Advances in mechanistic investigation and treatment of steroid-refractory ICI-induced liver injury.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy, significantly improving patient survival. However, their use is frequently associated with immune-related adverse events, including immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced liver injury (ICI-DILI), which poses substantial clinical challenges. While corticosteroid therapy remains the primary treatment for ICI-DILI, many patients with steroid-refractory cases, especially those involving non-hepatocellular injury, exhibit resistance to standard therapies.

chronic cannabis exposure is associated with lower total brain volume in the first month of postnatal life.

I cannabis exposure is associated with deleterious offspring neural development and behaviors that emerge across the lifespan. We explored if brain morphology differed in neonates exposed and unexposed to cannabis in the first month of life. To evaluate differences in global and subcortical regional brain volume (in the amygdala and hippocampus) in neonates in the first month of life according to cannabis exposure.

The Clinical Significance of Non-Criteria Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Atypical Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Objective: To analyse the correlation between non-criteria antiphospholipid antibodies (non-criteria aPLs) and clinical symptoms (recurrent miscarriage) in patients with seronegative antiphospholipid syndrome (SNAPS).Methods:Ninety-four SNAPS patients who were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from May 2022 to May 2024 were included. Chemiluminescence immunoassay was used to detect anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibody (aβ2GPI), anti-cardiolipin antibody (aCL), and lupus anticoagulant.

Discovery of BGM1812, a Novel Dual Amylin and Calcitonin Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment.

Parallel activation of the calcitonin receptor (CTR) and amylin receptor (AMYR) is considered a more effective weight-loss strategy. Although the novel dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist (DACRA), petrelintide, is currently undergoing phase II clinical trials, its agonistic activity remains insufficient compared with natural agonists. Further optimization of the agonistic capabilities of petrelintide is an attractive strategy for developing DACRAs.

Nutritional Landscape of Iron in Cardiovascular Disease.

Both iron deficiency and iron overload are highly prevalent worldwide, along with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; moreover, iron imbalance and CVD can occur simultaneously. Iron plays important roles in hematopoiesis, the composition and function of various enzymes, and a wide range of physiological and biochemical reactions. Here, we summarize our current knowledge regarding the association between altered iron homeostasis and various forms of CVD, including atherosclerosis, heart failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and myocardial infarction.

Lattice-matching formed covalent heterointerfaces based on epitaxial growth of ZnInS nanosheet on CuS nanobox to accelerate charge separation for effective antibiotic degradation cooperated with hexavalent chromium reduction.

Nowadays, water pollution issues caused by antibiotics and heavy metals have become a focus of global concern, and it is greatly significant to develop effective methods to remove heavy metal and organic contaminant from wastewater. Herein, newly-designed CuS/ZnInS p-n heterojunction with internal electric field is constructed by using epitaxial growth strategy. Importantly, lattice well-matched heterointerface between CuS and ZnInS presents very low charge transfer resistance.

Orchestrated Cu-coordinated tetracycline-porphyrin self-assembly remodels tumor microenvironment for photo-enhanced immuno-chemodynamic therapy.

Unlabelled: Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based nanodynamic therapy is emerging as a promising approach for tumor treatment, particularly in eliciting immune responses for tumor immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the complex tumor microenvironment (TME) and the constraints of current sensitizers substantially compromise therapeutic efficacy. To address these challenges, we developed a rationally designed nanoplatform (LP/CuTT) through lipoic acid-modified orchestrated Cu²⁺-coordinated tetracycline-porphyrin self-assembly, to precisely remodel the immunosuppressive TME while potentiating antitumor immunotherapy via a novel photo-enhanced chemodynamic therapy (CDT) strategy.

Clinical effects of a Chinese herbal medicine on patients with chronic renal failure.

This study assessed the impact of experienced prescription by Chinese medical master Zou Yanqin on chronic renal failure (CRF) patients. One hundred and twenty CRF patients admitted in Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from January 2021 to December 2022 were randomly separated into a control group (CG) and a study group (SG). The CG accepted conventional therapy while the SG accepted treatment with Zou Yanqin prescription in addition to conventional treatment.

Impact of Interfacial Structure on Heterogeneous Nucleation of Amorphous Carbonates.

Classical molecular dynamics simulations were performed to provide physical insight into the impact of interfacial structure on the heterogeneous nucleation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC, CaCO·HO) and amorphous magnesium carbonate (AMC, MgCO·HO) by using α-quartz as a model substrate. Interfacial structure and energies were computed for ACC and AMC in contact with the (100), (001), and (101) α-quartz surfaces. The simulations showed α-quartz surfaces drew water molecules out of the carbonate nuclei to form a partial hydration layer.

Coarse-grained simulation of colloidal self-assembly, cation exchange, and rheology in Na/Ca smectite clay gels.

Knowledge Gap: The aggregation of clay minerals-layered silicate nanoparticles-strongly impacts fluid flow, solute migration, and solid mechanics in soils, sediments, and sedimentary rocks. Experimental and computational characterization of clay aggregation is inhibited by the delicate water-mediated nature of clay colloidal interactions and by the range of spatial scales involved, from 1 nm thick platelets to flocs with dimensions up to micrometers or more.

Simulations: Using a new coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) approach, we predicted the microstructure, dynamics, and rheology of hydrated smectite (more precisely, montmorillonite) clay gels containing up to 2,000 clay platelets on length scales up to 0.

Sex-specific effects of exogenous asparagine on colorectal tumor growth, 17β-estradiol levels, and aromatase.

Sex-related differences in asparagine metabolism are associated with cancer prognosis. However, the effect of exogenous asparagine on colorectal cancer (CRC) growth in men and women remains unclear. This study aims to understand the relationship between exogenous asparagine supplementation and 17β-estradiol levels and to elucidate mechanisms underlying sex-dependent signaling during CRC development.

Influences and strategies for bone regeneration based on microenvironment pH adjustment.

Bone possesses remarkable endogenous regenerative capacity. Bone regeneration is typically divided into three stages: inflammation, bone formation, and bone remodeling, during which pH is a critical variable. The influence of pH on the bone regeneration process depends on three main factors: (1) the activity and differentiation of cells involved in bone regeneration are affected by pH; (2) protein activity is regulated by pH; and (3) extracellular calcium phosphate precipitates in a pH-dependent manner.

Sentinel and Networked Symptoms During Remission Induction Chemotherapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Children.

Background: Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia experience various adverse symptoms during remission induction. Elucidating the interrelationships among symptoms can facilitate precise and efficacious symptom management.

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate symptom clusters and sentinel symptoms and to examine core and bridge symptoms within the symptom network in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during remission induction.

Structural modification of heptamethine indocyanine dyes with improved aqueous solubility and stability for photothermal therapy.

Heptamethine indocyanine dyes (HMICDs) have excellent near-infrared (NIR) properties and are capable of converting light energy into heat energy under NIR laser irradiation, enabling their use in photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. However, their photostability is poor, and they are easily inactivated by photobleaching after prolonged and repeated exposure to NIR laser. In addition, unmodified HMICDs have poor water solubility and tend to aggregate, limiting their biological applications.

Efficient Metabolomics Profiling from Plasma Extracellular Vesicles Enables Accurate Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer.

Accurate diagnosis of early gastric cancer is valuable for asymptomatic populations, while current endoscopic examination combined with pathological tissue biopsy often encounters bottlenecks for early-stage cancer and causes pain to patients. Liquid biopsy shows promise for noninvasive diagnosis of early gastric cancer; however, it remains a challenge to achieve accurate diagnosis due to the lack of highly sensitive and specific biomarkers. Herein, we propose a protocol combining metabolomics profiling from plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) and machine learning to identify the metabolomics discrepancies of early gastric cancer individuals from other populations.

Effectiveness of rehabilitation training on radiotherapy-related abnormalities of voice function in head and neck cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Abnormal speech function caused by radiotherapy will affect the normal communication of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and even interrupt their social life. Rehabilitation Training is widely used to improve articulatory abnormalities in patients with HNC. However, the effectiveness of these rehabilitation measures in restoring the voice function of HNC patients is still unknown.

Molecular mechanism of type ib MET inhibitors and their potential for CNS tumors.

The emergence of targeted therapies for MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutations has significantly changed the treatment landscape for NSCLC and other solid tumors. The skipping of METex14 results in activating the MET-HGF pathway and promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and preventing apoptosis. Type Ib MET inhibitors, designed to selectively target the "DFG-in" conformation of MET, characteristically bind to the ATP-binding pocket of MET in a U-shaped conformation, extending into the solvent-accessible region and interact strongly with residue Y1230 through π-π interactions, have shown remarkable efficacy in treating METex14-altered NSCLC, including cases with brain metastases (BMs).

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Outperforms Brain Atrophy as an Imaging Biomarker in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Aim: This study aimed to examine microvascular lesions and neurodegenerative changes in diabetic retinopathy (DR) compared to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without DR (NDR) using structural MRI and to explore their associations with DR.

Methods: 243 patients with NDR and 122 patients with DR were included. Participants underwent conventional brain MRI scans, clinical measurements, and fundus examinations.

Brain Iron Deposition Alterations in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment Based on Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

Background: Iron is one of the most important elements in brain that may has a direct impact on the stability of central nervous system. The current study devoted to explore the alterations of iron distribution across the whole brain in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: The quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) technique was used to quantify the intracranial iron content of 74 T2DM patients with MCI and 86 T2DM patients with normal cognition (NC).

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with structural covariance network reconfiguration in cognitively unimpaired adults with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often accompanied by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), both of which are related to brain damage and cognitive impairment. However, cortical structural alteration and its relationship with metabolism and cognition in T2D with NAFLD (T2NAFLD) and without NAFLD (T2noNAFLD) remain unclear. The brain MRI scans, clinical measures and neuropsychological test were evaluated in 50 normal controls (NC), 73 T2noNAFLD, and 58 T2NAFLD.

A Paper-Based Sensor for the Detection of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Utilizing a Cleavable Fluorescent Polymer.

Nowadays, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has emerged as one of the major hazards to the health of the upper gastrointestinal tract, and there is an urgent need for a low-cost, user-friendly, and non-invasive detection method. Herein, a paper-based sensor (CP sensor) for the non-invasive screening of GERD is proposed. The sensor is structured as a specially shaped cellulose paper strip embedded with fluorescent colloids, which are self-assembled from a cleavable synthetic fluorescent polymer (P4).

A coarse-grained model of clay colloidal aggregation and consolidation with explicit representation of the electrical double layer.

Knowledge Gap: The aggregation of clay minerals in liquid water exemplifies colloidal self-assembly in nature. These negatively charged aluminosilicate platelets interact through multiple mechanisms with different sensitivities to particle shape, surface charge, aqueous chemistry, and interparticle distance and exhibit complex aggregation structures. Experiments have difficulty resolving the associated colloidal assemblages at the scale of individual particles.

Interplay between tobacco curly shoot virus vsiRNA24 and triosephosphate isomerase: implications for Nicotiana benthamiana viral defense.

Virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) play an important role in viral infection by regulating the expression of host genes. At present, research on the regulation of plant primary metabolic pathways by vsiRNAs is very limited. TvsiRNA24 derived from tobacco curly shoot virus (TbCSV) was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and its target gene NbTPI (triosephosphate isomerase) was verified using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and GFP fluorescence observation.

Stearic acid metabolism in human health and disease.

Named after the Greek term for "hard fat", stearic acid has gradually entered people's field of vision. As an important component of various physiological cellular functions, stearic acid plays a regulatory role in diverse aspects of energy metabolism and signal transduction. Its applications range from serving as a bodily energy source to participating in endogenous biosynthesis.

OncoSexome: the landscape of sex-based differences in oncologic diseases.

The NIH policy on sex as biological variable (SABV) emphasized the importance of sex-based differences in precision oncology. Over 50% of clinically actionable oncology genes are sex-biased, indicating differences in drug efficacy. Research has identified sex differences in non-reproductive cancers, highlighting the need for comprehensive sex-based cancer data.