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The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is a major agriculture pest of stored grain, cereal products and peanuts for human consumption. It is reported that heat shock protein 18.3 of T. castaneum (Tchsp18.3) plays a significant role in stress resistance, development and reproduction. However, the regulatory systems of Tchsp18.3 remain unknown. Therefore, we compared the global transcriptome profiles of RNA interference (RNAi)-treated larvae (ds-Tchsp18.3) and control larvae of T. castaneum using RNA sequencing. Overall, we obtained 14 154 435 sequence reads aligned with 13 299 genes. Additionally, 569 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the ds-Tchsp18.3 and control groups, of which 246 DEGs were annotated in the 47 Gene Ontology (GO) functional groups and 282 DEGs were assigned to 147 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) biological signaling pathways. The DEGs encoding viperin, dorsal, Hdd11, PGRP2, defensin1 and defensin2 were simultaneously related to immunity and stress responses, which suggests that cross-talk might exist between the immunity and stress responses of T. castaneum. The knockdown of Tchsp18.3 gene expression suppressed the antioxidant activity process, which most likely modulated the effects of Tchsp18.3 on development and reproduction. Furthermore, the DEGs, including Blimp-1, Gld, Drm, Kinesin-14, Pthr2, Delta(11)-like and EGF-like domain protein 2, were also associated with the development and reproduction of ds-Tchsp18.3 insects. Additionally, knockdown of Tchsp18.3 amplified the serine protease (SP) signaling pathway to further regulate stress responses and innate immunity as well as development and reproduction of the red flour beetles. These results provide valuable insight into the molecular regulatory mechanism of Tchsp18.3 involved in insect physiology and further facilitate the research of suitable and sustainable management for pest control.

Exosomes are a kind of extracellular vesicles that play the role of transmitting information among cells. Through transporting of substances to regulate the physiological and pathological functions of various cells, it can affect the progress of malignant tumors. Natural killer (NK) cell is an indispensable part of the human immune system, and is important in the development of cancers. In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-derived exosomes (TDEXs) can act on NK cells, adjusting their functions, and modifying the interaction between NK cells and other immune cells, resulting in the change of the immune response. In recent years, the research on the relationship between NK cells and tumor exosomes has become a hot topic. The effects of TDEXs from different cancers on the activities of NK cells are summarized in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes and insulin resistance alter the physiological state of serum albumin (SA), which is a prognostic marker for stable coronary artery disease (CAD). However, whether the SA concentration is associated with long-term cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in diabetic patients with stable CAD remains unclear., Methods: In total, 1148 patients were retrospectively identified from a nationwide multicenter cohort study on patients with stable CAD. They were categorized into four groups according to their diabetes mellitus (DM) status and SA concentration (cutoff: 4 g/dL)., Results: The patients' mean age was 62.5 years, and 83.5% were male. Of the total patients, 405 were included in group 1 (SA ≥4/non-DM), 322 in group 2 (SA <4/non-DM), 201 in group 3 (SA ≥4/DM), and 220 in group 4 (SA <4/DM). Group 4 had the oldest age and a higher prevalence of prior myocardial infarction and stroke. During the median 4.5-year follow-up (interquartile range: 1.5-6.7 years), the highest and lowest survival rates in terms of all-cause and CV mortality were found in groups 1 and 4, respectively. However, no prognostic differences were noted in nonfatal stroke and myocardial infarction among the groups. The data were consistent after covariate adjustment. Using group 1 as the reference, hazard ratio (HRs) (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality in groups 2, 3, and 4 were 3.64 (1.22-10.83), 3.26 (0.95-11.33), and 5.74 (1.92-16.95), respectively, and those for CV mortality were 2.8 (0.57-13.67), 2.62 (0.40-17.28), and 6.15 (1.32-28.58), respectively., Conclusion: In diabetic patients with stable CAD, a low SA concentration (<4 g/dL) was associated with increased long-term mortality regardless of all-cause or CV reasons but not nonfatal CV events., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: Dr. Wei-Hsian Yin, an editorial board member at Journal of the Chinese Medical Association , had no role in the peer review process of or decision to publish this article. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article., (Copyright © 2024, the Chinese Medical Association.)

Objective: To conduct a systemic review for guidance regarding the application of templates in mandibular reconstruction with vascularised iliac flaps., Methods: By searching PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library and collecting relevant literature, information about the types and accuracy of templates was extracted. Data relating to surgical time were also included for further analysis., Results: Eight studies were included. The data analysis showed that the accuracy of operations with templates was higher than that of conventional surgery. The mean deviation was between 0.70 and 3.72 mm. The operational time was shortened to 314.4 minutes and the graft ischemic time was reduced to 15.6 to 26.8 minutes. Application of functional or specifically designed templates can improve the accuracy and shorten surgical time., Conclusion: Templates can increase the accuracy and efficiency of mandibular reconstruction with vascularised iliac flaps, which will benefit patients' prognosis and subsequent functional restoration. Further studies should be conducted into application of templates to improve the accuracy of reconstructions.

Background: Sorafenib is the only FDA-approved systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In clinical practice, dose reductions are often required, although there are limited efficacy data related to dose modifications. Given the prevalence of HCC in South Texas, we assessed the efficacy and safety of sorafenib therapy in relation to dose and Child Pugh (CP) score., Methods: A retrospective analysis was done of advanced HCC patients, starting sorafenib at 400 mg twice daily, or at physician discretion at 400 mg daily, with the goal of titrating to twice daily. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed., Results: Among 107 patients, median OS (mOS) was 10.2 months; median PFS (mPFS) was 5.2 months. mOS for sorafenib 400 mg/day was 6.6 vs. 800 mg/day was 12.8 months [hazard ratio (HR), 0.59; P=0.04]; mPFS was 3.5 vs. 5.9 months, respectively (HR, 0.66; P=0.07). For Child Pugh A class (CP-A) patients, mOS was 15.8 months for 400 mg/day vs. 12.8 months for 800 mg/day (HR, 1.48; P=0.35); mPFS was 9.0 vs. 5.9 months, respectively (HR, 1.23; P=0.56). For Child Pugh B class (CP-B) patients, mOS was 5.0 months for 400 mg/day vs. 11.2 months for 800 mg/day (HR, 0.33; P=0.002); mPFS was 2.1 vs. 5.6 months, respectively (HR, 0.41; P=0.006). No differences in adverse events (AEs) were observed in CP-A vs. CP-B., Conclusions: Patients with CP-A or CP-B advanced HCC should be offered sorafenib at 400 mg twice daily with optimal management of AEs in order to improve survival.