 10%) were C 16:0 , summed feature 3 (C 16:1 ω7c and/or C 16:1 ω6c), iso-C 17:0 3-OH and iso-C 15:0 . Polar lipids comprised of three unidentified polar aminolipids (ALs), two unidentified aminophosphoglycolipids (APLs), one unidentified glycolipid (GL) and three unidentified phospholipids (PLs). The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. The genomic DNA G + C content was 50.5%. The low digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH, 27.4%) and average nucleotide identity (ANI, 85%) values between strain SYSU D00476 T and Telluribacter humicola KCTC 42819 T indicated that SYSU D00476 T represent a distinct species. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SYSU D00476 T belonged to the genus Telluribacter, showing 97.5% similarity with T. humicola KCTC 42819 T . All these data support that strain SYSU D00476 T represent a novel species of the genus Telluribacter within the family Spirosomataceae, named as Telluribacter roseus sp. nov. The type strain is SYSU D00476 T (= KCTC 82285 T  = CGMCC 1.18647 T  = MCCC 1K04983 T )., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, short rod-shaped, yellow bacterium, designated SYSU DXS3180 T , was isolated from forest soil of Danxia Mountain in PR China. Growth occurred at 15-37 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C), pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0) and with 0-2.0 % NaCl (optimum, 0-0.5 %, w/v). Strain SYSU DXS3180 T was positive for hydrolysis of Tween 20, Tween 60, Tween 80 and starch, but negative for urease, H 2 S production, nitrate reduction, Tween 40 and gelatin. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and genome sequences showed that SYSU DXS3180 T belonged to the family Chitinophagaceae . The closely related members were Foetidibacter luteolus YG09 T (94.2 %), Limnovirga soli KCS-6 T (93.9 %) and Filimonas endophytica SR 2-06 T (93.7 %). The genome of strain SYSU DXS3180 T was 7287640 bp with 5782 protein-coding genes, and the genomic DNA G+C content was 41.4 mol%. The main respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH and iso-C 15 : 1 G. The major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids and two unidentified polar lipids. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain SYSU DXS3180 T is proposed to represent a novel species of a novel genus named Danxiaibacter flavus gen. nov., sp. nov., within the family Chitinophagaceae . The type strain is SYSU DXS3180 T (=KCTC 92895 T =GDMCC 1.3825 T ).

Deserts occupy one-third of the Earth's terrestrial surface and represent a potentially significant reservoir of microbial biodiversity, yet the majority of desert microorganisms remain uncharacterized and are seen as "microbial dark matter". Here, we introduce a multi-omics strategy, culturomics-based metagenomics (CBM) that integrates large-scale cultivation, full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon, and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. The results showed that CBM captured a significant amount of taxonomic and functional diversity missed in direct sequencing by increasing the recovery of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and high/medium-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Importantly, CBM allowed the post hoc recovery of microbes of interest (e.g., novel or specific taxa), even those with extremely low abundance in the culture. Furthermore, strain-level analyses based on CBM and direct sequencing revealed that the desert soils harbored a considerable number of novel bacterial candidates (1941, 51.4%), of which 1095 (from CBM) were culturable. However, CBM would not exactly reflect the relative abundance of true microbial composition and functional pathways in the in situ environment, and its use coupled with direct metagenomic sequencing could provide greater insight into desert microbiomes. Overall, this study exemplifies the CBM strategy with high-resolution is an ideal way to deeply explore the untapped novel bacterial resources in desert soils, and substantially expands our knowledge on the microbial dark matter hidden in the vast expanse of deserts., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

A convenient and efficient trans -stereoselective and β-regioselective hydroboration of propargyl alcohols was achieved simply with LiO t Bu as the base and (Bpin) 2 as the boron reagent in dimethyl sulfoxide at room temperature. Both terminal and internal propargyl alcohols with diverse structures and functional groups underwent the transformation smoothly to produce β-Bpin-substituted ( E )-allylic alcohols, of which the synthetic potentials were demonstrated by the downstream conversions of boronate, alkenyl, and hydroxyl groups.

Two Gram-stain-negative strains, designated as SYSU D00286 T and SYSU D00782, were isolated from a sand sample collected from the Kumtag Desert in Xinjiang, north-west China. Cells were aerobic, non-motile and positive for both oxidase and catalase. Growth occurred at 4-37 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C), pH 6.0-7.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and NaCl concentration of 0-1.5 % (w/v; optimum, 0%). Growth was observed on Reasoner's 2A agar and nutrient agar, but not on Luria-Bertani agar and trypticase soy agar. The polar lipids were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, three unidentified aminolipids, one unidentified glycolipid and two unidentified phospholipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were C 16 : 0 and summed feature 8 (C 18 : 1  ω 7 c and/or C 18 : 1  ω 6 c ). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains SYSU D00286 T and SYSU D00782 was 100%, and their average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity and (AAI) digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values were all 100.0 %. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these two strains belong to the same species of the genus Rubellimicrobium and show the highest sequence similarity to Rubellimicrobium rubrum KCTC 72461 T (98.2 %) and Rubellimicrobium roseum CCTCC AA 208029 T (97.5 %). The ANI, AAI and dDDH values between SYSU D00286 T (as well as SYSU D00782) and the other five Rubellimicrobium type strains were all less than or equal to 83.2, 80.1 and 23.6 %, respectively. Based on their phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomical features, strains SYSU D00286 T and SYSU D00782 represent a novel species of the genus Rubellimicrobium , for which the name Rubellimicrobium arenae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SYSU D00286 T (=MCCC 1K04981 T =CGMCC 1.8626 T =KCTC 82271 T ).

Significance: Ferroptosis is featured by the accumulation of polyunsaturated-lipid peroxidation on cellular membranes in an iron-dependent manner. Ferroptosis has been implicated in various pathophysiological processes, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and ischemia-reperfusion tissue injury. However, our understanding about the dynamic and context-specific regulation of ferroptosis remains incomplete. Recent Advances: As the major substrate for peroxidation, the cellular lipidome regulates ferroptosis sensitivity and execution by controlling the abundance and availability of polyunsaturated-lipids for peroxidative modifications. In turn, the cellular lipidome is regulated by a complex network of enzymes and transporters, as well as upstream layers of receptors, kinases, and transcription factors. A number of research has shed light on the link between lipid metabolism and ferroptosis. Here, we summarize our current knowledge on the role of the lipidome and associated protein regulators in various stages of ferroptosis, ranging from initiation, execution to cell death evasion by cells experiencing ferroptotic stress. Critical Issues: This review provides an overview of the mechanisms underlying lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis by discussing the lipid species that directly contribute to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, how cells regulate the abundances of these pro-ferroptosis lipids, how lipid peroxidation causes cell death, and how cells prevent and repair membrane lipid damage under ferroptotic conditions. Future Directions: Cell fate regulation in vivo could be different from in vitro culture settings. We envision that a comprehensive and detailed understanding about these important questions in the dynamic regulation of ferroptosis in vivo will accelerate our development of ferroptosis-targeted therapies to improve human health.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is an important sample source for diagnosing diseases in the central nervous system (CNS), but collecting and injecting CSF in small animals is technically challenging and often results in high mortality rates. Here, we present a cost-effective and efficient method for accessing the CSF in live rodents for fluid collection and infusion purposes. The key element of this protocol is a metal needle tool bent at a unique angle and length, allowing the successful access of the CSF through the foramen magnum. With this method, we can collect 5-10 µL of the CSF from mice and 70-100 µL from rats for downstream analyses, including mass spectrometry. Moreover, our minimally-invasive procedure enables iterative CSF collection from the same animal every few days, representing a significant improvement over prior protocols. Additionally, our method can be used to inject solutions into mice cisterna magna with high success rates and high postoperative recovery rates. In summary, we provide an efficient and minimally-invasive protocol for collecting and infusing reagents into the CSF in live rodents. We envision this protocol will facilitate biomarker discovery and drug development for diseases in the central nervous system.

Glucose conversion assisted photocatalytic water splitting technology to simultaneously produce H 2 and high value-added chemicals is a promising method for alleviating the energy shortage and environmental crisis. In this work, we constructing type II heterojunction by in-situ coupling Zn 0.3 Cd 0.7 S quantum dots (ZCS QDs) on three-dimensionally ordered microporous CaTiO 3 (3DOM CTO) for photocatalytic H 2 production and glucose conversion. The DFT calculations demonstrate that substitution of Zn on the Cd site improves the separation and transmission of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, 3DOM CTO-ZCS composite exhibits best H 2 production performance (2.81 mmol g -1 h -1 ) and highest apparent quantum efficiency (AQY) (5.56 %) at 365 nm, which are about 47 and 18 times that of CTO nanoparticles (NPs). The improved catalytic performance ascribed to not only good mass diffusion and exchange, highly efficient light harvesting of 3DOM structure, but also the efficient charges separation of type Ⅱ heterojunction. The investigation on photocatalytic mechanism indicates that the glucose is mainly converted to gluconic acid and lactic acid, and the control reaction step is gluconic acid to lactic acid. The selectivity for gluconic acid on 3DOM CTO-ZCS is 85.65 %. Our work here proposes a green sustainable method to achieve highly efficient H 2 production and selective conversion of glucose to gluconic acid., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

MDH1 and MDH2 enzymes play an important role in the survival of lung cancer. In this study, a novel series of dual MDH1/2 inhibitors for lung cancer was rationally designed and synthesized, and their SAR was carefully investigated. Among the tested compounds, compound 50 containing a piperidine ring displayed an improved growth inhibition of A549 and H460 lung cancer cell lines compared with LW1497 . Compound 50 reduced the total ATP content in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner; it also significantly suppressed the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) and the expression of HIF-1α target genes such as GLUT1 and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 ( PDK1) in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, compound 50 inhibited HIF-1α-regulated CD73 expression under hypoxia in A549 lung cancer cells. Collectively, these results indicate that compound 50 may pave the way for the development of next-generation dual MDH1/2 inhibitors to target lung cancer.

A novel orange-coloured bacterium, designated strain SYSU D00508 T , was isolated from a sandy soil sampled from the Kumtag Desert in China. Strain SYSU D00508 T was aerobic, Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-positive, catalase-positive and non-motile. Growth occurred at 4-45°C (optimum 28-30°C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0-8.0) and with 0-2.5 % NaCl (w/v, optimum 0-1.0 %). The major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), unidentified aminolipids (AL1-3) and unidentified polar lipids (L1-5) were also detected. The major respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were iso-C 17 : 0 3-OH, iso-C 15 : 0 and iso-C 15 : 1 G. The genomic DNA G+C content was 42.6 %. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SYSU D00508 T belonged to the family Chitinophagaceae and showed 93.9 % ( Segetibacter koreensis DSM18137 T ), 92.9 % ( Segetibacter aerophilus NBRC 106135 T ), 93.0 % ( Terrimonas soli JCM 32095 T ) and 92.8 % ( Parasegetibacter terrae JCM 19942 T ) similarities. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain SYSU D00508 T is proposed to represent a novel species of a new genus, named Aridibaculum aurantiacum gen. nov., sp. nov., within the family Chitinophagaceae . The type strain is SYSU D00508 T (=KCTC 82286 T =CGMCC 1.18648 T =MCCC 1K05005 T ).

Aerobic anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria (AAPB) are a kind of heterotrophic prokaryote that can use bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) for photosynthesis without oxygen production and they are widely distributed in aquatic environments, including oceans, lakes, and rivers. A novel aerobic anoxygenic photosynthetic bacterium strain XJSP T was isolated during a study of water microbial diversity in Sayram Lake, Xinjiang Province, China. Strain XJSP T was found to grow optimally at 33 °C, pH 7.5 with 1.0% (w/v) NaCl, and to produce bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and concatenated alignment sequences of 120 ubiquitous single-copy proteins both supported that strain XJSP T belonged to the genus Pseudotabrizicola . Both average nucleotide identity (ANI) and DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) values were below the species delineation threshold. The primary polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unknown lipid, and one unidentified phospholipid. Based on the results of polyphasic analyses performed in this study, strain XJSP T represents a new member of the genus Pseudotabrizicola , for which the name Pseudotabrizicola formosa sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XJSP T (=KCTC 52636 T = MCCC 1H00184 T = SDUM 107003 T ). Comparative genomic analysis showed that four species of the genus Pseudotabrizicola shared 2570 core genes and possessed a complete anoxygenic photosystem II.

This study investigated the influence of carrier oils on the in vitro and in vivo bioavailability of PTE encapsulated in scallop gonad protein isolates (SGPIs)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) conjugate stabilized emulsions. The SGPIs-EGCG stabilized emulsions were subjected to an in vitro simulated digestion, and the resulting corn oil and MCT micelles were used to evaluate the PTE transportation using the Caco-2 cell model. Both emulsions remarkably improved the bioaccessibility of PTE in the micelle phase. Nevertheless, corn oil emulsions increased trans-enterocyte transportation of PTE more efficiently than MCT emulsions. Furthermore, the maximum plasma concentrations of PTE and its metabolites in mice fed with PTE emulsions were prominently higher than those in mice fed with PTE solution, while the in vivo metabolic patterns of PTE in different oil-stabilized emulsions were different. Therefore, SGPIs-EGCG stabilized emulsions could enhance the bioavailability of PTE through controlled release, in which corn oil is more suitable than MCT.

Rodents' lifestyles vary in different environments, and to adapt to various lifestyles specific digestion strategies have been developed. Among these strategies, the morphology of the digestive tracts and the gut microbiota are considered to play the most important roles in such adaptations. However, how subterranean rodents adapt to extreme environments through regulating gut microbial diversity and morphology of the digestive tract has yet to be fully studied. Here, we conducted the comparisons of the gastrointestinal morphology, food intake, food assimilation, food digestibility and gut microbiota of plateau zokor Eospalax baileyi in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and laboratory rats Rattus norvegicus to further understand the survival strategy in a typical subterranean rodent species endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our results revealed that plateau zokor evolved an efficient foraging strategy with low food intake, high food digestibility, and ultimately achieved a similar amount of food assimilation to laboratory rats. The length and weight of the digestive tract of the plateau zokor was significantly higher than the laboratory rat. Particularly, the weight and length of the large intestine and cecum in plateau zokor is three times greater than that of the laboratory rat. Microbiome analysis showed that genus (i.e., Prevotella , Oscillospira , CF231, Ruminococcus and Bacteroides ), which are usually associated with cellulose degradation, were significantly enriched in laboratory rats, compared to plateau zokor. However, prediction of metagenomic function revealed that both plateau zokor and laboratory rats shared the same functions in carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism. The higher digestibility of crude fiber in plateau zokor was mainly driven by the sizes of cecum and cecum tract, as well as those gut microbiota which associated with cellulose degradation. Altogether, our results highlight that both gut microbiota and the morphology of the digestive tract are vital to the digestion in wild rodents.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are potential biomarkers owing to their stability, tissue specificity, and abundance. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 expression and to investigate its potential as a biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 expression in 121 HCC tissue samples, its association with clinicopathological characteristics, and overall and progression-free survival. Hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 expression was downregulated in HCC tissues. Low hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 expression was more common in tumors larger than 5 cm (odds ratio (OR), 6.369; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.725−14.706; p < 0.001), vessel invasion (OR, 5.128; 95% CI, 2.288−11.494; p < 0.001); advanced tumor-node metastasis stage (III/IV; OR, 4.082; 95% CI, 1.866−8.929; p < 0.001); higher Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage (B/C; OR, 3.215; 95% CI, 1.475−6.993; p = 0.003); and higher AFP (>200 ng/mL; OR, 2.475; 95% CI, 1.159−5.291; p = 0.018). High hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio (HR), 0.541; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.327−0.894; p = 0.017) and progression-free survival (HR, 0.633; 95% CI, 0.402−0.997; p = 0.048). Hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 is a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with HCC, and further validation of hsa&#95;circ&#95;0003570 is needed.

HER2-low breast cancer (BC) has a poor prognosis, making the development of more suitable treatment an unmet clinical need. While chemotherapy is the main method of treatment for HER2-low BC, not all patients benefit from it. Antineoplastic therapy without chemotherapy has shown promise in clinical trials and is being explored further. As quantitative detection techniques become more advanced, they assist in better defining the expression level of HER2 and in guiding the development of targeted therapies, which include directly targeting HER2 receptors on the cell surface, targeting HER2-related intracellular signaling pathways and targeting the immune microenvironment. A new anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate called T-DM1 has been successfully tested and found to be highly effective in clinical trials. With this progress, it could eventually be transformed from a disease without a defined therapeutic target into a disease with a defined therapeutic molecular target. Furthermore, efforts are being made to compare the sequencing and combination of chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and HER2-targeted therapy to improve prognosis to customize the subtype of HER2 low expression precision treatment regimens. In this review, we summarize the current and upcoming treatment strategies, to achieve accurate management of HER2-low BC.

Two strains designated as SYSU D01084 T and SYSU D00799 T , were isolated from a sandy soil sample collected from Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang, north-west China. Cells of both strains were Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, long-rod-shaped, oxidase- and catalase-negative, motile or non-motile. Colonies were circular, translucent, convex, smooth and light-yellow in color on R2A agar. The two isolates were found to grow at 4-50 ºC, at pH 6.0-8.0 and with 0-1.0% (w/v) NaCl. Analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that they belonged to the family Chitinophagaceae, and closely related to the genera Paraflavitalea, Niastella, Pseudoflavitalea and Flavitalea. The two novel strains shared 98.1% 16S rRNA sequence similarity and represent different species on the basis of low average nucleotide identity (ANI, 83.8%) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH, 51.4%) values. The genomic DNA G + C contents of strains SYSU D01084 T and SYSU D00799 T were 46.0 and 45.6%, respectively. Phylogenetic trees showed that the two isolates were clustered in an individual lineage and not grouped consistently into any specific genus. The polar lipids contained of phosphatidylethanolamine, four unidentified aminolipids, two unidentified aminoglycolipids, and three or four unidentified lipids. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids (> 10%) were identified as iso-C 15:0 , iso-C 17:0 3-OH, and iso-C 15:1 G. Based on the combined phenotypic, genomic and phylogenetic analyses, the two strains represent two novel species of a new genus in the family Chitinophagaceae, for which the name Longitalea gen. nov. is proposed, comprising the type species Longitalea arenae sp. nov. (type strain SYSU D01084 T  = CGMCC 1.18641 T  = MCCC 1K05006 T  = KCTC 82283 T ) and Longitalea luteola sp. nov. (type strain SYSU D00799 T  = MCCC 1K04987 T  = KCTC 82282 T  = NBRC 114888 T )., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 10%-15% of all strokes and culminates in high mortality and disability. After ICH, brain injury is initiated by the mass effect of hematoma, followed by secondary cytotoxic injury from dying brain cells, hematoma disintegration, and cascading brain immune response. However, the molecular mechanism of secondary cytotoxic brain injury in ICH is not completely understood. The sensitive purinergic receptor, P2X4 receptor (P2X4R), was known to recognize extracellular free ATP released by dying cells during tissue injury., Aims: In this study, we aim to understand the role of P2X4R in acute brain injury triggered by ICH., Results: In this study, we found that the sensitive purinergic receptor, P2X4R, was upregulated in the brain of patients with ICH as well as in a mouse model of ICH induced by collagenase injection. P2X4R blockage with the specific inhibitor 5-BDBD attenuated brain injury in ICH mice by significantly reducing brain edema, blood-brain barrier leakage, neural death, and ultimately acute neurodeficits. Further study indicated that the protective effect of P2X4R inhibition is related to decreased pro-inflammatory activity of microglia and recruitment of peripheral immune cells into the hemorrhagic brain., Conclusions: These results suggest that the P2X4 receptor is activated by ICH stimuli which worsen brain injury following ICH., (© 2022 The Authors. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Myopia usually commences during primary school and progresses until the mean age of 16 years. Topical low-dose (0.01%) atropine eye-drop appears to be safe and efficacious for myopia control in children. However, in some cases, a higher concentration of atropine is required in some cases because low-dose atropine treatment is not effective., Methods: This is a retrospective study among young myopic children between 5 and 15 years with myopia progression > 0.50 D/year. We selected patients treated with low-dose atropine (0.01%) eye-drops for 12 months and conducted a comparative analysis of the group with good responder and poor responder. Patients were classified as good responders if spherical equivalent refractive error (SE) progression was ⩽ 0.50 D after 12 months of treatment and poor responders if SE progression > 0.50 D. The prognostic factors before and after treatment were analyzed in two groups., Results: A total of 68 eyes were included. Low-dose (0.01%) atropine eye-drops have a good treatment response in 54% of patients. In the good responder group ( n  = 37), the mean rate of myopia progression after 12 months of treatment (0.36 ± 0.17 D) was significantly slower compared with the baseline progression ( p  < 0.001). Good responders have smaller changes in axial length (AL) elongation and SE than poor responders ( p  < 0.001). The only adverse event was temporary near vision difficulty (10%), photophobia (10%), and mild pupil dilation (30%)., Discussion: The AL elongation is an important indicator for monitoring the treatment response. Children with a family history of myopia at a young age may not respond well to low-dose (0.01%) atropine eye-drops. In these cases, increasing the concentration of atropine eye-drops should be considered.

An inflammatory pseudotumor is a benign disease characterized by tumor-like lesions consisting of inflammatory cells including plasma cells and fibrous tissue. Recently, some inflammatory pseudotumor cases proved to be a form of Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). This novel clinical entity, recognized as a fibroinflammatory condition, is characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with a predominance of IgG4-positive plasma cells, storiform fibrosis, and often elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. We report a case of IgG4-RD in the form of an inflammatory pseudotumor in the liver with combined sclerosing cholangitis. We recommend that for diagnosing IgG4-RD accurately, it is important to obtain adequate tissue samples and follow-up the lesion in clinical practice.

The complex coacervation between scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) female gonad protein isolates (SFGPIs) and sodium alginate (SA) was determined by the turbidimetric method. The impact of pH, total biopolymer concentration, biopolymer blend ratio, and various salt ionic on the mechanisms governing the complex coacervation of SFGPIs-SA complexes were also investigated. For the SFGPIs:SA ratio of 2:1 without adding NaCl, insoluble and soluble complexes were observed at pH 5.8 (pH φ1 ) and pH 8.2 (pH c ) with the optimum biopolymer interactions appearing at pH 2.6 (pH opt ). The maximum turbidity value increased with the increment of the total biopolymer concentration from 0.37 to 1.83 until attaining the critical value (0.75%). As the blend ratios rose from 1:3 to 12:1, the critical pH values (pH c , pH φ1 , and pH opt ) moved to higher pH. Furthermore, the addition of NaCl led to a remarkable decrease in turbidity over the whole pH region in SFGPIs-SA complexes. Moreover, monovalent ions (Na + and K + ) had the same effect on the formation of the SFGPIs-SA complex, whereas the divalent cations (Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ ) lessened the complex formation in comparison with the monovalent ions. This study offers a methodological and theoretical basis for the design of complex SFGPIs-SA systems by understanding the complex coacervation under different conditions. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In recent years, several protein-polysaccharides complexes have been widely applied in food and biological systems. Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) female gonads are deemed as good marine sources for developing protein matrices on account of their high protein content and nutrients. In our study, the effects of different conditions on the mechanisms governing the complex coacervation of SFGPI-SA mixtures were investigated, and the instability of the system could be overcome by understanding the conditions for SFGPIs/SA complex formation, which have a feasible role in developing marine source-protein as a functional food base such as kamaboko gels, can, sausage, fat substitutes, and delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds., (© 2022 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

This study aimed to reveal the molecular mechanisms associated with off-flavor generation in sturgeon fillets treated by low temperature vacuum heating (LTVH). Label-free quantitative proteomics was used to identify 120 favor-related proteins, 27 proteins were screened as differentially expressed for bioinformatics analysis. 17 of KEGG pathways were identified. Particularly, proteins involved in proteasome and peroxisome were highly correlated with off-flavor formation. They were primarily implicated in the structures of proteins, including binding and proteasome pathways. The results indicated that the LTVH reduced the binding sites by down-regulating protease and superoxide dismutase expression. LTVH increased the myofibrillar protein and sulfhydryl content and decreased the total volatile basic nitrogen and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, which confirmed that protein oxidation was related to off-flavor. This proteomics study provided new insights into the off-flavor of sturgeon with LTVH, and proposed potential link between biological processes and off-flavor formation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, oxidase-positive, catalase-positive, non-motile, short rod-shaped, red-pigmented strain, designated as SYSU D00434 T , was isolated from a dry sandy soil sample collected from the Gurbantunggut desert in Xinjiang, north-west PR China. Strain SYSU D00434 T was found to grow at 4-37 °C (optimum, 28-30 °C), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and with 0-1.5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-0.5 %). The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids (>10 %) were C 16 : 1  ω 5 c , iso-C 15 : 0 , summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω 6 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω 7 c ) and summed feature 4 (anteiso-C 17 : 1 B and/or iso-C 17 : 1 I). The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified polar lipids, two unidentified aminolipids, two unidentified phospholipids and two unidentified glycolipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SYSU D00434 T was 50.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SYSU D00434 T belonged to the family Hymenobacteraceae , and shared a sequence similarity of less than 94.6 % to all validly named taxa. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic properties, strain D00434 T is proposed to represent a new species of a new genus, named Sabulibacter ruber gen. nov., sp. nov., within the family Hymenobacteraceae . The type strain is SYSU D00434 T (=CGMCC 1.18624 T =KCTC 82276 T =MCCC 1K04975 T ).

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate functional and structural abnormalities in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) with multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT)., Methods: This prospective observational study included 57 patients with unilateral CSC. Both eyes underwent mfERG and EDI-OCT. Peak amplitudes and implicit times of the first kernel responses were analyzed and compared with those of 25 age-matched normal controls. Correlational analyses were performed between the mfERG results and EDI-OCT parameters., Results: Compared with the normal controls, the amplitude and implicit time on mfERG were significantly impaired in the area with serous retinal detachment (SRD) and the area beyond the SRD. Eyes with a greater reduction in SRD had a less impaired mfERG response in fellow eyes than those whose retinal detachments were not spontaneously decreased by >90% after 3 months. Correlational analysis revealed that the subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with the mfERG parameters., Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate diffuse functional impairment in acute CSC involving both eyes and areas beyond the SRD. The retinal response of the unaffected eye was associated with regression of SRD. Functional retinal abnormality was found to correlate with pathological changes in the choroid., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Iron-catalyzed direct S N 2' dehydroxyboration of allylic alcohols has been developed to access ( E )-stereoselective allylboronates. Allylic alcohols with diverse structures and functional groups, especially derived from natural products, underwent smooth transformation. The six-membered ring transition state formed by allylic alcohols and iron-boron intermediate was indicated to be the key component involved in transfer of the boron group, activation of the C-OH bond, and control of the stereoselectivity.

Northwest China is burdened by declining soil fertility and poor capacity of water and nutrient retention. A pot experiment was conducted to examine the effects of organic acid conditio-ners (OASC) with four application rates (0, 20, 40, and 60 g·kg -1 ) on soil nutrients and crop growth. Maize and common vetch were the focus crops and loessial soil and irrigated desert soil were the soil types. The results showed that OASC application reduced water evaporation loss and significantly improved soil available nutrient content, with the most obvious effects on soil phosphorus. Available phosphorus content and proportion were increased by 256.5% and 227.4%, respectively, compared with no OASC treatment. The shoot dry weights of maize and common vetch on loessial soil were initially increased with the increasing OASC application rate and were highest at the application rate of 20 g·kg -1 . The values progressively decreased with increasing OASC addition rates. Total salt content was significantly increased and the rate of emergence of common vetch decreased at OASC rate exceeding 20 g·kg -1 . For irrigated desert soil, the OASC application rate did not affect total salt content when maize was planted. There was significant increase in soil total salt contents when common vetch was planted and at the OASC rate of 60 g·kg -1 . The shoot dry weight of common vetch and maize was highest with the OASC application rates at 40 g·kg -1 and 60 g·kg -1 , respectively. The optimal OASC rate for planting common vetch and maize on loess soil was 20 g·kg -1 . The application rates of 40 g·kg -1 and 60 g·kg -1 were optimal for planting common vetch and maize on irrigated desert, respectively.

In this article, the literature describing the origin, course, and termination of the nerves innervating the ankle joint is reviewed and discussed. The anterior aspect of the joint capsule receives innervation from articular branches from the saphenous, superficial, and deep fibular nerves; laterally from the sural and superficial fibular nerves; and medially and posteriorly from the saphenous and tibial nerves. Comprehensive mapping of the trajectory, spatial relationships, and termination of the articular branches innervating the ankle joint capsule will aid in developing new and improving existing image-guided nerve block and radiofrequency ablation protocols to treat chronic joint pain., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) roe is the main by-product in the processing of large yellow croaker. Previous studies have found that its protein isolates are composed of vitellogenin, as well as vitellogenin B and C, having good functional properties. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a natural antioxidant component that can be combined with protein to improve antioxidant activity and structural characteristics of protein., Results: EGCG was bound with the P. crocea roe protein isolate (pcRPI) by the free radical method to prepare the conjugate. The formation of pcRPI-EGCG conjugates was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel permeation chromatography, which showed that the calculated weight-average molar masses of native-pcRPI and pcRPI-EGCG conjugates were 86.9 and 215.3 kDa, respectively. The results of fluorescence, ultraviolet, circular and infrared spectra indicated that the conjugation of EGCG with native-pcRPI changed the secondary and tertiary structure of native-pcRPI. The pcRPI-EGCG conjugates exhibited higher thermal stability than native-pcRPI. The radical scavenging and reducing power of native-pcRPI were increased by 2.0-2.5- and 1.4-fold, respectively, after the EGCG-grafting reaction., Conclusion: These results indicate that the binding of pcRPI and EGCG effectively improved the antioxidant properties and structural characteristics of the pcRPI. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Background: Interleukin-6 receptor blockade is effective in reducing the risk of relapses in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). However, its efficacy during acute attacks of NMOSD remains elusive., Objective: We investigated the effects of tocilizumab on disability during acute attacks, as well as its maintenance, in patients with moderate-to-severe myelitis., Methods: Nineteen patients with NMOSD received tocilizumab treatment as add-on to high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) in acute myelitis and twenty-two patients who only received HDMP were compared. Disease disability was assessed using a multi-level scaling system that included the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), Hauser ambulation index (HAI), modified Rankin scale (mRS), pain numerical rating scale (NRS), functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-fatigue scale (FACIT-F), activity of daily living (ADL), EuroQol five-dimensions-three-level questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L), and sensory function score and bowel and bladder function score in Kurtzke functional systems scores (FSS)., Results: Improved EDSS, HAI, and mRS, as well as increased ADL and EQ-5D-3L were significant in patients on tocilizumab compared with those on steroids as monotherapy at 3 months ( p < 0.05). Both groups of patients showed improved pain, fatigue, sensory function, and autonomic function at follow-ups, compared with baseline respectively. The changes in NRS, FACIT-F, and sensory and autonomic FSS showed no significant differences between the two groups. Tocilizumab significantly lowered the risk of relapses (HR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.06-0.76, p = 0.017) and reduced the annualized relapse rate compared with those by steroids (0.1 ± 0.2 vs 0.5 ± 0.6, p = 0.013)., Conclusion: Early initiation of tocilizumab provided a safe and effective add-on alternative during attacks, and its maintenance contributed to a significant reduction of relapse rate in NMOSD., 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 Du, Zeng, Han, Zhang, Jia, Shi and Zhang.)

Background: Cortex Phellodendri amurensis (CPA) has high medicinal value in the treatment of kidney-yin deficiency diseases. However, due to the lack of research on the therapeutic material basis of CPA, the current quality control standard for CPA is defective, and the effect of the nourishing kidney-yin of CPA was limited., Purpose: Based on the principle of correspondence between the syndrome and prescriptions, we studied the CPA in ZhibaiDihuang pill (ZBDH) to identify quality markers (Q-markers) of CPA in ZBDH for treating kidney-yin deficiency and seek the potential Q-markers of CPA under nourishing kidney-yin effect combined with the analysis of single CPA., Methods: Taking Chinmedomics as the core strategy, metabonomics analysis and effective component identification were performed by UPLC-MS., Results: A total of 121 chemical components of ZBDH were identified, among which the contents of berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine and magnoflorine changed the most obviously with the addition of CPA. Forty-five components were identified in the blood in the markedly effective state, including berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine and magnoflorine. The therapeutic material basis of ZBDH in the treatment of kidney-yin deficiency was found, and 6 components were found to derive from CPA, including magnoflorine and jatrorrhizine. In addition, seventeen components were identified in the blood in the single CPA treatment, including berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine and magnoflorine., Conclusions: Magnoflorine and jatrorrhizine were the Q-markers of CPA for treating kidney-yin deficiency in the formula of ZBDH and they were also potential Q-markers of the nourishing kidney-yin of CPA., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Here, a novel decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK with Maillard reactivity derived from scallop Chlamys farreri mantle was identified. The structural characteristics and in vitro hepatoprotective effects of IVTNWDDMEK conjugated with ribose were further investigated. The changes in decapeptide structures were determined by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the modification sites induced by Maillard reaction of IVTNWDDMEK and ribose were monitored by high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Maillard reaction products (MRPs) of IVTNWDDMEK-ribose demonstrate hepatoprotective benefits through the suppression of DNA damage and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress in human HepG2 cells in addition to enhancing the antioxidant activities. Moreover, after treatment with decapeptide-ribose MRPs, the activities of cellular antioxidative enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and glutathione reductase (GSH-Rx) were remarkably increased, while the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased compared with H 2 O 2 - treated group, thereby enhancing the intracellular antioxidant defenses. These findings demonstrate the potential utilization of decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK-ribose MRPs as food antioxidants to suppress oxidative damage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In recent years, several food-derived bioactive peptides and their derivatives are regarded as good dietary antioxidants for reducing oxidative stress and improving liver function. Here, a novel Maillard reactive decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK, identified from scallop mantle hydrolysates by peptidomics in the previous study was synthesized. Then, the correlation between intercellular antioxidant activities and chemical structure changes of IVTNWDDMEK-ribose Maillard reaction conjugates was further studied. The preferable hepatoprotective activities of decapeptide IVTNWDDMEK-ribose MRPs indicated that these MRPs could be potentially utilized as food antioxidants or additives in the production of nutritional foods., (© 2021 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent potential biomarkers because of their highly stable structure and robust expression pattern in clinical samples. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of a recently identified circRNA, hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986; determine its clinical significance; and evaluate its potential as a biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986 expression in 123 HCC tissue samples, its clinical significance, and its association with patients' clinicopathological characteristics and survival. Hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986 expression was downregulated in HCC tissues. Low hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986 expression was more common in tumors larger than 5 cm [odds ratio (OR), 3.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.51-6.76; p = 0.002], advanced TNM stage (III/IV; OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.16-4.95; p = 0.018), and higher BCLC stage (B/C; OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.30-5.65; p = 0.007). High hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986 expression was associated with improved survival and was an independent prognostic factor for overall [hazard ratio (HR), 0.572; 95% CI, 0.339-0.966; p = 0.037] and progression-free (HR, 0.573; 95% CI, 0.362-0.906; p = 0.017) survival. Moreover, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed using RNA-seq/miRNA-seq data and clinical information from TCGA-LIHC dataset. Our findings indicate a promising role for hsa&#95;circ&#95;0005986 as a prognostic biomarker in patients with HCC., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Abstract: The level of long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) methylation, representing the global deoxyribonucleic acid methylation level, could contribute to the prognosis of cancer via the activation of oncogenes. This study was performed to evaluate the prognostic implications of LINE-1 hypomethylation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the possible mechanisms related to oncogene activation.Seventy-seven HCC patients between October 2014 and September 2015 were enrolled in this prospective study. Quantitative pyrosequencing was performed to assess the LINE-1 methylation level of HCC and matched non-HCC tissue samples. The expression of suppression of tumorigenicity 18 was measured by immunohistochemistry and its correlation with LINE-1 methylation levels was examined.LINE-1 was significantly hypomethylated in the HCC tissue compared with the matched nontumor tissue (64.0 ± 11.6% vs 75.6 ± 4.0%, P < .001). LINE-1 hypomethylation was an independent risk factor for overall survival (hazard ratio = 27.291, P = .032) and disease progression (hazard ratio = 5.298, P = .005). The expression of suppression of tumorigenicity 18 was higher in the hypomethylated LINE-1 HCC tissue than the hypermethylated LINE-1 tumor tissue (P = .030).LINE-1 hypomethylation may serve as a potential prognostic marker for patients with HCC., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Various bond disrupting agents including NaCl, GuHCl, urea, and SDS were introduced to investigate the intermolecular interactions between scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs) and κ-carrageenan (κ-C), which were monitored by changes in rheological property, water distribution, conformation characterization and microstructure by using rheometer, low field-NMR relaxometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results showed that the bond disrupting agents deteriorated the rheological property of SMGHs/κ-C in a dose-dependent manner. Indeed, at the same concentration of 2 M, NaCl deteriorated the SMGHs/κ-C more obviously than GuHCl and urea. In addition, SMGHs/κ-C with bond disrupting agents possessed higher relaxation times including T 21 and T 23 , indicating the migration to free water direction of bound and free water. Moreover, the FITR results showed the red-shift in water regions (amide A and B bands), amide I and II bands, and indicated the breakdown of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions, indicating a disordered structure in SMGHs/κ-C by various bond disrupting agents. Furthermore, cryo-SEM results showed the change of SMGHs/κ-C from a homogeneous network to a looser and ruptured one with larger void spaces, and indicated the disrupted and tattered microstructure of SMGHs/κ-C by various bond disrupting agents. Additionally, SMGHs/κ-C as well showed less aggregates stained by RITC by bond disrupting agents. These results suggest that electrostatic interactions would be mainly involved in the maintenance of SMGHs/κ-C gel network. This study could provide theoretical and methodological basis for hydrogel products with modified gel strength and microstructure by understanding the intermolecular interactions in gel system. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonads as a high-protein part of scallop, is usually discarded during processing despite its edibility. In recent years, scallop male gonads are regarded as good sources to develop protein matrices due to their high protein content and numerous nutrients. In this study, scallop male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs) were obtained by trypsin-treated process. The considerable gelation behavior of SMGHs indicated that the SMGHs could be potentially utilized as a novel thickener and additive in production of kamaboko gels, can, sausage and spread with marine flavor., (© 2021 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Background: In this study, the network pharmacological methods were used to predict the target of effective components of compounds in Zisheng Shenqi Decoction (ZSD, or Nourishing Kidney Qi Decoction) in the treatment of gouty arthritis (GA)., Method: The main effective components and corresponding key targets of herbs in the ZSD were discerned through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis (TCMSP), Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) database. UniProt database and Swiss Target Prediction (STP) database was used to rectify and unify the target names and supply the target information. The targets related to GA were obtained by using GeneCards database. After we discovered the potential common targets between ZSD and GA, the interaction network diagram of "ZSD-component-GA-target" was constructed by Cytoscape software (Version 3.7.1). Subsequently, the Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of ZSD effective components-targets and GA-related targets was constructed by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes Database (STRING). Bioconductor package "org.Hs.eg.db" and "cluster profiler" package were installed in R software (Version 3.6.0) which used for Gene Ontology analysis and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway enrichment analysis., Results: 146 components and 613 targets of 11 herbal medicines in the ZSD were got from TCMSP database and BATMAN-TCM database. 987 targets of GA were obtained from GeneCards database. After intersected and removed duplications, 132 common targets between ZSD and GA were screened out by Cytoscape software (Version 3.7.1). These common targets derived from 81 effective components of 146 components, such as quercetin, stigmasterol and kaempferol. They were closely related to anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti oxidative stress and the principal targets comprised of Purinergic receptor P2X, ligand-gated ion channel 7 (P2x7R), Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) and IL-1β. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis by R software (Version 3.6.0) showed that the key target genes had close relationship with oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolic process and leukocyte migration in aspects of biological process, cell components and molecular function. It also indicated that ZSD could decrease inflammatory reaction, alleviate ROS accumulation and attenuate pain by regulating P2 × 7R and NOD like receptor signaling pathway of inflammatory reaction., Conclusion: A total of 81 effective components and 132 common target genes between ZSD and GA were screened by network pharmacology. The PPI network, GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis suggested that ZSD can exerte anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on the treatment of GA by reducing decreasing inflammatory reaction, alleviating ROS accumulation, and attenuating pain. The possible molecular mechanism of it mainly involved multiple components, multiple targets and multiple signaling pathways, which provided a comprehensive understanding for further study. In general, the network pharmacological method applied in this study provides an alternative strategy for the mechanism of ZSD in the treatment of GA., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The electrostatic complex coacervation between scallop Patinopecten. yessoensis male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs) and κ-carrageenan (κ-C) were monitored by using turbidimetry at various pH (1-12) and biopolymer mixing ratio (9:1-1:9). The pH c exhibited ratio-independent behavior, and pH φ1 , pH max exhibited ratio-dependent behavior, respectively. The decreasing ratio enhanced the gel strength of SMGHs/κ-C at higher pH while inversely at lower pH, ascribing to more SMGHs aggregates and stronger neutralization between positively charged patches in SMGHs and κ-C at lower pH and higher ratio. Moreover, SMGHs/κ-C gel at acid condition exhibited lower relaxation times (T 21 and T 23 ). Furthermore, the rheological and relaxation time T 2 data were well associated with microscopy images which indicated that SMGHs/κ-C gel showed a well-distributed network structure at more acidic domains, supporting stronger gel rigidity and water-holding capacity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Solid-state fermentation with Agaricus brasiliensis and Agaricus bisporus on whole grain wheat was carried out. Phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of fermented wheat were determined. The results showed that the maximum values of polyphenols contents in wheat fermented with A. brasiliensis and A. bisporus reached, respectively (3.16 ± 0.21) and (3.93 ± 0.23) mg GAE/g, which were 2.90 and 3.61 times of unfermented control. By employing ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), 18 kinds of phenolic compounds were identified from fermented wheat. Compared with control, only 4-hydroxy-benzaldehyde was the same compound. It indicated that fermentation with the two fungi changed polyphenols contents and phenolic compounds composition in wheat to a great extent. Among these phenolic compounds, except for 4-hydroxy-benzaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-benzoic acid and β-N-(γ-glutamyl)-4-formylphenylhydrazine, other 15 kinds of phenolic compounds were first identified from mushroom samples (including fruit bodies, mycelia and fermentation products). DPPH radical scavenging capacity, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating ability and inhibition of lipid peroxidation of fermented wheat were significantly stronger than control (P < 0.05)., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.)

Rationale: Gallbladder polyps are common in the general population, but gallbladder metastasis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is very rare. In a patient with RCC diagnosed with a small gallbladder polyp that does not meet the traditional size criteria, the surgeon faces a dilemma of whether cholecystectomy should be performed given the possibility of metastasis., Patient Concerns: A 55-year-old man who had received a left nephrectomy for RCC presented with a gallbladder polyp that was noted at the time of the nephrectomy. Imaging showed the maximum diameter of the polyp had increased from 5 mm to 24 mm in the 40 months after the initial diagnosis., Diagnosis: Pathological and immunohistology findings confirmed the gallbladder polyp as a metastasis of clear-cell RCC., Interventions: : We performed a laparoscopic cholecystectomy., Outcomes: Even though the synchronous solitary gallbladder metastasis was left untreated and a cholecystectomy was not performed over the 40 months, no metastasis occurred in other sites. The patient is free from disease 10 months after the cholecystectomy., Lessons: Solitary gallbladder metastasis of RCC may have more favorable outcomes than typical metastases. Although gallbladder metastasis of RCC occur rarely, it can occur, and any changes in gallbladder polyps in RCC patients should be managed under a strong suspicion of metastasis., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Introduction: Recently in South Korea, there are increasing number of young adults undergoing orthokeratology treatment for myopia control. They prefer orthokeratology treatment more than wearing spectacles or having a refractive surgery for several reasons. However, there is little research on the effect of orthokeratology treatment on choroids., Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the change in choroidal thickness (CT) in the horizontal axis in young myopic adults after orthokeratology treatment., Methods: This was a retrospective research among young myopic patients (-1.0 to -5.0 diopters) aged 19-29 years (n = 36; 23.6 ± 2.5 years). We selected patients who were treated with orthokeratology for 12 months. CT values of the horizontal axis near the fovea before and after orthokeratology treatment were analyzed using optical coherence tomography. The value was measured at the beginning of treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months after orthokeratology treatment. Three regional areas of choroid on the horizontal plane including fovea were analyzed., Result and Conclusions: In the beginning of orthokeratology treatment, CT of the horizontal axis was 248.9 ± 45.7 μm in the temporal region, 259.9 ± 55.3 μm in the macular region, and 219.2 ± 46.4 μm in the nasal region. Three months after orthokeratology treatment, thickness values of choroids in the 3 divided areas increased significantly (p < 0.05). Mean CT at 6 or 12 months after orthokeratology treatment was greater than before ortho--keratology treatment. CT increased after 3 months of orthokeratology treatment in each regional area. In young myopic adults, CT in nasal area was thinner than that in foveal or temporal area before treatment. CT recovered to near baseline when it was observed for more than 6 months after orthokeratology treatment., (© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To review a single-center experience of percutaneous biliary recanalization for liver transplantation-related benign biliary stricture, particularly focusing on the technical aspect., Method: Twenty-three recipients of liver transplantation (LT) with 27 benign biliary strictures underwent percutaneous recanalization using a step-by-step technique from June 2017 to March 2020. The step-by-step technique includes a hairy wire or an usual 0.035-inch wire passage, a coaxial system, supporting catheters of various shapes and wires, and an extraluminal passage. The success rate of percutaneous biliary recanalization, degree of stricture, interval between LT and biliary recanalization, procedure time, number of sessions, and recanalization techniques were analyzed., Results: Among the 27 lesions, 26 (96 %) were successfully recanalized using a percutaneous approach without major complications. Of the 27 lesions, 8 were complete obstructions and 19 were partial obstructions. Consequently, the average interval between LT and biliary recanalization was 28.8 ± 42.7 months (range, 2-192 months). The average procedure time was 50 ± 65 min (range, 8-345 min). The average number of sessions was 1.4 ± 1 (range, 1-6). The case distribution for the used recanalization techniques was as follows: twelve cases utilized step 1, 10 utilized step 2, 4 utilized step 3, and only 1 case utilized step 4. The complete obstruction group required a more advanced technique and spent more recanalization time than the partial obstruction group., Conclusions: The step-by-step percutaneous biliary recanalization technique had a high success rate without major complications. According to the patient's biliary anatomy appropriate selection of an angled 5-Fr support catheter and wire is essential in increasing the recanalization success rate., 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., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus, Glyptocidaris crenularis, and Strongylocentrotus intermedius gonad protein isolates (mnGPIs, gcGPIs, and siGPIs) were extracted by isoelectric solubilization/precipitation (ISP) from the defatted gonads, and their functional properties were compared. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results showed the similar protein pattern between each protein isolate and defatted gonad, indicating the high efficiency of ISP processing for protein recovery. Amino acid profileconfirmed that the mnGPIs and siGPIs could be potential sources of essential amino acid in nature. As regard to functional properties, mnGPIs showed higher water- and oil- holding capacities followed bysiGPIs and gcGPIs and all protein isolates presented great foaming property. As for emulsifying activity index (EAI), mnGPIs, gcGPIs, and siGPIs showed the minimum solubility and EAI at pH 5, 3, and 4, respectively, and behaved a pH-dependent manner. The gcGPIs revealed the highest EAI from pH 6 to 8 among the samples. In addition, circular dichroism showed increased content of β-sheet at the expense of α-helix and β-turn, suggesting the structure denaturation of the protein isolates. Indeed, no statistical difference was observed between secondary structure of mnGPIs and siGPIs. Moreover, ISP processing increased free sulfhydryl content of sea urchin protein isolates, but no difference was observed among the samples. Furthermore, siGPIs revealed the highest amount of total sulfhydryl and disulfide bonds, whereas both defatted gonads and protein isolates from G. crenularis presented the maximum surface hydrophobicity. These results suggest that gonad protein isolates from three species of sea urchin possess various functionalities and therefore can be potentially applied in food system. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Sea urchin M. nudus, G. crenularis, and S. intermedius gonads are edible, whereas the functional properties of protein isolates from sea urchin gonad remain unknown. In this case, the extraction and comparison of three species of sea urchin gonad protein isolates will not only confirm functional properties but also screen food ingredients with suitable functions. In this study, functionalities of protein isolates derived from M. nudus, G. crenularis, and S. intermedius gonads would provide potential application in bakery food and meat products or as emulsifier candidates in food system., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

The complex coacervation between scallop Patinopecten yessoensis male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs) and κ-carrageenan (κ-C) as influenced by ionic strength (NaCl and KCl) were monitored by using turbidimetric analysis at pH 1-12. The optical density of SMGHs/κ-C complexes initially increased at lower ionic strength (0-0.5 M) whereas decreased at higher ionic strength (0.5-1.5 M) as a result of the salt-enhanced and salt-reduced effect, respectively. Both of pH c and pH φ1 exhibited ionic strength-dependent behavior that firstly shifted to acidic pH followed by an increase as salt increasing. Moreover, salt addition strongly promoted the gelation of SMGHs/κ-C which was mainly driven by electrostatic forces, as reflected by increasing storage modulus G' from 3621 to 6559 Pa, 2681-25631 Pa at 0.1 Hz and decreasing T 23 relaxation time from 349.10 to 296.89 ms, 241.07-186.89 ms by 0-0.5 M NaCl/KCl, respectively. Furthermore, the rheological and relaxation time T 2 data were well associated with microscopy images that SMGHs/κ-C gels with NaCl/KCl showed a denser network with more flocculation formation and larger pore sizes with thicker network wall, especially in KCl group, which indeed supported the gel elasticity. Taken together, this study could provide theoretical and methodological basis for new functional hydrogel products with modified gel strength and microstructure by understanding the complex coacervation in gel system., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)