Metastasis is the leading cause of death from cutaneous melanoma. Identifying metastasis-related targets and developing corresponding therapeutic strategies are major areas of focus. While functional genomics strategies provide powerful tools for target discovery, investigations at the protein level can directly decode the bioactive epitopes on functional proteins. Aptamers present a promising avenue as they can explore membrane proteomes and have the potential to interfere with cell function. Herein, we developed a target and epitope discovery platform, termed functional aptamer evolution-enabled target identification (FAETI), by integrating affinity aptamer acquisition with phenotype screening and target protein identification. Utilizing the aptamer XH3C, which was screened for its migration-inhibitory function, we identified the Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), as a potential target involved in melanoma migration. Further evidence demonstrated that XH3C induces cytoskeletal rearrangement by blocking the interaction between the bioactive epitope of CSPG4 and integrin α4. Taken together, our study demonstrates the robustness of aptamer-based molecular tools for target and epitope discovery. Additionally, XH3C is an affinity and functional molecule that selectively binds to a unique epitope on CSPG4, enabling the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

Gene regulation relies on the precise binding of transcription factors (TFs) at regulatory elements, but simultaneously detecting hundreds of TFs on chromatin is challenging. We developed cFOOT-seq, a cytosine deaminase-based TF footprinting assay, for high-resolution, quantitative genome-wide assessment of TF binding in both open and closed chromatin regions, even with small cell numbers. By utilizing the dsDNA deaminase SsdAtox, cFOOT-seq converts accessible cytosines to uracil while preserving genomic integrity, making it compatible with techniques like ATAC-seq for sensitive and cost-effective detection of TF occupancy at the single-molecule and single-cell level. Our approach enables the delineation of TF footprints, quantification of occupancy, and examination of chromatin influences on TF binding. Notably, cFOOT-seq, combined with FootTrack analysis, enables de novo prediction of TF binding sites and tracking of TF occupancy dynamics. We demonstrate its application in capturing cell type-specific TFs, analyzing TF dynamics during reprogramming, and revealing TF dependencies on chromatin remodelers. Overall, cFOOT-seq represents a robust approach for investigating the genome-wide dynamics of TF occupancy and elucidating the cis-regulatory architecture underlying gene regulation.
Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Humans ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Mice ; DNA Footprinting/methods*

Objective To analyze chemical constituents of compound Maxing Shigan decoction by ultra-high perfor-mance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). Methods The separation was performed on a UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 2.5 µm)，with a gradient elution applying 0.1% aqueous formic acid solution and 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile as a mobile phase. The column temperature was 40 °C. The flow rate was 0.4 ml/min and the analysis time was 15 min. Mass spectrometry (MS) data were collected in both positive and negative ESI ion modes. Results Through UPLC-QTOF/MS analysis and reference validation, a total of 59 chemical components in Maxing Shigan decoction were identified. Conclusion An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) method was established to identify the chemical components of Maxing Shigan decoction. This method is simple, efficient, sensitive and accurate, and provides a basis for the elucidation of the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of Maxing Shigan decoction. It can provide data reference for the optimization of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND:Gastrodin has anti-inflammatory effects and is mainly used in clinical practice for the treatment of ischemic stroke,and its mechanism of action is still unclear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the mechanism of gastrodin intervention on inflammatory injury in ischemic stroke rats. METHODS:Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated group,model group,positive control group,high-dose gastrodin group and low-dose gastrodin group by the randomized numerical method,with 10 rats in each group.Ischemic stroke models were established by the middle cerebral artery occlusion method in all groups of rats except for the sham operation group.Administration in each group started on the 3rd day after surgery,and the rats in the positive control group were intraperitoneally injected with edaravone injection(6 mg/kg),the rats in the high-and low-dose gastrodin groups were intraperitoneally injected with 50 and 10 mg/kg gastrodin injection respectively,and the rats in the sham-operated and model groups were intraperitoneally injected with the equal volume of physiological saline.After 14 days of continuous treatment in each group,the pathological changes in rat brain tissue were observed,and the positive expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and the expression of inflammatory response-related proteins and their mRNAs were detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the sham-operated group,the volume of cerebral infarction became larger in the model group;the structure of brain tissue was loose,irregular cavities could be observed,and the number of neurons was reduced and irregularly arranged;the positive expression of NLRP3 inflammasome increased(P<0.01);and the protein and mRNA expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4,myeloid differentiation factor 88,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain,Caspase-1,and interleukin-1β increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the volume of cerebral infarction became smaller in the high-and low-dose gastrodin groups;the neurons were regularly arranged,increased in number,and uniformly distributed;the positive expression of NLRP3 inflammasome was decreased(P<0.05);the protein and mRNA expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4,myeloid differentiation factor 88,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain,Caspase-1,and interleukin-1β were decreased in the high-dose gastrodin group(P<0.01);Toll-like receptor 4 protein expression showed no significant changes in the low-dose gastrodin group,and the protein and mRNA expression of the other inflammatory response-associated factors decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).To conclude,gastrodin attenuates inflammatory injury in ischemic stroke rats,and its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of inflammatory response-associate factor expression.

Objective To understand the application of skin disinfectant in neonatal intensive care units(NICUs)nationwide.Methods From April to May 2023,application of skin disinfectant in 93 NICUs nationwide was sur-veyed with convenience sampling method by a self-designed questionnaire.Questionnaire contents included types of disinfectant,disinfection tools,cleaning and disinfection frequency,disinfectant drying status,removal of disinfec-tant,and adverse reactions caused by disinfectant.Results A total of 93 nursing units in 71 medical institutions from 25 provinces/municipalities were included in this study.In NICUs,three most commonly used disinfectants were ethanol(79.57％),iodophor(74.19％),and anerdian(62.37％).In nursing units for neonates＜2 months of age,chlorhexidine was prohibited in 28 units(30.11％),used with caution in 23 units(24.73％),allowed in 9 units(9.68％),and there was no unified requirement in 33 units(35.48％).When using ethanol,staff only wiped once in 13(17.57％)nursing units.In some nursing units,there was no unified requirements on the wiping fre-quency of disinfectant.As for the removal of residual iodine,saline was used in 29(42.03％)nursing units,ethanol in 8(11.59％),and 19(27.54％)did not have unified requirements.The adverse reactions of disinfectant mainly included rash and contact dermatitis.Disinfectants that caused adverse reactions included ethanol,iodophor,aner-dian,and chlorhexidine.Conclusion In clinical practice,unified standards for the use of neonatal skin disinfectant remain absent.Selection and use of neonatal skin disinfectant vary considerably.Neonatal skin disinfectants have common adverse reactions.It is necessary to strengthen the training of health care workers on the standardized use of disinfectant,as well as carry out large-scale and rigorous randomized controlled trial designs to provide scientific basis for the correct selection of disinfectant.

Objective:To establish high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) wavelength switching method to simultaneously determine the contents of chlorogenic acid, hydroxysafflor yellow A, ferulic acid, Nicotiflorin, Osthole and columbianadin in Tongluo Zhibi Prescription.Methods:The column was XBridge C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm); the mobile phase was acetonitrile (A)-0.1% phosphate water (B); gradient eluted, with flow rate: 1 ml/min, column temperature: 30 °C, detection wavelength 330 nm (0-14 min detection of chlorogenic acid, 15-80 min detection of ferulic acid, Nicotiflorin, Osthole, and columbianadin), 403 nm (14-15 min detection of hydroxysafflower yellow pigment A).Results:Chlorogenic acid, hydroxyrhodopsin A, ferulic acid, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, serpentin, and dihydroeurobicarpus angelicus acid ester showed good linearity ( R2 ≥ 0.999 8) within 0.029 7-1.485 0, 0.030 0-1.500 0, 0.009 9-0.495 0, 0.017 5-0.875 0, 0.028 4-1.420 0, 0.013 7-0.685 0 μg, respectively. The precision, stability (24 h), repeatability relative standard deviation ( RSD) were all <2%. The average spiked recoveries were all in the range of 95%-105%, and the RSDs were all in the range of 0.32%-1.67%. In 10 batches of test samples of Tongluo Zhibi Prescription, the content of the above six components, including chlorogenic acid, was determined to be 0.221 60, 0.314 30, 0.085 10, 0.032 95, 0.043 87, 0.026 21 mg/g in the following order. Conclusion:The established HPLC wavelength switching method is fast, simple and accurate, which can be used for simultaneous determination of the content of the above six components in Tongluo Zhibi Prescription, which provides reference for quality monitoring and new dosage form research of Tongluo Zhibi Prescription.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the level of N-terminal pro-Brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)and cardiorespiratory fitness following acute exposure to high altitude.Methods Forty-six subjects were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University in June 2022,including 19 males and 27 females.After completing cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET),serological detection of myocardial cell-related markers,and multiple metabolites at a plain altitude(300 meters above sea level),all subjects flew to a high-altitude location(3900 meters above sea level).Biomarker testing and CPET were repeated on the second and third days after arrival at high altitude.Changes in serum biomarker and key CPET indicators before and after rapid ascent to high altitude were compared,and the correlation between serum levels of various myocardial cell-related markers and metabolites and high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness was analyzed.Results Compared with the plain altitude,there was a significant decrease in maximal oxygen uptake after rapid ascent to high altitude[(25.41±6.20)ml/(kg.min)vs.(30.17±5.01)ml/(kg.min),P<0.001].Serum levels of NT-proBNP,Epinephrine(E),plasma renin activity(PRA),angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ),angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)and leptin(LEP)significantly increased,with all differences being statistically significant(P<0.05)after acute high altitude exposure.In contrast,no statistically significant differences were observed for creatine kinase MB(CK-MB),cardiac troponin I(cTnI),myoglobin(Myo)and norepinephrine(NE)(P>0.05).Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between NT-proBNP at plain altitude(r=-0.768,P<0.001)and at high altitude(r=-0.791,P<0.001)with maximal oxygen uptake at high altitude.Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that maximal oxygen uptake at plain altitude(t=2.069,P=0.045),NT-proBNP at plain altitude(t=-2.436,P=0.020)and at high altitude(t=-3.578,P=0.001)were independent influencing factors of cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude.Conclusion Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decreases after rapid ascent to high altitude,and the baseline NT-proBNP level at plain altitude is closely related to cardiorespiratory fitness at high altitude,making it a potential predictor indicator for high altitude cardiorespiratory fitness.

The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors （TKI） has been an important advance in the systemic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma， but their sustained anti-angiogenic therapy leads to increased tumor hypoxia， accelerates the development of a hypoxic microenvironment and promotes the expressions of hypoxia-inducible factors （HIF）， thereby inducing drug resistance of tumor patients to TKI. This paper summarizes the mechanism of action of HIF mediating TKI resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma in aspects of metabolic reprogramming， abnormal expressions of cancer and cancer-associated genes， and ferroptosis， and sorts resistance response strategies to provide reference for clinical solutions to TKI resistance issues. As results show， HIF/ glycolysis axis inhibitors （isoflavonoid genistein， simvastatin， etc.） can improve TKI resistance based on metabolic reprogramming mechanism； oncogene-targeted inhibitors combined with TKI （the combination of capsaicin and sorafenib） can improve TKI resistance based on abnormal expression of cancer and cancer-related genes； fatty acid synthase inhibitor （orlistat） can improve TKI resistance based on ferroptosis mechanism.

The gastrointestinal tract is an extremely complex ecosystem,and a healthy and intact intestinal mucosal barrier is the basic defense against the translocation of harmful substances.The impaired function of the intestinal barrier in acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)is further aggravated by the dysregulation of intestinal microecology,which leads to bacterial translocation and endotoxemia.Maintaining the normal function of the intestinal mucosal barrier is important for the treatment of ACLF.This paper reviews the function of the normal intestinal mucosal barrier,the relationship between the damaged intestinal barrier and ACLF,and the impact of the damaged intestinal barrier on ACLF progression.

The regulatory requirements of 3D printing products were introduced.The risks during the production of 3D printed navigational template for orthopedic surgery were summarized in terms of data acquisition,medical-industrial intera-ction design,3D printing,post-processing and sterilization.Some quality control measures were proposed from the aspects of quality control of raw materials,validation of data and software,verification of printing process parameters,post-processing method and verification,sterilization verification and testing of semi-finished and final products,so as to enhance the safety and effectiveness of 3D printed navigational template for orthopedic surgery.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(5):80-85]