The angiogenic response is essential for the repair of ischemic brain tissue. Integrin α6 (Itga6) expression has been shown to increase under hypoxic conditions and is expressed exclusively in vascular structures; however, its role in post-ischemic angiogenesis remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that mice with endothelial cell-specific knockout of Itga6 exhibit reduced neovascularization, reduced pericyte coverage on microvessels, and accelerated breakdown of microvascular integrity in the peri-infarct area. In vitro, endothelial cells with ITGA6 knockdown display reduced proliferation, migration, and tube-formation. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that ITGA6 regulates post-stroke angiogenesis through the PI3K/Akt-eNOS-VEGFA axis. Importantly, the specific overexpression of Itga6 in endothelial cells significantly enhanced neovascularization and enhanced the integrity of microvessels, leading to improved functional recovery. Our results suggest that endothelial cell Itga6 plays a crucial role in key steps of post-stroke angiogenesis, and may represent a promising therapeutic target for promoting recovery after stroke.
Animals ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III/metabolism* ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Integrin alpha6/genetics* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Stroke/pathology* ; Vascular Remodeling/physiology* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Mice, Knockout ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology*

BACKGROUND: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-LBL/ALL) is an aggressive form of hematological malignancy associated with poor prognosis in adult patients. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are aberrantly expressed in T-LBL/ALL and are considered potential therapeutic targets. Here, we investigated the antitumor effect of a novel HDAC inhibitor, chidamide, on T-LBL/ALL. METHODS: HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 levels in T-LBL/ALL cell lines and patient samples were compared with those in normal controls. Flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, and lactate dehydrogenase release assays were conducted in Jurkat and MOLT-4 cells to assess apoptosis and pyroptosis. A specific forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) inhibitor was used to rescue pyroptosis and upregulated gasdermin E (GSDME) expression caused by chidamide treatment. The role of the FOXO1 transcription factor was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The efficacy of chidamide in vivo was evaluated in a xenograft mouse. RESULTS: The expression of HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 was significantly upregulated in T-LBL/ALL. Cell viability was obviously inhibited after chidamide treatment. Pyroptosis, characterized by cell swelling, pore formation on the plasma membrane and lactate dehydrogenase leakage, was identified as a new mechanism of chidamide treatment. Chidamide triggered pyroptosis through caspase 3 activation and GSDME transcriptional upregulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that chidamide led to the increased transcription of GSDME through a more relaxed chromatin structure at the promoter and the upregulation of FOXO1 expression. Moreover, we identified the therapeutic effect of chidamide in vivo . CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that chidamide exerts an antitumor effect on T-LBL/ALL and promotes a more inflammatory form of cell death via the FOXO1/GSDME axis, which provides a novel choice of targeted therapy for patients with T-LBL/ALL.
Humans ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; Forkhead Box Protein O1/genetics* ; Aminopyridines/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Benzamides/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Jurkat Cells ; Histone Deacetylases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Gasdermins

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

Purpose To investigate the value of non-invasive preoperative prediction of programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using MRI radiomics combined with clinical features through nomograms.Materials and Methods A retrospective collection was made of 87 cases of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed through surgical pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2011 to December 2021.These were randomly divided into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Using 3D-Slicer software,regions of interest were manually delineated layer-by-layer on MRI images,and radiomic features were extracted.Data normalization,feature dimensionality reduction and selection were then performed.A Gaussian naive Bayes classifier was used to construct the radiomics model,and radiomics scores were obtained.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to screen clinical features,and individual clinical and combined models were constructed.The predictive performances of the three models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),and the goodness of fit and clinical net benefit of the combined model nomogram were assessed through calibration and decision curves.Results Nine radiomic features and three clinical features were finally selected.The clinical features included alanine transaminase(P=0.020),aspartate transaminase(P=0.025)and total bilirubin(P=0.026).The predictive performance of the combined model(training set AUC 0.813,testing set AUC 0.818)was superior to that of the individual clinical model(training set AUC 0.711,testing set AUC 0.705)and the radiomics model(training set AUC 0.769,testing set AUC 0.767).Calibration and decision curves indicated good fit and better clinical net benefit for the combined model nomogram.Conclusion Based on preoperative multi-sequence MRI images and the radiomics score,along with alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase and total bilirubin as clinical features,the constructed combined model nomogram effectively predicts the programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.This provides guidance for the precise and personalized immunotherapy for patients.

Purpose To investigate the value of non-invasive preoperative prediction of programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using MRI radiomics combined with clinical features through nomograms.Materials and Methods A retrospective collection was made of 87 cases of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed through surgical pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2011 to December 2021.These were randomly divided into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Using 3D-Slicer software,regions of interest were manually delineated layer-by-layer on MRI images,and radiomic features were extracted.Data normalization,feature dimensionality reduction and selection were then performed.A Gaussian naive Bayes classifier was used to construct the radiomics model,and radiomics scores were obtained.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to screen clinical features,and individual clinical and combined models were constructed.The predictive performances of the three models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),and the goodness of fit and clinical net benefit of the combined model nomogram were assessed through calibration and decision curves.Results Nine radiomic features and three clinical features were finally selected.The clinical features included alanine transaminase(P=0.020),aspartate transaminase(P=0.025)and total bilirubin(P=0.026).The predictive performance of the combined model(training set AUC 0.813,testing set AUC 0.818)was superior to that of the individual clinical model(training set AUC 0.711,testing set AUC 0.705)and the radiomics model(training set AUC 0.769,testing set AUC 0.767).Calibration and decision curves indicated good fit and better clinical net benefit for the combined model nomogram.Conclusion Based on preoperative multi-sequence MRI images and the radiomics score,along with alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase and total bilirubin as clinical features,the constructed combined model nomogram effectively predicts the programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.This provides guidance for the precise and personalized immunotherapy for patients.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for tendency towards depression in college students having music listening habits with music APP,and develop a prediction model and further optimize it.Methods A total of 1 157 college students were subjected with convenient sampling and surveyed with questionaires between April and May 2023.Univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis were employed to identify the influencing factors.Then a prediction model was constructed based on these factors.SMOTEENN over-sampling algorithm was utilized to enhance the dataset and construct the prediction model.Results Logistic regression analysis revealed that female(OR=1.730,95％CI:1.257～2.396),senior grade(OR=2.649,95％CI:1.198～7.506),postgraduate grade(OR=2.041,95％CI:1.231～3.885),major in Science(OR=1.573,95％CI:1.052～2.350),listening for a duration of 0.5～2 h(OR=1.661,95％CI:1.011～2.695),music style of melancholy(OR=2.668,95％CI:1.701～4.226)and of nostalgia(OR=1.751,95％CI:1.086～2.837),and frequency of comments on 0～5％of songs(OR=2.938,95％CI:1.018～8.417)were independent risk factors for depressive tendency.Time since listening to music for 1～3 years(OR=0.547,95％CI:0.347～0.872),listening to music from 14:00 to 18:00(OR=0.375,95％CI:0.167～0.845)and 18:00 to 21:00(OR=0.313,95％CI:0.148～0.671),and preference for Chinese style songs(OR=0.711,95％CI:0.541～0.941)were independent protective factors.The logistic early warning model based on SMOTEENN algorithm demonstrated optimal predictive performance with an AUC value of 0.923.Conclusion Our constructed logistic regression model has identified 9 independent influencing factors associated with depression tendency among college students.The early warning model based on SMOTEENN algorithm can predict the depression tendency more accurately for college students.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate (IM) resistance is an emerging problem for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Previous studies found that connexin 43 (Cx43) deficiency in the hematopoietic microenvironment (HM) protects minimal residual disease (MRD), but the mechanism remains unknown. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry assays were employed to compare the expression of Cx43 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in bone marrow (BM) biopsies of CML patients and healthy donors. A coculture system of K562 cells and several Cx43-modified bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) was established under IM treatment. Proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and other indicators of K562 cells in different groups were detected to investigate the function and possible mechanism of Cx43. We assessed the Ca 2+ -related pathway by Western blotting. Tumor-bearing models were also established to validate the causal role of Cx43 in reversing IM resistance. RESULTS: Low levels of Cx43 in BMs were observed in CML patients, and Cx43 expression was negatively correlated with HIF-1α. We also observed that K562 cells cocultured with BMSCs transfected with adenovirus-short hairpin RNA of Cx43 (BMSCs-shCx43) had a lower apoptosis rate and that their cell cycle was blocked in G0/G1 phase, while the result was the opposite in the Cx43-overexpression setting. Cx43 mediates gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) through direct contact, and Ca 2+ is the key factor mediating the downstream apoptotic pathway. In animal experiments, mice bearing K562, and BMSCs-Cx43 had the smallest tumor volume and spleen, which was consistent with the in vitro experiments. CONCLUSIONS Cx43 deficiency exists in CML patients, promoting the generation of MRD and inducing drug resistance. Enhancing Cx43 expression and GJIC function in the HM may be a novel strategy to reverse drug resistance and promote IM efficacy.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Cell Communication ; Connexin 43/genetics* ; Gap Junctions/metabolism* ; Imatinib Mesylate/therapeutic use* ; K562 Cells ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/pathology* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Calcium/metabolism*

Objective: : Ischemia and hemorrhage of pituitary adenomas (PA) caused important clinical syndrome. However, the differences on clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes between these two kinds apoplexy were less reported. Methods: : A retrospective analysis was made of patients with pituitary apoplexy between January 2013 and June 2018. Baseline and clinical characteristics before surgery were reviewed. All patients underwent transsphenoidal surgery and were followed up at least 1 year. Results: : Total 67 cases (5.8%) among 1147 pituitary tumor patients were enrolled, which consisted of 28 (~2.4%) ischemic PA and 39 (~3.4%) hemorrhagic PA. There were more male patients in the ischemic group compared with hemorrhagic group (78.6% vs 53.8%, p=0.043). However, the mean age, tumor size and functional tumor ratio were significant higher in the hemorrhagic group. Headache was more common in ischemic PA (82.1%) than that of hemorrhagic PA (51.3%, p=0.011). Magnetic resonance imaging findings found that mucosal thickening and enhancement of the sphenoid sinus was observed in 15 ischemic PA patients (n=27, 55.6%), but none in patients with hemorrhagic PA (n=38, p<0.0001). It was worth noting that the rate of pre-surgical hypopituitarism in ischemic PA patients were seemed higher than that in hemorrhagic PA patients, but not significant. The two groups got a total tumor resection rate at 94.1% and 92.9%, independently. No significant difference on the operative time, blood loss in operation and complications in perioperative period was observed in two groups. After operation, cranial nerve symptoms recovered to normal at 81.8% of ischemic PA patients and 82.6% of hemorrhagic PA patients. Importantly, the incidence of postoperative hypopituitarism partially decreased in both groups, among which the rate of hypothyroidism in ischemic PA patients significantly decreased from 46.4% to 18.5% (p=0.044). Conclusion : Patients with ischemic PA presented different clinical characteristics to the hemorrhagic ones. Transsphenoidal surgery should be considered for the patients with neuro-ophthalmic deficits and might benefit for pituitary function recovery of the apoplectic adenoma patients, especially pituitary thyroid axis in ischemic PA patients.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a highly effective and unique medical procedure for the treatment of most hematological malignancies. The first allogeneic transplantation was performed by E. Donnall Thomas in 1957. Since then, the field has evolved and expanded worldwide. The first successful allogenic HSCT (allo-HSCT) in China was conducted in 1981. Although the development of allo-HSCT in China lagged, China has since made considerable contributions to the process of HSCT worldwide, with more than 10,000 HSCTs performed annually. In particular, haploid HSCT (haplo-HSCT) technology represented in the Beijing Protocol has demonstrated similar efficacy to human leukocyte antigen-matched HSCT and has gradually become the pre-dominant choice for allo-HSCT in China. Currently, the number of haplo-HSCT procedures exceeds 5000 per year, and the Beijing Protocol has been greatly improved by implementing updated individualized strategies for controlling complications, relapse, and infection management. In addition, innovative haplo-HSCT technologies developed by different medical transplantation centers, such as Soochow, Zhejiang, Fujian, Chongqing, and Anhui, have emerged, providing inspiration for the refinement of global practice. This review will focus on the current activity in this field and highlight important trends that are vital in China’s allo-HSCT process, examining the current viewpoint and future directions.