Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of human retina from Chinese donors reveals population-specific cellular diversity.

The human retina exhibits complex cellular heterogeneity which is critical for visual function, yet comprehensive ethnic-specific references are scarce in ophthalmic transcriptomics. The lack of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from Asian populations particularly Chinese donors imposes significant limitations in understanding population-specific retinal biology. We constructed the first comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the human retina from Chinese donors, generated through high-throughput scRNA-seq of ∼290,000 viable cells obtained from 18 fresh retinal specimens (living donor and post-mortem specimens).

Integrative GWAS and Mendelian randomization study of rheumatoid arthritis based on the 2019 UK Biobank questionnaire.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most prevalent autoimmune inflammatory joint disorder worldwide. We aimed to identify the genetic variants contributing to RA and investigate the potential influence of related diseases on RA risk.

Methods: We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on RA using the 2019 UK Biobank pain questionnaire.

A scRNA-seq reference contrasting living and early post-mortem human retina across diverse donor states.

Background: Current human retina studies predominantly utilize post-mortem tissue, and the sample accessibility constraints make the characterization of the living human retina at single-cell resolution a challenge. Although single-nucleus RNA-seq expands the utility of frozen samples, it provides a nuclear-centric view, potentially missing key cytoplasmic information and transient biological processes. Thus, it is important to generate resources directly from living human retinal tissue to complement existing datasets.

Genome-wide association study identifies novel genetic variants associated with widespread pain in the UK Biobank ( = 172,230).

Objectives: Widespread pain is a hallmark characteristic of fibromyalgia, commonly affecting older individuals. This study aimed to identify novel genetic variants associated with widespread pain by utilizing the extensive UK Biobank dataset.

Methods: We conducted a primary genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a novel definition of widespread pain, defined as pain experienced all over the body during the past month.

Associations of VEGF-D levels with clinical manifestations in lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a cross-sectional analysis of 631 cases.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare neoplastic disorder characterized predominantly by dyspnea, recurrent pneumothorax, chylous effusion and diffuse pulmonary cystic changes in women. Vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) is an important biomarker for LAM.

Results: This study cohort comprised 631 LAM patients and investigated the correlations between serum VEGF-D levels and clinical manifestations of LAM.

Detection and Characterization of Online Substance Use Discussions Among Gamers: Qualitative Retrospective Analysis of Reddit r/StopGaming Data.

Background: Video games have rapidly become mainstream in recent decades, with over half of the US population involved in some form of digital gaming. However, concerns regarding the potential harms of excessive, disordered gaming have also risen. Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been proposed as a tentative psychiatric disorder that requires further study by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is recognized as a behavioral addiction by the World Health Organization.

Evaluating the Influence of Role-Playing Prompts on ChatGPT's Misinformation Detection Accuracy: Quantitative Study.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid spread of misinformation on social media created significant public health challenges. Large language models (LLMs), pretrained on extensive textual data, have shown potential in detecting misinformation, but their performance can be influenced by factors such as prompt engineering (ie, modifying LLM requests to assess changes in output). One form of prompt engineering is role-playing, where, upon request, OpenAI's ChatGPT imitates specific social roles or identities.

SIRT1 signaling pathways in sarcopenia: Novel mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

Sarcopenia is an aging-related skeletal disease characterized by decreased muscle mass, strength, and physical function, severely affecting the quality of life (QoL) of the elderly population. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), as a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent histone deacetylases, has been reported to participate in various aging-related signaling pathways and exert protective effect on many human diseases. SIRT1 functioned as an important role in the occurrence and progression of sarcopenia through regulating key pathways related to protein homeostasis, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance and autophagy in skeletal muscle, including SIRT1/Forkhead Box O (FoxO), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/SIRT1/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), SIRT1/p53, AMPK/SIRT1/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), and SIRT1/live kinase B1 (LKB1)/AMPK pathways.

Determinants of Progression and Mortality in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a progressive diffuse cystic lung disease with approximately 85% survival at 10 years. The determinants of disease progression and mortality after the introduction of sirolimus therapy and vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) as a biomarker have not been well defined.

Research Question: Which factors, including VEGF-D and sirolimus therapy, influence disease progression and survival prognosis in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis?

Study Design And Methods: The progression dataset and the survival dataset included 282 and 574 patients, respectively, from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.

Gene mutations in sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis and genotype-phenotype correlation analysis.

Background: Sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis (S-LAM) is a rare neoplasm with heterogeneous clinical features that is conventionally considered to be related to TSC2. This study serves to elucidate the mutation landscape and potential correlation between S-LAM genomic profiles and clinical phenotypes.

Methods: Genomic profiles of 22 S-LAM patients were obtained by sequencing genomic DNA and cell-free DNA from various specimens using an NGS (next-generation sequencing)-based tumor-driver gene panel.

Sirolimus reduces the risk of pneumothorax recurrence in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a historical prospective self-controlled study.

Background: Spontaneous pneumothorax has a high incidence and high rate of recurrence in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). The risk factors for pneumothorax and the effects of sirolimus on pneumothorax in patients with LAM are unknown. In our study, multivariate logistic regression was applied to a cross-sectional cohort to investigate factors associated with pneumothorax in LAM patients.

Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers in context of COVID-19 outbreak: a retrospective analysis.

The possible effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on COVID-19 disease severity have generated considerable debate. We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, who had definite clinical outcome (dead or discharged) by February 15, 2020. Patients on anti-hypertensive treatment with or without ACEI/ARB were compared on their clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Influenza Virus in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Current Understanding and Knowledge Gaps.

Influenza virus infection poses a heavy burden on global health and economics. With the advancement in viral pathogen detection methods, the role of virus infection in community-acquired pneumonia has been increasingly recognized. The disease spectrum of influenza ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe or even fatal illness.

Enhancement of the methane removal efficiency via aeration for biochar-amended landfill soil cover.

Methane (CH) mitigation of biocovers or biofilters for landfills is influenced by the bed material and oxygen availability. The improvement of active aeration for the CH oxidation efficiency of biochar-amended landfill soil cover was investigated over a period of 101 days. There were column 1 as the control group, column 2 with biochar amending the soil cover, and column 3 with daily active aeration besides the same biochar amendment.

Comparison of the methane-oxidizing capacity of landfill cover soil amended with biochar produced using different pyrolysis temperatures.

The in-situ mitigation of methane (CH) in landfill gas using landfill cover soil (LCS) is a cost-effective approach, but its efficiency needs to be enhanced. In this study, we incorporated an enriched methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) consortium into LCS and established four biochar-amended LCS groups with biochar produced at 300 °C (BC300), 400 °C (BC400), 500 °C (BC500), and 600 °C (BC600). The purpose was to evaluate the CH oxidation capacity of biochar-amended LCS after inoculation with MOB and to investigate how the physicochemical properties of biochar that are influenced by the pyrolysis temperature affect the performance and microbial activity of biochar-amended LCS.

An apically located hybrid guanylate cyclase-ATPase is critical for the initiation of Ca signaling and motility in .

Protozoan parasites of the phylum Apicomplexa actively move through tissue to initiate and perpetuate infection. The regulation of parasite motility relies on cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases, but how these kinases are activated remains unknown. Here, using an array of biochemical and cell biology approaches, we show that the apicomplexan parasite expresses a large guanylate cyclase (TgGC) protein, which contains several upstream ATPase transporter-like domains.

Protein kinase A negatively regulates Ca2+ signalling in Toxoplasma gondii.

The phylum Apicomplexa comprises a group of obligate intracellular parasites that alternate between intracellular replicating stages and actively motile extracellular forms that move through tissue. Parasite cytosolic Ca2+ signalling activates motility, but how this is switched off after invasion is complete to allow for replication to begin is not understood. Here, we show that the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A catalytic subunit 1 (PKAc1) of Toxoplasma is responsible for suppression of Ca2+ signalling upon host cell invasion.