Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and clinical therapeutic effect of in-line mechanical in-exsufflation to assist sputum clearance in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted at the department of critical care medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from April 2022 to May 2023. Patients who were invasively ventilated and treated with in-line mechanical in-exsufflation to assist sputum clearance were enrolled. Baseline data were collected. Sputum viscosity, oxygenation index, parameters of ventilatory function and respiratory mechanics, clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) and vital signs before and after day 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 of use of the in-line mechanical in-exsufflation were assessed and recorded. Statistical analyses were performed by using generalized estimating equation (GEE). RESULTS: A total of 13 invasively ventilated patients using in-line mechanical in-exsufflation were included, all of whom were male and had respiratory failure, with the main cause being cervical spinal cord injury/high-level paraplegia (38.46%). Before the use of the in-line mechanical in-exsufflation, the proportion of patients with sputum viscosity of grade III was 38.46% (5/13) and decreased to 22.22% (2/9) 7 days after treatment with in-line mechanical in-exsufflation. With the prolonged use of the in-line mechanical in-exsufflation, the patients' CPIS scores tended to decrease significantly, with a mean decrease of 0.5 points per day (P < 0.01). Oxygenation improved significantly, with the oxygenation index (PaO₂/FiO₂) increasing by a mean of 23.3 mmHg (1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa) per day and the arterial partial pressure of oxygen increasing by a mean of 12.6 mmHg per day (both P < 0.01). Compared to baseline, the respiratory mechanics of the patients improved significantly 7 days after in-line mechanical in-exsufflation use, with a significant increase in the compliance of respiratory system (Cst) [mL/cmH₂O (1 cmH₂O ≈ 0.098 kPa): 55.6 (50.0, 58.0) vs. 40.9 (37.5, 50.0), P < 0.01], and both the airway resistance and driving pressure (DP) were significantly decreased [airway resistance (cmH₂O×L^-1×s^-1): 9.6 (6.9, 10.5) vs. 12.0 (10.0, 13.0), DP (cmH₂O): 9.0 (9.0, 12.0) vs. 11.0 (10.0, 15.0), both P < 0.01]. At the same time, no new lung collapse was observed during the treatment period. No significant discomfort was reported by patients, and there were no substantial changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure before and after the in-line mechanical in-exsufflation treatment. CONCLUSIONS The combined use of the in-line mechanical in-exsufflation to assist sputum clearance in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation can effectively improve sputum characteristics, oxygenation and respiratory mechanics. The in-line mechanical in-exsufflation was well tolerated by the patients, with no treatment-related adverse events, which demonstrated its effectiveness and safety.
Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Respiration, Artificial/methods* ; Respiratory Insufficiency/therapy* ; Sputum

Objective To explore the behavioral patterns and hippocampal neurogenesis of CHD8+mice,and to provide behavioral and morphological basis for improving autism like behavior and neurogenesis.Methods Genotype of wild type(WT)and CHD8+/-mice was identified.Weight measurement was conducted on both male and female mice of the WT and CHD8+/-strains.Subsequently,a battery of behavioral tests was administered,which included three-chamber test,self-grooming test,nesting test,Y-maze spontaneous alternation test,food burial test,open-field test and light-dark transition test.Afterwards,the mice were administered 2％pentobarbital sodium(2 ml/kg)to induce anesthesia.Their brains were frozen with 4％paraformaldehyde,removed for photography and analysis to identify any alterations in brain size.Western blotting and immunofluorescent labeling were used to detect changes in the process of hippocampus neurogenesis.Results Western blotting analysis demonstrated a decrease in the amounts of chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 8(CHD8)protein in both male and female mice with CHD8+genotype,as compared to WT mice.There were no notable disparities in body weight between male and female WT and CHD8+mice,as well as in brain size.The three-chamber social behavior test revealed that both male and female CHD8+/-mice had social deficiencies(P＜0.05).During the open field test,there was no significant difference in the total distance moved by male and female WT and CHD8+/-mice.However,the amount of time spent in the central region was considerably lower in CHD8+/-mice compared to the WT mice(P＜0.01).Furthermore,the light-dark transition test revealed that both male and female CHD8+/-mice spent considerably less time investigating the white box compared to the WT mice(P＜0.05).Nevertheless,there were no notable alterations found in self-grooming,nesting,spontaneous alternation of Y-maze,and food burial experiments.In addition,Western blotting result demonstrated a significant drop in doublecortin(DCX)expression(P＜0.001),and immunofluorescent staining revealed a notable reduction in the number of DCX+cells(P＜0.01)in the hippocampus of CHD8+/-mice.Conclusion CHD8+/-mice exhibit social disorders and anxiety-like behaviors,with a decrease in the number of newly generated neurons in the hippocampus and neurogenesis disorders.

Solid-phase extraction(SPE)combined with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)has emerged as a promising analytical technique for detection and analysis of trace components in complex sample matrices.SPE enriches analytes through selective adsorption and solvent elution,effectively increasing the concentration and signal intensity.SERS enables ultra-sensitive and highly selective molecular analysis through the use of SERS-active substrates engineered to amplify Raman signals.The integration of these two techniques overcomes the limitations of conventional Raman spectroscopy in low-concentration detection field,while significantly improving sample preparation efficiency and analytical accuracy.This review provided a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of three SPE-SERS coupling modes,including two-step,one-step,and online integration.Special emphasis was placed on recent advancements in one-step SPE-SERS approaches based on novel functional adsorbent materials such as graphene,metal-organic frameworks,covalent organic frameworks,and molecularly imprinted polymers.Furthermore,future directions and development prospects of SPE-SERS technology were discussed.

This study investigated the potential pathogenicity and genetic characteristics of ST314 Salmonella Kentucky(S.Ken-tucky)isolates from a broiler slaughterhouse.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing(WGS)were used to determine antimicrobial resistance,virulence factors,and the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes(ARGs)and mobile genetic elements(MGEs)among the isolates.The three multidrug resistant(MDR)isolates exhibited high resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents.The F4-2S strain exhibited resistance to 14 drugs across seven categories,whereas the F4T strain showed resistance to 13 drugs in the same number of categories.In contrast,the Y23 strain was resistant to nine drugs in six categories.Notably,F4-2S dem-onstrated high homology with F4T:both possessed 13 ARGs distributed across nine categories,in addition to a wide range of virulence factors,including secretion systems and effector proteins.The presence of IncR and IncX1 plasmids significantly enhanced both the antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of the isolates.The genome map of Y23 revealed a chromosome alongside two plasmids.The chromosome containedonly one resistance gene but several virulence factors,including the type III secretion system(T3SS),which is crucial for bacterial invasion.The plasmid pY23-1 contained eight types of 19 ARGs.Comparative analysis indicated that pY23-1 ex-hibited high homology with pZ1323SSL0055 and pSAL-045,all of which contained multiple ARGs,thus suggesting critical roles of these genes in the evolution of bacterial resistance.In conclusion,ST314 S.Kentucky demonstrated a complex mechanism of resis-tance coupled with significant pathogenic potential.The ARGs and MGEs in the plasmid contributed to the emergence and dissemina-tion of antimicrobial resistance.The multiple virulence factors present in the chromosome may be key factors driving the increasing virulence of ST314 S.Kentucky.

This study investigated the potential pathogenicity and genetic characteristics of ST314 Salmonella Kentucky(S.Ken-tucky)isolates from a broiler slaughterhouse.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing(WGS)were used to determine antimicrobial resistance,virulence factors,and the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes(ARGs)and mobile genetic elements(MGEs)among the isolates.The three multidrug resistant(MDR)isolates exhibited high resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents.The F4-2S strain exhibited resistance to 14 drugs across seven categories,whereas the F4T strain showed resistance to 13 drugs in the same number of categories.In contrast,the Y23 strain was resistant to nine drugs in six categories.Notably,F4-2S dem-onstrated high homology with F4T:both possessed 13 ARGs distributed across nine categories,in addition to a wide range of virulence factors,including secretion systems and effector proteins.The presence of IncR and IncX1 plasmids significantly enhanced both the antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity of the isolates.The genome map of Y23 revealed a chromosome alongside two plasmids.The chromosome containedonly one resistance gene but several virulence factors,including the type III secretion system(T3SS),which is crucial for bacterial invasion.The plasmid pY23-1 contained eight types of 19 ARGs.Comparative analysis indicated that pY23-1 ex-hibited high homology with pZ1323SSL0055 and pSAL-045,all of which contained multiple ARGs,thus suggesting critical roles of these genes in the evolution of bacterial resistance.In conclusion,ST314 S.Kentucky demonstrated a complex mechanism of resis-tance coupled with significant pathogenic potential.The ARGs and MGEs in the plasmid contributed to the emergence and dissemina-tion of antimicrobial resistance.The multiple virulence factors present in the chromosome may be key factors driving the increasing virulence of ST314 S.Kentucky.

Objective:To investigate the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of patients with hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma(RCC) syndrome-associated RCC (HLRCC-RCC) in China.Methods:The clinical data of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients with fumarate hydratase (FH) germline mutation confirmed by genetic diagnosis from 15 medical centers nationwide from January 2008 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 73 were male and 46 were female. The median age was 38(13, 74) years. The median tumor diameter was 6.5 (1.0, 20.5) cm. There were 38 cases (31.9%) in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱand 81 cases (68.1%) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ. In this group, only 11 of 119 HLRCC-RCC patients presented with skin smooth muscle tumors, and 44 of 46 female HLRCC-RCC patients had a history of uterine fibroids. The pathological characteristics, treatment methods, prognosis and survival of the patients were summarized.Results:A total of 86 patients underwent surgical treatment, including 70 cases of radical nephrectomy, 5 cases of partial nephrectomy, and 11 cases of reductive nephrectomy. The other 33 patients with newly diagnosed metastasis underwent renal puncture biopsy. The results of genetic testing showed that 94 patients had FH gene point mutation, 18 had FH gene insertion/deletion mutation, 4 had FH gene splicing mutation, 2 had FH gene large fragment deletion and 1 had FH gene copy number mutation. Immunohistochemical staining showed strong 2-succinocysteine (2-SC) positive and FH negative in 113 patients. A total of 102 patients received systematic treatment, including 44 newly diagnosed patients with metastasis and 58 patients with postoperative metastasis. Among them, 33 patients were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), 8 patients were treated with bevacizumab combined with erlotinib, and 61 patients were treated with TKI monotherapy. Survival analysis showed that the median progression-free survival (PFS) of TKI combined with ICI was 18 (5, 38) months, and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The median PFS and OS were 12 (5, 14) months and 30 (10, 32) months in the bevacizumab combined with erlotinib treatment group, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 10 (3, 64) months and 44 (10, 74) months in the TKI monotherapy group, respectively. PFS ( P=0.009) and OS ( P=0.006) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in bevacizumab combined with erlotinib group. The median PFS ( P=0.003) and median OS ( P=0.028) in TKI combined with ICI group were better than those in TKI monotherapy group. Conclusions:HLRCC-RCC is rare but has a high degree of malignancy, poor prognosis and familial genetic characteristics. Immunohistochemical staining with strong positive 2-SC and negative FH can provide an important basis for clinical diagnosis. Genetic detection of FH gene germ line mutation can confirm the diagnosis. The preliminary study results confirmed that TKI combined with ICI had a good clinical effect, but it needs to be confirmed by the results of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled clinical study.

Colitis-associated cancer(CAC)is a specific type of colorectal cancer that develops from inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).Myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)are a group of myeloid cells with immunosuppressive properties,and MDSCs in the tumor microenvironment proliferate and activate during the development of colitis-associated cancer,inhibiting T-cell production and impairing their function,which impedes the immunotherapeutic effect of colitis-associated cancer.In this paper,we review the immunosuppressive mechanisms of MDSCs in the development of inflammatory bowel disease to colitis-associated cancers and the current drugs targeting MDSCs for immunotherapy of inflammatory colorectal cancers,with a view to providing new strategies for the treatment of colitis-associated cancers.

Objective To investigate the effects of cinbufagin(CB)on the proliferation,migration and invasion ability as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)of human colon cells HCT116.Methods Logarithmically grown HCT116 cells were randomly divided into blank group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups;the blank group did not receive any treatment(0 nmol·L-1),and experimental-L,-M,-H groups were cultured in 1 640 medium containing 17.5,35 and 70 nmol·L-1 cinbufagin for 48 h.Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)was used to detect the effect of cinbufagin on the survival rate of HCT116 cells;cloning assay was used to detect the effect of cinbufagin on the proliferation of HCT116 cells;cell scratch assay and Transwell assay were used to detect the effect of cinbufagin on the migration and invasive ability of HCT116 cells;Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3(STAT3)pathway and EMT-related proteins of HCT116 cells.Results The number of clone formation in blank group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 122.67±24.42,73.67±15.82,44.33±4.51 and 21.67±1.53;the rates of migration of scratches were(44.64±9.15)％,(26.91±2.94)％,(19.28±1.52)％and(6.33±2.30)％;the number of invaded cells were 120.33±1.15,58.33±9.07,33.33±1.53 and 18.33±3.21;the relative protein expression of phosphorylated JAK-2(p-JAK-2)/JAK-2 were 1.02±0.06,0.94±0.05,0.75±0.22 and 0.49±0.22;relative protein expression of phosphorylated STAT3(p-STAT3)/STAT3 were 0.89±0.10,0.72±0.04,0.65±0.06 and 0.52±0.18;relative protein expression of E-cadherin were 0.30±0.14,0.41±0.13,0.49±0.14 and 0.69±0.17;relative protein expression of N-cadherin were 0.96±0.11,0.78±0.04,0.69±0.12 and 0.40±0.15;Snail relative protein expression were 0.89±0.08,0.62±0.15,0.44±0.15 and 0.27±0.09;Vimentin relative protein expression were 0.92±0.09,0.76±0.13,0.63±0.01 and 0.43±0.09,respectively.The above indexes in experimental-H group showed statistically significant differences compared to blank group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion HCT116 can inhibit the invasion and metastasis of human colorectal cancer cells HCT116 by inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition through JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Objective To explore the mechanism of inhibition of colorectal cancer cells HT29 proliferation,migration and invasion by bufalin through Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)pathway.Methods Human colorectal cancer HT29 cells were randomly divided into control group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups.The cells in the control group were not treated,and the cells in the experimental-L,-M,-H groups were treated with 2.5,5.0 and 10.0 μmol·L-1 bufalin for 48 h.After HT29 cells were infected with FLAG STAT3 lentivirus,the cells were divided into lentivirus infection group and experiment-H(10.0 pmol·L-1 bufalin)+lentivirus infection group.Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit 8(CCK-8).Cloning experiment to verify cell proliferation rate;Transwell experiment verified the migration ability of cells after bufalin treatment;the transfection efficiency of lentivirus and the expression of cell-related proteins were detected by Western blot.Results After 48 h of drug action,the number of cells in the control group,experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 1 003.25±255.53,698.00±152.25,562.13±31.56 and 449.50±82.40,respectively;the number of invasive cells were 932.00±188.84,742.22±108.64,514.67±124.82 and 343.56±86.42,respectively;the protein expression level of p-JAK2 were 1.37±0.27,0.97±0.06,0.74±0.06 and 0.39±0.12,respectively.The number of cells in the control group,experimental-H group,lentivirus infection group,and experimental-H+lentivirus infection group were 906.88±211.71,389.00±143.08,1 279.38±210.34 and 604.75±12.52,respectively;the number of invasive cells were 671.22±44.74,246.11±28.16,1 080.78±119.13 and 574.78±16.23,respectively.Compared with the control group,there were statistically significant differences in the number of cell proliferation,the number of cell invasion and the relative levels of p-JAK2 in the experimental-M and-H groups(all P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the number of cell proliferation and the number of cell invasion in the experimental-H group,the lentivirus infection group,and the high-dose experimental+lentivirus infection group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Bufalin can inhibit the proliferation,migration and invasion of colorectal cancer by activating the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway.