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On 31 December 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and caused the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To date, computed tomography (CT) findings have been recommended as major evidence for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 in Hubei, China. This review focuses on the imaging characteristics and changes throughout the disease course in patients with COVID-19 in order to provide some help for clinicians. Typical CT findings included bilateral ground-glass opacity, pulmonary consolidation, and prominent distribution in the posterior and peripheral parts of the lungs. This review also provides a comparison between COVID-19 and other diseases that have similar CT findings. Since most patients with COVID-19 infection share typical imaging features, radiological examinations have an irreplaceable role in screening, diagnosis and monitoring treatment effects in clinical practice.

Maintaining bone homeostasis relies on the balance between bone remodeling involving bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts under physiological conditions. An increasing number of studies have shown that the ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an important role in bone remodeling. The ubiquitination process is reversible through the action of deubiquitinase (DUB), and ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) are the largest of the DUB families. This article summarizes the mechanisms by which USPs regulate bone homeostasis, including USP4 and USP7, by affecting bone formation through signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and cylindromatosis (CYLD) and regulating bone resorption through signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In addition to affecting bone resorption and bone formation during bone reconstruction, the effect of USPs on bone is also reflected in the osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal membrane stem cells and implant bone binding. Future research should determine whether USPs have a greater regulatory effect on bone reconstruction and the specific mechanism of their regulatory effect to provide more approaches for the treatment of bone diseases.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of polydopamine (PDA) on enamel demineralization in isolated teeth and the induction of hydroxyapatite (HA) production on the surface of demineralized enamel to provide a novel protocol for the prevention and treatment of enamel demineralization. Methods Twenty isolated bovine teeth were cut into 20 enamel slices and randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 10 slices in each group. The enamel slices in the experimental group were immersed in 2 mg/mL freshly prepared dopamine solution and incubated for 24 hours at room temperature in the dark to prepare the PDA coating, while the control group was left untreated. Then, the isolated bovine teeth, with and without PDA coating, were immersed in artificial demineralization solution at 37 °C for 3 days, followed by 7 days in simulated body fluid (SBF), and the immersion solution was changed daily. The surface morphology of enamel was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the calcium/phosphorus ratio of the enamel surface was analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and the characteristic functional groups in enamel deposits were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results Compared with the control group, the number of demineralized pores produced after 3 d of enamel demineralization with polydopamine coating was less, and the diameter was smaller. EDS elemental analysis showed that the Ca/P ratio after enamel demineralization was 2.37 in the experimental group, which was smaller than the 2.53 ratio in the control group. In the remineralization experiment, after 7 days of remineralization of PDA coated enamel in the experimental group, lamellar grains were produced on the enamel surface, and the growth showed obvious directionality, growth regularity and uniform arrangement. In the control group, the surface of enamel was flocculent mineral deposit, and the crystallinity was poor. The FTIR results proved that the enamel surface deposit of PDA-coated enamel was HA after 7 d of remineralization. Conclusion PDA can affect the nucleation process of HA and promote the production of HA on the surface of demineralized enamel.

Simple Summary: Tibetan yellow cattle and dzo are important meat sources for people living on the Tibetan Plateau. As a hybrid offspring of Tibetan yellow cattle and yaks, dzo inherit the advantages of their parent generations. However, the differences in the blood metabolites and ecological adaptability of Tibetan yellow cattle and dzo remain unclear. In this study, we have explored the potential difference in environmental adaptability between these two breeds of animals by analyzing their blood-based physiological and biochemical parameters, serum metabolites, and fecal microorganisms. The results revealed that dzo showed better adaptation to the high-altitude and low-temperature environment of the Tibetan Plateau, as compared to Tibetan yellow cattle. This study provides a basis for understanding the adaptive mechanism of dzo in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This study aimed to investigate the differences in environmental adaptability between dzo and Tibetan yellow cattle by using corresponding assay kits to analyze blood indices, utilizing mass spectrometry for blood metabolite profiling, and performing 16S rDNA sequencing of fecal microbiota. Forty female cattle were randomly divided into a dzomo (female dzo) group (MG, n = 20) and a Tibetan-yellow-cattle group (HG, n = 20). After 150 days of uniform feeding, six cattle from each group were randomly picked for jugular blood sampling and collection of fecal microorganisms. The results showed that the serum albumin, creatinine, total protein, superoxide dismutase, IgG, and IgM concentrations in the MG group were higher (p < 0.05), whereas the serum triglyceride concentration was lower, compared to the HG group (p < 0.05). The higher level of phospholipids containing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (PC (18:5e/2:0), PC (20:5e/2:0), LPC 18:2, LPC 20:5) observed in the serum of the dzo suggests that they have an advantage in adapting to the challenging conditions of the plateau environment. The fecal microbiota analysis showed that Akkermansia was significantly enriched in the MG group; this might be the key bacterial genus leading to the strong adaptability of dzo. Our findings indicated the dzo's superior adaptation to the Tibetan Plateau's harsh environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a relatively common malignancy clinically and the second leading cause of cancer‐related deaths. Recent studies have identified T‐cell exhaustion as playing a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CRC. A long‐standing challenge in the clinical management of CRC is to understand how T cells function during its progression and metastasis, and whether potential therapeutic targets for CRC treatment can be predicted through T cells. Here, we propose DeepTEX, a multi‐omics deep learning approach that integrates cross‐model data to investigate the heterogeneity of T‐cell exhaustion in CRC. DeepTEX uses a domain adaptation model to align the data distributions from two different modalities and applies a cross‐modal knowledge distillation model to predict the heterogeneity of T‐cell exhaustion across diverse patients, identifying key functional pathways and genes. DeepTEX offers valuable insights into the application of deep learning in multi‐omics, providing crucial data for exploring the stages of T‐cell exhaustion associated with CRC and relevant therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of canagliflozin (20 mg/kg) on Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rat gut microbiota and salt-sensitive hypertension-induced kidney injury and further explore its possible mechanism. Rats were fed a high-salt diet to induce hypertension and kidney injury, and physical and physiological indicators were measured afterwards. This study employed 16S rRNA sequencing technology and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)-based metabolic profiling combined with advanced differential and association analyses to investigate the correlation between the microbiome and the metabolome in male DSS rats. A high-salt diet disrupted the balance of the intestinal flora and increased toxic metabolites (methyhistidines, creatinine, homocitrulline, and indoxyl sulfate), resulting in severe kidney damage. Canagliflozin contributed to reconstructing the intestinal flora of DSS rats by significantly increasing the abundance of Corynebacterium spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Facklamia spp., Lactobacillus spp., Ruminococcus spp., Blautia spp., Coprococcus spp., and Allobaculum spp. Moreover, the reconstruction of the intestinal microbiota led to significant changes in host amino acid metabolite concentrations. The concentration of uremic toxins, such as methyhistidines, creatinine, and homocitrulline, in the serum of rats was decreased by canagliflozin, which resulted in oxidative stress and renal injury alleviation. Canagliflozin may change the production of metabolites and reduce the level of uremic toxins in the blood circulation by reconstructing the intestinal flora of DSS rats fed a high-salt diet, ultimately alleviating oxidative stress and renal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the connection between osteoclastic forkhead transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) and periodontitis and explore the underlying mechanism by which FoxO1 knockdown regulates osteoclast formation. Materials and Methods: A conventional ligature‐induced periodontitis model was constructed to reveal the alterations in the proportion of osteoclastic FoxO1 in periodontitis via immunofluorescence staining. Additionally, RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) was performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of FoxO1 knockdown‐mediated osteoclastogenesis, followed by western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: FoxO1+ osteoclasts were enriched in the alveolar bone in experimental periodontitis. Moreover, FoxO1 knockdown led to impaired osteoclastogenesis with low expression of osteoclast differentiation‐related genes, accompanied by an insufficient osteoclast maturation phenotype. Mechanistically, RNA‐seq revealed that the nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) and nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain‐like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathways were inhibited in FoxO1‐knockdown osteoclasts. Consistent with this, MCC950, an effective inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, substantially attenuated osteoclast formation. Conclusions: FoxO1 knockdown contributed to the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis by effectively suppressing NF‐κB signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. This prospective study reveals the role of FoxO1 in mediating osteoclastogenesis and provides a viable therapeutic target for periodontitis treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to small optical mode volumes and linear polarizations of surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) resonant modes in metallic antennas, it is very difficult to obtain complex emission patterns and polarizations for single-photon emitters. Herein, nonresonant enhancement in a silver nanowire is used to both enhance emission rates and extract a z-oriented dipole, and then the symmetry of metallic nanostructures is proposed to tailor the patterns and polarizations of single-photon emission. The emission pattern of a quantum dot located close to a metallic nanostructure with a symmetric axis is split into multiple flaps. The number of splitting flaps is equal to the order of the symmetric axis. Moreover, the electric vectors of the emitted photons become centrally symmetric about the symmetric axis. The above phenomena are well explained by both a simulation and an image dipole model. The structural-symmetry-tailoring mechanism may open up a new avenue in the design of multifunctional and novel quantum-plasmonic devices.