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.

Furan derivatives and antibacterial anthraquinone- isochroman hybrid identified from the marine- derived fungus Penicillium citrirum 8413.

Two new furan derivatives designated citrifuranin A (1) and citrifuranin B (2), a new anthraquinone-isochroman hybrid named penicillanthranin C (3) were isolated from the South China Sea-derived fungus Penicillium citrirum 8413, together with the known compounds emodin (4), 6,8-dihydroxy-3,4,5-trimethylisochroman (5), and penicitrinol A (6). The planar structures of these new compounds were elucidated by HR-MS and NMR spectroscopic data analyses. Citrifuranins A (1) and B (2) were determined to be a pair of E/Z isomers on the basis of the observed NOE correlations.

Milk-processed Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in mice by regulating gut microbiota and immune response.

Background: Immune dysfunction is linked to the progression of various diseases. Milk-processed Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (MPC) is a traditional medicine with nourishing effects in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region of China. However, the immune-enhancing effect of MPC and its underlying mechanism remain unclear.

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.

A genome-wide association study identifies novel genetic variants associated with neck or shoulder pain in the UK biobank (N = 430,193).

Introduction: Neck and shoulder pain are prevalent musculoskeletal disorders that significantly affect the quality of life for a substantial portion of the global population. Studies have shown that women are more susceptible than men.

Objective: This study aims to discover genetic variants associated with neck or shoulder pain through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), using data from 430,193 participants in the UK Biobank.

Isocoumarin and pyranone derivatives isolated from the mangrove-associated fungus Exserohilum rostratum NS-KS-3 as α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Six new polyketides including three isocoumarins (1-3) and three α-pyranone derivatives (4-6) were isolated from culture of the mangrove-derived fungus Exserohilum rostratum NS-KS-3, together with the known compounds (7-9). The planar structures of these new compounds were determined on the basis of NMR and mass spectroscopic data analyses. The absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined by comparing the experimental ECD spectra with the calculated ECD spectra.

The impact of meteorological and socio-economic factors on malaria in mainland China (2006-2015): A study using spatiotemporal analysis and Bayesian model.

Nowadays malaria still is a significant and prevalent infectious disease in mainland China. How meteorological and socio-economic factors affect the distribution of malaria in mainland China? It is worthy to explore their impact on malaria to guide other serious regions. This study selects the total number of malaria cases included in both local and imported cases of malaria in mainland China from 2006 to 2015.

A genome-wide association study identifies genetic variants associated with hip pain in the UK Biobank cohort (N = 221,127).

Hip pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint that leads many people to seek medical attention. We conducted a primary genome-wide association study (GWAS) on the hip pain phenotype within the UK Biobank cohort. Sex-stratified GWAS analysis approach was also performed to explore sex specific variants associated with hip pain.

Gentiopicroside: An Updated Review of Its Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms.

Gentiopicroside (GPS) is a bioactive iridoid glycoside isolated from Gentianaceae plants. In recent years, GPS has received increasing attention due to its multiple pharmacological activities. This review encapsulates the botanical origin, pharmacological activity, toxicity, and underlying mechanisms of GPS in the treatment of various diseases.

Bioinspired black phosphorus delivers histone deacetylase inhibitor-induced synergistic therapy for lung cancer.

Lung cancer remains one of the most fatal cancers worldwide, with a high incidence of metastasis and a low 5-year survival rate. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have shown significant potential in lung cancer treatment, but their clinical use is often hindered by poor water solubility, rapid clearance, and systemic toxicity. In this study, we developed a novel therapeutic strategy by camouflaging black phosphorus (BP) with M1 macrophage membranes (MB) and loaded HDACi suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) onto the camouflaged black phosphorus (MB) for targeted lung cancer therapy.

Dual targeting and bioresponsive nano-PROTAC induced precise and effective lung cancer therapy.

Epigenetic regulation has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for lung cancer treatment, which can facilitate the antitumor responses by modulating epigenetic dysregulation of target proteins in lung cancer. The proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) reagent, dBET6 shows effective inhibition of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) that exerts antitumor efficacy by degrading BRD4 via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Nevertheless, the low tissue specificity and bioavailability impede its therapeutic effects and clinical translation on lung cancer treatment.

Development and Evaluation of a Shrimp Virus (IHHNV)-Mediated Gene Transfer and Expression System for Shrimps.

An efficient gene transfer and expression tool is lacking for shrimps and shrimp cells. To solve this, this study has developed a shrimp DNA virus-mediated gene transfer and expression system, consisting of insect Sf9 cells for viral packaging, the shrimp viral vector of pUC19-IHHNV-PH-GUS and the baculoviral vector of Bacmid or Bacmid-VP28 encoding the shrimp WSSV envelope protein VP28. The pUC19-IHHNV-PH-GUS vector was constructed by assembling the genomic DNA of shrimp infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV), which has shortened inverted terminal repeats, into a pUC19 backbone, and then an expression cassette of baculoviral polyhedron (PH) promoter-driven (β-glucuronidase) reporter gene was inserted immediately downstream of IHHNV for proof-of-concept.

Scutellarin ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in OGD/R-insulted HT22 cells through mitophagy induction.

Scutellarin (Scu), a flavonoid from herbal Erigeron breviscapus (Vaniot) Hand-Mazz, exerts neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia. However, whether the effects of Scu are related to mitochondrial protection needs further investigation. In this study, we aimed to clarify the mechanisms of Scu against HT22 cells injury caused by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R).

Melt Compounding of Poly(lactic acid)-Based Composites: Blending Strategies, Process Conditions, and Mechanical Properties.

Polylactic acid (PLA), derived from renewable resources, has the advantages of rigidity, thermoplasticity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, and is widely used in many fields such as packaging, agriculture, and biomedicine. The excellent processability properties allow for melt processing treatments such as extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, and thermoforming in the preparation of PLA-based materials. However, the low toughness and poor thermal stability of PLA limit its practical applications.

Exploring spatiotemporal patterns of algal cell density in lake Dianchi with explainable machine learning.

The escalating global occurrence of algal blooms poses a growing threat to ecosystem services. In this study, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of water quality parameters was leveraged to partition Lake Dianchi into three clusters. Considering water quality parameters and both the delayed and instantaneous effects of meteorological factors, ensemble learning, and quasi-Monte Carlo methods were employed to predict daily algal cell density (AD) between January 2021 and January 2024.

New polyketides and cytotoxic alkaloids from the mangrove endophytic fungus sp. SAF14.

Investigation of secondary metabolites from the mangrove endophytic fungus sp. SAF14 led to the isolation of two new polyketides, methyl ()-3-(6,8-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1-oxoisochroman-3-yl)propanoate (), ()-3-(5,8- dihydroxy-1-oxoisochroman-3-yl)propanoic acid (), together with four known alkaloids (-). The planar structures of new compounds were elucidated by comprehensive analysis of HR-ESI-MS and NMR data.

Ji-Ni-De-Xie ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus by modulating the bile acids metabolism and FXR/FGF15 signaling pathway.

Ji-Ni-De-Xie (JNDX) is a traditional herbal preparation in China. It is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in traditional Tibetan medicine system. However, its antidiabetic mechanisms have not been elucidated.

A novel framework for quantitative attribution of particulate matter pollution mitigation to natural and socioeconomic drivers.

Quantifying drivers contributing to air quality improvements is crucial for pollution prevention and optimizing local policies. Despite advances in machine learning for air quality analysis, their limited interpretability hinders attribution on global and local scales, vital for informed city management. Our study introduces an innovative framework quantifying socioeconomic and natural impacts on mitigation of particulate matter pollution in 31 Chinese major cities from 2014 to 2021.

Exploring the impact of socioeconomic and natural factors on pulmonary tuberculosis incidence in China (2013-2019) using explainable machine learning: A nationwide study.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) stands as a significant and prevalent infectious disease in China. Integrating 13 natural and socioeconomic factors, we conduct nine machine learning (ML) models alongside the Tree-Structured Parzen Estimator to predict the monthly PTB incidence rate from 2013 to 2019 in mainland China. With explainable ML techniques, our research highlights that population size, per capita GDP, and PM concentration emerge as the primary determinants influencing the PTB incidence rate.

Four New Isocoumarins from the Mangrove Fungus Alternaria Malorum with Antimicrobial Activities.

Four new isocoumarins, alternariethers A-C (1-3) and alternariester (4) were separated from the fermentation of the fungus Alternaria malorum FL39, purified from Myoporum bontioides. Their structures were ascertained using NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopy. For compound 4, the absolute configuration was solved with the help of ECD calculation and the DP4+ method.

Predicting and analyzing the algal population dynamics of a grass-type lake with explainable machine learning.

Algal blooms, exacerbated by climate change and eutrophication, have emerged as a global concern. In this study, we introduce a novel interpretable machine learning (ML) workflow tailored for investigating the dynamics of algal populations in grass-type lakes, Liangzi lake. Utilizing seven ML methods and incorporating the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES), we predict algal density across three distinct time periods, resulting in the construction of a total of 30 ML models.

Traditional Chinese medicine in regulating macrophage polarization in immune response of inflammatory diseases.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Numerous studies have demonstrated that various traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) exhibit potent anti-inflammatory effects against inflammatory diseases mediated through macrophage polarization and metabolic reprogramming.

Aim Of The Study: The objective of this review was to assess and consolidate the current understanding regarding the pathogenic mechanisms governing macrophage polarization in the context of regulating inflammatory diseases. We also summarize the mechanism action of various TCMs on the regulation of macrophage polarization, which may contribute to facilitate the development of natural anti-inflammatory drugs based on reshaping macrophage polarization.