Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling in macrophages, promoting tissue inflammation. However, its role in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. Macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout mice were used to validate STING's pathological role in AMI. Cardiac and liver mtDNA were used to activate macrophages in co-culture systems with cardiomyocytes to assess fibrosis and hypertrophy. Panaxatriol saponin (PTS) was tested for its ability to block mtDNA-driven macrophage activation and subsequent cardiomyocyte damage. STING-PTS binding ability was analyzed. AMI rats received PTS to evaluate its effects on myocardial inflammation and ventricular remodeling. In vivo, macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout reduced myocardial inflammation and injury after AMI. In vitro, mtDNA-activated macrophages induced cardiomyocyte fibrosis and hypertrophy through STING signaling. PTS suppressed mtDNA-driven macrophage activation by directly binding STING, thereby blocking inflammatory cascades. In AMI rats, PTS treatment attenuated acute inflammation and reversed ventricular remodeling. These findings establish the mtDNA-STING axis in macrophages as a critical driver of post-AMI inflammation and identify pharmacological STING inhibition with PTS as a promising therapeutic strategy. The study bridges genetic validation with translational applications, highlighting macrophage STING as a novel target for ischemic heart disease management.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is the primary cause of drug-induced acute liver failure. Ovarian tumor deubiquitinase 6A (OTUD6A), a recently discovered deubiquitinase of the OTU family, has been primarily studied in tumor contexts. However, its role in APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the involvement of OTUD6A in the pathogenesis of AILI. Our findings demonstrated a substantial upregulation of OTUD6A in both the liver tissue and isolated hepatocytes of mice following APAP stimulation. OTUD6A knockout exacerbated APAP-induced inflammation, hepatocyte necrosis, and liver injury, whereas OTUD6A overexpression alleviated these pathologies. Mechanistically, OTUD6A directly interacted with the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and selectively removed K48-linked polyubiquitin chains from EZH2, enhancing its stability. This resulted in increased protein levels of EZH2 and H3K27me3, as well as reduced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell death in hepatocytes. Collectively, our research uncovers a novel role for OTUD6A in mitigating APAP-induced liver injury by promoting EZH2 stabilization.

Computational approaches, encompassing both physics-based and machine learning (ML) methodologies, have gained substantial traction in drug repurposing efforts targeting specific therapeutic entities. The human dopamine (DA) transporter (hDAT) is the primary therapeutic target of numerous psychiatric medications. However, traditional hDAT-targeting drugs, which interact with the primary binding site, encounter significant limitations, including addictive potential and stimulant effects. In this study, we propose an integrated workflow combining virtual screening based on weighted holistic atom localization and entity shape (WHALES) descriptors with in vitro experimental validation to repurpose novel hDAT-targeting drugs. Initially, WHALES descriptors facilitated a similarity search, employing four benztropine-like atypical inhibitors known to bind hDAT's allosteric site as templates. Consequently, from a compound library of 4,921 marketed and clinically tested drugs, we identified 27 candidate atypical inhibitors. Subsequently, ADMETlab was employed to predict the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of these candidates, while induced-fit docking (IFD) was performed to estimate their binding affinities. Six compounds were selected for in vitro assessments of neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitory activities. Among these, three exhibited significant inhibitory potency, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 0.753 μM, 0.542 μM, and 1.210 μM, respectively. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and end-point binding free energy analyses were conducted to elucidate and confirm the inhibitory mechanisms of the repurposed drugs against hDAT in its inward-open conformation. In conclusion, our study not only identifies promising active compounds as potential atypical inhibitors for novel therapeutic drug development targeting hDAT but also validates the effectiveness of our integrated computational and experimental workflow for drug repurposing.

Objective : To investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA LUCAT1 (lncRNA LUCAT1) on the biological behavior of MIA PaCa-2 in human pancreatic cancer cells , and to explore the potential role of LUCAT1 in the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer. Methods : The mutation and expression of LUCAT1 in pancreatic cancer were analyzed by GEPIA , the expression levels of LUCAT1 in human pancreatic ductal cells HPNE and hu- man pancreatic cancer cells were detected by q-PCR , and the expression and distribution of LUCAT1 in human pancreatic cancer tissues were detected by FISH . CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the effects of LUCAT1 on the proliferation , apoptosis , drug resistance , and migration of MIA PaCa-2 cells . Gene ensemble enrichment analysis was performed to compare the related signaling pathways involved in LUCAT1 , and Western blot assay was used to verify the protein expression level . Results : The results of GEPIA analysis showed that the expression level of LUCAT1 in human pancreatic cancer tissues was up-regulated , and the expression of LUCAT1 in human pancreatic cancer cells was significantly higher ( P < 0. 05 ) . Knockdown and overexpression of LUCAT1 could affect the proliferation , apoptosis , gemcitabine resistance , migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells , and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0. 05) . In addition , LUCAT1 affected p-Akt expression levels in pancreatic cancer and was inhibited after treatment with Akt inhibitor MK-2206 . Conclusion LUCAT1 regulates the malignant progression of MIA PaCa-2 in pancreatic cancer cells through the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Computational approaches,encompassing both physics-based and machine learning(ML)methodolo-gies,have gained substantial traction in drug repurposing efforts targeting specific therapeutic entities.The human dopamine(DA)transporter(hDAT)is the primary therapeutic target of numerous psychi-atric medications.However,traditional hDAT-targeting drugs,which interact with the primary binding site,encounter significant limitations,including addictive potential and stimulant effects.In this study,we propose an integrated workflow combining virtual screening based on weighted holistic atom localization and entity shape(WHALES)descriptors with in vitro experimental validation to repurpose novel hDAT-targeting drugs.Initially,WHALES descriptors facilitated a similarity search,employing four benztropine-like atypical inhibitors known to bind hDAT's allosteric site as templates.Consequently,from a compound library of 4,921 marketed and clinically tested drugs,we identified 27 candidate atypical inhibitors.Subsequently,ADMETlab was employed to predict the pharmacokinetic and toxi-cological properties of these candidates,while induced-fit docking(IFD)was performed to estimate their binding affinities.Six compounds were selected for in vitro assessments of neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibitory activities.Among these,three exhibited significant inhibitory potency,with half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of 0.753 μM,0.542 μM,and 1.210 μM,respectively.Finally,molecular dynamics(MD)simulations and end-point binding free energy analyses were con-ducted to elucidate and confirm the inhibitory mechanisms of the repurposed drugs against hDAT in its inward-open conformation.In conclusion,our study not only identifies promising active compounds as potential atypical inhibitors for novel therapeutic drug development targeting hDAT but also validates the effectiveness of our integrated computational and experimental workflow for drug repurposing.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between tropomodulin 3(TMOD3) and the malignant biological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma, and the predictive potential of TMOD3 as a biomarker for the recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Firstly, the structure of TMOD3 and its subcellular localization in cells and tissues were analyzed using database of Human Protein Atlas. Then explored the differential expression of TMOD3 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and normal liver tissues and its impact on clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis using TCGA and GEO datasets. Subsequently, the STRING database was utilized to explore the interacting proteins of TMOD3, followed by enrichment analysis conducted using the Metascape database. Finally, Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors for metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma and evaluated the importance of predictive variables using ROC curves and Wald tests. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier curve and the Log-rank test. Results: TMOD3 was localized to actin filaments in cells, and compared with normal tissues, the expression level of TMOD3 in liver cancer tissues is higher(P<0.05), and high expression of TMOD3 was closely related to lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients(P<0.05). Enrichment analysis results revealed that TMOD3 and its interacting proteins mainly function and signaling pathways related to tumor invasion and migration. Logistic regression found that TMOD3 was an independent risk factor for recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma(OR: 4.359, 95%CI: 1.235-15.384,P=0.022). Survival analysis revealed that high expression of TMOD3 was associated with poor OS, DFS, and RFS of hepatocellular carcinoma patients(P<0.05). Both ROC analysis and Wald test indicated that TMOD3 has good predictive characteristics for recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion TMOD3 is closely associated with the invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma and is an independent risk factor for the recurrence and metastasis of liver cancer. TMOD3 performs well in predicting the recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma and has the potential to become a biomarker for predicting the recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To evaluate the application value of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutri-tion(GLIM)criteria in the patients with gastric cancer radical surgery,and to explore the relationship be-tween the malnutrition defined by GLIM criteria and the prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer radical surgery.Methods A total of 150 gastric cancer patients receiving radical surgical resection in Zhejiang Provin-cial Tongde Hospital from January 2014 to December 2017 were selected as the study subjects.All the study subjects were diagnosed as malnutrition and graded by the severity of malnutrition.The effect of malnutrition defined by GLIM criteria on the prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer radical surgery was evaluated by the Kaplan Meier survival curve and Cox regression analysis.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of GLIM criteria on the postoperative survival rate of the pa-tients with gastric cancer radical surgery,and the corresponding area under the curve(AUC)was calculated,and the predictive value of inflammatory indicator C-reactive protein(CRP)addition on GLIM criteria in pre-dicting the prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer radical surgery was evaluated.Results Malnutrition diagnosed by GLIM criteria was an independent risk factor affecting the postoperative survival rate of the pa-tients with gastric cancer radical surgery.The results of survival trend analysis of various indicators in GLIM criteria showed that involuntary weight reduction(moderate malnutrition HR=14.13,95％CI:1.70-117.39,severe malnutrition HR=12.50,95％CI:1.40-111.89)and CRP＞10 mg/L(HR=9.70,95％CI:2.31-40.67)were the most important factors affecting the survival rate of the patients with gastric cancer radical surgery.In addition,the addition of inflammatory marker CRP could increase the sensitivity and speci-ficity of the GLIM model in predicting the postoperative survival rate of the patients with gastric cancer radical sur-gery.Conclusion The GLIM criteria can not only reflect the nutritional status of the patients with gastric cancer radi-cal surgery,but also serve as an effective predictive tool for predicting the survival rate after radical surgery.The addition of inflammatory marker CRP increases the sensitivity and specificity of GLIM criteria in predicting postoperative survival rate.

Objective To investigate the dynamic change of nutritional risk and malnutrition before op-eration and chemotherapy beginning and at the chemotherapy end in the patients with gastrointestinal malig-nant tumors.Methods The patients receiving gastrointestinal malignant tumors operation in Zhejiang Provin-cial Tongde Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022 were selected as the study subjects.The anthropo-metric measurement data,Karnofsky functional status(KPS)score change were recorded before operation and chemotherapy beginning and at the chemotherapeutic end.The nutritional risk screening 2002(NRS2002)and Global Leadership Initiative Consensus on Diagnostic Criteria for Malnutrition(GLIM)were adopted to evalu-ate the nutritional status of the patients.Results A total of 239 patients were included,there were 221 cases(92.47％)of nutritional risk before the chemotherapeutic beginning,206 cases(86.19％)of GLIM standard malnutrition,71 cases(29.70％)of moderate malnutrition and 135 cases(56.49％)of severe malnutrition in GLIM classification evaluation.At the chemotherapeutic end,there were 182 cases(76.15％)of nutritional risk,181 cases(73.75％)of GLIM standard malnutrition,52 cases(21.76％)of moderate malnutrition and 129 cases(53.97％)of severe malnutrition in GLIM classification evaluation.The screening rate of nutritional risk and malnutrition at the chemotherapeutic end were significant higher than those before operation and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).The levels of total protein,albumin,leukocyte count,neu-trophile granulocyte,hemoglobin and platelet count at the chemotherapeutic end were decreased compared with those before operation with statistical difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion The nutritional risk and malnu-trition incidence rate in the patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors are high,moreover which at the chemotherapeutic end are higher than those before operation.

Objective To explore the value of preoperative nutritional risk screening and malnutrition on postoperative prediction in the patients with gastrointestinal tract malignant tumor.Methods A total of 428 patients with gastrointestinal tract malignant tumors receiving elective operation in the gastrointestinal surgery department and proctology department of this hospital from January 2017 to October 2023 were se-lected as the study subjects.The patients were classified by postoperative complications Clavien-Dindo classifi-cation and divided into non-complication group(n=288)and complication group(n=140)according to whether or not having complications.The Nutritional Risk Screening 2002(NRS2002)and Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition(GLIM)were adopted to evaluate the nutritional status of the patients.The postop-erative complications during the hospitalization period,hospitalization duration,hospitalization expenses,30 d and 60 d non-planed readmission were recorded.Results Compared with the non-complication group,the age,complications ≥2,NRS2002 score ≥3 points,severe malnutrition proportion,urea level,hospitalization dura-tion,hospitalization expenses,ICU admission ratio,30 d and 60 d non-planned readmission rate in the compli-cation group were higher,BMI,KPS score,albumin,total calcium,low density lipoprotein,RBC count,Hb and HCT level were lower,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The logistic regression a-nalysis results showed that after adjusting the relevant confounding factors,nutritional risk in NRS2002 screening,malnutrition in GLIM assessment and moderate to severe malnutrition in GLIM classification were all risk factors for postoperative complications occurrence in the patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors(P＜0.05).None of them were the risk factors for unplanned readmission on 30,60 d(P＞0.05).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis results showed that the arae under the curve(AUC)of NRS2002 was greater than that of GLIM(0.733 vs.0.704),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison among the GLIM grading(0.710)in NRS2002 and GLIM(P＞0.05).Conclusion The predictive ability of NRS2002 for postoperative complications in the patients with gastrointestinal tract maliganat tumors is slightly superior to that of GLIM.

Objective To determine whether four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 2(FHL2)can affect macrophage foa-ming by regulating nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods FHL2 over-expression plasmids and siRNA of FHL2 were constructed and transfected into human monocyte/macrophages cell line THP-1.Western blot was used to detect the expression of FHL2.The cells were stimulated with oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)and the expression of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and other cytokines were detected by ELISA.Oil red O staining was used to detect the degree of cell foaming.The protein expression of NF-κB signaling pathway was detected by Western blot.Results The expression of FHL2 increased after transfected with FHL2 over-expression plasmids while decreased in si-FLH2 transfected cells.FHL2 down-regulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines.Down-regulation of FHL2 allevi-ated THP-1 macrophage foaming.The down-regulation of FHL2 inhibited activation of NF-κB signaling pathway,while the over-expression FHL2 showed an opposite trend.Conclusions FHL2 down-regulation inhibits the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway,reduces the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and alleviates foaming of macrophages.