Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most prevalent and vision-threatening microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus, yet its pathogenesis extends far beyond vascular injury alone. As the retina is among the most energy-demanding tissues in the body, its neurons, glial cells, pigment epithelial cells, pericytes, and endothelial cells are highly dependent on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to maintain visual signal transduction, ionic homeostasis, and neurovascular integrity. This review summarizes current evidence indicating that mitochondrial dysfunction is not merely a downstream consequence of chronic hyperglycemia, but a central pathogenic hub that initiates, amplifies, and perpetuates retinal neurovascular degeneration in DR. Persistent hyperglycemia activates multiple abnormal metabolic pathways, including the polyol pathway, hexosamine pathway, protein kinase C signaling, advanced glycation end-product formation, and angiotensin II-related responses. Although these pathways differ mechanistically, they converge on excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, antioxidant depletion, and mitochondrial injury. Under diabetic stress, electron transport chain overload promotes mitochondrial ROS leakage, damages mitochondrial DNA, disrupts membrane potential, and impairs the transcription of key respiratory chain components. In parallel, mitochondrial quality-control systems become progressively compromised. The balance between fusion and fission shifts toward pathological fragmentation through reduced MFN1/2 and OPA1 activity and enhanced DRP1-mediated fission. Mitochondrial biogenesis is suppressed through inhibition of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α/NRF1/TFAM axis, while mitophagy changes from an early compensatory response to a later state of autophagic flux blockade and accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria. Importantly, damaged mitochondria serve as signal amplifiers linking metabolic stress to inflammation and programmed cell death. Mitochondrial ROS, oxidized mitochondrial DNA, calcium overload, cardiolipin exposure, and membrane permeabilization activate interrelated death pathways, including intrinsic apoptosis, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis. Cytochrome C and apoptosis-inducing factor promote caspase-dependent and caspase-independent apoptosis; iron dyshomeostasis, glutathione depletion, GPX4 dysfunction, and lipid peroxidation drive ferroptosis; and mitochondrial danger signals activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and gasdermin-dependent pyroptosis. These pathways jointly damage the retinal neurovascular unit and contribute to pericyte loss, endothelial barrier breakdown, Müller cell dysfunction, retinal ganglion cell apoptosis, retinal pigment epithelial injury, and photoreceptor degeneration. This review also emphasizes the role of epigenetic regulation in stabilizing mitochondrial pathology. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs interact to silence mitochondrial protective genes, alter antioxidant responses, and maintain the “metabolic memory” of DR even after glycemic normalization. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction should be understood as a dynamic, multidimensional network rather than a single pathological event. Current clinical approaches, such as laser photocoagulation, intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy, and vitrectomy, mainly target advanced vascular lesions and are limited by invasiveness, incomplete responsiveness, recurrence, and potential adverse effects. Therapeutically, strategies targeting mitochondrial ROS, restoring mitochondrial dynamics, enhancing biogenesis, regulating mitophagy, inhibiting inflammasome activation, correcting epigenetic abnormalities, and improving targeted delivery systems show promising potential. However, major translational barriers remain, including retinal cell heterogeneity, stage-specific mitochondrial responses, insufficient organelle-specific drug delivery, and long-term safety concerns. A deeper understanding of mitochondrial regulatory networks may support earlier, more precise, and multi-target interventions for preventing or slowing DR progression.

Sarin(GB)is a typical representative of nerve agents with high toxicity,and very low amount can cause death.GB can cause water and atmospheric environment poisoning,so the detection of GB in water and air is of great significance.In this work,a colorimetric sensor array(CSA)based on GB inhibition of cholinesterase activity was constructed to detect GB with high selectivity.A 4×4 colorimetric array was constructed using acetylcholinesterase(AChE),butyryl cholinesterase(BuChE)and the corresponding substrate acetylthiocholine iodide(S-ACh),butyryl thiocholine iodide(S-BCh),acetylcholine chloride(ACh),butyryl choline chloride(BCh)and 2,6-dichloroindophenol ethyl ester(DCIE).The linear curve of the sensor was Y=131.3×lgC+271.6(R2=0.997),where Y was the array response Euclidean distance,C was the concentration of GB(mg/L),the linear range was 0.03?0.32 mg/L,and the detection limit was 27.6 μg/L.The method could effectively distinguish chemical warfare agents(CWA)such as VX,Soman(GD),mustard gas(HD),Louie reagent(L),and had high anti-interference ability,sensitivity and good repeatability.It was successfully applied to the detection of GB in simulated water and simulated air samples,and the sample recovery rate was 97.2% ?100.9%.This method would be potentially applied to the field rapid detection of nerve agents.

Combined seawater Hf and Nd isotope compositions have been applied as reliable tracers of water mass mixing and weathering input changes.The establishment of standardized synchronous extraction methods for Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide in sediments,which serve as effective carriers for isotopic signals of ancient seawater,is a prerequisite and key for paleoceanography research.The research material of this study was the surface sediments of the Western Arctic Ocean obtained from China's 7th Arctic Scientific Expedition,and a reliable simultaneous Nd-Hf isotope extraction method in Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide fraction was established through systematic optimization of pretreatment procedures and key extraction parameters.This research focused on analyzing the effects of pretreatment(Milli-Q water pre-wash)and key extraction parameters(leaching time,solution/solid ratios,concentration of EDTA-2Na,and concentration of mixed solution of hydroxyamine hydrochloride(HH)and acetic acid(HAc))on element extraction efficiency and isotopic composition.The experimental results indicated that the Milli-Q water pre-wash was not necessary,Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide extraction could be directly performed.Nd extraction amount in Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide fraction was not sensitive to changes in extraction conditions,while the Hf extraction amount was significantly affected by leaching time,solution/solid ratios and concentration of EDTA-2Na.The optimal conditions for synchronously extracting Nd-Hf isotopes were as follows:adding 20 mL of a mixed solution of 0.005 mol/L HH+1.5%HAc+0.03 mol/L EDTA-2Na per gram of sample,and reaction at room temperature for 3 h under shaking.Through systematic verification of 87Sr/86Sr ratio,εNd value,εHf value,Al/Nd ratio and Al/Hf ratio,it was confirmed that this method could effectively avoid interferences from residual components and accurately obtain Nd-Hf isotope signals of ancient seawater preserved in sediments.The standardized method established in this work provided reliable technical support for reconstructing water mass mixing between the Arctic,North Atlantic,and North Pacific Oceans and riverine input histories.It also provided important reference for the extraction methods of Nd and Hf isotopes from marine sources in sediments from other sea areas around the world.

Hematologic malignancies,such as lymphoma,myeloma,and myeloid neoplasms,can occur in extramedullary tissues.Traditional histopathological morphology and immunohistochemical staining have lim-itations,including time-consuming specimen processing,prolonged reporting cycles,and relatively low sensi-tivity in cases of limited cell numbers.Flow cytometry offers significant advantages in detecting tissue sam-ples,such as rapid processing,shorter reporting cycles,and high accuracy and sensitivity,making it an effective complement to histopathological and immunohistochemical methods.However,the application of flow cytome-try in tissue sample detection currently lacks standardized protocols for sample collection and preservation,single-cell suspension preparation,antibody panel design for limited samples,data analysis,and result repor-ting.To promote the standardized application of flow cytometry in detecting hematologic tumor cells in tissue samples,the Cell Analysis Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Biotechnology organized experts to develop the Chinese Expert Consensus on Flow Cytometry for Detecting Hematologic Tumor Cells in Tis-sue Samples(hereinafter referred to as the Consensus).This Consensus elaborates on the technical aspects of flow cytometry for tissue sample detection,covering sample processing,antibody panel design,data analysis,reporting content,and quality management.It particularly emphasizes recommended antibody panels and data analysis methods for flow cytometry when tissue sample cell counts are low.This article aims to interpret the key points of the Consensus to facilitate its better application in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical sub-phenotype (SP) of pediatric acute kidney injury (AKI) and their association with clinical outcomes. METHODS: General status and initial values of laboratory markers within 24 hours after admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were recorded for children with AKI in the derivation cohort (n=650) and the validation cohort (n=177). In the derivation cohort, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was used to identify death-related indicators, and a two-step cluster analysis was employed to obtain the clinical SP of AKI. A logistic regression analysis was used to develop a parsimonious classifier model with simplified metrics, and the area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess the value of this model. This model was then applied to the validation cohort and the combined derivation and validation cohort. The association between SPs and clinical outcomes was analyzed with all children with AKI as subjects. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, two clinical SPs of AKI (SP1 and SP2) were identified by the two-step cluster analysis using the 20 variables screened by LASSO regression, namely SP_d1 group (n=536) and SP_d2 group (n=114). The simplified classifier model containing eight variables (P<0.05) had an AUC of 0.965 in identifying the two clinical SPs of AKI (P<0.001). The validation cohort was clustered into SP_v1 group (n=156) and SP_v2 group (n=21), and the combined derivation and validation cohort was clustered into SP1 group (n=694) and SP2 group (n=133). After adjustment for confounding factors, compared with the SP1 group, the SP2 group had significantly higher incidence rates of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and death during the PICU stay (P<0.001), and SP2 was significantly associated with the risk of death within 28 days after admission to the PICU (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study establishes a parsimonious classifier model and identifies two clinical SPs of AKI with different clinical features and outcomes.The SP2 group has more severe disease and worse clinical prognosis.
Humans ; Acute Kidney Injury/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Phenotype ; Infant ; Logistic Models ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of children with non-Down-syndrome-related acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (non-DS-AMKL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 17 children with non-DS-AMKL who were admitted to Children's Hospital of The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to December 2023, and their clinical features, treatment, and prognosis were summarized. RESULTS: Among the 17 children with non-DS-AMKL, there were 8 boys and 9 girls. Fourteen patients had an onset age of less than 36 months, with a median age of 21 months (range:13-145 months). Immunophenotyping results showed that 16 children were positive for CD61 and 13 were positive for CD41. The karyotype analysis was performed on 16 children, with normal karyotype in 6 children and abnormal karyotype in 9 children, among whom 5 had complex karyotype and 1 had no mitotic figure. Detected fusion genes included EVI1, NUP98-KDM5A, KDM5A-MIS18BP1, C22orf34-BRD1, WT1, and MLL-AF9. Genetic alterations included TET2, D7S486 deletion (suggesting 7q-), CSF1R deletion, and PIM1. All 17 children received chemotherapy, among whom 16 (94%) achieved complete remission after one course of induction therapy, and 1 child underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and remained alive and disease-free. Of all children, 7 experienced recurrence, among whom 1 child received HSCT and died of graft-versus-host disease. At the last follow-up, six patients remained alive and disease-free. CONCLUSIONS Non-DS-AMKL primarily occurs in children between 1 and 3 years of age. The patients with this disorder have a high incidence rate of chromosomal abnormalities, with complex karyotypes in most patients. Some patients harbor fusion genes or gene mutations. Although the initial remission rate is high, the long-term survival rate remains low.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute/etiology* ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Down Syndrome/complications*

OBJECTIVE: To screen anti-tumor drugs that improve antigen processing and presentation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. METHODS: A TCR-like or TCR mimic antibody that can specifically recognize HLA-A*0201:WT1_126-134 ( RMFPNAPYL) complex (hereafter referred to as HLA-A2:WT1) was synthesized to evaluate the function of antigen processing and presentation machinery (APM) in AML cells. AML cell line THP1 was incubated with increasing concentrations of IFN-γ, hypomethylating agents (HMA), immunomodulatory drugs (IMiD), proteasome inhibitors (PI) and γ-secretase inhibitors (GSI), followed by measuring of HLA-ABC, HLA-A2 and HLA-A2:WT1 levels by flow cytometry at consecutive time points. RESULTS: The TCR-like antibody we generated only binds to HLA-A*0201⁺WT1⁺ cells, indicating the specificity of the antibody. HLA-A2:WT1 level of THP-1 cells detected with the TCR-like antibody was increased significantly after co-incubation with IFN-γ, showing that the HLA-A2:WT1 TCR like antibody could evaluate the function of APM. Among the anti-tumor agents screened in this study, GSI (LY-411575) and HMA (decitabine and azacitidine) could significantly increase the HLA-A2:WT1 level. The IMiD lenalidomide and pomalidomide could aslo upregulate the expression of HLA-A2:WT1 complex under certain concentrations of the drugs and incubation time. As proteasome inhibitors, carfilzomib could significantly decreased the expression of HLA-A2:WT1, while bortezomib had no significant effect on HLA-A2:WT1 expression. CONCLUSION HLA-A2:WT1 TCR-like antibody can effectively reflect the APM function. Some of the anti-tumor drugs can affect the APM function and immunogenicity of tumor cells.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/immunology* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology* ; Antigen Presentation/drug effects* ; HLA-A2 Antigen/immunology* ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Interferon-gamma

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

Liver transplantation (LT) has become a standard treatment for end-stage liver diseases, and graft injury is intricately associated with poor prognosis. Granzyme B (GZMB) plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell biology, but whether NK-derived GZMB affects graft injury remains elusive. Through the analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data obtained from human LT grafts and the isolation of lymphocytes from mouse livers following ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), we demonstrated that 2NK cells with high expression of GZMB are enriched in patients and mice. Both systemically and liver-targeted depletion of NK cells led to a notable reduction in GZMB⁺ cell infiltration, subsequently resulting in diminished graft injury. Notably, the reconstitution of Il2rg ^-/- Rag2 ^-/- mice with purified Gzmb-KO NK cells demonstrated superior outcomes compared to those with wild-type NK cells. Crucially, global knockout of GZMB and pharmacological inhibition exhibited remarkable improvements in liver function in both mouse IRI and rat LT models. Moreover, a phosphorylated derivative of FDA-approved vidarabine was identified as an effective inhibitor of mouse GZMB activity by molecular dynamics, which could provide a potential avenue for therapeutic intervention. Therefore, targeting NK cell-derived GZMB during the LT process suggests potential therapeutic strategies to improve post-transplant outcomes.

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a naturally occurring, low-toxicity, and hydrophilic bile acid (BA) in the human body that is converted by intestinal flora using primary BA. Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) functions to uptake extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate, and is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLPS) refers to liposarcoma originating from the retroperitoneal area. Lipidomics analysis revealed that UDCA was one of the most significantly downregulated metabolites in sera of RLPS patients compared with healthy subjects. The augmentation of UDCA concentration (≥25 μg/mL) demonstrated a suppressive effect on the proliferation of liposarcoma cells. [¹⁵N₂]-cystine and [¹³C₅]-glutamine isotope tracing revealed that UDCA impairs cystine uptake and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Mechanistically, UDCA binds to the cystine transporter SLC7A11 to inhibit cystine uptake and impair GSH de novo synthesis, leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative damage. Furthermore, UDCA can promote the anti-cancer effects of ferroptosis inducers (Erastin, RSL3), the murine double minute 2 (MDM2) inhibitors (Nutlin 3a, RG7112), cyclin dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) inhibitor (Abemaciclib), and glutaminase inhibitor (CB839). Together, UDCA functions as a cystine exchange factor that binds to SLC7A11 for antitumor activity, and SLC7A11 is not only a new transporter for BA but also a clinically applicable target for UDCA. More importantly, in combination with other antitumor chemotherapy or physiotherapy treatments, UDCA may provide effective and promising treatment strategies for RLPS or other types of tumors in a ROS-dependent manner.