Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality, characterized by poor prognosis due to its high proliferative and invasive potential. Tumor metabolic reprogramming, particularly involving glucose metabolism, is essential for tumor survival. This study investigates the role of the Hippo pathway effector transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) in regulating gluconeogenesis and promoting tumorigenesis in HCC. Methods: TAZ expression in HCC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas data and validated in clinical samples and cell lines. TAZ was overexpressed or silenced in HCC cell lines to evaluate its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. The expression and prognostic relevance of the gluconeogenesis-related genes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) were examined, along with their correlation with TAZ expression. Tumor growth was assessed in nude mice. Interactions between TAZ and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) were investigated using co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Results: TAZ was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. TAZ overexpression enhanced proliferation, reduced apoptosis, and promoted migration and invasion. In contrast, PCK1 and G6PC were downregulated in HCC and showed a negative correlation with TAZ expression. Conclusion TAZ modulates gluconeogenesis and accelerates tumor growth, whereas its knockdown attenuates tumor progression. TAZ interacts with GR, suppressing its transcriptional activity on gluconeogenic gene promoters.

BACKGROUND:Cognitive impairment is the most common complication after stroke,and its severity is closely related to the patient's prognosis.The prognosis of patients can be significantly improved if the severity of their cognitive impairment is recognized and targeted early.OBJECTIVE:To initially explore potential biomarkers affecting the progression of post-stroke cognitive impairment,thereby providing a richer and unique reference for the study of their pathophysiological mechanisms.METHODS:Using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry,non-targeted metabolomics analysis was conducted on serum samples from patients with mild and moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment to identify differential metabolites between the two groups.To further validate the diagnostic efficacy of the differential metabolites,the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate their accuracy and sensitivity in distinguishing disease severity.In addition,pathway analysis was conducted on the differential metabolites.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There were significant differences in metabolic profiles between patients with mild and moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment,and 9 differential metabolites were screened by the receiver operating characteristic curve.(2)Differential metabolite pathway analysis revealed that the metabolic pathways affecting disease progression in patients with mild-to-moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment included tryptophan metabolism,D-amino acid metabolism,biotin metabolism,retinol metabolism,aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis,lysine degradation,protein digestion and uptake,pyrimidine metabolism,cysteine and methionine metabolism,ABC transporter proteins,amino acid biosynthesis,and 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism.To conclude,9 potential biomarkers affecting disease progression in patients with mild-to-moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment have been identified,involving 12 metabolic pathways including tryptophan metabolism,D-amino acid metabolism and retinol metabolism.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic interstitial lung disease, is characterized by aberrant wound healing, excessive scarring and the formation of myofibroblastic foci. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis has garnered increasing attention, its specific contribution to pulmonary fibrosis remains incompletely understood. In this study, we identified an up-regulation of serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 7 (SRSF7) in lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients and a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse model, and further characterized its functional role in both human fetal lung fibroblasts and mice. We demonstrated that enhanced expression of Srsf7 in mice spontaneously induced alveolar collagen accumulation. Mechanistically, we investigated alternative splicing events and revealed that SRSF7 modulates the alternative splicing of pyruvate kinase (PKM), leading to metabolic dysregulation and fibroblast activation. In vivo studies showed that fibroblast-specific knockout of Srsf7 in conditional knockout mice conferred resistance to bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Importantly, through drug screening, we identified lomitapide as a novel modulator of SRSF7, which effectively mitigated experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Collectively, our findings elucidate a molecular pathway by which SRSF7 drives fibroblast metabolic dysregulation and propose a potential therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Various therapeuti modailities have been engineered for lung cancer treatment, but their clinic application is severely impeded by the poor therapy efficiency and immunosuppressive microenvironment. Herein, we fabricated a library of small molecule redox-labile nanoparticles (NPs) (i.e., diPTX-2C NPs, diPTX-2S NPs, and diPTX-2Se NPs) by the self-assembly of dimer paclitaxel (PTX) prodrug, and then utilized these NPs with the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Qi-Yu-San-Long-Fang (Q) for effective chemoimmunotherapy on Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC)-bearing mice models. Under the high concentration of glutathione (GSH) and H₂O₂, diPTX-2Se NPs could specifically release PTX in cancer cells and exert a higher selectivity and toxicity than normal cells. In LLC tumor-bearing mice, oral administration of Q not only effectively downregulated programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression, but also remodeled the immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment via the increase of CD4⁺ T and CD8⁺ T cell proportion and the repolarization of M2 into M1 macrophages in tumor tissues, collectively achieving superior synergistic treatment outcomes in combination with intravenous PTX prodrug NPs. Besides, we found that the combination regimen also demonstrated excellent chemoimmunotherapeutic performances on low-dose small established tumor and high-dose large established tumor models. This study may shed light on the potent utilization of Chinese and Western-integrative strategy for efficient tumor chemoimmunotherapy.

Objective To investigate the correlations of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio(Fib/Alb),soluble myeloid cell triggering receptor-like transcript factor-1(sTLT-1)and neutrophil gelatinase-as-sociated lipocalin(NGAL)in peripheral blood at admission with the risk of poor prognosis in patients with acute thoracoabdominal trauma and their early warning values.Methods A prospective study was conducted in 152 patients with acute thoracoabdominal trauma in the hospital from January 2022 to May 2024.The patients were divided into good prognosis group(n=120)and poor prognosis group(n=32)according to their prognosis.Baseline data and the levels of Fib/Alb,sTLT-1 and NGAL in peripheral blood at admission were compared between the two groups.The relationships between the levels of Fib/Alb,sTLT-1,and NGAL in peripheral blood at admission and the severity of trauma[the Circulation,Respiration,Abdomen,Movement,and Speech(CRAMS)score]and the risk of poor prognosis were analyzed.The early warning values of the levels of Fib/Alb,sTLT-1 and NGAL in peripheral blood at admission for the risk of poor prognosis were evaluated.Results The time from injury to admission in the poor prognosis group was longer than that in the good prognosis group,the CRAMS score,the Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)score,and the levels of Fib,Alb and Fib/Alb in peripheral blood at admission in the poor prognosis group were lower than those in the good prognosis group,while the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA)score and the levels of sTLT-1 and NGAL in peripheral blood at admission were higher than those in the good prognosis group,with statistically significant between-group differences(P＜0.05).The levels of Fib,Alb and Fib/Alb in peripheral blood at admission showed a decreasing trend,while the levels of sTLT-1 and NGAL showed an increasing trend in patients with mild,severe,and extremely severe trauma,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the level of Fib/Alb in peripheral blood at admission(r=0.839)was positively correlated with the CRAMS score,while the levels of sTLT-1 and NGAL(r=-0.832,-0.808)were negatively cor-related with the CRAMS score(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for confounding factors,the levels of Fib/Alb(OR=0.769),sTLT-1(OR=1.562)and NGAL(OR=1.575)in peripheral blood at admission were still independently correlated with the risk of poor prognosis(P＜0.05).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve showed that the area under the curve(AUC)for the combined early warning of the risk of poor prognosis by the levels of Fib/Alb,sTLT-1,and NGAL in peripheral blood at admission was 0.918,which was superior to the early warning value of individual indicators(Z=2.992,2.291,2.082,P＜0.05).Conclusion The levels of Fib/Alb,sTLT-1 and NGAL in peripheral blood are closely related to the severity of trauma and prognosis in patients with acute thoracoabdominal trauma.Combined detection has a certain ear-ly warning value for the risk of poor prognosis and can be used as potential factors for clinical assess-ment of trauma condition and early warning of the risk of poor prognosis.

With the emergence of deep learning techniques based on convolutional neural networks, artificial intelligence (AI) has driven transformative developments in the field of medical image analysis. Recently, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have also started to achieve distinction in this domain. Increasing research shows the undeniable role of AI in reshaping various aspects of medical image analysis, including processes such as image enhancement, segmentation, detection in image preprocessing, and postprocessing related to medical diagnosis and prognosis in clinical settings. However, despite the significant progress in AI research, studies investigating the recent advances in AI technology in the aforementioned aspects, the changes in research hotspot trajectories, and the performance of studies in addressing key clinical challenges in this field are limited. This article provides an overview of recent advances in AI for medical image analysis and discusses the methodological profiles, advantages, disadvantages, and future trends of AI technologies.
Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Deep Learning ; Diagnostic Imaging/methods*

Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.

Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.

BACKGROUND:Cognitive impairment is the most common complication after stroke,and its severity is closely related to the patient's prognosis.The prognosis of patients can be significantly improved if the severity of their cognitive impairment is recognized and targeted early.OBJECTIVE:To initially explore potential biomarkers affecting the progression of post-stroke cognitive impairment,thereby providing a richer and unique reference for the study of their pathophysiological mechanisms.METHODS:Using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry,non-targeted metabolomics analysis was conducted on serum samples from patients with mild and moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment to identify differential metabolites between the two groups.To further validate the diagnostic efficacy of the differential metabolites,the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate their accuracy and sensitivity in distinguishing disease severity.In addition,pathway analysis was conducted on the differential metabolites.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There were significant differences in metabolic profiles between patients with mild and moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment,and 9 differential metabolites were screened by the receiver operating characteristic curve.(2)Differential metabolite pathway analysis revealed that the metabolic pathways affecting disease progression in patients with mild-to-moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment included tryptophan metabolism,D-amino acid metabolism,biotin metabolism,retinol metabolism,aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis,lysine degradation,protein digestion and uptake,pyrimidine metabolism,cysteine and methionine metabolism,ABC transporter proteins,amino acid biosynthesis,and 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism.To conclude,9 potential biomarkers affecting disease progression in patients with mild-to-moderate post-stroke cognitive impairment have been identified,involving 12 metabolic pathways including tryptophan metabolism,D-amino acid metabolism and retinol metabolism.

Objective:To study the genetic polymorphisms of short-tandem repeats (STR) for the D13S317 locus among an ethnic Han Chinese population and verify a novel tri-allelic pattern identified for the locus. Methods:A total of 378 paternity test cases from Guangdong Forensic Authentication Institute from October 17, 2017 to December 28, 2017 were selected as the study subjects. A GlobalFiler? Express kit was used for the STR genotyping. Samples suspected for having a novel tri-allelic pattern were verified with a PowerPlex ? 21 kit. Potential variant of the primer-binding region and flanking sequences underlying the tri-allelic pattern was excluded by molecular cloning and sequencing. Results:Six alleles were detected for the D13S317 locus, with the characteristic distribution frequencies being 8 (29.1%), 9 (13.1%), 10 (15.21%), 11 (24.21%), 12 (13.89%) and 13 (3.44%), respectively. In one of the families, the D13S317 locus of the proband was suspected to harbor a triband allele (8, 9, 10). A re-test has confirmed the result of initial test. Molecular cloning and sequencing analysis of the D13S317 locus in the proband and his daughter has failed to find allelic variants in the primer-binding region and flanking sequence, which has confirmed the novel tri-allelic pattern for the locus. Conclusion:A novel type 2 tri-allelic pattern (8, 9, 10) at the D13S317 locus has been identified among the ethnic Han Chinese population. The pattern has not been transmitted to the female offspring, and has been included in the international STRBase database for the first time.