Fifty whitespotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium playgiosum) of both sexes were used to establish a large capacity variable domain of the new antigen receptor (VNAR) library with a total capacity of over 10⁹ colony-forming units (CFU). It was applied to screen VNARs against human serum albumin (HSA) and human transcription factor EB (TFEB), respectively. Meanwhile, VNAR libraries specific to HSA and TFEB with capacities above 10⁸ CFU were obtained following conventional immunization. These two approaches were systematically studied in terms of VNAR yield and composition. By comparing the VNAR sequences obtained from naïve and antigen-immunized libraries, we found that the complementary-determining region 3 (CDR3) of the former differs in composition from that of the latter. It shares a higher degree of homology with the naïve library. Meanwhile, the binding efficiency assessed by ELISA is also different between the naïve and antigen-immunized libraries. The binding of VNARs from the TFEB-immunized library appeared to surpass that observed with the naïve libraries, whereas the performance of VNARs from the HSA-immunized library indicated that both the immunized and naïve libraries for HSA had positive binding responses in polyclonal and monoclonal ELISA. The results are useful to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic products based on shark VNARs.

Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ), a protein essential for bacterial cell division, is highly conserved across bacterial species but absent in humans, positioning it as a strategic target for the development of antibiotics. Significant efforts to identify FtsZ inhibitors-via biochemical assays (e.g., GTPase activity) and cellular approaches (e.g., immunofluorescence)-have yielded over 100 natural products and synthetic compounds, whose cheminformatics clustering underscores a limited chemical diversity among the current scaffolds. Structural studies, including X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, have resolved 97 FtsZ structures revealing conserved polymerization mechanisms and conformational plasticity, as exemplified by extremophile adaptations (e.g., Shewanella benthica from the high-pressure environment of the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep). However, clinical translation is hindered by weak binding affinities, inhibitory inefficacy, dynamic conformational flexibility, and evolving drug resistance linked to FtsZ's functional plasticity. To address these challenges, future efforts should be directed to resolve transient assembly intermediates, leveraging machine learning with high-throughput screening, and integrating structural biology with pharmacokinetic optimization. Multidisciplinary strategies combining these approaches hold promise for translating FtsZ-focused research into clinically viable therapies, addressing the critical unmet need posed by antibiotics resistance.

Bombesin receptor subtype-3 (BRS3) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays critical roles in energy homeostasis, glucose metabolism, and insulin secretion. Recent structural studies have elucidated BRS3 signaling mechanisms using synthetic ligands, including BA1 and MK-5046. However, the molecular basis of BRS3 activation by bioactive natural compounds and their derivatives, particularly those derived from traditional Chinese medicine, remains unclear. Here, we present high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the human BRS3-G_q complex in both unliganded and active states bound by two herb-derived compounds (DSO-5a and oridonin), at resolutions of 2.9, 2.8, and 2.9 Å, respectively. These structures display distinct ligand recognition patterns between DSO-5a and oridonin. Although both compounds bind to the orthosteric pocket, they differentially engage the interaction network of BRS3, as demonstrated by mutagenesis studies assessing calcium mobilization and inositol phosphate 1 (IP1) accumulation. These findings enhance our understanding of BRS3 activation and provide valuable insights into the development of small-molecule BRS3 modulators with therapeutic potential.

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the etiology and progression of various diseases. In traditional Chinese medicine, the whole plants of Thesium chinense Turcz. and its preparations (e.g. Bairui Granules) have been employed to manage inflammatory conditions. While flavonoids were previously considered the primary anti-inflammatory components, other potentially active constituents have been largely overlooked and not thoroughly investigated. This study presents a novel finding that the total alkaloids of T. chinense (BC-Alk) are potent active substances underlying the traditional and clinical applications of T. chinense and Bairui Granules as anti-inflammatory agents. UPLC-MS/MS analysis identified the composition of BC-Alk as quinolizidine alkaloids. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of BC-Alk was evaluated using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation model in mice. Results demonstrated that BC-Alk significantly mitigated LPS-induced lung inflammation, attenuated the overproduction of IL-1β and the overproduction of inflammatory factors (TNF-α), and ameliorated lung tissue hyperplasia in mice in vivo. Mechanistic studies in vitro revealed that BC-Alk upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream proteins NQO1 and glutamate-cystine ligase and modifier subunit (GCLM), inhibited NF-κB phosphorylation, and suppressed NLRP3 activation. Collectively, these findings indicate that BC-Alk exerts potent inhibitory effects against lung inflammation by modulating Nrf2, NF-κB, and NLRP3 pathways. This study provides new insights into the anti-inflammatory constituents of T. chinense and Bairui Granules.
Animals ; Lipopolysaccharides/adverse effects* ; Alkaloids/pharmacology* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Pneumonia/genetics*

Objective To investigate the effect of exosomal miR-146a-5p expression on gray matter volume in patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).Methods A total of 113 MDD patients(MDD group)and 107 healthy controls(HC)(HC group)were selected.Peripheral blood was collected and exosomes were isolated to quantify miR-146a-5p expression.Brain high-resolution T1 WI images of MDD and HC were obtained via MR,and gray matter volume was computed via SPM12 software.The interaction effect of"Depression×miR-146a-5p expression"on gray matter volume was analyzed using SPM's Flexible factorial design,and the between-group difference was assessed by extracting the mean value,thus to analyze whether MDD-related gray matter volume abnormalities were dependent on miR-146a-5p expression.Results Exosomal miR-146a-5p expression was significantly elevated in MDD group compared to HC group.Voxel-based factorial analysis revealed a relationship between high miR-146a-5p expression in MDD group and reduced gray matter volume in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices(independent voxel threshold P＜0.001,AlphaSim corrected),and a significantly reduced gray matter volume as compared with HC group was detected in the two regions.Conclusion The exosomal miR-146a-5p is overexpressed in patients with MDD and may be associated with specific cortical atrophy in patients with MDD.

Objective:To investigate the learning curve of laparoscopic transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) for rectal cancer operated by one or two surgery teams.Methods:The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Based on the concept of real-world research, the clinical data of 1 458 patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from 44 medical centers who were registered in the Chinese taTME registry collaborative (CTRC) database from May 2010 to May 2020 were collected. The 1 458 patients were divided into cohorts with one surgery team or two surgery teams according to the operation method. Patients with one surgery team underwent taTME by transabdominal operation and then by transanal operation. Patients with two surgery teams underwent taTME by transabdominal and transanal operation simultaneously with duration of the simutaneous operation time ≥30 minutes. The entire surgical process of patients with two surgery teams is not required to be performed by two surgery teams simutaneously. The clinical data were collected from the medical centers with similar operation amount according to the operation time sequence to analyze the difference between different operation stages and explore the learning curve. The operation time was taken as the parameter to carry out cumulative sum analysis and draw the learning curve of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME in each medical center. The clinicopathological characteristics of patients from two medical centers with the largest difference in learning curves were analyzed. Observation indicators: (1) screening results of clinical data; (2) clinical data collection of patients with one surgery team; (3) surgical situations of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from the one surgery team in different operation stages; (4) learning curve of the one surgery team; (5) clinical data collection of patients with two surgery teams; (6) surgical situations of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from the two surgery teams; (7) learning curve of the two surgery teams. The cumulative sum was calculated by the CUSUM=∑i=1nXi-U, where Xi represented the operation time of each taTME, U represented the average operation time of all cases, and n represented the operation number. Fitting process was conducted on scatter plot of learning curves. Taking the apex of learning curve as the boundary, the learning curve was divided into two stages. The abscissa corresponding to the apex of learning curve was the number of operations that needed to be performed to cross the learning curve. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD. Comparison between two groups was conducted using the t test and comparison between multiple groups was conducted using the ANOVA. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( P25,P75), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the rank sum test. Count data were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Results:(1) Screening results of clinical data:the clinical data of 661 patients from 7 medical centers with one surgery team and two surgery teams were collected. (2) Clinical data collection of patients with one surgery team: the clinical data of 312 patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from 5 medical centers were collected including 42 cases in the number 2 medical center, 97 cases in the number 20 medical center, 82 cases in the number 33 medical center, 35 cases in the number 37 medical center and 56 cases in the number 39 medical center, respectively. (3) Surgical situations of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from the one surgery team in different operation stages: three medical centers including the number 2, number 37 and number 39 medical center with close operation volume provided the clinical data of cases distributed in five operation stages. Among the five operation stages, the proportion of high-quality operation of total mesorectal excision (TME) was ≥17/18, the incidence of postoperative complications was ≤13.3%(4/30) and the incidence of anastomotic leakage was ≤10.0%(3/30). There was no significant difference in the TME quality, postoperative complications or anastomotic leakage among the five operation stages ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the operation time among the five operation stages ( χ2=6.950, P>0.05). (4) Learning curve of the one surgery team: the number of operations corresponding to the turning point of learning curve in number 2 and number 20 medical center was 22 and 39, respectively. The number of operations corresponding to the turning points of learning curve in number 33 and number 37 medical center was 15, 66 and 10, 28, respectively. The number of operations corresponding to the turning point of learning curve in number 39 medical center was 20. The overall curve of number 20 medical center was in line with the trend of learning curve and 39 cases of operations was the minimum number needed to cross the learning curve. The biggest difference in learning curve was shown between the number 20 and number 33 medical center. Cases with the gender of male or female, age, body mass index, cases classified as stage 1, stage 2, stage 3 or stage 4 of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Classification, cases with neoadjuvant therapy, duration of postoperative hospital stay of the number 20 medical center were 77, 20, (60±10)years, 24 kg/m 2(22 kg/m 2, 26 kg/m 2), 1, 88, 8, 0, 8, 8, 11 days (9 days, 13 days), respectively, versus 51, 31, (64±11)years, 23 kg/m 2(21 kg/m 2, 26 kg/m 2), 0, 35, 43, 1, 31, 16 days (13 day, 21 day) of number 33 medical center, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two medical centers ( χ2 =6.442, t=-2.265, Z=-2.032, -6.870, χ2 =22.120, Z=-8.408, P<0.05). (5) Clinical data collection of the two surgery teams: the clinical data of 259 patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from 5 medical centers were collected, including 46 cases in the number 2 medical center, 47 cases in the number 8 medical center, 78 cases in the number 18 medical center, 43 cases in the number 33 medical center and 45 cases in the number 44 medical center, respectively. (6) Surgical situations of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME from the two surgery teams: four medical centers including the number 2, number 8, number 33 and number 44 medical center with close operation volume provided the clinical data of cases distributed in four operation stages. Among the four operation stages, the proportion of high-quality operation of TME was ≥50.0%(13/26), the incidence of postoperative complications was ≤35.0%(14/40) and the incidence of anastomotic leakage was ≤22.5%(9/40). There was no significant difference in the TME quality, postoperative complications or operation time among the four operation stages ( χ2 =3.252, 4.733, 8.848, P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the incidence of anastomotic leakage among the four operation stages ( P<0.05). (7) Learning curve of the two surgery teams: the number of operations corresponding to the turning point of learning curve in number 2 and number 8 medical center was 28 and 16, respectively. The number of operations corresponding to the turning points of learning curve in number 18, number 33 and number 44 medical center was 12 and 58, 10 and 36, 14 and 36, respectively. The overall curve of number 2 medical center was in line with the trend of learning curve and 28 cases of operations was the minimum number needed to cross the learning curve. The biggest difference in learning curve was shown between the number 2 and number 33 medical center. The age and cases with tumor in stage T0 and (or) Tis, stage T1, stage T2, stage T3 or stage T4 of the T staging of the number 2 and number 33 medical center were (60±12)years, 3, 1, 9, 11, 20 and (65±10)years, 2, 3, 22, 15, 0, respectively, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two medical centers ( t=-2.280, Z=-4.033, P<0.05). Conclusion:Thirty-nine cases of operations was the minimum number for the one surgery team to cross the learning curve of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME and 28 cases of operations was the minimum number for the two surgery teams to cross the learning curve of laparoscopic rectal cancer taTME.

Objective:To investigate the short term efficacy of laparoscopic assisted transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) for low rectal cancer.Methods:The prospective study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 80 patients who underwent laparoscopic assisted taTME for low rectal cancer in 8 medical centers，including 27 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University，16 cases in the Daping Hospital of Army Medical University，15 cases in the Beijing Friendship Hospital of Capital Medical University，10 cases in the Peking University Cancer Hospital，7 cases in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences，2 cases in the Peking University People′s Hospital，2 cases in the Liaoning Cancer Hospital Institute，1 case in the Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine，from August 2017 to September 2018 were collected. Observation indicators：(1) clinical data of enrolled patients；(2) surgical situations；(3) postoperative histopathological examination；(4)postoperative complications and hospitalization. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers and (or) percentages. Results:(1) Clinical data of enrolled patients：a total of 80 patients were selected for eligibility. There were 59 males and 21 females，aged from 53 to 79 years，with a median age of 61 years. (2）Surgical situations：all 80 patients underwent surgery successfully，including 73 cases undergoing low anterior resection，4 cases undergoing Hartmann operation，1 case undergoing intersphincteric and abdominoperineal resection，1 case undergoing other operations and 1 case missing operation information. Nineteen of the 80 patients underwent transabdominal and transanal operations simultaneously. The operation time of 80 patients was 255 minutes (range，211?305 minutes). Of 80 patients，77 cases had the volume of intraoperative blood loss ≤500 mL，3 cases had the volume of intraoperative blood loss >500 mL，44 cases underwent instrumental anastomosis，24 cases underwent manual anastomosis，12 cases were missing anastomosis information，66 cases had specimens been taken out through anus，2 cases had specimens been taken out through Pfannens-tiel incision，10 cases had specimens been taken out through other ways，2 cases were missing the information of specimens removal ways，57 cases underwent preventive stoma，32 cases under-went anal canal indwelling，30 cases underwent free of splenic flexure and 2 cases were converted to open surgery. (3) Postoperative histopathological examination：of 80 patients，68 cases had the integrity of mesorectal specimens with complete，5 cases had the integrity of mesorectal specimens with near complete，1 case had the integrity of mesorectal specimens with not complete，6 cases were missing the information of integrity of mesorectal specimens，1 case had rectal perforation，1 case had positive circumferential margin and 1 case had positive distal margin. The number of lymph node dissected and diameter of tumor were 12(range，9?16) and 3.0 cm(range，1.9?4.0 cm) of 80 patients. Four of 80 patients achieved pathological complete remission. Cases with tumor stage as T0 stage，Tis stage，T1 stage，T2 stage，T3 stage or T4 stage of the pT staging，cases with tumor stage as N0 stage，N1 stage or N2 stage of the pN staging，cases with tumor stage as M0 stage or M1 stage of the pM staging were 4，2，11，24，35，4，55，21，4，75，5 of 80 patients. (4) Postopera-tive complications and hospitalization：8 of 80 patients underwent anastomotic leakage，including 2 cases with grade A anastomotic leakage，4 cases with grade B anastomotic leakage and 2 cases with grade C anastomotic leakage.Seven of 80 patients underwent intestinal obstruction. The 2 cases with grade A anastomotic leakage were improved after symptomatic drug treatment，the 4 cases with grade B anastomotic leakage were improved after treatment with antibiotics or catheter drainage and the 2 cases with grade C anastomotic leakage were improved after operation. The duration of hospital stay of 80 patients was 14 days(range，11?21 days). No patient died during hospitalization.Conclusion:Laparoscopic assisted taTME for low rectal cancer is safe and feasible，which has a good short term efficacy.

Objective:To study the relationship between zoledronic acid (ZOL) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) conformation so as to reveal the mechanism of bisphosphonates inhibiting angiogenesis.Methods:The binding structures of ZOL and VEGF were preprocessed and the molecular dockings were simulated through AutoDockTools, Discovery studio4 and AutoDockVina. The best binding conformation was accurately screened. The effects of various concentrations of ZOL (group A was 0 μmol/L, groups B, C and D were 25, 50 and 100 μmol/L, respectively) on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, angiogenesis and angiogenic molecules were detected by using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) in vivo and in vitro angiogenesis, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Results:There was a ZOL binding site on the target protein VEGF conformation. The affinity was -5.2 kcal/mol. This binding site consisted of the hydrophobic region composed of amino acids Cys26, 51, 57, etc. and the hydrogen bond binding region of the A chain (ASP34, SER50) and B chain (CYS61, 68, LEU66, GLY59). The results of CCK-8 showed that the levels of value A in groups B, C and D were significantly lower than that in group A at each time point from 3 to 6 days ( P<0.05). In vitro vascular experiments demonstrated that the numbers of budding in groups B, C and D [(208±28), (151±21) and (62±9), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (276±30) ( P<0.05). In vivo vascular experiments displayed that the ratio of Matrigel gel/plasma fluorescence in group A (0.003 1±0.000 3) was significantly higher than those in group B (0.002 1±0.000 2), group C (0.001 6±0.000 2) and group D (0.000 6±0.000 1) ( P<0.05). The results of Western blotting revealed that the expression of VEGF in groups B, C and D [(0.72±0.11), (0.41±0.07) and (0.24±0.04), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (1.01±0.02) ( P<0.05), and the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in groups B, C and D [(0.68±0.09), (0.55±0.06) and (0.43±0.08), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (0.96±0.04) ( P<0.05). Conclusions:ZOL could inhibit cell proliferation, in vivo and in vitro vascularization and expression of VEGF/HIF-1α. The binding site of ZOL with the conformation of VEGF was located in the hydrophobic region and hydrogen-bonding region of amino acids. Designing an antagonist targeting this site might potentially alleviate the effect of ZOL in inhibiting angiogenesis.