Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by overwhelmed lipid oxidation, and it has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Enhanced ferroptosis could overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutic modalities, particularly in difficult-to-treat tumors. In this study, we developed a dual-modality therapy in nanomedicine by combining paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy and pyropheophorbide-a (Ppa) phototherapy. Heparin (HP) was grafted with poly(N-(2'-hydroxy) propyl methacrylamide) (pHPMA) using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization to form HP-pHPMA (HH), which was utilized to deliver Ppa and PTX, yielding HP-pHPMA-Ppa (HH-Ppa) and HP-pHPMA-PTX (HH-PTX), respectively. The prodrug-based combinational nanomedicine (HH-PP) was formed by co-assembly of HH-PTX and HH-Ppa. It was found that HH-PP treatment significantly disrupted lipid metabolism in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, induced extensive lipid oxidation, and promoted ferroptosis. In vivo, HH-PP intervention achieved a tumor growth inhibition rate of 86.63% and activated adaptive immunity with an elevated CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cell infiltration level. This combinational nanomedicine offers a promising platform for co-delivery of multiple therapeutic agents. It exerts a promising anti-tumor effect via enhanced ferroptosis and ferroptosis-induced immune activation by disrupting lipid metabolism in TNBC cancer cells.

Background Chronic excessive exposure to fluoride can cause damage to the central nervous system and a certain degree of learning and memory impairment. However, the associated mechanism is not yet clear and further exploration is needed. Objective Using 4D unlabelled quantitative proteomics techniques to explore differentially expressed proteins and their potential mechanisms of action in chronic excessive fluoride exposure induced brain injury. Methods Twenty-four SPF-grade adult SD rats, half male and half male, were selected and divided into a control group and a fluoride group by random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. Among them, the control group drank tap water (fluorine content<1 mg·L⁻¹), the fluoride group drank sodium fluoride solution (fluorine content 10 mg·L⁻¹), and both groups were fed with ordinary mouse feed (fluoride content<0.6 mg·kg⁻¹). After 180 d of feeding, the SD rats were weighed, and then part of the brain tissue was sampled for pathological examination by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining. The rest of the brain tissue was frozen and stored at −80 ℃. Three brain tissue samples from each group were randomly selected for proteomics detection. Differentially expressed proteins were screened and subcellular localization analysis was performed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, cluster analysis, and protein-protein interaction analysis. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of key proteins extracted from the brain tissue samples. Results After 180 d of feeding, the average weight of the rats in the fluoride group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The brain tissue stained with HE showed no significant morphological changes in the cerebral cortex of the fluoride treated rats, and neuron loss, irregular arrangement of neurons, eosinophilic changes, and cell body pyknosis were observed in the hippocampus. The Nissl staining results showed that the staining of neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to fluoride decreased (Nissl bodies decreased). The proteomics results showed that a total of 6927 proteins were identified. After screening, 206 differentially expressed proteins were obtained between the control group and the fluoride group, including 96 up-regulated proteins and 110 down-regulated proteins. The differential proteins were mainly located in cytoplasm (30.6%), nucleus (27.2%), mitochondria (13.6%), plasma membrane (13.6%), and extracellular domain (11.7%). The GO analysis results showed that differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in biological processes such as iron ion transport, regulation of dopamine neuron differentiation, and negative regulation of respiratory burst in inflammatory response, exercised molecular functions such as ferrous binding, iron oxidase activity, and cytokine activity, and were located in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum membrane, fixed components of the membrane, chloride channel complexes, and other cellular components. The KEGG significantly enriched pathways included biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. The results of differential protein-protein interaction analysis showed that the highest connectivity was found in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi). The expression level of Gpi in the brain tissue of the rats in the fluoride group was lower than that in the control group by Western blotting (P<0.05). Conclusion Multiple differentially expressed proteins are present in the brain tissue of rats with chronic fluorosis, and their functions are related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments; Gpi may be involved in cerebral neurological damage caused by chronic overdose fluoride exposure.

Objective To investigate the independent risk factors for postoperative deep vein thrombosis in lung cancer patients and to construct a risk prediction model.Methods Clinical data of 354 inpatients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer in Department of Thoracic Surgery of First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University between May 2019 and May 2023 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.LASSO regression was used to screen potential factors,followed by multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors,and then a nomogram prediction model was constructed.Calibration curves,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,and decision curves were drawn to evaluate the model's calibration,discrimination,sensitivity,specificity,and clinical utility.The net reclassification improvement(NRI)and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI)indices were employed to compare the predictive performance of the constructed model with the Caprini score for outcome events.Results LASSO regression identified 17 potential influencing factors.Multivariate regression analysis showed that D-dimer,central venous catheter(CVC)placement,and lower extremity varicose veins were independent risk factors for postoperative DVT in lung cancer patients(P＜0.05).Calibration curve analysis showed the model had good agreement between the predicted and observed values.ROC curve analysis indicated that the sensitivity and specificity of the model was 0.812 and 0.963,respectively,with an area under the curve(AUC)value of 0.912(95％CI:0.840～0.983).In comparison,the Caprini model had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.625 and 0.860,respectively,with an AUC value of 0.752(95％CI:0.657～0.846).The NRI and IDI for the model group compared to the Caprini model were 0.709 and 0.431,respectively.Decision curve analysis showed that the net benefit of applying the model from this study was higher than that of the Caprini model.Conclusion D-dimer,CVC,and varicose veins of lower extremities are independent risk factors for DVT after thoracoscopic surgery in patients with lung cancer.Our constructed nomogram model can effectively predict the risk of DVT after thoracoscopic surgery in patients with lung cancer.

Cardiac-resident macrophages (CRMs) play important roles in homeostasis, cardiac function, and remodeling. Although CRMs play critical roles in cardiac regeneration of neonatal mice, their roles are yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of CRMs during cardiac ontogeny and analyze the phenotypic and functional properties of CRMs in the promotion of cardiac regeneration. During mouse cardiac ontogeny, four CRM subsets exist successively: CX₃CR1⁺CCR2^-Ly6C^-MHCII^- (MP1), CX₃CR1^lowCCR2^lowLy6C^-MHCII^- (MP2), CX₃CR1^-CCR2⁺Ly6C⁺MHCII^- (MP3), and CX₃CR1⁺CCR2^-Ly6C^-MHCII⁺ (MP4). MP1 cluster has different derivations (yolk sac, fetal liver, and bone marrow) and multiple functions population. Embryonic and neonatal-derived-MP1 directly promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation through Jagged-1-Notch1 axis and significantly ameliorated cardiac injury following myocardial infarction. MP2/3 subsets could survive throughout adulthood. MP4, the main population in adult mouse hearts, contributed to inflammation. During ontogeny, MP1 can convert into MP4 triggered by changes in the cellular redox state. These findings delineate the evolutionary dynamics of CRMs under physiological conditions and found direct evidence that embryonic and neonatal-derived CRMs regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our findings also shed light on cardiac repair following injury.

Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of sappanone A(SA)on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cell model based on JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway.Methods MTT assay was used to detect the effects of sappanone A,LPS and AG490 on RAW264.7 cell viability.The LPS-induced inflammatory model in RAW264.7 cells was established,and the secretion level of interleukin-6(IL-6)in the supernatant was detected by ELISA.mRNA expressions of IL-6,Janus kinase 2(JAK2)and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)were tested by RT-PCR.The protein expressions of JAK2,phosphorylated JAK2(p-JAK2),STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3(p-STAT3)were determined by Western Blot.Results Compared with control group,IL-6 secretion level was significantly increased,mRNA expressions of IL-6,JAK2 and STAT3 were up-regulated,and protein expressions of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were increased(all P＜0.01)in model group.Compared with model group,high-dosed sappanone A(5 μg·mL-1)was significantly decreased the secretion of IL-6,down-regulated the mRNA expressions of IL-6,JAK2 and STAT3,and inhibited the protein expressions of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3(all P＜0.01).Conclusion Sappanone A may play an anti-inflammatory role by inhibiting the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway and hence inhibiting the secretion of IL-6.

Humans ; COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Anxiety ; Brain ; Depression

Precisely delivering combinational therapeutic agents has become a crucial challenge for anti-tumor treatment. In this study, a novel redox-responsive polymeric prodrug (molecular weight, MW: 93.5 kDa) was produced by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The amphiphilic block polymer-doxorubicin (DOX) prodrug was employed to deliver a hydrophobic photosensitizer (PS), chlorin e6 (Ce6), and the as-prepared nanoscale system [NPs(Ce6)] was investigated as a chemo-photodynamic anti-cancer agent. The glutathione (GSH)-cleavable disulfide bond was inserted into the backbone of the polymer for biodegradation inside tumor cells, and DOX conjugated onto the polymer with a disulfide bond was successfully released intracellularly. NPs(Ce6) released DOX and Ce6 with their original molecular structures and degraded into segments with low MWs of 41.2 kDa in the presence of GSH. NPs(Ce6) showed a chemo-photodynamic therapeutic effect to kill 4T1 murine breast cancer cells, which was confirmed from a collapsed cell morphology, a lifted level in the intracellular reactive oxygen species, a reduced viability and induced apoptosis. Moreover, ex vivo fluorescence images indicated that NPs(Ce6) retained in the tumor, and exhibited a remarkable in vivo anticancer efficacy. The combinational therapy showed a significantly increased tumor growth inhibition (TGI, 58.53%). Therefore, the redox-responsive, amphiphilic block polymeric prodrug could have a great potential as a chemo-photodynamic anti-cancer agent.

Objective To understand the etiological characteristics and risk factors of respiratory virus infection in children with bronchial asthma, and to provide theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of respiratory virus infection in children with bronchial asthma. Methods A total of 374 children with bronchial asthma who were treated in Jianyang People's Hospital from December 2018 to December 2020 were enrolled. Pharyngeal swabs were collected from the outpatient children on the day of treatment, and 2 mL of nasopharyngeal secretions were collected from the hospitalized children within 24 hours by negative pressure aspirator. Seven viral antigens including RSV, ADV, IVA, IVB, PIVI, PIV II, and PIV III were detected. According to whether the virus test results were positive or not, they were divided into the experimental group (n=191) and the control group (n=183). Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors of respiratory virus infection in children with bronchial asthma. Results Among the 374 samples, the virus positive rate was 51.07% (191/374), and the top 3 virus species in the positive samples were RSV, ADV, and PIV III, accounting for 41.36% (79/191), 30.36% (58/191), and 9.42% (18/191), respectively. In addition, IVA accounted for 5.24% (10/191), PIV II accounted for 5.24% (10/191), PIVI accounted for 3.66% (7/191), and IVB accounted for 1.57% (3 /191). The positive rates of virus were 47.96% (94/196) and 54.49% (97/178) in male and female children, respectively, with no significant difference (χ²=1.597，P>0.05). The positive rate of 1~3 years old children was significantly higher than that of >3 years old group (χ²=6.412，P<0.05). There were significant differences in the frequency of asthma attack, intravenous glucocorticoid application and the onset season between the two groups (P<0.05). Further analysis showed that the frequency of asthma attack >3 times, intravenous glucocorticoid application and onset season were independent risk factors for respiratory virus infection in children with bronchial asthma (P<0.05). Conclusion The infection season of acute respiratory tract infection in children with asthma is mainly concentrated in autumn and winter, with RSV as the main viral pathogen. Targeted preventive measures should be given to children with bronchial asthma who have more than 3 asthma attacks and intravenous glucocorticoid application, which can reduce respiratory virus infection in children with asthma.

Objective To investigate the association of energy metabolic markers with the risk of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with decompensated hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of the patients with decompensated HBV-LC who were admitted to Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University from November 2017 to November 2019, and baseline clinical parameters and energy metabolic markers were compared between the patients with SBP and those without SBP within 2 weeks after admission. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the risk factors for SBP. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the newly established logistic regression model, and with the corresponding point of Youden index as the cut-off value, the DeLong test was used to compare the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results A total of 50 patients with decompensated HBV-LC were included, among whom 23 (46%) developed SBP within 2 weeks after admission and 27 (54%) had no SBP during hospitalization. Compared with the non-SBP patients, the SBP patients had significantly lower triglyceride, prealbumin, and prothrombin time activity (PTA) and significantly higher international normalization ratio, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (all P < 0.05). Comparison of baseline energy metabolic markers showed that compared with the non-SBP patients, the SBP patients had significantly lower respiratory quotient (RQ) [0.79(0.76-0.86) vs 0.85(0.79-0.91), P =0.041] and carbohydrate oxidation (CHO) rate [20.50%(15.25%-41.05%) vs 41.6%(22.25%-68.05%), P =0.041]. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PTA was an independent risk factor for SBP in the patients with decompensated HBV-LC during hospitalization (odd ratio=0.004, P =0.008), and the regression model established based on the variables including PTA, CRP, RQ, and CHO had an AUC of 85.0% and a cut-off value of 0.60 at the maximum Youden index, with a specificity of 85.19% and a sensitivity of 73.91%, suggesting that this model had a better discriminatory ability than CRP (AUC=74.5%, P =0.049) and procalcitonin (AUC=56.4%, P < 0.01). Conclusion There are significant reductions in the energy metabolic markers RQ and CHO in the patients with decompensated HBV-LC who develop SBP within a short term, and their combination with PTA, CRP, and CHO/RQ ratio can help clinicians identify the patients at a high risk of SBP in the early stage and enhance nutrition support for such patients.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of B10 cell involved in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy following myocarditis, and to develop potential therapeutic strategies.Methods:BALB/c mice infected with Coxsackie virus B3 induced viral myocarditis model. The expression of angiotensin (ANG)Ⅱ and its receptor in myocarditis mice was detected. The changes of B10 cells in the hearts of control mice and myocarditis mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. After losartan was administered to myocarditis mice, the degree of myocardial inflammation was detected by HE staining, the expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA, the myocardial hypertrophy was detected by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining, and the changes of B10 cells in the heart were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of cardiac troponin T (C-TNT) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes treated with ANGⅡ and ANGⅡ+ IL-10 were detected. Cardiomyocytes were treated with ANGⅡ, ANGⅡ+ B10 cells, ANGⅡ+ B10 cells + IL-10 receptor antibody and ANGⅡ+ B cells to detect C-TNT protein levels, and Annexin-V/PI was used to detect the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes were treated with oxidized HMGB1, reduced HMGB1 and disulfide HMGB1, and C-TNT expression was detected.Results:Coxsackievirus B3 infection caused cardiac hypertrophy, high expression of ANGⅡ and its receptor, and transient increase of B10 cells in mice. Losartan treatment blocked the angiotensin receptor, reduced expansion of B10 cells. B10 cells alleviated apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and inhibited the production of HMGB1 induced by ANGⅡ patch by producing IL-10, thus alleviating viral myocarditis and cardiac hypertrophy.Conclusions:B10 cells may play an important role in myocardial protection in myocarditis.