Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pathogen-associated biomarkers is vital for the early diagnosis and therapy of bacterial infections. Herein, we developed a close-packed and ordered Au@AgPt array coupled with a cascade triggering strategy for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and colorimetric identification of the Staphylococcus aureus biomarker micrococcal nuclease (MNase) in serum samples. The trimetallic Au@AgPt nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) molecules to SERS-enhanced oxidized TMB (oxTMB), accompanied by the color change from colorless to blue. In the presence of S. aureus, the secreted MNase preferentially cut the nucleobase AT-rich regions of DNA sequences on magnetic beads (MBs) to release alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which subsequently mediated the oxTMB reduction for inducing the colorimetric/SERS signal fade away. Using this "on-to-off" triggering strategy, the target S. aureus can be recorded in a wide linear range with a limit of detection of 38 CFU/mL in the colorimetric mode and 6 CFU/mL in the SERS mode. Meanwhile, the MNase-mediated strategy characterized by high specificity and sensitivity successfully discriminated between patients with sepsis (n = 7) and healthy participants (n = 3), as well as monitored the prognostic progression of the disease (n = 2). Overall, benefiting from highly active and dense "hot spot" substrate, MNase-mediated cascade response strategy, and colorimetric/SERS dual-signal output, this methodology will offer a promising avenue for the early diagnosis of S. aureus infection.

Objective To map the genome-wide distribution profile of histone H3K27me3 modification in diffuse gastric cancer tissues,identify target genes regulated by H3K27me3,and primarily explore the potential mechanism of its modification reprogramming in the occurrence and development of the tumor.Methods Normal gastric mucosal tissues and diffuse gastric cancer tissues were harvested from the patients who underwent examinations or treatments in the departments of gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery of our medical center between 2021 and 2023.There were 14 patients in the normal group(6 males and 8 females,average age of 46 years)and 14 patients in the gastric cancer group(8 males and 6 females,average age of 63 years).Cleavage under target and tagmentation(CUT&Tag)technology was employed to capture genomic regions modified by H3K27me3,and analyze the reprogramming characteristics of these modifications.RNA sequencing data,data from high-throughput chromosome conformation capture(Hi-C)technology,and publicly available single-cell data were integrated to investigate the target genes regulated by the reprogramming of H3K27me3 modifications in diffuse gastric cancer cells.Results The quality of the CUT&Tag and RNA sequencing data met the standards required for subsequent analysis.Histone H3K27me3 modifications in normal gastric mucosa and diffuse gastric cancer tissues were primarily distributed in distal intergenic regions and intronic regions.In gastric cancer tissues,compared to normal tissues,there was significant reprogramming of H3K27me3 modifications,characterized by a marked reduction in overall H3K27me3 signal intensity.The loss of 2 912 H3K27me3 signal peaks might lead to the up-regulation of 822 tumor-associated genes.Among them,56 genes displayed the most significant up-regulation(fold change in signal intensity≥2,P<0.05),with notable enrichment in the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1(mTORC1)signaling pathway.Specifically,the methionine transporter SLC7A5 and the cystine transporter SLC7A11 were found to have the highest expression levels in gastric cancer tissues.Single-cell data revealed that the abnormal overexpression of SLC7A11 in diffuse gastric cancer was primarily observed in tumor epithelial cells.Further validation using public data and immunohistochemical experiments confirmed the elevated expression of SLC7A11 in diffuse gastric cancer,which is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients.Conclusion The reprogramming of histone H3K27me3 modification is an important epigenetic characteristic in diffuse gastric cancer.Loss of H3K27me3 signal peaks may up-regulate the expression of SLC7A11 in diffuse gastric cancer cells,and thereby promote tumor progression.

Objective To analyze clinical characteristics of mesenchymal-subtype gastric cancer(Mes-GC)by integrating multi-omics data and explore the characteristics of tumor cells and microenvironment associated with the risk for recurrence.Methods Gastric tumor tissue samples were collected from the patients who visited Department of Gastroenterology of Army Medical Center of PLA from January 2022 to December 2023.Transcriptome and genome sequencing were applied for these tissue samples,including 19 cases of diffuse-type gastric cancer,22 cases of intestinal-type gastric cancer,and 23 cases of mixed-type gastric cancer patients.Bioinformatics analysis was employed to investigate the differences in clinical characteristics and tumor microenvironment between Mes-GC and non-mesenchymal-subtype gastric cancer(non-Mes-GC)by integrating data resources including The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA),Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO),and National Genomics Data Center(NGDC).Results Compared to non-Mes-GC patients,Mes-GC ones were characterized by later clinical stages,deeper tumor infiltration,and higher rates of lymph node metastasis.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis confirmed that Mes-GC patients were associated with shorter survival time,poor prognosis as well as increased risk of cancer recurrence(P<0.05).Single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed that tumor cells in Mes-GC showed higher expression levels of the genes related to stemness,metastasis(P<0.05),and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT).And in the tumor microenvironment,there were significant more myeloid cells,smooth muscle cells,endothelial cells and fibroblasts,with the most pronounced elevation in the proportion of fibroblasts(P<0.05).Moreover,the patients with larger proportion of fibroblasts were associated with poorer prognosis.Conclusion Mes-GC tumor cells exhibit higher stemness and EMT characteristics,and stromal cells such as myeloid cells,endothelial cells,and fibroblasts are enriched in the tumor microenvironment.These features may be key factors contributing to poor prognosis and high recurrence rate of Mes-GC.

Objective     To explore the correlation between the quantitative and qualitative features of CT images and the invasiveness of pulmonary ground-glass nodules, providing reference value for preoperative planning of patients with ground-glass nodules. Methods    The patients with ground-glass nodules who underwent surgical treatment and were diagnosed with pulmonary adenocarcinoma from September 2020 to July 2022 at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were collected. Based on the pathological diagnosis results, they were divided into two groups: a non-invasive adenocarcinoma group with in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, and an invasive adenocarcinoma group. Imaging features were collected, and a univariate logistic regression analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of the patients. Variables with statistical difference were selected for multivariate logistic regression analysis to establish a predictive model of invasive adenocarcinoma based on independent risk factors. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity were calculated based on the Youden index. Results     A total of 555 patients were collected. The were 310 patients in the non-invasive adenocarcinoma group, including 235 females and 75 males, with a meadian age of 49 (43, 58) years, and 245 patients in the invasive adenocarcinoma group, including 163 females and 82 males, with a meadian age of 53 (46, 61) years. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that the maximum diameter (OR=4.707, 95%CI 2.060 to 10.758), consolidation/tumor ratio (CTR, OR=1.027, 95%CI 1.011 to 1.043), maximum CT value (OR=1.025, 95%CI 1.004 to 1.047), mean CT value (OR=1.035, 95%CI 1.008 to 1.063), spiculation sign (OR=2.055, 95%CI 1.148 to 3.679), and vascular convergence sign (OR=2.508, 95%CI 1.345 to 4.676) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of invasive adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). Based on the independent predictive factors, a predictive model of invasive adenocarcinoma was constructed. The formula for the model prediction was: Logit(P)=–1.293+1.549×maximum diameter of lesion+0.026×CTR+0.025×maximum CT value+0.034×mean CT value+0.72×spiculation sign+0.919×vascular convergence sign. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.910 (95%CI 0.885 to 0.934), indicating that the model had good discrimination ability. The calibration curve showed that the predictive model had good calibration, and the decision analysis curve showed that the model had good clinical utility. Conclusion     The predictive model combining quantitative and qualitative features of CT has a good predictive ability for the invasiveness of ground-glass nodules. Its predictive performance is higher than any single indicator.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. One important aspect of ALS pathogenesis is superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutant-mediated mitochondrial toxicity, leading to apoptosis in neurons. This study aimed to evaluate the neural protective synergistic effects of ginsenosides Rg1 (G-Rg1) and conditioned medium (CM) on a mutational SOD1 cell model, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. We found that the contents of nerve growth factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor significantly increased in CM after human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) were exposed to neuron differentiation reagents for seven days. CM or G-Rg1 decreased the apoptotic rate of SOD1^G93A-NSC34 cells to a certain extent, but their combination brought about the least apoptosis, compared with CM or G-Rg1 alone. Further research showed that the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 was upregulated in all the treatment groups. Proteins associated with mitochondrial apoptotic pathways, such as Bax, caspase 9 (Cas-9), and cytochrome c (Cyt c), were downregulated. Furthermore, CM or G-Rg1 also inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway by reducing the phosphorylation of p65 and IκBα. CM/G-Rg1 or their combination also reduced the apoptotic rate induced by betulinic acid (BetA), an agonist of the NF-κB signaling pathway. In summary, the combination of CM and G-Rg1 effectively reduced the apoptosis of SOD1^G93A-NSC34 cells through suppressing the NF-κB/Bcl-2 signaling pathway (Fig. 1 is a graphical representation of the abstract).
Humans ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics* ; Culture Media, Conditioned/pharmacology* ; Superoxide Dismutase-1 ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Apoptosis

Objective: Through the bibliometrics analysis, to understand the research status quo and trend of the application of gamification in health management. Methods: Based on the Web of Science Core Collection, We retrieved the article, review and proceedings paper published from 1900 to 2018 and analyzed literature retrieved in term of document types, publication years, authors, and funding agencies. In addition, VOSviewer1.6.9 was used for visualization analysis of keywords and countries/regions. Results: A total of 364 pieces of literature were retrieved, of which 177 (48.63%) pieces were article. Since 2013, the number of literature has shown an upward trend at a rapid speed. However, only 16.48% of the literature were published by high productivity authors, which means a core group of authors has not yet formed in this research direction. The United States published the most literature, 89 pieces. Seven of the top ten funding agencies by volume were belong to the United Kingdom. However, only 10 pieces of literature were published by China. A total of 55 high-frequency keywords were included in this study, forming 5 research topics: physical activities management of adolescent based on mobile devices; internet-based behavior and mental health management for older-adults; design and application of fitness games; intervention and promotion of youth health behavior; the application of mobile health in adult self-management. The new high frequency keywords included older-adults, adults, mental health etc. Conclusion The application of gamification in health management is in its infancy, but it develops rapidly. European and American countries are in a leading position, while China is relatively backward. The research topics tend to be diversified and gamification is initially applied to the older-adults, adults and mental health management. In the future, the application scope of gamification in health management should be further expanded and effectively combined gamification with mHealth.

Objective To evaluate the regulatory role of azithromycin-induced persistent Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection in the apoptosis of Hela229 cells.Methods Hela229 cells were firstly co-cultured with Ct for 22 hours,and then cultured with Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 0.08 mg/L azithromycin for 26 hours to establish a cell model of persistent Ct infection (persistent infection group).These infected Hela229 cells cultured with azithromycin-free DMEM served as a cell model of acute Ct infection (acute infection group).After 48-hour infection with Ct,azithromycin was removed,and infected Hela229 cells in the above 2 groups were successively cultured with DMEM for the resurgence of Ct.Immunofluorescence assay and electron microscopy were performed to verify the persistent Ct infection model.The Hela229 cells in the persistent infection group and acute infection group as well as uninfected Hela229 cells (control group) were treated with staurosporine (STS) for 4 hours to induce the apoptosis,and then cell apoptosis was detected by Hoechst 33258 staining,annexin V/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry.Results After the treatment with azithromycin,atypical inclusions with aberrant reticulate bodies appeared in the Ct-infected cells.After removing azithromycin,cells were cultured until 96 hours after infection,and infectious elementary bodies reappeared in the Ct inclusions.After the treatment with STS,Hoechst staining showed that there was loose chromatin in the persistently infected cells,while chromatin condensation was observed in the uninfected cells.After 24-hour infection with Ct and 4-hour induction with STS,the apoptosis rate was significantly higher in the persistent infection group (45.567％ ± 2.631％) than in the acute infection group (38.567％ ± 1.701％,t =2.686,P =0.028),but significantly lower in the persistent infection group than in the uninfected group (69.800％ ± 2.835％,t =8.187,P ＜ 0.001).After 48-hour infection with Ct and 4-hour induction with STS,there was a significant difference in the apoptosis rate between the persistent infection group (46.700％ ± 5.257％) and acute infection group (61.767％ ± 1.815％,t =5.781,P ＜ 0.001),as well as between the persistent infection group and the uninfected group (68.667％ ± 3.156％,t =7.421,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion This study showed that azithromycin-induced persistent Ct infection regulated the apoptosis of host cells,and this effect lasted 48 hours.

Objective To study the protective effect of a mixed recombinant Bifidobacterium (Bb) vaccine of Taenia solium in piglets. Methods Healthy piglets of 40 days old were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, 4 in each group. Experimental group was given 1011 CFU rBb-TSO45W-4B vaccine and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine (in the ratio of 1 : 1). Control group was given Bb liquid medium (MRS). A total of two times of immunization were conducted, once for every two weeks. At different time points after immunization, the serum was separated from precaval vein blood to detect the level of IgG by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Piglets were challenged with Taenia solium eggs on the 4th week after the last immunization and killed 3 months after infection. The cysticerci were separated to count and calculate the reduction rate of cysticerci. Blood from precaval vein was collected to separate serum and prepare peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBMC). The levels of IgG,IgG1 and IgG2a in serum sampl es and the levels of interleukin ( IL )-2 , interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-4 and IL-10 in PBMC culture supernatant were determined by ELISA. The level of PBMC proliferation was tested using methyltetrazolium (MTT) assay. Results In experimental group, the level of serum IgG increased from the 2nd to the 8th weeks after immunization, and reached the highest level on the 4th week after immunization (mg/L:270 . 64 ± 1 . 94 vs 207.74 ± 2.24, t=42.479, P<0.05). Reduction rate of cysticercus was 80.48%. Compared with control group, the levels of IgG and IgG2a in serum were significantly increased, while the level of IgG1 was significantly decreased (mg/L: 364.15 ± 11.52 vs 245.94 ± 8.81, 89.74 ± 1.13 vs 62.61 ± 0.84, 20.52 ± 1.00 vs 34.11 ± 0.65, t=16.303, 38.579, - 22.772, P < 0.05). The levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in PBMC culture supernatant were significantly increased, while the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly decreased (ng/L:215.24 ± 3.31 vs 174.19 ± 2.14, 28.21 ± 0.27 vs 17.69 ± 0.28, 40.35 ± 0.34 vs 52.57 ± 0.29, 71.34 ± 0.36 vs 94.82 ± 0.45, t =20.839, 53.623,-54.743,- 81.266, P<0.05). The level of PBMC proliferation was significantly increased (0.620 ± 0.051 vs 0.242 ± 0.053, t=10.259, P<0.05). Conclusions It is concluded that the mixed rBb vaccine of Taenia solium might give piglets a certain protection. Th1 type immune response plays an important role in the protection.

Objective To explore the association between diabetes mellitus type Ⅱ (DM) and deglutition function of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.Methods Seventy-five ALS patients older than 45 years and admitted to our hospital from August 2008 to November 2015 were selected into this study;67 of them were without DM and 8 were with DM.Water swallow test,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis severity scale-swallow (s-ALSSS),amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale (ALSFR-R) and videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFS) were performed to evaluate the deglutition functions of these ALS patients with or without DM,and the results of the two groups were compared.Results (1) Patients with DM had significantly higher s-ALSSS scores,ingurgitation part in ALSFRS-R scores and in parts of VFS scores,such as transportation to pharyngeal,pharyngeal transit,flow into pharyngeal before reflexion,epiglottic vallecula residue,and piriform sinus residue than patients without DM (8.88±1.34 vs.7.54±1.47,3.50±0.54 vs.2.96±0.77,2.88±0.35 vs.2.16±0.69,2.75±0.46 vs.2.09±0.69,2.88±0.35 vs.2.42±0.56,2.88±0.35 vs.2.39±0.58,P＜0.05).(2) Scores of Kubota drinking test,ALSFRS-R,VGF (including oral phase,pharyngeal phase and aspiration degree) in patients without DM were 2.15±1.12,7.18±1.41(1.78±0.69,1.69±0.60 and 3.72±0.65),and those in patients with DM were 1.88±1.34,8.00±0.93(2.13±0.64,2.00±0.53 and 4.00±0.00);no significant differences were noted between the two groups (P＞0.05),but there was a trend showing that DM patients had higher scores in these evaluations.Conclusion As compared with ALS patients without DM,ALS patients with DM get more mildly impaired deglutition function.

Objective To study the protective immune responses induced by recombinant Bifidobacterium (Bb)-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 vaccine of Taenia solium (T.solium) in domestic pigs challenged with T.solium eggs.Methods Twenty healthy 40 days old domestic pigs were divided into five groups by random number table according to body weight (15 kg):rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 vaccine group,rBb-TSO45W-4B vaccine group,rBb-TSOL18 vaccine group,blank vector control group and MRS control group.The content of vaccine in each vaccine group was 1 × 1011 CFU.A total of two immunization times was conducted,once every two weeks.Pigs were challenged with T.solium eggs 4 weeks after the last immunization and killed 3 months after infection.The cysticercus was counted and the reduction of the cysticercus was calculated.Blood was collected to separate sera and prepare peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBMC).The levels of IgG,IgG1 and IgG2a in sera were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The level of PBMC proliferation was tested using methyltetrazolium (MTT) assay.The levels of interleukin (IL)-2,interferon (IFN)-γ,IL-4 and IL-10 in PBMC culture supernatant were detected using ELISA.Results The reduction of cysticercus was 83.09％,71.36％ and 74.85％ in rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18,rBb-TSO45W-4B and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine groups,respectively.The differences of IgG,IgG1,IgG2a levels in sera between groups were statistically significant (F =132.348,106.336,596.091,all P ＜0.05).The levels of IgG and IgG2a in rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18,rBb-TSO45W-4B and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine groups [(366.81 ± 3.84),(334.94 ± 11.65),(333.52 ± 11.09),(87.74 ± 0.95),(84.48 ± 0.80),(84.30 ± 1.09)mg/L] were higher than those of the MRS control group [(245.94 ± 8.81),(62.61 ± 0.84)mg/L,all P ＜0.05].The levels of IgG1 in rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18,rBb-TSO45W-4B and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine groups [(26.55 ± 1.06),(33.24 ± 1.92),(32.60 ± 1.94)mg/L] were lower than those of the MRS control group [(42.78 ± 0.87)mg/L,all P ＜0.05].The differences of IL-2,IFN-γ,IL-4 and IL-10 levels in PBMC original culture supernatant between groups were statistically significant (F =139.522,1 053.102,769.097,962.298,all P ＜0.05).The levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18,rBb-TSO45W-4B and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine groups [(212.24 ± 3.12),(205.91 ± 3.18),(205.85 ± 4.35),(28.42 ± 0.28),(25.56 ± 0.28),(25.71 ± 0.35)ng/L] were higher than those of the MRS control group [(174.19 ± 2.14),(17.69 ± 0.28)ng/L,all P ＜0.05],while the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 [(40.45 ± 0.36),(41.38 ± 0.70),(41.52 ± 0.19),(71.45 ± 0.83),(73.38 ± 0.70),(74.77 ± 0.41)rig/L] were lower than those of the MRS control group [(52.57 ± 0.29),(94.82 ± 0.45)ng/L,all P ＜0.05].The differences of PBMC proliferation levels between groups were statistically significant (F =56.318,P ＜0.05).The PBMC proliferation levels in rBb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18,rBb-TSO45W-4B and rBb-TSOL18 vaccine groups (0.543 ± 0.074,0.481 ± 0.028,0.530 ± 0.053) were higher than those of the MRS control group (0.242 ± 0.053,all P ＜0.05).Conclusions Recombinant Bb-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 vaccine of T.solium could induce certain protection in domestic pigs.Type Th1 immune response may play an important role in induction of protective immunity.