Although a single nucleotide polymorphism for N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) has been identified in patients with early-onset stroke, the role of NAT10 in ischemic injury and the related underlying mechanisms remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence that NAT10, the only known RNA N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification "writer", is increased in the damaged cortex of patients with acute ischemic stroke and the peri-infarct cortex of mice subjected to photothrombotic (PT) stroke. Pharmacological inhibition of NAT10 with remodelin on Days 3-7 post-stroke or astrocytic depletion of NAT10 via targeted virus attenuates ischemia-induced infarction and improves functional recovery in PT mice. Mechanistically, NAT10 enhances ac4C acetylation of the inflammatory cytokine tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (Timp1) mRNA transcript, which increases TIMP1 expression and results in the accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and progression of astrocyte autophagy. These findings demonstrate that NAT10 regulates astrocyte autophagy by targeting Timp1 ac4C after stroke. This study highlights the critical role of ac4C in the regulation of astrocyte autophagy and proposes a promising strategy to improve post-stroke outcomes via NAT10 inhibition.

Background and aims:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate,but there are still no effective treatments.The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer po-tential of the combined use of brefeldin A(BFA)and tunicamycin(TM)in HepG2 cells,as well as the underlying mechanisms.Methods:HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of BFA(0.1-2.5 mg/L)and TM(1-5 mg/L)for 24 h.DMSO(0.1％,v/v)was used as a vehicle control.Cell viability and cell migration were measured using MTT assay and scratch wound assay,respectively.Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and acridine orange(AO)staining.The protein and mRNA levels of various factors involved in apoptosis(poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1(PARP-1),caspase-12,caspase-3,and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1)and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress(binding immunoglobulin protein(BiP),protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK),p-PERK,phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha(p-eIF2α),activating transcription factor(ATF)4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP))were measured using Western blotting and qRT-PCR,respectively.Results:Both BFA and TM alone significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent way.The co-incubation with TM(1 mg/L)further significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells treated with BFA(0.25 mg/L)alone(P＜0.05).BFA significantly increased the protein and mRNA levels of caspase-3 and PARP-1(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells,indicating that BFA induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells by increasing the expression of caspase-3 and PARP-1.The induction of apoptosis by BFA could be further significantly enhanced by co-incubation with TM.In addition,BFA significantly increased the mRNA levels of BiP,PERK and ATF4(P＜0.05)compared to control and DMSO-treated cells.After co-incubation of BFA and TM,the protein levels of BiP,p-PERK,p-eIF2α and CHOP were significantly increased,indicating that TM could enhance BFA-induced ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.Conclusions:BFA could induce apoptosis and ER stress,and TM could enhance the ability of BFA to induce apoptosis and ER stress in HepG2 cells through the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway.The findings highlight the therapeutic potential of the combined use of BFA and TM in treating HCC.

Objective: To examine the developmental trajectory of fine motor ability in schoolage children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for two years, so as to provide scientific evidence to promote motor development in ADHD children. Methods: From April to June 2019, 31 children aged 6-8 years old were selected from a public elementary school. They were diagnosed with ADHD by two psychiatric professionals according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) criteria. Additionally, 31 typical developmental children, matched for age, sex and IQ with the ADHD group, were recruited as the control group. Fine motor ability was assessed with tasks of hand manual dexterity in Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MACB-2), and a followup assessment was conducted from April to June 2021. The development changes of fine motor ability between two groups of children were compared by using t test and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Between baseline and followup periods after two years, the total score of hand fine motor in the ADHD group did not show significant improvement (7.4±3.0, 8.0±3.4; t=-1.05, P>0.05), while there was a small effect size improvement in typically developing control group (9.5±2.1, 10.5±2.4; t=-2.12, effect size=0.38, P<0.05). Followup after two years, coin/peg throwing scores with dominant hand improved between ADHD group and control group (7.0±3.3, 9.5±3.2; 8.4±2.8, 11.6±1.6) (t=-3.74, -6.33, P<0.01; effect size=0.67, 1.14), with a smaller improvement in the ADHD group. The score for threading beads/threads decreased in between ADHD group and control group (7.9±2.4, 5.8±3.1; 9.2±1.1, 8.2±1.9) (t=3.89, 2.78, P<0.01; effect size=0.70, 0.50), with a greater decrease in the ADHD group. Conclusions The development speed of fine motor ability in children with ADHD aged 6-8 is slow and continues to lag behind normal developmental children. Fine motor development in children with ADHD should be closely monitored, and targeted interventions should be implemented when necessary.

Objective:To investigate the effects of modified electroconvulsive therapy(MECT)in combina-tion with medication and medication alone on relapse and cognitive functioning in patients with major depressive disorder(MDD).Methods:Totally 324 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria ofthe DSM-5 for MDD were select-ed and divided into combined MECT group(n=117)and non-combined MECT group(n=207).At baseline and 5 years of follow-up,both groups completed the General Information Questionnaire,Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA),and Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD)to analyze associations between cognitive functioning and mul-tiple variables.Results:At baseline,there were no significant differences between the two groups on general infor-mation,MoCA,and HAMD scores(Ps＞0.05).After 5 years of follow-up,the relapse rate was lower in the com-bined MECT group than in the un-combined MECT group[(37.6％vs.72.0％),P＜0.001].MECT was a protec-tive factor against recurrence of MDD[RR(95％CI)=0.52(0.40-0.66)],and the MoCA scores were lower in the combined MECT group than in the un-combined MECT group[(20.9±3.5)vs.(23.6±4.2),β=-1.93,P＜0.001].Conclusion:Combined MECT is a protective factor against MDD recurrence.Its effects on the cognitive functioning of MDD patients may have long-term effects.

Objective : To investigate the effect of different decontamination methods, including photodynamic therapy, sandblasting and titanium curette, on titanium surface morphology and bacterial adhesion for the treatment of peri-implant disease. Methods: Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) were inoculated on the surface of polished titanium specimens, and titanium specimen surfaces were treated with different decontamination methods after incubation. The titanium specimens were divided into a no-treatment control group, photodynamic group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group according to different decontamination methods. The changes in titanium surface roughness were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the remaining bacteria on the titanium surface were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and live/dead bacteria staining tests. After reinoculation of Pg and Fn, bacterial readhesion was observed on the surface of decontaminated titanium specimens. Results : The AFM results showed that the surface roughness of the titanium curette group was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group (P<0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference between the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group (P>0.05). The results of contact angle measurement showed that the surface contact angle of each treatment group was smaller than that of the no-treatment control group (P<0.05). The SEM results obtained after the titanium specimen surface was decontaminated showed that the number of bacteria on the no-treatment control group surface was higher and the bacteria were relatively concentrated. The bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group were scattered and distributed in small numbers, and most bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group were ruptured. The results of the live/dead bacteria staining experiment showed that the percentage of dead bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group (P<0.05). The remaining bacteria on the surface of the sandblasting group and titanium curette groups were mainly live bacteria. The remaining bacterial adhesion on the surface was significantly reduced for the sandblasting group compared to the no-treatment control group and the photodynamic and titanium curette groups (P<0.05). SEM and live/dead bacteria staining results of bacterial readhesion on the surface of titanium specimens showed that there was an aggregation of Pg on the surface of the titanium curette group, and its surface bacterial adhesion was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group. Conclusion In mechanical decontamination, sandblasting machines are a better option than photodynamic therapy and titanium curettes; however, sandblasting does not remove all bacterial contamination. For sterilization, photodynamic therapy is more effective than sandblasting and titanium curettes. A combination of sandblasting and photodynamic therapy methods for the treatment of peri-implant disease may be considered in clinical practice.

Humans ; Adult ; Serum Albumin, Human ; Consensus ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Thoracic Surgery

Objective To observe the electromyography characteristics of children's handwriting with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD),and explore its electrophysiological mechanism,so as to provide an objective basis for developing non-pharmacological treatment for such children.Methods Between September 2021 and April 2022,29 ADHD children were recruited from an ordinary public primary school and the psychiatric clinic of a class-3 grade-A hospital in Beijing.Among them,25 were boys and 4 were girls,with an average age of 8.21±1.78 years.Meanwhile,23 male and 5 fe-male healthy counterparts were selected with the age gap no more than 6 months.The Delsys wireless surface EMG system was used to collect the electromyographic signals of the abductor pollicis breve,the first dorsal interosseous muscle,the flexor radial carpi motor and the extensor finger muscles dur-ing their writing tasks such as tracing trajectories,writing Arabic numerals 0-9,26 small and capital English letters,Chinese characters one to ten and"Yong".The percentage of the averaged electromyog-raphy(AEMG)of a muscle in the sum value of all measured muscles,and the coefficient of differ-ence were selected to evaluate the muscle contribution rate and the consistency of exertion,respective-ly.Moreover,the independent sample t-test was employed to compare the two different groups with the significance set at α=0.05.Results There was a significant difference in the muscle contribution of abductor pollicis breve and first dorsal interosseous muscles when writing Arabic numerals and that of abductor pollicis breve muscles when writing Chinese characters between ADHD children(27.29%,25.58%and 27.53%)and their healthy counterparts(42.87%,19.96%and 37.13%)(P<0.05).Most muscle differentiation coefficients of ADHD children were higher than 100%,with that of the domi-nant hand radial wrist flexor muscle reaching 270%in the trajectory tracing task.Conclusion Accord-ing to the characteristics of EMG signals,school-age ADHD children show an immature writing pat-tern,including poor stability of writing-related muscles,insufficient control of small finger muscle groups,poor control of hand coordination,and insufficient muscle inhibition of non-dominant hand.It is recommended to conduct the electromyoelectric assessment of handwriting movements in ADHD chil-dren,so as to carry out targeted intervention at an early stage.

Objective To investigate whether BPA and its substitutes BPAF,BPB,and BPS can induce lipid accumulation in hepato-cytes.Methods HL-7702 cells were treated with BPA,BPAF,BPB,or BPS for 24 h.Lipid droplet accumulation in cells was observed via oil red O staining,and triglyceride content was determined through the GPO-PAP chemical-enzymatic method.In addition,qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of triglyceride synthesis-related genes.Results Red lipid droplets of different sizes could be observed in the BPA,BPAF,BPB,and BPS groups.The intracellular triglyceride content increased significantly under 1 and 50 μmol/L BPA,10 and 50μmol/L BPAF,1,10,and 50μmol/L BPB,and 50μmol/L BPS.LIPIN2 mRNA expression level increased significantly under 10μmol/L BPAF,10μmol/L BPB,and 1 and 10μmol/L BPS.DGAT2 mRNA expression increased significantly under 50μmol/L BPA,10μmol/L BPAF,10 and 50μmol/L BPB,and 1μmol/L BPS.Conclusion BPAF,BPB,and BPS can increase intracellular triglyceride synthesis by upregulating LIPIN2 and DGAT2 mRNA expression,leading to intracellular fat accumulation and increased triglyceride con-tent in HL-7702 cells.

Objective To predict the intervention targets of empagliflozin(EMPA),a specific inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2(SGLT2),in gastric adenocarcinoma through comprehensive network pharmacology,and to validate the effects and the molecular mechanisms of EMPA through cellular and molecular biology experiments.Methods Bioinformatics analysis of gastric adenocarcinoma was conducted to assess the correlation between gastric adenocarcinoma prognosis and SGLT2 expression.Network pharmacology was utilized to identify shared targets of EMPA and gastric adenocarcinoma.AGS cells,a human gastric adenocarcinoma cells line,were incubated with EMPA at different concentrations for 24 h and,then,cell proliferation was assessed using the CCK8 assay.After AGS cells were incubated with EMPA at the doses of 0,3,and 6 mmol/L,real-time cell analysis(RTCA)and 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine(EdU)incorporation were used to evaluate EMPA's inhibitory effects on the proliferation of the AGS cells.In addition,wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to assess the inhibitory effect of EMPA on the migration and invasion of the APC cells and Western blot analysis was conducted to examine the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)and phosphorylated mTOR(p-mTOR).BALB/c(nu/nu)nude mice were implanted with 5x106 AGS cells in the axilla.The mice were divided into three groups,a control group,a low-dose group,and a high-dose group,each consisting of 7 mice.After one week,the control group received daily intraperitoneal injections of normal saline,while the low-dose group and high-dose group received daily intraperitoneal injections of EMPA at the doses of 3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg,respectively.The tumor volume was measured one week after the drug intervention started.Results Gastric adenocarcinoma patients with low expression of SGLT2 exhibited longer survival time and higher survival rate than those with high expression of SGLT2 did.A total of 104 EMPA-related potential targets and 2028 targets associated with gastric adenocarcinoma were identified.Among these,45 targets associated with gastric adenocarcinoma overlapped with potential targets of EMPA.Further analysis revealed 10 relevant pathways and 4 core genes.The core genes were cyclin-dependent kinase 4(CDK4),glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH),mTOR,and cyclin El(CCNE1).CCK-8 assay revealed that EMPA at concentrations ranging from 0.39 to 50 mmol/L effectively inhibited the proliferation of AGS cells.RTCA results indicated a downward shift in the cell growth curve.In comparison to the findings for the control group,EdU assay demonstrated that EMPA at the concentrations of 3 mmol/L and 6 mmol/L significantly inhibited AGS cell proliferation(P＜0.05).Results from wound healing and Transwell assays indicated a decrease in the levels of cell migration and invasion(P＜0.05)and,notably,there was a significant difference between the high and low-dose EMPA groups(P＜0.05).Western blot showed no statistically significant difference in the expression of total mTOR protein between the groups.However,the expression of p-mTOR in the 3 mmol/L and 6 mmol/L EMPA groups decreased compared to that of the control group(P＜0.05),with the 6 mmol/L EMPA group exhibiting a more pronounced reduction(P＜0.05).Nude mice xenograft tumor experiment demonstrated that,compared to that of the control group,the tumor volumes in the EMPA-treatment groups were significantly reduced(P＜0.05),with the high-dose group showing a more pronounced reduction(P＜0.05).Conclusion EMPA inhibits the abnormal proliferation and migration of gastric adenocarcinoma cells,potentially through the modulation of mTOR protein activation.This study provides new potential medication and intervention targets for gastric adenocarcinoma treatment.