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Acquired lymphedema is a common and often severe complication of breast cancer surgery and radiology that seriously affects patients' quality of life. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis for acquired lymphedema is complex and remains unclear. The aim of this study is to find out possible genetic markers and potential drugs for acquired lymphedema.First, the GSE4333 datasets, which include expression data for six female humanized hairless immunocompetent SKH-1 mice (the condition of whom mimics acquired lymphedema), were reanalyzed. According to the criteria of a fold change (FC) ≥1.4 and an adjusted P value0.05, we identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between a normal group and the lymphedema group. Next, we analyzed the Gene Ontology (GO) terms and enriched signaling pathways associated with these DEGs with an online tool DAVID. We also constructed protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and selected meaningful gene modules for additional gene-drug interaction research. Finally, the extant drugs targeting these module genes were identified for further study of their therapeutic effects against acquired lymphedema.A total of 481 DEGs were identified that were closely associated with the immune system, inflammatory response, and extracellular matrix (ECM) structural constituent terms, among others. Moreover, we identified the top 10 significant genes in the PPI networks and identified one extant drug, fiboflapon, that targets theWe ultimately identified 10 hub genes, molecular mechanisms, and one extant drug related to acquired lymphedema. The findings identified targets and a potential drug for further research on acquired lymphedema.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) occurs frequently after stroke, but lacks effective treatments. Previous studies have revealed that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has a beneficial effect on PSCI and is often used with other cognitive training methods to improve its effect. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different combinations of rTMS and cognitive training (rTMS-COG) on PSCI and identify the optimal combination protocol. A cerebral infarction rat model was established by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). The Morris water maze test was conducted to assess the cognitive function of rats. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were employed to study the underlying mechanisms. rTMS, COG and rTMS-COG all had beneficial effects on PSCI, while cognitive training immediately after rTMS (rTMS-COG0h) achieved a better effect than cognitive training 1 h and 4 h after rTMS, rTMS and COG. We identified 179 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 24 upregulated and 155 downregulated genes, between the rTMS-COG0h and rTMS groups. GO analysis revealed that the major categories associated with the DEGs were antigen procession and presentation, regulation of protein phosphorylation and axoneme assembly. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in processes related to phagosome, circadian entrainment, dopaminergic synapse, apelin signaling pathway, long-term depression, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, axon guidance and glucagon signaling pathway. PPI analysis identified Calb2, Rsph1, Ccdc114, Acta2, Ttll9, Dnah1, Dlx2, Dlx1, Ccdc40 and Ccdc113 as related genes. These findings prompt exploration of the potential mechanisms and key genes involved in the effect of rTMS-COG0h on PSCI.

Current treatments for severe chronic neurogenic dysphagia (SCND) are limited. Modified pharyngeal electrical stimulation (mPES) was modified from pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES). This prospective study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of mPES on SCND. 30 patients with severe chronic neurogenic dysphagia were recruited. mPES was administered to patients once daily until the functional oral intake scale score (FOIS) reach 3. Videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS), flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), and high-resolution manometry (HRM) were utilized for evaluating the swallowing function. After mPES, 24 of 30 patients (80%) reached the endpoint (FOIS = 3) (P 0.001). 3 of 6 tracheotomized patients (50%) removed the tracheal tube. The median number of mPES sessions for the 24 patients who met the criteria was 28 (17, 38) and the median period was 43 (29, 63) days. Moreover, a significant increase was observed in hypopharyngeal peak pressure (P = 0.015), hypopharyngeal contraction duration (P = 0.023), velopharyngeal peak pressure (P = 0.044), and velopharyngeal contraction duration (P = 0.031). A reduction was observed in PAS (P 0.001), secretion (P = 0.001), vallecular residue (P 0.001), left (P = 0.001), and right (P 0.001) pyriform sinus residue. The median FOIS of 30 patients at 3-month follow-up was 5 (3, 6). No serious side effects were reported. mPES is a promising effective and safe therapeutic approach that is simple to use in patients with SCND.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) often occurs during the stroke recovery period and greatly increases the difficulty of rehabilitation. Activation of neuroinflammation and long-term changes in gene expression patterns in the hippocampus could be essential in the development of PSCI. Therefore, this study aimed to identify neuroinflammation and changes in gene expression patterns in the hippocampus in rats with PSCI. Rats underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) or sham surgery. The infarct volume was measured on day 3 after surgery. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to assess cognitive function. Microglial activation and white matter (WM) lesions in the hippocampus were evaluated on day 28 after surgery. In addition, we compared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus between tMCAO group rats and sham group rats by RNA sequencing. Then, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were conducted to investigate these DEGs. The results showed that the tMCAO group rats showed extensive infarction and cognitive dysfunction compared with the sham group rats. Microglial activation and WM damage were obvious in the hippocampus of tMCAO group rats. We found 43 DEGs by RNA sequencing: 29 genes with upregulated expression and 14 genes with downregulated expression. The GO analysis indicated that DEGs were mainly involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, cholesterol synthesis, and metabolism. The KEGG pathway analysis suggested that the DEGs were significantly enriched in intestinal immune network for IgA production and steroid biosynthesis. Acta2, Calb2, and Cxcl12 were notable in the PPI analysis. Our results suggest that microglial activation and WM damage are maintained in rats with PSCI. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of steroid biosynthesis, intestinal immunity, and potential key genes such as Acta2, Calb2, and Cxcl12 in the hippocampus.

Based on the Chinese Children Genetic Kidney Disease Database (CCGKDD), we established a pediatric Gitelman syndrome (GS) cohort to explore the phenotype and genotype characteristics. Thirty-two patients with SLC12A3 gene variants were collected. Five cases (16%) were homozygous, 16 (50%) were compound heterozygous, 10 (31%) carried only a single variant, and the other one harbored two de novo variants beyond classification. p.(T60M) was found in eight patients. The average diagnosis age was 7.79 ± 3.54 years. A total of 31% of the patients were asymptomatic. Muscle weakness was the most common symptom, accounting for 50%. Earlier age of onset (4.06 ± 1.17 yr vs. 8.10 ± 3.46 yr vs. 8.61 ± 3.56 yr, p< 0.05) and lower urinary calcium-creatinine ratio (p = 0.024) were found in the homozygous group than those in the heterozygous and compound heterozygous group. Patients with p.(T60M) variant had an earlier age of onset (4.01 ± 2.83 yr vs. 6.92 ± 3.07 yr, p = 0.025) and lower urinary calcium-creatinine ratio (p = 0.056). Thus, more than 30% of GS children have no clinical symptoms. Homozygous variant and the p.(T60M) variant may be associated with earlier onset and lower urinary calcium excretion in Chinese pediatric GS.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is one of the most severe sequelae of stroke and lacks effective treatment. Previous studies have shown that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may be a promising PSCI therapeutic approach, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. To uncover the effect of rTMS on PSCI, a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model was established. Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) test and Morris Water Maze (MWM) test were performed to assess the neurological and cognitive function of rats. Furthermore, to explore the underlying mechanism, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus of rats in the rTMS group and tMCAO group were compared using RNA sequencing. Then, bioinformatics analysis, including gene ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, was conducted to elaborate these DEGs. Our results indicated that high-frequency rTMS could significantly improve neurological and cognitive function, according to mNSS and MWM tests. We found 85 DEGs, including 71 upregulated genes and 14 downregulated genes, between the rTMS group and tMCAO group. The major functional category was related to chemical synaptic transmission modulation and several DEGs were significantly upregulated in processes related to synaptic plasticity, such as glutamatergic synapses. Calb2, Zic1, Kcnk9, and Grin3a were notable in PPI analysis. These results demonstrate that rTMS has a beneficial effect on PSCI, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of synaptic plasticity and functional genes such as Calb2, Zic1, Kcnk9, and Grin3a in the hippocampus.

To improve the efficacy of music therapy on tinnitus relief, specific music that was not repetitively played and satisfies individualized preference was developed. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of combination of the specific music and educational counseling on tinnitus relief in short term. Sixty patients suffering from chronic tinnitus were included. The non-randomized controlled study was designed with two intervention groups: educational counseling (EC, which included a 1-h individualized instruction) and preferred music therapy [PMT, which included EC plus 15, 30-min preferred music sessions (PMS)]. Three assessments—the Chinese-Mandarin version of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI-CM), Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were administered before and 1, 2, 3 weeks after initiation of treatment to evaluate the efficacy. Twenty-six patients in PMT group attained a clinically meaningful improvement in THI compared to 15 in the EC group, though both groups achieved a statistically relevant reduction in the 3 assessments. The PMT had a positive impact on chronic tinnitus and related distress in a short term. It outperformed the separate EC, which is an appropriate treatment option in clinic. Therefore, it presents a possible complement to the therapeutic spectrum in chronic tinnitus. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900022624. Registered on 19 April 2019.

Background and aims Circulating monocytes have been proven to be critical mediators in the propagation and progression of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. The present study was designed to characterise a new transmembrane protein—NFAT activating protein with ITAM motif 1 (NFAM1)—on monocytes and uncover the potential effects and underlying mechanisms in coronary artery disease. Methods Monocytes from a population of four controls, five stable coronary artery disease patients and five acute coronary syndrome patients were isolated for RNA sequencing. A potential monocyte biomarker molecule was discovered and then validated with a cohort of 79 controls, 70 stable coronary artery disease patients and 183 acute coronary syndrome patients. A stable cell line was generated as an in vitro model to determine chemotaxis migration and chemokine receptor expression. Results NFAM1 was identified through RNA sequencing analysis. The validation results confirmed that NFAM1 expression on monocytes was significantly increased by coronary artery disease status. A higher expression level of NFAM1 on classical and intermediate monocytes was observed compared with that on nonclassical monocytes. As shown in the in vitro cell model, knockdown of NFAM1 significantly attenuated chemotactic migration of monocytes by downregulating chemokine receptor expression and the p38 MAPK signalling pathway. Multivariable regression analysis of a group of 16 individuals suggested that NFAM1 was positively correlated with CCR2 expression. Conclusions The present study reported for the first time that distinctive alterations of NFAM1 expression on monocytes may correlate with atherosclerosis pathobiology and serve as a potential monocyte biomarker and therapeutic target for coronary artery disease.

Alcohol, total sugar, total acid, and total phenol contents are the main indicators of wine quality detection. This study aims to establish simultaneous analysis models for the four indicators through near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with wavelength optimization. A Norris derivative filter (NDF) platform with multiparameter optimization was established for spectral pretreatment. The optimal parameters (i.e., derivative order, number of smoothing points, and number of differential gaps) were (2, 9, 3) for alcohol, (1, 19, 5) for total sugar, (1, 17, 11) for total acid, and (1, 1, 1) for total phenol. The equidistant combination-partial least squares (EC-PLS) was used for large-scale wavelength screening. The wavelength step-by-step phase-out PLS (WSP-PLS) and exhaustive methods were used for secondary optimization. The final optimization models for the four indicators included 7, 10, 15, and 13 wavelengths located in the overtone or combination regions, respectively. In an independent validation, the root mean square errors, correlation coefficient for prediction (i.e., SEP and R(P)), and ratio of performance-to-deviation (RPD) were 0.41 v/v, 0.947, and 3.2 for alcohol; 1.48 g/L, 0.992, and 6.8 for total sugar; 0.68 g/L, 0.981, and 5.1 for total acid; and 0.181 g/L, 0.948, and 2.9 for total phenol. The results indicate high correlation, low error, and good overall prediction performance. Consequently, the established reagent-free NIR analytical models are important in the rapid and real-time quality detection of the wine fermentation process and finished products. The proposed wavelength models provide a valuable reference for designing small dedicated instruments. [Image: see text]

Tinnitus is a perception of sound when no external sound is present. It has seriously affected patients’ life. Music is an option to relieve tinnitus in clinic, as it can bring enjoyment to listeners. However, existing music used in tinnitus therapies has limited duration, it is usually repetitively played during the long-term treatment and may not be helpful for relaxation. Moreover, individualized preferences of patients are ignored in most cases. Both of them may hinder tinnitus relief. Although existing methods can synthesize specific music that has unlimited duration and is not repetitively played, the synthesized music has defects with pitch mutations and long pitch durations. Moreover, characteristics of these synthesized music have not been confirmed by tinnitus patients. Therefore, this study presents an automatic method to develop the specific music based on music segments from existing music and long short term memory (LSTM). Numerical results indicate that specific music developed in this study not only retains characteristics of original music, but also overcome the defects above. Besides, a total of 30 tinnitus patients and 10 tinnitus-free volunteers participated the auditory experiment. Auditory results are consistent with numerical results and also suggest that tinnitus patients can perceive feelings that are conducive to tinnitus relief after listening preferred music. Therefore, the developed music presents a possible complement to tinnitus treatment in clinic.

High-end wine brand is made through the use of high-quality grape variety and yeast strain, and through a unique process. Not only is it rich in nutrients, but also it has a unique taste and a fragrant scent. Brand identification of wine is difficult and complex because of high similarity. In this paper, visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to explore the feasibility of wine brand identification. Chilean Aoyo wine (2016 vintage) was selected as the identification brand (negative, 100 samples), and various other brands of wine were used as interference brands (positive, 373 samples). Samples of each type were randomly divided into the calibration, prediction and validation sets. For comparison, the PLS-DA models were established in three independent and two complex wavebands of visible (400 - 780 nm), short-NIR (780 - 1100 nm), long-NIR (1100 - 2498 nm), whole NIR (780 - 2498 nm) and whole scanning (400 - 2498 nm). In independent validation, the five models all achieved good discriminant effects. Among them, the visible region model achieved the best effect. The recognition-accuracy rates in validation of negative, positive and total samples achieved 100%, 95.6% and 97.5%, respectively. The results indicated the feasibility of wine brand identification with Vis-NIR spectroscopy.

Metabolic inflammation is a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of obesity and promotes related complications. Accumulating evidence has indicated that regulating intestinal integrity and the gut microbiota may be new treatment strategies for metabolic inflammation and obesity. Cordycepin has been reported to improve obesity, but the mechanism is not yet clear. Here, we showed that cordycepin considerably alleviated systemic inflammation while reducing body weight gain and metabolic disorders in Western diet (WD)-fed mice. Further investigations showed that cordycepin significantly ameliorated WD-induced damage to the intestinal barrier and decreased the leakage of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the blood in mice by suppressing intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress damage, and decreasing intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and pyroptosis. In addition, by using metagenomic sequencing, we found that cordycepin could also regulate the homeostasis of intestinal flora, including selectively increasing the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and reducing the production of fecal LPS. Besides, we demonstrated that the intestinal flora partially mediated the beneficial effects of cordycepin on improving intestinal barrier function, and obesity-related symptoms in WD-fed mice by a fecal microbiota transplantation experiment. Hence, our findings provided new insights into the role of cordycepin in improving metabolic inflammation and obesity from the perspective of regulating the intestinal barrier function and intestinal flora, and further provided data support for the utility of cordycepin in the treatment of obesity and its complications.

Poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) occurs frequently after stroke, but effective treatments are lacking. Previous studies have revealed that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) has a beneficial effect on PSCI, but the mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of 10 and 20 Hz HF-rTMS on PSCI and the possible mechanisms. An ischemic stroke rat model was established by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). The modified neurological deficit score (mNSS) and Morris water maze tests were conducted to assess neurological function and cognitive function. Luxol Fast Blue (LFB) staining was performed to evaluate white matter damage. Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Immunofluorescence was used to assess microglial activation and polarization. Western blotting was performed to measure JAK2-STAT3 pathway-related protein expression. We found that HF-rTMS decreased the neurological deficit score. Compared with 10 Hz HF-rTMS, 20 Hz HF-rTMS more markedly improved the cognitive function of tMCAO rats at day 28 after operation. Furthermore, 20 Hz HF-rTMS attenuates white matter lesion, decreased proinflammatory cytokine levels, and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. It also decreased the number of CD68- and CD16/32-positive microglia and increased the number of CD206-positive microglia. In addition, p-JAK2, JAK2, p-STAT3 and STAT3 expression was increased. These findings suggest that HF-rTMS improves cognitive function and attenuates white matter lesion in tMCAO rats by shifting microglia toward the M2 phenotype. Mechanisms may be related to regulation JAK2-STAT3 pathways.

The identification of soy sauce brands can avoid adulteration and fraud, which is meaningful for food safety screening. Using visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy combined with k-nearest neighbor (kNN), the four-category discriminant models of soy sauce brands were established. The soy sauce of three brands (identification) and the other ten brands (interference) were collected, and a total of four categories of samples were obtained. The spectral datasets of two measurement modals (1 mm, 10 mm) were obtained. Based on moving-window (MW) waveband screening and wavelength step-by-step phase-out (WSP), the MW-WSP-kNN algorithm was proposed and applied to the wavelength optimization for the four-category discriminant analysis. Using calibration-prediction-validation experiment design, various high accuracy models with a small number of wavelengths located in NIR region were determined. In the independent validation, for the 1 mm measurement modal, the selected thirty-five dual-wavelength models and one three-wavelength model were located in NIR combined and overtone frequency regions respectively, all achieved 100% total recognition accuracy rate (RAR

Multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) is an overall linear correction method for near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The overall correction of MSC is unreasonable for wide spectral wavebands and poor local correlation. Piecewise MSC (PMSC) is a piecewise linear correction method that achieves a significantly better prediction than MSC. However, the PMSC method still cannot achieve global optimal due to the complexity of its algorithm. The window optimisation method for PMSC on the basis of PLS regression was proposed in this study. A 2D traversal algorithm platform for correction parameters p and q was developed. The 2D hotspot distribution of three-level RMSEPM for parameters p and q was used for parameter adaptability analysis. NIR spectroscopy analyses of rice seed purity and soil organic matter were performed for verification. Results show that the optimal models of window optimisation PMSC–PLS of rice seed purity and soil organic matter were significantly better than traditional MSC-PLS models; the predicted errors (RMSEPV) decreased by 20% and 10%, respectively. In addition, moving-window correlation coefficient spectra were proposed to describe the local correlation between spectra. Excessive, insufficient and moderate spectral corrections were revealed. The discovery achieved in this work provides valuable strategies for the parameter selection and method applicability of NIR analysis of complex objects. The conducted experiments are the first to demonstrate the feasibility of using quick and reagent-free NIR spectroscopy in the analysis of the purity of multi-grain rice seeds.

Regarding absorption spectrum, high absorption corresponds to low light transmittance and relatively loud noise, whereas low absorption corresponds to low information content, which interferes with the modeling of spectral analysis. Appropriate absorbance level is necessary to improve spectral information content and reduces noise level. In this study, based on the selection of the upper and lower bounds of absorbance, the absorbance value optimization partial least squares (AVO-PLS) method was proposed for appropriate wavelength model selection. Near-infrared spectroscopic analysis of hyperlipidemia indicators, namely, total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG), was conducted to validate the predicted performance of AVO-PLS. Well-performed wavelength selection methods, namely, moving-window PLS (MW-PLS) of continuous type-and successive projections algorithm (SPA) of discrete type, were also conducted for comparison. The spectra were first corrected using Savitzky–Golay smoothing. Modeling was performed based on the multiple partitioning of calibration and prediction sets to avoid data over-fitting and achieve parameter stability. The selected absorbance ranged from 0.45 to 0.86 for TC and from 0.45 to 0.92 for TG, and the corresponding waveband combinations were 1,376–1,388 and 1,560–1840 nm for TC and 1,376–1,390 and 1,552–1,846 nm for TG. Among them, the waveband combination of TG covers TC’s one, and can be used for the high-precision cooperativity analysis of the two indicators. Using the independent validation samples, the RMSEP and RP of 0.164 mmol l−1 and 0.990 for TC and 0.096 mmol l−1 and 0.997 for TG were obtained by the cooperativity model. And the sensitivity and specificity for hyperlipidemia were 98.0 and 100%, respectively. These values were better than those of MW-PLS and SPA. Importantly, the proposed AVO-PLS is a novel multi-band optimization approach for improving prediction performance and applicability. This method is expected to obtain more applications.

Running wheel exercise training (RWE) and skilled reaching training (SRT) are physical training approaches with positive effects on cognitive function. However, few studies have compared the different effects of these exercises on long-term memory, and their mechanism remains unknown. This study investigated the effects of SRT and RWE, at the recovery stage, on the cognitive function of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rats and explored their association with NgR1/Rho-A/ROCK/LOTUS/LGI1 signaling. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 55) were divided into four groups after pretraining: SRT, RWE, tMCAO, and Sham. Rats were subjected to modified neurological severity score (mNSS) measurements and forelimb grip strength and the Morris water maze tests. Using immunofluorescence and western blotting, we evaluated axonal growth inhibitor expression in the peri-infarct cortex on days 28 and 56 after tMCAO. Results showed the mNSS reduced, whereas the grip strengths improved in RWE and SRT groups. The escape latency in the Morris water maze test was shorter, whereas the number of times of crossing the platform was higher in both the SRT and RWE groups than in the tMCAO group on day 56; furthermore, the parameters in the SRT group improved compared to those in the RWE group. Physical exercise training could improve cognitive functions by reducing the expression of the NgR1/RhoA/ROCK axon growth inhibitors and increasing the expression of the endogenous antagonists LOTUS/LGI1. Exercise training beginning at the recovery stage could improve the cognitive function in tMCAO rats through a mechanism probably associated with the axonal growth inhibitor pathway.

We investigated the effects of a carbohydrate-whey protein solution on aged patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.Forty patients were randomly assigned to the carbohydrate-whey protein (CHP) group or the control group (CTL). In the CHP group, a mixed solution of CHP was orally administered to patients before surgery: 400 mL was administered on the day before surgery, and 200 mL was administered 3 h before surgery. The size of the liquid dark area in the gastric antrum was measured by ultrasound, and the bleeding volume during surgery was assayed. The incidence of nausea, vomiting, thirst, hunger, and days of hospitalization and the levels of blood glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum albumin were assessed.There was no obvious liquid dark space in the gastric antrum. CHP administration improved postoperative thirst and hunger and resulted in increased albumin levels and decreased CRP concentrations and blood glucose fluctuations.Oral CHP before hip fracture surgery reduces the incidence of postoperative thirst and hunger and improves recovery in the aged.

Additional file 2: Figure S1. Quality of raw sequencing data within samples of the three groups. a Unique mapping rate of the samples. Each boxplot represents all the samples of each group. b Unique mapping reads numbers for the groups. Each boxplot represents all the samples of each group.c Differentially regulated 5hmC genes detected in cfDNA from the three groups. dMetagene profiles of cell free 5hmC in CAD and NCA samples. e Out-of-bag (OOB) error rates in CAD and NCA groups by different trees Random-Forest built. f Scatterplot showing the MDG and the significance of two-tailed t-tests for the top 30 potential markers in the CAD and NCA groups. Red dots refer to significant differential genes.

Background The 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) DNA modification is an epigenetic marker involved in a range of biological processes. Its function has been studied extensively in tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, and atherosclerosis. Studies have reported that 5hmC modification is closely related to the phenotype transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial dysfunction. However, its role in coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been fully studied. Results To investigate whether 5hmC modification correlates with CAD pathogenesis and whether 5hmC can be used as a biomarker, we used a low-input whole-genome sequencing technology based on selective chemical capture (hmC-Seal) to firstly generate the 5hmC profiles in the circulating cell-free DNA(cfDNA) of CAD patients, including stable coronary artery disease (sCAD) patients and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. We detected a significant difference of 5hmC enrichment in gene bodies from CAD patients compared with normal coronary artery (NCA) individuals. Our results showed that CAD patients can be well separated from NCA individuals by 5hmC markers. The prediction performance of the model established by differentially regulated 5hmc modified genes were superior to common clinical indicators for the diagnosis of CAD (AUC = 0.93) and sCAD (AUC = 0.93). Specially, we found that 5hmC markers in cfDNA showed prediction potential for AMI (AUC = 0.95), which was superior to that of cardiac troponin I, muscle/brain creatine kinase, and myoglobin. Conclusions Our results suggest that 5hmC markers derived from cfDNA can serve as effective epigenetic biomarkers for minimally noninvasive diagnosis and prediction of CAD.

A wavelength selection method for discrete wavelength combinations was developed based on equidistant combination-partial least squares (EC-PLS) and applied to a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) in human peripheral blood samples. An allowable model set was established through EC-PLS on the basis of the sequence of the predicted error values. Then, the wavelengths that appeared in the allowable models were sorted, combined, and utilized for modeling, and the optimal number of wavelengths in the combinations was determined. The ideal discrete combination models were obtained by traversing the number of allowable models. The obtained optimal EC-PLS and discrete wavelength models contained 71 and 42 wavelengths, respectively. A simple and high-performance discrete model with 35 wavelengths was also established. The validation samples excluded from modeling were used to validate the three models. The root-mean-square errors for the NIR-predicted and clinically measured Hb values were 3.29, 2.86, and 2.90 g·L–1, respectively; the correlation coefficients, relative RMSEP, and ratios of performance to deviation were 0.980, 0.983, and 0.981; 2.7%, 2.3%, and 2.4%; and 4.6, 5.3, and 5.2, respectively. The three models achieved high prediction accuracy. Among them, the optimal discrete combination model performed the best and was the most effective in enhancing prediction performance and removing redundant wavelengths. The proposed optimization method for discrete wavelength combinations is applicable to NIR spectroscopic analyses of complex samples and can improve prediction performance. The proposed wavelength models can be utilized to design dedicated spectrometers for Hb and can provide a valuable reference for non-invasive Hb detection.

Endothelial dysfunction is caused by many factors, such as dyslipidemia, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and inflammation. It has been demonstrated that endothelial dysfunction is the initial process of atherosclerosis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an important metabolic switch that plays a crucial role in lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, recent evidence indicates that AMPK could be a target for atherosclerosis by improving endothelial function. For instance, activation of AMPK inhibits the production of reactive oxygen species induced by mitochondrial dysfunction, ER stress, and NADPH oxidase. Moreover, activation of AMPK inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory factors induced by dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia and restrains production of perivascular adipose tissue-released adipokines. AMPK activation prevents endothelial dysfunction by increasing the bioavailability of nitric oxide. Therefore, we focused on the primary risk factors involved in endothelial dysfunction, and summarize the features of AMPK in the protection of endothelial function, by providing signaling pathways thought to be important in the pathological progress of risk factors.

Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) with integrated moving-window (MW) waveband screening was applied to the discriminant analysis of liquor brands with near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Luzhou Laojiao, a popular liquor with strong fragrant flavor, was used as the identified liquor brand (160 samples, negative, 52 vol alcoholicity). Liquors of 10 other brands with strong fragrant flavor were used as the interferential brands (200 samples, positive, 52 vol alcoholicity). The Kennard-Stone algorithm was used for the division of modeling samples to achieve uniformity and representativeness. Based on the MW-PLS-DA, a simplified optimal model set with 157 wavebands was further proposed. This set contained five types of wavebands corresponding to the NIR absorption bands of water, ethanol, and other micronutrients (i.e., acids, aldehydes, phenols, and aromatic compounds) in liquor for practical choice. Using five selected simple models with 4775 - 4239, 7804 - 6569, 6264 - 5844, 9435 - 7896, and 12066 - 10373 cm-1, the validation recognition rates were obtained as 99.3% or higher. Results show good prediction performance and low model complexity, and also provided a valuable reference for designing small dedicated instruments. The proposed method is a promising tool for large-scale inspection of liquor food safety.

For the rapid measurement of an analyte in complex samples using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, appropriate wavelength selection is an important and albeit difficult aspect, which is essential for improving prediction performance. Based on equidistant combination partial least squares (EC-PLS), an equivalence model set was proposed. A wavelength selection method, called repetition rate priority combination PLS (RRPC-PLS), was further proposed and applied for NIR analysis of human serum albumin. The competitive adaptive reweighted sampling combined PLS (CARS-PLS) and EC-PLS, which are well-performed wavelength selection methods, were also conducted for comparison. Based on the various divisions of calibration and prediction sets, the modeling was performed to achieve parameter stability. The posterior sample group excluded in modeling was used to validate and achieve an objective evaluation. Using CARS-PLS, EC-PLS and RRPC-PLS methods, the selected optimal models included 32, 36 and 24 wavelengths, respectively. A simpler and high performance model with 15 wavelengths was also selected with RRPC-PLS method. The root-mean-square errors and correlation coefficients for validation were 0.505 g L −1 and 0.997 for the optimal RRPC-PLS model and 0.530 g L −1 and 0.997 for the RRPC-PLS model ( N =15), respectively. The validation effects were superior to the previous two methods in two aspects of prediction performance and model complexity. The prediction values were close to the measured values with high precision. The results showed that RRPC-PLS is the good improvement on EC-PLS, which can be more effective to enhance the prediction performance and remove the redundant wavelengths.

We applied near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with chemometrics for the rapid and reagent-free analysis of serum urea nitrogen (SUN). The modeling is based on the average effect of multiple sample partitions to achieve parameter selection with stability. A multiparameter optimization platform with Norris derivative filter–partial least squares (Norris-PLS) was developed to select the most suitable mode [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]. Using equidistant combination PLS (EC-PLS) with four parameters (initial wavelength [Formula: see text], number of wavelengths [Formula: see text], number of wavelength gaps [Formula: see text] and latent variables LV), we performed wavelength screening after eliminating high-absorption wavebands. The optimal EC-PLS parameters were [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]nm, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The root-mean-square error (SEP), correlation coefficient [Formula: see text] for prediction and ratio of performance-to-deviation (RPD) for validation were 1.03[Formula: see text]mmol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text], 0.992 and 7.6, respectively. We proposed the wavelength step-by-step phase-out PLS (WSP-PLS) to remove redundant wavelengths in the top 100 EC-PLS models with improved prediction performance. The combination of 19 wavelengths was identified as the optimal model for SUN. The SEP, [Formula: see text] and RPD in validation were 1.01[Formula: see text]mmol[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text], 0.992 and 7.7, respectively. The prediction effect and wavelength complexity were better than those of EC-PLS. Our results showed that NIR spectroscopy combined with the EC-PLS and WSP-PLS methods enabled the high-precision analysis of SUN. WSP-PLS is a secondary optimization method that can further optimize any wavelength model obtained through other continuous or discrete strategies to establish a simple and better model.