OBJECTIVES: To study the molecular mechanisms of LDH-loaded si-NEAT1 for regulating paclitaxel resistance and tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) polarization in breast cancer. METHODS: qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of lncRNA NEAT1, miR-133b, and PD-L1 in breast cancer SKBR3 cells and paclitaxel-resistant SKBR3 cells (SKBR3-PR). The effects of transfection with si-NEAT1 and miR-133b mimics on MRP, MCRP and PD-L1 expressions and cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis were investigated using qRT-PCR, Western blotting, scratch and Transwell assays, and flow cytometry. Rescue experiments were conducted using si-NEAT1 and miR-133b inhibitor. Human THP-1 macrophages were cultured in the presence of conditioned media (CM) derived from SKBR3 and SKBR3-PR cells with or with si-NEAT1 transfection for comparison of IL-4-induced macrophage polarization by detecting the surface markers. LDH@si-NEAT1 nanocarriers were constructed, and their effects on MRP, MCRP and PD-L1 expressions and cell behaviors of the tumor cells were examined. THP-1 cells were treated with the CM from LDH@si-NEAT1-treated tumor cells, and the changes in their polarization were assessed. RESULTS: SKBR3-PR cells showered significantly upregulated NEAT1 and PD-L1 expressions and lowered miR-133b expression as compared with their parental cells. Transfection with si-NEAT1 and miR-133b mimics inhibited viability, promoted apoptosis and enhanced MRP and BCRP expressions in SKBR3-PR cells. NEAT1 knockdown obvious upregulated miR-133b and downregulated PD-L1, MRP and BCRP expressions. The CM from SKBR3-PR cells obviously promoted M2 polarization of THP-1 macrophages, which was significantly inhibited by CM from si-NEAT1-transfected cells. Treatment with LDH@si-NEAT1 effectively inhibited migration and invasion, promoted apoptosis, and reduced MRP, BCRP and PD-L1 expressions in the tumor cells. The CM from LDH@si-NEAT1-treated SKBR3-PR cells significantly downregulated Arg-1, CD163, IL-10, and PD-L1 and upregulated miR-133b expression in THP-1 macrophages. CONCLUSIONS LDH@si-NEAT1 reduces paclitaxel resistance of breast cancer cells and inhibits TAM polarization by targeting the miR-133b/PD-L1 axis.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Paclitaxel/pharmacology* ; Breast Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Tumor-Associated Macrophages ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Macrophages ; Cell Movement

Objective:In critical care medicine, extubation is a pivotal step in the management of mechanically ventilated patients. Accurately determining the optimal timing for extubation is essential for minimizing complications and improving patient survival rates. However, reliable indicators to predict clinical outcomes following extubation remain scarce. This study aims to identify a novel and robust predictor of extubation success in critically ill patients, thereby providing clinicians with more precise decision-making support.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed data from adult patients who underwent mechanical ventilation and were evaluated for extubation across six intensive care units (ICUs) at Xiangya Third Hospital of Central South University between January 2019 and December 2021. Patients with a history of difficult airway, upper airway obstruction, or neuromuscular disorders affecting respiratory function were excluded. The primary outcome was the reintubation rate within 24 hours post-extubation. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, while between-group differences were assessed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Significant predictors identified in univariate analysis were further evaluated via multivariate logistic regression. The diagnostic accuracy of the maximum inspiratory pressure/body mass index (MIP/BMI) ratio was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, with the Youden index employed to establish the optimal cutoff value. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests were used to compare extubation success rates between groups. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS V28.0 and Stata v.16.0. Results:Diabetes comorbidity ( OR: 8.181, 95% CI: 1.659–40.338) and MIP/BMI ( OR: 0.140, 95% CI: 0.042–0.469) were identified as independent predictors of reintubation. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) for MIP/BMI was 0.753, demonstrating good predictive accuracy. The optimal cutoff value for MIP/BMI was 1.26 cmH 2O/(kg·m 2), with a sensitivity of 55.3% and specificity of 92.3%. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher reintubation rate in the low MIP/BMI group compared to the high MIP/BMI group ( P = 0.009), further validating its predictive utility. Conclusions:This study establishes MIP/BMI as a novel and clinically valuable predictor of extubation outcomes in critically ill patients. A cutoff value of 1.26 cmH 2O/(kg·m 2) was found to best predict successful extubation.

Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(KRAS)protein inhibitors are a promising class of thera-peutics,but research on molecules that effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier(BBB)remains limited,which is crucial for treating central nervous system(CNS)malignancies.Although molecular generation models have recently advanced drug discovery,they often overlook the complexity of bio-logical and chemical factors,leaving room for improvement.In this study,we present a structure-constrained molecular generation workflow designed to optimize lead compounds for both drug effi-cacy and drug absorption properties.Our approach utilizes a variational autoencoder(VAE)generative model integrated with reinforcement learning for multi-objective optimization.This method specifically aims to enhance BBB permeability(BBBp)while maintaining high-affinity substructures of KRAS in-hibitors.To support this,we incorporate a specialized KRAS BBB predictor based on active learning and an affinity predictor employing comparative learning models.Additionally,we introduce two novel metrics,the knowledge-integrated reproduction score(KIRS)and the composite diversity score(CDS),to assess structural performance and biological relevance.Retrospective validation with KRAS inhibitors,AMG510 and MRTX849,demonstrates the framework's effectiveness in optimizing BBBp and highlights its potential for real-world drug development applications.This study provides a robust framework for accelerating the structural enhancement of lead compounds,advancing the drug development process across diverse targets.

In vitro erythrocyte manufacturing technology offers a novel solution for transfusion therapy,en-suring sustainable blood supply,reducing dependence on donors,and minimizing the risk of infectious disease transmission.This review summarizes recent advancements in in vitro erythrocyte production,including techniques for generating red blood cells(RBC)from various cell sources,with a focus on the cultivation and development of immortalized erythroid cell lines.The importance of enhancing enucleation efficiency and ensuring the safety of immortalized erythroid cells is emphasized.Additionally,the potential and challenges in clinical translation are discussed,aiming to provide new insights for future sustainable RBC supply and therapeutic applications.

Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) protein inhibitors are a promising class of therapeutics, but research on molecules that effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains limited, which is crucial for treating central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. Although molecular generation models have recently advanced drug discovery, they often overlook the complexity of biological and chemical factors, leaving room for improvement. In this study, we present a structure-constrained molecular generation workflow designed to optimize lead compounds for both drug efficacy and drug absorption properties. Our approach utilizes a variational autoencoder (VAE) generative model integrated with reinforcement learning for multi-objective optimization. This method specifically aims to enhance BBB permeability (BBBp) while maintaining high-affinity substructures of KRAS inhibitors. To support this, we incorporate a specialized KRAS BBB predictor based on active learning and an affinity predictor employing comparative learning models. Additionally, we introduce two novel metrics, the knowledge-integrated reproduction score (KIRS) and the composite diversity score (CDS), to assess structural performance and biological relevance. Retrospective validation with KRAS inhibitors, AMG510 and MRTX849, demonstrates the framework's effectiveness in optimizing BBBp and highlights its potential for real-world drug development applications. This study provides a robust framework for accelerating the structural enhancement of lead compounds, advancing the drug development process across diverse targets.

This study investigated the full-genome molecular characteristics of a rotavirus vaccine-derived strain,G1P[8]geno-type A group rotavirus RVA/Human-wt/CHN/HN1140/2021/G1P[8](referred to as HN1140).The gene fragments of the HN1140 strain were amplified with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)combined with whole-genome primers to obtain the full genome sequence.Genotyping was performed with the online genotyping tool RotaC 2.0,and similarity and genetic evolution analyses for each gene segment were conducted in DNAstar5.1 and MEGA11.0 software.The genotype of the HN1140 strain was deter-mined to be G1-P[8]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A3-N2-T6-E2-H3.Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that all 11 genomic segments clus-tered closely with the RotaTeq vaccine strains,sharing 99.7%-100%nucleotide sequence similarity.Notably,VP1,VP2,VP6,and NSP2-NSP5 segments showed 100%nucleotide identity with RotaTeq strains.Comparative genomic analysis identified 13 nucleotide and 8 amino acid substitutions between HN1140 and RotaTeq strains,localized within the VP7,VP4,VP1,VP2,VP3,and NSP1 segments.The HN1140 strain exhibited the genotype G1-P[8]-A3-T6-H3,which was consistent with the typical profile of a vaccine-derived reassortant.This strain demonstrated high genetic similarity to RotaTeq vaccine strains,with nucleotide sequence identity ranging from 99.7%to 100%.These findings suggested that HN1140 evolved from RotaTeq vaccine strains through genetic reassortment.

Objective:To understand the molecular evolutionary characteristics of the recombinant strain GII.3[P12] of norovirus acute gastroenteritis outbreaks and aggregated outbreaks in China from 2022 to 2023.Methods:Epidemiological information, case information, clinical samples, as well as detection and genotyping information of norovirus outbreaks and aggregated outbreaks from 2022 to 2023 were collected; positive samples of the GII.3[P12] recombinant strain were subjected to nucleic acid extraction, whole-genome amplification, and sequence analysis; and homology simulation method were used to construct a three-dimensional structure and predict antigenic epitopes.Results:From January 2022 to December 2023, a total of 1 136 norovirus outbreaks and aggregated outbreaks were reported in China′s norovirus outbreak surveillance network, and genotyping result were successfully obtained for 942 outbreaks, with GII dominating, accounting for 76.0% (716/942), and the proportion of GI and mixed genotypes being 15.8% (149/942) and 8.2% (77/942). Norovirus outbreaks caused by GII were dominated by GII.3[P12] (22.5%, 161/716), while other major genotypes included GII.17[P17] (18.7%, 134/716), GII.4_Sydney 2012[P16] (11.6%, 83/716) and GII.6[P7] ( 11.3%, 81/716). 2022-2023 Outbreaks caused by GII.3[P12] were concentrated in February-March (54.0%, 87/161), with the main outbreaks occurring in nursery and primary schools (87.5%), the mode of transmission was mainly human-to-human (68.9%), and the main susceptible population was children aged 3-7 years (93.3%). In this study, the genome sequences of 25 GII.3[P12] recombinant strains were obtained, and according to the phylogenetic analysis, it was shown that the GII.3[P12] recombinant strains in China in 2022-2023 belonged to the Cluster IV cluster of sublineage b (7 strains) and sublineage c (18 strains). A total of 11 linear and 8 conformational epitopes were predicted by epitope prediction analysis, and the predicted linear and conformational epitopes had overlapping positions, and each conformational epitope was part of the predicted linear epitope with conserved potential antigen-binding and receptor-binding sites.Conclusions:The recombinant strain GII.3[P12] is one of the epidemic strains that will cause outbreaks and clusters of norovirus in China in 2022-2023, and its genome did not undergo significant mutation.

Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer and its trend in Lianyungang city from 2008 to 2019.Methods The data of esophageal cancer in all cancer registry areas in Lianyungang city were col-lected and sorted out,and the quality control reached the standards.The incidence,mortality,age-standardized rate of Chinese population(ASRC),age-standardized rate of World population(ASRW),cumulative rate at 0-74 years old,truncation rate of 35-64 years old,and composition ranking were calculated.The Joinpoint4.7.0.0software was used to analyze the average annual percentage change(AAPC)of the age-standardized incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer by the standard population(ASIRC and ASMRC).Results From 2008 to 2019,the incidence of esophageal cancer in Lianyungang city was 25.90/100,000,ASIRC was 17.95/100,000,ASIRW was 17.91/100,000,ranking the third in the incidence spectrum of malignant tumors.The mortality was 20.55/100,000,ASMRC was 13.86/100,000,and ASMRW was 13.71/100,000,ranking the third in the malignant tumor mortality spectrum.The incidence,mortali-ty,ASIRC and ASMRC of esophageal cancer were higher in men than those in women,and higher in rural areas than those in urban are-as.From 2008 to 2019,the change trend of incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in Lianyungang city was the same,showing a downward trend.The AAPC of the ASIRC was-6.19%(95%CI:-7.08%-5.30%,P<0.001),and the AAPC of the ASMRC was-4.03%(95%CI:-5.81%-2.22%,P<0.001).Among them,the ASIRC and ASMRC of esophageal cancer in urban and rural areas showed a downward trend(P<0.05).Among them,the ASIRC and ASMRC of esophageal cancer in urban women decreased the most,with an average annual decline of-7.99%(95%CI:-10.86%-5.03%,P<0.001)and-9.19%(95%CI:-12.35%-5.93%,P<0.001).Conclusion The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer in Lianyungang city have shown a downward trend,a rural areas and male populations are the key prevention and control populations for esophageal cancer.

Although percutaneous pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) has demonstrated long-term benefits in combined post- and pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension, its usefulness for isolated post-capillary pulmonary hypertension (IpcPH) remains unclear. This report presents 2 cases of IpcPH due to left heart failure who underwent PADN treatment following an insufficient response to optimized conventional therapy. This case study illustrates how PADN, when combined with heart failure guideline-directed medical therapy, may represent a promising treatment option for IpcPH.

This study investigated the immunogenicity of type 5 replication deficient recombinant adenovirus comprising the fused receptor binding domain protein(RBD)and capsid protein(N)of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain.The overlap PCR method was used to obtain the RBDgs3N fragment.The plasmid pKAd5ES-RBDgs3N was obtained through homologous recombination,and re-combinant virus was amplifiedand harvested after transfection of HEK293 cells.Cesium chloride density gradient centrifugation was used to purify the recombinant adenovirus,and the viral titer was determined through limited dilution analysis.The fusion protein ex-pression was identified with the western blot(WB)method.Recombinant adenovirus was injected intramuscularly into BALB/c mice,and the specific immune responses of the mice were detected with indirect ELISA and enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot technology.The titer of the recombinant adenovirus pKAd5ES-RBDgs3N virus seed was 1.168×1010 IU/mL.The RBDgs3N fusion protein was suc-cessfully expressed in HEK293 cells.Single dose intramuscular immunization significantly induced production of IgG antibodies against wild type(WT)SARS-CoV-2 virus and variant(Delta and Omicron)RBDs in mice,with antibody titers of 103.677 8,103.878 5,and 104.454 9,respectively.The specific antibody titer against N protein was 104.942 2.The level of IFN-γ secretion for RBD specific cellu-lar immunity was 1 452 SFC/106 cells.The type 5 replication deficient recombinant adenovirus with RBD and N gene fusion constructed in this study elicited high levels of specific antibodies against RBD and N protein and RBD specific cellular immunity in BALB/c mice,thus providing a basis for further evaluation of the recombinant adenovirus as a potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.