Loss of protein homeostasis is a hallmark of cellular senescence, and ribosome pausing plays a crucial role in the collapse of proteostasis. However, our understanding of ribosome pausing in senescent cells remains limited. In this study, we utilized ribosome profiling and G-quadruplex RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing techniques to explore the impact of RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) on the translation efficiency in senescent cells. Our results revealed a reduction in the translation efficiency of rG4-rich genes in senescent cells and demonstrated that rG4 structures within coding sequence can impede translation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, we observed a significant increase in the abundance of rG4 structures in senescent cells, and the stabilization of the rG4 structures further exacerbated cellular senescence. Mechanistically, the RNA helicase DHX9 functions as a key regulator of rG4 abundance, and its reduced expression in senescent cells contributing to increased ribosome pausing. Additionally, we also observed an increased abundance of rG4, an imbalance in protein homeostasis, and reduced DHX9 expression in aged mice. In summary, our findings reveal a novel biological role for rG4 and DHX9 in the regulation of translation and proteostasis, which may have implications for delaying cellular senescence and the aging process.
G-Quadruplexes ; Cellular Senescence ; Ribosomes/genetics* ; Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics* ; Protein Biosynthesis ; RNA/chemistry* ; Neoplasm Proteins

Background The active metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), 7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxybenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE), can form adducts with DNA, but the spectrum of BPDE-DNA adducts is unclear. Objective To identify the distribution of BPDE adduct sites and associated genes at the whole-genome level by chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq), and serve as a basis for further exploring the toxicological mechanisms of BaP. Methods Human bronchial epithelial-like cells (16HBE) were cultured to the fourth generation inthe logarithmic growth phase. Cells were harvested and added to chromatin immunoprecipitation lysis buffer. The lysate was divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a final concentration of 20 μmol·L⁻¹ BPDE solution, while the control group received an equivalent volume of dimethyl sulfoxide solution. The cells were then incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. Chromatin fragments of 100-500 bp were obtained through sonication. BPDE-specific antibody (anti-BPDE 8E11) was used to enrich DNA fragments with BPDE adducts. High-throughput sequencing was conducted to detect BPDE adduct sites. The top 1000 peak sequences were subjected to motif analysis using MEME and DREME software. BPDE adduct target genes at the whole-genome level were annotated, and Gene Ontology (GO) functional analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of BPDE adduct target genes were conducted using bioinformatics techniques. Results The high-throughput sequencing detected a total of 842 BPDE binding sites, distributed across various chromosomes. BPDE covalently bound to both coding and non-coding regions of genes, with 73.9% binding sites located in intergenic regions, 19.6% in intronic regions, and smaller proportions in upstream 2 kilobase, exonic, downstream 2 kilobase, and 5' untranslated regions. Regarding the top 1000 peak sequences, four reliable motifs were identified, revealing that sites rich in adenine (A) and guanine (G) were prone to binding. Through the enrichment analysis of binding sites, a total of 199 BPDE-adduct target genes were identified, with the majority located on chromosomes 1, 5, 7, 12, 17, and X. The GO analysis indicated that these target genes were mainly enriched in nucleic acid and protein binding, participating in the regulation of catalytic activity, transport activity, translation elongation factor activity, and playing important roles in cell division, differentiation, motility, substance transport, and information transfer. The KEGG analysis revealed that these target genes were primarily enriched in pathways related to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and immune-inflammatory responses. Conclusion Using ChIP-Seq, 199 BPDE adduct target genes at genome-wide level are identified, impacting biological functions such as cell division, differentiation, motility, substance transport, and information transfer. These genes are closely associated with cardiovascular diseases, tumors, and immune-inflammatory responses.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors of peripheral infections of knee joint tumor prosthesis as well as the value of serum D-D and TLR2 in predicting the infection risks so as to provide a reference for early diagnosis of tumorous periprosthetic infection(PJI)of knee joint.Methods The patients who were treated and followed up in our department from January 2008 to June 2020 were selected.According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,136 of the patients were selected.The data including age,gender,BMI,history of diabetes,smoking history,tumor location,stage of malignant tumor,operation time,osteotomy length,intraoperative bleed-ing,and the percentage of neutrophils,leukocytes,serum D-dimer,and serum TLR value 3 days after operation were collected.The risk factors of PJI and the diagnostic value of serum D-dimer and serum TLR were analyzed.Results The incidence of PJI was 11.76%.Postoperative chemotherapy and operation time≥180 min were the risk factors of PJI(P<0.05).The area under curve(AUC)of the combination of two indicators,serum D-dimer and serum TLR2 were 0.917,0.894 and 0.778,respectively.The AUC of TLR2 was lower than that of the combina-tion of two indicators(P<0.05);The sensitivity was 0.975,0.908 and 0.708,respectively,and the specificity was 0.75,0.75,and 0.812,respectively.Conclusion Postoperative chemotherapy and operation time≥180 min are the risk factors of PJI.The combination of D-dimer and TLR2 has good diagnostic value.

Three 2,3-diketoquinoxaline alkaloids were isolated from Heterosmilax yunnanensis Gagnep. Their structures were determined through 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, UV, and IR as 1-[5′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl] ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (1), 1-[2′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl]ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (2), and 1-ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (3). Compounds 1 and 2 are novel compounds, and 3 was isolated from H. yunnanensis for the first time. The hepatoprotective activity of these three compounds was evaluated, with compound 3 showing promising hepatoprotective activity.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Carvacrol (CAR) has demonstrated the potential to mitigate dyslipidemia. This study aims to investigate whether CAR can modulate blood glucose and lipid levels in a T2DM rat model by regulating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the GPR41/43 pathway. The T2DM rat model was induced by a high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozocin injection and treated with oral CAR and/or mixed antibiotics. Fasting blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and insulin tolerance tests were assessed. Serum lipid parameters, hepatic and renal function indicators, tissue morphology, and SCFAs were measured. In vitro, high glucose (HG)-induced IEC-6 cells were treated with CAR, and optimal CAR concentration was determined. HG-induced IEC-6 cells were treated with SCFAs or/and GPR41/43 agonists. CAR significantly reduced blood lipid and glucose levels, improved tissue damage, and increased SCFA levels in feces and GPR41/43 expression in colonic tissues of T2DM rats. CAR also attenuated HG-induced apoptosis of IEC-6 cells and enhanced GPR41/43 expression.Overall, these findings suggest that CAR alleviates blood lipid and glucose abnormalities in T2DM rats by modulating SCFAs and the GPR41/43 pathway.

Objective:To conduct a survey on the current situation of family nursing assistants for elderly people with chronic diseases and disability in the community from multiple dimensions such as personal information, work status, professional quality, difficult problems encountered in the nursing process, and solutions.Methods:From April to August 2022, a questionnaire survey was conducted among family nursing assistants of elderly people with chronic diseases and disability in six communities in Beijing using cluster sampling. We conducted a survey and analysis on the current situation of family nursing assistants for elderly people with chronic diseases and disability in the community from multiple dimensions, based on the presence or absence of professional qualification certificates for nursing assistants.Results:The study included 611 nursing assistants, aged (49.99±6.82) years, mainly composed of rural registered residence and education level below junior high school. Only 43.04% (263/611) of nursing assistants had professional qualification certificates for nursing assistants. Compared with those without professional qualification certificate for nursing assistants, those with professional qualification certificate for nursing assistants had statistical differences in gender, registered residence, education level, daily working hours, specific work content of care, monthly income, solutions to reduce the mobility of elderly nursing assistants, working years, feelings of caring for the daily health of elderly people with chronic diseases, psychological status, self-awareness about job, training to improve work skills, basic medical knowledge training, and reasons for not participating in training ( P<0.05). Nursing assistants reported a lack of medical and nursing knowledge and an urgent need for professional training and guidance from medical and nursing staff during the investigation of difficult issues encountered in their work. Conclusions:It is necessary to strengthen and improve the training of nursing professionals and basic medical knowledge of family nursing assistants for elderly people with chronic diseases and disability before and during work, which can help improve the level and quality of care provided by family nursing assistants.

BACKGROUND: LY01005 (Goserelin acetate sustained-release microsphere injection) is a modified gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist injected monthly. This phase III trial study aimed to evaluated the efficacy and safety of LY01005 in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial across 49 sites in China. This study included 290 patients with prostate cancer who received either LY01005 or goserelin implants every 28 days for three injections. The primary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with testosterone suppression ≤50 ng/dL at day 29 and the cumulative probability of testosterone ≤50 ng/dL from day 29 to 85. Non-inferiority was prespecified at a margin of -10%. Secondary endpoints included significant castration (≤20 ng/dL), testosterone surge within 72 h following repeated dosing, and changes in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prostate specific antigen levels. RESULTS: On day 29, in the LY01005 and goserelin implant groups, testosterone concentrations fell below medical-castration levels in 99.3% (142/143) and 100% (140/140) of patients, respectively, with a difference of -0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.9% to 2.0%) between the two groups. The cumulative probabilities of maintaining castration from days 29 to 85 were 99.3% and 97.8%, respectively, with a between-group difference of 1.5% (95% CI, -1.3% to 4.4%). Both results met the criterion for non-inferiority. Secondary endpoints were similar between groups. Both treatments were well-tolerated. LY01005 was associated with fewer injection-site reactions than the goserelin implant (0% vs . 1.4% [2/145]). CONCLUSION: LY01005 is as effective as goserelin implants in reducing testosterone to castration levels, with a similar safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04563936.
Humans ; Male ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use* ; East Asian People ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/agonists* ; Goserelin/therapeutic use* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Testosterone

Background Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) has neurotoxicity, which can induce the loss of hippocampal neurons in humans and animals and lead to spatial learning and memory dysfunction, but its mechanism is still unclear. Objective To observe the ferroptosis of mouse hippocampal neuron HT22 cells induced by 7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxybenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE), an active metabolite of BaP, and to explore its potential mechanism, so as to provide a basis for the study of BaP neurotoxicity mechanism. Method Mouse hippocampal neuron HT22 cells were selected and divided into four groups: solvent control group and low, medium, and high concentration BPDE exposure groups (0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 μmol·L⁻¹). Cell survival was detected by CCK8 method. Cell morphology and ultrastructure were observed under light and electron microscopes. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Fe²⁺ were detected by fluorescence probe method. Iron, 4-hydroxynonenoic acid (4-HNE), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) levels were detected with commercial kits. The expression levels of acyl-CoA synthase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) were detected by Western blotting. After interventions with ferroptosis inhibitors 20 μmol·L⁻¹ deferoxamine (DFO) and 10 μmol·L⁻¹ ethyl 3-amino-4-cyclohexylaminobenzoate (Fer-1), the cell survival rate of each BPDE exposure group and the changes of the ferroptosis characteristic indicators and protein expression levels were observed. Results With the increase of BPDE concentration, the survival rate of HT22 cells decreased gradually, and the survival rate of each BPDE group was significantly lower than that of the solvent control group (P<0.01). Under light microscope, the number of cells in the high concentration BPDE group was significantly reduced, and atrophic cells and reduced synapses were recorded. Under electron microscope, the HT22 cells in the high concentration BPDE group showed mitochondrial shrinkage, decreased crista, and increased mitochondrial membrane density. Compared with the solvent control group, the levels of intracellular lipid ROS, Fe²⁺, 4-HNE, and MDA significantly increased in the high concentration group (P<0.01), the GSH and GSH-PX levels were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the protein expression levels of ASCL4 and COX2 were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of SCL7A11 and GPX4 were significantly decreased (P<0.01). The ferroptosis inhibitors DFO and Fer-1 significantly reversed the cell survival rate (P<0.01), the ferroptosis characteristic indicators (ROS, Fe²⁺, 4-HNE, MDA, GSH, and GSH-PX levels) (P<0.01), and the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins (ACSL4, COX2, SLC7A11, and GPX4) (P<0.01) in the high concentration BPDE group. Conclusion BPDE can induce ferroptosis in mouse hippocampal neuron HT22 cells, which may be related to the inhibition of SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 axis and the induction of iron metabolism disorder.

Objective:To investigate the value of relative lumbar lordosis (RLL) and lumbar distribution index (LDI) in predicting the occurrence of adjacent segment disease (ASDis) after lumbar fusion surgery.Methods:This study retrospectively reviewed 163 consecutive patients (58 males and 105 females) who had undergone lumbar fusion and had been followed over 2 years,with an average age of 58.7 years; among them, 74, 71, and 18 patients had undergone fusion of one-level, two-level, and three-level, respectively. They were divided into the non-ASDis group and ASDis group based on the presence of ASDis or not. Pre- and post-operative spinopelvic parameters were measured on the upright lateral radiographs. RLL was calculated as measured lumbar lordosis (LL) minus ideal LL, and LDI was calculated as the ratio of postoperative low lumbar lordosis (LLL) to LL. Each parameter was stratified into 1 "aligned" subgroup and 3 "disproportioned" subgroups in accordance with values. Cochran-Armitage test of trend andlogistic analysis were performed to investigate the association between these two parameters and the occurrence of ASDis.Results:The average follow-up duration after initial surgery was 46±14 months (range, 25 to 134 months). Twenty-four (14.7%) patients were diagnosed as ASDis. The age ( t=3.13, P=0.002) and the proportion of 2-level and 3-level fusion (χ 2=10.27, P=0.006) in the ASDis group were significantly higher than those in the non-ASDis group ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between groups with respect to other general data. The ratios of moderate and severe hypolordosis of RLL were significantly higher in the ASDis group than that in the non-ASDis group (χ 2=16.92, P<0.001). There was also a significant linear trend with higher degree of hypolordosis being associated with higher rates of ASDis. However, distribution of four statuses of LDI did not differ statistically between groups. After controlling the confounders, the logistic regression analysis revealed that age, odd ratio ( OR)=1.07, 95% CI: (1.01, 1.13), P=0.018), moderate[ OR=4.34, 95% CI: (1.03, 18.41), P=0.046] and severe hypolordosis [ OR=11.64, 95% CI: (1.30, 104.49), P=0.028] were significantly associated with the occurrence of ASDis. Conclusion:A significant association between postoperative RLL and occurrence of ASDis after lumbar fusion surgery were detected. Setting surgical goals according to RLL may help reduce the ASDis rate. However, LDI is not identified to be predictive factors of the occurrence of ASDis.