Search

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common complication of prematurity involving both pre- and post-natal factors. A large, prospective, longitudinal cohort study was conducted to determine whether inflammation-related factors are associated with an increased risk of BPD in preterm infants who were born at a gestational age < 32 weeks, < 72 h after birth and respiratory score > 4. The study included infants from 25 participating hospitals in China between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022. The primary outcomes were BPD and severity of BPD at 36 weeks post-menstrual age. A total of 1362 preterm infants were enrolled in the study. After exclusion criteria, the remaining 1088 infants were included in this analysis, of whom, 588 (54.0%) infants were in the BPD group and 500 (46.0%) were in the non-BPD group. In the BPD III model, the following six factors were identified: birth weight (OR 0.175, 95% CI 0.060–0.512; p = 0.001), surfactant treatment (OR 8.052, 95% CI 2.658–24.399; p < 0.001), mean airway pressure (MAP) ≥ 12 cm H2O (OR 3.338, 95% CI 1.656–6.728; p = 0.001), late-onset sepsis (LOS) (OR 2.911, 95% CI 1.514–5.599; p = 0.001), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (OR 18.236, 95% CI 4.700–70.756; p < 0.001) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (OR 2.725, 95% CI 1.182–6.281; p = 0.019). Premature infants remained at high risk of BPD and with regional variation. We found that post-natal inflammation-related risk factors were associated with an increased risk of severe BPD, including LOS, VAP, NEC, MAP ≥ 12 cm H2O and use of surfactant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common complication of prematurity involving both pre- and post-natal factors. A large, prospective, longitudinal cohort study was conducted to determine whether inflammation-related factors are associated with an increased risk of BPD in preterm infants who were born at a gestational age < 32 weeks, < 72 h after birth and respiratory score > 4. The study included infants from 25 participating hospitals in China between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2022. The primary outcomes were BPD and severity of BPD at 36 weeks post-menstrual age. A total of 1362 preterm infants were enrolled in the study. After exclusion criteria, the remaining 1088 infants were included in this analysis, of whom, 588 (54.0%) infants were in the BPD group and 500 (46.0%) were in the non-BPD group. In the BPD III model, the following six factors were identified: birth weight (OR 0.175, 95% CI 0.060–0.512; p = 0.001), surfactant treatment (OR 8.052, 95% CI 2.658–24.399; p < 0.001), mean airway pressure (MAP) ≥ 12 cm H2O (OR 3.338, 95% CI 1.656–6.728; p = 0.001), late-onset sepsis (LOS) (OR 2.911, 95% CI 1.514–5.599; p = 0.001), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (OR 18.236, 95% CI 4.700–70.756; p < 0.001) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (OR 2.725, 95% CI 1.182–6.281; p = 0.019). Premature infants remained at high risk of BPD and with regional variation. We found that post-natal inflammation-related risk factors were associated with an increased risk of severe BPD, including LOS, VAP, NEC, MAP ≥ 12 cm H2O and use of surfactant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Perinatal Ureaplasma infection is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes and neonatal diseases. This meta-analysis is to evaluate current evidence evaluating the association between Ureaplasma and adverse pregnancy outcomes and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Methods: We searched for published articles on Ureaplasma, preterm and BPD in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases posted before August 28, 2021. In addition, the references of these articles were screened. A random/fixed-effect model was used to synthesize predefined outcomes. Results: A total of 19 cohort studies involving 11,990 pregnancy women met our inclusion criteria. Pregnancy Ureaplasma positive increased the risk of preterm birth [odds ratios (OR) 2.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.63–4.68], BPD (OR 2.39 95% CI 1.73–3.30), chorioamnionitis (OR 2.71, 95% CI 2.02–3.64) and premature rupture of membranes (PROM, OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.34–3.58). Conclusions: Pregnancy Ureaplasma positive may increase the risk of developing preterm birth, chorioamnionitis, PROM and BPD in the preterm infant. The evidence base is, however, of low quality and well-designed studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Alternative splicing of the PKM2 gene produces two isoforms, M1 and M2, which are preferentially expressed in adult and embryonic tissues, respectively. The M2 isoform is reexpressed in human cancer and has nonmetabolic functions in the nucleus as a protein kinase. Here, we report that PKM2 is acetylated by p300 acetyltransferase at K433, which is unique to PKM2 and directly contacts its allosteric activator, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). Acetylation prevents PKM2 activation by interfering with FBP binding and promotes the nuclear accumulation and protein kinase activity of PKM2. Acetylation-mimetic PKM2(K433) mutant promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. K433 acetylation is decreased by serum starvation and cell-cell contact, increased by cell cycle stimulation, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and oncoprotein E7, and enriched in breast cancers. Hence, K433 acetylation links cell proliferation and transformation to the switch of PKM2 from a cytoplasmic metabolite kinase to a nuclear protein kinase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Method of radical polymerization is used to prepare electrolytes. [•] PP14TFSI+LiTFSI+PMMA electrolytes have good electrochemical properties. [•] Conductivity of 6.8×10−4 Scm−1 and of 0.37 are achieve at room temperature. [•] XPS show passivating film comprises multilayer films: Li2O and Li2CO3 layer. [•] Model describing Li electrode/electrolyte interface are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for ββ-cell mass and function in response to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Methods. Offspring from undernourished mother rats with birth weight <−−2 SD (IUGR group) and from standard-nourished rats with birth weight between mean ±±1SD normal birth weight (NBW group) were examined. Levels of fasting glucose, serum insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were analyzed. Entire pancreas or islet-like cell clusters (ICCs) were collected to evaluate relative ββ-cell mass and determine the genetic and protein profiles of pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1), Cacna1c and Cacna1d using real-time PCR, immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting at day (d) of birth and at d21 of age. Results. Fasting serum insulin and IGF-1 concentrations were significantly lower in the IUGR group than in the NBW group at d0 and d21. The levels of Pdx1 and insulin mRNAs in IUGR pancreas were also decreased. At birth, the ratios of ββ-cell mass to body weight were not significantly different between the two groups. However, by d21 the relative ββ-cell mass in IUGR had not grown to compensate for the increase in body weight, as compared to the NBW group ( p < 0.05). The Cacna1c and Cacna1d proteins were significantly higher in the NBW group than that in the IUGR group at birth, but there were no statistical differences at d21. Conclusion. Decreased Pdx1 levels and IGF-1 concentration restrain ββ-cell mass and insulin expression in rat offspring from undernourished mothers. However, Cacna1c and Cacna1d expression were able to reach normal levels as the IUGR rats were aged, indicating that these factors were not responsible for the IUGR rat phenotype of insulin resistance and ββ-cell dysfunction in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether oxymatrine (OMT) treatment can ameliorate renal interstitial fibrosis in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice model. Moreover, the potential mechanisms of such treatment were analyzed. Twenty-four C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into three groups, namely sham group, vehicle plus unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-treated group, and 100 mg/kg/d OMT plus UUO-treated group. All mice were euthanized seven days after surgery, and their kidneys were harvested. Renal injury, fibrosis, expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and the transforming growth factor-β1/Smads (TGF-β/Smads) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-signaling pathways were assessed. The results showed OMT significantly prevented kidney injury and fibrosis, as evidenced by decreased expression of collagen-1 and fibronectin. Furthermore, OMT administration inhibited the release of inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor-α, (TNF-α) interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), as well as phosphorylated NF-κB p65. In addition, OMT blocked the activation of myofibroblasts by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad3-signaling pathway. The findings indicate that OMT-attenuated renal fibrosis and inflammation, and this renoprotective effect may be ascribed to the inactivation of the TGF-β/Smad3 and NF-κB p65 pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline cadmium selenide (CdSe) is a low bandgap material (, at room temperature) with potential applications in photoelectronic devices. Its electronic properties are dependent on the dimensions of the crystals. In this study, one-dimensional wurtzite CdSe nanoparticles with a diameter of and an aspect ratio of were synthesized through a novel reverse micelle assisted hydrothermal method at a relatively low temperature. This method combines the advantages of the hydrothermal method''s ability to achieve good crystallinity with the well-controlled growth offered by the reverse micelle method. The morphology of the nanoparticles can be controlled by the amount of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT), the amount of hydrazine hydrate and the reaction temperature. It is proposed that AOT controls the length while hydrazine hydrate controls the diameter of the growing nanocrystals. The photoluminescence (PL) of individual nanorods and the longitudinal-optical phonon properties were mapped using confocal microscopy. Raman spectroscopy showed a blue-shift of both the LO and 2LO phonon peaks which may be due to a lattice contraction of the CdSe nanorods. A nucleation and growth mechanism for these nanoparticles is also proposed based on time-dependent studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding TET DNA dioxygenase occur frequently in hematopoietic malignancy, but rarely in solid tumors which instead commonly have reduced activity. The impact of decreased TET activity in solid tumors is not known. Here we show that TET2 mediates interferon γ (IFNγ)-JAK-STAT signaling pathway to control chemokine and PD-L1 expression, lymphocyte infiltration and cancer immunity. IFNγ stimulated STAT1 to bind TET2 and recruit TET2 to hydroxymethylate chemokine and PD-L1 genes. Reduced TET activity was associated with decreased TH1-type chemokines and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the progression of human colon cancer. Deletion of Tet2 in murine melanoma and colon tumor cells reduced chemokine expression and TILs, enabling tumors to evade anti-tumor immunity and to resist anti-PD-L1 therapy. Conversely, stimulating TET activity by systematic injection of its co-factor, ascorbate/vitamin C, increased chemokine and TILs, leading to enhanced anti-tumor immunity and anti-PD-L1 efficacy and extended lifespan of tumor-bearing mice. These results suggest an IFNγ-JAK-STAT-TET signaling pathway that mediates tumor response to anti-PD-L1/PD-1 therapy and is frequently disrupted in solid tumors. Our findings also suggest TET activity as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy and patient response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, and stimulating TET activity as an adjuvant immunotherapy of solid tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, we investigated chemical structure of lycium barbarum polysaccharides and its modulatory effect on oxidative stress in high-fat mice. The polysaccharides mainly contained xylose and glucose. Little amount of rhamnose, mannose and galactose was observed. The lycium barbarum polysaccharides had IR bands at 800–1200cm−1, 1450–1800cm−1, 2500–3000cm−1, and 3200–3600cm−1, which were distinctive absorptions of polysaccharides. Rats are fed with high-fat diet for 2 months. Results showed that blood and liver antioxidant enzymes activities and GSH level in model mice significantly decreased, and MDA level significantly increased (P <0.01) compared to normal control mice. Administration of lycium barbarum polysaccharides significantly increased antioxidant enzymes activities and decreased MDA level in mice (P <0.01) compared to model group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Imitation and innovation are the most common ways for people to learn and evolve. However, the combination of imitation and innovation not only inhibits the emergence of cooperation, but also leads to the fragmentation of cooperative clusters. In reality, cooperation exists widely in people's lives. This paper examines how cooperation is maintained in human interaction and what mechanism can eliminate the inhibition of heterogeneous strategy updating rules. To that end, we introduce a reputation mechanism into the traditional prisoner's dilemma model. In our version, the player's reputation is adapted dynamically, and fitness is determined by reputations and strategies. In addition, the players' strategy updating rules are divided into imitation and innovation. The results show that: under the heterogeneous strategy updating rules, the introduction of reputation is beneficial to the emergence of cooperation. Good reputation also enhances the capacity of cooperators to resist temptation. Our research provides insight into the role of reputation under heterogeneous strategy updating rules. • Reputation can eliminate the deterioration of cooperation caused by heterogeneity updating rules. • Good reputations can enhance the capacity of cooperators in both heterogeneity and homogeneity updating rules. • When the influence of reputation is small, innovation players will worsen the survival environment of cooperators. • Innovation players play a significant role in the emergence of cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]